As Different as Night and Day

Will

I woke to Nico shaking me. Groaning I sat up. "Nico. Its 2:00 in the-MY POOR DARLING! What's wrong?" Tears were dripping down his face. I clutched him to my chest and rubbed his back in circles until the sobbing diminished to sniffles. "Nico, tell me what's wrong. I want to help." He looks up at me with his sad eyes and shakes his head a little. "Why not?" He stands and walks over to the window. He looks into the sky and closes his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he turns to face me, leaning against the window sill. "I know that you only want to help, but I think that will only make it worse. I...I need you to come somewhere with me really quickly."

I stood and followed him silently. He brought me towards the edge of the forest where a large black stone sat. I took a closer look at the rock more closely and I saw Bianca DiAngelo written across it with a smaller Nico DiAngelo scratched across the bottom of her name. It wasn't just any old boulder; it was a memorial. Nico hopped up on the rock and scooted over so that there was room for two. I started towards him but he shook his head. "This popped up the day she died. I didn't know that she was gone when I found it so I scratched my name underneath her's. Whenever I sat down on it, I felt like she was sitting next to me. I was going to show her when she came back. When Percy told me she died, I came back here after rescuing him. I sat here for hours, crying. When I finally stopped, I felt so much anger that I split the rock a little." He ran his hand over a small crevice in the stone. "This rock was originally white. Black color spread from the crack. I was so freaked out about breaking it that I ran as far as I could. Ever since she died, I've come back to this rock on the anniversary of her death. That's when her presence has felt the strongest. Like I could reach out and touch her." His hand raised to the space beside him as if he was caressing something. It dropped back to his side almost immediately then was brought to his face to wipe away a tear.

I walked up behind him and hugged him. I rested my chin on his shoulder and his put his hands on my arms. I rocked side to side and closed my eyes. "I never knew you Bianca, but to have a little brother who cares about you so much, you must have been a fantastic sister. You were robbed of your life but what the fates choose to do is done. If only you had lived long enough to watch your brother grow into the amazing person he is today."

Nico leaned his head against mine and his hand dropped. I squeezed his shoulders in encouragement before letting go of him and stepping back. He took a few deep breaths and stared at the names in the stone. "That was Will. I think I love him. No, I know I love him. If you don't accept me, that's okay, I don't need you to. You've been in my dreams yelling at me for who I like. Today you would be eighteen. You died a noble death just to give me a present. Your heart was pure and kind. After your death I blamed Percy and then myself. After all, it was I who you stole something for. I continued blaming myself for years. My fault. All my fault until Will came along. He showed me that it was nobody's fault. That everything falls into place for a reason." He pulled out a small figurine and placed it on the rock. "This is no longer a burden. It's a memory. A memory of lost times with you. A reminder of your cheeriness and kindness. Bianca Di Angelo, I accept your passing." I watched though blurry eyes as a glow lit up the rock. The small statue fused with the rock and a white color bleached the stone. A figure made of light appeared beside Nico on the rock. He was still staring at the black name in the stone. The figure rested a hand on his shoulder and he look up into it's eyes. The spirit was Bianca. A ferocious hug took place and then the sibling sat together on the stone. Her head resting against his, arms draped around shoulders.

I made my exit. I walked back to the cabin and sat on the couch after grabbing a pencil and a pad of paper. I sketched a drawing of the peaceful scene that had taken place and fell asleep with it in my hands.