A/n: Hey there! Selene here with any other of my famous short stories (Well if you read Reading the Son of Neptune, you will know I'm famous with the short stories). Anyway this story was adopted from chapter 29 at Reading the Son of Neptune. I changed and edited it. Okay I added a lot of changes to it. I might add a few more chapters about Nico's adventure with Hazel, Nico learning about Camp Jupiter, et cetera. These will be adopted from chapter 41 to 44. I will update once a few days depending how free I am and how lucky you are. Enough of me talking nonstop.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Rick Riordan. He who left us hangs at the end of The Mark of Athena with Annabeth and Percy falling from a cliffhanger. Get it? No? Whatever….
This story is dedicated to my sister Andro. Without her, I really am a loner.
She wasn't there.
Not at all.
Why couldn't he feel her presence?
She was nowhere in the Underworld.
Where is Bianca?
All those thoughts ran through Nico's head like lightning. Where could she be? He tried summoning her with Mc. Donald's Happy Meal with her favorite burger and coke. Still she didn't show up like she wasn't in the Underworld anymore. Maybe she's in the world of the living? Impossible. Nico can still sense her ghost there. Could Bianca have really—?
He wandered around Elysium. Nico looked like he didn't sleep for days. His hair was messy and parts of his black overcoat were covered with mud. He had bags in his eyes. Some of the ghouls even commented him looked like a panda bear. Nico had been trying to find his sister in this cheerful realm for about a week. A week since Gaea opened the doors of Deaths. A week since Thanatos went missing.
This was the only golden opportunity to retrieve Bianca from the underworld. Nico could already imagine the life with his sister again. They will be together again, munching down fries at Mc Donald's. Nico will talk about his favourite card games, Mythomagic (Gods he hadn't played that game for years) and Bianca will complain about his stupid card game. He will never be alone anymore.
But what if people start questioning? Why someone supposes to be death is at the world of the living. Will Nico's father approve? What will others think about him disobey the rules of the death especially he's father was the Lord of the Underworld? What will Percy think about him? What will Annabeth will feel about Nico?
Not that Nico had a crush on Annabeth! No way! She's Percy's girlfriend. They were probably having great fun together right now. Nico admit he felt a little disappointed when he found out they are dating. He felt happy for them. Really! Plus only Percy was able to handle Annabeth during her mood swings.
Back to finding Bianca!
The Elysium is a place for the heroes. They had done well in their life and die as a hero. Not much ghosts live here which was a little sad. The place looked a tropical island— artificial sunshine 24 hours and barbeque every day. The ghosts here live in happiness. No more sadness. No more worries. Nico don't want to end up in the Fields of Punishments or Field of Asphodel when he dies. He didn't want to stay in Elysium either. He wanted to reborn and experience life the fullest. No way he will stay in Elysium and be happy forever not ever realising the danger in the world of the living. He didn't want to experience Lotus Casino again.
Opposite Nico, the souls of Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard were enjoying themselves under a shady tree. Nico walked up to them and both of them went quite.
"Hey guys, sorry for interrupting. But have you seen Bianca?" Nico asked.
The couple looked at each other. Their eyes were twitching like they are making a mental conversation. And strangely, Nico could understand them.
It had gone something like this:
Beckendorf: Uh-oh. It's time.
Silena: We have to tell him. You go talk to him.
Beckendorf: No. I'm not good with living things. You tell him.
Silena: He will never accept the truth. You tell him.
Beckendorf: No way. You tell him.
Silena: You— you— Fine!
Beckendorf: You're wonderful.
Silena: Thanks. I know.
Nico felt awkward that he understand their mental conversation. He didn't like intruding others privacy. Whatever they wanted to tell him, Nico knew he had to accept the truth. Nico sat down and crossed his legs, "Tell me,"
Silena turned to face Nico. Her face was grim. "Your sister, Bianca," Silena said slowly, "She had reborn into a new life,"
Nico didn't believe what Silena had said. Bianca had been reborn into a new life. How could that be? Why did she do that? Did she know that Nico will never see her again?
"When did that happen?" Nico asked.
"Just a ten minutes ago,"
Nico still had hope! Nico knew the Underworld like the back of his mind. A walk from here to the River Lethe is about fifteen minutes walk. If he could shadow travel there and stop her from drinking the water…
Nico's legs began to bolt to the direction to the river but Beckendorf tackled Nico to the ground.
"Let me go!" Nico yelled and fight back. He tried to reach his sword but Beckendorf's strong arm push him to the ground hard. Nico cursed Beckendorf for working at the forge and the excellent training at camp.
"Nico," Silena said softly and kneeled down next to him, "You have to listen. Bianca knew you will find her when the doors of Death had force open. What you are doing is wrong. If she followed you, knowing she had broken the most scared rules in the Underworld. She will never forgive herself,"
"But—" Nico wanted to protest.
"You of all others, you shouldn't break that rule. Bianca said she doesn't deserve that chance. She thinks she will do no good to the world if she goes to the world of the living like that. Bianca had said, 'You should give the chance to someone who deserve it,'"
Beckendorf soften his grip on Nico and got up. Silena helped Nico to get up. He wanted to let go of Bianca but Nico was too stubborn.
"I'm sorry," Nico said. He unsheathed his Stygian iron sword. Before they could react, he slashed his sword at the spirits of Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard. Their essences were absorbed into the sword. He stared at the spirits within his blade. The couple had sorry and sympathise in their eyes. Without a moment to lose, Nico made a bolt to River Lethe.
"Bianca!" he cried once he reached at the banks of the river. Nico carefully avoid from touching the water while he shouted his sister's name.
She wasn't there. Nico could not feel her presence. He crumpled to the ground crying like a little kid. He's too late. He will never see her again.
Nico released the spirits from his sword. They didn't seem mad at him. Instead they knelt down and comforted him.
"I know what it feel like when you lose someone you love," Silena said while holding Beckendorf's hand. "But Bianca need to moved on. So do you,"
Nico thought about that for a second. Maybe they were right. What kind of person was Nico, seeking comfort from ghosts. But he didn't complain. He had accept his nature as the son of Hades for years.
"Be brave," was Beckendorf's last word before Nico sent them back to Elysium.
Nico felt like his spirits absorbed by his own sword. It was like Bianca joining the Hunter of Artemis again. It was like finding out Bianca was dead all over again. At least during those times, Nico might have the chance to visit his sister. This time it was a thousand times worse. Once rebirth, a spirits will forget about his/her past. Nico will never see his sister again.
Nico walked cross the Fields of Asphodel. He wanted to take the longest route to his room in Hades' place. He didn't want to face his father. Not like this.
The Fields of Asphodel looked like a fields full of yellow grasses going miles and miles. You will never find your way out unless you're a child of Hades that knows your direction. Ghosts and spirits who haven't done much good and evil in its life will end up here. The Fields are always packed with spirits obviously. Since about more than billons of people had died since dawn of human civilizations. They couldn't do anything but wander around for eternity. To the souls, it's like an eternal dream for them, an endless trance. Nico could tell they were trying hard to remember their past. Nico felt pity for them—had to stay that way for all eternity.
The ghosts ignored him of course if they didn't want to get in trouble. They bowed respectfully when Nico passed by. Some of them avoided him. But Nico didn't felt like enjoying the Prince of the Underworld treatment right now. All he wanted was to have his sister back, at least a family member he can talk to. No way is Nico going to find Hades and Persephone for some quality family time. The last time they did that, Nico had turned into a flower (again).
Strangely, Nico's wishes suddenly came true. Sitting under a polar tree was a spirit of a girl. She died young as far as Nico could tell. She had the almost the same aura as a child of Hades. Nico had met a few of death children of Hades here. For example, Adolf Hitler who was now suffering punishment of steeping on landmines in every ten steps for causing World War Two. But that girl's aura seems a little golden and purple. Could she be a child of Pluto?
Nico had learnt about the Romans from his father. Maybe, this was the reason Hades showed him Camp Jupiter. Silena told Nico that Bianca had said, "You should give the chance to someone who deserves it." Maybe that girl is that someone.
Nico decided to play this wild card and walked up to that girl.
"You're different," he said. "A child of Pluto. You remember your past."
"Yes," the girl said. "And you're alive."
"I'm Nico Di Angelo," he said. "I came looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought…I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice."
"Back to life?" she asked. "Is that possible?"
"It should have been." Nico sighed. "But she's gone. She chose to be reborn into a new life. I'm too late."
"I'm sorry."
He held out his hand. "You're my sister too. You deserve another chance. Come with me."
Bianca had seen the whole thing. She used a handy trick to hide herself so that Nico won't sense her presence. She had followed Nico's progress and now he finally met Hazel. She felt terrible leaving her brother like that. Somehow, Bianca knew Hazel will take good care of Nico. Nico won't be a lone child anyone. They had each other to hold on to. Bianca can finally go in peace.
She walked towards the River Lethe. She knelt at the bank and studied the black water.
"Take care, Nico," was Bianca's final thought "Maybe we will meet again,"
With that, she drank the water from the River of Forgetfulness and rebirth into a new life.
A/N: Done! I actually got little misty eyes when writing this. I hope you guys like it and reviews. I really like to know how's my writing had been. I like to thank my sister, Andro for checking my mistakes.