Nico's Tale: The End of the World.

Seaweed Brain

Nico felt the soil matting his hair and the clumps of grass sticking furiously to his shirt.

"Ah, Dam it!" He managed, remembering the old joke Percy, Thalia, Grover, Zoe (A/N yes i know it's spelt with an I-don't-know-how-to-spell-it) and...

"Bianca."

Jack turned towards him, the glowing sword evidently having obtained several scratches in the scuffle.

"She your Girlfriend or something?"

Nico felt the stab in his chest grow even wider with that statement as he resisted the urge to have a skeleton come and drag him away.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UUUUUP!" He yelled, furious with the stupid, stupid, idiotic, incessant-

"Frey... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to talk about her. I was just trying to lighten the mood!"

"YOU IDIOT! Have you NO BLOODY SELF AWARENESS?"

Nico was on his feet now, roaring in a way he had never thought possible. Every single negative emotion welled up inside him and he took hold of the sword, slicing him across the ground with a fury he hadn't experienced since Percy came back with news of Bianca's, Bianca's...

Jack grunted in pain, struggling to dislodge himself.

"DO YOU THINK I'M THE ONLY TALKING SWORD MADE? ARE YOU REALLY SO THICK THAT YOU THINK - woah there!"

Nico drew his Stygian Iron sword and stared him down, dark energy crowding around him in a loss of all thinking. He was angry, he hurt.

"I'm sorry! I lost my sister too! She was discarded so soon after we were melded that I never mention he - URK!"

Nico had his sword lightly touching the other as he screamed out in pain, yelling all Hel, his runes all flashing red in unison.

"STOP! STOP PLEASE!"

Nico dropped his sword as a pain more vicious than any other curled around his gut. It felt like fire blooming inside him, burning his insides, tearing them up and eating them.

He collapsed to the ground, clutching his head as the pain spread up there.

Jack's healing mind kicked in and he tried to find out what was wrong but he couldn't.

???

Sally Jackson knocked on the door of the intimidating Brownstone that stood out like a sore thumb amongst the Boston Skyline. Tears laced her cheeks as she looked around frantically for any sign of a crack.

Annabeth Chase ripped the door open, knife ready but almost immediately dropped as she saw the bruises and cuts on her face.

She pulled her into a tight hug as she helped her through to the infirmary. Their best healer was out, trying to find anything that could help them. Magnus was their second best, but even he couldn't get to everybody.

Sadie rushed to Sally's side, supporting her as she sank into one of the many chairs scattered around.

"Paul, Paul, he's~"

Annabeth's eyes widened and shook as she thought about him and... And the fact that Sally had arrived alone.

She fell backwards, thinking of the face of her sister-by-relationship. The cheeky grin, the amazed smile as Percy would rock her, singing under the sea in that beautiful out of tune that voice that filled her with so much love and compassion. That crap-eating grin that came from her seaweed brain that always made her heart fill to the brim and sometimes over.

"Annabeth? Sweetheart are you okay?"

Sally Jackson, mother of the two most amazing people that ever left their mark on this planet. Two amazing people who would never breath again.

She started choking, not even trying to breath as she thought of their smiles, their laughter. She thought of how much she wished to see them again, kiss her boyfriend, hug his sister. Lift her up and show her the plans she had made for her future and made her promise that she could never ever tell Percy...

"Annabeth! Annabeth come on, come on, stay with us!"

She stopped choking and began just daydreaming, her vision fading into white as she saw two figures sprinting towards her. One had those classic green eyes, one with that beautiful, carefree grin.

People crowded around Annabeth, as Sadie put her ear to her chest. Her heartbeat was slowing, slowing, slowing.

When it was so long between beats it was almost a minute, the people nearest her heard a faint sound, filled with happiness as a smile spread onto the daughter of Athena's face.

Magnus had joined them by this time, crying his own tears as his cousin uttered one last word.

"Percy..."

Sadie checked her pulse and found it gone. She looked up, scared and crying.

Annabeth Chase, Wise Girl, was dead.