Nico stewed.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Thalia got to have her sibling back, while he had to pretend that it didn't matter, and that he didn't care that he would never get to see Bianca again.
Why did Bianca have to join the Hunters, go on a quest, die, and leave him alone? Nico found it a lot easier to blame Percy then Bianca herself. Maybe because Percy's still alive, Nico thought sarcastically.
He hung upside down off his bunk, letting all the blood rush to his head.
Of course, Nico didn't really have any time to be wallowing in his own pain in his dark cabin when he was supposed to be helping with the Percy-In-Camp-Jupiter problem from both ends. He didn't want to help though. It was enough to realize that even if he did vanish it wouldn't really matter. Hardly anyone would think it was important, and no one would volunteer to go find him.
He certainly didn't fit in at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth used to make sure everyone didn't completely cold shoulder him, but he had told her that he was fine with being alone and that she should be working on finding Percy. Most of the new campers feared him, and the old ones didn't exactly do much to include Nico in the activities.
And he didn't fit in at Camp Jupiter where everyone was either frightened or grossed out by his powers. It was almost funny to think that he had found it as a place to maybe belong, then found out he was treated no differently.
Teenagers these days, Nico thought and almost laughed aloud. Not that teenagers in the forties would have really been any better.
But if he had lived in the forties, he might have lived and died with Bianca.
This brought him back to his original point about losing his sister, when Thalia got to keep the brother that she had lost.
Nico had avoided Jason since he had come to camp. He didn't want Jason to recognize him, and he really didn't want to hurt him accidentally on purpose.
Anger and jealousy. Nico had been overcome with anger and jealousy only once before and attacked without meaning to. He knew he would be too drained to shadow travel after he attacked, and the last thing he wanted was a confrontation with Jason—or Thalia—about the reasons behind the attack.
The door to his cabin opened soundlessly, and Nico became still as a statue.
"Nico?" Thalia called into the cabin.
What is she doing here at camp? Nico thought desperately, still not moving, she isn't supposed to come for another week!
"Death Breath, Annabeth wants you to go help." Thalia said impatiently, "You're being anti-social."
"I didn't know." Nico said sarcastically, and pulled himself up onto his bed so that he was within the view of the door.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Don't get smart with me mister; I'm still two years older than you."
"And I'm seventy years older than you'll ever be."
"Fair enough," She conceded, "But you still have to go help Annabeth, Piper, Leo, and Jason on the plans."
There was no mistaking the tenderness in her voice as she said her younger brother's name. Nico scowled.
Thalia noticed his scowl. "What's with you DiAngelo?" She finally exploded. "Annabeth says that you've hardly been outside and you've spent most of your time in the Underworld since Percy disappeared. I mean, sure you're anti-social a lot anyway, but you've been purposely avoiding the living since he got taken."
Nico didn't answer, he just scowled more. He hadn't been in the Underworld all that much; he was mostly with Hazel at Camp Jupiter - not that he could tell anyone that without getting killed.
"Come on Nico! Go join your friends!"
What friends? Nico thought dismally. Then he said aloud. "Did you ever consider that I might not want to be among the living? That I fit in better with the dead? I'm a child of Hades. I'm half dead. I don't really belong anywhere."
"You're not half dead! Jason and I aren't half sky!" Thalia protested. Nico didn't know why she cared. "And why do you get grumpy every time I mention Jason?"
"Why don't you ask yourself that?" Nico asked.
"I don't know the answer! That's why I'm asking you!"
Nico used a mocking kindergarten teacher voice. "Okay, Thalia, what did we have in common before Jason came from the Roman camp?"
"I don't know." Thalia was wary. Nico was acting oddly.
He ditched the kindergarten teacher voice. "Oh, I don't know… maybe we were both missing a sibling?" He said icily. "And then guess what…"
"…Jason appears." Thalia nodded. She understood now. "But Bianca…"
"…won't ever be coming back." Nico concluded harshly.
Thalia studied Nico as he turned away from the door and back to the shadows. She could understand how he felt. Or, she was doing the best she could. She understood that Nico was jealous and nothing she would say would make any difference.
Stupid male ego, she thought. But what could she do about that?
"Just go away." Nico finally said after a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence. "I'd rather be alone."
"And if I go, what am I supposed to tell Annabeth? That you're too jealous of my brother and me to go help? Yeah, that'll work well." Thalia asked.
Nico sighed. "Tell her that I wasn't here; I'm about to leave anyway." He had made up his mind a few seconds ago. He really didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with Thalia – or Jason.
"Fine. But Jason's not going anywhere." Thalia said and left Nico alone in his dark cabin.
A/N so I'm not sure about the ending. I wrote until '"won't ever be coming back." Nico concluded harshly' a long time ago and only recently pulled the story out again and tried to finish it. I don't much like the end, but I couldn't think of any other ending. If you have any ideas feel free to mention them in a review or a PM :)
Thanks,
~ 8