The Blood of Olympus (Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 12: Nico

Chapter 12: Nico

 

          NICO JUST WANTED TO SLEEP.

            His body was limp with exhaustion. He should have been resting, but of course he had to save Reyna’s life. His legs felt like rubber, his arms flailing around like jelly. His sword felt like a thousand pounds, making it feel like his shoulder was popping out of place. His mouth was extremely dry, and his head pounded.

            Seriously, he just wanted to sleep.

            After slashing through a few gryphons and air spirits, all of his energy was drained away. He stumbled, trying to swallow the bile rising in his throat. He slumped, his knees touching the ground. His whole body shook, and he felt like the armor was dragging him down.

            He glanced up, his vision blurring slightly. He could hear Coach Hedge behind him, though he didn’t have the energy to turn around. In front of him, he saw Reyna fighting her way through a thick mob of monsters.

            She was a brilliant fighter. Her movements were quick and fluid, just like a warrior’s fighting skills should be. Her sword was only a blur as she hacked and stabbed the monsters. She would often give a shriek of defiance, jumping into the air. At one point, a gryphon dove at her feet, and she smirked, giving a loud yell. Her feet locked together, and the gryphon’s neck was being crushed by her ankles. She then stabbed in between her feet, and the gryphon exploded into dust at her feet.

            He could have watched her fight all day. He was in awe- she was a real Roman. But he couldn’t watch her. He could barely see anything. His vision was blurry, and he was too exhausted to lift his head up to watch her movements.

            Somehow, he didn’t know how, Reyna saw him on the ground. Her eyes widened, and her eyes filled with rage. She screamed, and hurled her sword. It flew through the air, cutting into at least four monsters before hitting the ground beside the Athena Parthenos. She then grabbed her knife, which was attached to her belt. She slashed through the thick crowd of monsters. Nico was too exhausted to think straight. What was she doing?

            In a flash, Reyna was at his side. She reached down, her hands firmly grasping the strap of his armor. Before he could react, she was lifting him into the air. He was suddenly on her back, his arms loosely wrapped around her neck. His legs hung, barely gripping around her torso. One of her hands was grabbing his leg, keeping him upright. The other hand was gripping her knife, which was held tightly in her fist.

            His head rolled onto her shoulder, his face pressed against her neck. His sword hung limping in his hand, which was pressed against Reyna’s arm.

            She smelled like lilac and peaches. Her braid brushed against his cheek, and stray wisps of hair tickled against his arm. Her hair was soft, and so was her skin. Exhaustion made him focus on the little details about the praetor.

            There was a whisper in the wind, and Reyna yelled in rage. Her body tensed, and suddenly she rushed forward. The weight shifted into her left side. Nico could feel her left arm curl up, probably stabbing a monster. Dust sprinkled on his face, and the comforting scent of Reyna left his nose. He smelled sulfur, which meant Reyna had killed a monster, probably a gryphon.

            All he could think about was how interesting it was that Reyna was left-handed.

            “Holy Styx,” Reyna breathed out. Her voice was airy and rough, her heart pounding from her back. Nico could feel her gasp for air against his chest. “There’s still so many of them.”