AMANTI, nico di angelo

VIII. no more promises for today... promise?

0008. | NO MORE PROMISES
FOR TODAY... PROMISE?

          Anger is an odd thing. It manifests differently in all people and is poisonous. Many believed Ares to be driven by anger, but they were not, their purpose was to dissuade it. War satiated many things, and anger was one of them. Once a fight has been fought, not many seek out anything other than peace in the aftermath. The ballads named Ares the god of war, but perhaps more fitting was god of justice and retribution. Perhaps, even, that rite of justice should have been altered from Zeus and given to his son instead.

The three sons of Kronos were always more violent and furious than their own offspring. That was the curse of divinity, the closer lineage to Chaos meant closer alignment to anger and misery and darkness, core emotion. Once that divine blood is diluted, many are likely to not experience such fury as these angry gods.

But not to worry, Nico di Angelo was always one to refute a trend, and right then, he had never wanted to gut someone more than he did Octavian.

"Mark my words," he said, his dark eyes glowering after Octavian who hadn't lingered after insulting Nico's sister, and his soulmate. "One day, I am going to kill that good-for-nothing legacy of Apollo." He swore.

Hazel huffed. "Not if I get the chance first."

"I'm surprised no one's punched him yet." Frank said, and Nico could imagine Vela was thinking the same thing.

Nico knew how angry Octavian must have made Vela, constantly belittling him, calling him stunted and a mutt, even a bitch. Nico knew it must have rattled Vela's ego to not be able to anything to a mere mortal who insulted him in such a way, and that fuelled Nico's hatred for Apollo's legacy greater than anything. Maybe Vela couldn't tear out Octavian's larynx, but Nico definitely could (and wanted to).

But Nico also knew that once (—if—) Vela revealed himself in his true form, the form of an immortal deity, Octavian would spontaneously shrivel up and die knowing he had insulted a great god in such a way. Nico lived for that day, to see Octavian embarrassed and grovelling for Vela's forgiveness. It would be a cruel justice, one driven by anger, but Nico didn't mind. Perhaps he was more like his uncle than he realised.

           "I can think of several people who would volunteer for that."

           Nico didn't have to turn to know it was Lea who had spoken. She was easily given away by her stretched shadow next to his and her snarky voice that sounded sarcastic no matter her words—oh! And the fact that Vela had begun to wag his tail unintentionally once he caught scent and sight of her.