Thickening Shadows (Percy Jackson/Rise of the Guardians Crossover) - Completed

Chapter 10

A/N

I've been planning lately, if I catch you voting or reading or commenting in this book (through notifications) , I'll dedicate a chapter to you. 

Read on! XOXO,

Lea V.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nico over the years had questioned his existence many times. Was his existence important? Was it worth anything? Both answers of course had been no. After dying and becoming a spirit he didn't value his life one bit. He was always just going through the motions.

There was no excitement or quests, not Percy mother henning him or Hazel to talk to, his existence had become dull and boring; and he wouldn't be upset if he died for good. In the first year he had considered taking his own life; but went against it- he didn't like the thought of suicide. So he had waited for three years for something to come and get him.

Now it was actually happening. He was dying. Someone once told him "dying is the hard part, death though; death is like falling asleep". It seemed that person was right.

Of course Nico had died before, but he had been in a state of insanity induced delirium, hardly aware of anything except shadows and voices in the dark. This time he could feel it. Each breath felt thick, his joints felt heavy, his fingers and toes tingled, and his head pounded. Hot flashes riddled his body, making him grimace inwardly. He knew that if he wanted to, he could just expel all of his power, maybe cause an earth quake, and then be done with it.

 Part of him didn't want to. It was the same part that wanted to beat Pitch. He hated that grey smooth talking git. It was enough that he took Nico's memories, but Bianca's? Using them against him? It made him so mad. Nico knew at the rate his powers were draining, he had perhaps 2 days, 3 if he was lucky.

Pitch wouldn't make his move in that time. He'd wait until Nico was done, get one more player off the board. If the Son of Hades got a believer though, maybe he could last long enough to beat Pitch. No doubt a battle like that with only one believer would finish him.

 For Nico, it was all he could really ask for.

 Jack, unfortunately, seemed set on keeping him around. Nico followed Jack down off the roof, drawing his jacket closer around him, hearing a single coin jingle against various things he kept in his pockets. He twisted his skull ring as he walked. He felt uneasy. Memories huddled close to the surface, making him eye the shadows with unease, and flinch slightly as noises carried down the hall.

 "-his names Jamie, he was my first believer, he's great-" Jack was rambling on.

 Tooth appeared at the end of the hall, listing off orders to her fairies, but she paused when she saw Nico. She offered him an extremely tentative smile, that he returned- and despite the fact it was completely forced, she seemed to accept it as an invitation to approach.

 "We're going to see Jamie," Jack swung his staff onto his shoulder.

 "I don't think that's a good idea-" Tooth gazed out the window at the darkness in worry, "-We aren't prepared to fight Pitch."

 "I need a believer," Nico said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Pitch is taking all my power."

 "If you get power from believer though, wont that give him more to take?" Tooth asked as she absently played with a feather, obviously trying to calm her nerves.

 "Yes," Nico shrugged, "without it though, I'll be dead in two days. I get one believer, it'll give me enough energy for a week, maybe. It'll be my only opportunity to get enough power to stop Pitch."