𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬'𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 • 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺 𝘫𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘰𝘯

Nico di Angelo

Y/n's Pov:

I had a nightmare.

See, for half-bloods, dreams are hardly ever just dreams. We get messages. We glimpse things that are happening to our friends or enemies. Sometimes we even glimpse the past or the future. And at camp, my dreams were always more frequent and vivid.

I saw the dark shore of a river. Wisps of fog drifted across the black water. The beach was strewn with jagged volcanic rock. A young boy squatted at the riverbank, tending a campfire. The flames burned an unnatural blue colour. 

Then I saw the boy's face. It was Nico di Angelo. He was throwing pieces of paper into the fire—Mythomagic trading cards, part of the game he'd been obsessed with last winter.

Nico was only ten, or maybe eleven by now, but he looked older. His hair had grown longer. It was shaggy and almost touched his shoulders. His eyes were dark. His olive skin had turned paler. He wore ripped black jeans and a battered aviator's jacket that was several sizes too big, unzipped over a black shirt. His face was grimy, his eyes a little wild. He looked like a kid who'd been living on the streets.

I cared about Nico a lot, I couldn't bear to see him in that state. He looked, dead, and not because he was a child of Hades.

Nico tossed another trading card into the blue flames. "Useless," he muttered. "I can't believe I ever loved this stuff."

"A childish game, master," another voice agreed. It seemed to come from near the fire, but I couldn't see who was talking.

Nico stared across the river. On the far shore was a black beach shrouded in haze. I recognized it: the Underworld. Nico was camping at the edge of the river Styx.

"I've failed," he muttered. "There's no way to get her back."

The other voice kept silent.

Nico turned toward it doubtfully. "Is there? Speak."

Something shimmered. I thought it was just a firelight. Then I realized it was the form of a man—a wisp of blue smoke, a shadow. If you looked at him head-on, he wasn't there. But if you looked out of the corner of your eye, you could make out his shape. A ghost.

"It has never been done," the ghost said. "But there may be a way."

"Tell me," Nico commanded. His eyes shined with a fierce light.

"An exchange," the ghost said."A soul for a soul."

"I've offered!"

"Not yours," the ghost said. "You cannot offer your father a soul he will eventually collect anyway. Nor will he be anxious about the death of his son. I mean a soul that should have died already. Someone who has cheated death."

Nico'sface darkened. "Not that again. You're talking about murder."

"I'm talking about justice," the ghost said."Vengeance."

"Those are not the same thing." The ghost laughed dryly. "You will learn differently as you get older."

Nico stared at the flames. "Why can't I at least summon her? I want to talk to her. She would... she would help me."

"I will help you," the ghost promised. "Have I not saved you many times? Did I not lead you through the maze and teach you to use your powers? Do you want revenge for your sister or not?"

I didn't like the ghost's tone of voice. He reminded me of a kid at my old orphanage, a bully who used to convince other kids to do stupid things like steal the sick kids' food and vandalize the caretakers' cars. The bully never got in trouble himself, but he got tons of other kids in trouble. Nico turned from the fire so the ghost couldn't see him, but I could.

A tear traced its way down his face."Very well. You have a plan?"

"Oh, yes," the ghost said, sounding quite pleased. "We have many dark roads to travel. We must start—" 

The dream shifted. Nico vanished. 

Then I saw her face. Bianca. She was looking at me as if she were talking to me directly.

"Y/n," she spoke, although it sounded as if she were far away. "He tries to summon me."

This time, I could speak. "Nico?"

"He wants me to return," Bianca spoke. "But I don't want to come back. I knew what I was doing that day. He has to survive without me."

"Bianca," I told her. "A ghost convinced him to commit murder."

"I know Nico. He won't do it, even if it means getting me back. I taught him better."

"Well, that's good news. Who is that ghost?"

"I don't know, but Y/n, promise me you'll take care of Nico. Be the sister I will not be able to be."

"Bianca, I - "

"I know you can, I trust you, Y/n. I trust you'll do the right thing."

I trust you'll do the right thing. Artemis said that too.

"But - "

"Please," Bianca pleaded. "Promise you will."

I thought about it. Nico had always felt very close to me, mostly since Bianca and I were close. I cared about him and adored him in a sibling manner kind of way.

I held out my pinky. "I promise."

Bianca interlaced her pinky with my own. A shiver ran down my spine, her hand was super cold.

~

I woke up, sweating and hyperventilating. It was night, and Percy wasn't there, which made me miss his warmth. 

I needed to tell him about my feelings. Soon.

I stood in the middle of the cabin, smelling the scent of Amaranth flowers as the stars on the ceiling illuminated the room. 

Bianca's words kept resonating in my head. Promise me you'll take care of Nico. Be the sister I will not be able to be.

I needed to find Nico ASAP. He was alive. He was trying to bring his sister back from the dead. And I had a feeling I knew what soul he wanted to exchange—someone who had cheated death. Vengeance. 

 Nico di Angelo would come looking for Percy.

A/N: AAAAA SORRY IT'S SO SHORT! FILLER CHAPTER!

Emi Riddle