Death's Son (Even After Death)

Chapter 1

Laying on the forest floor, staring up at the sun that shone down through the trees. The birds chirped, everything was of the right dimensions, the smell of dirt filled his nostrils.

He was on Earth. And in the human side of things, at that.

"Will...I'm coming..." Nico blinked a couple times as he licked the dirt off his raw lips. He tried to sit up but found the plants had grown around and over him, stapling him to the earth beneath his back. A tree's roots had grown in the area between his legs, grass had grown in the dirt that seemed to cover him, flowers grew between his fingers. The tree whose roots bothered him seemed to be years old, but Nico knew he couldn't have been gone that long...right?

If it was Almaji that brought him back, why would it have taken so long?

"Will..." Nico coughed, water escaping his lips as if he was a plant himself. He could feel his body responding to the light, responding to the sun's rays.

"Plants...go away..." Nico wanted to rip the flowers out of the ground to stand up, wanted to destroy the roots keeping him in place. But something in his heart wouldn't let him.

"I need to sit up... I need to stand up..." Nico pleaded. "Please..." He didn't know who or what anymore, but he knew some divine power was watching him. "Please...let me sit up..."

His heart kept beating on, his eyes kept blinking, his chest rose and fell with each breath. Despite having been dead, he didn't look like he would return to that state anytime soon.

The plants didn't disappear but seemed to grow more heavily on him. Before he had died, he would have panicked, maybe have even imagined being drowned by those growing creatures. But now he could only lay there and watch, thankful for the comfort the plants brought him.

What had happened to him?

Nico was about to fall back asleep when he heard the sounds of people talking, not too far away. He could hear their vocal tones, hear the way they crashed through the underbrush as if it meant nothing to them. They kept getting close, kept getting louder. Before long, he could make out their conversation.

"Why did we have to change the boundaries again?" a boy spoke, sounding familiar yet different to Nico's newly working ears. "You called me all the way into Camp to change the boundaries?"

"Yes, I did." the girl retorted. "They've been to close since...since that incident, and I think it's time to widen them again. The new campers aren't learning anything. As a cabin leader, you're involved in the decision."

"I know, I know." the boy replied. "But why are we walking around the woods?"

"Grover said that something's up," she answered. "Said something is...up. That's all he could describe. He's looked around, but this forest is huge. So we're looking and talking."

The boy sighed, them almost too close to Nico now. But he felt at home where he was, at home swallowed up by the plants. (Before all this had happened, Nico would have called you insane if you'd say he felt like that. But times changed.)

"I'll have to stay, then, and watch the game." the boy thought to himself. "I was supposed to be babysitting Estelle this weekend..."

"Bring her here." the girl offered. "I'd love to see her."

"Yeah, I might." the voice was only feet away from Nico, now. "Do you even know where we are?"

"We'll be fine." the girl promised. "Why? Do you want to take a break or something?"

The boy laughed. "You know me well."

Nico could feel somebody sit by his feet, feel them lean on the plants he was covered with. Someone else sat by his waist, leaning into whoever sat by his feet.

There was silence before the boy spoke again, this time in a fit of laughter. "Why are we kissing in the middle of the woods again?"

"Percy," the girl huffed in annoyance before speaking again, but Nico didn't hear her. Percy...Percy...Percy...

Nico snapped his eyes open, seeing the treetops through a plant leaf that had covered his face. He moved his jaw a little before speaking, even though he knew he'd probably give the son of Posidian a heart attack. "Percy! Don't just sit there, get me out of here!"

"What the-?!" he could feel the two people shoot up from where they sat, feel their crazed shock fill the air. "Nico?!"

"It couldn't have been..." Nico recognized Annabeth's voice now, even though it had grown. "Percy, he's dead. He's been dead..."

"There!" Percy ran until he was kneeling beside Nico's face, leaning over him so their eyes met. Those sea-green eyes, full of life, full of the relief that washed through Nico's body. "Nico, Nico, I see you. It's going to be okay. We're going to get you out of there."

"Percy, it could be a trap. Are you sure that's him?" Annabeth kneeled beside Percy. "He's been dead, Percy. Why would he just show up buried in plants?"

"There wouldn't be a trap like that in Camp." Percy shot back. He moved before Annabeth's eyes came into Nico's vision, those gray eyes that all children of Athena had. "See, Annabeth? That's him. Those are his eyes."

Annabeth peered down at Nico, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Speak again."

Nico coughed up some dirt before smiling, his voice hoarse. "You didn't change at all."

"Your eyes are different..." Annabeth backed away. "Percy, let's get him out. You've got Riptide?"

"No, no, don't cut them..." Nico wiggled his head between the roots. "Don't cut them."

"Then how do you expect us to get you out?" Annabeth asked. "There's no way."

"Demeter kid or something?" Nico asked hopefully. "Please?"

Annabeth glanced over at Percy, letting him run off to camp. "He's going, Nico... Your eyes are different, Nico."