Chapter Text
I’m distracted from cooking by a knock on the bench next to me. I look up and Nico points to the door.
I sigh, putting my hearing aids in as I walk to the door. Will, Hazel and Frank are already here, sat around the coffee table, so it’s easy to guess who it is.
My brother is stood in the corridor, there are others too, but he is all I see. “Camilla?” He asks, I smile.
“Antonio?” I reply. He grins, pulling me into a hug.
When he lets go, I step back. “Sorry, come in,” I laugh, waving everyone in.
“Oo, something smells nice,” Percy says as soon as he steps through the door. “What you making?”
“It’s carbonara,” Will replies from the sofa.
“Carbonara?” Antonio asks.
“Yeah, it’s pasta, cheese, egg, bacon.” He explains.
I hit my forehead. “It’s cheese and bacon.” I shake my head. “Nico picked it, it’s something he likes, I can make something else if…”
“It’s alright, Milla.” Antonio says, “I don’t mind.”
Nico has his head tipped sideways, staring at them like he has since they arrived. “You’re dead.” Is all he says.
“Nico,” Will says, “remember that talk we had about manners?”
“But…”
“But we are dead.” The blond-haired guy says.
“I’m sorry, can we do some sort of introductions?” Hazel asks. “We’ve just doubled the number of people in the room and most of us have never met.”
Annabeth laughs, “fair point.” She rests her hand on the blond guy’s shoulder. “This is my cousin, Magnus.”
He waves. “And this is Alex,” he says, nodding to the green-haired person next to him.
“Currently she/her,” she says. “Are we doing that thing where we each introduce the person to our left or what?”
“We seem to be,” Magnus says.
“Okay,” she sighs, “this is Antonio, but some of you seem to know him already.”
“I’m Camilla and Nico’s brother,” he says. He nods to the person next to him. “This is T.J.”
“And I’m at a disadvantage because I don’t know the person to my left.”
We all laugh. “Okay then,” I say, “I’m Camilla and this is Nico.” I nod at my little brother. “Meeting dead people is not a new thing for him.”
“Yeah, I was dead once.” Hazel pipes up. When everyone looks at her she smiles. “I’m Hazel, by the way, “Nico’s, either older or younger, sister. Nico, did we ever work that one out?”
“Can we please not get into the whole, who’s the oldest debate, please?” Percy asks. “Last time we started that we were up all night.”
“And we won’t get started on that,” Will says, “I’m Will and this is Frank. Have we introduced everyone?”
“Yep, that seems to be everyone,” Annabeth says.
“Good, because the pasta sauce is about to boil over.”
I look over to the stove top where the pan lid is starting to move.
“Guess that means lunch is ready,” I say as I turn down the burner.