AMANTI, nico di angelo

X. what more could she lose to death?

0010. | WHAT MORE COULD
SHE LOSE TO DEATH?

          Demigods were hardwired for battle. Their ADHD that had them fidgeting constantly and kept them alive in a fight and helped them think of strategies quickly. It was unheard of for there to be a half-blood without a behavioural issue or to not have an absolutely raging heartrate all the time for even the simplest of tasks and yet there was finally an exception to the rules.

           Annabeth's heart stood still.

The only thing that was keeping her together was Chiron's hand on her shoulder. That simple touch that reminded her to keep it together in front of Silena. The four of them were sat by Nico's bedside. After Vela... after it (she couldn't bring herself to say it) happened, Nico had just collapsed.

           He'd been unconscious for a few hours but Chiron had assured them he would be okay. The four in the room knew exactly what had happened apart from Percy so they had to make up a lie. It wasn't their place to tell Percy that Vela and Nico were soulmates, now torn apart by death. Annabeth told him that Vela had shared an empathy link with Nico rather than tell him the reason the son of Hades had collapsed was because his soulmate, the other half of him, had been destroyed.

          At first Annabeth had worried if Nico would ever wake up if Vela was gone, but Chiron assured them again he would be okay. He said Vela wasn't really dead, just like any immortal can't die. But he was shattered just like Kronos had been shattered in Tartarus by his children. Chiron said it will take thousands of years for Vela to reform on his own so no, he wasn't dead but he might as well have been.

           Annabeth would never see that boy again. Just thinking that made her regret any thoughts she had ever had upon first meeting him about him being untrustworthy. Those early days where she had kept her distance so Vela wouldn't disappoint her - so he wouldn't betray her just like Luke had.

But Vela had done something much worse than betrayal. He had increased her hope, her faith in him, her love for him, and he'd made her believe he could do anything. And now he was shattered.

She cursed him. She cursed that selfless little boy who was so obsessed with self sacrifice that he died protecting those he loved. He was shattered, condemning the Olympians to Typhon just to save his mother from a bolt of lightning.

Annabeth didn't want to be angry at him. But her anger was better than her grief, than her tears, than her guilt. It was easier to be angry at him than it was to mourn him because there was something so much worse about him being shattered than him being dead. At least in death she would meet him again in the afterlife. By being shattered, Vela had sealed his fate to never seeing any of them ever again.

Annabeth, admittedly, was the only one determined to be angry. Chiron was completely composed, blinking away his stray tears so no one could see them fall, and Percy was refusing to acknowledge the truth. He was in complete denial. He had this idea that it would be fine and Annabeth knew that because she knew him. She knew Percy wouldn't want to believe the truth that they'd never see him again. So instead Percy had occupied himself with looking after Nico.