Chapter 7

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Song: Same Old Love by Silena Gomez

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Nico's POV

It was nearly sunset now, and I was itching to slash at something. My nerves were a jumbled up mess. Pull it together, di Angelo. Kara had long since released my hand.

We were walking in a march. Up, down. Up, down. Repeat.

The sound of her voice pulled me from my thoughts. She was humming a slow, haunting tune. Her voice pitched every note perfectly.

I stared at her in wonder. "What song is that?" I wondered aloud. She looked down at her feet. "Just a, uh, lullaby one of my friends taught me," she stammered. I sighed.

"Could you sing it for me?" I asked slowly. "It'd probably help speed things up..." She exhaled nervously, and fiddled with her fingers. "I guess so," she relented wearily.

Kara stood straighter, and scrunched her eyebrows together. The moment her mouth opened, she grew relaxed. And so did the rest of the underworld.

As for her voice... Well, I can't even describe her voice. It's every moment I've ever had with Bianca. Some parts sad. Some happy, and some wistful.

"Vieni qui mio figlio,
Mio caro,
La mia anima,
Tu sei quello di portare a casa.

"Con ogni raggio di sole,
Con ogni fiamma della speranza,
Si sono ormai noti,
La mia anima benedetta."

Come here my child,
My dear,
My soul.
You are the one to bring us home.

With each ray of sun,
And each spark of hope,
You are the one,
The blessed soul.

She smiled wistfully, and held the last note. I swallowed.

"Who taught you to sing like that?" I asked suddenly. My hands sat limp in the pockets of my hoodie.

"My father," she responded sadly. "He was a very musical man. He loved to teach the children." Kara shivered, and hugged herself. Her eyes widened.

"A breeze!" She gasped. Didn't they have breezes here? She must've sensed my thoughts. "A cold breeze! Come on, your friend should be close by." Her sandals make a crunching noise in the grass. I couldn't help but notice how quiet my sneakers were. Must be a Hades thing.

After a minute she slowed, and gestured for me to do the same.

"Persis should be near here," she whispered excitedly.

"It's Percy," I hissed back.

Her face flushed red. "Sorry," she mumbled.

I immediately felt bad. She'd been helping me this whole time.

"We should set up a watch," I suggested. "Maybe he'll show sometime soon." She nodded and sat down. I did the same. We sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, until she requested to hear about my childhood.

"Ohhh... Uhhh... I don't think you want to hear about that..." I whispered warningly.  Just then we heard a noise.

I sprang to my feet, and grabbed Agápi.

"Cool sword," she whispered.

I was too fixed on my surroundings to notice her comment. Suddenly a blur of brown came into view.

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