Rhythm of The Night -2- (Percy Jackson FanFic)

_-Prologue-_

I couldn't move.  I couldn't breath, I couldn't think, I couldn't speak or react.  I simply... was. 

The pain was overwhelming.  It made my entire body numb, my blood cold and bones screaming.  It was too much, I couldn't handle it all at once.  The only movement was the slow blinking of my eyes, and the tears that trickled down my face.  I was looking but not seeing, and I was feeling without touching.  It was the worst sort of agony I could possible imagine.

This was it.  I couldn't possibly last through this.  It definitely couldn't get any worse.  I was begging, screaming for Hades to have pity on me and take me away now, so that I didn't have to endure this pain.   My eyes were heavy, and I let them fall closed and remain that way.  I tried to retreat to the deepest part of my mind, to shelter my pain, but there was no where for me to go.  The pain was everywhere.

It was like someone was snapping each of my bones individually.  At the same time, they were squeezing each of my muscles as tight as they could, and were injecting tiny ice shards into each individual blood stream in my body.  I wanted to scream and cry and writhe until my body finally gave in.

I was vaguely aware of several people around me, but all I could think of was him.  How I wished I could've said the things I hadn't, done the things I wanted to... Just to even hold him against me one more time would've sufficed.

There was a tingling sensation across my lips, and I faintly felt the trickling of a liquid down my chin and lower cheeks.  Some of the liquid made it into my mouth, and a fraction of the pain was numbed for a second.  But then the moment of relief quickly vanished, and I succumbed to the agaonizing cold again.  I had given up fighting; I couldn't hold against it.

I felt something slid across my right palm, and something gently shifted my fingers apart.  The feeling made me want to flail like a maniac it hurt so bad, but my body was trapped.  There was no escaping the ice shards shooting up my arm.

"Let go..."  Someone said in the back of my mind.

"Don't leave me, Andrea." another voice said, but their voice sounded muffled.  This one was very familiar, and my body obviously recognized the tone.

Of course I won't leave you, Nico. The small portion of mind that was coherent thought.  Silly son of Hades.

"Remember my offer..." the other voice, the one in my head that wasn't mine, chimed again.

"Drea, I love you!  Please!" Nico said, his voice a little louder, clearer and more urgent this time.  I didn't have any trouble figuring out what he was saying.

The sane part of my brain wanted to cry.  I had to do this.  For him.  I'm not leaving you, Nico...  Please forgive me.  And I love you too... 

"That's it, Andrea... Easy, simple, and all the pain will go away..."

The voice was right.  As I accepted the offer, each of the individual pains began to vanish.  I regained feeling throughout my body.  My blood began to flow, my muscles relaxed, and more importantly, there was no more cold.  I was... pleasantly warm.  My surroundings slowly dwindled away from my senses, and I was put into a state of overall silence.  It was amazing.

I felt different.  Stronger.  More in control.  However, there was something missing.  Something... But I couldn't remember what.

Scratch that.  I couldn't remember a lot of things.  Where was I?  Why couldn't I remember anything after Andrea Winterson, former daughter of Apollo?

Pause... Former?

I realized my eyes were still closed.  They snapped open, and I blinked, confused.

Is that what it felt like... Letting go?