I cared for him
Maybe its because I am just the dark person I am, I have an unique bond with the Lord of the Dead. And perhaps because he only has this one son, I have an even more interesting bond with the Son of the Dark Lord himself- Nico di Angelo.
He isn't like those stupid boys who blush when they see their maybe future wife, or like those love-obsessed Aphrodite girls who giggle at every Romantic Movement you make- a kiss, a hug or a who-cares-what-it-is. He hides his emotions and never shows his feelings. There's nothing in his eyes- no love, no peace, no nothing- but hatred and coldness that chill you to the bone. His intensifying glare he gives you each time you make eye contact, and the cold shoulder he always have present…
I don't know why, but I never found him cold and evil, as I should have, had he been any other idiotic boys. I somehow dug deep into his emotions and found that little care and love he had left. Perhaps the love and care was there for his dear Bianca di Angelo, and no one had the right to bother it.
But today, when I saw him sitting at the edge of the forest, legs close to his chest and his head lowered into his thighs, sobbing his heart out, the barrier that I made to keep me going any close to him, snapped. The light bounced off his dark hair, and his face was ghost-like under the bright moon. I couldn't see his face clearly at first, but as the clouds moved away from the moon, Lady Artemis showed her face, shining the whole clearing brightly. It was only then that I noticed he was watching my every move.
I tensed, and was about to turn away when he called me back. "Yes?" I asked quietly. But he just shrugged, as if he didn't call me in the first place.
"What's wrong?" I asked, "How are you?" As soon as the question escaped my lips, I knew that I had asked a stupid question, but there's no taking it back.
"I'm fine." He said.
"Oh," I let out a dry laugh, "I've heard enough of those. Trust me, whenever someone says that, most of the time, they're lying."
His eyes flared with anger, his glare seemed to burn through my skin. I involuntarily shuddered. It was his turn to laugh humorlessly, "Scared of me? Just because I'm the son of the Dark Lord?"
I detected bitterness under those venom words. I knew he didn't really mean to say it, but he just had to. He did it to cover up his sadness and loneliness. I guess that's another reason I felt close to him. I've gone through the same things as him, so I understood how he felt perfectly- the loneliness and sadness that covered him, engulfing all the happiness he should have felt.
He was never that away from others, but since her death, he changed completely. But I've seen enough deaths to ignore the pain it brings afterwards. And for Gods' sake, he was the son of the Dead, how could he be sad about it? Why couldn't he escape and acknowledge the hurt after her death? Usually, I would have ignored the person, or felt that he was silly and emotionally weird. But I didn't feel like that for him, I just felt pity and sadness along with him. I wanted him to come out of his dark corner in the world- to come out in to the light.
And when he came out with his dad, on the black chariot lead by different Underworld creatures, I felt so proud and happy for him- I couldn't believe he actually convinced the Lord of Dead to come out and fight with Kronos.
In between the battle, as my two comrades, one half-blood and another hunter, fought alongside me, our eyes met, and he gave me a small nod of acknowledgement- acknowledging the times we spent together in silence; the deep bond that we carried between us- hidden and unseen by others; and most of all, acknowledging the fact that we were friends and I cared for him- I cared for him as a big sister- just like Bianca would have…