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by Nico was running. He ran as fast as his lanky legs could, each footstep making clouds of sand rise in the air and dive into his shoes, filling them and making his steps even more uneasy. On his side, his black sword banged against his thigh in a regular rhythm.
Right and left of him, there was nothing but sand, endless sand pushed by the wind into smooth dunes and little valleys... he was in a desert. Even though he had no clue where this desert was and how it was called, he knew precisely where he had to go -- and he knew it was a matter of life and death.
Faster, faster, faster, he thought as he kept sprinting.
Unfortunately, the sand offered him an unsteady ground and he couldn't run at the top of his speed: every now and again, one of his feet would glide away and he would lose a little balance. He didn't fall, but it handicapped his race.
He felt he was close to his goal and struggled to run faster, his legs already shivering with the effort. Sweat was dampening his forehead and cheeks, making his particularly white skin shine lightly as he sprinted up a dune and stopped, gazing down.
Under him lay an enormous set of hills made of metallic devices, some bigger, some smaller; all of them shone under the moon rays with soft yet clear highlights, casting eerie shadows on the ground and across the dunes, like skeletal hands ready to close on whatever they could. But that didn't interest the young boy. What drew his attention was one of those devices, taller and wider than the others; it was properly gigantic.
It took Nico some time to understand what he was seeing, but when the object turned around, moonlight caught it and he could make out what it was.
What he saw was a giant statue -- no, not a statue. An automaton. A giant automaton made of bronze, whose face was quite smashed up, he noted.
Another thing caught his eye: there was movement near it, and, when he squinted, he could see a group of persons at its feet, but they weren't the regular persons you would meet at a supermarket.
One of them had a bow, the other a lance. There was one who looked like it didn't have human legs... All of them seeming to be fighting the automaton.... which was a lost battle, Nico could see.
Suddenly, a girl appeared, running from behind a pile of metallic objects. Even from where he stood, Nico could see her black braid flying as she disappeared into the automaton's foot and his heart stopped beating for a second.
BIANCA! he yelled, but no word came out.
Nico resumed running, sailing down the dune as fast as he could, but when he reached the bottom of it, the ground seemed to move, dragging him back, away from the location where the battle was taking place.
NO! he cried out, sprinting back, but suddenly, his foot glided away and he stumbled down. The moment he hit the ground, the sand drew him further away. Bianca! he shouted, again and again.
He drew his sword and started stabbing and slashing at the sand with the black blade, which of course had no effect. Let me go!
The sand started to rain down on him, covering his legs, his feet... He shook it off, trying to stand up, but more came, until it covered his waist, and started falling on his torso, pinning him to the ground.
In seconds, he was covered by a thick sheet of sand grains , yelling until it fell into his mouth and choked him.
Bianca....
The ceiling hung above him, blurry at first, then it clarified. Nico's brown eyes blinked several times before getting used to it. His heart was pounding fast.
Again, this dream...
He hadn't had it for more than a year -- why did it come back now? Why? He had gotten over Bianca's death... even though the pain was achingly vivid in the dream. He put a hand on his chest, hoping to suppress the now-dull grief.
Gritting his teeth, he threw his duvet back and realized he was gripping his sword's black guard; he was gripping it so hard his knuckles were pure white.
... Slowly, he released his grip and his stiff fingers hurt as he did so, before getting a bit numb. The young boy closed his eyes and laid back in his bed, his heart racing in his chest.
~~~~~
The mornings were often fresh at Camp, and today was no exception.
Nico hadn't tried to go back to sleep after having woken up from his nightmare, no. He had sat up on his bed and watched the wall for endless minutes, reflecting, before finally going through his morning hygiene routine, then putting on a pair of black jeans and pulling a black T-Shirt over his torso. As he went out, he took his brown bomber jacket and slid it around his narrow, pointed shoulders.
Once out, he stood in the doorway of the darksome Hades cabin, the mantis-colored fire of the braziers either side of the door casting greenish highlights on his skin, jacket and hair.
Finally, a hand on his sword's pommel, he went down the stairs with agility and turned behind to the side of the cabin so he was facing the Iris cabin. Sitting down in the dew-beaded grass, he looked at his blade.
Bianca is gone, Nico, he thought. You are never going to see her again, not even in the Underworld. You shan't forget her, ever. However, you have another sister now. Hazel.
The thought of Hazel immediately calmed his racing thoughts. The daughter of Pluto was one of his life's treasures and he was fond of her nearly as much as he had been fond of Bianca, he knew, as he passed a hand through his black hair.
OOC: Why 'Numb'? I just felt the music was suiting even though the lyrics aren't. ^^
Right and left of him, there was nothing but sand, endless sand pushed by the wind into smooth dunes and little valleys... he was in a desert. Even though he had no clue where this desert was and how it was called, he knew precisely where he had to go -- and he knew it was a matter of life and death.
Faster, faster, faster, he thought as he kept sprinting.
Unfortunately, the sand offered him an unsteady ground and he couldn't run at the top of his speed: every now and again, one of his feet would glide away and he would lose a little balance. He didn't fall, but it handicapped his race.
He felt he was close to his goal and struggled to run faster, his legs already shivering with the effort. Sweat was dampening his forehead and cheeks, making his particularly white skin shine lightly as he sprinted up a dune and stopped, gazing down.
Under him lay an enormous set of hills made of metallic devices, some bigger, some smaller; all of them shone under the moon rays with soft yet clear highlights, casting eerie shadows on the ground and across the dunes, like skeletal hands ready to close on whatever they could. But that didn't interest the young boy. What drew his attention was one of those devices, taller and wider than the others; it was properly gigantic.
It took Nico some time to understand what he was seeing, but when the object turned around, moonlight caught it and he could make out what it was.
What he saw was a giant statue -- no, not a statue. An automaton. A giant automaton made of bronze, whose face was quite smashed up, he noted.
Another thing caught his eye: there was movement near it, and, when he squinted, he could see a group of persons at its feet, but they weren't the regular persons you would meet at a supermarket.
One of them had a bow, the other a lance. There was one who looked like it didn't have human legs... All of them seeming to be fighting the automaton.... which was a lost battle, Nico could see.
Suddenly, a girl appeared, running from behind a pile of metallic objects. Even from where he stood, Nico could see her black braid flying as she disappeared into the automaton's foot and his heart stopped beating for a second.
BIANCA! he yelled, but no word came out.
Nico resumed running, sailing down the dune as fast as he could, but when he reached the bottom of it, the ground seemed to move, dragging him back, away from the location where the battle was taking place.
NO! he cried out, sprinting back, but suddenly, his foot glided away and he stumbled down. The moment he hit the ground, the sand drew him further away. Bianca! he shouted, again and again.
He drew his sword and started stabbing and slashing at the sand with the black blade, which of course had no effect. Let me go!
The sand started to rain down on him, covering his legs, his feet... He shook it off, trying to stand up, but more came, until it covered his waist, and started falling on his torso, pinning him to the ground.
In seconds, he was covered by a thick sheet of sand grains , yelling until it fell into his mouth and choked him.
Bianca....
The ceiling hung above him, blurry at first, then it clarified. Nico's brown eyes blinked several times before getting used to it. His heart was pounding fast.
Again, this dream...
He hadn't had it for more than a year -- why did it come back now? Why? He had gotten over Bianca's death... even though the pain was achingly vivid in the dream. He put a hand on his chest, hoping to suppress the now-dull grief.
Gritting his teeth, he threw his duvet back and realized he was gripping his sword's black guard; he was gripping it so hard his knuckles were pure white.
... Slowly, he released his grip and his stiff fingers hurt as he did so, before getting a bit numb. The young boy closed his eyes and laid back in his bed, his heart racing in his chest.
~~~~~
The mornings were often fresh at Camp, and today was no exception.
Nico hadn't tried to go back to sleep after having woken up from his nightmare, no. He had sat up on his bed and watched the wall for endless minutes, reflecting, before finally going through his morning hygiene routine, then putting on a pair of black jeans and pulling a black T-Shirt over his torso. As he went out, he took his brown bomber jacket and slid it around his narrow, pointed shoulders.
Once out, he stood in the doorway of the darksome Hades cabin, the mantis-colored fire of the braziers either side of the door casting greenish highlights on his skin, jacket and hair.
Finally, a hand on his sword's pommel, he went down the stairs with agility and turned behind to the side of the cabin so he was facing the Iris cabin. Sitting down in the dew-beaded grass, he looked at his blade.
Bianca is gone, Nico, he thought. You are never going to see her again, not even in the Underworld. You shan't forget her, ever. However, you have another sister now. Hazel.
The thought of Hazel immediately calmed his racing thoughts. The daughter of Pluto was one of his life's treasures and he was fond of her nearly as much as he had been fond of Bianca, he knew, as he passed a hand through his black hair.
OOC: Why 'Numb'? I just felt the music was suiting even though the lyrics aren't. ^^
