I don't know how I got here. One moment, I was chilling at camp, and the next I was in that dam hotel casino thing again.

And shorter.

Dam it. Have I deaged or something? Gone back in time? Am I dreaming?

"Nico!"

No...

"Nicccooo!"

That voice was not who I think it is, right?

"Nico di Angelo! Come here right now!"

She sounds exactly like she did when she died.

"Bia?"

It's a tentative call that leaves my mouth. I'm in disbelief, but it has to be a trick. She's dead. She chose to be reborn. There's no way--

"There you are! Nico, I've been looking for you for like three minutes! We said we would stick together, remember?"

Oh I wish we had.

But she's here!

Oh my gods I need to introduce her to Will! Properly! If we can just get out of here-- oh wait. If she's here, and I am here, then I have definelty been sent back in time.

"Hey Bia?"

"Yeah, Nico?"

"Can... can I try something?"

She hesitates and looks around for a moment; I know she can see my gaze that is set on the door.

"Nico... Dad said..."

"I know! I know! I just... I need to check that this is real..."

I mutter the last part, but she obviously overhears it based on how her eyebrows raise.

I grab her hand, which if I am the age I think I would've been at this time, is normal, and pull her towards the door.

It is the moment when I see Grover, Annabeth, and Percy enter the hotel looking about as young as they did when we met.

Welp.

That confirms the timing for me then. I somehow have traveled back in time with all the knowledge I had before.

Bianca looks between me and the door, thus me and the newcomers, very suspiciously.

"Nico."

Oh, this is her about to scold me. I might cry simply because she hasn't been able to do so to me in years.

Gods she would've loved Will.

"Nico what is going on?"

I make eye contact with Percy for a brief second and then turn to look up at Bia and smile, trying to force the old behaviors forward.

Those I had before she died.

Before Percy....

No. Before she sacrificed herself.

"Nothing! Nevermind! Let's just continue on with what we were doing! What did you want to play next?"

She was definitely still suspicious, but she shook it off. Afterall, I am only her like... 10?-going-on-80-year-old brother, what could I have to hide from her?

She hugged me.

I didn't want to let go.

It reminded me of hugging Will: the same warmth, the same safety. They would've gotten along so well.

Gods, Bia doesn't even know I'm gay. Technically, I'm not even supposed to know I am gay yet.

---

It's only minutes later that I see the skeleton that is supposed to take us to the school come into the casino.

That only means I don't have much more time left with her... unless...

"I need to talk to dad."

Bia looks at me in suprise. The skeleton had introduced himself as a servant of Hades, and she obviously expected me to be freaking out about that old card game I was so obsessed with. But I had more important matters-- such as the fact that the version of me currently in charge of this body has about 8 years more of experience in the demigod world than it should.

"Lord Hades is indisposed at the moment."

"My name is Nico Di Angelo, son of Hades, and soon to be accomplice to some of the greatest demigods to ever live. I need to speak with my father because I think something went wrong. I shouldn't be here with the knowledge that I have."

"Nico... are you okay?"

"Bia..." I take her hands and look up at her, "You die. You die, and I end up depressed, I fight two wars, I help join together the Roman and Greek camps which don't even yet know the other exists yet, I walk through Tartarus alone and become the first person to ever escape it alive, and after all that I get a boyfriend who I love and plan to marry. This isn't prophecy. It's what happens. I've lived it, and now for some reason my mind has been transfered back in time. And now," I turn to the chauffeur, "I need to speak to Hades."

"If you know of your fate, young demigod, then you should know of your power."

Oh right: shadow travel. I haven't completely overworked my body with that yet.

Bia looks thoroughly confused as I squeeze her hand and pull her into the nearest shadow, but she doesn't protest. Probably trying to still comprehend the absolute bombshell I just dropped on her-- both that I was gay and that she dies.

A second later, heat washes over us as I shadow travel into the throne room.

"Dad."

"Nico? Bianca? You should be with-- wait, how did you get here?"

"That doesn't matter dad. What does matter is something is very wrong."

---

Dad doesn't know what exactly to do with us. He confronts the fates, who seem to be messing with a very twisted onto itself red string. That's probably unrelated, and they aren't very helpful either way.

Eventually, he just sends us to camp.

At camp, I see him. My favorite significant annoyance. He seems... stressed. Which is odd, since I am pretty sure at this point in the timeline he should have older siblings to take care of the more stressful duties. He shouldn't even be the head of the Apollo cabin yet!

It hurts to see him and know he won't recognize me or all that we have gone through together.

Or at least, I thought he wouldn't.

"Nico!"

He sees me and perks up. Bianca looks between the two of us before she processes my earlier words again and grins at me.

"Will?"

He runs up to me and hugs me tight."Oh my gods I was so worried! It's been like 4 weeks! Last I knew we were in your bed and then I woke up in the Apollo cabin and I saw people who should be dead and I realized I was so much younger and--"

"Will, sunshine, breathe."

"Nico, who is this?" Bianca looks at this significantly-shorter-than-he-usually-is boy she had never seen before who basically just attacked her younger brother with such a calculating eye that it reminds me of the man himself when he watches a patient who just woke up from a post-rock-wall-concussion. The similarities make me giggle.

Will stares. He's not used to that behavior from me obviously, but the more childish habits from being around Bia are getting to me, okay?

"This," I pause for a slight bit of dramatics, "Is William Solace, my boyfriend." I turn to Will and gesture to Bia, "And Will, this is Bianca di Angelo," His eyes widen at the admission, "My sister."

((&))
Annndd I leave it there!!

Sorry there isn't a ton of blatant Solangelo in this one, but it was super fun to write! It was over 1.1k words, and a special little treat for being oneshot number 50!! (I don't plan for this to have multiple parts, but if anyone has ideas let me know!)
Technically we are on part 60 of the book, but in the end this is number 50 due to multi-shots.

Thank you all for all the amazing support as I have worked on this for years, and I can't wait to continue to make you all cry even more!!

Anyways Cakes,
CAKEY OUT!