Finding A Sister : A Nico Di Angelo Adventure

Strangers Think My Friends Killed Me.

A deep breath blew across Jacket's neck, making all her hair stand on end. She turned around but there was nothing. Like literally nothing. The world had turned black. She was no longer at Anna K's car wash. 

She turned around once more to reveal a small shack. It seemed barely large enough to hold one person, and it seemed nearly empty. Jacket was worried that this was her only chance to get out, so she forced herself forward. 

The closer she got to the shack, the louder her footsteps seemed. They got louder and louder until she was ringing her bones and her soul.

She finally reached the shack. Her steps were now completely quiet, hardly making any sound at all. The contrast was driving her insane. Inside the shack was a woman, sitting on a small bed. Beside her was a fridge and a sink. The inside of the shack looked rather modern and shiq compared to how the outside looked. The wood on the outside was rotting and nearly falling off. 

The woman on the bed was composed. Her complexion was fair and her mouth was turned in a snobbish sneer. She wore a long grey and green gown that flowed in the opposite way it should be. The dress was simple and appeared to be made out of the most simple materials, yet it looked stunning. 

"This is how things should be." The woman spoke, "Simple, easy, graceful. Only things that are necessary." 

'Ananke is the primordial goddess of necessity. She normally helps demigods if they give up something unnecessary for a certain amount of time' Annabeth's voice rung in her ears. Why was this goddess stopping them?

"All demigods meet me eventually. They meet me when they are in a time of need." The goddess spoke as if replying to Jacket's own thoughts. 

"What are we in need of? What is necessary for this specific quest? Heck, who are we even up against?" 

"That, child, is not necessary information. The thing you are required to know in order to complete this quest is much more simple than the answer to those questions. "

Jacket was getting impatient. "Then what do we need to know?" 

"How about I show you?"

The shack around them faded into darkness. The fleeting wisps of physical necessity turning into psychological necessity. A new scene appeared. 

This time there was in fact, no lady. A large television stood in front of them. Jacket walked closer to it. The video was harsh on the screen and the volume was high and screechy. Jacket reached for a remote to turn it off, but there wasn't one. She tried to walk away but her shoes were glued to the non-existent floor. She was trapped. 

She struggled and she struggled, but it was no use. Her feet felt paralyzed, but she still stayed standing up. All she could do was stand there and watch. She watched for a long time. 

Despite the horrible quality, some of the shows were entertaining. Eventually, she stood there for so long that they all started to mush together and the blackness started to spin. But she still couldn't move. Still couldn't walk away from the TV.

After what felt like an eternity, her legs collapsed. She had the sensation of falling without the sensation of ever hitting the ground. 

Jacket opened her eyes and immediately shut them. Briefly, she saw Nico and Stella all looking down at her, but she couldn't keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds. They felt so tired and heavy. Her eyelids sagged like she had been actually staring at a TV for hours on end without blinking. 

When she was finally able to keep her eyes open, everything seemed wrong. They were still at the car wash, but It was nighttime now. When she had gotten the vision it was mid-afternoon. 

"What-what happened?" 

Jacket was immediately embraced with a rather large hug from someone who smelled like a familiar, pleasant, dream. 'Stella' She realized. 

"You-you idiot! You were passed out for hours!" 

All she could do in the heat of the moment was laugh. Stella was kinda cute when she was worried. 

"Don't laugh at me! You have to promise me that you'll never do that again."

"Stella, you know I can't promise that. The gods do as they please regardless of our feelings. You know that. "

"Yeah I know. Doesn't make it any less stupid." 

Jacket rolled her eyes and sat up from her place on the ever-so-soft concrete. They were still near the car wash, just around the back of it. 

"Why are we back here?" Jacker asked.

This time, Nico replied. "People were wondering why you didn't wake up. I think some people thought we killed you. "

"Really? That's new. Most people don't care about children's well being."

"I guess times are changing." He replied.

"Weird".