Nico, Oliver, and I hailed a taxi and drove toward the sunrise. I was anxious to get there quickly because I wasn't sure if Hemera would stick around after the sunrise was over and I didn't really want to stay here for another day. I was actually pretty pleased with how well the quest was going. It was only the first day and we already had a good idea of where Hemera was.

But I was still scared. 'What if's' swam around in my head and made me doubt myself. What if we can't find Hemera? What if she won't help us? Nerves were twisting my stomach in knots and I fiddled with my mace nervously. Oliver was sitting in between Nico and I and he noticed that I was worried.

"It's going to be fine, Juliet." He gave me a reassuring smile and patted me knee. I tried to return his cheery grin, but it turned out like a grimace. I glanced past Oliver at Nico, who was staring out the window at the rising sun. He had tired lines etched in his face, but the pink light of the sun softened them. I wondered what he was thinking about. After a few seconds of staring, I wrenched my gaze away and looked out my own window.

The city was finally waking up. People were rubbing their sleepy eyes as they drove to work. Everyone was rushing to where they needed to be and no one seemed to notice the soft glow of the sunrise. No one was stopping to appreciate it. The smog from Los Angeles had always clouded the sky at my house, so it was kind of magical for me to see such a breathtaking phenomenon.

The taxi cab driver finally pulled to a stop at the side of the road next to the ocean.

"Here's you go, kids." He said. Oliver paid him while Nico and I got out of the taxi. It had gotten a lot warmer since the time we first got into the taxi cab so I rolled the sleeves of my sweater up to my elbows. I glanced at Nico who was still wearing his large aviator jacket. He was probably cooking in it, but I didn't say anything because I knew it was special to him. In fact, the only times I had ever seen him take it off were for sword fighting and when he gave it to me when I was cold. The memory of the weight of Nico's coat on my shoulders and the feeling of his hand in mine made me blush and turn back to the sunrise.

Oliver joined us a moment later and the taxi drove away. We walked down onto the beach and I looked around. It was so early that no one was on the beach; well, other than an eccentric old lady who should not have been wearing a bikini. I turned back to the boys and put my hands on my hips.

"Well, now what? Where is she?" I asked them. Nico raised one eyebrow at me.

"Did you expect Hemera to just be sitting on the beach, or something?" I could see the grin in his eye and I smiled back. Then we all turned in circles as we scanned the beach. It was vast and flat. There were no rocks, caves, or shelters for her to be hiding in. Disappointment sunk like a rock in my stomach as I realized she most likely wasn't here.

"Let's spread out and look for her." Oliver suggested halfheartedly. I sighed, but started walking down the beach anyways. The sun was rising quickly and it wouldn't be long before it wasn't touching the water anymore. The soft, pink glow had brightened to a light yellow and I knew we were running out of time.

This is hopeless. I thought to myself. Out loud I mumbled, "How are we ever going to find her?"

"Who are you looking for, dearie?" I jumped at the raspy voice behind me. I whipped around to see the old lady (red bikini and all) standing behind me.

"Uh, just some goddess. You probably don't know her…" Nico would probably yell at me for not being discreet about the whole "We're Demigods" thing. I guess he had a point, though, because you never know who is a monster. However, I was fairly sure that this frail, crazy lady wasn't a monster. At least, not one that could hurt us.

The woman raised a gray eyebrow at me. "Oh really?" she croaked. "Try me." I stared at her cautiously. Maybe she was crazier than I thought.

"Hemera." I don't know why I told her, but there wasn't really a reason for me not to.

"Well, dearie, you're in luck." She said with a toothless smile.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She didn't say anything; just kept smiling. I took a small step back. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but I have to –" My next words died in my throat as the old woman's eyes started glowing. My first thought was "Dang it! Another monster", but there was a tiny voice in my head telling me she wasn't a threat. The colors in her eyes looked so familiar… there were soft pinks and vibrant yellows. Then I realized what it was; the sunrise. There was miniature sunrise, exactly like the one behind us, in her eyes. Then everything clicked into place.

"Y- you're Hemera?" I asked incredulously. She grinned wider and showed off her rotted teeth.

"In the flesh!" I tried to hide my disappointment, but it was pretty hard. I mean, I had been expecting a beautiful young woman dressed in battle armor. Not a saggy old person in a swimming suit. I shifted on my feet. Now that I had found her, I wasn't sure what to say to her.

"So…" I began, but I didn't know what to say after that.

"Oh, I know what you need, dearie." She had a mischievous glint in her eye that made her appear younger. "You need help defeating Erebos." I nodded, although I wasn't sure how she would be able to help. She didn't look very strong.

"As you have noticed," Hemera continued. "I am not in my strongest form."

You don't say. I thought sarcastically, but I held my tongue. I didn't need an angry goddess on my bad side.

"Ever since Erebos began to grow more powerful, I have grown weaker. He is sucking the light out of the day and therefore sucking away my life force as well. "

"Wait, wait." I interrupted. "You mean you're dying? Can goddesses even die? I thought you guys were immortal, or something."

"We are." She replied. "But Erebos is more powerful than he has ever been. We aren't sure what he is capable of."

"But how do we stop him?" I asked. I was beginning to feel hopeless again.

"Since I'm a goddess I can take many forms. And my true form is the most powerful. Even now, at the weakest state I've ever been, I can still pack a punch." I raised my eyebrows skeptically as Hemera fell into a fit of coughing. After a few moments of wheezing, she continued. "Once you find the location where Erebos is gathering power and darkness all you have to do is release my true form and it should destroy the source of his power."

"It should destroy it." I repeated. I was starting to feel nervous and worried again. "How do we release your true form?" I was fairly sure Hemera wouldn't be able to make the journey with us. Even though she was a goddess, she was weaker than us at the moment.

"You'll carry me in your mace!" Once again, she was grinning at me as if she were a genius. I figured she had a screw loose.

"I'll… carry you in my mace?" I repeated, more than a little concerned about her sanity. Hemera nodded.

"Yes, yes, dearie. My true form will inhabit your mace and at the right time you will release me!"

"That sounds too simple." I replied. I wanted to believe that it could be done that easily, but I knew there had to be a problem. "What's the catch?" Hemera only grinned and shook her head.

"Oh, there is none! Well, other than the fact that whoever is around will be incinerated by my true form and the destruction of Erebos." She kept grinning and it was beginning to look sadistic. My heart hammered in my chest as I processed her words.

"You mean… we're going to die?" My lungs felt like they were shriveling up and I struggled to breathe. The world spun around me and I felt like I was going to pass out. This wasn't fair! We were too young to die. Nico had gone through too much for it all to end now and Oliver was going to do great things and change the world with his ideas. I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to my mom. For a fleeting moment I thought about running away and ignoring the quest. Then reality came rushing back and I knew that I had to do this. That's what being a hero is all about; sacrificing yourself for others.

"Oh, don't worry, dearie. You'll be fine! Now close your eyes and I'll transfer myself into your mace." I was still in shock, but I managed to shut my eyes in time. I felt a blast of hot air on my face as Hemera erupted into her true from. I opened my eyes when I was sure it was safe. I looked down at my mace, but it didn't look or feel any different.

I felt a heavy weight on my shoulders that hadn't been there before; the knowledge of my imminent death and of Nico and Oliver's unchangeable fate.

There has to be a way around this! I yelled in my mind. I dragged Oliver and Nico along with me. I asked them to come with me on this quest and there is no way they are going to die. Not on my watch! But even as I told myself this, I knew that it was hopeless. We had to destroy Erebos, even if it meant sacrificing out lives.

I looked up and saw Nico walking further down the beach. I turned to look the other direction and saw Oliver shrinking in the distant. Neither of them had any idea that their fates were sealed or their lives would be so short. Of course I knew there were risks to being a demigod and many of them have died young, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

I unhooked my mace from my belt and held it lightly in my hands. As I stared at it, a hollow feeling spread through my stomach. This was the weapon that would save the world, but it was also the weapon that would take my life. Our lives. Suddenly I had an idea. It was crazy, scary, and the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew that I had to do it; I knew I had to save Nico and Oliver. I tightened my grip on my mace until my knuckles turned white.

I had to do this alone.

The thought of continue my quest alone made me so scared I started shaking, but I knew it was what I had to do. I told myself that I would split up with them on our way to New Orleans. I would take their tickets so that they wouldn't be able to follow me and by the time they made their way to New Orleans, it would all be over. I had to be the hero and save everyone, no matter how scared I was. I wanted to cry, scream, or kick something, but I felt too numb.

I started wandering aimlessly in Nico's direction, not really caring about where my feet were stepping. I walked for a few minutes before I heard Nico call my name. I looked up and saw that he wasn't too far away. He started walking in my direction and I waited for him. When he finally reached me I noticed that he looked frustrated.

"There's no way we are going to find her." He said while twisting his ring. Normally I would notice how cute he looked when he was nervous, but I was still processing my conversation with Hemera. "Juliet?" Nico's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I forced a grin onto my face, but I could tell Nico didn't buy it.

"Did you have any luck finding Hemera?" He asked. Suddenly my throat felt like it was closing up and I couldn't trust myself to speak, so I only nodded. Nico practically jumped out of his skin.

"What?" He gasped. "Where is she? What did she say?" I held up a hand for him to stop asking questions. I cleared my throat and managed to choke out a reply.

"Let's find Oliver. Then I'll explain everything." We walked side by side in the direction that Oliver had gone. I think Nico knew that something was bothering me because he stayed quiet and didn't press me for details. For some reason his silence was reassuring. I knew that I only had a short time left to spend with him, but I didn't feel like talking.

We spotted Oliver further down the beach, but he was walking towards us. He probably realized that it was hopeless. After another minute or two of walking we finally met up.

"Hey," Oliver greeted us. He looked tired, but he still managed a smile. Before he could say anything else Nico said, "Juliet found her." Oliver's eyes widened and I began my explanation. I told them how Hemera was the old lady, how her powers were draining, and how she now 'possessed' my mace. I told them that we had to go to Jazzland and release her true form in order to destroy Erebos. Of course, I left out the part that I was going to leave them and do it myself. I also failed to mention the part about me dying. I knew that if I told them they would insist on coming and I couldn't have that.

By the end of my speech, Oliver had a huge grin on his face and Nico looked content. It made my stomach churn to see their expressions.

"Well, we'd better get a move on." Oliver said. "We've got to catch a train to New Orleans" I nodded and tried to look excited, but really I felt sick. Nico and I followed Oliver back up to the highway where he hailed another taxi. We climbed inside and this time I sat in the middle with Nico to my right and Oliver to my left. Oliver gave the driver directions to take us to the train station and we relaxed back into our seats.

Well, Oliver and Nico did, always. I sat up straight and on edge. I felt really anxious because this time tomorrow I might not even be alive. I looked over at Oliver who was leaning his head back and had his eyes closed. Even when he was trying to sleep his lips curled up in his knowing smile. I wished that I would have smiled more in my life. I wished I could have been more like Oliver; seeing the good in everything and being fascinated by the world.

I turned my gaze to Nico, but he was already looking at me. Heat traveled through my body and up to my cheeks. His eyes were full of concern and it almost made me want to tell him about my secret plan. Almost. Nico's stare was so intense that I felt like he was reading my mind and I had to turn away. But he wasn't going to give up that easily. His soft fingers brushed my hand and I blushed even brighter. Even so, I took his hand and held it tightly. I was thankful that he wasn't trying to get me to talk and that he was being there for me, just like I had been there for him.

Then I realized that I was going to abandon him. I had told him I was never going to leave, but now I was about to leave him alone just like everyone else in his life had. I was no better than the rest of them. This revelation hit me so hard that the breath was shocked out of my lungs. I tried not to look at Nico, but I could see him staring at me in my peripheral vision. I was afraid that if I looked him in the eye right now I wouldn't be able to leave.

So instead I closed my eyes. But I could still feel his hand. My palms were cold and clammy, but his were surprisingly warm. They didn't feel anything like they did that night in the forest. He squeezed my hand softly and I suddenly had the urge to cry. I held back my tears and held onto his hand like it was a life line, but I knew that no one, not even Nico, could save me.

An hour later we were sitting on a bench beside the train tracks. Oliver had used almost all of the money Chiron had given us to buy the tickets. This was a relief because it meant they couldn't afford to buy more tickets to follow me once I left. The train was scheduled to arrive any minute now and then we would be on our way. My heart was beating fast and I doubted it would ever slow back down.

I kept sneaking glances at Oliver and Nico, trying to memorize their faces and personalities. I observed the way Oliver sat with his back straight and the way Nico slouched. I noticed that Oliver's left eye was a darker shade of green than his right eye. Nico had the word 'apathy' written in tiny, Greek letters on the heels of his converse. Oliver had a small scar on the palm of his hand.

But the stolen glances weren't enough to make me feel better. I wasn't sure what would happen when I died. Would I remember them? Would I just wander around the Underworld for the rest of my life? Since Hades is the god of the Underworld, did that mean I would still be able to see Nico even if I was dead? That thought gave me a tiny spark of hope, but it was extinguished by another thought; would Nico even want to see me again once he realized that I abandoned him?

My thoughts were ended by the squealing of the train's brakes. Oliver jumped up immediately to admire its wheels. I stood up more slowly and reluctantly and Nico stood close to me. Part of me was thankful that he was showing me some affection, but another part of me wished he would stop. I knew that if we got closer it would only hurt us both more. Even so, I couldn't help but wish he would take my hand and never let go.

Once the passengers had all gotten off the train, Nico, Oliver, and I climbed in. The train was surprisingly uncrowded and we easily found and empty car. I set my bag down in a random seat and Nico immediately sat down in the chair next to mine. I tried to suppress a smile, but I failed. Nico caught my small grin and returned it. Oliver hadn't noticed any of this and he sat across from us. There was a small table between us and he rested his elbows on it.

"This is kind of exciting, isn't it?" He said.

Oh yeah, tons of fun. I thought to myself. When no one replied to his comment he leaned back in his chair and stared out the window. The train hadn't started yet, but it would any second. We sunk into an uncomfortable silence and I really wanted to say something, but I didn't know what to say. I wanted to have fun the last couple days of my life and laugh with my two best friends, but things weren't looking too great.

Eventually the train began to move and Oliver drifted off to sleep. When he began to snore quietly Nico turned to me. I was surprised by the intensity in his eyes. They glinted with dark determination.

"Something's wrong." He said shortly "Tell me."

"It's nothi –"

"No it's not." He interrupted. "You've been acting differently ever since you found Hemera." I stayed silent. Nico almost looked hurt that I wasn't talking to him. "Don't you trust me?" He asked quietly.

"Of course I do, Nico!" I said immediately. "More than I've ever trusted anyone. I'm just worried about the quest." It wasn't a complete lie. The sharp look in Nico's eye vanished and he sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"Me too." I loved it when Nico opened up to me. It made me feel good to know that he trusted me enough to tell me his fears and secrets.

"You'll be okay." But would he? How would he deal with my death; the death of his closest friend? I tried not to think about it, but I knew he wouldn't trust anyone ever again. His heart had already been broken so many times. Once by his sister when she abandoned him to become a Hunter of Artemis; again when his hero, Percy Jackson, broke his promise. And now, after I helped him trust again, I am going to leave him on his own. I wasn't sure if Nico could take any more hurt.

I flipped the armrest between us up and leaned into him. I took a deep breathe of his rich, forest scent and closed my eyes. After a moment, Nico wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer.

"You'll be okay." I murmured again. I felt Nico's chest rise and fall and his breathe tickled my hair.

"So will you." He sounded so firm and sure and I wanted to believe him more than anything else. I was tired of thinking about the future. Instead, I emptied my mind and savored the moment. Nico was so much warmer than you would have thought. On the outside he looked cold and intimidating, but he was really kind, funny, and childlike.

I sighed into his jacket and felt myself drifting off to sleep. After a while I heard Nico's voice, but I wasn't sure if I was awake or it was just a dream. His voice was distant and it echoed, as if he were speaking from the other side of a canyon.

"Goodnight, bella." He murmured. I didn't know what language it was, or if it was even real, but it filled me with happy warmth. I smiled and thanked the gods for this moment. Even if I was going to die soon, I was thankful that I would get one last peaceful moment with Nico. I was grateful for this last ray of light in a world full of darkness.

Bella means 'beautiful' in Italian. At least, it does according to Google translate. Please review! Pretty please with Nico on top!