Bianca and Nico di Angelo were just children swept by the tides of time. They were frozen and put into a casino for decades upon decades until the turn of the millennia. A monster in disguise of a lawyer released them to an unfamiliar world – where the year was 2011, where the world wasn't at war, where everything was either too bright or too loud.

Their mother was dead; they saw her getting struck with lightning in a hotel as a shield made with black energy surrounded them. As for their father, well, he was no longer allowed to see them and they were told that he was dead. That's how the immortals worked; they would leave their mortal partner to take care of their children.

It wasn't fair. None of it was. Demigods learn at a young age that the world is darker than it seems and they never last long to see the faces of their children. They would die tragic deaths while retrieving an object of some sort or to eliminate a monster. Their childhood was spent in either blissful ignorance or in fear of getting mutilated by a hellhound.

The demigods' parents would try so hard to deter their children from the bloody path. They knew it would only end in tragedy. The children never listen, or they're forced to take the road to protect their parents. And sure enough, they return home as a burned shroud. Such is the life of a demigod.

Fate was always cruel with the demigods, making sure that most of them never made it to adulthood and live a fulfilling life beyond the swing of a sword, the shooting of a bow and arrow, and the hardships of battle.

The di Angelo siblings had their memories were gone and they knew nothing of the terrible things that are going to happen to them, or already happened. All that they knew was that their parents were dead and that they attended Westover Hall.

They had nothing but each other, the clothes on their backs, and the fear of someone taking the other away. They knew no one in this strange modern world and kept to themselves, never speaking to anybody, never looking at everybody. They were old timers with naïve minds trapped in young bodies.

Bianca was the older of the two with long black hair as black as a raven's feather. As their mother was dead, she took charge of raising Nico herself making sure that he was well taken care of. She never let him stray far from her sight, much to Nico's annoyance.

It was thundering rain outside of the stone walls of Westover. The rain bore down in sheets on the window and lightning shook the floor and cracked the sky. The wind howled and whistled. It seemed like the sky was at war with itself. Their bedroom was cold and dark. The only source of light was a flickering light bulb on the night stand.

Nico whimpered as thunder echoed the skies. He was cuddled up in the thin blanket that the school provided. His skin was paler than ever and his hands were clutched tightly on the blanket. He always acted like this when a storm was going on

"Bianca," Nico said. He was trembling and his voice was shaky. "When will the storm stop?"

"I don't know. Just go to sleep. It will be all over when you wake up, I'm sure," Bianca replied in a soothing tone. A flash of lightning split the sky followed by an echo of thunder. Nico curled up tighter in his little ball and Bianca jumped at the sound. She was never one for the skies; something about the ever changing nature of it threw her off. She preferred the ground, nice and solid ground.

"Bianca?"

"Yes Nico?"

"Can you sing the song that mama used to sing to me at night? I always fall asleep when she sings it."

The girl was surprised at his request, but complied with it. It's been a long time since she heard their mother sing the lullaby. Everything about the past seemed liked it was a distant dream, one that Bianca could barely remember. She remembered the wooden floors of her house, the canals of Venice, and her mother's musical voice flowing throughout the house.

She took Nico into her arms and gently rocked him back and forth, like a mother with her child. Bianca cleared her throat and sang in a low voice:

Fa la ninna, fa la nanna

Nella braccia della mamma

Fa la ninna bel bambin,

Fa la ninna bambin bel,

Fa la ninnam, fa la nanna

Nella braccia della mamma*

She repeated the lyrics over and over, in the same low and gentle voice. She saw her brother's pale eyelids close over his brown eyes. His breath became more even, more slowly. His muscles relaxed and his face softened into one of peacefulness and tranquility. His frown faded into a tender smile as if he was having a wonderful dream.

And just like that, he was off to sleep.

Bianca laid Nico gently on the bed and pulled the blanket over him. She brushed Nico's hair away and kissed his forehead lightly. "Don't worry about the monsters in the night. I'll protect you until morning light. Sweet dreams little brother; it's your time to rest and to forget about your fears."

The storm kept on thundering on, with no sign of letting up.

*An Italian lullaby, similar to that of "Go to Sleep Little Baby."

This story was inspired by the song "Off to Sleep" by Coeur de Pirate.