NICO'S POV (it's been awhile since this happened)

Alive, Nico decided, was quite an odd word.

Alive; mainly used to describe the act of living or not being dead. Nico, however, saw the word "alive" in a different light entirely.

To truly be alive meant to fly, to touch the skies and run fingers through clouds. When he was alive, he knew that nothing could touch him, nothing could stop him. When he was alive, he was infinite.

There is a difference between living and being alive. Living is walking the borderline between being alive and being dead, and being alive is flying so high up that you can no longer see nor worry about a borderline.

The cold, dark presence that had been forced upon his shoulders had been set free, and Nico was no longer living, no, he was alive.

So, as Nico di Angelo ran alongside Percy Jackson (aka man of his dreams and total hottie), he decided that living had transformed him. Before, he was a caterpillar that was throwing his dreams away; now, he was a butterfly with wings made of hope and a heart made of dreams.

He wasn't going to give up, he wasn't going to let go. He'd made it this far, he'd make it further still.

Nico smiled a bit to himself, allowing the small upturn of his lips to perform happiness beyond just his face. For the first time in a year, Nico was smiling genuinely. Oh, it has been a battle, but in the end he was winning. Maybe he wasn't quite victorious yet, but oh god he felt glorious. He knew that as long as he had Percy, it would be okay.

Percy. The raven-haired boy running alongside him was even more stunning than he remembered. Sure, he physically looked the same, but there was something about the way Nico saw him before the arguments and after they happened. Before, Nico had seen an extremely hot demigod with the most stunning pair of green eyes in existence and a funny and sweet personality, but now Percy was different in Nico's eyes.

Nico could see the loyalty radiating from Percy; it swirled up into a fierce iridescent purple cloud full of truth and determination. He could see the little things now, like his love for Zoe and his pain that he'd dealt with and his hope and his love and his unwavering trust in Nico and- oh, Percy was so much more brilliant than Nico could put into words. Percy made his world feel real again.

"Hey, Percy?" Nico said, gasping for breath as they ran. Wind whipped through the younger boy's long, messy hair, causing loose strands of it to fall into his face. Percy noticed this and brushed it away from Nico's chocolate eyes.

"Yeah?" Percy huffed. Nico could even hear the determination in his love's voice. Every one of Percy's emotions was so imminent that Nico could practically taste and feel them. Something about losing Percy made Nico realize just how much he loved him, and now he felt a newer and brighter connection to the older boy.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything. I didn't mean what I said, I was drunk and in pain and destroying myself and taking it out on you and Zoe and I'm just sorry. I promise, I really promise, that it won't happen again," Nico said quietly, tears filling up his warm eyes. Nico felt a warm weight against his hand, and then soft, comforting fingers were interlocking with his own cold, bony ones. All at once, Nico felt a wave of relief, almost like the weight of the world had been lifted off of his shoulders at last.

"Good, because if it does happen again, I'll just have to take you back to Demeter so she can turn you into corn again," Percy said with a snicker, ruffling Nico's hair. Nico grimaced; being corn had not been a fun experience, and it was certainly not a moment in time he wanted to relive. All the more reason to not screw up again and hurt Percy and Zoe.

If we find Zoe, Nico thought darkly.

"At least if you were corn, I could use that one pick up line on you," Percy chuckled, gripping Nico's hand tighter.

"Percy, don't even think about using that-"

"Baby, are you a corn field? Because I'm stalking you!" Percy exclaimed, then burst into a fit of laughter. Nico groaned and made an attempt to unwind his fingers from Percy's, but Percy just grabbed his hand tighter.

"Come on Nico, you have to admit that that's pretty funny," Will said, amusement lighting his words. Nico shook his head slowly.

"I'm in love with an idiot!" Nico muttered in exasperation. On the inside though, Nico felt himself truly smile. It was a true grin, like the sun had finally risen to greet Nico and light up his life. The sun, Nico realized, was certainly Percy.

"You're sunshine, you know," Nico said, blushing slightly and glancing up at Percy.

"For a grumpy-kinz who likes to completely obliterate my pick up lines, you're cute," Percy said with a stupid grin. Nico blushed harder at the sight of his boyfriend's beaming smile. His smile caused even more sunshine to strike Nico, and by this point Nico felt like he was being blinded.

"God, this mushy stuff is gonna make me sick," Will said, fake vomiting. Percy couldn't hold back a laugh at the sight of the normally-composed Will Solace going pale and pretending to upchuck the contents of lunch from earlier that day; Nico, however, as usual, couldn't manage more than a scowl.

"Oh, cheer up Nico!" Percy exclaimed. "You're too adorable to be all frowny." Nico the tomato made a triumphant return, earning a victorious smirk from Percy.

Gods, he's such a weirdo, Nico thought, resisting the urge to facepalm. He's lucky he's cute.

"Ladies, ladies! You're both pretty. Where, may I ask, are we going though?" Will asked, completely destroying the moment before Nico could think of a response.

"I'm not really sure, but I thought we could go back to camp and try to Iris message Destiny. If that doesn't work, then I have one place in mind," Nico said, rage entering his throat at the thought of the black-haired bitch they were hunting down.

"And where would that be?" Will asked, somehow keeping his voice steady as their feet thundered against the ground. They were almost to the end of the cave now.

"You'll see."

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When they reached the camp, Percy headed straight for his cabin. It was surrounded by water, thus producing the best reception (usually). Nico pelted forward with every step they got closer. Determination to hold Zoe in his arms once more and to hear her laugh. The rage was so deep now that it had constructed a bonfire in his chest, letting flames loose and turning his whole body into an inferno of hatred, disgust, and intent.

The group ignored the curious stares of the other campers as they raced through the campgrounds. Once the door was in sight, Nico didn't even wait for Percy to unlock the door. The son of Hades conjured up shadows and blasted them at the door, shattering the entryway into a thousand microscopic pieces of wood.

Percy swiftly fished a drachma from his pocket while Nico created a rainbow in Percy's bathroom. Will used some of his Apollo powers to angle sunlight over the sink and Nico turned on the water, allowing a gentle spray to rise up from the small waterfall flowing out of the nozzle.

"O Iris, Goddess of the rainbow, show me Destiny Winters in 22 Summerville Lane," Nico said. He hoped his guess was correct and that Destiny truly was where he believe she would be. The mist began to form a hazy image. It was very dark but Nico knew where it was; it was the basement.

"Nico, where is this?" Percy asked, but Nico ignored him. Blood roared in Nico's ears as the image finished pixelizing and at last formed a clear picture.

He saw something (or someone) tied to a chair, screaming. To his disappointment, it wasn't Zoe, but he knew that this person was certainly in danger. From the looks of it, this person was a young male, probably a poor thirteen year old kid just trying to get by in the world. He must think he's been kidnapped; he's completely oblivious to just how dire this situation is, Nico thought, feeling a flash of pity for the boy.

"Hello, boys!" Destiny exclaimed.

"Where's Zoe?" Percy snarled, his sea-green eyes burning like a turquoise flame. Destiny chuckled, seeming completely at ease.

"Ah, don't worry about that one. She's with me," Destiny said with a malicious grin. Nico felt sick once he heard his daughter's cry.

"Daddy!" Zoe wailed in the background.

"Awh, isn't she precious? If you want her, you'll just have to come get her," Destiny said with a wicked smirk before swiping her hand through the mist.

"We have to go get her!" Nico cried out, desperation tugging at his voice. Percy nodded tightly in agreement, his jaw clenched in heartache and outrage.

"We'll have to get some weapons. I know you guys don't want to wait to ask other demigods to join, but can we ask Leo to come?" Will stammered, a slight blush spreading across his cheeks.

Percy looked puzzled for a moment, then understanding filled his eyes. "Of course Leo can come. Nico and I will get weapons, you go get Leo," Percy said gently. Will grinned widely and pelted out the door of Percy's cabin.

Percy took Nico's hand and together they ran to the armory. Nothing felt more like a movie in this moment, wind rushing through their hair and their fingers interlocked as they went to prepare to face incredible danger. Oddly enough, Nico felt exhilarated by this thought.

"We could totally be in a fanfiction right now," Nico said, his lips twitching into a slight smile.

"You think?" Percy asked as he pushed the door open. The room was dark and dust floated around the two demigods; the room hadn't been opened since the war with Gaea. Nico picked up some celestial bronze armor that looked about Percy's size and handed it to him. Percy grimaced and wiped his hand across the surface. Percy showed Nico his hand with a grimace.

"You think they'd at least get some cleaning service in here!" Percy said with an over-exaggerated roll of his eyes. Nico managed a weak laugh at his boyfriend's petty joke, then proceeded to scavenge for armor his size.

"I'm too small for any of this armor!" Nico growled in frustration.

"Here, try this on," Percy said, handing the younger boy a pair of armor that was at least a size too big for Nico. Still, it was better than all the giant armor Nico had been searching through. Also, it wasn't completely covered in dust which was always an upside.

As Nico was strapping his armor on, he noticed a can of black paint that was usually used for games of Capture the Flag. Nico looked back at his boyfriend and saw that he was hunting for armor for Will, and so Nico made the decision to be the emo piece of trash that he was and cover his armor in as much black paint as possible.

The very second that Nico finished his paint job, Percy turned around and broke down laughing.

"I believe that Kellin Quinn would be quite proud of you right now," Percy giggled.

"Is there a right way for being strong?" Nico deadpanned. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Nico, that doesn't even make sense."

"Whatever, I'm just Sleeping with Sirens trash."

"Yeah, but you're really hot trash," Percy said before gently pressing Nico into the wall. Nico felt his heartbeat speed up and his face heat up like an Easy Bake Oven.

Then, Percy was kissing him. Their lips moved in sync, filling Nico's stomach with butterflies. Nico wrapped one hand around the back of Percy's head, pulling him closer to him. Percy gave him one final kiss before gently pulling away and brushing one hand down Nico's cheek.

"You're so perfect, you know that?" Percy said softly, pressing his forehead into Nico's. Nico swallowed, his heart beating faster than ever before and love crashing through his chest.

"I'm the furthest thing from perfect that you could ever imagine," Nico said, casting his gaze downward. Sudden guilt at what he'd done hit him and he fought back tears. He didn't deserve Percy, he never would.

"Hey, don't say that," Percy whispered, brushing his thumb across Nico's chin. "You're perfect to me, so perfect. I love you Neeks, I truly do. It's okay, it's all okay, we'll find Zoe and it'll all be okay and we can get married and Gerard Way can play at our wedding and it's all gonna be okay."

Nico sniffled and looked at Percy again. "You think?" Nico asked, his voice echoey and far away.

"I don't think, I know," Percy mumbled softly. He pressed a kiss to Nico's cheek and Nico couldn't bring himself to smile.

"Hey, we're going to be okay. Our family's going to be back together again soon and it's going to feel better. I promise," Percy said reassuringly. Nico felt a little better after hearing those comforting words.

"You promise?" Nico whimpered, his voice similar to that of a scared little kid's. Percy sighed softly and pressed a small, gentle kiss to Nico's forehead.

"I promise," Percy reiterated, passion flooding his voice. Nico held Percy tightly and Percy didn't hesitate to hug him back.

"Woooah, get a room!" Percy and Nico glanced at the doorway to see Will Solace cringing and jokingly shielding his eyes. Percy rolled his eyes and tossed Will his armor.

Leo appeared from behind the son of Apollo, his brown eyes sparking and his lips upturned into a smirk.

"I'm ready to kick some Destiny ass!" The impish kid said with a grin. Nico smiled. He had always liked Leo more than most of the others on the Argo II. Leo was really funny, but he was also always extremely compassionate and caring. Often times, his small little jokes or positive loyalty was one of the only things that had given Nico any sort of hope on their journey.

"ISHIPIT!" Percy coughed. Nico broke into a fit of laughter. Leo beamed but Will just looked confused.

"SAME PERCY!" Leo screeched. Will continued to have a bewildered look on his face.

"Am I missing something..?" Will asked Leo. Leo just laughed and stood on his tiptoes to ruffle Will's blonde hair.

"Nothing, nothing. Now, what do you say we go and set that frozen ice cube on fire, eh? I'm pretty hot, I think I could melt her freezing cold heart," Leo said, confidence in his voice. Nico rolled his eyes and Percy facepalmed.

"Mmm, you are pretty hot, but I don't know.." Will said with a small smile. Leo blushed and his nose caught on fire.

"Come on lovebirds, we have a daughter to save!" Percy exclaimed, grabbing Nico's hand and shoving past #Lill/#Weo.

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The cab ride to their destination was painfully tense. Tense anxiety hung thick in the air like a thunderstorm. Any second now, lightning would strike and the group would go haywire.

"One hundred bottles of beer on the wall, one hundred bottles of beer. Take one down and pass it arou-" Nico clamped his hand over Leo's mouth before the dorky son of Hephaestus could continue his song.

"Hey, that's my job!" Will whined. Nico rolled his eyes and then shut them, allowing visions of all the ways he would destroy Destiny fill his mind.

"How much longer until we're there?" Percy asked a few moments later.

"About five minutes," the cab driver replied.

Thus, the longest five minutes of Nico's life commenced. Every passing second felt like a lifetime, and the hopes of seeing Zoe seemed so close that he could almost taste it.

He just wanted to hear her laugh again and hold her hand. He wanted to go to the beach with Percy and finally overcome his fear of water along with his daughter- oh, those dreams felt so close yet so far away. Nico wanted to jump out of the cab and scream and teleport Zoe into his arms so that those dreams could become a reality.

Nico finally understood what it meant to want to "trade all his tomorrows for just one yesterday." He would trade the rest of his life just so he could have one more day with Zoe.

He wished he could go back and fix it all. He just wanted his daughter back.

"We're here," the cab driver grunted. Percy threw him some money and then stumbled out of the cab to get a look at their destination.

"Nico, this is-"

"I know, I know," Nico said sadly, pain tugging at his heart.

Nico walked up the driveway, every step feeling like an endless journey. The sky was a dark orange, the sun setting behind the hills announcing that the day had come to a close.

For Nico, his day seemed to truly be beginning.

This was it, this was the final battle with Destiny, he could feel it.

As Nico di Angelo rang the doorbell of his foster home, he knew that he had sealed his fate. Maybe he even sealed his Destiny.

The door creaked open with nobody on the other side. Without a word, Nico stepped inside, memories surrounding him.

Then, a scream erupted from his mouth. A dead body hung from the ceiling fan, its limp, lifeless form dangling into open air, swaying back and forth.

"Jessica," Nico choked out. The son of Hades broke down into sobs as he realized he had lost one of the people he cared most about. Jessica, his foster mother, had been there for him through it all. She was too young for this, too young to die. She had her entire life ahead of her, but Destiny had apparently obliterated that.

 Percy rubbed soothing circles into Nico's back, and Nico spun around and hugged his boyfriend. Percy held the younger boy close as he sobbed into his shirt.

"N-no, we have to keep going," Nico said, getting shakily to his feet. Tears stained his beautiful face and Percy swiftly wiped them away.

"You sure, Neeks? We can go ba-"

"No, I want to do this. I want to end this. I-I want to kill Destiny," Nico said, his eyes darkening. Nico walked swiftly forward toward the basement, and the others followed.

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YOOOOO SOOOO (SPOILERS START) the reason that Leo is here is because I'm pretty sure I mentioned him in Letters to Nico, and idk I felt bad about Will being a third wheel so I was like EHHHHH. Besides, Leo slays and I love Leo.

Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter! Expect more to come soon!

Until next time,

-Callie