Daughter of Death

Chapter 1

Death is a strange concept to me, confusing in a way it wouldn't be to anyone else. To them, death is death; there's not much thought in the matter.

But I want to know what exactly defines death. Does it mean no heart beat, no longer living?

Because I have seen people who are alive but not living- demons that have no heart but can never die.

Is it, then, when your soul takes the journey to the underworld, because if it is, then am I dead?

I was living there for two years before my brother found me and brought me into the world of the living. It's not so different than the dead. Everywhere I look there are still tortured souls; I can hear them wailing in pain.

To others, death symbolizes sorrow and loss, but death to me is a tingling in my gut.

I don't understand death, yet I know more about it than any other mortal.

Death is life; life is death; a smile on my lips. It is my home.

Cause you see, I am Isabella Marie Di Angelo, daughter of Hades, god of the underworld and all things death.

…...

"Izzy." A familiar soft voice says in all but a whisper at my shoulder.

Unlike everyone else, I don't jump at his sudden arrival or even stir. My eyes continue to stare unseeingly in front of me into the shadows, playing with the idea of stepping into them and seeing where they take me.

But that is always a bad idea because I could easily be lost in the confines of my mind and darkness.

Plus, father would be most unpleased is he had to find and fish me out. I know because it didn't exactly work the first two times it tried it.

"Izzy." The angelic voice of a boy calls again, accompanied with a lanky hand placed on my shoulder. "How long are you going to hide out here and brood?"

"I'm not." I argue, leaning back into Zeus's fist, dark splashing over the forest to form one big shadow as the sun sinks lower in the sky.

"Okay fine; how long are you going to stay out here and pout?"

I shrug, the corner of my lip tilting up slightly as he sighs and slides down the jagged rock face to sit beside me.

"It's not the end of the world you know." He says leaning into me. He is naturally colder than anyone we know, but he is so warm to me and I find myself sinking into his side.

"I don't want to leave," I whisper into his black shirt and old aviator jacket. His hand brushes softly through my hair making me sigh in content.

"I know," he murmurs. "But we can come back and visit whenever you want."

"It won't be the same- this is home. It's all I've ever known aside from dad's place."

"That's why Chiron is making us do this. So you know something besides the Greek world."

"But Forks is so…dreary."

A grin splits his face as he looks down at me. "He chose good didn't he?"

My own lips pull back over my teeth in amusement.

"Yes, he did." His chest vibrates in a chuckle, making me even more content. "As long as I have you, big brother, I think I could manage."

His face softens.

Nico Di Angelo: my twin and only mortal family besides the rest of camp- but they aren't blood.

Nico understands me more than anyone else, and he's the one who took me from the underworld.

When that lawyer dude took us from the Lotus Hotel and Casino, a Fury came down and tried to snatch us away but only managed to retrieve me. I was taken to my father with no memory of my brother, or sister, and not until three years later when Nico found me wandering around the Fields of Asphodel on an errand for dad, did he remember that I existed.

From there he took me to camp at age of thirteen where it has been my home for the past two years.

Now Chiron, our camp activities director, is sending me off to live in Forks Washington, luckily, with my brother.

Then again, it's dangerous to send me anywhere outside of camp without Nico, he's the only one that can calm me down when I get…a certain way.

Being a child of Hades, he is very powerful; all children of the big three are.

But where as Nico has a connection to death and shadows, mine is even stronger than his. Yeah, Nico can raise the dead and talk to spirits and bend shadows, but I can do so much more.

I can feel the living as well as the dead and can literally reach through a person and tear their soul from their body.

With just one touch, I can split someone's spirit from their physical form and cast them into the underworld before their time.

I can feel that too, when someone will die, and it doesn't exactly have a positive effect on me.

"When are we leaving?" I sigh

"Tonight after the bonfire. We will arrive by shadow travel and stay with a descendant of a son of Hermes. His name is Charlie and he's the chief of police down there."

In the distance I hear the conch horn sound, and I frown as my brother shifts to his feet.

He holds out his hand for me and I take it with reluctance.

By the time we make it to the dining pavilion, the tables are full with rowdy campers throwing food as a few stragglers are still scraping a portion of their dinner into the large fire pit.

After I get my food I go straight to the dancing orange flames and toss in my best portion.

"Father," I say and then move to the Hades table with Nico following closely behind.

Another body soon slides in next to us and an arm is thrown over my shoulder. I look up to see the young adult daughter of Athena.

"Hey Annabeth." I greet, smiling through my sloppy Joe. "You have a date with Kelp-for-brains tonight right?"

She giggles as some meaty sauce drips down my chin, and she affectionately brushes it away with her thumb.

"Yes I do."

"You think he'll finally propose?" I ask.

She gives a bark of laughter. "If we are ever going to get engaged, I'm probably going to have to be the one asking. You know how he is."

"How I am what?" Percy himself asks sliding in on Nico's other side.

"Fish-face." I comment.

"Soul-snatcher." He retorts.

"Hey, it was one time!" I say exasperatedly. Geez, you pull someone's soul out of their body one time and they never let you live it down. "And you totally deserved it." I mumble.

"I hugged you."

"Exactly." I bite into my sloppy goodness once again.

I don't get more than three more bites in before a large broad shadow falls over the table. My friends and brother scowl as I look up.

"Hey, Corpse-breath." My eyes instantly narrow.

"Pig-face." I growl and our staring contest holds for about a minute before I launch myself across the table, arms outstretched.

And I hug her. "I'm gonna miss you," I sniff as Clarisse wraps her arms around me too.

"Don't worry kid, I'll see you soon." My best friend says.

Clarisse had taken to me as soon as I first got to camp.

Nico had shadow traveled us to the bordering woods and we were halfway to the big house when Percy appeared in front of us with a happy grin.

"Hey, is this a new camper?" He had asked and Nico grinned.

"This is my sister." He had said and the older boy got a shine in his eyes and lunged at me.

His arms formed a vice-like grip around my neck and panic bubbled in my chest.

Acting on instinct, I had grabbed his wrist and twisted before shoving my hand through his chest, and reaching, my hand closed on something solid.

I had yanked, pulling his soul from his crumbling body by the throat.

"Percy!" A girl with wild blond hair, messily thrown in a ponytail, had shrieked dashing over to his limp form, gazing up at me with real fear-filled eyes as I held the boy's struggling spirit in my hand.

I was about to shove him through the ground, straight to the underworld when a hand on my shoulder made me pause.

Nico's eyes were wide with shock, same as the small group that had quickly formed.

But he seemed to know what was about to happen next so he quickly explained that the boy, Percy, was a friend and wasn't meant to be taken as a threat.

"Oh." I had said with a blush before quickly shoving him back in his body. He choked and gasped in the blond girl's arms.

"It was only supposed to be a hug." He reasoned.

I had tilted my head at the foreign word. "Hug?"

The blond girl's eyes, which had been set in a glare at me, softened.

A crow went up from somewhere behind me, and a large hand had slapped down on my shoulder, making me stumble at the weight.

She was a big burly girl with a wide grin that spelled trouble, and she was looking at me with amusement as her loud voice bellowed around the valley.

"I like her! You're my new best friend, got it Death-breath?"

I had scowled at the nickname, briefly wondering if my breath really did smell like death.

"Who you callin' Death-breath, Pig-face?" I growled, voice just a squeak compared to hers, instinctively knowing she was a daughter of Ares.

Her grin had only widened at my insult and she nodded like I had just confirmed something for her.

"Yup, I like her." She said proudly.

I pull back with a pout as Clarisse ruffles my hair with a large hand.

"Come on," Annabeth sighs. "It's time for the campfire.

The flames that night are high and bright in celebration as we rejoice another day alive.

Then, all too soon, the campers are splitting off to their respective cabins.

Only me, my brother, Percy, Annabeth, Will, and Clarisse stay behind to say goodbye. The others just pat us on the back on their way out of the pavilion.

"I heard that the hunters are supposed to be in Washington, so maybe Thalia will stop by."

"Maybe." I sigh as she gives me one last hug.

"Will you steal my soul if I give you a hug?" Percy asks, a smile tugging at his lips.

"My father would like me to, but I have a feeling that Annabeth would not appreciate it." I tease, opening my arms to embrace him.

Clarisse is next, threatening to put Mrs. O'Leary in the Hades cabin if I don't visit soon.

Then Will gave me an awkward hug before kissing my brother, making me gag.

After a respectful amount of time of their lips smooshed together, I throw my bag over my shoulder, grab Nico's hand, and step into a long shadow.

There is a twist in my gut, my body melting into a gas and a rush of freezing air as my body turns into a dark mass, until I stumble out of a tree with Nico tripping over a branch.

We are behind a smallish house; the sky practically black as clouds blot out the stars and a thin mist hangs in the air.

The air is cool and damp, and darkness hangs around in a thick blanket.

The only light comes from a window in the home in front of us and Nico pulls me out of the trees toward it, but my legs lock as I take in my first deep breath. My eyes dilate, and a slow smile works its way to my lips.

"Do you feel that big brother?" I ask and Nico pauses.

"Death." He comments after a brief pause.

My eyes close as my entire body seems to tingle with the feeling. The sent is strong and like nothing I've ever felt anywhere, even in the underworld.

"They are strong," I sigh wistfully. "I've never felt death this…alive. But it is undeniably dead; it's vibrating in my bones."

"Izzy, you should stay away from whatever this is; you know how you get."

"It's intoxicating."

"Izzy, please." Nico begs, tugging on my hand to get me to come into the house.

"Punishment will come to those who cheat death." I murmur gleefully and Nico stares at me in concern as he finally pulls me up the steps in the small house with the light shining like a beacon into the dark night.

A/N: Hey, so this is another story that I found that I wrote years ago and I just wanted to start putting the chapters up to try and motivate me to start writing them again.

I hope you like it; please review!

P.S. There probably will not be a pairing for Bella in this story.

~Silver~