A second chance.

27. Dread

Percy

I stood on the front steps leading to Olympus, looking out at the thousands of sparkling lights below me. The wind rushed around me, blowing my hair into my face. 

In a couple of hours, I would be facing Nico and the other Gods he had rescued from Tartarus. I sighed and sat down on the steps, pulling out a familiar pen from my pocket. I uncapped it to reveal the transformed Riptide. 

I stared at the sword, the sword that had been with me for many years. I balanced Riptide on my knees, admiring the sword's beauty. 

Nico should know that I was going to stay behind and allow my army to fight his. It wouldn't make sense for me to fight on the front lines until my army started to get into trouble, which they won't. I was confident in their abilities and skill to easily overpower my cousin's rebels. 

I shifted my knees, and Riptide slid off. But before it could fall onto the ground, I caught the sword by the hilt with one hand. I placed it on the step next to me just as I heard a familiar voice call out to me. 

I glanced back to see Zoe Nightshade walking towards me, wearing a silver dressing gown. Her hair was flying out behind her due to the wind, and I smiled at how beautiful my Queen looked.

Zoe took a seat next to me on the steps, crossing her slim legs and looking at me. "What are you doing out here?" I chuckled and moved closer to the ex-huntress, putting an arm around her shoulders. 

"To get some fresh air, and to think. I thought you were going to sleep?" I planted a kiss on Zoe's forehead, earning a chuckle from my Queen. 

"Yeah. But then I saw you outside from my window, so I decided to join you." Zoe suddenly frowned, knitting her eyebrows together. "What are you thinking about? I swear it's about your cousin, isn't it?" 

I didn't respond for a few seconds, staring out at the stunning view once more. I heard Zoe give an impatient huff, and I sighed. "Alright. Yeah, I'm thinking about Nico." 

Zoe shook her head, reaching up and pulling my arm off of her shoulders. She clasped my hands between hers, gazing right into my eyes. "I've told you before. There's no need to stress over this battle. We're going to win, and you're going to kill your irritating cousin once and for all." 

I bit my lip, adverting my eyes away from Zoe. In all honesty, I never thought about killing Nico. I had a plan to hold him in the dungeons with Annabeth once I defeat him. Killing Nico would do nothing.

"You aren't going to kill him?" Zoe asked, surprise evident in her voice. "After all the trouble he's caused?" 

I shrugged, pulling my hands free from Zoe's grasp. "I don't want to kill him. I'm going to hold him prisoner, and I'm going to have plans for him in the future." I smiled at my Queen's doubtful expression.

Zoe exhaled slowly before putting her head on my shoulder. "If you say so. Your word is law, Jackson." I rolled my eyes playfully, hitting the ex-huntress lightly on the arm. "You're hilarious." 

The black haired beauty grinned, snuggling closer to me. "Tell me something I didn't know." 

I picked up Riptide, and I was about to put it away when Zoe reached out to grab the hilt of the sword. I raised an eyebrow before letting the ex-huntress hold the sword with both hands. 

"You've done a wonderful job designing it." She said dryly, examining the black lines that covered most of the celestial bronze. "Looks as badass as it ever could." 

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic." I grumbled, taking the sword back after Zoe held it out to me. I put Riptide away before adding "I think I did a superb job. Regular celestial bronze looks so dull." 

Zoe smacked me on the forehead, and I glared at her. "What was that for?" "Letting your ego get to your oversized head." She replied, a sly smirk appearing on her lips.

I extended my fingers out in front of me, staring at the small black ring on my index finger. It glinted under the glow of the streetlights that were lining the streets of Olympus. 

"You haven't brought out your hunting knives in a while, my King." Zoe purred, her eyes fixed on the ring as well. "And now that I think about it, you also haven't used your scythe since the battle of Olympus." 

"That's because I haven't needed them so far." I answered, pulling my sleeve back to look at the bracelet on my wrist. "But I'll be needing them very soon. It has been a while, hasn't it?" 

Zoe smiled darkly, her eyes gleaming. "You look very sexy with your scythe. Oh sorry, I haven't told you that yet." I laughed, putting a hand on my Queen's head and running my fingers through her tangled hair. "Well now you have." 

I used my other hand to twist the bracelet, watching as my scythe appeared. It truly was a beautiful and deadly weapon. I internally thanked Nyx for gifting me with it.

"Can't forget about this." Zoe said, interrupting my thoughts. I looked at her to see the ex-huntress hold up her hand, flaunting the silver ring that I had given to her five years ago.

"Ah. Of course. I worked hard on that. Only the best for my love." I smiled again as Zoe gently caressed the ring. 

She glanced up at me, placed her hand on the back of my head, and pulled me towards her. I touched her cheek before closing my eyes as our lips met. 

Zoe broke the kiss after a few seconds, and her dark eyes focused on my face. She put her forehead against mine, her lips parting slightly to whisper something. 

"Defeat your cousin." 

Nico 

My eyes fluttered open, my vision cloudy from sleep. I rubbed my eyes before sitting up, blinking as my vision adjusted to the darkness of my room. I glanced to my right to see Will sprawled out on the blankets, his hair covering his eyes. 

I smiled at the sight of him, reaching out to brush his hair out of his face. I slid out of bed, stifling a yawn before quietly leaving the room, closing the door behind me. 

I walked down the hallway, trying to make my footsteps as light as possible. I passed by the main room to reach the ladder that lead outside.

I climbed the ladder quickly, pushing open the trapdoor and pulling myself out. I sat down on the grass and closed the trapdoor slowly to try and make as less noise as possible. 

Once the trapdoor closed, I sighed and looked up at the dark sky overhead. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. 

I had a few more hours before we would go and attack Olympus. I swallowed at the thought of fighting Percy. I knew I had almost no chance of defeating him, but I had to damn well try. 

I brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around my legs. I closed my eyes and thought back to a few years ago. To when Percy and Annabeth were a happy couple. To when everything was normal. 

I laughed bitterly as I realized how much had changed since then. I never expected my cousin to take over Olympus. I never expected Annabeth to betray him. I never expected that I would have to hide in an underground bunker. 

I pounded my fist against the grass, fighting back tears. Everything would've still been normal if Annabeth and the rest of the campers had used their fucking brains. But they didn't, and now my cousin is a mass murderer. 

I put my chin on my knees and gazed out at the many lights spread out in front of me. I'm scared, but I have to stay strong. 

Or the world would be in even more shit than it already is.

Word count: 1367

late update again whoo.