Vai allora, ci sono altri mondi oltre a questi- Italian proverb.
An intense burst of pain disrupted Nico's dreams. He sat up, the pain forgotten, and rubbed his eyes before looking around the room.
Hazel slept in the chair by the desk, curled up under an old blanket. He remembered the day he found her in Asphodel. One of his fondest memories.
He looked down at Will sleeping next to him.
The door was opened so when a light popped on somewhere in the hallway it distracted Nico for a moment. He settled back down and tried to get back to sleep.
He drifted, listening to the sound of Will's breathing and the rhythmic ticking of the clock marking the passage of time.
Someone cleared their throat and called his name. He remembered the night before and instinctively looked at Hazel.
But it wasn't her. A girl stood in the doorway wearing a simple white dress with daisies on it. "Nico," she called again. Her voice was strange, ethereal and it was enough for him to recognize she was from the Underworld.
"Hemera," he guessed.
She shook her head slightly.
He hesitated, afraid to guess wrong a second time. "Eos," he tried.
She just laughed. "Of course not."
He stared at her, trying to make sense of it. Will coughed and shifted in his sleep, distracting Nico again.
"Hey," she shouted.
"Sorry. Are you Korè?"
She rolled her eyes. "Goodness no." She waved for him to follow her. He hurried after her, forgetting about Will and Hazel for the moment.
He thought of Bronte and the days in the strawberry fields. "Elpis," he said, feeling more certain.
She faltered but continued walking ahead of him. She turned her head slightly to address him. "No but I suppose that is close enough. In fact, that's a compliment. I would thank you but I can't stay here very long."
As soon as he left the Big House, he felt a sudden dissonance. It reminded him of taking Percy to the Underworld after visiting May Castellan.
"No," he almost screamed. "I can't leave. There's too much at stake."
Makaria stopped and turned to face him. "You're allowed to stay. It may not be everything you've ever wanted but that's never stopped you before." She moved closer a few steps. "And you are always free to choose."
He considered her words. The Big House was only a few paces behind him. He waved his arm through the wooden frame.
"You made it your home and you are allowed to stay."
He considered it some more and declined the offer. "It wouldn't be fair to Will."
Her radiance dimmed and she sat down in the grass. "I'm not actually in that much of a hurry."
"He can't spend his life with me haunting him. Even if I wanted to wait for him. But if what happens if I leave?"
She looked pleased. "What exactly are you asking me, little brother?"
"My- our dad hates them. I'm afraid of what happens next."
"Your friends won't be harmed. Enough of them have proven their worth."
"But what about Kronos?"
"I'm glad you asked. How do you feel about that?"
"I didn't mean to bring him back. The last thing I wanted was another war."
"Good thing it wasn't you, am I right?"
Nico blinked in surprise. "But he is back. I know it's him. Who else?"
"It was a tactical retreat. He knew he couldn't win without Hades."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you were able to succeed where Luke failed."
"But I didn't do anything."
"You did a lot. But since you're worried about it, Annabeth knew Luke for a long time before things got out of hand.
I have to wonder," Makaria began. She looked pointedly at him. "Why would Kronos help our dad with everything that's happened since?"
"He probably wouldn't. He's probably really patient, being the Titan of time and all."
"See? None of this was your problem. But you did so much anyway." She stood up again. "We should go. Don't worry. I have your back if Minos tries anything again."
He had forgotten about Minos somehow. The memory scared him for new reasons. "I'm not ready. I wanted more."
Makaria closed the distance between them. "Everyone does. But Hades doesn't send me after just anyone." She claimed Nico and drew him back into shadow.
The worst sound Hazel could have imagined was what woke her that morning. She straightened in the chair trying to make sense of what was happening.
Will had already left the room by that point. She could hear him in the hall yelling for help. The tone of his voice turned her blood to ice.
He came back in the room and pleaded with her. "I was right there. Why didn't he wake me up?" There was a small blood stain on his shirt. Hazel struggled with the idea that it was Nico's blood.
She got out of the chair but Will just shouted at her not to move the body.
A pyre was built but Nico had always been the one to honor the dead. No one could bring themselves to set it on fire.
Until Chiron came by in the evening.
Will and Hazel would spend the next several days at the site. Kayla came by often and was inconsolable but she convinced Will to stay and finish his studies.
Kayla and Hazel built the plane that Will had given him just a day before and set it among the ashes. Will retrieved the rosary that Nico had once discarded in the Hades cabin and added it. Kayla brought an octopus plushie that she brought with her when she first arrived at Camp Half-blood.
The pile grew as time went by, with new campers arriving and they continued the ritual without really knowing why.