Nico's quest

chapter 11

I will keep my mother away from your cousin, Anubis promised.

Right as they finished talking, a demon broke past the four defending magicians and charged Nico.

Nico's reflexes weren't up to par, since he'd been putting himself through nonstop abuse since he and Anubis left for the Duat however long ago that was, but he was still the son of Hades. He brought his sword up and deflected a blow that would have skewered him like shish-kabob. Then he calmly sliced his Stygian blade through the demon's neck. And then he was nearly roasted alive as a stream of fire shot toward him. He dove to the side with a cry of pain, and was alarmed to see that his sleeve had caught on fire.

Stop, drop, and roll! ordered Anubis.

What! Nico tried to bat the fire out but only succeeded in burning his hand.

Stop, drop, and roll, Nico!

That made no sense to Nico, who dismissed the god's cryptic advice and tried to frantically remember if he knew a spell for water.

Argh! Just let me! Anubis seized control without waiting for permission. Nico had already been sitting, but Anubis made him slump all the way to the ground, crossed his arms over his chest, and rolled to smother the flames. Didn't they teach you how to stop, drop, and roll in school?

I don't even know what that means! And I don't go to school

. . . We will discuss this later. It's something you should know.

Whatever.

Nico sat up the moment Anubis gave him control again. Just in time to be grabbed by Zia, who gripped both his shoulders.

"Nico! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean –"

"You set me on fire?" asked Nico incredulously. "You?"

"It was an accident! I was trying to kill the demon –"

"Get down!" Nico tackled Zia as one of the uraei swooped down low and exhaled flames toward them. He screamed in pain again as he felt the back of his shirt catch fire.

He landed on top of Zia, shielding her from the blast, then rolled off of her, onto his back, copying what Anubis had done earlier to smother the flames.

Nico began cursing in Italian even before he launched himself up off the floor, into the air as high as he could, sword raised even higher over his head. It was a good jump. He was pretty sure that he cleared five feet, which put him high enough to slice the presumptuous snake in half. "Take that!"

He landed right next to Zia, in time for both of them to be showered in golden monster dust. Some of it got in Nico's mouth. He spit it out in disgust.

"I hate snakes!" he shouted, just to make sure everyone knew. "I hate them! Why are all your stupid Egyptian monsters based off snakes? You guys SUCK!"

Calm down!

"You calm down! You're not the one who just got set on fire twice!" Nico raised his sword and pointed it at another uraei, and sent an arc of shadows whipping toward it, driving it back again, then diverted that same shadow toward two others who'd been coming too close to the roof.

"I am truly sorry, Nico," said Zia. "I didn't mean to!"

The look of genuine distress on Zia's face stole some of Nico's anger away. And by some, that means most of it. It tore at his heart, seeing her so unhappy, like she was on the verge of tears. He wanted to chase those feelings away, make her smile again . . .