Nico's quest

chapter 8

Nico felt his heart leap into his throat. His mouth went dry and words failed him. All he could do was stare, dumbstruck, at his nemesis, held fast in the grip of his own fear.

Steady, said Anubis in his mind. You are not alone.

"Where's your cousin, pet? I owe him for that incident with the tiger fish," said Aziza, her tone nasty and biting.

There was a moment of silence. The others were probably waiting for Nico to say something. When he stayed silent, Nico felt their gazes turn toward him, but still, he couldn't find any words, or the strength to break free from his fear. He felt Anubis poised to take control of his body.

"If you're talking to Nico, he's not your pet," said Alyssa, before the silence could stretch on too long. "As you can see, he's not a flying, fire-breathing freak, or a Tragic Toys For Girls and Boys reject. We'll thank you to take your real pets and get the hell off our roof!"

Julian and Walt moved directly in front of Nico. They didn't speak, but their message was clear: If you want him, you'll have to go through us.

Then Zia stepped to the front, and Nico would have sworn he saw a distortion in the air around her, like heat glare, or the glow around a smoldering fire. "You will leave that boy alone, Aziza," said Zia, her voice as cold as ice.

"Zia, Zia, Zia." Aziza looked at her like something she'd found on the bottom of her shoe. "How the mighty have fallen."

"You really think you can defeat me?" asked Zia.

"Well," said Aziza, as she raised her staff, preparing to toss it, "I've always wanted to try."

Then she threw her staff, but not at Zia. It morphed into a giant cobra in midair, arcing over Julian's and Walt's heads, straight at Nico.

Nico reacted on instinct. His sword flashed through the darkness, and the snake's head was suddenly detached from its body.

You're petrified by a short woman, but you have absolutely no problem at all with giant mutant freak snakes? Anubis's voice was amused in his head.

Yeah, well –

"AZIZA! You are DEAD!" The roof lit up like an inferno as Zia sent a wave of flames crashing toward their enemies.

Several demons were immediately incinerated. Others managed to get clear, and all the magicians managed to shield themselves with their magic. Mostly. One woman's hair caught on fire and she started screaming and running around in circles. A man's robes caught aflame as well, and he tackled the torch-headed woman and began rolling with her to smother the fire. All the rest just got off a little singed.

"What, are you shacking up with the demigod, Zia?" asked Aziza. "Is that where you've been all this time? He's a little young for you, isn't he?"

This time Zia sent a concentrated stream of flame at Aziza. Aziza responded with one of her own. The two streams of fire collided midway across the roof, each one trying to force the other back, neither managing to gain much ground. The temperature on the roof sky rocketed from that of a cool spring evening, to the temperature you'd expect to find in an oven. Everyone stared as the two fire magicians clashed. No one dared step forward, lest they be caught in the inferno.

Is that your mom's influence? That protective rage? Nico wanted to know. Because if it is, I don't ever want to meet your mother.