I Know You Too well

Hazel

It was a bright, sunny day on the Argo II. Which was exactly why Hazel hated it. Why should the sun be shining when two of the greatest heroes in all of history were stuck in a place so horrid, there was only one person who had ever come out; and he was a son of Hades - but even he barely survived. That person was Hazel's half-brother, Nico di Angelo.

Clearly, the other four of the Prophecy of Seven didn't think like her. Jason and Piper were trying to make the most of the weather. Frank and Leo were plotting the new course (thanks to some Chinese tourists). Even Coach Hedge, their war-crazed chaperone, had taken the day off and was Iris-messaging his girlfriend Mellie - who, according to Piper, was her dad's personal assistant. Hazel didn't get why he would need an assistant until she found out that Tristan McLean was a famous actor. And Piper's dad.

Although there was a fun atmosphere, there was a darker side to it, as though there was a dark secret they all knew. Which they did. And something horrid had happened. Which it had.

Hazel's stomach seemed to agree with this - literally. While everyone else was on deck, she was stuck in her cabin, moaning and clutching her stomach. The cabin looked exactly like her old home in New Orleans, before she moved to Alaska and died. Don't ask.

At first, she hadn't had the seasickness problem. Having a son of the sea god on board did come in handy.

The boat rocked gently. Hazel groaned and hugged her stomach, leaning against the wall.

There was a knock on her door, and it creaked open. Expecting it to be the coach, Hazel muttered, "Go away." Her stomach lurched again. She put on hand to her mouth.

The person sighed. "Gee, thanks, sis." Hazel turned and blushed slightly.

"Sorry." She patted the end of her bed, inviting Nico to sit down.

Nico walked over and sat down on her bed. "You know, for a girl who spent the last seventy years in the Underworld, anyone would've thought that you'd be outside, enjoying the sun and fresh air."

Hazel looked at her brother sceptically. "For a boy who spent seventy years in the same hotel without aging one day, then spending a week and a half in a bronze jar while being held hostage by giants, 'anyone would have thought that you would be outside, enjoying the sun and fresh air.'" Hazel quoted him, and rolled her eyes. "You know we aren't anyone, even for demigods."

Nico cracked a smile, which, as much as it made Hazel grin, made her hurt inside. The shattered glass in his eyes remained. No matter what they tried, Nico remained broken. But they didn't know how or why, the details of how or why, nor were they eager to find out.

Nico's smile faded as quickly as it had arrived. His dark eyes went into an unseeing state.

No, Hazel thought. Not again.

Hazel shook her brother's shoulders, waved her arms around and other various techniques before snapping her fingers in his face and snapped Nico back to the present.

He blinked a few times uncertainly, before muttering, "Sorry. How long…?"

"Only a few seconds. A minute at the most." Nico nodded and shifted in his seat. An idea sprung to Hazel's mind. "Does that happen to all children of the death god? After a…traumatic experience?"

Nico frowned. "You're saying it's like your blackouts?"

"Yes." Was Hazel's gentle reply.

They let that sink in for a few moments. Hazel gasped. Another idea began to form in her head. "You helped me stop my blackouts, right?" She asked tentatively.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"So I can help you with yours."

"Hazel, I really don't think-"

"That I can help? Me neither. But it's worth a try."

Nico sighed. "Hazel. It won't work. You know that as much as I do." After ten minutes of persuading, he gave in.

"Good."

…

Half an hour later, the siblings were nowhere.

"See?" Nico said, in a slight I-told-you-so voice. "It isn't working. Nothing will. The things that were down there -" Whatever he had been about to say must have been to terrifying.

"Whatever you saw down there, we will fix it," Hazel comforted him, sounding determined.

"How? How do you know that? We barely know each other."

"Because you're my brother. No one - no one - can take that away from us. Whatever did this to you…we will find a way to stop it. If that happens to you in battle…"

Those words sounded eerily similar - if not the same - as Nico's warning to Hazel at Camp Jupiter…just three weeks ago.

Down the hall, Piper's phone started blaring a song. ['Unbreakable' by Fireflight - it fits Piper, but it fits Annabeth better. ]

Despite this, Hazel continued comforting her brother. "Remember who said that before? You. Who got it right? You. If you can do it then so can I."

For the first time since the Senate meeting, Nico looked hopeful, which was probably a bad thing, when not in these circumstances. Even so, he raised an eyebrow. "You really think?"

"No one. Can take that away from us," Hazel repeated. "I know something hurt you inside. I know to well to think otherwise."

Nico scoffed. "Once again, how can you say that? We barely know each other."

"We know each other more than you think," Hazel noted. "You saved me from the Underworld, and I - we - saved you from the Giants."

Nico thought for a moment. "You really mean that? About us knowing each other…"

"Too well? Yes. We're children of the death god. We've both been stuck in our father's own territory. We saved each other from there. We can't know each other better."

I wrote this to show the relationship between Hazel and Nico. I think it's really sweet, but maybe slightly OOC? I'm not sure.

Please review!

Set in 'The House of Hades'. Nico comes to ask Hazel something, but she turns it around and tries to help him for what he saw in Tartarus. To show their relationship!