Bianca di Angelo knew what to expect as soon as she took that doll for her younger brother. Yet when she faced death, she couldn’t help but feel afraid until she woke up on the other side of the River Styx.
But she made the most of her new afterlife.
Even when she had to convince her lonely little brother to not trust that shady figure while inside the labyrinth. Or when she had to talk with him several times to convince him to not try and bring her back through his powers.
She had to convince him not to do a lot of stuff. Even when she was dead, she still watched over him like the older sister she was.
Blanche had her sights set on the Isle of the Blest with its glittering blue water and warm sands that seemed so welcoming. But there were set rules before she could enter such a place. She needed to die and be reborn three times and have all her lives achieve Elysium for that to happen.
The Isle was a very exclusive place. And she felt it calling for her every hour when her spirit was wandering around the Underworld.
But the one thing holding her back from just jumping into a new life was her brother. On one hand, she didn’t want Nico to try and do anything to stop her. But on the other hand, she didn’t want to leave him so suddenly. He deserved one last goodbye before she started a new life.
And maybe Nico knew how she was feeling because he was visiting the Underworld more frequently than he has before.
It would explain why he was standing in front of her with an expectant expression
“Sis,“ Nico greeted with a small smile on his face.
Bianca looked down at her younger brother’s attire. She wasn’t expecting him to have this much black in his wardrobe. But he looked good. Better than he was when he left Camp Halfblood.
“Hey, Nico,” Bianca smiled at her brother.
Her brother’s face fell. “Why do you look lIke that?”
Bianca froze in place. “Like what?”
“Like you’re going to tell me bad news. Or something that you know I’m going to hate,” Nico frowned. He took a step towards her with his brows furrowed. “I know that look on your face better than you know.”
“Nico, I... I know that it’s time for me to move on from here,” Bianca said in a hurry like she was ripping off a bandaid with the speed of her words.
“What?” Nico looked concerned. “But, you are already—“
Bianca interrupted him. “I want to live in the Isle of the Blest!”
Nico fell silent as she watched his body language shrink down in disappointment. “But you know that means—“
“I will have to be reborn. At least two more times… And I have to reach Elysium again two more times,” Bianca risked a glance towards the beach-like spot in the middle of Elysium. She gazed at the beautiful warmth coming from it. “But I think it will be worth it.”
“...Why? Why do you want to move on that way? Do you want to get that far away from here?” Nico paused looking like he was reverting back into his ten-year-old self. “From me?”
“Nico, don’t you dare think this is because of you. You’re my little brother and I love you the most out of the world,” Bianca walked up to her brother and tilted his head up to face her. “Look at me. But I can’t stay here forever.”
Nico stayed silent as he tried to turn away from her. Bianca pressed on with her explanation, “I wanted both of us to grow up together and live a better life than the ones we had before. And I wanted you to grow up into someone who didn’t need to count on your big sisters for everything.”
“And you have! You’ve grown stronger than I thought. I’m glad that you have people to count on and friends that you care about,” Bianca rubbed at her brother's cheek until she saw a hint of a smile in return to her words. “I’m upset that you had to be in some big war, but proud that you showed off your strengths. I’m still a bit conflicted about that, not going to lie to you, my younger brother.”
Her brother’s eyes glazed over. He sniffed, “I don’t want you to leave.”
Bianca opened her arms to hold her brother in her arms. Nico trembled in her touch as he started to break down from their embrace. It killed her inside when she noticed how tall her brother was getting. Not like the ten year old who came running up to her in their hotel room rambling on about his mythology game.
He had grown up. And she had not.
She didn’t get to see him grow in the way she wanted to. Even with the hunters of Artemis, she would have made sure to keep an eye on her brother despite how many missions she could have gone on.
And yet, here they were. Bianca was the same age as she had been for years on end and her younger brother was getting taller than her.
Bianca bit down on her lip as she embraced him. “I know. I love you, Nico.”
“I love you too, Bianca,” Nico whispered against her shoulder.
Bianca leaned her head into his messy black hair and laid a kiss upon his head. She softly pulled back and kissed his forehead. “Nico. It’s time to let me go now.”
“I’ll miss you,” Nico held onto her hand and brought it up to his face as they withdrew from the embrace.
“Hey, we’ll meet again,” Bianca smiled.
They would. She knew it. She might not be in the same body that she started in. But Bianca knew her stubborn brother would find her even if it was 100 years from now.
By then, they would have both lived sufficient lives. Maybe Nico would have found love by then.
Bianca laced their fingers together as Nico’s tears slowed. “It might take some time for us to be here at the same time, but we’ll be together again. Just you wait.”
