#excuse me while i just add in all of the buffy/angel fight scenes i can think of. i guess. that people might not know about here

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I guess it's not overly common, or maybe it is and it's just in fiction, because there's plenty of them, and good in depth ones...but I also have always kind of liked or at least had interest for Bangelus I always was bummed there was never another meeting w them. It was something of ATS that didn't make sense since she was all he thought about last time he was out and he even almost ended the world. It was waste that rematch never happened....

I definitely agree, anon. I imagine a lot of it has to do with the legal issues at the time, of course. With Buffy and Angel being on different networks and the networks not really wanting the different characters to appear on each other's shows.

And, perhaps, the writers felt like if they had a Buffy vs. Angelus thing again--even if there would of course be some differences this time--it would be too much like Buffy season two, so instead they had Angelus vs. Faith instead (which I do love).

But it definitely is weird that Angelus didn't seem to mention Buffy much in Angel season 4, when she was all he thought about before. I think the most we get is him calling Buffy "a pistol," (which is a great line), and him calling Dawn and asking if Buffy's there (to figure out if the Slayer in town he's hearing about is Buffy or Faith), right?

To be honest, we can't deny that some of this might also be because season four is where a lot of where the Angel/C*ordelia plot line is. And during that, the show kind of stopped mentioning Buffy (to maybe try and give the illusion that Angel had moved on some, to try and get the audience to stop thinking of the Angel/Buffy pairing, or moreover to get people to not question... "Wait, how is Angel pursuing a relationship when he still has the curse when the whole reason he left Buffy is because he can't have a relationship if he still has the curse?"). So that might also be part of it. But I definitely think it's moreso the first points.

And, I know I'm biased here, of course (though I do still enjoy Angel/C*ordelia some, though Angel/Buffy is my OTP now), but I don't think Angelus really had feelings for C*ordelia (Buffy seems to be the only person that both the man and demon in him loved). Or if he did, it wasn't like what he felt for Buffy. Because if he had, wouldn't they have made him crazy like his feelings for Buffy had? Like, wouldn't he have wanted to destroy her for making him love her, too, if that had been a thing? So I don't think something like "Angelus had feelings for C*ordelia and that's why he didn't really think about Buffy in season four" was a thing.

The closest we probably ever get to seeing Buffy and Angelus ever interact again in canon is the comics (I don't know if you've read those, anon).

In season 8, I feel like Twilight (this other persona of Angel's, who, is, like partly good and partly bad; and also being possessed by his and Buffy's kind-of-evil kid [it's a super long and complicated story)] is kind of Angelus-like to me. But also Angel-like some. And yes, he and Buffy do end up fighting.

And then in season 10, Angelus makes a brief appearance (when his great-grandsire brings him out again) and he jealously attacks Spike in knowing that at the moment Buffy has chosen to be with him instead. And this definitely seems to hint, of course, that Angelus has finally accepted his feelings for Buffy by this point (the Twilight stuff kind of did, too--if you choose to see Twilight as partly Angelus at all--since he was choosing to be with Buffy and trying to create a perfect world with her, where they and everyone they loved could be together).

There's also a part in the tie-in book "Monster Island" (that takes place in early Buffy season 6 and Angel season 3), where Buffy and Angel (and Gunn) are kidnapped by the Big Bad of the book's minions. To try and get them out, Tara casts a spell to get all magical creatures to attack each other (thinking the demons would then turn against each other, and they could just easily swoop in and save Buffy and Angel at that point). But she didn't count on Buffy and Angel also being magical creatures, of course (or even herself being a magical creature), so Buffy and Angel are trying to break from their bonds to kill each other. And Angel is starting to be very Angelus-like (like, Angel even thinks that), though he's trying to fight it.

...This reply is all over the place. And I don't know if it makes much sense. Sorry about that! But like you, I do kind of wish that we'd gotten more Bangelus in canon! Like, it's cool that in the comics it seems that Angelus has undergone some sort of journey offscreen and accepted his love for Buffy, but I wish we had seen that onscreen somewhere.

But oh well. I guess that's what fanfiction is for:)

Thanks for the ask!

Edit: There's also more Buffy and Angelus in the book "Night Terrors," a Buffy Choose Your Own Adventure book. But if you get on the path where Angelus shows up, it's sort of an alternate canon to Buffy season two, as he shows up earlier there than he did in season two (before he and Buffy make love, etc.).

Angelus is also in the book "One Thing or Your Mother," and the classic comic "Ring of Fire," but they're more missing moments/episodes from season two, than Angelus showing up in a later season and seeing Buffy again or anything like that. I do highly recommend both, however, since you're a Bangelus fan. Especially "One Thing or Your Mother." Oh! And in the tie-in-novel "Here Be Monsters" (that takes place during Buffy season three), there's a section where Buffy is seeing her worst nightmares. I think it's Angelus she sees (and I think she sees herself killing him again? it's been a while), who tells her that she knows how their story is going to have to end (with her killing him once more), and she'd better make it stick this time.

In the tie-in book, "The Evil That Men Do" (a book that takes place in season three), Buffy and Angel are kidnapped by Helen (a former vampire lover of Angelus') and her lover and forced to try to kill each other in a gladiator-like game. They pretend that they've turned on each other to get out of it and get their enemies to try to kill one another (as Helen's lover was always jealous of her and Angelus, and now he fears they're going to be together again).

In the classic comic "City of Despair" (that takes place in Buffy season 4/Angel season 1) Buffy and Angel are abducted to another dimension (called the City of Despair, actually), and forced to battle each other. They both have these collars on their necks, that are impossible to remove and will kill them if they disobey. They're also, like, almost forced to fight against their will: their bodies moving with a mind of their own, I mean. But eventually Buffy realizes that it's literally people's despair keeping them there. She convinces Angel to try to fight against the feeling with her for just one moment: the two of them embrace, and then escape.

Edit 2: Wait. I guess there's also the Buffy book "Big Bad," that has Buffy and Angelus in it, but I haven't read it yet. So I can't tell you how good or in-character that one is atm. And unlike how the original tie-in books and classic comics were always okayed by at least one of the original writers, I'm not sure if these new novels have been. I'm thinking not?

Edit 3: And though a part of me is loath to mention Boom, since they're not canon and I have... not very positive emotions about these comics in a lot of ways. In the first Buffy/Angel comic they were doing, Angel ended up possessed by something called the Hellmother, I believe it was called, while he and Buffy were on a mission in the Hellmouth together. And then Buffy ended up having to fight him.

#long post #bangelus #bangel #asked and answered #this also gets into headcanon territory of course: but i'd like to believe s4!angelus would have eventually come to sunnydale. but he was #being more careful. and doing things a bit differently this time. after last time #but it's def possible. imo. since we don't see into angelus' head in s4 that much as compared to s2 #but you know... as much as i would have loved to see buffy vs angelus again in angel s4 and buffy s7. it might be best it didn't happen #in the shows and is just a fanfic (a very good) fanfic thing. buffy went through much that season. and the seasons prior. she didn't need #that too. another user said this (can't think of their name right now). but hearing angelus was back while she was dealing with the first #and trying to protect all the potentials probably WOULD have put her on suicide watch. my poor girl #also in another choose your own adventure book. colony. you can get bad endings where buffy and angel pretty much kill each other #since in that book either angel buffy or giles got the whammy put on them by the big bad #also bad endings in night terrors where angelus kills buffy #but those kinds of things are par for the course with choose your own adventure books #colony takes place in s2 too #but of course none of that would be canon. those bad endings #though it could be canon where angel or buffy got the whammy put on them but then got broken out of it: those endings #excuse me while i just add in all of the buffy/angel fight scenes i can think of. i guess. that people might not know about here #that are maybe angelus-esque (some of these definitely stretching that. i know). since it might somewhat kind of-ish be a bit of what #you're looking for anon #also. side note. all of these buffy books and comics are actually really good. even the first buffy/angel boom story i prefer much more to #some of their later stuff probably #and angelus himself has been in some of the boom comics now. though not at the same time as buffy sadly #and i don't know how in-character or not he's been. because i sort of stopped reading boom. but what little i did see with him looked like #it might have been taking him in a strange direction. but i may be wrong #there's also the angel book 'impressions' where these stones are making all of the demons act wild/angry which. if you haven't guessed. #makes angel act more like angelus and sort of pulls angelus out more and more as the book progresses (until things are resolved) and in #that book angel thinks of buffy twice there #that book takes place during angel season 3/buffy season 6

[inkandpen22]

Beautiful Angel of Darkness (7/?)

Pairing: Spike x Female!Reader 

Warnings: Mild swearing 

Word Count: 1.8k

Part Summary: Y/N is starting to improve and live by Angel’s lifestyle. Then, someone pays her a visit. 

Masterlist

Six months later... 

Who would've thought working at the law firm as one of Angel's team members would be so fulfilling? Granted, it took a moment to get settled... more like a month. There was a withdrawal period, not pretty. Angel sort of locked me away in his basement for a few weeks. After that, I bounced right back and started fresh! Now, I'm Angel's assistant, much better than Harmony. I gave her the boot as soon as I got released from the basement cell. 

I step off the elevator to Wolfman & Hart with Angel's usual blood bag in a cup and my iced coffee. I drink my blood bag on the way here. 

I set everything down at my desk in front of the firm's sign. The normalcy of having a daily routine again is nice. When I was with Spike, I thought normalcy would bore me to death. I guess Angel was right, there is some humanity left in me. 

I knock on Angel's office door, blood cup in hand. When he announces for me to enter, I greet him warmly and immediately get into the day's agenda. 

"Morning Boss, we have a busy day ahead of us!" 

As per usual, he wears a crossed expression as he stands behind his desk shuffling through some papers. 

He sighs in frustration, "Y/N, have you seen the-" 

I place his mock coffee cup in his hand so I can grab the case file from under my arm. He glances between me and the file in amazement. 

"You left it on my desk when you were leaving last night," I explain with a light chuckle. 

"You're a lifesaver," he thanks as he eases down in his chair. 

"It's what I'm here for," I shrug and lean against his desk beside him. 

"Sorry for keeping you here late this week. I'm sure you much rather be home," he apologizes as he reviews the contents of the case. "I just... I don't know how to go about this." 

"Maybe a fresh pair of eyes?" I suggest, reaching for the file. 

Angel hesitates to hand it over. He doesn't like me working directly on cases. He believes I'm not ready for the gruesomeness of them and that the blood may trigger me to regress.

"Angel, I'll be fine!" I assure him confidently. 

Reluctantly, he hands over the papers and I begin to skim the crime scene photographs.  The police are involved, believing it to be a violent murder. However, Angel and the others are pinning it with a series of animal attacks the last few days. They suspect a werewolf. Angel wasn't wrong, these images are rather unsettling, but nothing I can't handle. 

"Based on the slashes on the neck, I would agree with you and say it's not cut wounds. There are no signs of forced entry either," I analyze. 

"But all of the damage..." He debates. 

"It's from the attack. If you were being attacked by a werewolf, you'd toss a lamp and vase at it, wouldn't you?" I reason. "The front door is in perfect condition, except for the blood, of course. I suspect the victim knew their attacker," I determine and hand the file back to Angel. 

He leans back in his chair, deep in thought. Humming, he considers my predictions. "That would certainly narrow down the suspect list." 

"Was she single?" I question. 

He frowns in confusion, "I think so, why?" 

"Check her calendar, see who her latest date was with," I suggest as I rise from my leaning position against his desk. 

"You got all of that from looking at one photo?" Angel remarks in astonishment. 

I glance over my shoulder as I head toward the door. "Told you shouldn't let me help sooner," I wink. 

_____________________________________

At noon sharp, Angel likes his second cup of O Neg. It sounds tedious, knowing exactly when my boss likes his blood. If someone told me months ago that I would be fetching Angel everything he needs, I would've killed them. Ironically, I've never felt never more human than when I'm at Wolfman & Hart. I feel like I have a life of my own, my existence. Before...Before Spike, I belonged to my family. Then, I belonged to Spike. Now, I belong to myself. Granted, Angel watches me like a hawk, but he's easing up. 

Angel and the others hold a team meeting at the same time I'm supposed to deliver his refreshment. More and more lately, Angel lets me sit in on the meeting.  It's usually so that I can act as a scribe while they talk, but I still appreciate the invite. 

Carrying my files, notepad, and Angel's drink, I back into his office door as I'm handless at the moment. Right when the door gives, I immediately announce his dinner plans with a major banker to discuss his Greed Demon issue. "Don't forget tonight, the meeting with Stuart Lawrence! You have to be at his residence in Brentwood at seven o'clock sharp and-" 

I stop dead in my tracks as my eyes flicker toward Angel's desk. Instead of just seeing Angel stressing over some papers, as usual, I see a bleach blonde vampire reading over his shoulder. 

The paper coffee cup falls from my hand and spills on the floor by my feet. The substance coats my left heel, staining it crimson. 

"Y/N..." Spike utters my name with his smooth accent. 

"Oh my God..." I whisper breathlessly in awe. 

Angel flies up from his chair and points to the door. "Y/N, get out of here!" 

"Never took you for the lawyer type," Spike smirks mischievously as he slithers toward me. "Gotta admit though, loving the working woman style." He gestures at my body up and down like I'm a mannequin in a store. 

Behind me, the other members of Angel's team enter for their meeting. 

"Lorne, take Y/N home!" Angel instructs. 

"Right away, Boss," Lorne complies.

"Take one step closer to her green goblin and I'll bite your head off!" Spike threatens sharply. 

"Spike, stop it!" Angel barks. 

"Oh come on, Angel," Spike dismisses as he closes in on me. His fingers comb through the ends of my hair. "It isn't like you to ruin a perfectly good reunion!" 

My body tenses under his touch, much to Spike's dismay. It wasn't long ago that his embrace was the only thing that kept me tied down to Earth. Now, it makes me shutter. 

"You shouldn't be here!" Angel growls as he rushes over to us and yanks Spike away from me. "She's been doing great without you!" 

"Have you forgotten? She was mine before she was yours," Spike chuckles wickedly. 

The English vampire turns to me again and caresses my cheek. His eyes continue to linger in my memories late at night staring at me intensely. 

"Did you really think I was going to let you go?" He mumbles to me and the words make my heartache. 

"Get away from her!" Angel hisses warningly, on the verge of throwing Spike through the top floor window.

Spike ignores Angel and continues to admire me. "Did you miss me, My Love?" 

Yes. 

I shake my head while I slip my hand over his to remove it from my cheek. "You hurt me. I can never forgive you for what you did." 

Spike's face falters immensely. "Y/N... Let me explain! I-" 

"No!" I stand my ground, something I never used to do when we were together. "You deceived me, used me, broke me!" I switch my gaze between Spike and Angel frantically until I find myself overwhelmed. "I... I can't do this... I'm sorry Angel, excuse me." 

Thus, I hurry out the door past my coworkers before anyone can stop me. Both Angel and Spike call for me, but I ignore each of them as I gather my things and disappear onto the elevator. 

________________________

After today's cluster of events, a long shower was much needed. I have no doubt Angel will be visiting me once the workday is over, just to check-in. I can't believe Spike is here in Los Angeles. It all felt like a dream or perhaps a nightmare. How dare he come here after half a year and expect me to act as though nothing happened. 

Immediately after my shower, I go to my kitchen to fix myself a cup of tea. I stick the kettle on the stovetop before I get dressed. At first, living alone startled me, but since then I've grown to prefer it. I like the peace. After long days at the office, time alone and space alone is what I need. 

"Y/N," a voice makes itself known. 

My hand flies up to my chest as I pant. "Spike! Jesus and Mary! What the actual fuck?!" 

"A vampire scared of the dark... how ironic," he teases with a smirk. 

"Get out!" I shout, pointing toward the door. "I'm not even dressed you feen!" I start to march back to my bedroom which makes Spike follow. What part of 'get out' doesn't he understand? 

"Oh come on, Love. It's not like I haven't seen anything before," he insinuates. 

"Get out!" I repeat. 

"No, not until you hear what I have to say!" He insists. 

"You love Buffy! Congrats! Now, go be with her!" I urge him away. 

Abruptly, Spike grabs my forearm and yanks me to a halt. His free hand flies up to my chin and forces me to meet him in the eye. I fight him off, prying at his arms, but nothing works. 

"I never loved her!" He barks at me. "Well... maybe a little once... but that was before I met you! That night I didn't cheat on you! I swear it! I went over to her house to kill her and when I got there she was crying! Her mother has been ill! That's why I couldn't come sooner... plus I... I..." 

"You what?" I growl in disdain. 

"I got a soul for you," he remarks calmly, nearly solemnly. 

I frown, how is that possible? 

"You what?" I question. 

"I went to the desert, got my soul back so I could be like Angel..." He explains. "To be like someone you'd want to be with," he adds. 

He softens his grip on my face. To my surprise, I don't pull away. I stare into his blue eyes with astonishment. How could he get back his soul? Is that why it took him so long to come and find me? For months I wondered if he would ever come... but he never did. When I finally started to get settled and moved on he shows up. Spike's hand falls from my face with a sigh.  

"Forget this. Never mind," he starts to back away. "Have a good life, Y/N." 

I stand frozen, speechless, and unsure what to do as Spike struts away toward the door. Thus again, he has disappeared from my life. 

________________

Masterlist 

Tags:  @currently-obsesed-with-spike @mx-pibbles @shy-ginger-in-the-graveyard

#Spike x Buffy #spike fanfic #spuffy #spike #btvs fanfic #btvs imagine #btvs imgaine #btvs #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #Angel x Buffy #buffy summers

[secretcinema3]

The Killer Elite

Cinema is the stuff dreams are made of, all our romantic reveries and daydreams come to life, a projection of the perfect world we'd love to be living in, full of excitement and happy endings. Or it would be if it wasn't for one little problem: not all our dreams are so wholesome. In fact some are downright scary. And nothing gets at the malign impulses lurking in our subconscious quite like cinema. It's something filmmakers have known since the earliest days; audiences love the vicarious thrill of illicit acts just as much as wholesome ones.

Which brings us to the horror and fascination we have with those who disobey the most serious of all the Ten Commandments. As Ernest Hemingway once observed, ''when a man is still in rebellion against death he has pleasure in taking to himself one of the Godlike attributes, that of giving it. This is one of the most profound feelings in those men who enjoy killing.'' What he neglected to mention was the pleasure an audience often experiences, whether it's in the bullring or the cineplex, while watching this rebellion against death. It's a primeval experience, a ritualistic act, one that connects cinema to ancient rites and religious transfiguration. The cinematic killer enacts our hidden desire to kill and our hidden relief that the victim is someone else. They die for us, so we don't have to. They kill for us, so we don't have to. So whether it's the serial killer, the vigilante or the hitman, the killer is always with us, haunting our dreams, charming our worst instincts, hunting us down with remorseless determination. Here are five of the more memorable of cinema's most troubling and enduring residents.

1. Speaking of Hemingway, his short-story The Killers was the basis for one of the great noirs of the 1940s. Two hitmen (Charles McGraw and William Conrad) arrive in the small town of Bedford to kill someone called 'the Swede'. As they move in on the local diner, their long coats and hats, the anonymous suit of the professional killer, add to the silhouetted menace. Inside they wait for the Swede to arrive, ordering food and talking to the owner and the one customer (Hemingway surrogate Nick Adams). McGraw and Conrad are impeccably hard-boiled here, barely-restrained violence embedded in every seemingly mundane exchange, voices oozing sullen condescension and contrariness. The levels of big city contempt Conrad gets into the line: ‘‘They all come here and eat the big dinner’’ is something else. They’re school bullies codified as angels of death, talking down to grown men (‘Town’s full of bright boys’), blood as cool as lizards. The film goes on to tell us why the Swede (Burt Lancaster) has ended up here but it starts with this recreation of the original story in all its noirish brilliance.

https://youtu.be/9Z0oYYl7FJY?t=1m27s

2. We can't talk killers without talking Hitchcock. Killers were one of specialties and I could pick five clips from him alone. In the end I chose Bruno Anthony from Strangers On A Train. It's an incomparable performance from Robert Walker, the killer as psychopath, victim and charmer all in one. When Bruno stalks the young woman at the carnival Hitchcock invests the innocence of rides and signs (’Magic Isle’/‘Tunnel of Love’) with foreboding, all that darkness surrounding the bright fantasy world. We see the normal predatory desires of young men juxtaposed against the murderous kind following them. (Watch Bruno relishing the popcorn, appetites aroused by the prospect of the kill). But Hitchcock was always trying to implicate us in his murderous schemes, manipulating us to identify with killers, and here as Bruno murders the young woman Hitch lowers her body into our laps, presents her to us as a sacrificial offering in the dark reflection of her fallen glasses. We’ve got what we wanted all along, our true desires revealed. We’re no different to Bruno, really, his body distorted and demonic now in the visionary frame (within-a-frame) of those most Hitchcockian of glasses.

https://youtu.be/Kl9fOZFpess

3. It's hard to imagine the western without killers. The gunslinger, the outlaw and the gun-for-hire were staples of pretty much every western ever made. So an enormous wealth of ornery so-and-sos in black hats to choose from then. I've gone for an Italian take on this most American of genres. Surely few killers have ever had a cooler (or better soundtracked) entrance than blue-eyed Frank in Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West. We’ve just watched the McBain family brutally gunned down. One child remains, rushing out of the house, stopping abruptly as he sees the bodies of his family lying in the dirt. (This moment, the point-of-view camera rushing towards the door, then the close-up of the child’s face as Morricone’s heart-stopping music erupts is as thrilling as it gets). The mystery gunmen emerge from the brush, five faceless bringers of death, long coats billowing in the dust as they approach. Then the camera pans slowly forward and around to the leader’s face. It’s Henry Fonda, paragon of liberal justice in films like The Grapes of Wrath and Twelve Angry Men. Surely he won’t shoot the child? ‘What are we going to do with this one Frank?’ Frank spits on the ground, on our expectations, on his own reputation. Fuck that Henry Fonda. You think you know someone? ‘Now that you’ve called me by name,’ he replies. But this is just an excuse. Frank’s cold blue eyes have already told us what’s going to happen next.

https://youtu.be/QqTfBysL0wE

4. Not all movie killers are human, of course. Monsters, alien creatures and pissed-off animals have all menaced mankind over the years. Most of these can be explained by the unpredictability of nature or our instinctual fear of the unknown. Movies where we imagine being preyed upon by our own technology, on the other hand, are harder to explain. John Carpenter's Christine is a good example of this. In Stephen King's original book the car was haunted. In the film, however, it has no discernible reason for turning on humanity. It's just bad and it wants to kill us. Of course, it might be the culture that’s haunted, the dream of 50s America going sour in the 80s night, the eerie, mocking sound of doo-wop in the air. ‘You ain’t mad are ya?’ asks doomed bully Moochie Welch prompting the car’s headlights to explode like solar flares. Oh yes, Christine’s mad all right, mad as hell. (It’s a 1958 Plymouth Fury after all). Mad all the big-finned promise of the American Dream has been betrayed. Or maybe the murderous car represents the auto destruction of a society destroying itself, especially with machines. Techno-phobia was clearly in the air in 1983. Maybe Christine travelled back from the same future depicted the following year in The Terminator, where all our machines have finally risen up against us. 

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbHKdn0XScg&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0]

5. And finally, a more recent phenomenon is the rise of the female killer. A staple of exploitation movies and comic books, the female killer has been gradually making her way into the mainstream as trash aesthetics and comic book sensibilities take over popular culture. Girls kicking ass is a win-win for everyone, female empowerment meets geek boy fantasy in an unholy alliance. Tarantino has something to do with it, as did TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, these killers tended to be wronged women on revenge missions or weak-armed but pretty girls not entirely convincing at running. But not always, and not anymore. Take the brutal elegance of Charlize Theron’s Cold War spy in last year’s Atomic Blonde. It’s still fantasy material, from bath scenes to lesbian sex, but the stunning, visceral one-take stairwell fight may well be a greater argument for equality than a whole library of feminist texts. The female body is no longer a weakness, the urge (and capacity) to kill no longer an unnatural consequence of some man’s brutality. Skill, stamina and force have equalised the contest. Hemingway’s assumption that only man could be ‘in rebellion against death’ by ‘taking to himself one of the Godlike attributes, that of giving it’ is old hat. There’s a new God in town now, and she’s taking no prisoners. 

https://youtu.be/XarGS1AeEcE

#the killer elite #essays #killers #atomic blonde #strangers on a train #the killers #ernest hemingway #christine #John Carpenter #Robert Siodmak #alfred hitchcock #once upon a time in the west #sergio leone

[rebaobsessivelywrites]

A Story of Shadows (ch 1)

You can find this entire fic here on AO3. (and fanfiction.net here)

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV) and Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books)

Entire Fic Description:

Nico flees the Camp Half-blood infirmary and into a shadow. He's aiming for San Francisco (specifically his sister in Camp Jupiter), but ends up in Los Angeles. In a warehouse. Filled with vampires. Like, honest to goodness VAMPIRES-- not empousai. And who in Hades is this "Angel" guy? 

Aka: Nico stumbles into a world radically different, but just as dangerous as his own.

Entire Fic Warnings: cannon-typical violence, uh… not much. I’ll add as I go…

Chapter word count: 1,569

Chapter warnings: cannon typical violence, let me know if there’s more

Summary: Nico’s travel plans go awry...

Please read the fic! Next chapter, master list. And let me know if you want to be tagged.

Nico was sick and tired of Camp Half-Blood.

That’s not to stay he hadn’t come to love the insufferable place since the war against Gaea. There were many people Nico had come to care deeply about at the Camp, but the socializing—it was exhausting. Nico was tired of capture the flag, and campfires. He was done with archery and lava-wall climbing. And he was at his wits end when it came to a certain son of Apollo and his stupid “Doctor’s orders.”

So, Nico decided to take a field trip. Who cared what Solace said? A little shadow travel hop to Camp Jupiter to visit Hazel couldn’t hurt.

Alright, it’s settled. Nico thought as he double checked his sword and small supply pack. Camp Jupiter, San Francisco, California. Grabbing a few of the abundant shadows in the Hades Cabin, Nico launched into the darkness and focused on his destination.

When the shadows cleared, Nico was certain of three things: (1)This was not Camp Jupiter. (2)He was surrounded. And (3)—he was the biggest idiot in the history of all demigods. Will Solace was right. Nico was not ready for shadow traveling. He would bet all his drachmas—scratch that—everything he owns, that if he tried to shadow travel again he would never reappear.

Nico examined his surroundings. It was an old, dingy warehouse, though it was clearly not used for storage. The place was extremely dark; Nico was only able to see anything because he was a son of Hades. And what he saw wasn’t too discouraging at face value. The warehouse was scattered with ratty blankets, stained mattresses, and dissected pillows. At first glance, the collection of makeshift beds suggested the place was a refugee hideout. The truth was much darker. Those stains, on the beds, were definitely not coffee. Behind him, Nico could hear the faint clinking of chains and a continuous soundtrack of muffled screams and pleas. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Over top of everything was the overpowering stench of blood and death. Nico could practically hear the cries of all those who lost their lives in this building.

The son of Hades absorbed all these details in an instant; he had bigger things to worry about. Dozens of figures had relinquished their spots in the darkness to surround the intruder. They looked human, all different shapes and sizes, but Nico knew better. They all felt dead, but in an unfamiliar way that made Nico’s stomach churn. Not to mention the inhuman growls they were producing. He knew instantly he would be unable to control these strange creatures, not through Underworld magic or force.

The most confident looking creature stepped forward. He was nearly two feet taller than Nico, and proudly displayed a ridged forehead and two vicious fangs. “How did you get in here, human?” he growled.

Murmurs of dissention echoed from the crowd. Someone in the back called, “Why are we asking him questions? He’s clearly one of Angel’s. Let’s just eat him already!”

Nico frowned, “Who’s Angel?” He surprised himself with how calm he was. Then again—he’d been to Tartarus and back. This was nothing compared to the pit.

“Don’t play stupid with us,” a figure to the right of the first stepped forward. “He is not only a sorry excuse for a vampire, but your leader too.”

The crowed hissed. Nico didn’t pick up much, but he was pretty sure some of them muttered about “hanging out with humans”, “falling in love with a slayer”, and “drinking from bags”.

The first creature, who was clearly the leader, conceded, snarling loudly, “Rip him to shreds!”

A creature off to the side rushed at Nico, but the son of Hades didn’t even have to think. He whirled around, stygian iron sword already in his hand, and cut a huge gash across his attacker’s chest. To Nico’s immense surprise, sticky red goo erupted from the wound. His first thought was, Blood? Not dust? His second thought was, Gaaa! as another sprung at him.

After impaling his second attacker, Nico started to worry he was attacking mortals. After all, every monster Nico knew of bled sand—except for the more godly ones, like giants, or the gods and titans themselves. They bled golden ichor. Additionally, Nico’s choice of weapon could be quite dangerous; unlike celestial bronze or imperial gold, stygian iron can harm immortals and mortals alike. His concern was erased, however, when his newly impaled friend got over his pain and lunged for Nico, sword still buried hilt-deep in his gut. No mortal could survive that.

Dodging an attack from behind, Nico pulled out his sword and kicked the injured creature away from him. For a moment, the demigod was able to absorb the blood hungry looks that surrounded him. He was faintly aware of the leader yelling something. How, in the name of Hades, am I supposed to kill these things?

He didn’t get to wonder for long and three surged forward as one. Acting on reflex, Nico swung his sword at their necks. For a fraction of a second, Nico saw their heads leave their bodies. Next thing he knew, there were three piles of dust at his feet.

Ok. Decapitation, I can do that. Unfortunately, his success enraged the remaining creatures, and Nico was still outnumbered 20+ to 1. After a few seconds of scrambling to stay alive, he fell into a rhythm: dodge, duck, parry, swing, decapitate, repeat. All the while, the leader was yelling at the top of his lungs. Nico caught “just a boy”, and “incompetent” mixed in with the numerous swear words.

Nico was vaguely surprised he wasn’t dead yet.

As though he jinxed it, a creature managed to jump him from behind. Nico staggered. Another tackled them from the side, and they tumbled to the ground. Nico heard his sword skitter across the floor. Someone kicked him in the face, and someone else knelt on his back. The man who tackled him from behind yelled something about getting the first taste, but that provoked a plague of upset growls. Nico’s vision started to go black from exertion—shadow traveling, and now this—but suddenly the arguing stopped. Now defenseless, Nico was hauled to his feet by four or five individuals, ears ringing.

The leader stalked towards him, “You really do look like a tasty morsel. The fighters are always the sweetest.” He turned to the man who overpowered Nico, “You get the first bite, but I will not hesitate to dust you if you take more than your share,” his eyes met Nico’s, “I plan to enjoy this one for a long time.”

A hand wrapped around Nico’s neck. The demigod struggled, dislodging two of his captors and smashing the foot of the creature behind him before he was subdued again. Nico was sorely tempted to summon an army of skeletons, but he figured he better not risk fading from existence. And, you know, there was the whole breathing thing too. He’d really rather be able to breathe.

The grip loosened, and Nico gasped for breath as his head was wrenched toward his shoulder. He could feel his attacker’s breath on his neck, and a disturbing thought occurred to him. Vampire. That “Angel” guy was called “a sorry excuse for a vampire”. Why would they care unless…. They’re vampires. Honest to goodness vampires—not empousai. How’s that possible?

It wasn’t as painful as Nico expected. It was nothing compared to drinking from the fiery waters of the Phlegethon, or even being turned into a corn stalk. The bite was a little warm, and stung. Sure, Nico could feel the blood abandoning him, and the light headedness that always accompanies blood loss, but he was almost disappointed. You know, what with the pop culture buzz around vampires.

He probably would have stood there like an idiot for longer than he would’ve liked to admit, but several things happened at once. There was a large clank from behind him—where he’d heard the people chained in the darkness. A moment later there was a cry of outrage and the sounds of a scuffle off to the side. And then the other side. And behind him. Nico kicked himself. There were people in that darkness behind him—people in chains who needed help, and here he was, playing dinner for some vampire while someone else seemed to be fighting against the horde of blood suckers.

The demigod twisted slightly and prepared to pull away. Before he could, the vampire who had bit him stumbled away with a gurgled cry. Nico turned and caught the scene out of the corner of his eye. The man was writhing in pain, gasping, and clawing at his throat. Nico’s blood was smeared across his face…and the vampire seemed to be smoking. In moments, he was nothing more than a pile of powder.

The son of Hades stood as confused as the rest of the vampires for a few moments, attempting to understand what was happening, before coming back to his senses. The fight around him was still raging, and he could sense the dumbfounded vampires around him weren’t going to remain as such for long. Nico wrenched himself free of the grasp of his two captors, who still held him in a half-hearted hold, and lunged for his sword. He tucked into a roll, coming up smoothly and cutting off the head of the nearest vampire.

That was when all hell broke loose. And Nico knows what he’s talking about when it comes to hell.

#reba's fanfic #story of shadows #tag more later