Rowan → Ethan Nakamura ✔

Fish

"I don't know what you're talking about. I feel fine."

"You're not fine," Will scowled, a look that Nico didn't often see. "You try summoning another zombie again, I dare you - "

"Challenge accepted."

"That isn't what I meant."

"You're just bitter I won the race. With someone who wasn't you."

Will snorted. "Yeah, right, like I'd ever be jealous of the undead."

"Well, are you?"

"Very funny, di Angelo. All I'm saying is that another unwarranted summoning, and you're going to collapse. And if you collapse, I'll kill you."

"Look, it's just shadows." Nico gestured to his eyes. "I always have shadows."

"Panda eyes are not what I'm worried about. You didn't eat anything this morning – I had to force a croissant down your throat."

"Just wasn't hungry."

Will pursed his lips, looking pained. Nico narrowed his eyes.

"Spit it out."

"You didn't summon Bianca, did you?"

"What? No!" Nico hadn't been expecting that at all. "Not in years, Will."

"Well, why are you so messed up then? It was just a zombie."

"That's what I'm saying!"

"No – I mean, you're not usually like this after one zombie. It normally takes at least a whole skeleton army and you actually fighting yourself to tire you out."

"I..." Nico frowned, suddenly looking out at the sea. The sun was setting, dusting the clouds orange. Waves shimmered, slowly darkening purple water lapping at the beige beach. "Someone's dying."

"Here? Hey, wait up!"

Nico took off, running down the sandy stretch. He kicked up small rocks, grains of sand slipping into his shoes. They got soaked as he approached the shoreline. There they were – a black figure in the ocean, shrouded by a hazy dark aura. Death's aura.

He reached into the cold water, grabbing hold of an arm. Will caught up to him and took the other. The two pulled the figure onto the shore, grunting as the sea coughed them up.

Will exhaled. "A girl."

She was Asian, their age, and paler than Nico. Her skin was almost translucent, revealing blue veins and purple fingers. Strands of seaweed were caught up in her glossy black hair. A red jacket clung to her shoulders; it was completely drenched, and the water from her clothes was desperate to return to the sea, running down the beach in thin tendrils. If Nico hadn't been able to sense that she wasn't completely dead, she could have been mistaken for a corpse.

"What the hell is that?" He pointed.

Strapped to her thigh was a strange cylindrical object the color of jade, gilded with gold designs that crawled over it like vines. Despite the damage done to her, the object looked untouched.

"I don't know." Will said calmly, ear against her mouth. "She's not breathing."

Will put his hands over her chest and began to furiously pump. "She's still alive?" He tried to blow air back into her lungs a few times, and then resumed pressing down in hopes of expelling the water.

"For now." Nico stared. The warping black shroud around her was thicker than ever. "She's about a minute away from flatlining."

"Thanks, Debbie Downer. Really reassuring." Will said sarcastically. "Go get Chiron."