AN: Completely off topic, but if you've been avoiding seeing the Divergent movie for whatever reason you seriously need to go watch it. As adaptations go, it was spectacular. And no, it is not a Hunger Games rip off. If anyone actually bothers to read this, who's looking forward to The Maze Runner? Anyway, really long one for whatever reason. In fact, the longest yet. I got a bit carried away, if you can't tell.
She jumped over the sizable rock, concentrating mostly on not stumbling. It wasn't even a challenge. She didn't even turn before throwing her weapon behind her horizontally. By the silence that followed the clatter of her sword on the forest ground, she could tell she'd hit across the skeleton's neck. Silently, she told it not reform. She wished there were better opponents she could summon.
Her stance became more alert when she heard very human footsteps. Quickly, she drew her knife and threw it. "What are you doing here, Percy?"
"Trying not to get killed?" Her throw had hit the tree, less than an inch away from his face.
"Don't sneak up on me, then," she walked toward him, but only to collect her blades. He flinched as she yanked the bone from the bark.
"Why are you training in the forest, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I'd be in the Underworld," she said, "if it was winter still."
"Right, Persephone..."
"My question still stands. You should be in school."
"Come on, we both know there are more important things to worry about."
"Percy Jackson has his priorities straight for once," her look was almost a glare, "pinch me."
"I wish you'd tell me what I did," he was quieter.
"You didn't do anything. But I don't think you'd believe the whole 'it's not you it's me' crap."
She froze when he grabbed her wrist to stop her leaving. "You can't expect me to be okay that you left for two months, came back for a day and then went away again."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't looking for your approval."
He shook his head. "You never tell me anything. Why won't you just talk to me?"
"You wouldn't get it, Percy."
He looked exhausted, almost, but then a little pissed. "I went to Tartarus too, Nicole. Stop pretending that I don't know what pain feels like!"
"You had Annabeth!" She raised her voice. "I was alone!"
"Oh boo-hoo, you were there for two days!"
"In which time I nearly killed myself!" Their argument was at a stalemate, almost.
"Why did you go, Nicole?"
"Did you see me interrogating you when Hera swapped you and Jason? Nobody knew where you were, either, but I wasn't mad at you. No, for some reason I was glad to see you were alive. Maybe I should go back and punch myself." She tugged her wrist free and walked away. She needed distracting. The longer she thought about Percy, the more complicated everything seemed.
She wasn't really bothered about where she was going, but in some twist of fate (being kind to her for once, huh) she bumped into said distraction. "Hey, Jason, let's do some training."
He looked at her like she was an alien life form. "Now?"
"Yeah," she shrugged, "why the hell not?"
"That was my question, actually."
She rolled her eyes. "Would you believe that I'm bored? C'mon, it'll be fun."
"So we spar, then," he asked when they got into the training ring.
"Okay," she smiled. Finally, something else to focus on.
"Are you sure about this?"
"Are you sure about this, Gracie?"
"I win, you stop calling me that, right?"
"Fine," she smirked. "Do your absolute worst."
"Powers?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want to die?"
She threw her sword in the air casually, catching it by its hilt. She wasn't too worried, though there was the fact that she hadn't fought with a sword properly for a while. Her main concern was that she might accidently try to use it like a knife.
They circled each other in the training arena. They both knew, whoever stuck first would be at a disadvantage. Eventually he lunged, but she quickly sidestepped. She decided her tactic would be to tire him out. Or, maybe, to be as unorthodox as possible. She couldn't do the avoiding thing forever, though, and eventually they hit swords. She would be the most annoying defence ever, she decided. She wasn't entirely successful. His technique could use a bit of work, especially his patience, but his blows were powerful. Screw fun, she would have to catch him off guard.
Instead of blocking, Nicole quickly moved backwards to the edge of the circle. The only way this would work was if she kept moving. She began to feel the shadows around her, the ground. If she managed to concentrate hard enough, she'd feel his feet move. She paid close attention to his eyes, watching whereabouts he was going to strike her. His shoulders helped her as well. She could tell when he was about to move by the way they twitched.
She came quickly toward him, slashing in whichever direction she could think of. It didn't throw him, though. It came to the point where their swords were engaged. They met eyes for a moment. Whoever let go first was vulnerable. Jason didn't want to lose. He was putting his entire weight into it, and Nicole could barely hold it. So she grinned almost sinisterly, before letting go of her sword and practically jumping out of the way.
The move meant that he completely lost his balance, and he was mildly surprised. Romans, all about order. She leant down, almost as if she was going to to a cartwheel, but the time it took to pick it up again meant he had regained his stance. He raised an eyebrow when he saw she was holding it in her left hand rather than her right, but kept his cool. She could have sworn he shook his head in bewilderment as she went on the offensive. When he had a chance he was powerful, yes, but she was too fast for him. Besides, although it had left him space to attack easily she could exploit the change.
He tried a disarming manoeuvre suddenly. The movement caught her off gaurd, but she took the initiative to turn before his strength overwhelmed her. The move threw him backwards slightly. Although she'd learnt to fight with both hands, she was stronger in her right. He would probably be expecting her to attack from the other side, anyway, so she switched. Three... two... one. Her quickest move yet, she pulled the sword over her head and shoulder. She begged him not to move forwards; otherwise her estimation would be too accurate. She turned, not moving her sword. Its tip was pressed against his throat. If she'd waited a fraction of a second more, he'd be dead.
He blinked a few times before raising his arms. Surrender. Then, surprisingly, he began to laugh. Somehow, she copied the emotion. She'd forgotten how fun swordplay could be, when you weren't in a life or death situation, trying to find the quickest way out. Their mutual emotion was drowned out by cheering. She'd been so into the fight that she didn't notice more than half of camp turn up to watch them. She brushed the hair from her forehead. Both of them were sweating like mad.
"Good fight, Gracie." She extended her hand.
He shook his head, but accepted her gesture. "Where were those moves in Epirus? Or anywhere. Seriously, did you teach yourself that?"
She shrugged. "Don't expect to see it often. Remember, the gladiators did it primarily for the entertainment, not just the kill. That was a bonus." Saying this, she did enjoy the sheer beauty of fighting, when done properly. It was like a dance, really. A very improvised one. She remembered with an odd smile who taught her that.
The ghostly figure looked her up and down critically, before walking a few circles. "I don't know why my dad wanted-"
He hushed her, before his form turned solid. "I only train the best of the best, understand? You'll learn some respect."
Were ghosts not supposed to tremble at her feet? She sighed, though, and lowered her head. "Yes... sir."
He narrowed his eyes. "How old did you say you were, again?"
She shuffled slightly. "I didn't, but thirteen."
He raised an eyebrow. "Thirteen what?"
"Sir," she added quickly.
"Good. Young and inexperienced... Well, there's no chance you can go for the tough warrior angle."
"Excuse me?"
"Look at you! A girl, barely a teenager, no muscle! I don't care what mystical powers you may have, di Angelo, in a real battle you cannot rely on them. Say you move the ground, what's to stop you from hitting your own soldiers? It's purely destructive."
"And sword fighting isn't?" She dared question.
"How about you don't interrupt me when I'm speaking?" She nodded. "I'd say your best chance, one to one, is to make every mistake you can. Be as cocky and arrogant as possible, it shouldn't be hard. I believe you call it 'swagger' nowadays? They'll think you're so ridiculous they'll laugh and barely try. Then you strike. You fast, di Angelo?"
"I guess you could say that... sir."
"And stamina?"
"Impeccable," she said, loosening any obvious tension and smirking.
He almost smiled. "You're getting it, at least. Rule number one, never let anyone you consider an enemy seriously consider you a threat. Rule number two, your feet are almost as important as any weapon you may have. The best fight you'll ever have will be like a dance, I promise you. Every step is thought out, placed down in such a purely beautiful way. One slip and you're gone. Are you ready?" A sword appeared in his hand.
"For what?" He'd already charged, and she barely had enough time to even move her sword. Seconds later she was off her feet, her sword in his hand.
His voice was loud. "Really? This is what you give me? I am the great Achilles!" He sighed, before offering her a hand. "You can barely hold that thing. This is your sword arm, am I correct?" He pointed at her right hand.
Most would turn away, or at the least be upset with his comment. If anything, it made her more determined. "Yes, sir." The words were barely out of her mouth before the strong sound of a snap filled her ears. She cried out in pain, loosing her balance once again. But, for some crazy reason, she managed to not let the tears of agony escape.
If he was impressed, he didn't show it. "You'll learn to fight, properly, with your left. So what you're going to do is go to some mortal infirmary, get that fixed up, and if you're brave enough you can return. When you master that hand, I'll teach you the other. And I swear, di Angelo, it will be one of the easiest things you've ever done."
She was crazy for smiling at the memory. Breaking her arm, and gods did he ever mess it up, was only the start of the misery he would put her through. But there was truth in what he'd said. After spending hours on end trying to relearn simple activities in her spare time like drawing anything had looked easy. By the time he finally allowed to use and actual weapon, she only needed one time to get the motions right on her previously dominant hand. In a way, it was worth every torturous second. Though she had to lie to Percy and say she fell out of a tree... maybe she was slightly concerned he actually believed that.
"Yeah, well, they don't give you enough credit."
"Abyssinia, Jason." Her own eyes widened at her use of '30s slang. When she and Bianca had first come out of the Lotus Hotel, she'd quickly learnt not to use words like that. In fact, she rarely ever slipped up. Perhaps it was just the thoughts in the back of her mind. Like, enjoying fighting. Though she was pretty sure she'd been crap at it when she was younger.
She thought, as she wondered on her own, that maybe 'pretty sure' wasn't good enough. The Lethe was wearing off anyway, but she knew how to speed up the process. When she'd been in her own hometown, there had been a part of her that wanted to remember the girl she used to be. The girl that was pretty much forgotten.
She almost instantly wanted to turn back when she knocked on the stone door. Why did she choose this, exactly? But then it opened. "What?" Leo said. He didn't look overjoyed to see her.
"Testy much," she muttered. "Look, can we do something?"
"Depends," he wiggled his eyebrows, obviously cheering up.
"I want to find out who I was."
"Huh?"
"My memories," she elaborated. "I want to see them. I want to remember, but I can't face up to doing it alone. Cowardly, huh? Favour?"
"I'll regret this," he muttered. "But fine."
She tried to smile, cupping his face rather than his hands. "Here we go."
~0o0~
Nicole and Bianca, aged six or so, were running about on the deck of a boat. A game of tag, it appeared. It seemed a peaceful day out a sea, the boat was barely rocking. They were being hushed by their mother, who was staring longingly at the water.
"I told you you can't catch me!" Six year old Nicole giggled.
"But you've always been faster than me!" Bianca replied.
"Children!" Their mother barely shouted. "Save it for the land, miei cari."
"Yes, mama," young Nicole said solemnly, though she had her fingers crossed behind her back.
The scene changed to their house in Washington. Nicole and Bianca, about eight, were playing in the library. Playing might be a loose term. Bianca was reading some book of fairy stories, she wasn't sure which. She, on the other hand, was looking at a series of maps upside down.
Bianca squealed with joy. "The prince and princess got married!"
"Good for them," Nicole replied shortly.
"Cheer up! I bet you'll be happy once you meet your prince."
She looked up. "Who says I need a prince?"
Bianca laughed. "Everybody needs a prince!"
Nicole stood. "Not me!"
"Then who'll protect you?" She asked.
Nicole thought about this long and hard, which meant five seconds. "I'll protect myself!"
"Good luck with that," Bianca snorted.
Nicole got up, looking directly ahead. "I'm going to go to these places one day. All of them. And for no reason, other than I want to."
"What have I told you about this?" Her mother was scolding her, probably in the same year. "You're getting older now, you should act it."
She was completely muddy, head to toe. "But Mama! I was only-"
"I don't want to hear it, Nicole."
"Reading's so boring! I've already gone through all our books, even the grown up ones with the big words!"
She shook her head. "Why can't you just play nicely like your- like most other girls?" Nicole knew exactly what she was going to say. Like your sister.
She didn't act maturely at all. She turned away and ran up the stairs, into her bedroom. It was fairly empty, compared to what you'd expect. She ignored the few items there were there, working a loose floorboard underneath her bed. She pulled out her favourite three items currently. A book about swords, wood, and a pocket knife. Flicking the pages to the right picture, she resumed carving.
"Were you trying to whittle?"
In reality, Nicole jumped. It all seemed so real for a moment. She forgot he was standing there. She looked at her younger self craft her 'weapon'. "It wasn't that bad, for my age."
"I could do better when I was five," he snorted.
She rolled her eyes. "Could you use one?" She allowed the vision to take over again. Younger Nicole covered her mouth to stop from crying out as she cut herself slightly. She ripped one of the few remaining pieces of clean material from her dress, wrapping it around. Once that was taken care of, she admired the wooden 'sword'.
Outside the memory, Leo burst out laughing. "That's the worst sword I've ever seen! Look at it! Is it even possible to get it that wonky?"
It took every bit of Nicole's self restraint to ignore him and keep watching. Back inside, eight or nine year old Nicole turned her head, as if she heard something. Yes, she could definitely hear whispering. But there was no saying which direction it was coming from. Nicole sucked in a breath as she concealed her items. She turned a full circle, hearing it everywhere. No, feeling it. It was from the walls. And the ceiling. Under her bed. Under the door. Everywhere. She was feeling darkness, shadows. She walked towards one as it called her, and she touched it. When she did, it moved. There was a light circle around her index finger. Slowly, she placed her whole hand on the wall. Her print was there, shaped in the dark. She smiled, finally enjoying something. She wondered... stepping back, she imagined her favourite book. Before her eyes, to her amazement, a figure like Alice popped out. With Nicole's concentration, she made her walk up to a table and eat cake, just like in the story.
She laughed, purely. This was the greatest thing ever! Proper moving pictures at her command! One question remained: what next?
The next scene was not one that Nicole wanted to watch. She'd already seen it, nearly a year ago. Somehow, outside the memory, she reached out and grabbed Leo's hand.
"Witch!" They shoved her.
"Stop it!" Nicole whimpered. "Leave me alone!"
"Not until you show us your creepy powers, witch," the leader of the gang jeered.
"Get away from me Jimmy! I'll-I'll hurt you!"
He lifted her by the collar and pinned her against the wall. "I think you're all talk," he hissed. "I think you don't even have these 'powers'. You're just crying for attention because you don't have any friends, witch."
"Put me down! You're choking me!" She managed.
She buried her head in his shoulder. She couldn't watch herself.
"Don't. Call. Me. That." The first time she was truly angry. Gods, she couldn't block it out. "How would you like it if I called you names? What if I made a fool out of you? What if I choked you? How would you like that?"
She didn't even look as his limp body fell to the floor. "Did you see that?" Somebody whispered.
"Her eyes! They were pure black!"
"She really is a witch!"
Missy screamed. "He's not breathing! He's got no pulse! She's killed Jimmy!"
Having initially ignored her, all eyes turned to Nicole. One kid pointed. "She's a murderer! Fetch the police!"
And then Nicole sped off.
"It's okay," he said soothingly. "It's over now."
She looked up. It was gone. She was gone. Slowly, she began to realise what was going on in these memories. Like, connecting the dots.
She didn't listen to her father. For the next few days, she would barely leave her room. He told her not to worry about it. How could she not? She was a criminal now. But mostly she was at a loss at how she did it. The word 'magic' ghosted across her lips. Perhaps she truly was a witch. The shadows listened to her, if that proved anything.
She left the next morning. Taking the back-routes, she went in completely the opposite direction to where she was allowed. These were the parts that were called dodgy. Businessmen now sat on the streets as common beggars. She didn't like the way anyone looked at her. Why would they be friendly? She cared little for economics and politics (well, she wasn't supposed to care) because she'd never worried about it. They were envious.
She kept her head down, nearly changing her mind and running back home. She suspected her clothes were the main giveaway. One woman was probably calculating how much food she could buy with the cost of the material. Nicole knew the answer to that, a lot.
"Watch it!"
She looked up to see where the harsh voice had come from. "Sorry..."
"Where are you?" He said mockingly. "You and your stacks of money don't belong here."
He was about thirteen, not much older than she was. How dare he be so cruel yet attractive! "This is the sidewalk, is it not? Public ground."
He glared. It was only then that she notice how blue his eyes were. They reminded her of... well, she couldn't quite find the right word. He tried to laugh. "Go back to your mansion."
"I left for a reason," she muttered. Then clapped her hands over her mouth. Speaking under one's breath was rude, everyone knew that. She was going to be worse than him at this rate!
He raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something?"
She tiptoed in an attempt to reach his height. "If you'll excuse me, I was having a pleasant walk."
He rolled his eyes. She almost gasped, boys were never that... ugh! "'round here? Why?"
"Perhaps I like the sights."
Obviously he found something funny, because he burst out laughing. "This is genius! Poor little rich girl finds her life so hard that she's rebelling! Brilliant!" He wiped tears from his eyes.
"Shut up." She was surprised at the growl it accompanied.
"Wait, what?"
"I said shut up!" She felt something, like the ground was shaking.
His voice was quieter, less taunting. "Did you just do that?"
"I-" He grabbed her by the arm, pulling her down the block. She immediately tried to resist, but he was much stronger. They finally stopped in-between houses, where there was no-one to see. "Has nobody told you how r-"
"I don't give a damn about manners. You can do stuff to?" He looked almost hopeful. Without waiting for her to answer, he began to float about an inch off the ground. She stared in shock at his open display. "I thought I was the only one."
"I can't fly."
His feet met the ground. "You can do what? Control the ground."
"And the dead," she managed. "They talk to me when I go to the graveyard. That and darkness."
"That's really creepy."
"So you're going to call me witch now? I'll have you know that the last person who dared is gone, dead now!" She seemed taller then, older. And somehow without remorse.
"Woah calm down," he said. "Really? Dead people? Show me."
She blinked. "Follow me, then. And I'm not a pathetic rich girl! Not just."
"I'll say," he muttered.
"Hang on, your name, first."
He grinned. "Alexander," he imitated her accent, "but call me Alex."
Somehow, she found her eyes rolling. "Nicole."
"Mom?" he called out, leading her inside. "Mom?! I brought a friend!"
Nicole smiled. Friend. A rather flustered looking woman, who seemed to share his looks amazingly, entered the hall way. She was dressed subtly, underneath her apron. She looked at Nicole though wide eyes, taking her in. "Alex," she said, "can I talk to you for a moment." In a tiny deviation from the memory, Nicole noted that she looked similar to Thalia, minus the punk, plus the middle-age.
"She's proper nice, mom, promise. Cute as a bug's ear. Ain't that right, kitten?"
Around Alex, she'd learned to not be so formal all the time. So, she elbowed him. "Twit," she muttered so only he could hear.
He laughed, chortled actually. "You and me both."
His mother straightened, really looking at Nicole this time. Then, she smiled. "Mrs Williams, dear."
Nicole instinctively offered a hand. "Nicole di Angelo."
"di Angelo?" She raised an eyebrow. "Italian?"
"Yes," she said in almost a rehearsed fashion. "My mother's side."
She looked between the two. "Looks like I raised a golddigger."
"Please," Nicole grinned, "he'd have to be attractive for that!"
"Hey!"
Both laughed. "I like you," Mrs Williams said, the ice having broken. "Come here whenever you want, darling."
He grabbed her arm roughly. "Come on, I'll show you my cave!"
She had learnt to just go with the dragging thing. She smiled at the sight of his room. It was much smaller than hers, but so much more home like. Every corner was cramped with stuff. There was barely enough room for the single bed.
"It's brilliant," she said.
"Nothing compared to yours, probably."
"No," she agreed, "this is so much better!" She sat cross legged on his bed. "I love it!"
"You're nuts," he said, sitting opposite. Not a minute after he rested, he began to float.
"Is there any point to that?"
"No," he admitted. "I like it though."
"Could you do it to me?" She asked hopefully.
He sat back on the bed, and then took her hands gently. After he shut his eyes, both of them began to rise. It was crazy, dangerous, and stupid. Which was what made it all the more amazing. When he opened his eyes, she was grinning. Then, there were shadows in the room. Each was the shade of a cloud. Like they were truly floating in the air.
"We help each other with these powers, right?"
"Agreed."
"See," he said, "it's not that bad up here."
"Fine, Alex, you've proved me wrong. The view is outstanding." They were floating in gentle circles, higher than the tallest tree. "Don't you dare let me go!" She knew this memory, too.
"I won't," he laughed. "I knew I was strong enough."
"I knew that, too," she protested.
"Of course you did, that's why you begged me to put you down," he teased.
"My father says that nobody can be completely fearless," she quoted. "I just don't like heights."
"I let you do that weird shadow thing on me," he reasoned. He grip loosened slightly and she nearly fell.
"That was not funny!"
"Sure it was," he chuckled.
"You know," she looked around, "one day when you're doll dizzy they'll think you're a real dreamboat, if you take them up here."
"What about you?" He whispered and leaned in as if to kiss her. Then, he dropped her again. It was not a good joke, in her opinion.
"This is the last time I ever listen to you," Alex shouted from in front of her.
"I didn't think they had such a good aim!" She turned her pocket knife, narrowly deflecting the arrow. The centaur kept galloping after them, gaining incredibly. This, she remembered outside the memory, was when they began to fight monsters."
Alex grabbed her hand. "Come on! You're too slow!"
Eventually they managed to weave their way out of the thick woods, though soon after they realised with heavy hearts where they were. Nicole could practically feel the hooves. "We need to jump."
"What?" Would you like to get killed?"
"It's that or monster food!" This time it was her pulling him along, right to where the land ended. The cliff was deathly steep, a place to be feared. It didn't help that there were a million rocks at the bottom, just in case the fall didn't kill you. Right now it was her salvation. "You can do it." She increased her speed, motioning for Alex to do the same. Soon they ran out of ground to run on and were falling with great velocity.
She closed her eyes and screamed with the adrenaline. The next thing she remembered was the gentle lapping of the waves against her feet. Alex exhaled. "You are so incredibly lucky."
"You did it!"
"You're going to be the reason we die one day, I just know it," he rolled his eyes.
"It's rude to do that to a lady," she pointed out.
"You? A lady?" He snorted.
"Hey!" She splashed his face with water.
A thunderstorm. She knocked on their door in a hurry. Mrs Williams, Julia was her first name, opened the door. "Nicole? Dear? What are you doing here?"
Rather embarrassingly, she threw her arms around the woman. "I'm sorry! The thunder started and then the lightening and it felt like it was coming for me!"
Mrs William's hushed her. "You came all the way from your house?"
"Yes," Nicole said.
"You shouldn't do that this late," she said, "especially round here."
"I know," she mumbled, "but I couldn't think of anywhere safer. I'll be gone the second it stops, I promise."
"Nonsense," she said. "You'll stay here."
"Thank you," she said. "Mother probably won't realise I'm gone if I get back at dawn."
She shook her head and said something she didn't quite catch. "Darling, if there's a storm like this you shouldn't risk being hit. Look at me," Nicole did, "something big is going to happen. If you can, dear, promise me you'll avoid heights. Storms. Water. Anything you're not comfortable with, okay? You do that, and you might just live till sixteen. Against all odds..." she trailed off.
"Okay," she nodded, before falling asleep in their living room.
The next sound she heard was a different voice. "Uh... Nicole?"
She blinked a couple of times before sitting up and grinning. "Morning, Tommy."
He placed a hot mug on the table. "Mother told me to bring you this."
It was then that she realised the fear was over. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you so much!"
He blushed, and walked out of the room cautiously.
"Which star's this one, again?"
"It's not just a star," she said next to him, shaking the snow from her long hair. "It's a pattern."
"I don't see it," Alex muttered.
"He's called Orion," she smiled. "The hunter. See those?" She traced about half a dozen starts like a dot to dot puzzle. "Those are his body. And this," she traced a gentle arch "is his bow. Though some people it's his shield and that," the stars were fainter, "is his sword. Those," two separate constellations, "are his dogs. Canis major and canis minor."
"Canis?"
"Latin for dog," she explained. "Orion is mostly a Greek myth though."
He gave her that funny look she was used to. "How do you know this?"
I didn't have friends. "I don't know. I've told you, Alex, life gets pretty boring in a big house. Lots of empty rooms. Books being the only things that can fill it."
"Did you read the paper this morning?"
"No," she admitted. "Is there a reason why I should have?"
"You know the leader of Germany, right?"
"Not personally," she muttered.
"Well, they released a film."
"How is this relevant to me?"
"There's going to be fighting. A war, maybe. I can feel it."
She sat up on the severity of the conversation. "Alex..."
"Father would want me to go."
She felt angry, almost. "You're fourteen."
"It might not happen right now-"
"You can't go!" She raised her voice, there was no-one around so there was nothing to worry about. "What about your mom? She'd die inside if she lost you as well!"
He sighed. "Nicole..."
"No! What about me! I don't know what I'd do if you died! Perhaps sailing right over to Europe and slaughtering the Nazis one by one might be enough, but I'd still be crazy. You can't go fighting! I... I'd miss you to much. It's dangerous. It's not-"
"Okay then."
"Sorry?"
"Okay then," he repeated. "It was just a thought. If it means that much to you-"
She threw her arms around him, probably cutting off his breathing. "Don't you dare throw your life away."
"I swear," he said.
Her father pushed Nicole along, keeping an eye on the sky nervously, as if it were watching. "Where are we going?" Her boots were starting to get uncomfortable in the harsh winter weather, and she shivered, even with the protection of her coat.
"Hush," he said, searching around the empty fields. "Just to visit someone."
"Why aren't I meant to tell mother?"
He rolled his eyes, obviously giving up. "Your mother will fret without reason. Now, come along!" She trailed behind him then, not bothering to match his speed. A while later they came to a fire, with a small girl guarding the flames.
"Hades," she said, her voice soft.
"Hestia," he nodded respectfully.
She patted the space beside her. "Sit, small one." Nicole was about to complain about that, but she did it anyway. She looked into Hestia's eyes, and for a moment she felt warmth spread through her bones. "Your daughter's powerful, brother. You should relax as well, enjoy a bit of home for once." Hestia produced a packet of sweets from a hand-sewn bag, which she offered to Nicole. She knew this was a distraction, so kept her ears open.
"Have you heard?" He lowered his voice.
"Yes," Hestia nodded. "You're concerned for your children's safety?"
"Zeus would never allow them the prophecy."
Hestia never left his gaze. "I feel that I should remain neutral for this dispute. However, you would not have come here unless for a very good reason. What is it that you require?"
He sighed, a display so human Nicole had rarely seen it before. "I can sense them from miles away, Hestia. I am not sure who is worse. Nicole, whose increasing control over her gifts is becoming alarming or Bianca, who has not used them as much and I fear will explode with power.
"I cannot," she said. "Involvement at this stage would be against preservation."
"Because of what Zeus might say?"
"No," she dismissed. "A prophecy is a prophecy. If your children are the one foretold, then so be it. Fate cannot be tempted, which it would be if I masked either one of them."
"Please," he begged, "is there anything you could do?"
Hestia swallowed, looking into her own fire. Nicole realised then that the flames in her eye weren't a reflection, they were real! "There is a place in Nevada," she began, "where any being is undetectable. You can hide them there; pretend to our brother that they are dead. It is a place where the clocks freeze. Your children would not notice time go past, nor age a day. I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do."
Nicole could have sworn the shadows were sucked in his direction. "The Land of the Lotus Eaters? You think they'll be safer there?"
Hestia turned away from the flames. "It's not the perfect solution, but you risk more if you leave them here."
"I'll think on it." He stood. "Nicole?"
She pretended that she hadn't heard a word. Nothing of prophecies, danger or power. "Yes, father? That was over awfully quickly."
Hestia touched her arm before she left. She smiled lovingly. "Your daughter has great spirit, Hades," she called out. "Like a raging fire." She whispered the next part. "A soul like yours is something to be proud of."
"Nicole?" Bianca came to her door. "Ci sei?"
"Yes, Bianca," she said almost grouchily.
She pushed open the door. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she said. In all honesty, she was about to climb out the window. She held her small knife behind her back. Of course Bianca wouldn't approve of it. "Do you need anything?"
She frowned. "I hardly see you anymore. You're almost never here!"
"Sorry," she said. "I've been busy lately."
Bianca looked at her suspiciously. "You have friends?"
"Ha-ha."
"I know you're doing something dangerous."
"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Look at you! Like one of those kind you'd see on the streets! What happened, Nic? You've changed. It's as if you've forgotten every manner mother ever taught us!"
"Well maybe I don't want to be a perfect, well behaved little girl anymore!" She raised her voice. "There's stuff out there, Bi, real scary stuff. A whole world waiting."
"I want in."
She almost choked. "What?"
"I said, I want in. To see what you're doing."
Nicole grinned. "Come on, then, sis. I'll show you. First, you gotta jump."
Bianca looked at her and climbed out of the window. "I mean it."
The next memory was later than day, and somehow Nicole knew exactly what was going to happen. Younger her didn't, though, and was currently helping to carry her sister.
"She's not breathing!"
"Yes, she is," Alex reassured her. "Look how her chest is moving."
"It's my fault!" She was almost crying.
"How much further?"
"This one," she pointed at her house.
His jaw dropped. "Nicole... I knew you were rich... but-"
"There's no time to gawp!" They rushed inside, laying her down in the foyer. Nicole didn't know if it was for the best or not, but luckily her father was still there, and saw first.
His look at Nicole was icy and he ignored the two and looked at Bianca. "Fortunately, you were both quick enough." He touched her heart, whispering some words. "It will be painful, but the poison will be gone." He showed her the small claw mark for effect. Honestly, Nicole had tried to throw herself in the way. It didn't hit her, but scratched Bianca a small bit. She had expected her to fall down.
"More importantly, who are you and what are you doing with my daughters?"
"Father," Nicole stood between them. "It's my fault, not his."
"Get out!" He shouted. "And never come back! As for you," he looked at Nicole with distate, "your room until I tell you you can leave, is that clear?"
"Yes, father," she nodded but quickly knelt by Bianca. The tears were flowing now. "Bi," she whispered, "I vow to never leave your side again, understand? I swear it on my life."
Of course, she didn't stay in her room. In fact, she immediately jumped from her window to the tree, climbing down it. "Wait!" She sprinted.
Alex turned round. "I'm pretty sure your father just exiled me. He's almost as scary as you. Though, he reminds me of someone..." He looked at her in a way she'd never seen before.
"I know."
"So you're never going to speak to me again?"
She looked at him, truly, those blue eyes still shining. "I will, just not right now." He was going to turn, but she grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him so briefly she wasn't even sure if their lips really touched. "Goodbye, for now."
She couldn't even watch the next scene without holding Leo for support. She almost forgot he was there, again. It was when her mother died. The very next day. Because of some stupid prophecy. She almost wanted to scream that she'd fulfil it anyway, but no-one was listening. In fact, Leo needed to hold her back before she stood in the way of the light. For one terrifying moment, Nicole wanted to shadow travel straight to Olympus and beat Zeus to death."
The memories should have stopped there. She remembered everything else after that. So why... They were in the Underworld. Her breathing quickened. The only other thing she'd ever forgotten. By force, most likely. Just then, she and Leo, in a memory, walked out the palace doors.
"Uh... Nicole..."
"Shh," she stepped closer, wanting to hear their conversation. She looked different, angelic, almost. The appearance of Elysium.
In the memory, Nicole hugged Leo harshly. She was so dizzy, she didn't even hear the first half of their conversation. Like, the details were fuzzy.
"Do you like it? In Elysium?" Leo was saying.
"Look, I know a lot about death. Hell, I even radiate it. I just didn't expect for it to suck so much. Does that answer your question?"
"It sucks?"
She nodded. "I can't even wear black anymore! They force me to look like this," she looked down in distaste.
He chuckled. "Only you would complain about looking beautiful, or maybe Piper as well."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like that's not a compliment?"
"So you really won't remember anything?" He asked. They were now in Persephone's garden, for lack of a better place to go.
"I don't think it will be total amnesia. Most likely I'll remember general feelings, like how much it sucked, but not like actual memories."
"So you'll just think you magically came back to life?"
"Perhaps."
"Nicole," Leo said outside the memory. "It's not that interesting..."
"So you won't remember this?" Memory Leo grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. Both Nicoles froze. However, in the memory, she began to kiss him back. Real Nicole began to shake. She wasn't sad, she was angry.
In fact, she was raging when they broke it off and started talking. What was going on? Most importantly, how could she forget it?
"Yes! No! I don't know!" She sighed in the memory. "You have feelings for me?"
"You know me," he shrugged, "falling in love with every girl I can't have."
"You... you're in love with me? That's ridiculous! Why? I'm nothing but a 'cowardly traitor', as I've heard it been described."
He grabbed her arm when she tried to turn. "You're Nicole di Angelo," he said quietly. "There's no better reason. You're stronger than anyone I've ever known."
"You don't know what you're talking about. I can't even handle Elysium, actual heaven, without breaking down."
"You go around saying you're selfish," he continued, "but you're selfless enough to die to stop Gaia."
"Anyone would've done that. What's one life in billions?"
"You don't sit around and bite your nails all day about something. You know how to get shit done."
"-As does everyone else."
"After that quest and I... I lost Festus, you were the first person to make me laugh."
"With your sense of humour? Not hard," she argued.
"You can't even accept four compliments," he finished. "And why I kissed you now, when you won't remember? So you wouldn't hold it against me. Look, I know you're in love with Percy. That's cool. But you're my best friend. I just can't... lose you. Not again."
"Congratulations," she muttered sarcastically. "You just listed all my good qualities, and half of those aren't even valid."
"It was just once," he promised, "and we'll go back to being friends."
A single tear rolled down her face when memory Nicole suddenly kissed him. She didn't know why she was crying. It was way passionate, and she wasn't sure if they were actually going to stop. She was still shaking, but for different reasons. The guy was an idiot. In love with her? He had no idea what he was talking about.
In the memory, she finally detached herself. "I wish you wouldn't remember that, either." Leo looked like he was in a whole other world. "Leo?"
"Once second," he choked. "I think I died and went to heaven." Long pause. "Did you just-"
"No," she managed. "If you ask me again I'll say no. Understand?"
He nodded, but his eyes said different. Pure confusion.
"I'm sorry," she nearly sobbed. "I shouldn't have done that."
"Don't say-"
"No." She said it firmly. "No more speaking. We need to get back."
The world around her faded. She was back in Bunker Nine, her palm still cupping his face. She took three steps back immediately. She managed to blink a couple of times, her mouth wide open. "I have to go." Her voice wobbled.
"Nicole-"
"No," she raised her hand. "Don't talk to me. If you really want to help me then you'll leave me alone." She melted into the shadows, only hearing the massive thumping of her heart.
~0o0~
"Dad," she said, "how the hell was I touching him?"
"Excuse me?" He looked up, bored on his throne.
"You heard me. When Leo took me out of the Underworld or whatever, how did he do it? I was dead, there was so physical body to touch."
He looked dead into her eyes, no pun intended. "Think Orpheus."
"Huh?"
"I said, think Orpheus. That's where to start, if you really want to know." With that highly useful information, he waved her goodbye.
"Um, no. It doesn't make sense! Not until you explain it to me. And I can tell that you do know, so just talk."
He went back to looking like there was nothing better to do. "Are you really trying to order a god?"
"What are you going to do? Kill me?"
"I can reclaim your soul, since you were stupid enough to kill yourself, with the click of my fingers."
She swallowed. "So do it, then. I dare you." She turned and left, feeling about as hollow as before.
Translations:
Miei cari- my love
Ci sei- are you there?
