Discontinued - PJO One Shots

Cherish Every Moment (Nico)

There are those moments in life that will always be cherished no matter how tainted everything else was.

Every day, whenever anyone had the chance to, those precious memories were shared despite the sadness that lingered behind it all. It was just the world’s way of coping with all the disasters that existed on Earth and I couldn’t blame them. However, sometimes there were those people that refused to participate, and they were disregarded… thrown away like an unwanted piece of garbage. Unfortunately, despite the numerous amounts of time I spent on trying to cause a difference, I was one of these people.

The Unfortunates was their title to us.

The people who could never embrace happiness even though everything was just so full of grief. The world’s society had absolutely no rights to just toss away the people who needed all the help they could get but I was to blame for my own misfortune… like all the others that refused to fully submit to happiness and joy. I wasn’t about to become ignorant to all the problems in the world. People needed to remember all of the struggles that this community had faced in order to get where they were.

I wanted to make that difference no matter what went wrong in the process.

The Unfortunates were just so full of unluckiness. No matter what they tried to achieve. It didn’t help that we all resided in possibly one of the worst areas in the world.

Australia.

Australia became the dumping ground to everything unwelcomed.

The weather was disgraceful.

The landmass was isolated from all communities and had even been bombed by plenty of nuclear strikes over the years as America, China, England and Russia sorted out their many different personalities. Yet, instead of aiming all their threats to one another’s countries, they directed it all over Australia and the people who inhabited the land. Majority of people became deceased however, the very few of us who survived, were ridden with illnesses and absolutely no family.

My family was still alive, but they were drastically unwell, unable to even step out of their beds. Because of the situation, I was forced to mature a lot quicker than a thirteen-year-old should. Everything that an adult normally did, I was subjected to doing as the doctors so hurriedly, tried to save as many people as they could. But there was only so much they could all do for every ill-ridden person. My family passed away three months after the four power-based countries signed their first peace treaty. I remembered holding my older sister’s hands as she was the last one to shut her eyelids over her glorious ocean olive-brown eyes that would forever remain in that position. The doctors had yanked her from my clenched hands as a nurse desperately tried to calm my sobbing, empty shell of a body.

Nothing she did helped.

All it did was make the tears flow faster and harder as my body trembled under her hands. Eventually, she dragged me away, only to toss me into a bath of freezing cold water. The water had chilled my bones and seeped into my many scratches as I continued to shake. But it helped calm everything down at the time until the water wasn’t freezing anymore.

Three years later, and at the age of sixteen, here I was standing in front of a crowd of people who were situated around a round table. The King Arthur of the table, Zeus, stood opposite of my slightly trembling form as he waited, patiently for me to deliver my verdict on the Unfortunates. I had refused so many helpful hands since my family died so they ushered me onto a plane and sent me to the unknown territory of the United States of America. After all the long hours in the plane then a shiny black car, I was taken to the White House, where I was pampered before being forced to stand in front of the President of the united countries of the America, China, England and Russia.

“My name…” I drew off, not entirely knowing what to say to all these strangers. I’d only ever had communication with my family and medical staff. “My name is Nico di Angelo.”

President Zeus had raised his eyebrows before ushering me to continue.

“I am sixteen… and well, I’ve come here to talk about the Unfortunates,” my voice finally managed to say.

Someone at the table shouted out about how disgraceful they were but I continued on.

“I happened to have lived in Australia all my life. I was born during the first nuclear strikes, but my family were relocated to Tasmania where we lived underground for most of our lives.”

My eyes searched around the room as they analysed the reactions of the powerful people.

“But then, Tasmania was struck three years ago and at the age of thirteen, my parents and older sister became ill.”

The French Leader, Ares, rose to his feet and pointed an accusing finger in my direction. “What is the meaning of this?” He asked, anger clearly evident in his voice. “Why was this Unfortunate brought in here to taint all of our success and happiness?”

President Zeus just focused his brown eyes on Ares before eventually, he sat down, huffing and puffing with his arms across his chest. They stared at each other as if they were having a conversation before finally the President urged me to keep speaking. I wasn’t scared of the French Leader. He was just a big bully like the head doctor that tried to keep my family alive. So instead of looking anywhere near him, I focused my gaze on all the other leaders that sat around that table, hoping that I was going to be able to persuade them to my cause.

“They died three months after the Peace treaty was signed,” my voice was wavering, but I ignored the patchiness of it. “For the past three years, I have seen a variety of the Medical Staff in Australia but not even one of them have been able to help me with the suffering that has been forced upon me.” Tears pooled around my eyes, but I blinked them away. “But this isn’t just about me,“ I stated. “This is about every single Unfortunate that has been living in Australia, whether they were born there or shipped there.”

I could feel remorse lingering in the air as my voice got louder and clearer with every word that came rolling off my tongue.

“Growing up during the war, I have seen a variety of disastrous things that no child should have to witness. I have seen all the bloodied and mutilated bodies as they were dug out of the rumble of once beautiful houses.” I stopped, my blue eyes staring into Zeus’ brown ones. “That is why I was sent here. They wanted me to make a difference in the world as I have always wanted to.”

My body was shaking from the climate and the reactions on most of the people’s faces. I turned to face the Leader France who was still unfazed.

“I’m not asking for you to lose your success and happiness,” I told him. “I just want you to allow the Unfortunate ones to roam around with rest of the population. Hopefully, by being around people who can push aside the sadness, it will help them grow and develop. It’ll make them feel normal because right now, by just leaving them all in Australia with one another’s doom and gloom, nothing is helping them and their problems in life. Nothing is going to change if you don’t give them the chance to try.”

The Leader of France got to his feet and strode over to me. Unexpectedly, his old and frail arms were wrapped around my lithe frame as he lifted me in the air. I was spun around before being placed back down on my feet only to have the other powerful leaders to envelope me in gut-clenching hugs. It was unusual to see the leaders of the world hugging a mere commoner but, in the end, it was worth it all. President Zeus, who had tears falling down his cheeks, organised for the Unfortunates to be able to mingle with the rest of the world.

No longer would they be separated, unable to try to have their own happily ever after.

The whole time, even as my hand held the pen that signed the law, a smile drifted to my face, staying there as happiness flooded my insides, making me feel all warm and giggly. I’d set out to make a difference, and finally, I had and as I looked at the clear blue sky, I realised that my family would have been very proud of me.

This was the one moment that would always be cherished by me and shared by others.