On May 17th, 1977 at 5:06 am Nico di Angelo is born. He is bald, with olive skin and blue eyes, like all babies. They will soon turn dark, as dark as death. His mother is Maria di Angelo. His father is Hades, Lord of the Dead.
On September 28th, 1996 at 7:38 pm, Rachel Elizabeth Dare is born. She has a mop of red hair and blue eyes, but there are flecks of green in them that say someday her eyes will be emerald green. Her mother is Karen Dare. Her father is Jonathon Dare.
Someday, they will meet, and it will be the most terrifying journey both of them will ever have. It will be confusing and painful and happy at the same time. Someday, they will fall in love.
Nico is two and his mother is holding him. She kisses his forehead and he catches hold of one of her black locks.
"Momma!"
His older sister, Bianca, comes in. She smiles at Nico and looks at Maria.
"Can I have a cookie?"
Maria nods and places Nico in his crib. He giggles and waves at Bianca.
"Hi, Banca!"
She smiles again and leaves with Maria.
Rachel is almost two, and is crying. She waves her fists, snagging them in her striking red hair. No one comes. She cries harder.
A woman with white-blond hair and violently pink fingernails comes in and glares at her.
"Shush, Rachel. Your father is having a meeting."
Rachel doesn't understand what that means; she just wants to be held. Her mother ignores her, picks up a magazine and leaves the room.
Eventually, Rachel stops crying, staring up at her mobile with wide, green eyes.
Nico and Bianca are playing with cars.
"You say 'vroom, vroom,'" she tells him. Nico nods eagerly. He adores Bianca.
Maria is sitting on the couch with a man who has oily black hair and sallow skin. They are talking in low, agitated voices.
"Let's race," his sister says. He agrees.
Suddenly, there is a huge BOOM.
Nico jumps and looks at Bianca. He is scared, and she will know what to do.
But there is a look of confusion on her face. He frowns. This isn't right.
He looks around for his mother but she isn't there.
All that's left is rubble.