Solangelo 1

Part 35

NICO

I go strategically, doing as Will said - taking time to eat Ambrosia and Nectar. But there's no sign of Kayla.
In the back of my head, I know we're being stupid still looking for her. Three hours have passed, and it's a small forest. We should have found her by now.  But I keep going, calling her name over and over to no reply.
I go deeper into the forest than I've ever gone before. I don't recognise it.
'Kayla!' I shout, propping myself up against a tree, 'Kayla, it's Nico. I need you to call out. If you can hear me. Kayla!'
My voice echoes around me. No reply. I move on, repeat. Over and over.
'Kayla!' I shout as I land, falling to my knees. I take my final piece of Ambrosia and pull myself up, calling after her, knowing she won't reply. But I don't want to return. I can't face Will without bringing his sister back. I know how that feels. I can't do that to him.
'Kayla, please.' I say, rather than shout. My voice falls flat. No reply. My head drops a little. I used to be able to shadow travel easily. I hate how much it drains me now.
I know I only have enough energy for one more jump, and I hardly know if I can manage that. I let my head fall back against a tree, closing my eyes.
There's a faint echo in my head. A voice. Bianca. I find her voice expected, familiar.
'Bianca?' I call back. It draws me closer to her. I step forward, but the napkin Will wrapped the Ambrosia in falls to my feet and for a moment, for a small moment, I jolt out of this feeling.
'Stop.' I say to myself, clutching my fists. I hear Bianca calling back, 'stop. Stop it.' I say, getting louder and louder till I'm shouting it. Her voice gets louder too, calling my name.
I find myself screaming to drown her out, thrusting my fist into the tree I was leaning against and forcing myself into the shadows of it.
I fall to my feet at the edge of the forest. Percy rushes up to me and is by my side in an instant.
'Bianca.' I mumble as he helps lift me up. I'm dimly aware of how out of it I am. Percy's talking to me and I have to really focus to pick it up.
'...thought you were gone too...bought to go in... scared...hold on...' I pick up, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Before I realise where I am, I see Will above me, and I smile before I remember why I left him in the first place.
'Stupid, stupid.' He says, the frustration clear in his face, 'I told you.'
'Will.' I say, lifting my hand up lightly, despite his frustration he holds my hand, looks up at me.
'I told you to come back.' He says, his eyes tearing up.
'I couldn't find her.' I say. 'I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I couldn't find Bianca, I'm sorry.' Instantly his eyes soften. His fingers brush my cheek lightly as he moves his hand up to brush my hair out of my face. He smiles softly, sadly.
'It's okay.' He says, 'it's okay.'
'I could hear her, she was in my head. It was Bianca.' I say, still clutching his hand. A wave of confusion passes over me, I look away.
'Hey, you're okay. What's wrong?' Will says, worried.
'Kayla...it's Kayla, not Bianca.' I say, remembering, 'I couldn't...I...'
'Hey, it's okay.' He says, sitting down on the edge of my bed, 'we'll find her.'
'I'm sorry.' I say, and he shakes his head. He lies down beside me, just on the edge of my bed, one arm draped over my chest.
'It's okay.' He says quietly, gently, 'I'm just glad you're okay.'
'I wanted to find her for you.' I say.
'I know.'
'I didn't want you to...to...' I can't find it within myself to finish the sentence.
'I know.' He says, softly, reassuring me, 'I know you didn't.' He knows what I mean. That I didn't want him to know how I felt, to lose a sister. That I wanted to bring her back, like how Percy was unable to bring Bianca back to me.
I turn my head in to rest beneath his, closing my eyes and feeling the weight of my tiredness overtake me. I clutch onto his arm.
'Don't leave.' I say, 'it's bad. I feel it happening. It's going to be bad.'
'I'll stay.' He says, 'just sleep. I'll stay.'
And before I have time to stop it, before I even have time to be afraid, my mind shuts down and I'm thrown back into the box, an unforgiving darkness. I breathe fast, terrified and all too aware of what's about to happen.
Hours passed trapped in the box, days even, and then the bottom opens up beneath me and I'm back in Tartarus.