Whoops, it only gets worse this chapter. I cried more writing this one than I did writing the last one honestly. Sorry you guys. And I do feel the need to point out that while Nico can shadow travel, he had to sabotage it from inside and he'd have gotten thrown around a lot while sabotaging it, it wouldn't have been that easy to just Shadow travel away given the fact that he'd have been pretty injured pretty fast. Anyway, more pain this chapter- which includes Percy completely losing her shit as should be expected- grief is a powerful thing and Percy and Nico were real close. Also, word of warning, I am not going to just brush over trauma, what happens here is gonna effect Percy for a while, she won't magically get over it in a few chapters like occasionally happens- I love Rick but no way would most of the characters not have more trauma than they seem to canonically.

Percy and Bianca searched until the sun rose-they didn't look at anyone else, didn't speak to anyone else, they just screamed Nico's name and scrambled through the rubble, again and again.

The others stood back.

Annabeth had tried to run to Percy but Zoe and Thalia had stopped her-which was probably for the best, because all Percy could thing of was finding Nico.

All she could picture was her brothers face.

He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. She whispered that over and over as they searched-right until the moment she heard Bianca gasp.

The hunter emerged from within the giant's torso, tears streaming down her cheeks as she turned to look at Percy.

Her fingers were curled into a fist-and Percy knew what was inside before Bianca had even opened them.

The Hades figurine.

And Percy was screaming then as Bianca moved towards her, catching her before her knees it the ground.

Percy couldn't think, couldn't breath, all she could do was scream.

Nico was gone, he was gone-and Percy was pressing her face into Bianca's shoulder as the other girls arms wrapped around her, and she was screaming. She couldn't seem to stop.

She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as the very ground beneath them trembled-she heard their friends crying out in shock and fear but she barely registered it as she heard several of the piles of junk collapsing from the shaking of the ground-if she'd looked up she'd have seen Annabeth and Thalia grabbing one another to steady themselves, she'd have seen Grover yanking Zoe away from one of the junk piles as some loose junk broke free from the pile and nearly hit her as it skidded down the steep pile.

The shaking lasted for perhaps five minutes-though it felt like a lifetime to Percy.

She managed to stop screaming, and Bianca pulled back. "Percy... are you okay?"

Percy's gaze moved slowly, focusing on Bianca.

She felt slow, sluggish, as if a part of her heart had been torn out. Nico might not have been her brother by blood, but she'd loved him with all her heart, he was her little brother-the fact she'd only known him for a year and a half didn't change a damn thing.

And she could see her own pain echoed in Bianca's eyes, see the grief on the other girls face.

And if it was just grief it might have been fine-but there was guilt there too, and Bianca made the mistake of speaking. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry." Percy's voice was little more than a breath of air. "You're sorry. It's your fault." she repeated the words slowly. And her voice slowly got angrier, "You picked up the stupid figurine. You're the one who woke the giant up-"

"Percy-" Bianca's voice was suddenly edged with fear. "Percy what-"

"You did this."

"I-Percy I'm sorry-I'm sorry-"

"He's dead because you wanted to fix your fuck up and you knowingly risked our lives doing it. You were warned-I told you what Aphrodite said and you did it anyway-for a figurine he already had! Which you'd have known if you hadn't abandoned him-"

"Percy please-" Bianca's eyes filled with tears, "I am so sorry please I didn't mean for this-" as she spoke she reached out to touch Percy's shoulder, and that was her final mistake.

Percy was angry, angry and in pain and her vision went red as she felt Bianca touching her shoulder. There was a horrible, twisted tugging sensation in her gut, and Percy screamed.

Bianca flew backwards, screaming in a mix of fear and pain as she collided with one of the piles, and the force with which she hit it punched a hole into it, Bianca stopping inside of it.

Percy heard Thalia, Zoe and Grover yelling-and Annabeth was sprinting forward as Percy got to her feet, her eyes on the hole in the pile of rubble "It's your fault-"

Thalia overtook Annabeth, shoving the younger girl backwards as she did, reaching Percy first and grabbing Percy's shoulder.

"Percy- Percy calm down what are you doing why are you-"

"Let go of me." Percy snarled the words.

"Not until you've calmed-" and Thalia went flying backwards too, colliding with Bianca, who had managed to scramble out of the hole and was staggering to her feet, sending them both to the ground again.

Zoe had her bow out and she was drawing back an arrow to shoot Percy to stop her, and Percy waved a hand, sending Zoe flying off her feet and landing in a skid several foot from where she'd been stood- she heard panicked bleating from Grover-and then Annabeth was there, right in front of her.

"Percy stop it!"

"No!" Percy shouted the word, "No I'm not going to stop it! He's gone! He's gone! Nico is gone because she had to fucking pick something up!" Percy was crying again, "He's gone! All that's left is the stupid figurine that got him killed! She did this! I'll kill her! She took him away from me! She took my little brother away she killed him-"

"No!" Annabeth's arms were suddenly wrapped around Percy, pinning her arms to her sides. "Percy stop. I know you're in pain but please please stop."

"No!" Percy struggled in Annabeth's grip, "Let me go let me-"

"Nico wouldn't want this Percy! You know he wouldn't."

"Nico's dead! He's dead because of her!"

"Percy please-"

"It's her fault-"

"I don't know what exactly happened but Percy Zoe said Nico knew what he was doing." Annabeth's voice was incredibly soft as she rubbed Percy's back soothingly. "He made a choice and I know-" Annabeth blinked back her own tears, "I know it hurts-I can't imagine how much pain you're in right now Percy but he wouldn't want you to kill Bianca. He did this so both of you could be okay if I know him."

"He's gone." Percy's voice broke, "Annabeth he's gone! My baby brother is gone because of her."

"I know." Annabeth nodded, "I know Seaweed brain. I know he is. And when this is over we're gonna go home and you can let it all out." she choked down a sob, "Percy please. You know what he'd want."

"To save mom. And Leo." Percy managed, "To stop Alabaster. But-"

"I know." Annabeth shook her head, "But you know we have to keep going."

"I promised him I'd always look after him. I promised I'd never leave him. He was so scared of being abandoned so I swore I'd always be there to have his back."

"I know you did." Annabeth pressed her lips to the top of Percy's head, "I know." she whispered, "And I know you love him so much. I can't imagine how much pain you're in but you're strong, you're so strong Percy. And Nico would want you to be strong now okay? He made a choice Percy. He wanted you to be able to keep fighting."

"I-I want him back." Percy whispered, "I want him back Annabeth-"

"Maybe we can go visit him." Annabeth tried desperately, "Lord Hades might make an exception to the normal rules. He has a soft spot for you and Nico is his son."

"W-we can try?"

"Yeah, yeah of course." Annabeth gave Percy a reassuring if watery smile. "You're gonna be okay Seaweed brain."

"M-maybe he'll even let Nico go." and Annabeth looked like she wanted to sob at Percy's words, but she nodded.

"Yeah, yeah maybe he will." And Percy, desperate for a sliver of hope clung to that-though deep down inside she knew that Annabeth was only saying that to get her moving, and as she did she was pulling away from Percy slowly, eyes filled with concern as she brushed Percy's hair out of her face.

"Now we're going to go to the others okay? I know that you're hurting and angry but-you can't attack Bianca again-"

Percy tensed. "She-"

"Percy-Percy please. You know that she loves Nico too. She didn't mean for him to get hurt you know that. From what Zoe said Nico made the choice and he wouldn't want you to hurt her for him."

Percy stared at Annabeth for a long moment before swallowing hard and giving a small tight nod, turning her head to look at the others. Grover was stood a short distance away, his expression filled with grief and concern as he watched them both.

Thalia was holding up Bianca-who looked deathly pale and terrified-and Thalia looked horrified and frightened too Percy realized sluggishly.

They were scared of her.

Zoe was stood to their left a little distance away, where Percy had thrown her, her bow clasped tightly in her grip, ready for if she needed to stop Percy.

The only ones who weren't terrified of her were Grover and Annabeth.

And of course they were. She'd made the earth tremble in her grief, somehow she'd actually caused an earthquake, and she'd used- suddenly she was lurching out of Annabeth's arms, dropping to her hands and knees and heaving violently, which made Annabeth let out a panicked cry-and then she was by Percy's side rubbing Percy's back, and Grover was there too, holding her hair out of her face as she emptied out the meagre contents that had been in her stomach, tears burning her eyes.

Suddenly she was in that cavern again, alone and trapped with Alabaster.

Except Alabaster had deserved it, she'd controlled the water inside of his body to throw him away from her so she could escape.

And that was what she'd done to Bianca, Thalia and Zoe. She remembered Bianca's scream-it wasn't just one of fear but pain. It hurt. What she'd done had hurt the other girl.

She hadn't allowed herself to dwell too much on that that day. On what she was capable of, but this was a terrifying harsh reminder and she was heaving again.

"I'm sorry." she choked the words out. "I'm sorry I'm so sorry oh gods what did I do?"

"Uh-" Grover's voice was nervous, and Percy could feel Annabeth rubbing her back soothingly. "That's a good question."

"I think I know." Annabeth's voice was slightly shaky as she shifted and Percy stopped heaving.

Annabeth pulled Percy so that she was slumped into her side, combing her fingers through the daughter of Poseidon's hair. "You used the water in their body didn't you." her voice was soft, "You used it to control them, to throw them back."

"I did it to Alabaster." Percy whispered, "Once. That was the only time I've ever done it before. A-Annabeth if I can do that-"

"Don't." Grover shook his head, "Percy don't do this to yourself."

"I'm dangerous. I'm dangerous I-"

"You're a good person." Annabeth cut her off mid sentence. "Percy you could have killed Bianca in seconds if you can do that, but you didn't. You were out of your mind with grief and pain and rage but subconsciously you were still holding back because you're a good person." Annabeth pressed her lips to the top of Percy's head. "Even when you were out of your mind with grief you still had enough control not to kill anyone-and you didn't hurt me."

"I could never hurt you." the words were so stunningly simple, but Percy's voice was filled with genuine certainty and conviction.

Annabeth could do anything, could hurt Percy, and Percy wouldn't be able to bring herself to hurt her. It was a shocking realization, and any other time Percy might have felt a flood of giddy joy at the realization that she was completely and totally ridiculously in love with Annabeth, but right now she still just felt broken and numb as the girl gave her a gentle smile.

"I know Seaweed brain." then she was carefully pulling Percy to her feet, and Grover moved to Percy's other side, gripping her other arm gently and together they walked Percy towards Zoe, Bianca and Thalia, who were pressed together watching Percy, Annabeth and Grover with wide eyes.

"P-Percy." Bianca's voice was shaky, "I-"

"I'm sorry." Percy's voice was hoarse from all of her screaming, "I'm sorry I hurt you I just-I needed someone to be angry at, but that wasn't fair it-you didn't know."

Bianca took a small shaky step forward, pulling away from Thalia. "I get it. Why you lashed out." her voice shook, "I-I picked up the figurine. If I hadn't done that then Nico..." she shook her head. "I.. I get why you were so angry I really really do. I'm angry at myself. I don't-I won't ever forgive myself. But I won't ever blame you for lashing out like that." her voice was firm, slowly gaining confidence. "But as much as I know you probably want nothing to do with me I am going to keep my promise to Nico. He told me to look after you. So that's what I'm going to do."

Percy blinked in confusion, her brows furrowing. "Wait-what?"

"You heard me." Bianca's expression was determined, "The last thing he ever asked of me was for me to look after you so I'm going to."

"But I hurt-"

"And I'd have probably hurt me too-though I don't know what exactly you did or how you did it." Bianca admitted. "But... I made a promise and I'm keeping it."

"I don't need to be looked after. And I'm older than you-"

"Don't care." Bianca declared, "I should have been a better sister to Nico. Right now I think the only way to make up for my failure to him is to be there for you."