Percy Jackson: Son of Hades - Prince of the Underworld

[Third Person's PoV] 

While Nico was steadily reducing the number of Ares cabin members, Bianca was locked in a deadly battle with Clarisse.

Bianca stood at a distance, her bow drawn tight. She knew that if Clarisse wanted to attack, she'd have to close the distance, but doing so would leave the flag unguarded, giving Bianca and Nico the perfect opportunity to shadow travel and seize it.

However, Bianca also understood she couldn't rely solely on long-range attacks—they would drain her energy quickly, leaving her vulnerable. She needed to alternate between close and long-range combat to outmaneuver Clarisse effectively.

Taking a deep breath, Bianca tightened her grip on the bow and fired an arrow off to the side. A black streak cut through the air, and Clarisse's eyes narrowed in confusion.

But Bianca had activated her bow's enchantment, [Shadow Hunter], causing the arrow to curve mid-flight. It tracked Clarisse's shadow and pierced the shadow of her arm.

"Ah!!" Clarisse cried out in surprise, glancing at her arm where a faint hole appeared, blood trickling from the spot that mirrored where her shadow had been struck.

With a growl of frustration, Clarisse tried to move, only to find herself pinned in place. She looked down and saw Bianca's shadow arrow anchoring her to the ground.

Snarling, Clarisse shifted her spear to her free hand. The weapon crackled with red electricity as she swung it at the shadow arrow, shattering it in a burst of dark energy.

Without hesitation, Clarisse spun her spear and assumed a defensive horse stance, pointing the spear forward.

Bianca twisted her bow sideways, and as she pulled back, three arrows materialized. She loosed them in quick succession. The arrows split mid-air, flying in three different directions before curving back to converge on Clarisse's shadow.

One arrow veered far to the left, another shot straight up, and the last angled sharply to the right. They left streaks of black light in their wake as they zeroed in on their target.

Clarisse reacted swiftly, sweeping her spearhead in tight, controlled arcs around her body. Red energy trailed in the air as she shattered each arrow just before they could reach her shadow.

But she wasn't prepared for what came next.

In a blink, Bianca appeared at her side, her fist cocked back, glowing faintly with blue light. She had used [Spectral Leap], teleporting to the last arrow fired.

Bianca's fist crashed into Clarisse's helmeted cheek, and frost instantly spread across the metal from her gloves' [Frostbite Touch] enchantment.

"UGHHH!" Bianca grunted, but her triumph was short-lived. Clarisse countered immediately, slamming the shaft of her spear into Bianca's torso, knocking the wind out of her.

Clarisse thrust her spear forward, aiming to finish the fight, but Bianca's instincts kicked in. She twisted her bow sideways, using it to block the strike just in time.

Sparks flew as their weapons clashed—purple shadows clashing against crackling red electricity. As they struggled, Bianca yanked back on her bowstring, summoning a black arrow from the void. She released it in one fluid motion, forcing Clarisse to jerk her head aside as it whizzed past, missing her neck by mere centimeters.

"ARGHHHH!!" 

Clarisse briefly thought she'd narrowly avoided death—until she realized Bianca hadn't been aiming at her. The arrow struck an Ares camper sneaking up on Nico from behind.

Clarisse growled in frustration. "You know, you children of the Big Three are weird. It's barely been two weeks since you started training, and you're already skilled fighters." She scowled, then suddenly dropped low, sweeping Bianca's legs out from under her and sending her crashing to the ground.

"But that doesn't mean the rest of us are people you can just ignore!" she shouted, driving her spear downward.

Bianca tried to roll to the side, but the spear grazed her arm, leaving a deep gash. She cried out in pain.

Clarisse kicked the bow from Bianca's hand and pounced, pinning her down. She pressed the shaft of her spear against Bianca's throat, applying more pressure with every passing second.

Bianca groaned, struggling against the weight. Both hands gripped the spear desperately, trying to push it away.

"Concede," Clarisse growled. "I don't want to hurt you more than I have to. I'm not looking to get on his bad side after all."

"I… won't!" Bianca hissed through gritted teeth, straining against Clarisse's strength.

Clarisse responded with a punch across Bianca's face, then pressed down harder with the spear.

"I'll keep doing this until you give in," Clarisse said menacingly. "So don't blame me—you're the one who wants to keep fighting."

Meanwhile, Nico dodged and slashed at the incoming attacks around him, his sword gleaming in the chaos. He silently thanked Bianca, who had eased his burden by taking down one of their attackers.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nico spotted a girl with a bow and arrow in the distance. That must mean Bianca had eliminated the male archer who had been targeting them.

But before he could process it further, Nico was slammed to the ground. Dazed, he looked up just in time to see Bianca pinned down, taking a brutal punch to the face.

"BIANCA!!" Nico roared, rage igniting within him. His blood boiled, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

The sight fueled his fury. Gripping his sword tightly, Nico finally activated the enchantments he'd forgotten in the heat of battle.

As a blade came crashing down toward him, Nico met it mid-swing. He struggled under its weight for a moment before activating [Spectral Blade]. His sword shimmered, turning intangible, and he twisted his head to the side, letting the enemy's blade pass by him, cutting his cheek. 

Then, with a swift motion, Nico's ethereal blade phased through the enemy's armor, slashing deep into his chest.

"Argh!" the attacker screamed.

Nico felt a surge of energy course through him, his wounds mending and his strength returning. The enchantments [Vampirism] and [Bloodlust] kicked in—one healing him with every successful strike, the other increasing his speed and attack power with each consecutive blow.

Without hesitation, Nico activated [Bullet Time]. The world slowed to a crawl, but Nico moved with razor-sharp precision. He weaved between weapons frozen mid-swing, slashing through his enemies. Each strike healed him, and with every movement, he grew faster, stronger.

His eyes widened, pupils contracting as his power peaked. Opponents around him collapsed, their energy drained. They lay sprawled on the ground, too weak to stand, let alone lift their weapons.

When they finally looked up at Nico, terror gripped them. The aura of death radiating from him was suffocating—a clear mark of his heritage as a son of Hades. His presence was far more overwhelming than Lucian's, whose charm suppressed his dark aura.

They trembled in fear as Nico gripped his sword tighter, turning his gaze toward Clarisse and Bianca.

In a blur, Nico charged at Clarisse, the strength and speed he'd accumulated pushing his body to its limits. Pain flared in his muscles, but he ignored it.

Clarisse, still pinning Bianca down, felt a shiver crawl up her spine. She ducked just in time, Nico's blade flashing past where her neck had been moments before.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my sister?" Nico growled, his voice low and threatening as he stood behind her.

Clarisse reacted swiftly, kicking Nico hard in the torso and sending him flying back. But the opening was all Bianca needed—she shoved Clarisse off and scrambled to her feet.

Bianca wiped the blood from her nose and lips, kicking herself up with a determined grin.

"You alright, big sis?" Nico called, rising with a sword in one hand and a Glock in the other.

Bianca raised her hand, and her bow flew back into her grip. Both her gloves glowed ominously. "Never been better, little bro."

"Good!" Nico smirked, charging forward at breakneck speed.

Bianca pulled back her bowstring and unleashed a volley of arrows.

But Clarisse wasn't going down without a fight. Her experience from past quests showed as she dodged Nico's sword slashes, Bianca's arrows, and the shadow bullets Nico fired with deadly precision.

Still, she could only hold out for so long.

In perfect synchronization, Bianca and Nico teleported to opposite sides of Clarisse. Bianca swept at her legs with her bow, sending her off balance, while Nico leapt and slammed the hilt of his sword across her face.

Clarisse hit the ground hard, knocked out cold.

Breathing heavily, Nico and Bianca exchanged stunned glances.

"Did… did we actually win?" Nico asked, his voice tinged with disbelief and excitement.

"Not yet…" Bianca replied, nodding toward the flag.

Nico nodded in understanding. "Together?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Bianca chuckled.

They walked side by side toward the flag, their weapons vanishing as they relaxed for the first time in what felt like hours.

Reaching the flag, they both wrapped their fingers around the pole.

"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" they shouted in unison, their voices ringing with excitement.

They ripped the flag from the ground and raised it high above their heads, surrounded by the fallen bodies of their enemies.

Above them, a symbol shimmered into existence—a bident with a red dot at its center.

The symbol of Hades.

Nico and Bianca had officially been claimed, joining Lucian as children of the Big Three.

Children of Hades.

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