Chapter Two

Right in front of me was Nico Di Angelo. My breath caught. He was so cute. I looked around and saw a glade. A small stream ran around it and trees of all sorts sacattered around it. I looked to my right and saw Bianca. She looked at me and smiled with releif. And then, for the first time in my entire... death?, Nico Di Angelo spoke to me.

"Who are you?" he narrowed his eyes. How romantic. I kept my head down.

"N-n-natalie Jones." I stuttered. He turned to Bianca.

"Why is she here?" he asked jerking his head in my direction. Sweet isn't he?

"She... ummm.. wanted to meet you?" Bianca said uncertainly. She is such a terrible liar.

"You are such a terrible liar, Bianca!" Nico said. I was pretty sure I just thought that...

"Am not! It's the truth." Bianca smiled smugly.

"Not all of it!" Nico prompted.

"Okay," I said sternly. "Quit with the brother-sister thing for like, five minutes!" I shouted. Nico looked up at me. I met his eyes for the tiniest moment. I blushed and looked down. He turned away awkwardly.

Bianca coughed and I am so sure it was not real. I glanced at her and stared her down until she spoke. We really should have planned something to say instead of... Bianca spoke

"See, Natalie here watched you like every day you walked into and out of the palace and developed a huge crush on you and loves you and so i told her i set you guys up..." instead of that. I hit Bianca as hard as a ghost can.

"Hey!" Bianca shouted

"What'd you do that for? Now I look like some stalker!" I retorted loudly.

"Wait... what?" Nico said, like he was just getting what we'd said. Cute, but slow... just like every other guy in the last three milenia.

"She loves-" I hit Bianca. "She kinda likes-" I hit her again. "What am I supposed to say?" Bianca shouted. Like I knew.

"Bianca..." Nico looked scared. "Can we... talk?"

"Aren't we already?" she teased.

"Alone." Nico glanced at me.

Great, I finally meet the boy I cried over and he usies that stereotypical phrase and sends me off to the land of the dead?"

"Alright..." Bianca sighed. And just like that I was gone.

How could Bianca do this to me? I trusted her! I loved... no I love him. Even after all those dirty looks. I just couldn't beleive it.

"Well," I muttered to no one. "At least you saw him, talked to him... once." I felt the cold and empty tears run down my cheeks. I squinted and held my breath but they kept falling. Falling, Falling, Falling. Like my hopes, my heart, and my chance.

I wondered if Bianca was getting chewed out for dragging some lovesick dead girl to her brother. I hoped he wasn't to mad, or repulsed. Maybe he just ate something really bad. Or had a headache. Or...

I felt an arm yanking me back to the land of the alive.

"Well, tell her! Sh's probably heart broken!" I heard Bianca's voice.

"I can't! I can't! I can't!" Nico cried.

"Can't, or won't?"

"Bianca, really! Do you know what would happen?" I coughed.

"Oh... hey... Natalie..." Nico said rubbing his neck.

"Tell her or I will." Bianca glowered.

"Oh... okay." Nico said, inhaling through his teeth. "Well... I'll start with the point that I could see you. Everyday you looked my way. Everytime you cried afterwards. I looked back everytime and everytime I felt something inside me leave." Boy, did I know that feeling. "When I started watching my friends grow together, Annabeth and Percy, I realized what it was. Love." My heart stopped. "When you came I tried to pass of that I didn't know you and couldn't even love you, then I tried to make myself dislike you. Nither of those work. You were so sweet, and unselfish, and... beautiful." His shoulders slumped as if he expected that I'd lost any love I'd had for him.

Bianca hit him. "Ehhem! Ah... and... well... see... I... I love..." .Zeus. "I love you, Natalie Marina Jones." I felt a few warm tears slip down my face and over my prodigious smile. I knew he ment it. I wished I could run straight into his arms. But I was tied to the ground. He touched my hand. It went sraight through. I wanted to cry again.

The ground began to rumble. Fire spewed from the ground. I flinched instintivly but it couldn't hurt sheilded his eyes but he looked scared.

"Nico Di Angelo! How dare you disgrace me? You should stay amongst the living and obey my orders!" A voice rumbeled as it's body materialized in front of me. I had never seen him before but he looked like Nico. Hades.

No wonder Nico looked so scared. I was scared. Bianca looked like she was trying to be brave. Figures. I wondered what Nico would do. He glanced my way panicingly. When I saw him my fears melted. I knew I would do anything for him. I knew felt the same. A feeling I'd dreamed of for a long time and it still felt like a misty wish. I also knew it wasn't my fight.

"F-father..." Nico began. He glanced my way agin and I gave a brave nod.

"Father, I can't stay away from her nor can I follow these orders." Nico said, his voice shook but he had confidence I loved.

"And why," Hades boomed. "Is that?"

"Be-because..." Nico shook. He breathed. "Because I love her. I love her!" Nico shouted. I'd never seen him angry before.

"You-you-you love her?" Hades sneered. It was kind of insulting. "You love a dead girl who you met just today? A girl who has been dead for," he paused. "For a few thousand years!" he cried. "What else are you hiding from my son?" Nico looked straight at me. I knew he was in shock but it wasn't like you aged when you were dead.

"Natalie," he spoke softly. "You don't have to tell me anything. I don't care."

"I want to," I whispered. And I did. "I really want to, besides, there is nothing I have to hide. Though some," I glanced at the Lord of the Dead. "Might no aprove of my life." Hmph. See what he'll do now. And then I began my story.

"It was back in the old days. I was born to Calypso and Odysseus. I lived on the island of Ogyia all my life. I had my brothers Nausithous and Nausinous but they were really annoying. I don't remember my death but I rememeber a fire. I don't think that's how I died though. My mother was the daughter of a Titan and she was punnished for that. That's what Bianca called me earlier, daughter of the imprisoned, to get me to chill. My original name was Naiya but I changed it to Natalie about 200 years ago. More modern, but not as greek. Not my name. That's really all except the point that I love you." I confided. I knew that there was nothing wrong with this.

"Naiya, Naiya, Naiya. Like the Sea nymph!" Nico said. I nodded. "I love it! IT seems much more... you. Which would you rather?" Oh man. I knew that my mother would be able to find me by my true name but I also knew that Natalie had no meaning to me. A french name. Pah!

"Naiya-" I said and was cut off instantly.

"Nevermind your name! What am I going to do?" Hades cried.

"What do you mean? Your going to let us be together! This isn't Romeo and Julliet!" Nico cried indignantly.

"She's dead! You can't even hold her hand!" Hades shot back.

"Can you turn her back?" he asked.

"I can't turn her back you'd have to win the favor of every god on Olympus! Do you know how many there are now that Jackson made that rule?"

"So?" Can you give her temperary life? So we can talk to them?" Nico pleaded.

"Why would I?" Hades inquired. "So you can run of with your girlfriend? Your sixteen Nico!" Dang, he was sixteen and I was two thousand sixteen!

"If you help me, I'll owe you a debt..." coaxed Nico. That brightened him up.

"Alright then, you have one month to get her alive permantantly. Otherwise..." Hades cuckled. I didn't like the sound of that.

"Hello, Bianca dear. I miss you terribly. Good luck!" Hades said carelessly.

And all of the sudden I was alive. I could feel the sun on my pale skin. My black hair hung against my neck and I breathed. I breathed sweet clean air. I looked at Nico. His face light up in a bright and childish smile.

"Natalie. Naiya. Η αγάπη μου. Shall we?" he asked holding out his arm.

I laughed and reached out to take it when he caught my wrist. He looked at me and then leaned in slowly. I smelled his sweet breath, like a cool summer breeze and shady trees and mystery. I knew he was giving me time to pull away but I silently wished he would just hurry up. He leaned in, pulld my long, thin fingers into his, and toughed his lips to mine.

It wasn't a serious kiss, or a tap on the lips. It didn't involve anything awkward like tounge but our lips hooked, just a little. It last only a sweet second when we let go. Almost. He held me to him for a few more moments and I knew more than I ever had that I loved him, him only, and would never love anyone else.

"We need to go," Nico sighed. He pulle away but I held tight to his firm hand. I knew he was right. I knew this wouldn't last forever. We had to go to Olympus. The only problem was I had no clue were it was now. It never came up with Bianca and I. It didn't matter though.

We began walking and though I had no idea where I was or where I was going, I was happy. I was alive, for now. I had Nico, for now. I loved Nico, forever.