3 Days Go By Quick

Finally, when everyone else had been called forward and addressed, Nico stood alone. Hades was silent, but Zeus called him forward. Nico stepped forward and knelt before the Olympians. "A son of Hades," Zeus said disdainfully. "Your kind should have been exterminated decades ago. It is only through your father's lies that you live. Do you have any idea what trouble your siblings caused?"

"Yes," Nico replied. "Would you mind telling us?" Zeus asked. Nico took a breath. "Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Lenin caused World War II, committed countless genocides, caused the Holocaust, and are some of the most infamous men in history. Napoleon Bonaparte led forty thousand soldiers to their deaths in an attack on Russia. Vlad the Impaler impaled a lot of people and was gross and cannibalistic, which is why he's the original vampire. Genghis Khan attacked China and united the Mongols." He looked sullen at Zeus.

"Am I missing anybody?" Zeus scoffed. "Those are just the famous ones. You have no idea how many serial killers and psychopaths are your siblings. Not to mention Caligula!" "Okay, for the record, Caligula was Roman. What's your point?" "My point," Zeus said, "is that the majority of Hades' children we let live grow up to terrorize the world. Why should we take that risk with you?" "Because I'm not going to commit genocide, I'm not certifiably insane yet, I'm definitely not cannibalistic, and I promise not to attack Russia in the winter. Is that good enough for you? Children of Hades can do more than just kill. Napoleon wrote the Napoleonic Code, which is the basis for the modern American Constitution. Hitler wanted to go to art school before he became infamous. It's only because of Hades' training that he was so messed up," Nico protested.

"How do we know you won't turn against us in the future?" Zeus countered. "I already fought for you in two wars! I convinced Hades, one of the most dangerous and easily annoyed gods, to fight in the Titan War! Maybe if you treated demigods with respect we would be loyal to you. Instead, all you've done is given us more reasons to resent you. And yet we fight for what is right. We fight for our camps, and we fight for each other. I'm not sure if any of us are fighting specifically for you. As long as you're on the side of the camps, I'll fight with you." Zeus exploded. "YOU DARE INSULT THE INTEGRITY OF THE GODS?!" Nico's voice was icy. "You're deciding whether or not to kill me. I'm saying you don't value mortal life, and you play favorites in your family, Uncle." Zeus turned to Hades. "After all his training in the Underworld, Hades, you still haven't taught this boy manners! What did he learn?" He waved his hand carelessly toward Nico.

"Well? What, if not manners, did you learn?" Nico's glare was deadly, but his voice was still calm. "I learned to fight with multiple weapons, and with martial arts. I learned countless ways to kill, and which ways are the fastest, cleanest, and most efficient. I learned to summon the dead and bend them to my will, and strategy, offensive and defensive." "Zeus rolled his eyes. "Oh, is that all?" Nico thought for a second. "Unless you count geometry and how to play soccer, that's it." Zeus sighed, and turned to his brother. "Sorry, Hades, but this one is too dangerous. Even if he doesn't use his powers against us, he's too rude and annoying to be spared. You don't want a puny gay one anyway, right? It's no big loss."

A murmur rippled through the crowd of demigods watching the scene. Nico went red and stared straight at the ground. To his credit, Hades looked genuinely concerned. "My son is strong. He has proven himself so. For three years, I mistreated him, and he still fought for us. He risked his life in Tartarus and by bringing the Athena Parthenos to the camps. Of all demigods, he has seen the most death, but he does deserve life," Hades said firmly. Zeus considered this statement, and came to a decision. "We'll put it to a vote, then." He waved his hand and a silver handgun appeared ten feet in front of Nico. "Anyone who thinks this demon spawn should be killed will walk up and shoot it. Anyone who would spare it will simply walk past the gun." Zeus got up and stood with the gun at his feet. "Stand up!" he barked to Nico. Nico stood.

Zeus looked at Jason, who was shaking his head and silently pleading 'No!' Zeus stretched out his arm and the gun flew up to his hand. Nico held his threatening gaze calmly. He stood tall and didn't waver, even when Zeus aimed the gun. "It's fitting," Nico told him, "that you should be the one to want me dead. I mean, you already killed my mother. You tried to kill Bianca and I as well, and she's dead now too. Go ahead and finish what you started!" he spat. "No! Nico!" Hazel protested from the crowd and tried to run forward. After three steps, however, she ran into an invisible wall. She hit it with her fists. Zeus chided her coldly, "This does not concern you, daughter of Pluto." He looked back down the barrel of the gun at Nico and pulled the trigger. The shot blasted across the room and echoed, along with Hazel's scream.

There was a searing pain in Nico's left shoulder, and his hand immediately went to the wound. Almost doubled over, tears came to his eyes, and he gritted his teeth. He was vaguely aware of movement. When he looked back up, Poseidon was standing with the gun at his feet. He looked over at Percy, who was doing what Jason had been doing and shaking his head 'no.' Poseidon looked at Nico with a little pity, and sat back down. Hera stepped forward next. She looked Nico in the eye and picked up the gun. He took his hand from his first wound and stood as tall as he could. She aimed for his other shoulder and shot.

A tear ran down Nico's face and blood seeped from the punctures. Hazel was crying and hugging Frank. Hephaestus took his vote. Leo shook his head, and Hephaestus sat back down without shooting. Apollo did the same, this time looking for Will Solace's decision. As Apollo sat back down, Nico locked eyes with Will, who was grimacing and looking at him with anxiety. Nico looked away to see Ares step up eagerly to the gun, and pick it up very casually. Without missing a beat, and without consulting his kids like the other gods, he shot Nico in the right side of his chest.

By now, Nico started to feel feverish from blood loss. He shivered. Black spots danced in his vision, and he coughed up blood. There was so much blood, on the floor, on his hands, on his shirt, and on his face, everywhere except in his veins. He tried to focus as the gods passed. Athena passed without shooting. Aphrodite and Artemis did the same. Demeter stepped up to the gun. She spoke seemingly to herself. "I'd really rather turn him into a flower, but..." She picked up the gun. "I suppose this will do. Don't cheat on my daughter, Hades."

Nico straightened up one last time and stood with dignity. He didn't even hear the shot, just felt a numbing pain in his leg that made him off-balance and made him fall to his knees. Hermes passed. Dionysus picked up the gun. He inspected it, and made a comment to Zeus. "It takes so much power to rebuild sanity. Unfortunately, it doesn't take too much to break it. This boy has been through more torture today alone, and especially throughout his life, than anyone here could bear, and he's still fighting. Even I can't ignore that, and you shouldn't either." He gingerly opened the barrel and dumped the bullets out. He closed it, and laid it at the edge of the pool of blood.

Zeus glowered at Nico while Dionysus took a seat on his throne again. "Eight to four. The votes are in your favor today," he growled. "You may live, if you don't bleed out first." Nico was short of breath. He could barely see. He pushed off the ground to stand on his one good leg. "You know one other thing I learned from Hades in the Underworld?" Nico asked Zeus, and then coughed up more blood. He stood straighter than ever and held his head high. "Pain tolerance. Go to Hell." He walked as normally as he could out of the throne room, trying not to limp. He heard running footsteps behind him as he stepped down the first stair with his bad leg. His knee buckled- and everything went black.