A/N: I had this idea, and I just had to write it. Hope you guys like it!
"What are you doing here?"
Nico jumped off the grave-stone he was sitting on and whirled around. He'd just received the news that Annabeth had died. Nico knew that he should visit Percy, offer him condolences, but he frankly couldn't face his crush right now. He'd probably end up making Percy feel worse.
Standing in front of him was a young girl, around seven years old. She had olive toned skin, long black hair that fanned out behind her, and deep brown eyes. She was wearing a silver t-shirt and a black skirt. Looking at her, Nico felt the strangest feeling of recognition.
"Who are you anyways?" the girl asked, impatient because of his lack of answer.
"Nico di Angelo." Nico said hoarsely. "I... a friend of mine just died. I came here to... you know..." Did he really expect a seven year old to understand about death?
"Oh." the girl said. "I'm sorry. I would tell you my name, but I don't know it. My mother never told me. She just called me 'girl That's my place, you know. I come here when the monsters attack me."
"Monsters? You can... where are your parents?" Nico asked. This girl was probably a demigod, and Nico felt protective of her.
"I never knew my daddy." she said. "My mom's mean, she hurt me." the girl twisted her arm, showing a line of purple bruises. "So I left. I ran away, but the monsters keep attacking me. Mom said that there are no monsters. Am I crazy?"
"No. No, you're not." Nico said softly. "I can see them too. We're special. There are more kids like us. We're called demigods."
"Demigods?" The girl asked, eyes wide. "You mean, like half god?"
"Yes. Your father is a god. That's why you see the monsters. Because you're part god." Nico explained.
"Oh." she said. "Oh." she looked up at Nico with big brown eyes. "You aren't lying to me, are you? You won't hurt me?"
Nico felt a pang of sadness. This girl knew how cruel the world was at the young age of seven. Nico remembered his own childhood, losing his mother, losing Bianca, falling madly, stupidly, crazily in love with Percy Jackson. The pain, the sadness, the anger, the shame. Knowing that he;'d never be accepted. That everyone hated him, and would be disgusted if they knew his secret. Even know, he hadn't told anyone except Jason Grace, and his sister Hazel.
"No." Nico said to the girl, promising himself that he'd protect this girl. "I'll always stay with you. I promise."
And suddenly, he felt unsettled by what he'd just said. I promise. According to Percy, those were exactly the words that Luke Castellan had said to Annabeth, when he'd first found her. The promise to protect her and give her a family. The promise that Luke had broken, causing the Great Prophecy to start.
Would the same thing happen to Nico? Annabeth had died today. Did that symbolize anything? Had he tipped over the scale, become evil at last?
"What are you thinking?" the girl asked. Her brown eyes, so similar to his, just softer, bored into his soul.
Nico would have just said 'Nothing', because that's what you say to kids. But he couldn't, because it wasn't true, and he couldn't lie to this girl. She'd had enough lies.
"The friend of mine who died?" he began hesitantly. The girl nodded to show that she was listening. "Well, her name was Annabeth. She also ran away from home, like you, when she was seven. Another demigod found her, Luke Castellan. He promised her that he would give her a family, but he broke that promise and became evil. That nearly caused the end of the world, and there was a big war. I fought there. Annabeth's... boyfriend, Percy Jackson, told me that Luke said the same thing to Annabeth, as what I just said to you."
"But you're not evil." the girl said. "I can trust you, right?"
Trust him. Yeah right. When Percy had trusted him, he'd led the hero into a trap. Who would trust a creepy, retarded, gay son of Hades?
"No one trusts me." he said. "I've made a lot of mistakes. Everyone I ever loved left me. The one person who I still love deeply will never love me back."
"So?" she asked. "I trust you. You're nice."
She took Nico's cold hand in hers. Her hand was cold too, but when she held his, warmth flowed through Nico. No one could make him feel like this. As though everything was going to be okay.
No one except...
"Bianca." Nico whispered. He recognized the girl, a spirit who'd been reborn. His sister, who'd left without saying goodbye, now come back to him.
"Who's Bianca?" the girl asked.
"You are." he said. "You need a name, right? You're my sister. Bianca di Angelo."
The girl - Bianca - smiled. "Bianca." she said to herself. "I'm Bianca."
"Bianca the Huntress." Nico said. "Bianca the Angel."
Bianca laughed, a sound of pure pleasure, that filled Nico from head to toe with happiness.
"Thank you Nico." she said, flinging her arms around his waist.
"Ti amo, mia sorello." he said softly, kissing her on the top of her head.
"Where do we go?" she asked, letting go of him.
"There's a place called Camp Half-Blood. You'll be safe there."
"Are you staying there?" she asked. "Cause I'm only staying with you."
"I don't always stay there. Like I said, no one trusts me." Nico explained.
"Then I'll come with you." Bianca said adamantly.
"It'll be dangerous. There are lots of monsters."
"Fought them before." she said proudly.
"Okay then. You can come with me."
"Yes!" she cried, clapping her hands.
"Hold on first." Nico said, rummaging in the pockets of his aviator's jacket. He pulled out a parcel, and handed it to the girl.
"Open it."
She carefully unfolded the paper. Inside was a long, celestial bronze hunting knife and a floppy green hat. The knife had neat letters engraved on it.
"Bianca di Angelo." Bianca read out.
"These belonged to my first sister. She was also called Bianca, and I loved her more than anyone. She died when I was ten. Her spirit was reborn as another special girl."
"Me?" Bianca asked.
"Of course." Nico said. "I'm never letting you leave me again, Bianca."
The girl stuck the knife in her belt and pulled the hat over her head. It fitted perfectly, tilted to one side, the way Bianca the first wore it.
"Now come on." Nico said, taking her hand. "We've got monsters to fight."
A/N: So, how was it? Cute? I might post more later.
Please review! Flames, praise, feedback, everything's appreciated.
-Akela
