Death's Embrace (Nico Di Angelo x femOC)

5: Repeat until death

The days passed by slowly. Every day, Nico and Mariana would sit in the dining pavilion, hoping to hear some news from Percy or the hunters, but there was nothing. They trained together, tried to climb the lava wall, played Mythomagic, talked a lot. To be honest, Mariana didn't know why she was so antsy, she didn't know Nico for that long, but somehow, she didn't like seeing him so down, he was the only camper so far who really wanted to spend time with her and he had this- this energy that make her feel at home somehow, she could even say they were friends now.

But no matter what they did, a sense of dread and worry hung over them like a dark cloud. They could try to distract themselves, but they were both on edge, their hearts heavy.

It was a few days after the hunters had left. The camp was still eerily quiet. Nico was sitting at one of the tables in the dining pavilion, his expression was so miserable. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Mariana walked up to him, looking worried. "Hey," she said softly. "You look like crap."

"Thanks," Nico replied sarcastically. "I feel like crap."

She sat down across from him, studying his face. His eyes were red-rimmed and dark circles. "You haven't been sleeping, have you?"

Nico shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I keep having these dreams. I keep seeing Bianca in danger."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah, like nightmares I guess," he said. "But so real, like they could really be happening. I hear her voice...and I see Percy too..."

"Nico...Those are not nightmares" She treaded carefully.

He looked up at her, confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean? Of course they're nightmares. They're just dreams."

"They're not just dreams," she said quietly. "They are what we called Demigods dreams, we often have vivid and prophetic dreams that can provide glimpses into the future, past, or warn us about something, sometimes is really symbolic"

Nico's face paled visibly. "So... what you're saying is that my dreams could be showing me what's actually happening with Bianca?"

She nodded. "It's possible," she said slowly. "But Nico, you gotta understand, dreams can be confusing. They don't always mean exactly what they appear. It could be a warning, a sign, but maybe not a direct vision of what's happening with Bianca."

Nico closed his eyes, clenching his fists. "So, you're telling me I could be dreaming that my sister is in trouble, but she could actually be perfectly fine?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "I know it's hard to accept, but you gotta stay hopeful. Dreams can be misleading."

Nico looked up at her, his eyes pleading. "But what if they're not? What if Bianca really is in danger?"

Mariana bit her lip. She didn't want to add to his anxiety, but she didn't want to lie to him either. "If your dreams are warning you, then something could be going on," she said carefully. "But we don't know anything for sure yet, okay?"

He nodded, his eyes watering again. "I hate this," he mumbled. "I hate feeling helpless. We can't do anything except sit and wait."

She reached across the table and put her hand on his arm. "I know," she said sympathetically. "But you're not alone. We are... friends, right?"

He looked at her, a hint of a smile on his face. "Yeah," he said softly. "We're friends."

"And friends look out for each other," she said firmly. "I'll help you through this, okay? We'll get through this together."

It was night already, the frozen lake looked even more ominous in the darkness, reflecting the stars and the full moon like a giant black mirror. Mariana and Nico stood at the edge of the water, both silent. The atmosphere was heavy, filled with a sense of unease and anticipation. It was almost as if the lake was holding its breath, waiting for something to break the silence.

When suddenly, she felt something inside of her, and she just knew that Bianca was dead. Her heart sank. She could feel the weight of Bianca's death, like a cold, heavy stone in her stomach. But she didn't say anything to Nico, not yet. She looked at him, trying to keep her expression neutral.

But unbeknown to her, Nico felt it too, it was a weird and new feeling. it seemed almost impossible. Nico's face froze. His eyes widened. He could feel it too. It wasn't a feeling he had ever experienced before, but somehow, he knew, deep down, that what he was feeling was the death of his sister. But he ignored it and dismiss it, it couldn't be. Percy promised to keep her safe. She was fine. She was alive.

He shook his head, trying to push away the feeling. No. She's fine. Percy promised. She has to be okay. This feeling isn't real. It's just a prank of my mind. He repeated these words over and over in his head, trying to convince himself that it was true. He wanted to hold onto hope, to believe that Percy would keep his promise. But the feeling wouldn't go away.

He looked at Mariana, his face pale. Was she able to sense it too? She had that weird look on her face, as if she knew something he didn't. He couldn't tell if it was sympathy or pity.

"Nico," she said softly. "Are you alright?"

He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. He didn't want to admit it, not even to himself. "Yeah," he lied. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired, you know?"

She studied his face for a moment, her eyes searching his. He could tell that she didn't believe him, but she didn't push it. "Okay," she said quietly.

And just like that Friday came along with the winter solstice....