The Demigod King; Book 2

"I Might Just...Slip"

Nico POV

Ice froze Nico's veins. Terror seized him--how could Ouranos be here? How had he found them, and so fast? It had only been hours since their last meeting.

"Percy," Annabeth breathed, looking like she wanted to reach for him and sob at the same time.

"Percy is gone, foolish girl," Ouranos hissed, twisting Percy's face into a sneer. "There is nothing left of your friend."

"Why are you here?" Frank demanded, drawing an arrow and aiming it at Percy.

"NO! Frank, don't hurt him!" Annabeth pleaded.

Ouranos looked at Annabeth's desperate face and smiled. He shifted so that he looked like normal Percy in jeans and a t-shirt, skin its normal tan, and sea-green eyes. Percy gasped, eyes wide, and fell to his knees. "Frank!" He called desperately, and it was Percy's voice.

Piper cried out and rushed toward him, but Leo lunged forward and held her back. "Don't!" He yelled. "It's not Percy."

"It is me, Leo!" Percy insisted. His eyes watered with unshed tears. "Please," he whispered, his face dripping with despair. "You have to help me."

"It's him!" Annabeth yelled, running towards Percy.

Nico's eyes widened. "ANNABETH, NO!" He bellowed. She didn't stop, so Nico sprinted at her and tackled her to the ground. Annabeth punched and pushed him, but Nico seized her wrists and pinned her legs in between his knees.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

"It's not him, Annabeth!" Nico told her. "I'm so sorry, but it's not. He'll just kill you. Percy is gone."

Percy laughed, wiping away his tears and standing up. His true form molded back, the veins and eyes darkening, the leather replacing rumpled jeans. "Smart boy, di Angelo. You should listen to your friend, girl. Perseus Jackson is dead."

"No!" Annabeth cried. "You're lying!"

Ouranos simply laughed again, reveling in their despair.

"Guys, stop!" Piper cried, holding out her hand against Ouranos. "Don't you see? He's feeding off your despair. It gives him strength."

Percy stopped laughing. He turned his head slowly, bones cracking as his neck rotated a full 180 degrees. "You're smart, girl," he hissed. "Too smart!" Percy lunged at Piper. Jason jumped towards her, but Percy was too fast. He snatched her before they could stop him and had a knife to her throat in a second. 

Piper trembled, arching her head as far from the blade as she could.

"Don't move, girl," Percy hissed, pressing the blade against her neck. "Or I might just...slip."

"Piper!"

Frank sprinted toward Ouranos.

Percy thrust out his hand and Frank froze. The son of Mars' eyes widened as he watched himself grab an arrow from his sheath. He started bringing the arrow tip to his chest, his arm shaking like he was struggling against himself.

"Frank! What are you doing?" Hazel cried in horror.

"Percy's controlling his blood," Will gasped.

"He can do that?" Leo cried. "Did anyone know that?"

"All of Percy's powers are at my disposal now," Ouranos said gleefully, forcing Frank's arrow closer to his heart. "All his powers, including the ones he so desperately hid from you all."

Frank's arm pushed the arrow tip to his skin. He yelled in pain as the arrowhead broke the skin. Blood began to pool from the wound, but he kept pushing the weapon in harder. He was screaming and screaming as the metal neared his heart, Hazel was crying, Annabeth was sobbing and jerking against Nico, who was still pinning her body beneath his.

Jason launched himself into the air, coupled with Harry screaming, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The son of Zeus shot into the sky, raising his sword with a look of fury. He called down lightning, which wrapped itself around his body as he plunged toward the Earth.

Percy released his hold on Frank and Piper, both demigods dropping to the ground, clutching at their throat and chest. Percy ran at Jason, muscles line with black flexing as he jumped to meet Jason midair. When Percy had become able to jump that high, Nico did not know. But for some reason, Annabeth started shaking and mumbling, "Night, night." 

Campers from Jupiter had heard the commotion and came running. They were decked in full armor, wielding their weapons and screaming bloody murder. 

In freefall, Jason punched Percy in the face. Percy smiled as blood leaked from his nose and twisted so Jason was underneath him. They slammed into the ground, Jason's body taking the impact as Percy had planned. He wrapped his hand around Jason's throat, laughing horrifically as he choked the demigod.

Nico flashed back to that terrible laugh. He'd heard it from Percy only a few times, the first being as the demigod demolished Hades' forces at the River Styx. It was a horrible sound.

"Annabeth," Nico said, looking at the daughter of Athena below him. "I have to go help Jason. If I let go of you, you have to promise not to go to Percy. He'll kill you."

Annabeth nodded weakly.

Nico released her wrists. When she didn't try to shove him off, Nico jumped to his feet and drew his sword.

"Nico!" Annabeth called out.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Don't hurt him," She pleaded.

Nico clenched his jaw and turned away from her. "HEY!" He screamed, waving his sword at Percy. "Get away from Jason!"

"Nico, NO!" Hazel yelled.

Nico ignored her and ran at Percy, raising his sword to strike. 

Percy continued strangling Jason with his left hand and raised his sword in the other. He parried Nico's strike and delivered a strike of his own. He was too fast--Nico didn't have the time to fully block his blade, and the sword cut deep into his thigh.

Nico yelled in pain as blood spilled from his leg.

Percy let go of Jason but kicked him in the back for good measure. Nico heard a sickening crack and Jason screamed.

Percy summoned water, lifting his arms as the entire river at Camp Jupiter left the water bed. It condensed above their heads, turning into a ball of black liquid death.

"Nico, run!" Will yelled, but it was too late for that.

Percy brought the water crashing down on Nico. Just before the water hit, it made a shadow over Nico large enough for the demigod to travel to a spot behind Percy. The water crashed to the ground, flooding the field and sweeping demigods off their feet. The Camp Jupiter reinforcements, which had almost reached them, were swept back in the current. 

"YOU CAN'T BEAT ME!" Percy roared, his arms raised. "I AM A PRIMORDIAL, KING OF THE HEAVENS!" The ground quaked with his fury, throwing Nico off his feet. 

The son of Hades crawled forward, dragging himself towards his sword, which had fallen feet away.

"I AM INVINCIBLE!" Percy screamed, blasting power out from his body. "I CANNOT BE STOPPED!"

Nico's fingers wrapped around his sword hilt. He dragged the blade toward him and raised it above his head. With an earth-shattering scream conjoined with Ron's hasty spell, Nico's blade split the ground open in an explosion of darkness and bones.