~Nico's POV~

There were too many goodbyes.

That night was the first time I saw camp burial shrouds used on bodies, and it was not something I wanted to see again. Looking at all the young bodies was hard to watch.

Among the dead was a guy from the Apollo cabin named Lee Fletcher who had been downed by a giant's club. He was wrapped in a golden shroud without any decorations. The son of Dionysus who'd gone down fighting an enemy half-blood was wrapped in a deep purple shroud embroidered with grapevines. His name was Castor. His twin brother, Pollux, tried to say a few words, but he choked up and just took the torch. He lit the funeral pyre in the middle of the amphitheater, and within seconds the row of shrouds was engulfed in fire, sending smoke and sparks up to the stars.

Lia and I watched from the very back of the amphitheater. She was silent for almost the entire ceremony. She told me she wanted to watch from the back so she didn't bring any of the dead back accidentally, and that the Fates would probably have her head if she did. The ones who died in the battle were meant to die. Lia also told me no one at the camp besides Percy and Annabeth knew who her dad was, and she wanted to keep it that way. She was afraid if they knew, the campers would be begging her to bring their fallen siblings and friends back from the dead. She didn't want to any of them be disappointed or given false hope.

Lia made me stay at the camp for a day to rest. Neither of us could help the wounded really, so Lia and I spent the day together. It reminded me of when we were traveling together all those months ago. The entire time we hung out, I wanted to find out more about what happened when she saw Cameron again, but she changed the topic each time I asked. I slowly figured out why I was so desperate to know what Lia did with Cameron. I wasn't sure if I was confident enough to act on my newfound notion.

Dinner time rolled around, and the sunset over Long Island seemed to be the cherry on top to the end of another day. Lia and I had been invited to sit at the Hermes table, and even at the head table with Chiron, but we both refused. We had our own reasons, and it was easy for me to figure out why Lia said no. With her offers being getting crammed onto a table full of people or being in the center of attention- it was no surprise to me that Lia chose neither. So we hung out in the shadows at the edge of the pavilion. Lia got me to eat a couple of fries off of a magical plate she had taken, but I didn't eat much else. My stomach tumbled at the thought of what I was going to do later.

After dinner, the campers headed toward the amphitheater, where Apollo's cabin promised an awesome sing-along to pick up our spirits, but I turned and disappeared into the woods with Lia.

"Where are we going, Nico?" she asked.

"I need to do something before we go," I said.

Lia didn't stay anything else as we ventured into the forest. It had gotten dark, but the night and the trees didn't scare either of us. After a few minutes of walking, we entered a clearing. I took a deep breath and chanted softly in Greek. The night air stilled, and the already silent woods somehow got quieter. Right when I incanted her name, a shimmering figure appeared in front of Lia and me.

I choked down a sob. Bianca looked exactly like how she did back at the Triple G Ranch. I felt so happy to see her again, but I also felt a looming sadness in the corner of my mind.

"Nico," Bianca said. She smiled warmly at me. Her form lit up the darkness.

"Bianca," I rasped out.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Lia trying to back away, but I grabbed her hand. For once, she didn't flinch. I squeezed her hand.

"You didn't bring me back," Bianca noted, though she didn't seem disappointed about it.

"No. I took your advice, and I let Daedalus go in peace." My feet shuffled. "I summoned you here because I wanted...I wanted to say goodbye. You need to rest in the Underworld. Your time is done, and I've accepted that."

Bianca nodded. "Thank you, Nico. I'm so proud of you. I will miss you."

She reached her hand out to me to touch my face, but her hand turned to mist when she got close. My throat closed up. I wanted to say so much more to her, but I had to let her go. With one last smile, Bianca's image faded.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Lia didn't say anything and clutched my hand tighter. I reciprocate the action. I was glad she stayed with me during the solemn interaction. I needed her to be with me for support. I wasn't sure I could say goodbye without her.

I sensed someone was behind us. I turned with Lia to see Percy at the edge of the clearing. My anger toward him had dwindled into almost nothing. I didn't look at him in irritation anymore. At that point, I had forgiven him for what had happened.

"Saying goodbye," I said hoarsely. I was still choked up after talking to Bianca.

"We missed you guys at dinner," Percy said. "You two could've sat with me."

"No."

"You didn't offer," Lia muttered.

"Lia, I saw you eat, but Nico, you can't miss every meal. If you two don't want to stay with Hermes, maybe they can make an exception and put you guys in the Big House. There've got plenty of rooms."

"I'm not staying, Percy," I said. "And neither is Lia."

"We did say we were leaving after the battle was done," Lia reminded him.

"But...you guys can't just leave. It's too dangerous out there for lone half-bloods. You guys need to train."

"I appreciate the sentiment, Percy," Lia sighed, "but I've handled myself just fine alone."

"I train with the dead," I said flatly. "Or with Lia. This camp isn't meant for us. There's a reason they didn't put a cabin to Hades here, Percy. He's not welcome, any more than he is on Olympus. I have to go."

"And I don't think the camp would welcome Thanatos into their camp at all, even if he was an Olympian. We don't belong." Lia's words were coated in bitterness. Not because of Percy though.

I could tell Percy wanted to argue and say more to convince us to stay, but he knew we were right.

"When will you guys go?" Percy asked.

"Right away. I've got tons of questions. Like who was my mother? Who paid for Bianca and me to go to school? Who was the lawyer guy who got us out of the Lotus Hotel? I know nothing about my past. I need to find out."

"And I'll be with you ever step of the way," Lia said with a small smile.

I looked at her appreciatively.

"Makes sense," Percy said. "But I hope we don't have to be enemies."

I lowered my gaze. "I'm sorry I was a brat. I should've listened to you about Bianca."

"By the way..." Percy fished something out of his pocket. "Tyson found this while we were cleaning the cabin. Thought you might want it." He held out a lead figurine of Hades- the little Mythomagic statue I had abandoned when I fled camp last winter.

I hesitated. "I don't play that game anymore. It's for kids."

Lia snorted. "You are a kid."

I ignored her.

"It's got four thousand attack power," Percy coaxed.

"Five thousand," I corrected. "But only if your opponent attacks first."

Percy smiled. "Maybe it's okay to still be a kid once in a while." He tossed me the statuette.

I studied it in my palm for a few seconds. To think I had been a whole other person just a year ago obsessed with that game. Maybe Percy was right. I slipped it into my pocket. "Thanks."

Percy put out his hand. I took it reluctantly. He gave Lia a respecting nod, and she managed a small smile back.

"I've got a lot of things to investigate," I said. "Some of them...Well, if we learn anything useful, we'll let you know."

Percy nodded. "Keep in touch Nico. You too, Lia."

Lia shrugged. "No promises, Jackson."

We turned and trudged off into the woods. Now that I had said goodbye to Bianca, there was one last thing I wanted to do. Except, I wasn't sure if I had the courage. But I needed to let it out. Once I was sure we were out of Percy's line of sight, I stopped and spun around to face Lia.

"Before we go on...I need to say something." I said, then hesitated.

Lia tilted her head. "What is it?"

I was about to do something either completely stupid or completely brave. But I had to know. Pan's words echoed through my brain. I hoped he was right.

I took a deep breath. "We've been through a lot together. You know how much I value you and everything you've done for me. You have been with me through some of the roughest parts these last few months and never once gave up on me. I keep having these feelings of where I need to make sure you're safe, and constantly miss your presence if you're not with me. After what had happened to my sister, you were the only person to make me feel so...happy. Do you...know what I mean?"

My face burned. All the words just came out and wouldn't stop. It was like a weight was lifted off my chest.

Lia froze. Her face was full of emotions but it changed so quickly I couldn't identify most of them. Surprise, worry, and fear were the only ones I caught. Another weight started to push onto my chest.

Lia let out a shaky laugh and ran a hand through her hair. "Gods, Nico. I...I don't know what to say."

"So...You don't feel the same?" I couldn't block the disappointment from slipping into my voice.

Lia's eyes widened. "No, I completely do! Really! I get this whole other feeling in my stomach when you're around, and my mind goes numb when you talk and...It's just..." She put her face in her hands. "I think I know what I'm feeling, and I think it's the same as you, but...I've never felt it before, and it's so different and new and..."

She sounded so distressed. She lifted her head to face me and gulped. "I just...I don't think I can. I can't...We can't...become anything more, Nico. I can't do that to you."

My face fell. "Do what?"

Lia held up her arm to show me her watch. "My lifetime is so short. We wouldn't be together for long. It's not worth it. I'd rather...be friends. Just like before."

"I...understand," I managed to get out. "Thanks for being honest."

Lia nodded and started to twirl her rings around her fingers. "Yeah, of course." She cleared her throat. "Um, so, where to first?"

I pushed down my disappointed thoughts and feelings. Now was not the time to be upset. I had to find out about my past, and I was glad Lia was still with me to help me find out. She didn't end our friendship and still wanted to be with me, even if that meant we couldn't act on our feelings.

"First, we need to head to the Underworld."

~Lia's POV~

I felt bad about what I had decided, but it was what was best for Nico and me. I didn't want to let Nico go through the pain of losing someone again with such an close relation. He lost his sister. Maybe it would be less painful if he just lost a friend instead of something more. I also didn't think I could handle such an intimate relationship with anyone. So it was best if we stayed friends.

Nico and I spent the rest of the summer together. I mostly followed Nico to wherever he had leads for his family. When he suggested to go to the Underworld for answers, I opted to stay behind as he went down so my powers wouldn't work on the dead down there. I still wasn't too confident with my powers among the dead yet. Nico was smart, and he had ideas that he was determined to carry out. Not only were we searching for answers about his past, but we were also looking for possible plans to help out the demigods at Camp Half-Blood to have a better chance at fighting Kronos and his army.

At first, I thought there was no way a demigod could go face to face against a Titan and be able to do anything against him. Only a god had the power to take down a Titan. Or so I had thought. Then Nico proposed an idea that was so crazy it could work. Then it was just the matter of figuring out how to make it a reality. It took a while, but we eventually found out all the steps that were needed to do accomplish it. Now it was just a matter of convincing the only person we knew who could do it to go through with it.

Nico shadow traveled himself and me to Percy's apartment in New York and, we ended up on his fire escape. It was a clear night. The moon was full over the streets of the apartments. Once we appeared, we saw Percy on the fire escape as well looking at a silver plant sprout out of the dirt of a planter box, glowing in the warm summer night.

"Nice plant," Nico said.

"I would never guessed you were a plant guy," I added.

Percy jumped. He quickly turned his gaze toward us.

"Sorry," Nico said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

I gave an apologetic look.

"That's-that's okay. I mean...what are you guys doing here?"

Nico had grown about an inch taller over the last couple months. Before we were the same height, and now he was officially taller than me. His hair was a shaggy black mess, and I had given up on trying to convince him to cut it around his eyes. He wore a black T-shirt, black jeans, and a new silver ring shaped like a skull- a gift from Bianca. His Stygian iron sword hung at his side.

I hadn't changed much over the months. My hair had gotten longer and was constantly in a high ponytail. I wore my black bomber jacket over a white T-shirt, black jeans, and black boots. My onyx rings gleamed in the moonlight.

"We've done some exploring," Nico said. "Thought you'd like to know, Daedalus got his punishment."

"You guys saw him?"

"Well, Nico did. The undead is more his thing," I said.

Nico nodded. "Minos wanted to boil him in cheese fondue for eternity, but my father had other ideas. Daedalus will be building overpasses and exit ramps in Asphodel for all time. It'll help ease the traffic congestion. Truthfully, I think the old guy is pretty happy with that. He's still building. Still creating. And he gets to see his son and Perdix on the weekends."

"He got a pretty nice afterlife considering what he had done." I gave a nonchalant shrug.

"That's good."

Nico tapped at his silver ring. "But that's not the real reason we've come. We've found out some things. We want to make you an offer."

"What?"

"The way to beat Luke," Nico said. "If we're right, it's the only way you'll stand a chance."

"It will sound crazy, but please just hear us out before you say anything," I implored.

Percy took a deep breath. "Okay. I'm listening."

Nico glanced inside Percy's room. His eyebrows furrowed. "Is that...is that blue birthday cake?"

I followed his gaze. Sure enough, sitting on Percy 's dresser was a fully blue colored birthday cake slice. I frowned a little. I couldn't remember the last time I had celebrated my birthday or had sweets like that. I was pretty sure my stomach growled audibly.

"Come inside for cake and ice cream," Percy said. "It sounds like we've got a lot to talk about."