Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and The Olympians.
Your name is Nico di Angelo and you've been doomed from the start.
It begins with "the talk" and no, you don't mean that talk. You're 6 when your parents sit you down on the couch and smile at you like they're about to bestow the world's greatest secret upon your small 6 year old shoulders. They only kind of do because yeah, what they tell you is great, but it's in no way a secret. You've heard about soulmates before, you just don't get why it's so important. Until now, of course.
Your parents make it sound kind of magical and you suppose it is kind of magical. They tell you your soulmate is your someone special, your best friend, and your perfect match all at once, wow! You're sitting precariously close to the end of the couch and nearly bouncing by the time they're finished. Questions avalanche out of your mouth as soon as they're done, "Who is it, When do I meet them? How do I know?"
Then they explain the colors and how they sear in your mind and across your eyes when you meet your soulmate. You don't really understand what they mean, what are colors? But they say you'll know when the time comes, they say it will make your world bright.
You're 6 years old and you've just fallen in love with the idea of a person and the thought of a world you can't imagine.
You're 11 when your teacher has the other talk, and no you still don't mean that talk.
This talk is about people who don't get to meet their soulmates. Your teacher stands calmly in front of the class and recites the statistics like, "Over 1000 people a year in this area alone die before they've met they're soulmate." You're not really paying attention and you don't think anyone else is either. It seems like such a faraway concept and it's not one you can wrap your mind around so you just zone out.
Afterwards the teacher puts on a documentary about people who've lost their soulmate and how they dealt with the pain of losing their other half. You spend the duration of the film only half listening as you doodle across your notes.
You're 13 when you see color for the first and last time.
It's 2 in the morning and way past your bedtime on a Thursday night. You're in the middle of reading the newest Mythomagic book when your head explodes, or at least, that's what it feels like. The intensity of a burst of something cracking like a whip across your vision has you grabbing your head and screaming.
Your parents find you curled up on your bed, head still in your hands. They ask you "what's wrong? What happened? What hurts?" And it's then that you realize it doesn't hurt and slowly you raise your head up to look at them. The something is still there, but it's not as bright and you can see that it's quickly fading out of sight. You try to explain it to your parents but you just can't describe it. It just was and then it wasn't. You tell them this.
By the time they clue in it's completely gone and everything looks normal so you think, because now your dad is giving you this solemn look and your mom is crying silently and reaching to pull you into her arms. There's a brief and horrifying moment when air isn't reaching your lungs because your parents know something you don't know and it's something bad.
You think you're dying.
Then your dad tells your mom to go and wake your sister, Bianca. "We all need to have a talk," he says.
Your mom and your sister are there within moments. Bianca doesn't say anything, just rests her hand on your shoulder as your mom sits next to you on your bed. There's a silence for a moment and you're the one who breaks it, "What is it? What's wrong with me?"
Bianca sits down, pulls your hand into hers and squeezes, "Nothing is wrong with you, Nico." Your relief is brief because yeah, there's nothing wrong with you, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything wrong at all.
You're right, of course you are.
Your dad looks at you, long and steady, as you have the longest talk of your life.
Your name is Nico di Angelo and your soulmate has just died.
Note:
I'm really nervous about posting this but I wanted a soulmate fic where the main pairing aren't each other's soulmates. I'm sorry if it's weird or bad. Please point out mistakes if you see anything and feel free to tell me what you thought. Thank you for reading, have a nice day.