Really, that old witch just couldn't leave him alone, could she? Never insult a lady by calling her 'old'. There that elderly woman went again. See, he didn't call her 'old'! You're lucky that I'm really patient today, son of Hades. Oh, yes, old hag, he was. Oops, sorry, that accidentally slipped. Yes, and I'm your father. Wow, Nico wasn't aware that a three-thousand-year-old lady was capable of sarcasm.

Ever since that dream, Nico had been trying to get to the Sea of Monsters to retrieve Persephone's dagger. However, that dreaded woman just had to bug him by entering his mind. Hence, whenever he was just about to shadow-travel to Aeaea, some weird reason would hold him back for a few days before his next attempt. Circe felt like one of those clingy high school girls who practically glued themselves to their boyfriends. Not that Nico wanted her to be his girlfriend. Gods, that was disgusting.

As he stood behind Thalia's tree, the son of Hades summoned his powers and prepared to sink into the pine's shadows. Uh-uh-uh, what do you think you're doing? Nico cursed and tried again. He tried to concentrate on shadow-travelling, but that annoying voice at the back of his mind started talking whenever the witch sensed that he was about to shadow-travel.

"Shut up," Nico growled in frustration, running his pale fingers through his unkempt hair. He was just about ready to pull every strand of his dark hair off his scalp. If he ever got to reach Aeaea, he would proceed to lop off that sorceress' head with his stygian-iron sword first. 'Kill two birds with one stone', the saying went. Nico could get rid of Circe then retrieve that cursed dagger for his flower freak of a step-mother after she was out of the way. Ooh, having violent thoughts now, are we? Very well, then. An eye for an eye, a ear for a ear…

The vision was blur, but clear enough for Nico to see what was happening. When he finally made out the shape of a giant automaton, he wished that the vision could be completely blur. Or maybe even fade. Yes, fading along with the evil witch would be the best.

The automaton's celestial bronze amour gleamed in the harsh sunlight. It towered above Nico in the middle of the road, looking down at the sparse vegetation and the small mountain of mechanical junk on one side of the road.

"BIANCA, NO!" Nico whipped around at the mention of his sister's name, and regretted it soon after. A younger version of Percy stood there, holding Riptide in one hand and a small figurine in the other. His hand was clamped around the latter, but Nico knew perfectly well what it was. The son of Poseidon was reaching out, trying to chase after someone. And Nico knew perfectly well who it was, too.

A girl with olive skin was darting towards the automaton, her chocolate braid flying behind her. Her silver clothes and bow and arrow practically announced that she was a Hunter of Artemis. Her dark eyes, which were framed by thick, long lashes, held a kind of determination that covered all the sadness behind it.

The girl was familiar, but Nico didn't know her. She had a different air around her-one of confidence, one that made the boy feel extremely strange that she could possess such a quality. The Bianca he knew wasn't like that. This wasn't his sister. Yet he loved her and grieved for her just like he did.

Nico tried to make a dash for the girl, but everything seemed to move in slow motion. He made a grab for her shirt, but the moment he did, she'd already jumped onto the automaton. Bianca climbed nimbly and snuck in between the bronze plates, completely oblivious to the silenced, anguished cries of her brother.

The son of Hades could almost hear Circe cackling away. Nothing like 'almost' to make something hurt more. He watched in despair when the automaton fell apart and collapsed, along with his sister, his world and his heart.

"BIANCA!" Nico screamed in agony, bolting towards the heap of metal. When his hand came into contact with the bronze plate, the tip of his fingers evaporated into mist.

"Bianca, why…?" he rasped, reaching out to grab the figurine that had tumbled from Percy's hand. Percy and the automaton had magically frozen in time, leaving him to grieve over the loss of the person who cared about him the most. "Really, B-Bianca, just because of this?"

The Hades figurine in Nico's hand was smeared in dirt and grime, but he didn't care. Once he got back to reality, he would throw the real Mythomagic figurine into the campfire and watch it burn, watch it fade into smoke. Gods, he hated that figurine. He hated Bianca for being so stupid. She paid for the figurine with her life when in any store, you could just pay with money and hope that it was the figurine of a sulking god that was enclosed within the opaque plastic wrapper.

Cracks branched out across the ground, and the road split apart to reveal dozens of skeletons and zombies. Nico didn't even realize that he'd used his powers. The thought of never seeing his sister again jabbed at his heart with greater force than before, causing him to double over and cry.

He was merely a memory to Bianca, just like she was his. She had moved on and chosen rebirth. Now, somewhere on Earth, a new Bianca existed, unaware of her previous life. Soon, he would fade into the background, and she would, too. Two different worlds, separated by a thin line. Neither could reach across, unless Fate decided to cross their paths.

The pale boy fell to his knees, burying his head in his hands. Tears of every emotion possible streaked down his cheeks. Those were the first tears that he'd cried in months. The teardrops flowed down, leaving fresh, new scars, but Nico didn't care. He relished every tear, every ounce of emotion that had been pent-up inside him for the past month.

Pain flared in his chest and burned like a fire. This was probably what Percy felt after he got cleansed in the River Tiber. Vulnerable and exposed, like someone had flipped his insides out. Nico could totally relate.

Hades stroked his chin and nodded. "I see. Continue your search, Son. Thank you. You are dismissed."

Nico bowed and left the throne room. His eyes were still cold and dull like before, but they showed more wisdom, like he had achieved enlightenment or something. But the situation wasn't that happy. He'd realised something far more painful and bitter, something that would affect him greatly inside, but didn't show much on his appearance. However, he still didn't get why Bianca wanted to leave him. Had he been too bitter? Did she think that he didn't love her anymore? Nico wanted to scream that he'd loved her since forever and would never dream about hurting her in anyway. Yet why had she hurt him?

When the son of Hades looked around, he spotted Elysium in the distance. Well, taking a little visit there couldn't hurt, could it? For once, he needed to be surrounded by happy people. He turned and started walking towards the Heaven-Under-Earth.

By the time Nico reached there, the daily barbeque had already started. Smelling the smoke that wafted through the air, Nico smiled. If you had to know one thing, it was that the barbeques in the Underworld were the best of its kind.

"Hey, anyone up for an extra helping?" Charles Beckendorf shouted from his spot beside the barbeque pit. Nico knew about souls and ghosts, hence he felt the sudden nervousness that Beckendorf had when he saw Nico in Elysium. The son of Hephaestus' eyes were guarded, like he was trying to hide something from Nico. Well, the latter would find out, no matter what.

"I'll have one," Nico replied, standing up and handing his plate over to Beckendorf. Beckendorf hesitated and nodded before putting some bacon on his plate. The rest of the heroes were either chatting among themselves or just chilling out, so no one paid them much attention. Making sure that he wouldn't be heard, Nico said, "You're hiding something from me."

Beckendorf was slightly shocked, but regained his composure and started scratching his head. They were silent for a few seconds, with him glancing at Silena Beauregard from time to time, probably to make sure that she wasn't going to flirt with another guy. Oh, wait. Silena wouldn't flirt with another guy. She was too in love with Beckendorf. Sorry, guys, Nico thought apologetically, but his expression didn't change. It was still the same expectant look.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you. But please, don't tell anyone else. Even Silena doesn't know," Beckendorf finally said, though edgily. Nico nodded for him to continue. "Look, I-I'm like you. I wasn't from this century."

That did it. Nico's brow shot up all the way until it disappeared below his disheveled fringe. That wasn't possible, unless some child of Hades raised him from the dead, or he got locked into the Lotus Hotel and Casino, like Nico and Bianca had. "When, then?"

"The 19th century." Beckendorf looked ashamed. He was casting his eyes downwards, like he was scared to meet Nico's gaze. The bacons and sausages on the barbeque pit started sizzling, and he fumbled to get them onto a spare plate before they burnt. Nico took a few and headed towards a vacant table, motioning for Beckendorf to follow.

"You and I have a lot to talk about," Nico told the other demigod while eating the bacon. He set his plate down on the wooden table and slipped into the bench opposite Beckendorf. "First things first."

The son of Hephaestus nodded slightly reluctantly, like he was already regretting his decision of telling Nico about his past. The son of Hades frowned at him.

"Did you even put the barbeque sauce?"

*Insert devilish grin here* So Beckendorf isn't from this century. Things are getting more and more interesting, eh?

-L