As Nico lay on the cold hard ground under a tree in some park between rome and greece, his mind drifted thousands of miles away to the Argo II. He wondered what Percy would be doing right now, probably something with annabeth, he thought bitterly. Bile rose up his throat and he felt suddenly the need to throw up. Reyna slept soundly asleep a few feet away, as nico wretched under the starry night. Tears leaked out of the side of his eyes, betraying the shell he had build around him over the years. Wanting to let it all out he sobbed till his eyes cracked. He wondered what life would've been like if Bianca was still alive. Bianca. The thought of her made nico smile though only faintly. She was there for him when hades had abandoned them. Took care of him like a mother. Would he be still playing mythomagic, if she was still here, he wondered. Would things be any different between him and percy? Thousands of questions swirled his mind. He felt so alone, so hopeless. The world of the living he decided was not where he belonged.
Nico laid back down on the ground, suddenly feeling exhausted. The athena parthenos glimmered in the distance, emitting out a shield to keep the monsters at bay. Nico's eyelids dropped and just as he was about to drift into dreamland, the ground shook. His mind reeled into defense burned into ashes, the trees sagged as the face of the earth goddess appeared before him. it was a struggle to look directly at the earth goddess, but the few times nico managed to catch glimpses at the face weren't pleasant at all. Her half open eyelids and lips were so vague it looked like whoever had carved them had simply gotten bored and careless. But despite that, the goddess sent shivers down nico's spine. The ground shook vehemently now as the earth goddess's mouth opened and closed like fish and voice rumbled from inside the earth
'these mortals won't give you anything but grief. stay with them and you'll loose the thing dearest to you. Join my forces and your desires shall be fulfilled and you shall finally belong.'
Two stones appeared infront of nico, sea green in colour, one the size of his fist and the other slightly smaller. The sea green stones reminded him of percy's eyes, how they'd twinkle when he laughed. His melodic laugh. Nico immediately shook his head to rid it from the thoughts. It was about him,not percy!
'pick the larger stone and i shall come for you again' boomed gaia before disappearing into the ground.
The night suddenly seemed darker to nico, the stars that had shone none too brightly a few moments ago dulled. The air around him grew thicker, almost solid. His breathing became ragged. He could feel the monster that hid in the dark creeping towards his. The ghosts of his past closing in on him. He could see bianca laughing, dimples forming on her cheeks. Eyes crinkling. happiness radiating of her. And as nico sat under the tree he considered accepting gaia's offer in hope to find a new tomorrow. With his heart thumping wildly in his chest. His shaky hand ascended forward, hovering over the larger of the two stone before closing it in a fist.. He held the stone closer to his face, it changed colours from sea green to a mud brown. The earth shook . Nico could swear that he heard the earth goddess laughing.
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