Prologue

It was a crazy idea, but it was an idea...so she went with it.

She was right by the giant's foot, having a hard time keeping herself on her own two feet, balancing on the metal debris dangling and swaying with her added weight. She vaguely heard the concerned voice call out to her and gave a distracted reply. Her heart was hammering in her chest, her breathing hitched, tears threatening to gather and obscure her vision. But it was her fault, so she had to right it. Get the others out of the damned junkyard. She would right it. Another, more snarky voice quipped from behind her, but she paid it no mind. Just one opening was all she needed. The giant foot loomed over her, coming down while panicked, shrill music floated in the air. She was surrounded by darkness. Then sparks. Loose wires and metal panels. She climbed through the maintenance trap, through the heat, as far up as she could. Hot oil and confusing circuitry. Thalos' head was a huge control room. Her heart plummeted. What could she do to stop it?

But then again, she had spent decades playing in an arcade, how hard could smash-the-keyboard be?

It worked; and Bianca gave a scream of joy, committing certain commands to memory and making the giant hit itself in its face, realizing too late that that very fist would be colliding with her. She lost her balance in the impact but quickly recovered; making Thalos hit itself again, in a less sensitive area for her at least. What she didn't see were the wires the giant tangled itself in. Lightning dangerously made its way up the metal automaton. The room was getting hotter, the controls unresponsive. A small jolt went through her. She looked through Thalos' eyes at her fellow questers and prayed for their safety. She lost her footing when the giant started dismembering, the heat ever-growing, electricity travelling through the air, singeing her hair, her eyes, prickling her skin. Alarm bells rang. Out of her control, the giant surged forward. Mio caro, I'm sorry… And Bianca knew no more.

She found herself in front of the Dead or Alive Studios with no memory of how she got there (save for a furtive smile, a pair of winged sneakers and the faint hiss of two serpentine voices). Taking a deep, unneeded breath, Bianca stepped into the waiting room, looking pitifully at the crammed chattering spirits-all awaiting their descent into the afterlife. She walked to the front desk, waiting for the fancy-dressed person to address her.

"What do ya want ki-" he stopped as his eyes landed on her small frame. Charon leaned forward to study her, his magazine long forgotten, his expression softened.

"Oh, you poor thing." He couldn't help but watch the confused newly-dead with pity. After all the effort his lord Hades had put into their safety, his eldest would meet him much too early. Even though Charon complained all the time-and rightfully so, after thousands of years of service, he did deserve a pay rise- he was unwaveringly loyal to the master of the dead; he had stood by his side longer than most everyone and it pained him to see such potential wasted on the cruelty of the demigod world. He swiftly rose and headed toward the elevator, gently steering Bianca along.

"I'll grant you a quick passing, free of charge." He smiled slightly down at her, but she didn't seem to notice, lost in her examination of the dull shades lounging in the studio. He studied their impassive faces and heaved a sigh. So many souls reaped from their bodies and only one to do the job of bringing them to their trial. A young boy's spirit darted between him and Bianca, laughing silently, chasing his seemingly twin sister. And to think so many of them would never find their eternal peace. He shook his head sadly as they reached the elevator doors just as they dinged open, eager dead piling in the metal box.

"Oh no, no, no…" he ushered them back outside. Some of them waved their coins in his face, frantic and indignant, chattering in their unusual form of speech, startling Bianca. "This time I'm ferrying a special soul." He spared another glance at the outraged souls before the doors closed, leaving the DOA studios just out of reach.

Bianca was overwhelmed with confusion and curiosity. She stared disbelievingly as the elevator's edges started blurring and morphing until they became a rowboat floating down the murky black waters of a river. She looked at Charon in surprise only to do a double-take. His expensive suit was gone, replaced by a billowing cloak of shadows, the rim of which swished and overlapped with his movement. She focused her attention on the area of the river illuminated by the bow's lantern. The black water winded hypnotically around the boat, swirling and sloshing in an entrancing dance. It was magnificent.

Or it would have been, had its luscious black waters not been as polluted as they were. She could spot a pair of unworn baby shoes, a university diploma crumbling away and even a promise ring; all of the dreams the dead could no longer fulfil, all of the goals they would never achieve. And Bianca turned away, knowing hers would soon be polluting the waters of the very river she was eerily floating on. She couldn't help the lone tear trailing down her face. 'Oh Nico, how could I have failed you this way?' She'd made a promise to him, to herself; that they'd always be together. And now she'd broken it; she'd left him alone…for good.

A cool breeze washed over the boat and all motion ceased. Surprised, she looked up to find an unfamiliar presence sitting opposite to her, staring intently into her watery brown eyes.

"All you ever did was for him." He gently reminded her. "There's no point in blaming yourself for something you couldn't control."

She ignored the fact that a stranger had somehow known just what she was thinking -and also magically appeared and stopped time, but you know, priorities- too caught up in her desperation.

"No!" she raised his voice. "I was foolish, I was ignorant, I was selfish!" she berated herself. "I thought Nico was a burden for me, I wanted to live my own life, think for myself and be free" she scoffed "not having to worry for him or put him before my own needs." She continued in a mocking tone then deflated. "How could I have been so stupid!" she rambled, shouting, bringing her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth as she shook with sobs. "I only thought of myself, and that's got me...it's got me killed. I should have never left you by yourself, Nico. I was stupid. So, so stupid… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she was shaking and the other teenager tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She flinched away.

"I had a choice…I had a choice…I HAD A CHOICE! And I left him for a bunch of barbaric girls; I left the only person who's ever cared for me to his own devices for a promise of an adventurous life. So I could have controlled it." She looked up sharply into the obsidian eyes of the stranger. "But I didn't."

Chaos saw that as the perfect moment to intervene.

"Well, I can change that." She stared at him, unimpressed, and replied in a flat voice.

"You do realize that I'm dead, don't you? There isn't much you can change." He stared fixedly at her.

"Isn't there?" She looked the teen up and down and stared right back at him. "It wouldn't be the first time I smuggled the dead out of the Underworld." He smirked and Bianca sighed, defeated, a flicker of hope blooming in her chest.

Hello everyone, I finally gathered the courage to try and write something after years of attentive reading XD. Be aware though that I'm barely just starting out and I'm still figuring how I want my characters to sound like, why and toward what I'm pushing them. A lot of figuring out going on. I hope you like it :) (though you won't be seeing much of Bianca for quite some time)

Any input is greatly appreciated (first story, I want to learn, so don't be afraid to speak up)

Goodbye everyone, type you later! :)