Black Glitter

3

    The kid was creepy for sure, Jason thought. He was sickly skinny and pale, dark bags under his eyes. Even though he slept most of the time in the jar, he was extremely tired. Hazel had to help her brother eat chicken and noodle soup, spooning him the liquid while he blankly stared at the bowl. But he couldn't eat much before he got sick.
    The rest of The Seven ate quietly, briefly glancing at the son of Hades from time to time. Jason didn't trust him, especially after what Percy told them about his dip into the River Styx. The only reason they stayed to eat was to hear what he had to say.
    He finished eating, avoiding everyone's eyes. It seemed he was avoiding Jason's more than the others. Hazel stood up and put her hands on his shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze.
    "Nico has something to tell you guys," she told them something they already knew. Nico shakily stood up with the help of his sister, Hazel holding his arms to steady him.
    "G-gaia has opened the doors," he spoke, his voice scratchy and worn. "I tried to close them myself, but they're guarded with hundreds, if not thousands of monsters," he continued, looking anywhere but the demigods in front of him.
    "Well, where are they?" Leo asked, giving Nico a look. Said boy looked sick at what he said, not answering the son of Hephaestus's question.
    "One is in Rome, the other is in, um, Tartarus," Hazel whispered. They all froze, staring wide eyed at the boy.
    "You didn't, Nico," Annabeth trailed off. Nico only nodded his head.
    "I was so close to the doors, but those giants captured me and put me in that stupid jar," he sighed.
    "You went through Tartarus alone?" Percy asked, shifting in his seat, gripping Annabeth's hand. Nico only nodded, a frown on his face.
    "What's so bad about this place?" Leo broke the silence, trying to lighten the mood but he only made it worse.
    "Tartarus is where the most brutal monsters come from. Where monsters go after we 'kill' them," Nico growled, glaring at the latino boy. Leo held up his hands, giving Nico a smirk.
    "Alright, Death Breath, chill," he spoke, laughing hesitantly.
    Even though Jason couldn't remember much, he somehow remembered about the stories of Tartarus. How could Nico di Angelo be alive right now? From what it sounds he made it so close to the doors, almost completed the hard part of their quest. Jason didn't know what they were going to do with the doors, but they still had a quest to continue.
   
    Piper and Jason's relationship didn't last long. As soon as he was told about soulmates again he immediately wrote to his soulmate, Piper's arm right next to his to see if they were really soulmates. But the small 'hi' he wrote didn't show up on her arm. He could tell she was disappointed, Piper sadly pulling her sleeve down.
    Jason would be lying if he said he was disappointed. As beautiful as Piper was, it just felt wrong. He felt guilty that he hoped she was his soulmate, like he was deceiving who ever they are.
    As soon as they realized it was the mist tricking them into believing they were soulmates, Piper remembered hers, how her soulmate never responded to her. He wished he could remember his but he couldn't remember anything. He couldn't remember their name, their age, the things they liked. He hated Juno, he hated her for doing this to him.

    How could he look Jason in the face? Even though he couldn't remember Nico's name, he was terrified. The shaking wasn't just from being weak, it was partly from him thinking Jason was going to suddenly remember and lash out at him.
    Nico wanted to tell Hazel about Jason, about him not writing to Jason, about the little 'hi' that appeared on his left wrist. So he did.
    After telling the rest about the doors, he pulled Hazel aside and into her room to talk. She sat him on the bed and stood in front of her brother.
    "What's the matter, Nico?" she asked, on frown on her face, knowing him enough to feel something was wrong with her brother. He sighed, fiddling with his sleeve. He slowly pulled up his left coat sleeve, showing off the small scribble.
    "It's about my soulmate," he told her, looking up to see her face light up.
    "Who is it?" she asked excitedly. Frank was her soulmate, even though they were super shy around each other and getting used to the idea, Nico knew they would love and take care of each other always. Plus the guy wasn't so bad.
    "About that. Let me tell you about my time in the casino." Hazel's face fell and she sat next to her brother, wrapping him into a hug as he recounted his time with Bianca, how it only felt like he was in that place for only a week, how Nico didn't even consider his soulmate was aging faster. He told her about Percy and Bianca, him getting taken from camp by a hellhound to his father. At the end Hazel was crying and Nico was close to shedding tears of his own, he never told her really anything until now.
    "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked after she stopped her crying, sniffling and wiping her nose. Nico shrugged, not having the guts to look his sister in the eye.
    "I didn't want you to see me as..as a freak," he whispered. Hazel gasped, hugging him tight and close to herself.
    "Why would you think that?" she exclaimed, turning her body to face him.
    "Because my soulmate is a guy. It-was taboo." She gave him a stern look and grabbed his face, making him look at her.
    "Now you listen to me, Nico di Angelo. You are not a freak. You're an amazing, caring, loyal, brave, and the sweetest person I have ever met. You're the best brother I could ever want and have. And the key word is was, Nico. It was taboo, now go out there and tell Jason who you are," she stated firmly, making sure Nico heard and understood every word she told him.
    Nico started crying, stuffing his head into her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her as he weeped. She shushed him, rubbing his back. He eventually pulled away, wiping his eyes.
    "I can't tell him yet, Hazel. He doesn't remember anything," he told her softly, voice even worse.
    "So make him remember," she smiled, patting him on the cheek. All she wanted is for her brother to be happy and she's determined to get that happiness for him.