Caution: Heartbreak Ahead

I'll Always Come Back

I'll Always Come back by Always_Love_Books_

Nico sat down in the waiting room, folding his hands on top his lap, tapping his foot against the ground.

They'd lead him into the room when he arrived, quietly saying that someone would be with him in a minute.

Nico's nerves with driving him crazy, but he told himself that it was nothing to worry about. Bianca was probably just staying in space for a few more days and they didn't want him to worry.

Then a man opened the door, clutching a sheet of paper tightly in his hands. His hands were shaking slightly and his eyes were trimmed with red like he'd been crying.  "You're Bianca's little brother, Nico? Twenty-two years old..." He glanced at the sheet again, "Cases of on and off depression for six years?" Nico nodded, and shifted uncomfortably, wondering why his mental state had to do with anything.

"I have some bad news for you." He said, taking another step in the room, "And I am so sorry." His voice shook slightly, and Nico's heart began to beat rapidly in his chest.

"Imagine Nico!" A girl, her arm slung around her brother shoulders gestured to the sky with open hands. Her brother protested as she titled his head up to look and stare at the sky, "One day I could be up there, dancing among the stars!" She laughed, spinning her brother around and letting go of him, before collapsing on the ground,her laughs fading as she stared up at the sky.

Nico sat down next to her, and squinted up at the sky, "I don't see what so great about it, Bianca. Their just stars. I could make better ones out of paper." Bianca gave a laugh, giving her brother a one armed hug.

"I'm sure you could, little brother. But," Bianca looked up, her eyes wide and silver specks were reflected, "One day I'll be up there." She swiped hear hand across the sky, "One day I'll be up amongst the stars."

Nico suddenly burrowed himself in his sisters chest, and looked up at her, eyes scared, "You'll come back right? You're my sister, and the stars can't have you!" He glared up at the sky, as if threatening the stars themselves.

Bianca laughed, wrapping her arm tighter around her brother, "Of course Nico." She kissed him tightly on the top of his head, and looked back up towards the sky, "Of course I'll come back."

"What did you say?" asked Nico his voice hoarse, threading his fingers through his hair, looking up at the man standing above him, obviously uncomfortable. "What did you say!"

"I regret to inform you..." His voice was shaky and he swallowed, "That your sister  is not coming back. Bianca DiAngelo is dead."

A shaky sob shook through Nico's chest, "How?" He demanded, leaping to his feet, voice muddled with tears. "How!" He roared once the man didn't answer.

"I'll see you in a few months Nico, I'll bring you back  something." Her laugh haunted his mind as she hugged him goodbye, her helmet under her arm and her eyes shinning with excitement.

Nico hugged her harder, not wanting to let go. "You're coming back." He stated, and Bianca nodded, wrapping her arms right around her brother and running her hand through his hair as her helmet dropped gently to the ground.

"I'm coming back."

"There was a malfunction on the descent back to Earth..." The man was taking steps back, fear flitting in his green eyes, and gripping onto the sheet of paper in his hands tightly. He pulled a plastic bag in it, a dusted grey rock was inside, peppered with tiny holes, "This was for you. We found it at her body..."

"This is Amazonian Hunter Tech! You guys don't make mistakes!" Nico growled, stomping his foot on the ground. He snatched the rock from the man and held it tightly in his hand "How did she die? Tell me!"

Nico lay on the grass, threading it through his fingers as Bianca lay next to him, pointing out constellations that Nico struggled to understand at the age of ten.

"And that one, it's called the Huntress. It's named after a women named Zoë Nightshade. She was the first women on the moon, and her rocket was called the Huntress! But on the way down to earth he rocket malfunctioned, and when they had to parachute her commander, Artemis's parachute broke. She gave up her life to save Artemis, and Artemis had a constalltion named after her."

"Woah." Nico said, tracing the silver stars with his eyes.

"I'd love to have a constalltion named after me." She sighed, tucking her hands behind her head, and started to trace the stars with her mind again.

"Just like Zoë Nightshade." He whispered shakily, crumpling the paper in his hand. "Only she was the commander, she-she gave her parachute to my cousin, Thalia. And took a risk with the broken strap..." His voice choked and faded out.

Nico blinked back tears, tightening his fists and his fingers going white. "Where's your cousin." His voice was deep and hoarse, level and steady. The man who brought the news ran a hand through his tussled black hair.

"Where. Is. Your. Cousin. I need to talk to her."

"You can't, she's in a coma. They were both broken, your sisters was just more damaged. She's at the hospital." The man made a dash for the door, his voice cracking, "I'm really sorry, but I've got to talk to Thalia's little brother and--"

"Go!" Nico screamed, the word scratching at his throat, as tears slipped down his cheek, "JUST GO!"

"I'm gonna fly to the moon one day, you know," Bianca told Nico seriously as they walked around the museum looking at different rockets. She gripped her map to her chest as she looked around, I'm gonna go to the stars. And I'm gonna have one named after me too."

Nico grabbed onto her arm tightly as they walked into the Huntress wing, "But you're coming back." He said, "You're not leaving me like the Huntress left her family right?"

Bianca laughed softly, wrapping an arm around her brother and looked up at the photo of Artemis and Zoë. The later with her arm around the former, smile lines etched around her eyes as her helmet was tucked under her arm. Artemis was laughing, strand of auburn hair slipping into her face. She squeezed Nico tightly to her chest, "Of course I'm coming back. Id never leave you alone, Nico. Not for all the stars in the world.

"But you did." said Nico, sitting back down in the chair and wrapping his arms around his legs. "You left me. You left me." His eyes felt raw and his face was tight. His chest felt cold and he could hear his heart in his ears. He felt numb, like someone had taken out all his nerves leaving him a puppet jerked around by his mind.

"You're going into space?" asked Nico a year ago as Bianca hugged him tightly, still laughing in glee from the news, "Twenty-four the youngest ever... You're not going to live on the moon right? You're coming back?"

"You left me." He choked into his knees, tears muddling with the words, "You left me and you're never coming back."

Bianca laughed and hugged him tighter, "I'll always come back, little brother."