Two Bodies, One Soul

Kat

Four days passed of training and more training and more training. Delia spoke to Leo every day as he neared Rome. On the fourth day- he landed. Delia was given the day off, incapacitated by worry. Kat was left to lead her siblings through the activities while fighting a worry of her own. If Nico wasn't rescued today- he died.

She went to knife-throwing first, then she sparred with a dummy, letting her frustration go. But the knot of anxiety in her stomach refused to go away.
She exhausted herself in the arena all day, not giving herself a spare moment for the 'what ifs' to run through her head. She didn't need them distracting her.

She collapsed, exhausted and sore after a day of beating herself up. She forced Delia to eat some dinner after eating some herself. Together, they sent the iris message to the Argo II.

"Leo?" Delia asked. He was on decks but he looked terrible, riddled with grief.
"Delia?" He croaked. He had done something he could never forgive himself for, Kat could see it in his eyes.
"Oh gods Leo, what's wrong?" Tears were brimming in Delia's eyes.
"I just-" Tears were flowing down his face.He took a shaky breath. "Annabeth went looking for the Athena Parthenos. She- Well, she found it. Arachne was guarding it and Annabeth made her weave her own trap and then Arachne fell into Tartarus. We found Annabeth in time to stop the Parthenos from falling in after the spider but not in time to save Annabeth. She- she fell into Tartarus, Percy went with her."
"What?" Kat squeeked. Tears were flowing silently down her cheeks. Leo blamed himself for his friends falling into Tartarus.
"Hi Kat." He said miserably. "They said they're gonna meet us at the doors of death and close them from the other side." He cracked a small smile, "And guess who Percy asked to lead us there? Nico!" He called and Kat's face broke into a grin beneath the tears. They had saved him!
Nico's face came into view through the mist, he was leaning on Hazel, his face also ridden with grief. He looked pale and horrible, but not as bad as he did when he got bitten by Mormo.
"Nico you son of a skila! Don't you EVER do that to me again! If you do, so help me Hades I'll-" She broke off as Nico and Leo cracked up laughing. She looked at Delia and she looked just as confused as Kat felt.
"What's so funny?" She demanded.
"You're adorable when you're mad." Nico laughed.
Kat looked at Leo questioningly.
"I recall your sister getting , mad at me several times and saying some very similar things." Leo chuckled.
Delia and Kat exchanged a look. 'Boys!' They chorused in their heads.
"So what's happening at camp?" Nico asked.
"Prepping for war by training heaps." Delia answered.
The boys nodded.
Chirons call for curfew echoed behind them.
"You should go if you don't want to get eaten by harpies." Leo pointed out.
Delia nodded, "Bye boys!"
"Bye Goddess-es?" Leo and Delia walked away to give Kat and Nico some time alone.
"You!" She pointed a finger at him. "At least one IM a day, am I clear?"
Nico nodded, laughing. "I've missed you too much, sunshine."
"I've missed you too." She sighed. "Sunshine?"
Nico nodded. "When I was searching for the doors, I ended up in Tartarus. It was dark, a place of no hope. In the dark, you were the sunshine. You were the thing that got me through. "
Kat blushed. "Then I guess you were my shadow. Always at the corner of my mind, watching over me and never really leaving my thoughts."
Nico sighed. "We're a weird match, aren't we? Sunshine and a shadow."
"Yet it works." She smiled. "We're the definition of 'opposites attract'."
He smiled, "I guess we are. Now go, I don't want you to get eaten."
"Awwww! How sweet!" She said sardonically. "Remember once a day!"
"I won't forget." He said, "Bye, sunshine."
"Bye, shadow." She smiled a the mist faded.
Nico was safe and he was going to be ok.

Notes

I didn't want to skip those days but otherwise this things gonna end up 80 chapters. Might be fun to read but not nearly as fun to write! I sympathize with Rick now!
Oh and I'll make sure to bring up what really drove Beth away and what the silver light was!
Don't stop telling me what you think!