Word Count: 469

Characters/Pairings: the seven + Nico

Timeline/Spoilers: presumably set during HoH; major spoilers for entire series

Summary: Hypothetical scenarios exploring the possibility of each of the seven of the prophecy having to close the Doors of Death. — viii. It had always been inevitable.

Notes: This is the last one. Thanks so much for sticking around until now. :)

the son of Hades

.

It has to be him. The answer has been clear from the very start. He's become broken and empty after the loss of Bianca; with her, his whole world had gone. Each day he is forced to endure without her kindness and her spirit only pushes him closer to the edge. Even Hazel's warmth (ironic as it is) is not enough to sustain him. Not that it is in any way her fault. It had always been inevitable.

It really shouldn't have shocked them so, is what he tells himself. But then, he can't quite force himself to look Percy in his green, green eyes, and he might have an inkling as to why that is. Percy, whom he's hurt and betrayed multiple times but still always finds it within himself to offer Nico that wide, everlasting grin. This time was an exception.

And then, Hazel. Poor, poor Hazel, thrown into a world long far different from her old one, stumbling forward like a newborn fawn without its mother. But then came big brother Nico – another reject whelp of the god of the underworld, another traveler out of his time, another child yearning for a lost family. And they just may have been that for one another, if only for a short time, but he was just too broken to begin with to maintain the façade.

There were others, as well. The young Ghost King never intended it, but he has somehow managed to build new bonds along his journey, even after his devastating past. Sally Blofis, who welcomes him into her home, treating him like one of her own, and always with blue cookies to spare. Chiron, Annabeth, Grover, some of the few from Camp Half-Blood who do not shrink away in his decidedly eerie presence. Even those aboard the Argo II, besides his sister and the demigod world's resident power team, treat him like he is someone worthwhile. The elf-like Leo is just as damaged as Nico himself was but still finds a way to not-quite-torture the boy with his attempts of camaraderie.

Yes, they've all made an impact on his life, and he is sad to see them go (or him go, rather), but it is for precisely that reason that the role of closing the doors has fallen upon him. He is sure of it. For, even these numerous gains cannot overshadow his loss. The others have more adventures and peace and futures ahead of them, and he will make sure they can achieve them, with his dying breath. His own journey ends here.

With that final thought, a small smile adorns his face and he seals shut the entrance to Tartarus, at last content.

"Bianca, I'm coming home."

An ugly duckling dies, and not a sound escapes from it. There is no swan song.

.

"Say your goodbyes if you've got someone you can say goodbye to."

A/N: Yes, I know Bianca's been reincarnated, but I take Nico's proclamation in a metaphorical sense, not literal. And yes, this is my actual theory for who will have to close the doors. Please keep in mind that it has been years since I've read the original PJO series, so I cannot say I'm completely confident on my portrayal of Nico's character. Comments and criticisms are much appreciated. Thanks so much for reading!

HOUSE OF HADES COMES OUT TOMORROW