Normal POV

Fifteen year old Nico Di Angelo sat on his bed while talking to fourteen year old Aika (Aoede) Riley in an Iris Message (Which was amazing because there isn't any sunlight in the Underworld).

"You never told me that you had a brother!"

"Well, I had to keep it a secret."

The two laughed at jokes and told each other what happened recently (whether on the quest or at camp), of course Aika; being the difficult one, would often muse about what if she came along with Nico on his quest. And Nico; being the guy, would always change the topic.

"Hey, who's singing in the background?"

Nico would ask. Aika would frown as a response and answer

"Alvin. I think he's practising 'Bad day by Daniel Powter' for a concert or something."

"I see"

In time, Aika learned that Nico wouldn't tell her his reasoning on why she couldn't come with him on the quest and changed the topic to something else.

"Ian's pretty different than your average son of Hades children… And by that I mean you."

She said, causing Nico to laugh

"Yeah well, we all have to be unique in some point."

"And I'm guessing that Ian's different because he knows everyone's secret."

"And you would think that should be an Eros' kid's job."

This time it was Aika's turn to laugh.

"But he gets pretty… weird at times…"

"What, he had another weird laughing fit again?"

"No well, he said something weird about--- what do you mean again?"

Aika answered/asked suddenly curious.

"You know what I mean. So what were you going to say?"

Aika thought about how to answer his question. The right wording, she frowned when she found out that she couldn't rephrase what she wanted to say.

"Nico…"

She started after a minute long silence.

"What is it?"

"Ian said something about…. Ethan being a son of Nemesis. Does that mean Ethan joined Kronos in the war? "

Nico examined Aika's expression thoroughly before answering. She didn't ask with sadness, she asked with curiosity.

"Yeah… Ethan joined Kronos in the war."

He said slowly. Aika nodded and smiled sadly. Not yet shedding a tear. Nico bit his lower lip.

And she'll learn the complete truth, and sleep with great pain.

The oracle's voice echoed in his mind. Nico swallowed, did I make the wrong choice, he thought to himself.

When Aika opened her mouth, Nico jumped at the sudden calmness in her voice, he was expecting her to release a sob.

"I was thinking…"

She started. Nico nodded for her to continue. She looked away and continued

"Is the Phantom Traitor in your prophecy… Ethan?"

This time Aika shed a silent tear, the tear ran down her cheek and off her chin. This time did Nico regret what he just told her. This time did Aika's silent teardrop become small sobs. And this time did Nico not say anything.

"So what Ian said was true…. Ethan is dead…."

She sobbed. Nico's eyes went wide, Ian told her?

Aika wiped her tears numerous times, still not looking at Nico. It went on for about three minutes when Aika finally stopped sobbing but her tears still ran down her cheeks.

She looked at Nico, forcing herself to give him a hopeful, glad, not-sad-that-her-best-friend-died look. Unfortunately, her facial muscles weren't listening to her brain and what Nico say was a girl who was crying her heart out a second ago, smiling through tears, giving him an angry yet glad expression.

The boy swallowed.

And what made this worst?

Nico loved Aika and he just fully realized it. And watching the girl he loved, cry her heart out for another man, felt like a bullet in the heart.

"I don't know who I should trust now… It seems like I'm hanging out with all the wrong people. I don't know anymore…."

She whispered.

"Aoede, I'm really sorry…"

She stayed silent for a moment.

"Do you know what my Japanese name means, Nico?"

She asked with a little bit of poison. Nico bit his lower lip again and shook his head.

"It means 'love song' but sometimes I feel like its better off as a 'sad song'."

She told him.

"The name my birth parents gave me… my Greek name was Aoede. Which meant to sing. So tell me, Nico…. Which do you think is my destiny? Am I to sing a love song for all my life or live a sad song?"

Nico didn't answer and Aika just looked at him with sad eyes. There was a long silence when Nico decided what to do. He lifted his sword towards the connection and whispered

"Goodbye, Aoede…"

Aika's eyes went wide the second he said that and screamed

"Nico! NO! WAIT---!"

But it was already too late, the son of Hades already slashed the connection and the distorted image of a puffy-eyed Aika shimmered into nothing.

"I'm such an idiot…"

He muttered to himself, putting his head in his hands. In a rush of pain, Nico's body became heavier than before as he fell foreword on his bedroom floor. His eyes fluttered as the last things he heard was a women laughing manically and someone opening his bedroom door screaming

"NICO!!"

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Sorry for the short chapter I just need time to think about what's going to happen. Can any of you give me ideas for Nico & Percy's dream battle with Melinoe??