robinnest | Children of Hades

[ her head snaps toward him with a glare. for a second, she seems like she's about to tell him exactly where to shove that breath. in the next, she squeezes her eyes shut. her shoulders lift as she inhales.

mal pulls her hand free. she traces the spell in the book with her finger as she reads. ]

Please let me be on time, [ she whispers to literally any god who might be listening. louder, she commands, ] Time stop!

[ her eyes flash green. the air around them abruptly feels heavy. a strange electric sensation raises goosebumps on her skin. the spell fights her. this is the first time she has ever tried something so big, and the effort is almost more than she can bear. through clenched teeth, she finishes, ] Turn the clock back to the top.

[ as soon as the last word is spoken, mal drops. the spell book falls from her grasp. she does not see the stairs straighten, the metal regain its shape, the walls wiped clean. even the shouting stops, though a new voice soon cries out, "what the hell!"

mal presses a hand to her chest. ]

Okay, [ she manages weakly. ] Now we go.

[His heartbeat skips when she falls, and he catches her before she hits the floor, letting the book fall with a thud. He barely notices the spell's effects, instead focused entirely on Mal. Exhaustion, he's sure, from a spell that big. He doesn't need to know anything about spells to know what power drain looks like.]

Okay. [Twisted ankle be damned, after grabbing her book and slipping it into her bag, Nico lifts Mal as well, adjusting her until he's giving her a careful piggyback ride. It's like that he descends the rest of the way down (picking up the key chain that had landed at his feet after the spell and pocketing it for later.) The mist wards off unwanted attention and Nico doesn't stop until they reach a street a ways off from the Statue. Only there does he set Mal down, and only so that he can pull out his sword to stab it into the ground, his eyes closing as he summons a friend.

Moments later an old fashioned state car pulls up in front of them and Nico helps Mal into the backseat sectioned off from the front like a limo. A basket with a few water bottles and candy bars lays to the side and Nico grabs one of each for Mal, handing her the water first.]

'M fine, [ mal mumbles, waving away the bottle of the water.

the strange sense of malaise lingers, but it's starting to lift somewhat. her head still feels heavy to her, and it is with a not inconsiderable amount of relief that she lets it drop onto the back of the seat. she passes a hand over her face. a deep breath helps ground her once more, and she opens her eyes to find the world is no longer tilting dramatically.

and to discover that she is in a car.

mal frowns at it like it insulted her. ]

Where are we?

[After giving her another once over, Nico knocks at the window that separates them from the driver and the panel slides down with a soft buzz. Behind the driver's seat, there is a zombie wearing a chauffeur's hat.]

Jules Albert, this is Mal. Mal, this is Jules Albert, my driver. Um. Dad told me I can call on him when I need him. I thought it would be a good idea to let him drive us back to Camp. [After they make one important pit stop of course.]

How are you feeling? [In lieu of the water, he passes her a candy.]

Edited 2019-09-15 04:05 (UTC)

[ that sure is a zombie.

mal is too stunned to do much else than lift her hand and wave at jules-albert through the rearview mirror. mechanically, she takes the candy bar without looking away from their 100% dead driver.

after a second, she realizes nico asked her something. ] What?

[Jules Albert waves back and then closes the panel again to focus on driving. Mostly because there's a BMW in the lane next to him that he knows is trying to cut him off and he'll be damned if he lets that happen.

Meanwhile Nico is glad to see Mal more responsive and taking the candy bar which helps to answer his question.]

You're starting to feel better? That was a crazy powerful spell you used back there.

Yeah, I don't think it liked me very much. I should have… [ her eyes widen in horror. ] My spell book!

[ she sits up abruptly: a mistake. she leans over with a groan, clutching her head. she is about to faint. she has never fainted before, but she is about to now. she presses her forehead to her knees. ]

Edited 2019-09-15 04:25 (UTC)

Your book is safe, I grabbed it. [Nico digs through the basket with candy and water and—yes, thank you Dad—his hand closes around a bar of ambrosia. He breaks off a piece and closes Mal's fingers around it, his other hand at her back.]

Eat this, it will help, I promise.

[ mal does as she's told. to her surprise, the taste of strawberries fills her mouth. by the time she swallows, she no longer feels as light headed. carefully, she straightens. no dizziness.

her power still feels low, but a manageable level now. and physically she no longer feels like the statue of liberty fell on top of her. she turns to nico in surprise. ]

What was that?

Ambrosia, the food of the gods. It heals us. [With a guilty look he adds] I should have brought some with me so you didn't have to wait.

[He nods at her bag then] I put your book in there.

[Nico's quiet for another second and then his hand lands back on her shoulder.] That was crazy, Mal.

[All of it. The spell, her trying to keep him safe, the attack.] Are you actually okay? I mean, about everything that just happened.

[He hasn't forgotten how shaken she'd been after the initial fight or how determined to fix it.]

[ mal’s cheeks dimple when she smiles. ] Why wouldn’t I be? [ she pats nico’s hand. ]

I’m sorry for worrying you. [ she continues wryly, ] Occupational risk of spells I’ve never practiced. It won’t happen again. And not just because I’m tapped out magic-wise right now.

[ it would have been more convincing were she not still exceedingly pale ( even for her ); if she could relax her hold on her wristlet, pressed to her lap; if she were not trying just a little too hard to maintain that everything is fine. ]

[It would also be more convincing if Nico wasn't expert level at "I'm fine" and didn't know how to recognize it so well. He doesn't push though, knows from personal experience that questioning her on it is likely to only prove frustrating for both of them. Instead, he scoots closer to her, hesitating for a second before laying his head on her shoulder. He hopes that it'll help her to come down.

After a long moment of companionable silence he speaks up, careful to keep his voice worry free.]

Was that the first monster you've ever fought?

[ it worked. his closeness worked. already so accustomed to his presence that it feels strange to be without it, mal relaxed beside him, after a moment resting her head on his. her entire body breathed a sigh of relief.

then he asks her about the first monster she faced and she does not so much tense as turn completely rigid. not a girl anymore, but an alabaster statue: lovely and pale and extremely brittle. ]

I met one before, [ she admits. she does not elaborate. ]

Edited 2019-09-15 17:33 (UTC)

[The second he feels her tense, Nico regrets it. He should have known better. Demigod lives being what they are, he should have known better. Mal does not elaborate and Nico doesn't ask. If she ever wants to tell him, she can tell him when she's ready.]

I've fought werewolves before, [He starts casually, changing the subject] The silver thing is really annoying. Who even carries silver? [Not any demigods he knows, that's for sure.]

Hey, do you know how to use a weapon? Aside from magic.

[ the stiff line of her shoulders relaxes a little. grateful for the change of the topic, she grabs onto it. ]

Pity we lost the keychain. I could have magicked it into a pocket knife or something.

At least this survived. [ she reaches up to tug at his crown, miraculously still on his head. ]

[He'd forgotten all about it until she tugs on it and horror washes over his face. Nico immediately tugs the offending crown off of his head and stares at it in his hands, aiming his ire at it directly and shaking his head.]

How? [He doesn't even have the presence of mind to tell her that he saved the keychain, he's far too distracted.]

It was meant to be, [ she teases. ] You realize you can never get rid of that now.

[ memory of their first visit to the statue of liberty: steal someone else's tickets, kill a werewolf, wreck the interior of the statue, walk out with an indestructible green foam crown. ]

[ANYWAY. Nico makes a face and sets the crown aside.]

You didn't answer my question about using a weapon. [This time the subject change is for him and not her.]

[ mal sighs. she rests her head against the cool glass of the window. ]

I don't know. Sword, I guess. I'd spar with Jay when there was nothing better.

[He perks up, nodding.]

Me too, that's what I use. [He pauses, cheeks pinking just a little.] Obviously.

[He has been wearing it pretty much the entire time since he met her.] It's always good to have a back up. For your powers I mean, in case something stops you from using them or you're too tired or something. Most monsters aren't like werewolves and celestial bronze or imperial gold will work just fine. Or stygian iron like mine.

[ that is brand new information, nico.

mal looks over at him with a little smile. it still takes her by surprise how sweet he is, how excited by the smallest things like, apparently, a shared preference in weapons. it brings an ache to her chest that mal refuses to examine.

holding out her hand, ] Can I see it?

[Unhooking the sword from his belt, he holds it out to her to take. It would be a fairly average looking sword if it weren't for the deep black metal that resembles the obsidian of their room.]

...only we can wield Stygian iron. Children of Hades that is. When monsters are killed, they don't really die, instead their essence gets sent back to Tartarus. Eventually, they reform and come back.

Except if they're killed by Stygian iron. It doesn't let them reform.

[ the sword is lighter than she expected with a smooth grip. she tests its balance like she had seen jay do a hundred times on the isle and a hundred more in auradon.

this blade, though, is obviously different, and not only on the basis of its color. mal passes a hand over it. the sensations she had the first time she saw the sword in that alley somewhere in the city are magnified. ]

They're absorbed?

[He nods.] Maybe if the blade was ever destroyed they'd end up back in Tartarus, but unless that happens, they can't reform.

[And he's never heard of Stygian iron breaking.]...we could find you one. Or find you the ore and make you one. If you wanted.

[Hazel had passed up the offer, already content with her standard issued spatha.]

And we could match? [ she queries innocently. ]

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