Nico

I watched from the shadows of the ruins of Mount Othrys as Percy Jackson and Zoe Nightshade disappeared into thin air. Zeus was left alone to his struggles as he cursed underneath the weight of the sky. 

I paused for a moment before I walked out from the shadows and made my way over to Zeus, my body covered in a black cloak and my face hidden underneath a hood. Zeus noticed me approach but he remained silent, sweat still pouring like a river down his grimy face.

"Uncle." I said wryly. Zeus's eyes widened in shock as I pulled my hood off, revealing my face to the former King of the Gods. He stared at me in disbelief as I snickered at his shocked and dumbstruck expression. 

"Nico Di Angelo?" Zeus finally spoke, his electric blue eyes boring into me. I grimaced at how much Zeus's eyes resembled Jason's. I've been spying on my friends from the shadows occasionally these past few years and I've seen how much they've been suffering. 

"Yes." I said stoically. "The one and only. I don't know, have you met any another Nico's these past few years?" Zeus glowered at me, but I could tell he wasn't actually mad, which was a surprise. Usually the littlest thing would tick Zeus off. 

"How are you still alive? And.....free? The rest of the Gods have been imprisoned, reduced to nothing but slaves. I'm cursed to hold this sky for entirety until I somehow manage to escape. How did you manage to stay under Perseus's radar?" Zeus questioned with a confused look on his face. 

"That's an excellent idea, Uncle." I said. "I'm afraid I don't have much time, but I'll tell you the basic details. When the war started, I was with the demigods defending Olympus. I was fighting one of Perseus's soldiers, someone named Alex if I recall. I was fighting him, but Alex had the upper hand. He disarmed me, and stabbed me in the stomach. He left, because he thought I was dead. But I wasn't, so I managed to use the last of my energy to shadow-travel out of the battlefield. I wasn't thinking about where I wanted to go, so I appeared in front of a hospital. Thankfully, one of the nurses found me and managed to save me before I died of blood loss." 

My hand went to my stomach, where the stab wound resided. Zeus merely blinked at me for a moment before he said "Well, then what have you been up to these past few years, Di Angelo?"

I smiled and said "I'm glad you asked. After I was released from the hospital, I started to gather a secret organization of demigods that have managed to escape or flee from the war that Percy waged on Olympus. We've been recruiting others as well, such as nature spirits and monsters that have sworn allegiance to me. Monsters that Percy have destroyed and killed many years ago."

Zeus looked stunned, and I couldn't blame the guy. I was recruiting monsters and working side by side with them. Monsters that have caused demigods so much pain and suffering. Monsters that kill and slaughter demigods because of who they are. But I really had no choice. I had to build an army, an army that will eventually be big enough to counter my cousin's forces. 

"Are you out of your mind, Nico Di Angelo? Those monsters will turn on you and kill you!" Zeus thundered at me. I rolled my eyes. Zeus still hadn't lost any of his dramatic flair. "I'm perfectly capable of destroying those monsters if they step out of line. Also, I made them swear on the River Styx to work with me to bring Percy down. So I've got that covered, Lord Zeus." 

Zeus huffed in frustration but he didn't question me anymore about the monsters. "How are you going to bring Perseus down with a small army, son of Hades?" I gritted my teeth at that question. I knew Percy had many things at his disposal, such as his ruthless and bloodthirsty army, the mortals he had turned into slaves, and the monsters he had created. 

"I'm working on that." I grumbled. "But I'm also trying to come with a way to free you all from your....predicaments." "I can't be free unless someone as strong as me takes my place. Atlas had been murdered years ago as well." Zeus said.

I frowned at that. "How long ago was that?" Zeus grunted as the sky suddenly pushed down on him, forcing his knees harder into the crackled marble floor. "About ten years ago." My mind whirled as I tried to remember how long it takes for an immortal to reform, especially a titan. 

I remembered that a titan takes at least several decades to reform, but I guess I had to see for myself if Atlas had reformed much faster than I had thought. 

I looked at Zeus with a grim smile on my face as I said "I guess I'm going to visit Tartarus once more." Zeus's eyes widened in shock once more and he sputtered "Are you insane? If you go down there, there will be no guarantee of you making it back! We'll lose another demigod!" 

I growled at his choice of words, but I didn't comment on it. Instead, I retorted "Well Percy and Annabeth survived. What makes you think I can't? Plus, I've been down there on my own already." 

"And you were captured by giants and held in a giant glass jar." Zeus said dryly. I scowled, my eyes flashing murderously. The sky darkened, and shadows crept towards Zeus. The former King of the Gods just sighed before I spoke once more. 

"Don't underestimate me. I am the son of Hades, and I have more control over my powers than you think. I was weak back then, but now I'm much stronger than I was years ago." 

"Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were different cases, Nico Di Angelo." Zeus snapped. "Percy Jackson was the most powerful demigod, and now he's more powerful than ever. Annabeth Chase was a skilled fighter, and very intelligent. They had each other, with the help of a giant and a titan. Don't forget the saber tooth tiger. They escaped because they all helped each other. You are going down to Tartarus alone." 

I clenched my fists, my eyes burning into Zeus. He didn't flinch, his electric blue eyes meeting my dark eyes calmly. "With all due respect, Zeus, I need to see if Atlas has reformed so that I can drag his sorry titan ass over here to help you be free of your burden." I growled. 

Zeus exhaled heavily, before he looked back at me and said "It's your choice, Nico. Do whatever you think is right. But in the end, if you don't make it out of Tartarus alive, we will have lost one important demigod that is rallying up against Perseus and his army." 

I stared at Zeus. Did he just call me important? Zeus noticed my dumbstruck look and he glowered at me. "Why are you still here? Get out of my sight. You're distracting me enough." 

I chuckled quietly before throwing my hood back over my face and walking back towards the shadows. Once I had reached them, I turned back to look at the struggling sky God. 

"I'll save you all. I promise.' I whispered before my body dissolved into shadows and disappeared. 

Word count: 1250

yah Nico is still alive, my precious bby.