DISCLAIMER: I own nothing except this laptop, a pile of books and my waffle minions.
Title: Green
Rating: K+
Summary: After Percy tells him about Bianca's death, Nico goes to the Junkyard to find his sister.
A/N: I haven't read the books in like a month and I don't exactly remember all the details of TTC or TLF, so if I get something small and minor wrong and you go on a whiny, sissy fit, just...forgive me. Even though it might be probably hard to forgive you after that.

~~~
Green

"So, I take it you don't have anymore money?" The truck driver asked him.
"Sorry," Nico said quietly. He double-checked his pockets to make sure he didn't have a single coin in there. The truck driver was large, burly and had one of those tough-looking mustaches. Nico didn't want to leave a single cent behind, except maybe a golden drachma or two.
"Well, never mind then," The truck driver asked, "Anything I can do to help a hitch hiker all the way from New Jersey to New Mexico. I'm guessing a hundred and ten bucks is probably a fortune for a little youngster like you. And one of these strange little gold coins."
"Right," Nico said. A boy of few words, as the truck driver had called him.
"Now, if you need any transportation again," the truck driver said. He handed Nico a card as they drove off the highway.
"Thanks, uh," Nico looked down at the card, squinting to make out the words, "Phil. You know, if you could drop me off here, that'd be fine." He pointed at a small road.
"Well, if you insist," the truck driver said. "I'll be in Los Angeles if you need me." He handed Nico a few coins. "Just for the telephone call." He pulled to a stop and pointed to a payphone nearby.
Nico gave a half-smile and jumped off the train. Phil gave him a little salute. Nico returned it feebly. The truck drove off. Once Nico was sure it was out of sight, he began to walk.

It was uneventful. The walk to his destination was about thirty minutes long. He didn't see anyone and the only store for about a mile was a little convenience store with a rubber rat on its porch. On the way there, Nico, silently, albeit thoughtfully mused about his journey to New Mexico.
When he had heard the news about his sister from Percy he reacted normally, he screamed, he blamed, he brought up an undead army (well, that part wasn't so normal) and he ran away. Or at least he had stolen some money from the Stoll Brothers (Chiron was right, they were a pretty bad influence on him), then he ran away, taking a train to New Jersey and after that getting picked up by Phil the truck driver. Nico shrugged and slipped the business card into his pocket. He might need it again.
Somehow those thirty minutes and two and a half miles of walking had led him exactly to his destination. Most people would think it was an average junkyard. Nico knew better. This was where his sister was.
Entering in slowly, he remembered Percy's words. Nico, your sister...she's gone. He had said that in such a nonchalant voice, Nico could feel his anger rising even now. Percy didn't care about her at all. They didn't even bother to search for her.
"She's not dead," Nico murmured to himself through gritted teeth, "She's just lost." But even if she was dead how would she have survived the past few days. There was no water, no food, no shelter. It was cold and dark at night.
"She's my sister," Nico said firmly, "She will be alive."
But even then he was questioning himself.

He bent down into the dirt. Still no sign of her. It was already two and a half hours of searching, he had pushed past shelves of Aphrodite's love potions that didn't work, Hephaetus's rejects, Ares's broke weapons. Hermes probably had the most trash, what with all the printouts and updated from his creation, the Internet.
Damn it, where was Bianca? Nico thought. He couldn't even see anything, there was just trinkets and trash. He pushed away the metal and paper.
"Bianca!" He yelled hopelessly. Nico sank down. This would never amount to anything, he would never find his sister. He was alone. He had no family, his father had abandoned him and if he thought that his dad was who he was, certainly didn't seem too enthusiastic on the concept of family, his mother died and his sister, he would never find her.
Nico suddenly saw a familiar flash of green. He grabbed it quickly and pulled on it. It was Bianca's green hat, her favorite one that fit snugly over her head. If her hat was here then...Nico pushed away with all of his might what seemed to be the head of a giant robot and found the body of his sister. She wasn't breathing, her skin was pale white and she couldn't move.
"Bianca!" Nico bounded over to her. He thought he saw a half-smile. "Wake up! Don't die!." Bianca's eyes opened, she looked at him and smiled.
"Nico," she said with a dazed expression, "I'm sorr..." With her last half of a word, Bianca drifted off. Her eyes closed slowly, her mouth followed suit. Her breaths were slow and soft, until finally they stopped.
Nico blinked, how was this possible? She was..dead. Gone. Lost. Forever. He wasn't going to get his sister back.
Nico swore under his breath, he had pledge to himself, from that moment on, he would bring his sister back, he would get revenge on Percy Jackson.
Grabbing her green hat, Nico said a small, soft speech about his sister and left.

"So familiar," the shopkeeper murmured to herself. "Where have I seen him before?" She looked back at the boy at the payphone in her shop. He had olive skin and dark brown -almost black- hair. On top of his hair a green beanie fit warmly. There was something eerily familiar about the way the boy looked. The shopkeeper counted her coins. It's almost as if she had seen an exact clone of him, except the clone was female.
"Well it's none of your business," the shopkeeper mumbled to herself, as the boy gave a her a curt nod and left the store. However her interest was piqued as she saw the boy pat a little rubber mouse on the porch of her store. Sighing the shopkeeper picked up the coins, when she noticed that the boy had dropped one fo his coins on the way out.
"Hey, you forgot this!" She opened the door and yelled. But he was nowhere in sight. The shopkeeper picked up one of the coins and looked at it. It was solid gold, quite heavy and large, int he shape of a perfect circle, like a small golden disc. It definitely wasn't American, on one side was the picture of a Grecian building resting on top of a mountain, on the other side was a headshot of a tall, strong looking man with a dark helmet on his head. Curious, the shopkeeper picked it up and put it in her pocket. It was a nice keepsake. If the boy ever returned, which she doubted, she would give it back to him.

"Thanks Phil," Nico said sitting once again next to the bumbling, heavyset truck driver. "If you could pull up here it would be nice." The truck came to a stop. Nico unlocked his door and climbed onto the pavement. "Sorry I don't have any money."
"It's fine." Phil said warmly, "And Nico, if you ever need a hitch again. You can call me." Nico gave a weak smile and fit Bianca's hat over his head.
Phil stared at him for a moment. Then he turned to look behind Nico. "That's one old recording studio," he noted, "Might need a renovation soon."
"I doubt it," Nico said quietly.
"Nice hat," Phil said and gave Nico the same salute he had done last time. They quickly exchanged goodbyes and Phill drove off.
Nico turned around to look at the old, dilapidated recording studio. The sign above it was torn and old, if you looked closely you could see it said DOA Records. Nico looked around, seeming inconspicuous. "Welcome home," Nico muttered as he walked towards the decaying wooden door. No one noticed as the young boy in the aviator's jacket opened the door to a recording studio that secretly led to the Underworld, or as he quietly, without another word, but a small tug of his green hat, went in.