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While on a walk through the Underworld, Nico di Angelo saw an unusual sight.
A girl is sitting by the entrance to the Elysian Fields. She was born in the midst of death and squalor and the Underworld doesn't scare her. Not one bit.
He asks who she was before she died, because speaking to ghosts is one of his only amusements down here.
“My name is Éponine,” she says, “and I died for someone who didn't love me like I loved him.”
They two of them quickly become friends.
*****************
Nico and Éponine commiserate about loving someone who only has eyes for someone who will never be them.
They talk about their oblivious crushes and reckless young fighters.
“I guess it's hero worship, but he's also really good-looking and he's nice to everyone.” Nico says finally.
“I understand.” Éponine replies. “Marius was the only one who was ever nice to me. I couldn't help myself, really.”
“Maybe I only wanted someone to stay and be nice to me.” Nico sighs.
Éponine nods. It was the same for her.
She and Nico had been starved for kindness and had been gone before they knew it.
*****************
“I have a sister now.” Nico said abruptly, one day.
“I had a brother and sister.” Éponine responded.
“I'm a little bit of an overprotective older sibling.” Nico admitted.
“I don't think I looked after my siblings enough. I tried my best to keep our parents away from them though. Our family kind of messed up.”
“You think your family was messed up?” Nico scofffed. “My mother was killed by my uncle and my family basically just tries to kill eachother all the time.”
“That is incredibly messed up.” Éponine said. Her parents had never been great, but the rest of her family had never been around.
“Tell me about it.” Nico sighed.
******************
Nico starts calling her Ép. It's different from her old nckname, Ponine. She calls him Neeks. For the first time since Bianca died it doesn't hurt.
******************
He gets Éponine to talk about her death.
“I saw the gun infront of him and I just couldn't let him die. Marius could have a life without me but I couldn't have a life without him. I doubt much changed for him after I died.”
“I know. I nearly drove myself to death because Percy asked me to travel with the Athena Parthenos.” Nico responded. “But since I'm alive I could try to figure out what happened to the people you knew in France.”
“I don't think I want to know.” Éponine says. “The Les Amis believed in changing things for the better in France. If they all died, then I want to believe they changed something, even if it was only my life.”
“Your siblings have a good afterlife though. I checked on them after you told me about them.” Nico said hesitantly.
Éponine smiled. “Thank you. They deserve it.”
*****************
Nico visits Éponine's ghost weekly. He brings McDonalds and they talk. Éponine is a good friend to him.
Nico slowly gets over Percy and Éponine starts to think that maybe anything can get better.
But she lives through Nico sometimes. He realizes that Éponine needs to live some things herself. She died before she could live freely. Without her parents, the revolution, and Marius, maybe Éponine would be happier.
Because of that Nico talks about the possibility of rebirth on one of his visits.
Éponine isn't there the next time Nico comes down to the Underworld. He knows that Éponine is carving out a place for herself up above, one that wasn't paved with blood and pain and sacrifice. She's learning to be happier than she ever was before.
*****************
Years later, when Nico is graduating college (and years into a relationship with a blonde boy who looks at him like Nico's all he sees) a young girl with a french accent and eyes far too old for her age walks up to him and thanks him.
She has someone who is everything to her and she is everything to him. Nico sees happiness in her eyes and he's glad because of it.
Éponine is finally happy. Nico's finally happy too.
*****************
(If later on he shadowtravels to the Underworld and hugs his father, well, that's no ones business.)