Nico didn't want to go back to the world of the living right away. Even though he might not feel entirely comfortable in the land of the dead, it was one of the only places he felt completely safe. He thought that maybe he should go find out what the furies had wanted, but that would no doubt take all night and accomplish nothing much.
He had been busy and tense for weeks, for once he wanted to relax while he could so instead he decided to take Cerberus for a walk. No one else ever remembered to and the poor guy needed as much exercise as he could get. His walk towards Cerberus was interrupted by a new thought that made Nico pause.
If the doors of death were open right now... then not only bad people could get out... good people could get out too which meant... Bianca! But no, he had forgotten she had chosen to reincarnate and leave Nico again. Again he started walking towards Cerberus slower this time. Would she have left if she had known there was a chance she could have come back into life and they could have been a family again? He was starting to think she probably would have, after all she had left him to join the hunters even before she died.
Before Nico knew it, he was wandering through the fields of Asphodel hearing the chattering of all of the ghosts. His eyes passed over their insubstantial forms and unknowable faces until he settled on something different. A girl who was certainly not unknowable, her skin was dark, her hair a mass of cinnamon curls and her eyes a startling gold. Mortals didn't ever keep that much detail in the fields, neither did demigods other than... oh.
"Hello there." Nico said kneeling down in front of the girl who was sitting on the ground. She was wearing a black dress with a white collar, she looked up at him in shock but with understanding in her eyes. "I'm Nico Di Angelo, can you speak?"
"Yes I can" She said her eyebrows drawn together in concern. "I know no one else here seems to be able to but.." Nico did a quick appraisal of the girl and realized she didn't seem Greek. Roman then, that was fine, it only changed the name of his father he would give.
"What's your name?" Nico asked carefully.
"Hazel Levesque." She said brushing a curl out of her face.
"Well, Hazel Levesque, you remember who you are because you're a child of Pluto. That means that death hasn't affected you the same way it has these others." Nico said waving at the indistinct souls around them. "It also means that I'm your half brother and I'm here to help you." Nico said standing. He missed having a sister and if she was his family then he was willing to help her anyway. She looked up at him in confusion not taking his hand.
"Come on." He encouraged her softly. "I can help you get a second chance at life, and I know somewhere you'll be safe once you're there. Don't worry you'll be fine." Hesitantly, Hazel took his hand and stood. Nico still didn't know exactly where the door to death was but if it was open, then the entire veil would be weakened and as shadows found any possible escape, he should be able to simply shadow travel her out.
"Have you ever shadow traveled before, Hazel?" She shook her head looking confused. "Then you might want to close your eyes, it can be very disorientating the first time." She nodded and closed her eyes and before Nico could change his mind or chicken out he pulled them both back through the shadows. There was more resistance than usual, the shadows didn't want to let Hazel go, but Nico gritted his teeth and held on. When the shadows seemed to realize that Nico wasn't giving up they reluctantly uncurled from around them and receded, leaving them on a hill overlooking New Rome in the moonlight.
Nico stumbled and sat down hard, he hadn't kept track of how many times he had shadow traveled that day.
"Are you alright?" Hazel asked kneeling next to Nico worried.
