Death and the Lion: A Crossover Serial – Chapter 7: Bad Choice

Death and the Lion: A Crossover Serial – Chapter 7: Bad Choice

By Amanda Pizzolatto (alias Aurora Mandeville)

Word Count: 31845

Rating: PG for scary situations

Summary: Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, is used to being alone, until one day a girl with auburn hair waltzes into his life…

Nico rushed the Angel and slashed at it, but the sword hit only stone. He then tried stabbing it and closed his eyes right as he pushed the sword through the Angel’s chest. This time, the sword went through, and Nico opened his eyes to see a pained expression on the Angel’s face. He didn’t think for much longer as he pushed the sword even farther in, and the Angel crumbled to dust.

“Nico!” Lucy pointed to something behind him.

He glanced back, and saw that two Angels were closing in on his location, and looking pretty fierce. “Come on!” he shouted, passing in front of Lucy before ducking into an alleyway. An Angel stood at the end.

“The other one is right behind us!” Lucy informed Nico.

“Alright, keep an eye on that one while I take care of this one!” He then used the same tactic that he used on the first Angel, and waited until it turned to dust. “Get out of here!” he told Lucy as he rushed by her to defeat the other Angel.

“But . . .”

“No buts! The other two will be here any minute; we need to get them somewhere where we can maneuver better! Meet me at the plaza where we got the map!”

“Alright!”

Nico heard the sound of her feet disappearing down the alley as he finished off his third Angel. He turned around, glancing around for a good place to watch for the other two Angels, and from which to shadow-travel. He found a good enough place at the corner, where the alley opened into another street, but he didn’t get to it in time. He was grabbed, then thrown out into the intersecting street, frighteningly close to the water’s edge. His adversaries closed in on him. One picked him up by the throat while the other managed to snatch his sword away.

Nico’s heart nearly stopped when he heard a distinct splash—all hope basically lay with that sword. But Nico thought of what Percy would do in this situation, and grabbed the Angel’s arms, concentrating on his powers of death and destruction. It seemed to be working! His captor’s arms began deteriorating at a fairly fast rate, and Nico thought he could wiggle himself free so he could keep an eye on both Angels. However, the other Angel apparently had a plan as it grabbed Nico’s arm, and wrenched it until it snapped.

Nico yelled as the pain seared through his arm to his shoulder. Enraged, he used his free hand to begin the deterioration of the arm holding his injured arm. His broken arm came free and fell to his side, releasing a fresh wave of pain that made him wince, and giving the Angel a chance to attack with its good arm.

Nico flew through the air, and his head landed hard on solid concrete. He fought to keep from going unconscious, but realized that his fight was futile when he felt something soaking his hair. He slowly used his good arm to touch his head, but he knew what it was before he saw it— blood. He took one look at the eerily smiling faces of the Angels and knew that they thought the same thing; he was going to die. He blinked rapidly, trying to keep them in view, but it was no use; they left him to die, all alone. No one would know what had happened until they found his body. He groaned. Hazel would be the first on the scene, since she would be using his sword to find him; instead, she would find his dead body.

His breaths came in short, raspy gasps as tears began to fall down his face. His one chance at actually being a hero, and he blew it. At least they’d remember him fondly, now, as the boy who stood up to Angels. Then, before he completely blacked out, his last thoughts were of Lucy’s safety, Hazel being without a brother, and Percy.

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