Signs of a Storm

Chapter Fifty-Two

I woke up screaming and crying.

The walls of the house echoed my cries. A few thumps were heard in the dark, and the next thing I knew, Nico was by my bedside, brushing the hair from my face. He looked worried to death as he kept trying to calm me.

"Tara? Tara, you're okay. You're alright. Nothing happened. I-I just heard you scream, and-" I started to sob as reality hit me, and buried my face in his chest.

Nico softly rubbed my back as I felt the warm tears run down my face. I scooted over so he had room next to me. Nico softly patted down my hair as I held onto him, the ghosts of my past haunting me. "It was a vision from the past, about my mother..." I sucked up the pain of retelling it, and spit the rest out. "When she killed herself. She was driven mad by that goddess Aphrodite. I hate her for it. She ruined what could've been my life."

Nico clutched my hand as I wiped away the tears, trying to forget. "But if you didn't have that past, how else would we have met? I'm just as broken as you."

"We can be broken together." I gave a strained smile.

"But if we're both broken, then maybe the two come together to form something beautiful, that isn't broken. Maybe it's fixed."

I smiled against his chest, listening calmly to his heartbeat. Soon enough, I felt my eyes getting heavy, and before I fell asleep once again, I heard Nico softly whispering comforting thoughts to me. "I love you Tara, more than you know. You're my other half. The one who fixed me. And I just hope I can help fix you too."

A single tear streaked down my cheek, but this time it wasn't from pain, but instead, from love and happiness.

~*~

I woke up to the sun shining down on my face. It was a wonderful feeling, besides the fact that my birthday was two days away. Leo would die in two days, or we would save him in the nick of time. I got dressed and made myself acceptable.

As I walked down stairs, I stopped dead in my tracks. But that wasn't an expression.

The one and only Lord Hades was sitting right at the dining table, with Nico giving me a mixed expression. Hades smiled.

"Ah, up bright and early I see! But son, why wouldn't you tell me you were dropping by? I would've come with some treats!" he turned to me, "You know, the Underworld food is todie for!" he let out a hearty laugh.

Nico seemed to roll his eyes and rub his head.

"Dad." he complained.

"Nico, I'm just trying to get a laugh out of you! This is one of my homes by the way. Didn't you notice the HBI on the files? And the door?"

Nico slapped his forehead, "That's where I remember it from. Hades Business Inquiries." He let out a frustrated groan.