Chiron made his way through the crowd and stood before the campers, and bellowed, "Tonight we will light Nico's pyre and hold a ceremony in his name. As for now, he will be here for you all to pay your respects, which all of you should. He was a great demigod, and helped us achieve victory in both of our recent wars.

The centaur stopped himself before he choked up with tears. He took a breath to keep his composure and finished.

"If anyone needs me, I will be in the Big House."

With that he retreated to the building in question, before the campers would see him cry.

The rest of the seven had urged Hazel to return to her cabin to have time to herself. Finally, when she realized that Nico really was dead, she forced herself to leave his pyre and made her way to the cabin she once shared with him.

She closed the door gently and rested her forehead on the dark wood, breathing deeply.

Her mind was running a million miles a minute. She just couldn't believe he was gone, that he wasn't coming back. She couldn't get the image of him lying on the ocean floor out of her head. Percy had found him, and the only thing he could say when they all asked how was that he drowned, and that he found him. No one could get anything else out of him, and even Hazel's frantic shouting didn't keep him from bolting to the Poseidon cabin and locking himself in.

She sobbed, more tears pushing themselves out. She collapsed to the floor, leaning her back against the door of the cabin.

How could he just... drown? Just like that? After all the monsters he'd fought, all the foes he'd battled, his life would be taken by some freak accident?

Hazel sighed. There's no way... I know he can swim, just not very well... but well enough to not drown. Maybe... maybe there was just a current or something, a riptide, that dragged him under.

Something in the back of Hazel's mind clicked.

Riptide.

She sat up and dried her tears as best as they would let her.

What if... it wasn't an accident? Maybe Nico was lying to me, saying he was over Percy, when he really wasn't? And he just- he just couldn't take it and ended up... killing himself...

Hazel shook her head violently. No. There's no way. He wouldn't give up so easily, not with everything he's been through. He couldn't just take his own life...

Could he?

As Hazel pondered this, her eyes caught something on Nico's bed. Through her blurry, tearful vision it seemed to be a piece of paper. She stood slowly, never taking her eyes off the object, as if looking away might make it disappear. She approached it cautiously, her head already jumping to conclusions as to what it could be.

It's not a note, It's not a note... it's just a random scrap of paper. His death was an accident, not-

But before she could tell herself another lie, her fears were confirmed.

She picked up the paper, tears rolling down her cheeks, and read the first line.

Dear Hazel...

Annabeth was trying desperately to get Percy under control, but so far, it was futile. He wouldn't stop crying, mumbling nonsense as he sobbed. She rubbed his back and wiped his tears, begging him to take a breath. They had been like this for thirty minutes now, both sitting on the bathroom floor, surrounded by toilet paper scraps Annabeth had tried cleaning Percy's face with.

"Percy, you've got to calm down. I know you're freaking out but I can't help you if you don't relax."

The Son of the Sea God only kept crying though, as he had since he entered the cabin. He had mostly kept himself together until then, now that he was in private.

"He- hic- He's g-gone... an- and it's because of mmmm," he replied, his words lost as he choked on tears.

"Percy," Annabeth soothed, "I can't even tell what you're saying now."

Percy mumbled something else, and Annabeth could only catch Nico, love, and me. The rest was drowned by his weeping.

"You're not making any sense," she said, starting to get agitated. Not only did she want to help Percy, but she also wanted to know just what the hell was going on!

This only seemed to push him further to the edge, for he looked up at her with wild eyes and coughed out another helpless sob. He was so upset that he couldn't even speak properly, and the fact that none of it was getting across to Annabeth was all the more unnerving. But he just couldn't make himself calm down, the loss of Nico had hit him like a freight train as soon as he entered the cabin and let his walls crumble down.

"Percy, you've got to stop; you're going to make yourself sick-"

And right on queue, Percy turned and vomited into the toilet, his body shaking as he gagged. After a few moments, he finished, still clinging to the bowl and breathing raggedly.

The puking seemed to tire him out for the moment though, as his crying stilled, only a few silent tears coming out. Annabeth saw her chance and took it.

"See? Crying like that isn't gonna do you any good. Now... now just stay relaxed, don't get yourself worked up again. I'm gonna get you some water, okay?"

Percy didn't look up, his face still hovering over the toilet, but he nodded slightly, at least that's what Annabeth saw. With that she went to get a cup from the main part of the cabin.

She returned shortly with an old blue mug that the boy had smuggled from Sally. He had always had a liking for it, and eventually it wound up here, serving as something to remind him of his mother. Annabeth hoped that this would help put him at ease.

She filled the mug in the sink and handed it to Percy. With a trembling hand he reached out and took it, slowly bringing it to his lips. He took a few wary sips, still holding the toilet for fear of vomiting more. Annabeth watched and waited as he took a few more sips, finally flushing the toilet and lowering himself back to the floor. Both hands were wrapped around the mug, as if clutching it for dear life. Annabeth joined him on the floor again, studying his face as he tried to control his breathing, his eyes screwed shut in pain.

"Are you okay now?" She asked tentatively, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He took a deep breath and nodded lightly, his eyes still shut to keep himself from crying.

Annabeth opened her mouth to speak, to ask him to tell her what happened, and how the Son of Hades had died. Well, she knew he had drowned, but she had a nagging feeling that there was more to it than that.

But just as she found the words, a thunderous bang sounded on the door. Both their heads snapped up, wide-eyed as the banging continued, the door shaking in it's frame.

Annabeth stood up, confused as to why someone would want to see them now, and why they had to be so damn loud about it. She made her way to the door and unlocked it, ready to open it and tear this jerk a new one. But just as she laid her hand on the knob, the door swung open and the person shoved their way in.

Hazel Levesque gave Annabeth a brief glance, her eyes full of tears and... anger? Before Annabeth could speak the girl had shoved her aside, looking all across the cabin as she clutched a piece of paper in her hand tightly. In half a second she found what she was looking for...

Percy.

The boy seemed to know it too, for the moment she locked eyes with him he knew he was in trouble. The curly-headed girl was already halfway across the cabin now, her furious gaze dead set on Percy as she stomped over to him.

"Hazel-" Annabeth started, her tone worrisome.

Hazel was not fazed and only ignored the blonde.

"How could you?!" She screamed, rage in every word as closed in on the Son of the Sea God.

Percy's eyes went wide, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

"I- I-"

"What is wrong with you?!" Hazel shouted, now standing over the boy on the floor. Her hands were balled into fists, the piece of paper she held now crumpling in her grasp. Fat tears rained from her eyes as she stared down at Percy.

Before he could answer for himself, she shoved the paper in his face, falling to her knees before him. The girl keeled over and cried into her hands, hiccuping as she murmured, "you killed him."

Percy blinked in surprise. This he knew, obviously, but how did she know that? Then he looked down at the paper she had given, and his question was answered.

Dear Hazel,

If you're reading this, I'm probably already gone. Please don't be upset. I wanted this. And I know you're thinking, "who in their right mind would want that?" But that's the thing, I'm not in my "right mind." I haven't been for a long, long time. I couldn't go on living like that, just going day to day through the pain, always trying to endure it. I just can't do it anymore. Ever since Bianca died, my life has been hell. I miss her every waking second, Hazel. And I know you're my sister too, but when she died, so did a part of me. And then I fell in love with him, and things only got worse. I went unnoticed for years, always overshadowed by his bigger problems, or the girls that seemed to flock to him. He never saw me; he didn't want to. Not when Bianca died, not when I was in Tartarus, never. And once I finally tell him, and get over him, he suddenly decides to play games with me?

He kissed me Hazel. And he said he loved me. I didn't know what to do. There's no way that after all those times I went unnoticed, he suddenly "loves" me the second I move on? I got angry and told him off for playing such a cruel trick. And then I wrote this note, and, well, you know what happens next. I'm so sorry Hazel. Please forgive me. I couldn't handle it anymore. I just want to forget this life and be done with it. Maybe I'll choose to be reborn, or maybe I can just roam the fields of Asphodel and never remember a thing about my life. Anything to make this pain stop.

All I wanted was an escape, I hope you understand that. I'm so, so sorry Hazel, please don't be sad. At least now I won't be in pain anymore, so please don't get upset or do anything rash. Just forget about me and move on. Marry Frank, buy a ranch, set up an art studio. Just be happy, okay? Be happy, like I never could.

I love you,

Nico di Angelo