Chapter Text
Nico ran, as fast as his little, 10 year old legs can move him. His thoughts swirled, from betrayal 'how could Percy let Bianca leave!' To denial 'it's all a dream, just like every other time! This can't be real, she can't be gone!' And of course the overwhelming dread that was over taking his heart. He KNEW, deep down where the lies he tells himself can't reach, that Bianca is dead and isn't coming back, ever.
But he wouldn't let that be true! Nico refuses for that to be the reality of this situation. His head going thousands of miles a minute as he thought of who he could go to for help.
Camp was off the list, Percy is with them and he let this all happen (Nico knows deep down that it's his own fault, if he had done something, ANYTHING, Bianca could be here now). That is not even touching on the fact that he just used creepy magic, they would never let him back.
Nico hated Percy and his mesmerizing eyes, witty behaviour, and dumb smirk, and blue food! He despises Percy and everything about him. (Nico knows it's not hate, but hate is easier than what it must be, so he does hate Percy.)
Tears started to bead in Nico's eyes, 'Bianca would be so disgusted in me if she knew' 'but she'll never know now.' Thinking of Bianca had the young Italian holding back sobs as he continued to run through the snow ridden woods.
Mortals, as the people at camp refer to them as, wouldn't understand, their brows would crease and they would out on that sickly sweet voice like he was some small animal that didn't know better.
By now Nico has made it far enough away in his opinion, his legs dragging across the forest floor in exhaustion and his eyes drooping as his adrenaline high slowly dropped off.
Leaning his body against a tree he slid down until he was sitting in between the snow ridden roots that nestle around him.
As he started to think about who he could get safely help from, dark shapes took form in the tree's shadows. As they emerged, he recognized the familiar shadowy creatures as the ones that showed up one night in the Hermes' cabin after he had a really bad nightmare. They always hid away when the Hermes kids woke up, but Nico never bothered to try and rat them out so it didn't bother him. He promptly named them the Cocoapuffs, after a food many of the other camps enjoy as a treat. They continued to show up every night after that and it had been a few weeks since they first met, their bond thickening with each greeting.
As they approached Nico lazily lifted his arms and uncurled his body, allowing them to dart forward and cuddle up in his arms. One, more independent blob of shadow perks up and looks at his face, their wide eyes analyzing his features before curling around him in an imitation of a hug.
From the act of affection, the rest of the day sunk in and Nico's walls started to break. His once numb expression formed one of pain and sadness as Nico smushed his face into the long Cocoa's fur, clenched his fists gently in their wispy coat, and balled his eyes out.
The Cocoa Puffs all nudged closer, expressing their own comfort towards the young son of hades.
With the silent promise of protection, Nico was able to drift off into the darkness shapes emerge expanse of sleep. While it wouldn't be surprising if he got a nightmare due to the recent events, he has found that the Cocoapuffs act as a sort of dream catcher for nightmares, giving him a reprieve on bad nights.
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Before Nico's eyes even opened the events of yesterday slammed into him, knocking the air out of his lung, drying his mouth, wetting his eyes, and trashing any possible chance of a good day.
The lone cocoa puff was still firmly coiled around Nico's waist up all the way to wrapping loosely against the back of his neck and shoulders, like a scarf of sorts. Nico off handily noted that he would have to think of a name for this one later, but for now their name is Scarf.
Unlike Scarf, as soon as Nico first woke up the rest of the Cocoa's had gotten up and scattered around the near by forest floor in a semi circle around him, looking expectingly as if waiting for him to do something.
Nico nudged scarf a bit as a warning before getting up, swaying slightly and using the tree as leverage. His legs pulsed with the memory of running his legs sore yesterday (even though it felt so, so distant and long ago). Scarf was surprisingly light for his long, lanky form, but at the same what did Nico expect of a shadow?
Looking back up at the other blurry forms around him, he noticed the occasional chirping and whooping like sounds coming from them, despite a lot not having visible mouths.
Scarf gently slid off his shoulders and nudged him forward, hoping that the son of hades would get the silent message and follow.
Thankfully Nico understood what was being asked and followed the Puff's, eventually stopping at a cave filled entirely by darkness. Scarf let out a welcoming chip before waltzing into the cave. Nico really hesitated this time, his thoughts swirling with any and all possibilities of what could be down there, but something told him instinctively that it would be ok.
With a deep breath he took big steps down into the cave, where the shadows seemed to encase the entirety of his being, pulling him further where no light was able to enter. Closing his eyes, Nico reached out and touched a wall and in that moment the shadows sprung to life and his eyes flung open once more. His body merged with the dark cavernous walls and he was pulled through them, the sounds of screaming, sobbing, and pure emotion encasing him and sending him crashing out of the shadows.
Nico crumpled, clutching his head and groaning in pain as he fought back the urge to both vomit and pass out.
What felt like a few minutes passed before the son of hades felt a nudge against his arm currently covering eyes. Looking up Nico saw Scarf looking expectingly at him and letting out a few quiet chirps to get his attention.
The black haired boy let out a sigh before painstakingly getting up and looking around.
His mouth went bone dry, all around him was dark sand and black rocks in a vast plain, but much farther in the distance is a large castle. The sounds finally reached his ears as he processed where he likely was, the cries of the damned and sobbing of the forgotten filling the lands.
"Is Bi- Will I be able to find Bianca here?" Nico hesitantly asked Scarf, and honestly he didn't know what answer he would want more, to be able to see his sister at least one last time but for her to be truly dead, or for her to be lost to him yet have the chance at life else where.
Scarf shook their head before nudging him towards a shrine he didn't notice before. It took 15 minutes and his legs shook from the abuse he had out them through but he now stood at the pedestal in an obsidian and black marble shrine, it's architecture similar to that of a small but intricate lodge.
Staring at the pedestal with a bowl, which was most likely for sacrifice's for some god that inhabited or made rounds in the underworld. The place for worship had not a speck of dust yet it gave off the vibe of somewhere people hadn't been to in a long, long time.
Scarf looped around pedestal, looking expectingly at Nico where their head rests above the bowl. The other Cocoapuffs gathered around the two, waiting for the young son of hades to do something.
For some reason, Nico suddenly found himself frustrated at the puffs, especially Scarf who has been the one dragging him all over the place all day.
"Why bring me here? I don't even know what god this shrine is for, and the only thing I have to offer for my sister's soul is my own! I need to get to work finding a way to get her back, or else- or else she'll be gone forever!" Nico broke at the end, his anger and frustration bleeding out of him and replacing itself with despair, grief and pure, unfiltered sadness. Suppressed sobs racked through his chest as tears started to drip down his face, his throat closed off making hard to breathe.
The long Cocoa looked at him sympathetically before slithering off the pedestal and wrapping around Nico in a hug, letting out comforting chirps. After a few minutes they let go of Nico and nodded their head to another puff who stepped out from the clumps and reached into themself with a clawed paw that mimicked a hand. Nico watched is horror as the yet to be named puff dug around in their chest and finally pulled out a bag of marshmallows they likely stole during campfire back at camp.
Nico was still dumbfounded has the scruffy puff waddled up to him and placed the marshmallows on his hands.
Scarf gently guided the son of hade's hands to dump the bag into the bowl, where it seemed to magically dissolve.
Barely a few seconds later the shadows behind the pedestal grew ten times their size and out stepped a figure draped in silky black robes. Two large, glistening black wings emerging from figures back and flapped, sending a large gust of wing that Nico had to fight in order to not fall back.
It was now that the god that this shrine belonged to dawned on Nico. The being in front of him is Thanatos, the god of death and likely his shot to getting his sister back.