Nico di Angelo One-shots

Forever Young

I choose when I die.

And, being the loner I am, means I have nothing--no one--holding me back.

Which means I can live forever--be young forever. It's all up to me.

~

I heard a knock on my door. I sigh and stand to open it, but it's already flung wide.

Percy stands, looking distressed. His eyes are red, his hair pointed every which way, his chest puffing up and down with heavy, quick heartbeats.

"What's wrong?"

"You need to come. Quick."

I furrow my eyebrows and run out, following him to the Big House. Inside, Annabeth and Chiron stand with a girl.

She has dark hair, and paler skin, and dark eyes, and I almost don't make it to her before I collapse into tears.

"Don't cry, Nico!" she kisses my cheek.

"This isn't real."

"It is. We're children of Hades, remember? I decide when I die."

~

Bianca. My sister. My best friend. My guardian. Alive. Breathing. So surreal. I miss her. I love her. Her death broke me more than I let on, but she. . . How could it be? After all this time?

We are alone in my--our--cabin. She's smiling, and for once I am too. We're talking, but we aren't sure what about.

Then she asks. "Nico?"

I hum in response.

"When do you want to die?"

I took a deep breath, "Never."

She furrows her eyebrows, "Isn't that kinda selfish?"

"Like coming back from the dead wasn't."

"Sorry, Nico, I didn't mean it like that."

I believer her, though most people I would scoff at. I sigh.

"Sorry, Bianca. I'm not very fond of people anymore."

She cocks her head.

I continue. "People aren't worth as much as I thought--not all, but most. People aren't good like I thought when you were here, B. People can be cruel, stupid and ungrateful. Even me. And all they do is. . . they just make you hurt. It's not worth it, getting along. I'd rather just be on my own, take the chance and live forever, see what it's like. I'm fine by that."

She doesn't say anything, and the wait is killing me. The look in her eyes is indecipherable. "Bianca, reply."

She blinks, "Sorry, Nico." But she doesn't reply.

We sit in silence the rest of our night.

~

Bianca and I worked in the strawberry fields and had a food fight until Mr. D interrupted.

We also had a sword fight, which I'd won.

Then we jumped in the water at the beach, and watched Piper teach Percy to surf (he failed many times without his powers).

After that we had lunch, and I wasn't alone at the Hades table.

I wasn't alone.

~

"When do you wanna die, Bianca?" I ask her, following up with an old conversation.

She replies almost instantly, "When I am 92, and I have a husband who loves me and children and grandchildren, maybe even great-grandchildren. And we'll own two dogs, and go on family trips, and come together every Winter Solstice. And when I die, they'll all be there, and I'll be feeding the children chocolate, and petting my dogs for the last time, and kissing my children, and holding my husband's hand. But they'll all see it coming, so no one freaks out. It'll just be my time."

"Wow, You've thought about that a lot."

She cracks a goofier smile that replaces her warm one, "Well."

I smile, but I don't stop thinking about what she said. A family. Happiness. Peacefulness. It sounds. . . Nice. And that's when I realize.

I'm with my sister. We had food fights and went to the beach, and trained together and sat together at lunch. Together. Again. I'm not alone.

I don't have to live forever, if I don't want to.

Maybe when she dies I will.

I curse myself and walk out the room. "Where are you going?" Bianca asks. I ignore her.

I curse myself again. How could I be so stupid? How could I set myself up again? After last time, after every time? Because I'm human, a pathetic, ignorant human.

I sat down after I'd walked far into the forest. I made sure I didn't cry. Bianca. Bianca changed everything, and will never stop. Bianca, Bianca, Bianca. I love you Bianca, but why? I sigh again. Not fair. No good.

"Why?" I say aloud, closing my eyes and moving my face up to the sky. I could feel the fresh wind on my face. I could tell tree nymphs were watching. I knew I should probably go back, so I wouldn't worry my sister.

I open my eyes and walk back. She'd gotten in a fuss, and Percy was calming her down. He saw me, and Bianca noticed and looked back. She ran up to me and tackled me in a hug. If I were anyone else, she would've pulled back and punched me.

"Where were you?!" she demanded, not letting go.

"Thinking."

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"I know when you're lying, Nico."

I snapped. Humans just don't know when to stop talking, do they?

"Because you know me so well, DON'T YOU?" she let go of her embrace and stared at me. "Why'd you come back?! I was fine on my own! I didn't have to deal with people, I had no one setting me up for freaking pain again! I had no one is had to worry about, no one to deal with! I could've lived forever and been okay! But you came back like too he selfish person ANYONE IS and came and it's just going to break me!! Like everybody else!! Why can't anyone just let me be?!"

By this point I was crying out of anger. Campers were all around, witnessing the scene. I couldn't care less. Bianca was shocked, nearly in tears. I fell to the ground and hugged myself, and she fell and put her arms around me. She didn't say anything yet.

I moved my head onto her shoulder and cried. Enough campers got bored and left, or figured it was none of their business. The only people who were left was Percy and Annabeth, who knew very well what I was complaining about.

"I love you, Nico. I'm so sorry. I had no idea. But, Nico, you have to understand, not everyone brings pain. Not everything is bad. Live your life, Nico, with the happy moments and the sad, or you'll far apart."

I sniffed and held in my tears.

"Promise me, Nico?"

"Promises break."

"Only if the person breaks them. You'll be better, right?" She paused for me. "Promise me, Nico."

I nodded, "I promise."

"Good."

~

I kept my promise. By the time Bianca was 92, she died, exactly the way she wanted to. I was then 90, and with my husband Will with our adopted daughter Wisdom and her children Claire and Sebastian.

I died at age 95, in Will's arms one night.

I found Elysium, Bianca was there. We both looked like teenagers again.

She ran up and hugged me, "You kept your promise."

I hugged her back. "Yeah, B. I did."

But at this point, here in this place, with my sister and older friends--here, I live, forever young.