Vegas Skies (Solangelo AU)

PART TEN

That next morning, Nico and Will were awoken by sobbing.

Nico instantly knew what had happened. There would be no other explanation. Especially with what had been going on all summer.

He threw off his blanket and got down from his bed. Will was getting off the couch too. They didn't even bother acknowledging each other as they left the room. Together, they ran to Hades and Persephone's room.

Persephone was crying into Hades's chest. Hazel was clutching onto a teary eyed Frank as she cried silently. He was holding onto her too. 

Nico just couldn't bring himself to look at Hades's profile. He didn't want to see his still face. Unmoving. Forever. Like his mother. Like his sister. He closed his eyes and pretended not to hear Persephone's sobs. He pretended it wasn't real and the entire summer had been a weird dream.

But he couldn't lie to himself forever. Will had suddenly taken his hand and squeezed it, trying to comfort him. Nico opened his eyes to look at their joined hands. Then he looked at Will. There was sadness in his eyes. He truly felt bad about Hades's death. Almost like any husband would be if their husband's father had died.

Nico finally looked at Hades face. He had to do it. He couldn't pretend for the rest of his life.

Nico didn't notice anything too different. His death was new. He most likely wasn't even that cold yet. His eyes were closed and if you didn't look too closely, he could've come off as asleep but Nico knew better. There was  no rise or fall of his chest. No shadow of pain in his features. And he was so so still. Such perfect stillness only came with the touch of death.

He wanted to cry and break down. He wanted to yell at the universe for picking off his family one by one. 

For a long time, the only sounds that could be heard were Persephone's and Hazel's crying. No one wanted to face the inevitable quite yet.

Nico decide he couldn't bare to stand any longer and sat on the floor, leaning on Hades's bed, facing the wall. He dragged Will down with him. Hazel and Frank were standing to his left. In his sad and blank state, he buried his head in Will's chest, who brought his other arm around him. He still didn't cry. He refused to. He had shed enough tears for dead family members his entire life.

They all spent the day like that.

At one point, when Persephone and Hazel and Frank ran out of tears, they sat on the bed. Persephone on  Hades's left, holding onto his hand silently and Hazel and Frank doing the same to his right. Except Frank was holding Hazel. Nico and Will remained on the floor. Nico couldn't look at his father's dead profile again.

A week after that day, the funeral was held. It was small. Persephone's mother came. Frank's parents were there too. Will was there too, he had been a big help the past week when Nico couldn't bring himself to do much. Lou Ellen and Cecil had come too. Reyna, Jason and Piper had come as well. So had Percy and Annabeth. Even Leo had come by. Nico couldn't even bring himself to be surprised at seeing the bartender from Vegas at his side. A couple of Hades's acquaintances had come as well. 

The day was still holding on to summer even as autumn approached. It was warm. There was a gentle breeze rustling through the trees in the cemetery. It was as if the universe was trying to make it up to Nico for taking his family and urging him to enjoy the day. But how could he when he had just buried his father? All he could bring himself to do was stare at his grave. 

Most everyone had gone already. But Nico could faintly hear Hazel's whispers as she talked with Frank. He didn't know what she was saying but he knew it had something to do with him or she wouldn't be whispering.