I paced my room, waiting for a chance to go out with my friends. They were supposed to call me, because we had a band meeting. I groaned, then sat down at the piano to rehearse the songs we were singing.
"I had a moment of silence,
"In which to contemplate my life,
"And now I know that it's worth living,
" 'cause not all of it is full of pain and strife."
Annabeth and Percy walked into my cabin, and joined into the chorus.
"Yes, I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light."
"I saw a light inside my heart,
"I don't know how it came to be.
"but then I saw inside of me,
"And somehow set me free!"
"Yes I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now, I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light. Oh it's full of pure and endless light."
Percy and Annabeth applauded, and I smiled. "Good job Nico," Grover said from the next room. "Bring that to the stage tonight. The Children of Olympus have a concert. Go get ready." He slammed the door.
Two hours later, we were standing on stage, mics turned on, with hundreds of fans gathered below. I leaned over to Percy and whispered in his ear. He smiled and hefted his guitar. The music cued up for our first song, and I took a deep breath.
"I had a moment of silence,
"In which to contemplate my life,
"And now I know that it's worth living,
" 'cause not all of it is full of pain and strife."
"Yes, I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light."
"I saw a light inside my heart,
"I don't know how it came to be.
"but then I saw inside of me,
"And somehow set me free!"
"Yes I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now, I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light. Oh it's full of pure and endless light."
The crowd went wild. "I love you Nico!" someone screamed. I bowed and sat next to my harp. Yes, harp. The next song had a harp piece. I was still singing though, and Grover adjusted the mic.
"In the depths of Hell,
"There is music heard,
"it's a different kind, than you and I know.
"For the music heard,
"Is full of hate and lies.
"it coats, the soft clean earth."
I paused for the music break, then dove back in.
"The depths of Hell,
"Has people, yes.
"But of a different kind.
"They know pain,
"They've caused grief.
"And yet their hearts still sing." The music filtered into nothing. I smiled and bowed. This time, people were screaming about my talents with the harp. I blushed and ducked my head. I hated attention from crazy fans. They wanted autographs and whatnot. One threw her shoe at me and asked me to sign it. I did, and chucked it back in her general direction. Then we asked for encores. They all asked for Pure and Endless Light. I began again, throwing myself into the music.
"I had a moment of silence,
"In which to contemplate my life,
"And now I know that it's worth living,
" 'cause not all of it is full of pain and strife."
"Yes, I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light."
"I saw a light inside my heart,
"I don't know how it came to be.
"but then I saw inside of me,
"And somehow set me free!"
"Yes I saw it through my window. The moon and stars were shining oh so bright. And now, I know life's well worth living. It's full, of pure and endless light. Oh it's full of pure and endless light."
Grover motioned for me to say a few words. I nodded and began.
"So…" I said into the mic. "Thank you all for being here. It was nice to see you all. We hope to have you back. Oh, and there's a CD and poster signing in the lobby. Uh…hope to see you there. LONG LIVE THE CHILDREN OF OLYMPUS!" The crowd freaked out and started cheering like mad. I raced offstage.
"How'd I do?" I asked. Grover slapped me a high five.
"Great kid," he said. "CD signing in the lobby. Go on." I ran down the stairs with my metallic black sharpie and my gold and silver ones. I smiled when I walked calmly into the lobby. The fans screamed wildly. My blush deepened.
"Uh… form a line please," I called. They obliged. I waved the first person forward. "Name?"
"Shelly Kendrick," she breathed. I wrote: For Kelly. Nico di'Angelo. (Nico of the angels) ROCK ON! She smiled and stepped back out of the line. I called the next person up.
After what felt like a million signings, the line disappeared. One solitary person stood in front of me.
"I went to the back," she said. "So that I could have a chance to talk to you! I just love all your songs. Pure and Endless Light was terrific! And Depths of Hell! So creative! WOW! I LOVED IT!" I handed her a signed CD and bolted. She waved and called after me, but I was already gone.