By Amanda Pizzolatto (alias Aurora Mandeville)

Word Count: 31845

Rating: PG for scary situations

Summary: Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, is used to being alone, until one day a girl with auburn hair waltzes into his life…

August and September flew by rather quickly, and before they knew it, October was upon them. During that time, Nico and Lucy got to know Rudy Steiner, Liesel, and their families rather well, giving as much information as they dared about themselves in return.

Rudy revealed to them that he wanted to be an Olympic athletic and aspired to be like Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics. However, the Nazis had noticed his athleticism and wanted to send him to a special school. Rudy’s parents were afraid he would become a Nazi if he went, or that he would be killed when he resisted their way of thinking. In order to keep Rudy from the Nazis, Mr. Steiner had joined the army.

Rudy’s family was doing fairly well, despite the constant worry over Mr. Steiner’s safety and the often lack of food, something Nico and Lucy would try to help with. Rudy’s older brother Kurt didn’t seem to trust Nico all that much, but every one of Rudy’s four sisters came to trust him. Rudy and Nico connected especially in their resentment of the treatment of Jews, and Rudy found a willing partner to help the Jews wherever possible.

Liesel’s adoptive parents, the Hubermanns, came off an odd match to Nico and Lucy. Mrs. Hubermann was strict, firm, and typically cross. She was also the laundress for the Hermanns, meaning Lucy and Nico saw her on many occasions while they were doing lessons with their tutor. Mr. Hubermann, on the other hand, was kind, played the accordian, and painted for a living. His quietness and fierce moral fire was what caught Nico’s attention, much like it had captured Liesel’s heart, apparently. He was the one who helped kindle Liesel’s love of books. However, the only real place that had many books was the mayor’s house, which had prompted Liesel to start borrowing from them. Mrs. Hermann encouraged her to borrow the books, but both were afraid that if Mr. Hermann found out, he would put an end to it. As it was, Nico and Lucy helped Liesel get a few books from the library, since they had access to it.  

Nico finally gave in and did what River thought he would; he told Lucy about his past so that when it came time to talk of Italy, she wouldn’t be surprised at how much he actually knew about that country during these times. It also gave Nico relief that someone else knew, at least for right now, until the Doctor arrived to take them home.

Still, Nico and Lucy were both worried about the bombing. They didn’t get to ask River for more information, nor had she offered any, so they were completely in the dark. Nico made it a practice to roam Himmelsstrasse (Heaven Street) for an hour every night – except when the air raid sirens had gone off – when he knew Liesel and Rudy would be in the bomb shelter with everyone else. Besides, it was a bomb without warning that concerned him and Lucy, and they were planning to save both families. Lucy had revealed how the Doctor’s Tardis had appeared around her family before the train crash. This allowed them to hope that, if they couldn’t get everyone out, the Doctor would be able to.

Then, one night in early October, Nico had a strange sense of foreboding come over him. Nervously, he woke up Lucy. He wasn’t completely sure, but Death might be prowling this night, and he had a dreadful feeling he knew where it was prowling. The two quickly got dressed and left by the front door, Nico wanting to reserve every bit of strength, just in case. The two kept to the shadows, tiptoeing through the city until they reached Himmelsstrasse, a good thirty minute jog. Nico nearly doubled over when they arrived; he was right.

“N-Nico, what is it? What’s going on?” asked Lucy worriedly as she checked on him.

“I was right, Death is here, now. We’ve got to work quickly. Come on!” He grabbed her hand and shadow-traveled to the forest.

“What? Why are we here?”

“This is probably where the Doctor will show up; it’s the best place, hardly anyone comes out here these days. I need you to keep the families calm when I bring them through, and take care of any injuries . . .” began Nico.

“Nico, if you get this taken care of fast enough, I won’t have to worry about any injuries,” remarked Lucy.

“But, just in case . . .”

Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder, making him pause as she spoke. “Nico, just go; you said that there wasn’t much time, remember? I trust you, you’ll be able to do it, just don’t stop for too long, alright?” He nodded and she gave him a little squeeze. “Be careful.”

Nico shadow-traveled back to Himmelsstrasse, just across the street from the Steiner house. He paused in the middle of the street. A dark figure loomed before him, dressed simply in a suit, a long coat, and a hat, all in black. They looked at each other for only a few seconds, but it felt like a lifetime. Death glanced at the Steiner and the Hubermann houses before turning back to Nico, and nodded, moving to give the demigod a wide berth. But he glanced at Nico one last time and, indicating the rest of the houses, made perfectly clear that the Steiners and the Hubermanns would be the only ones he could spare from the impending doom.

Nico nodded. He understood that he could only save the Steiners and the Hubermanns with the little time he had. Death gave one final nod before walking off down the street, Nico watching him until he turned a corner and was out of his sight.

Nico let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding, and dashed into the Steiner house. “Mrs. Steiner! Rudy! Everybody get up, now!! Get up, get up!!” he shouted as he ran through the house.

“Hey, Nico, what are you doing, you crazy lunatic? And I just went to sleep!” Rudy shouted in response as he and his family groggily tumbled out of bed. “Hey! What are you doing with our things?!”

Nico had begun frantically packing some clothes for the family. “What does it look like to you, maccabeo?”

“Well, why are you doing it?” asked Rudy with a cross of his arms.

“I’m trying to save your lives!”

At that announcement, Rudy fell into a fast-paced, rhythmic pattern alongside him while his mother and sisters got themselves and his brothers changed. His sisters took over, letting Rudy change, while their mother packed some food and mementos. In a matter of minutes, they had a week’s worth of supplies packed in four bags.

Nico grimaced, for he wasn’t sure how he could shadow-travel them and the bags, but then he had an idea. He quickly got them into the two lines, the two younger boys first, then the sisters, each holding onto a bag. Then came Mrs. Steiner and Rudy, holding on tightly to the bags the girls had, with the last two clutched at their sides. Nico took the head of the line, gripping both of the younger boys tightly. He led them to the largest shadow in the house.

“Alright, no matter what happens, don’t let go until we’re in the forest!”

“Shouldn’t we be going through the front door? And what about Liesel and her parents?”

Nico glanced back at Rudy. “I’m coming back for them, don’t worry. Now hang on tight!”

He watched their hands grip tighter before turning and taking them through the shadow. The family stumbled after Nico into the forest, Lucy rushing into the confusion to check on them.

“Is everyone alright?” she asked. “Nico, are you feeling well enough for two more jumps?”

Nico paused, counting the number of people and items that lay on the ground, making sure everyone and everything was accounted for.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes, for now, anyway. I might collapse the instant I get back with the Hubermanns; my adrenaline might be gone by then.”

Lucy nodded. “Alright, be careful.”

“You too, and if the Doctor gets here before I get back, tell him we’ll be in the Hubermann basement,” stated Nico.

“Right.”

“Nico, what did you do?” exclaimed Rudy. “How did you do it?”

Nico and Lucy glanced at him when an ear-shattering boom echoed through the valley. Lucy glanced at Nico, her fearful expression mirroring Nico’s own. He turned and traveled back through the shadow, ending up on the first floor of the Hubermanns’ house.

“Mr. Hubermann! Mrs. Hubermann! Liesel! Wake up, hurry!” he shouted as he bounded up the stairs. He crashed into the first bedroom, where the couple sat up in bed, glancing at him groggily and in surprise.

“What on earth is going on, Nico? Why are you waking us up in the middle of the night?” asked Mrs. Hubermann groggily, and sounded a bit annoyed.

“Bombs! The air raid siren didn’t go off!” shouted Nico. Their eyes grew wide. “Pack what you need; I think they’re going to bomb this street!” He didn’t give them time to ask questions as he dashed to Liesel’s room.

“Liesel, Liesel, wake up!!” He pounced on her bed, but she wasn’t beneath the covers. “The basement,” he whispered, then set about gathering a few of her things and bringing it down to where Mrs. Hubermann was busy packing a couple of bags, Mr. Hubermann bringing her whatever she called out for.

She glanced at him as Nico dumped Liesel’s things into the first bag.

“She must be downstairs, meet us down there!” he called as he rushed down the stairs to the basement. Liesel was right where he thought she would be, sound asleep at her little desk.

“Liesel, Liesel, wake up!” he said, shaking her.

She groaned as her eyelids slowly peeled open. “Nico, what time is it? What’s going on? Is that Mama and Papa upstairs? What are they doing?”

Before Nico could respond, an explosion resounded in the distance, and a pair of feet was heard quickly descending from the second floor.

“Hans, make it quick!” Mrs. Hubermann shouted before making her way down into the basement.

“Nico, was that a bomb?” asked Liesel worriedly. He nodded, Mrs. Hubermann’s feet making their way closer, her husband speeding up to catch up with her. “The Steiners?”

“Already got them out, they’re in the woods with Lucy,” replied Nico.

“Well, we shouldn’t be here any more than them. We’ve had someone check our basement for a bomb shelter, and he said it was no good!” exclaimed Mrs. Hubermann as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Rosa!” Mr. Hubermann said. “This is much safer than being upstairs, and the boy knows we can’t go far. Listen!”

Another explosion thundered, this one closer than the last, and it rocked the house, raining dirt onto their heads.

“Actually,” Nico said, “there is another way; I just need you to do exactly what I say and no questions until we’re in the forest, alright?”

They paused, glancing at each other, Mrs. Hubermann opening her mouth to say something when another explosion knocked everyone off their feet.

“Nico, whatever you’ve got planned, do it . . . !” began Mr. Hubermann.

A bomb exploded just above their heads, the floors and walls crashing in upon each other, bearing down on the four in the basement. Liesel screamed as Nico pulled her head underneath him, protecting her as best he could with his body as the floor splintered around them, debris flying dangerously close to their heads.

“We need to get closer to each other and find a shadow!” shouted Nico.

Liesel merely nodded, and the two began crawling towards where her parents still lay, protecting each other as best they could.

“Mama! Papa!”

The Hubermanns glanced up at their daughter’s voice, but their faces changed from relief to sheer terror.

“Liesel! Nico!” screamed Mrs. Hubermann.

“Look out!!” called out Mr. Hubermann.

The two glanced directly overhead and saw a cabinet tilting precariously over the edge of a hole. Gravity did its work as it tipped over and began to fall. Liesel shrieked as Nico jumped on top of her. Everything seemed to slow down—the cabinet flying downward, Mrs. and Mr. Hubermann screaming, and the house bursting into flames. Nico closed his eyes and did what he could; now all that was left was for the weight of the cabinet to come crashing down on his body.

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