Page 29 of The Court of the Dead
Nico had an excellent view across the valley—the glittering lights of New Rome, a few sails on the dark waters of the lake, the watch fires lining the legion’s fort—but the Fifth Cohort was nowhere to be seen. They were probably still lugging their armored butts along the unlit Via Praetoria.
Nico wobbled, briefly woozy. He sat with his back against one of the long columns that framed the shrine’s entrance and waited for Will’s arrival.
He dozed off….
He dreamed of a voice coming from the mausoleum, whispering from the depths of the Underworld.Go home, Nico di Angelo!the voice hissed, cold and angry.Keep aiding and abetting criminals, and we’ll find you guilty as well! Faster! Faster!
He jolted awake, what felt like only seconds later. The sky was turning pink. Somewhere nearby, boots crunched against gravel, and a voice was shouting, “Faster! Faster!”
The first of the Roman demigods appeared, lumbering up the hill. Will was in the lead, still grinning, his blond hair catching the first rays of the sun. The shouting was coming from Vitellius Reticulus, who floated behind the legionnaires, urging them on.
“You call this running?” the Lar bellowed. “Why, back in my day, we raced each other across the Alps barefoot without stopping for water, and we liked it!”
“Vitellius,” wheezed one of the demigods, “that never happened.”
“Don’t tell me how to Roman, soldier!” yelled the ghost. “Faster!”
Nico got to his feet, trying to shake off his dream. It took all his willpower not to turn and stare at the iron doors of the shrine, wondering who might have been speaking from inside.
The Fifth Cohort runners stumbled to a halt when they saw Nico. They looked stunned, sweaty, and extremely irritated. Will stared at him in disbelief.
“Where have you been?” Nico asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’ve been waiting forever.”
Will bent over, his hands on his knees. When he straightened again, he was laughing. “Youdidn’t. You little cheater!”
Vitellius drifted over, glowering at Nico. “What is this about, son of Pluto? Why does the blond one call you a cheater?”
Nico smirked. “I wouldn’t call it cheating. I’d call it using my demigod powers to gain an advantage.”
Vitellius examined him up and down. “You shadow-traveled, eh? What are you, a Carthaginian? That’s dishonorable!”
The ghost fumed for a moment, like he was debating smacking Nico upside the head with the flat of his spectral gladius.
“Hmph, I’ll allow it,” Vitellius finally decided. “Butnoton the way back down!”
He wheeled on the Fifth Cohort. More runners were starting to arrive, some gasping, others guzzling from their canteens.
“What are you all resting for?” Vitellius demanded. “Drinking and breathing are for the weak! About-face! Double-time march! Back to camp with you all!”
The Romans groaned and complained, but they turned and staggered back down the hill, Vitellius hounding them all the way.
Will hung back. He laid a hand on Nico’s shoulder. “Please don’t tell Frank I ever said this, and I will deny it under oath, but I’m kind of hating this whole military-discipline thing.”
Nico cracked a smile. Every time Will was able to admit to hating something, it felt like a small victory.
“Well, let’s get out of here,” he suggested.
Will looked scandalized. “You don’t mean—”
Nico grabbed his hand. “Will you join me in the darkness?”
Will rolled his eyes. “You’re so cheesy.” Then he grinned. “But yes. Maybe Bombilo’s coffee shop is open. I could go for a chai latte and a blueberry muffin.”
“Now that’s the kind of military discipline I like,” Nico agreed.
He glanced back at the doors of the shrine. He tried to put his brief dream behind him, but that voice from the Underworld had sounded vaguely familiar.Guilty. Aiding and abetting.The words meshed a little too well with what Will had said about denying something under oath….
“What’s wrong?” Will asked.
