AN: Hey guys! So I just got back from camping, and it was fun! All though, we did go on a three mile hike, which to some people may not be that bad, but for me? Well, let's just say that I may or may not be developing asthma after that. Yeah...... Anyway! 😂😂 I've kept this story in mind, and I know where I want this to go so far, so, without further ado, Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I (sadly) do not own the PJO, HOO and/or TOA characters that appear in this story. Rick Riordan owns all characters except for Shakylla. Shakylla is my OC nurse, only to appear in the this chapter, and the next one. I, otherwise, only own the idea for this fanfic.

TRIGGER WARNING!!

Persephone's POV

Beep, beep, beep... Beep, beep, beep.
     The oven beeped at me. I stride over to the oven and took out a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. The smell wafting throughout the kitchen and into the rest of the home.
     I set the cookies down then took of my oven mitts, calling Nico down.
     "Nico!" I shouted up the stairs. "Come get a cookie while they're hot!"
     I waited a moment, and when there was still no answer, called again, moving forward a little more so I was at the base of the stairs.
     "Nico, if you don't come downstairs, then you don't get any of these cookies!" I scolded.
     Again, still no answer. I sighed and walked up the stairs. I knocked in his door, the music playing loudly from inside.
     "I swear, he's going to go deaf." I mutter to myself. I turned the doorknob, to find it was unlocked, so I let myself in. Nico's room was dark, as always, and everything was black. A black bed, with black sheets, blankets, black carpet, black walls, black ceiling, black bookshelf.
      I stopped myself at that, realizing how racist I sounded right then. I looked over to his bathroom door, to see light spilling out around the edges.
     I walked over to the door and knock, pressing my ear against the wooden surface.
     "Nico?" No response. "Nico!" I called again, a little louder. Then I remembered that I should probably turn the music off. I walk over to the dresser where the speaker was perched, and pulled the plug. The loud music turned off immediately.
     I walked back over to the bathroom door and yelled loudly.
     "Nico Di Angelo! Come out right now! You can't just mope in your room all day!" Still, frustratingly, no response.
     I growled, and then turned the handle. This time, it was locked.
     "God dammit." I mutter them reach into my pocket and grab a penny. I put it in the slot, marking that the door was locked, and turned. I unlocked the door and stepped in, to see.....
     "Nico!" I gasp. He was sitting, limply, up against a wall, bloody. I rushed over to him and whipped out my phone, calling nine-one-one.
     "Nine one one, what is your emergency." An operator said at the other end of the line, sounding a little too cheerful.
     "Please help!" I say quickly. "I found my stepson in his bathroom. He's bleeding really bad and there's this bottle of sleeping pills nearby."
     "Stay calm ma'am. Tell me your address and I will send an ambulance on its way."
     I quickly gave an address and was about to hang up, when the operator said, "Ma'am, an ambulance is on its way. Please stay on the line. Now, where is the bleeding coming from?"
     "Uhh..." I quickly check over his face, then arms. When my eyes rested on his arms, I saw the source of the bleeding. Cuts. Many cuts. So many cuts! How did he even have enough space for more?!
     "Ma'am?" The operator asked.
     "It's on his arms." I say back.
     "What does the wound look like?"
     "Wounds." I correct. "They look like cuts."
     The female operator on the other line stays silent for a moment then replies.
     "Does your stepson have a history of depression?"
     "Not that we know of."
      I heard sirens off in the distance, approaching quickly.
     "Ma'am, what your describing to me, sounds like a suicide attempt.
     I paused, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, I didn't need to say more, because the ambulance pulled up in front of the house, and the paramedics burst in, finding us.
     I hung up on the operator, after a quick goodbye. The paramedics sent me out if the bathroom and immediately went to work, carrying him out of the house, on a stretcher.

*Time Lapse to later that night*

I heard the door open and close to my house. I stood up and saw Hades walking into the family room.
     "Where's that boy?"
     "Um..... Dear?" I asked, cautiously, not look Hades in the eye.
     "What Seph?" He asked. He was always pretty nice to me.
     "Nico is at the hospital." At the word hospital, Hades turned his head to look at me.
     "After a suicide attempt." I continue. "Is he still alive?" Hades asks without any emotion.
     "Uh, we don't know. There's a twenty five percent chance he will make it." I reply, biting my lip.
     "I hope he dies." Hades grumbled as he walked off. "If only he died before. Bianca was always so much better than that imbecile."
     I sighed. Sometimes Hades could be harsh, yes. Like hurting Nico sometimes. Only sometimes though! Okay, most of the time, like whenever he gets home from work, and whenever he sees Nico. Even then, I'm not going to turn him in! He's my husband! Yes Nico's my stepson, but he feels more like a cousin, or a nephew. Nothing more. Maybe something less. I wonder if he's going to make it?

Nico's POV

Darkness. That's all I saw. Then a dot of light appeared in front of me. It gradually grew brighter, until it was a blazing white. A shadowed silhouette appeared, and after that, more came.
     One by one, they appeared. I asked one who they were, but they just looked at me. I then remembered what I had done before this darkness, but I didn't regret it. Committing suicide is giving in to those who hate you, and want you gone, but I couldn't take the pain any longer. It just hurt to much, physically and emotionally.
     I then walked up to one of the spirits, strangely not scared. One that had an aura of kindness and peace, but power radiated from it.
     "Is it over?" I asked hopefully. The spirit turned its head towards me, then back to where it had appeared.
     "We will see, soldatino." I gasped. The voice was so familiar, it hurt.
     "B-Bianca?" I was on the verge of tears. I was seeing my dead sister.
      A shadowy hand swept up and caressed my cheek.
     "Hello Nico." Her beautiful voice, full and pure love and care.
      "If it is time, you will stay with me, with uncle Alessio, and with mama."
     A hand rested on my shoulder. I turned around to see a petite figure. Another figure appeared behind her. A much taller one with broad shoulder and long legs.
     "Mama, uncle Alessio?" I was stunned, shocked, whatever you want to call it, I was that.
     Suddenly, the light dimmed, and the shadows of my family flickered out. The shadow of Bianca turned towards me and started speaking quickly.
     "You won't be staying with us, but we aren't leaving you. We will come with you. You, and only you, will be able to see us. The rest of these spirits here are also family. They will come with us. We are all family..... Except for maybe Jules-Albert over there. He's just a REALLY good family friend."
     "Woah, woah, woah! I'm not staying here? How can you come with me? Where am I going?" I asked all these questions, but I felt I already knew the answers.
     "I can't answer your questions now." Bianca explained. "Quick! Everyone, hold hands!"
     Every shadow formed a circle with me. Bianca holding my right hand, and mama holding my left. As soon as everyone was holding hands, the light faded and I was once again wrapped in darkness. But this darkness was different. I was more aware, and everything hurt. I could no longer feel mama's and Bianca's hands in my own. I could hear a slow, monotonous, beep, voices shouting at each other and a bunch of other noises, but even with the noise, I couldn't quite place where I was.
     I opened my eyes. Or tried. They felt glued shut! I tried again and again and finally managed to push my eyelids up so I could see. And what I saw, was not good.
The walls of the room I was in were white, and so was almost everything else. It was blinding to look at. The beep I had heard earlier was a heart monitor. The beeps were getting a little quicker, and weren't as slow. I then noticed the people gathered around me, shouting and screaming for various items, which I could only assume we're medical tools, because of the uniforms people were wearing.
All different shades of blue and green scrubs scurried about, trying to save me. I tried to tell them to let me die, but no one heard me. They continued their work, and I could feel my soul resting comfortably back into my body.
My mind, however, was not comforted. I didn't want to live. It would be better for my stepmother and father, if I can even call him that, if I died.
"He's awake!" I heard a middle aged nurse yell, to the others around me. Everyone's eyes turned to me for about two seconds, then returned to the process of, 'saving me', when really, this would only bring me more pain.
After a minute, I noticed an I.V in my arm, as a nurse put some sort of liquid in it. Not long after the serum was injected into my blood stream, I feel into a dreamless sleep.

*Time lapse to later that night*

When I woke up, various tubes and wires were attached to my body. The walls around me were blindingly white, and stung my eyes.
I continued to look around the room, despite my eyes protests. It had two chairs near the bed I was lying in, and another two near the foot of the bed. No one was in the room, unsurprisingly.
The door opened. I guess I spoke too soon. A small woman walked into the room, not noticing I was awake. She checked a chart at the end of my bed, flipping through pages. Then she puts the chart back, and looks up, her bored and tired gaze, meeting my death glare.
"Where am I?" I ask, trying to remember.
"Well," she began, still seemingly startled that I was awake. "Your at Mount Sinai Hospital, in Queens. Your hear for-"
"Why?" I asked, interrupting her, because I already remembered what happened.
"'Why' what?" The nurse, who I now realized, name tag read 'Shakylla'.
"Why did you try to save me, when I am already dead?" I ask .
"What do you mean by that?"
"I just want it to end. That's all." I was close to crying from my failed attempt to end my life.
Shakylla watched me curiously for a moment, then called in a doctor. I heard a set of footsteps nearing the door. I look up and see them talking. I can't read their lips well, and they are talking too quietly for me too hear.
The doctor was a man, about 4 foot 6, with black hair and the start of stubble growing on his chin. He had brown eyes, and he was handsome, but, I could tell, he's not my type.
I looked to my side and gasped, the nurse and doctor immediately looking at me, but I don't care. All I care about is the new figure standing next to me.
"Bianca....." I whispered.
"Mr. Di Angelo," the doctor said to me. "How are you feeling? Does anything hurt around your stomach or head? Do you feel dizzy?"
As the doctor overloaded me with questions, I wasn't really listening.
"Hello, il mio piccolo soldato."
"Bianca.... How'd you get here like that? Why don't they care?"
"Um, excuse me!" The doctor interrupts. "Who are you talking too? Who's Bianca?"
"Nico, they can't see me. Mama and the others are waiting outside, but...." Bianca bit her lip. "When we came with you here, a rip between the mortal and post-mortal worlds opened. Spirits roam free on the streets, and we can't put them back. I'm sorry."
"Bia, why are you sorry?"
"Well..... Never mind. The doctor is looking concerned."
"Mr. Di Angelo, who are you talking to." He did indeed look concerned.
I pondered over what to say. I realized that they wouldn't believe me anyway, so I told the truth.
"My sister. My dead sister Bianca." I stated confidently.
The doctor looked even more concerned. He picked up the chart and looked it over. He placed it down, then looked back up to me.
"Did you.... Maybe..... Hit your head on something?"
"No." I deadpanned.
"Well then, um.... We're glad you awake. Shakylla here will give you a checkup, then we can talk about what happened."
I didn't respond. I didn't want to. I was in a hospital, stuck with stupid nurses and doctors that only pretend to care about you. It was horrible. I don't know how long I'm going to stay here, but I can a sure you, my time in this hospital will be..... Excruciating.

AN: Hey guys! So this was a long chapter! There will be a word count at the bottom! So, how've you been? It took forever for me to write this, 'cause I had to unpack from a camping trip. ☹️
Anyhow! Leave a comment of what y'all been up too! Until next time! 😉

Word count: 2,346.