He was beautiful. Well, as beautiful as an annoying shiny doctor boyfriend can be.

Will was wrapping up some bandages when I walked into the medic tent. I suddenly felt very mischievous. I stayed within the shadows, creeping up on him.

Will looked uo. "Huh? Someone there?"

"Hey," I said, appearing from behind him.

Will screeched, dropping his bandages.

"Nico di Angelo!" he scolded. "I can't believe you…" he trailed off, eyes widening. "Nico… you're back!"

He reached out to hug me, then hesitated.

"Yeah, sure," I sighed. "Go ahead."

He grinned, then wrapped his arms around me. He was warm, like gentle sunlight (unlike me - I'm always cold). He smelled like a mix between the beach and a dentist's office.

"Hey hey hey," said another voice. "Look who's back!"

I turned, facing Will's siblings, Kayla and Austin. Kayla had her arms folded, and Austin had his saxophone in arms.

"Nice to see you back, man," Austin said. He looked off in the other direction. "About Isabella…"

"Maybe don't," Kayla advised, grabbing her brother's shoulder. She gave me a sympathetic smile.

I looked at Will, trying to change the subject. "Is Penelope around?"

Will nodded. "She'll probably be in her cabin." He looked at his siblings for confirmation; they nodded.

"Thanks," I said, heading off. I walked across the camp, feeling a lot of people staring at me. I don't know if they saw me as a hero or what, but it was still disconcerting. Yeah I wanted to be recognised as hero, but I didn't want everyone leering at me all the time.

"Nico!"

That voice was familiar. I turned around, and saw Penelope running straight towards me. She was dressed in the Camp Half Blood shirt, but still wore her bomber jacket. And she still looked mad.

"Took you long enough to get here," she replied, folding her arms across her chest. "Moron."

"Nice to see you too," I drawled.

Her expression softened. "Hey… about Isabella…" And then, her eyes watered. She blinked, wiping away her tears. She hid her face behind her hands.

I didn't say anything, and just clenched my fists. I didn't want to get mad. Bad things happened when I got mad.

"You don't even look upset, di Angelo," Penelope chastised. "Is your heart dead?"

I gave her a cold stare.

"Stare at me all you want," she snapped. "It seems you don't care at all."

"You really think that?" I asked, quietly.

I noticed Penelope take a step back.

"Right, right," she said, shaking her head. "I'm... sorry, Nico. You were very close to her, though you didn't show it. You must miss her a lot."

I glowered at her. Then I turned away.

"Yeah," I got out. "I miss her."

Penelope reached out, but hesitated.

"Stay strong," she said, trying to smile at me. I glanced back at her, before walking away.


I found myself headed towards the forest. Within the trees, the nymphs were peering out. Either at me, or they were hiding from the satyrs again.

I saw Sage, conversing with one of the nymphs. They glanced over their shoulder, smiling as I approached.

"Hey, Nico!" they waved. "You made it back! So good to see you!"

I returned the wave, half-hardheartedly. Not everyone said 'so good to see you' when they saw me coming.

"Where are you going now?" Sage asked.

"There's someone I need to visit." I told them. "I'll see you later, Sage."

I continued walking. It was time to visit someone… a little different. But someone I felt needed to understand.


I was in Elysium.

Even I have to admit Elysium is a pretty nice place. There's always some kind of barbecue happening, or a party of some kind. People are always strolling around, looking relaxed. There's some sunlight in there (not natural of course) and cottages to stay in. Nice place to go for vacation. (Well, if you don't mind all the dead people.)

"Nathan Johnson," I said, summoning the man I was looking for.

A middle-aged man with tanned skin, brown hair, and blue eyes appeared before me. He had a gentle smile on his face, and a calm demeanour. Much better than the one I'd seen in the dream. All the stress he'd had melted away. He looked... relaxed. I suppose that's what Elysium does to people.

"Can I help you, Lord?" he asked, politely.

"I… I knew your daughter," I said, putting my hands in my pockets.

Nathan raised his brows. "You did? H-How is she?"

"I'm sorry," I said, looking away. "But she..."

Nathan stared down at his shoes. "Oh… honestly… I was expecting that. I didn't want my daughter to die. She was everything to me. I did everything in my power to prevent it from happening, but…" He wiped his eyes. "Isabella… why her?"

I let him mourn to himself. He wiped his puffy eyes, and stared at me again.

"Were you a friend of hers?" he asked.

I nodded.

Nathan laughed. "Ah… you seem like a good kid. I'm not saying that just because of your power over the dead, I really mean it. I'm sure… I'm sure Isabella loved being friends with you."

"She was more like a little sister to me, now that I think about it," I said, putting my hands behind my back. I choked up.

Don't cry, don't cry-

"Then I'm sure you were a great brother," Nathan told me. "Thank you… for taking care of my daughter."

"The pleasure's mine," I replied, bowing my head.


I was back at Camp. After everything, I was tired. I sat by the hearth, Hestia sitting next to me.

"You did well, nephew," she told me.

I sipped my cup of hot cocoa.

"Have pride in your achievements," she advised. "Don't let it get to your head, but still… be proud of what you have achieved."

I frowned. "But Isabella…"

"Every quest comes with a sacrifice," Hestia told me. "You of all people understand this, right?"

I grimaced.

Hestia smiled at me. "I believe your friend would want you to stay strong."

"You're right…" I sighed, staring at the sky.

Isabella, I'll never forget you, I thought. I promise.


I was in another dream. Psyche was in front of me, sitting at a fancy table with a pot of tea. I sighed.

"I told you no thanks," I said. "I want to stay at Camp for now. That's... that's where I belong."

"I understand," Psyche nodded. "It's what makes you happy. But if you ever change your mind..."

I sat down on a stone wall that appeared out of nowhere. Psyche sat next to me. A sunset appeared behind us, shining light across the horizon.

"Maybe she's still out there, watching you from the stars," Psyche said.

I didn't reply, staring at the ground. For a brief moment, I swear I felt a presence. Someone reaching out for me, telling me it was going to be okay.

If you're out there, Isabella, I thought. Best of luck. I still miss you.

And then I finally began to cry.


A/N: And that's all folks! Thank you so much for reading this story. I know it took ages to get it done but it's finished now! Tbh I've had a bad run with Percy Jackson fanfics, I'm not sure what it is, but I just suck at writing them. I love PJO but man I can't do the series justice. :/ I already discontinued my Thalia Grace series and I felt bad discontinuing any more fanfics so I decided to finish this one. At least it's done now lol. As for sequels, sadly there won't be one, but I am kind of working on a different PJO fanfic on the side. It's one of those 'mortals meet demigods' stories since I love those. I'm trying to make it different from other mortals meet stories. If I ever post it... keep an eye out for it. Until then... thank you for reading!