Bianca

She had haunted his nightmares every night, every single night since the day he heard she had died. He hated those dreams, but they refused to cease no matter how much he begged and pleaded and wept.

"Please," he would scream, "Please, make it stop!" Every night would be worse than the last. There was nothing he could do to save himself from the everlasting torment of her face, his memories of her.

Seeking to evade these horrendous thoughts of his dead sister, Nico took a walk. He didn't care who would try to stop him from leaving Camp Half Blood. He needed to have a breather.

The streets of New York were filled with tourists and beggars, businessmen and gangsters. It was the hustle and bustle of the city that calmed Nico, even if it caused him to be slow.

He thought about Camp, how he thought he didn't belong. He thought about the Argo II and the horrors he had encountered in both wars he'd participated in. He thought about Percy. He thought about Bianca.

Nico passed by a McDonalds and, feeling a dull groan from his stomach, he entered the oh-so-fine establishment. It was decent and cheap food, and it might calm his nerves.

"Hi," the cashier said, his eyes drooping after taking the graveyard shift. "What can I get you?"

Nico thought for a minute. "A Happy Meal with chicken nuggets and a Transformers toy, please."

He paid for his meal and sat down. He gnawed at his fries and continued to think. His train of thought was only disturbed by a soft pat of his shoulder.

"Wha—" Nico started, turning around quickly. He found the – patter…?- was a girl, about 12 years old or so. She had dark hair, olive coloured skin, and—no, it wasn't hers. It couldn't be.

The girl took her green beanie off and held it in her hands. Her chocolate eyes were just as wise as they had been all those years ago.

"Father told me to come look for you," she said.

"But, why would he tell you that?" Nico asked. Tears were threatening to pour out of his eyes.

Bianca shrugged. "I don't even know who you are. He just told me to find someone who looked really familiar."

It's not her, Nico tried to remind himself. It's her reincarnation. It isn't actually her.

"Look, I don't even know who you are," Nico lied to her, "but I can tell you this. Father won't ever tell you the time of day. He won't show you any love or anything. All you've got is your family, if you have one. Don't get mixed up with Father. His world is dangerous. It's the reason you—"

"I what?" Bianca asked. Was her name even Bianca?
Nico shook his head. "It's the reason… it's the reason you're here."

She shrugged again. "He only told me to look for someone who looked familiar, and you were the only one in this whole city who looked even remotely familiar."

Nico sighed. "Sit down, Bianca," he said tiredly.

"How do you know my name?" Bianca said, sitting down and digging through his box. She found a box of chicken nuggets and started eating them.

"You look like someone I used to know."

"Was she special?"

Nico nodded, a single tear dropping out of his right eye. "Very."

"Oh," Bianca said.

The two finished the Happy Meal, and Nico took her on a walk, just to try to blend in while they talked.

"Why did Father want me to find you…?"

"Nico," Nico said. "My name is Nico, and he wanted you to find me so that I could help you. I was helpless before since I was, like, 10, but now I'm 22. I can do everything I can to protect you so history doesn't repeat itself."

Bianca didn't understand. "Nico, who are you? Why do you have to protect me?"

Nico led her down to the subways and got onto a traincar. It was empty.

"Look," Nico said, looking at her intensely. "12 years ago, I had a sister, also named Bianca. You look exactly like her. She… she died in battle, I guess."

Bianca's hand clamped over her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Nico," she whispered.

Nico sighed. "Me too. Now, I'm going to tell you the most dangerous information you'll never believe, but you have to. It's all real, and it's why my sister isn't with me anymore."

And so he told her. He told her about the demigod world, about everything he'd gone through. About Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter, and about the Heroes of Olympus. About monsters and gods and titans and giants. All things that came out of Greek and Roman myths. Everything he knew she needed to know.

By the end of this, Bianca looked terrified. "So… so that's why Father was never there?"

"He's kind of a deadbeat."

"Literally," Bianca said, prompting the both of them to laugh uncomfortably.

"So, do you understand?" Nico asked. It pained him to put this little girl in more danger than she needed, but she needed to know how to stay alive.

Bianca nodded. "What happened to your sister? I mean, I understand she went to the Elysium, but what about after that?"

Nico swallowed. "She chose to… to be reborn. That was 12 years ago. She likely holds a similar fate, only this time, one without a death that traumatizing me, or whoever else loves her."

Bianca breathed in. "Do you think… that I am Bianca?"
Nico nodded. "You're exactly like her. I'm sorry if this is a huge shock to you, but I'm pretty sure that it's the truth."
"That's probably why Father wanted me to find you. Possibly a link to my past life…?"

"Yeah."

Nico took Bianca back to Camp Half Blood, knowing it was now the only safe place she could ever be. He showed her his cabin and showed her where she could sleep.

For the first time in 12 years, Nico's nightmares were plagued with only monsters and his inner demons.

But not Bianca.