*Creative Title*

***

He tried calling Eddie, only to be answered with a snippy, “What?”

Buck said, “Eddie, I know you’re mad-“

“Buck, no offense, but I don’t want to hear your apologies right now.”

And with that, he hung up the phone.

It’s okay, he lived out of his Jeep once, he could do it again.

Except, living out of a Jeep while on the road and traveling seemed to be a bit different when he had a job, when he lived in one place. Coming in early to shower and cook breakfast became his new routine. Still, part of him wanted to come in, when people weren’t giving him cold stares or snippy glances, for people to realize how tired he looked, how drained he was. He could explain the situation, but he couldn’t stand the looks of pity they would most definitely give. He wanted them to care, but he didn’t want their pity.

He heard his phone ding. A text from Maddie, Thanksgiving at your place this year?

Buck froze. He didn’t tell Maddie about his… situation, knowing she would tell Chimney, and, of course, knowing that Chimney couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. Still, he felt guilty about keeping this a secret, so he messaged back, I don’t think I can, at least not this year. I’m have not been feeling the greatest lately, and I don’t think I would be up for hosting

It wasn’t completely a lie, Buck thought. His throat felt sore, and his nose was starting to run. Still, he didn’t know how else to tell Maddie that Thanksgiving couldn’t be at his place, because his place was nonexistent, right now. Maddie had enough to worry about than the problems he was facing.

Oh no, do you want me to come by and bring you some soup?

Shit, that was not what he wanted.

I’m actually going to the doctor today. I don’t know what time I’ll be home. It was a lie, but he couldn’t let Maddie find out that his apartment was vacant by just showing up.

Okay. If you change your mind, let me know.

And that was the conversation. In a way, he was glad that the conversation was over, that he didn’t have to explain his situation, but he also felt a little bit sad that Maddie didn’t question him more. They weren’t as close as they were before the lawsuit, and while Maddie didn’t really cut him off, they hadn’t been communicating as much.

Still…

***

“Dammit!” Buck hissed, when he was in the locker room, smacking his hands against the locker. Another apartment application just fell through, after they took one glance at his credit score. He could not catch a break, it seemed, and even worse, Bobby had just yelled at him for the way he organized the ambulance.

“It’s like you’re not even trying, Buckley.”

Buck tried not to snap back at him for that. To make matters worse, his head had been killing him, and he had difficulty swallowing anything, his throat hurt so badly. Still, he was here, because he had to be, and because he was not going to find anywhere to live by not working.

“Buck, are you okay?”

Shit. He thought he was alone, but sure enough, behind him stood Chimney, whose face exemplified feelings of concern and confusion. He looked at Buck taking a deep breath- it wasn’t exactly like he could just lie and say he was fine.

“Yeah… Just a lot going on, and I got some news that made it worse.” Buck said.

“You aren’t dying… are you?” Chimney said. “Because you don’t look too good, and, um, I don’t want to have to be the one to tell Maddie.”

Buck shook his head, “Nothing like that… I just have a cold, I think.”

“Okay… if you say so.”

***

Buck’s cold got worse. He still struggled to swallow anything, his headache persisted, and he was shaking like crazy. He overheard a conversation, in passing between Chimney and Eddie.

“I’m worried about Buck…”

“Why? He did this to himself.”

“Eddie, don’t be like that…”

“Like what? Why should I care if Buck is alright?”

Buck was too tired to feel anything about that… too tired to cry, yell or anything. He just sat at the table, sick as hell, scrolling through apartment listings. There were places in other areas of LA, they were sketchy, but somewhat affordable. He looked at them, mind foggy, shutting the laptop as Hen walked in, looking Buck up down.

“You look like you got hit by a bus.”

“I wish.” Buck muttered

Hen turned abruptly, “What was that?”

Buck blinked, “I said, ‘I’m sick’.”

Hen gave him a look, “Do you need to go home?”

What home? But Buck couldn’t just say that. He looked up and shook his head, “I’ll just drink fluids and… that should be enough.”

Hen shook her head, but didn’t push him anymore. Bobby walked in and glanced at Buck, “I need you to dust the ceilings today.”

Buck narrowed his eyes, “Dust the ceilings?!”

Bobby glared, “I know you heard what I just said. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Hen looked at Buck as the captain left, “You know, you should ask to get off and go to the doc-“

Buck shook his head, “No doctors.”

Doctors are part of the reason he is in this mess to begin with. He can’t afford to go to the doctor, and if he went now… he was never going to get out of his predicament. He would just push through this… it had to go away eventually, right?

***

Buck didn’t know exactly when he passed out. He remembered climbing the ladder to dust, and next thing he knew, feeling a bit lightheaded. Next thing he knew, he was tumbling down, hearing someone in the distance yelling his name.

Then, he woke up in an ambulance, Eddie above him, talking to someone else. Buck lifted his head up, only to be pushed down abruptly by a pair of hands. Buck’s eyes teared up a bit. Great. A hospital visit and an ambulance ride. He was never getting out of debt.

“Fever is 103.2.”

Buck winced. Maddie was going to kill him.

Eddie turned to glare at him, “What the Hell were you thinking? Working while you’re that sick?”

“Eddie, now is not the time.” Hen snapped.

Then the world went dark again. Next thing he knew, he was laying in a hospital bed, surrounded by… well, everyone. Bobby, Eddie, Hen, Maddie… Athena. For a moment, he wondered where Chimney was, but then realized he had nothing better to do.

Buck sat up, not knowing what else to say to everyone but, “Hey.”

“How long have you been sick?” Eddie demanded.

Wow. Straight to the point.

“A couple of days.”

Maddie looked at home, “You told me last week you weren’t feeling good.”

Fuck.

“A week? You’ve been sick for a fucking week?!” Eddie snapped.

Bobby glared, “Eddie, we agreed we weren’t going to do this right now.”

“No, what was the point? Are you trying to find a new reason to sue the department?” Eddie snapped.

The room went silent for a moment. If Buck wasn’t laying in a hospital bed, he would have smacked him. Right now, however, he lay there, unable to say anything, luckily, Maddie spoke for him.

“You need to get out until you can control your emotions.” Maddie’s voice was low.

Eddie looked around, as if asking for someone to jump in, but then sighed, leaving the room. As he walked out, Chimney walked in, giving Eddie a look as their paths crossed.

“What’s his problem?” Chimney asked.

“He was being a dick, so Maddie told him to leave.” Hen said.

“Ah.” Chimney said, before sitting down, looking at Buck, “Oh good, you’re awake, I have to tell you something.”

Buck sighed, “What is it?”

“I met Britney.”

Buck was genuinely confused- who was Britney and what did she have to do with him. He was trying to remember everyone he’d ever met and whether or not the meeting would be casually mentioned to Chimney,

“Like… Britney Spears?”

“No, Britney Turner, the woman who now apparently lives in your loft.” Chimney said. “Where you apparently don’t live anymore.”

Shit. Now everyone’s eyes were turned to look at him, and just like that, the carefully constructed lie he had built for the past three weeks crumbled around him, all because of a careless mistake.

Maddie’s eyes flickered with sadness, “You told me you couldn’t host Thanksgiving because you weren’t feeling good. Where have you been living?”

Buck sat there, looking at Maddie. He didn’t know how to tell her, how to explain that he had been suffering all these weeks alone. Still, Maddie knew him better than anyone.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve been sleeping in your Jeep.” Maddie pleaded.

Buck couldn’t meet her eyes, “I won’t tell you then…”

The room fell silent a moment, as everyone looked at him, Buck almost scoffed at this.

“No, don’t you dare pity me.” Buck snapped. “None of you bothered asking, so I didn’t bother telling you. You obviously had your own shit going on, and you were mad, so I didn’t tell you.”

“Buck…” Maddie said.

“I did want to tell you Maddie, but I don’t know, I thought I could figure it out.” Buck said. “But now, I have even more medical debt than I had… so I guess I’m even more screwed, aren’t I?”

Eddie, of course, chose that exact moment to regulate his emotions and come back, and looked around at everyone. “What’s going on? Why is Buck more screwed?”

And for a while, nobody said anything, or at least it felt like that. He saw Hen whisper something to Chimney, and Athena and Bobby talking. He sat there, trying to process everything that just happened, but he couldn’t. Then the doctor came it, a woman with curly blonde hair placed in a bun atop her head.

“Evan Buckley? You should have come in sooner.” The doctor said.

“Yup. That has been established.”

“So you have strep, flu A, and you likely passed out due to a high fever or dehydration.” The doctor said. “Not to mention, you now have a mild concussion after falling from that height.”

Buck’s breath hitched. He didn’t mean for things to get this bad, didn’t mean for everyone to be here right now.

“I will prescribe you with amoxicillin to treat the strep, as well as Tamiflu, and I will keep you overnight to monitor your concussion.” The doctor said. “Who is taking you home tomorrow?”

Before anyone could respond, Bobby responded, “We are. Me and my wife.”

Buck gave Bobby a weird look. The doctor nodded, before telling him some things, and then leaving.

“You don’t have to take me home…” Buck said.

Athena glared at him, “And let you go back to living in that Jeep of yours? Absolutely the fuck not.”

“Wait… your Jeep?”

Buck rolled his eyes, “Yes. I didn’t leave work, not because I wanted to sue you guys, but because I’m already in debt, and quite honestly, the station was the only place I was getting shelter, food, a shower.”

The room fell quiet.

“I just thought if I could… you know… figure it out, everything would just be fine.” Buck’s eyes filled with tears. “I know I’m… a lot… and I know you all deserve to be mad at me-“

“So you deserve to be homeless?” Eddie asked.

“Natural consequences.” Buck muttered.

“Listen, I was mad, I still am mad, but, I would never want this for you, none of us do.” Eddie said. “And if they do, I will fucking kick their ass.”

A few of them muttered in agreement.

“Now, we have to go buy you some clothes. Chimney tried to go to your apartment to grab some, but-“

“Yeah, I know.”

Bobby looked at him, “I really am sorry Buck.”

What time is it?

This was the third time this week that Peter had missed his curfew, and he knew this time, Tony would not be as forgiving. Man, they had just gotten to a good place in their relationship as well, and then he just had to ruin it by getting bitten by that stupid spider. Peter sighed. Harley would never do this.

That was always the way, at least since Harley came into their lives and Morgan was born. Peter was the screw up, the charity case. He was there because his aunt died, nothing else. Harley was the intern, the college kid, and Morgan was their real child.

Peter sighed, as he flipped through the air, landing on a building. He hated this, hated being the least favorite, hated having to hide this from his father, and yet, here he was. He looked up at the sky… the Stark Industries Tower stretching above the other skyscrapers, still miles away. God, he wishes Aunt May or Uncle Ben were here.

Then he kept swinging. Would they even notice if something happened to him? Probably not. He swung from building to building, bitterly. He should just disappear, not bother going home, but then what would that accomplish?

He took a deep breath, before shooting the webs, but as he turned around, he didn’t see the giant light pole in front of him, until he slammed into it, knocking him out.

***

As Peter came to, he had two observations; one was his head was throbbing. He cannot believe his dumbass was stupid enough to swing straight into a fucking pole, and the second thought was, if Tony wasn’t going to kill him before, he was sure as Hell going to kill him now. Yet, as he stood up, he felt wobbly on his feet. Fuck. He was not going to be able to walk home like this, and he thought of who to call. Tony? No, he’d be pissed. Ned? Was most likely asleep. MJ? She was out of town. Pepper? He would just tell Tony. Fuck, there was one person he could call, and he wasn’t particularly eager to call him. Still, he didn’t have any better choices.

“Karen?” He said. “Can you call Harley?”

His phone started ringing when all of a sudden a groggy voice sounded through the speaker, “Peter? It’s 2 am, what the fuck? Weren’t you supposed to be home like… four hours ago?”

Fuck. He didn’t realize it had been that long.

“H-hey Harllley.” Peter said.

“Are you drunk?”

Great. That was another thing he had to worry about.

“Noooo, I-I ran into a poll…”

He heard shuffling on the other side of the phone, as he was presumably getting out of bed, and throwing on his shoes.

“Peter, how- never mind, don’t answer.”

“I’m going to take a nap while I wait.”

“Peter, no. No naps.” Harley scolded.

Peter sighed exasperatedly. That is so unfair. “You never let me do anything fun.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I’m checking your location.” Harley said. “Why the hell are you in the Brooklyn?”

Peter looked around, “That’s where I am?”

Harley sighed exasperated, “Fuck… just stay right there.”

***

Staying awake was easier said than done. He had to change out of his Spider-Man outfit, but he did feel like he forgot something, as he shoved his suit in his backpack. It wasn’t until he heard a car pull up and heard Harley yell, “Peter Benjamin Parker, where the fuck is your shirt?”

He looked down. That’s why it felt so cold.

Harley got out of the red Audi that he definitely borrowed from Tony, and helped Peter into the car. “Peter, what the heck were you thinking? You’re lucky I managed to sneak past Dad, or do you know how much trouble you would be in?”

Peter looked at Harley. At any other moment, he would cry, but he had a hard time keeping his face in focus at all. Still, he let Harley lead him to the car, as Harley slammed the door shut. Moving to the other side of the door, he opened the door, triggering the lights, which caused Peter to scream at the top of his lungs, making Harley jump.

“Peter? What the fuck?” Harley observed his forehead. “That is a pretty nasty bump, we might need to tell Dr. Cho.”

Harley raised his eyebrows after Peter simply shook his head. “No? Why?”

Truth be told, the last time he got a major injury like this, Dr. Cho told Tony, and that was the closest he had ever gotten to his identity being revealed. If she told him this time, there was no way that he would be able to explain his way out of this. However, he got hit with a wave of nausea as he opened his mouth to speak, and before he could speak, bile rushed out of his mouth.

“Oh my god, Tony is going to fucking kill us.” Harley gasped. “Are you high?”

“Define ‘high’.” Peter said.

“Did you take drugs?”

“What the fuck, what kind of person do you think I am?” Peter snapped.

Harley eyed him, as he put the car in drive, “What did you think I meant?”

“I meant high in the sky, which, I was, like, two seconds before I hit the pole.” Peter said.

Harley stared at him, “Did you jump off a building?”

Peter thought for a moment, “I mean not for the reasons you probably think I did?”

Harley stared at the boy, “You’re delusional…”

“No, I’m Spider-Man.”

And before he could hear Harley’s response, everything went dark.

***

The next time he woke up, it was in a lab… or was it a hospital? He shot up, when he realized, he was back in the tower. He told Harley no Dr. Cho. Then he remembered Harley. The last thing he remembered was telling Harley about Spider-Man, and now… he looked around, seeing the boy in question staring forward, expression blank.

“You are a fucking idiot.” Harley said.

“I know.”

“All this time… you were Spider-Man?”

Peter considered lying, claiming he only said that due to the brain injury, but that would be hopeless, and Harley would see right through it. He looked at him, thinking of an explanation.

“How long?” Harley asked. “Actually, better question… how?”

Peter winced, “You remember the field trip to Oscorp that I wasn’t allowed to go on, but went on anyways?”

Harley’s eyes widened, “The one that was six months ago?”

“So, I got separated from the group and got bit by a radioactive spider.” Peter said.

Harley’s face paled, “Was that why you were so sick?”

Peter nodded his head, “I’m sorry, I wanted to tell you, but… I didn’t think anyone would care. Honestly, we barely talk… Tony doesn’t acknowledge me unless I get in trouble I just… didn’t want to bother anyone with this.”

“So you risk your life every night and decided to not tell anyone?” Harley demanded.

Peter shrugged, “I told Ned.”

Harley rolled his eyes, “Of course you told Ned, well when Tony finds out-“

“Don’t you dare tell Tony!”

“Tell Tony what?”

Nico knew how pathetic he looked right now, he really did. He had just had yet another disagreement with his father, Hades, which seemed to be all they did. It was strange, Nico had never imagined having a relationship with his father, especially not one like this, and yet, despite being the god of the dead, he didn’t quite understand the pain associated with death, what happens when loved ones die.

At least not in the way Nico did.

Mortality was fragile, easily broken, and once it did break, so did the world around it. He remembered his sister, Bianca saying something like that once, and the irony was not lost on him. Bianca had chosen immortality- she could have lived forever, and yet, she was the first to go between the two of them. Nico was sure that was never what Hades wanted- Nico was supposed to be the expendable one, not Bianca. She was supposed to be his savior, the one that changed people’s views on him.

Though, we can’t always get what we want, can we?

Now, one might wonder why Nico was currently in a cab, smelling of synthetic air freshener, sitting diagonally from a driver who definitely should not have a license. As the cab driver weaved through New York traffic, Nico was observing the concrete jungle pass by him. Skyscrapers towered over them, as seas of people walked through the streets and the sidewalks. It was amazing how carefree people could be, how impending doom never seemed to bother most people, even people who, unlike Nico, don’t know what happens after death.

Still, you lose so many people in your life… and reality begins to sink in.

He looked around. He wondered for a moment if Percy resided in one of these buildings, knowing he lived in Manhattan. Then Nico closed his eyes bitterly, thinking, I don’t care.

Or so that’s what he told himself, as he tried so much to hate Percy Jackson. He was gripping his seats, so lost in thought, that he didn’t realize the cab had stopped, until the driver’s gruff voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Kid? This your stop?”

Nico shook his head before reaching into his pockets, and grabbing the drachmas, shoving it into the man’s hand and getting out of the car quickly, before the man either realized the money wasn’t real, or realized Nico was a demigod and they had a whole other thing to worry about.

He stared at the Empire State Building, towering above him. He did some research before coming here, learning it was built in the 1930s, something he had in common. However, he wasn’t here to observe the building- he was here for what sat above it.

He took a deep breath, before stepping forward. Did he really want to do this? He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering his father’s words moments before he left.

“I told you everything I know, Nico, now leave me alone!”

“But you didn’t. You told me she died, which I knew, and you told me Zeus did it, but you didn’t tell me why Zeus did it.”

“I don’t know why Zeus does anything, go ask him your damn self.”

He knew his father wasn’t 100% serious about it, but he needed answers. Not just asking Hades, and him acting as if it were unimportant. Not just vague replies, or things he didn’t know, real answers. And if the payment for that was pissing off the king of the gods? So be it.

***

Olympus was so beautiful that it pissed Nico off.

How could these gods be blessed with so much light and color, while leaving those in the underworld to wither away in shadows, live in darkness?

Nico didn’t even know how he managed to get up there. He remembered requesting an audience with Zeus, the person at the front desk not even bothering to look up to tell him that Zeus was busy. Nico told them that he had details on Kronos, and somehow, that was convincing enough for the man to let him up, and Nico wondered for a moment if he was even paying attention to what he was saying, but still- he made it here, didn’t he?

Nico stepped up the stairs made of shiny gold, taking deep breaths. This was basically suicide for a Hades kid, but Nico hardly cared. One way or another, he would end up in the Underworld tonight, and at least if he did die at Zeus’s hands, he’d be less likely to have a conversation with his father.

As he made his way up the steps, a million thoughts came to him. Zeus wouldn’t actually kill him… right? Yes, he killed his mother, and yes, he despised his father, but it would be hypocritical of him to kill a forbidden child after bearing one of his own. Then again, with everything Nico knew about Zeus, he somehow doubted the god really cared about coming across as hypocritical.

As Nico entered the room, his thoughts became mesh as anxiety filled his chest. Was he actually going to die here? Despite everything that was just said, he didn’t actually want to die. Still, he was already here, and Zeus undoubtedly sensed his presence, it was too late to back down now. Nico entered what looked to be the throne room, twelve glorified chairs towering over him, none of them filled, but one, and that throne was filled with a large man, with an angry face.

“Son of Hades.” The god spat. Man, don’t let this be Zeus.

Nico gulped, “Are you Poseidon?”

“Do not insult me like that, boy.”

Had this been anyone else, he would be offended, would have yelled. The way this god called him boy sounded eerily similar to his father. Spoken to him like he was a burden, an inconvenience, rather than a human being. Except, this wasn’t his father- this was the king of the gods, someone who had no relevance to him other than his mother’s death and his father’s family. Someone who saw every mortal as a burden and an inconvenience. “Can’t you do one thing right, boy?” “You had one simple task, boy-“

“Sir, I mean, your majesty I’m-“ Nico’s heart raced, as he spoke, “Nico di Angelo.”

“I know who you are, and you are lucky I’m in a good mood or I’d blast you at the door. “ Zeus growled. “You have two minutes to speak before I change my mind.”

Nico sighed. Right. Though, if this is what his good moods looked like, he’d hate to see his bad moods. Although, all of Greek Mythology seemed to just be Zeus in a bad mood, so, who knows.

“Listen, I am here about my mother.” Nico explained. “My father said you tried to kill her, and I want to know why.”

Nico didn’t fail to notice a slight falter in Zeus’s intimidating demeanor. Was it shock? Guilt? No. In Nico’s short experience with the gods, they didn’t feel guilt. They killed, they cursed, they had their reasons, but hardly ever felt guilt.

Zeus stayed silent for a moment, “What did my idiot brother tell you?”

His voice seemed rather accusatory, but Nico ignored it.

“He just told me that you killed my mother.” Nico said.

Zeus scoffed, “Of course he told you that. Did he tell you who I was actually aiming to kill?”

Who he was actually aiming to kill? What was that supposed to mean? Still, something about the way Zeus said that made his skin crawl with realization.

“Me?” Nico’s voice was shaky.

Zeus narrowed his eyes. “And your sister. Brianna was it?”

“Bianca.” Nico growled. “Why?”

“My brothers and I made an oath, and he broke it.” Zeus responded.

“We were already born.” Nico snapped.

“You still shouldn’t exist.” Zeus snapped back.

You shouldn’t exist. Those words lingered in his mind longer than they should have. He thought of every good thing he’d ever had in his life. Bianca died trying to get a stupid figurine for him, and he had blamed Percy Jackson for it, at least for a while, because it was easier than acknowledging that Bianca died for him. Hell, even his father didn’t seem to want him around unless it was to run errands or something.

“Says the man who had a child with a mortal, several decades after the prophecy.” Nico muttered.

Zeus’s scowl darkened, “You better watch who you’re speaking to, boy.”

“Or what? You’ll finish the job?”

“Didn’t anyone teach you how to speak to your superiors, boy?”

Nico glared, failing to notice the electricity that shot from the gods’ hand. Instead, he kept talking- perhaps he had spent a little too much time with Percy Jackson.

“No, they didn’t, because you killed my fucking mother, my father hates me, and the only person who was there to raise me was fucking twelve, so thanks for nothing you pretentious asshole!” Nico yelled, and before he could process anything else, he saw a flash of light coming towards him, and as the light hit him in the stomach, he felt every bone in his body crumble in pain. He saw a figure jump in front of him, but before processing who it was, he passed out.

***

It had been a shitty day from the start. He had to run an errand for Hades, and of course, he chose the fast way over the safe way. Shadow traveling from four places in a span of an hour was definitely not how he wanted to spend his day. Still, his father kept piling tasks on top of each other, and Nico was convinced he was trying to kill him.

“Your sister would get this done faster.” Hades sneered, but did not give him another task to complete.

Then, there came an uncomfortable silence, and a lingering conversation that Nico suspected was the real reason Hades had been piling tasks on top of him.

“You said you would tell me about my mother.”

Hades face remained unchanged, but he refused to make eye contact with his son, “That I did…”

Nico sat down, awaiting the conversation, only to be met with silence, however.

“Well, I mean, she died…”

Nico waited for more, but noticed his face falter. He was trying to come off as cold, but he failed miserably.

“She was killed by Zeus when you were very young, and I took you and your sister to the Lotus Casino.” Hades told him.

Nico waited for more. Zeus killed his mother? He tried to understand, but couldn’t- why would Zeus want to kill his mother? His mother wasn’t a demigod, she wasn’t apart of some prophecy, so… why?

“Why would Zeus want to kill her?”

Hades scowled, “Because he is Zeus, there is nothing else to say about it.”

Nico’s stomach boiled in anger. He looked at his father, a picture of calm rage. He wasn’t like either of his brothers, who created storms or tidal waves when angry. No. Hades was calculated, quiet, and for some reason, that made him scarier, and then it dawned on him. Hades was particular about the details he was giving here, purposeful. But why?

“What are you not telling me?”

Hades’ scowl darkened, “Excuse me?”

“You know more than you’re telling me.” Nico said

“I told you everything I know, Nico, now leave me alone!” Hades said.

“But you didn’t. You told me she died, which I knew, and you told me Zeus did it, but you didn’t tell me why Zeus did it.” Nico argued.

“The details don’t matter.” Hades said. “I don’t know why Zeus does anything, go ask him your damn self.”

Nico darkened, “They don’t matter to you, because you don’t care.”

Hades clenched his jaw, “Boy-“

“You don’t care if people die, I mean they all come here anyways, right?” Nico didn’t realize how hard he was clenching his fists. “You wouldn’t care if I die, you sure as hell don’t care that Bianca died.”

Hades kept his face steady, “Is this what this is about? You don’t think I wish every day that Bianca was here instead of a weak little brat who refuses to listen to what I say?”

Nico froze. There it was- the truth was out at last. Hades wanted him dead, or at least preferred him to be dead instead of his sister. Nico looked at Hades for a moment, and simply said. “Fine.”

As he turned around he heard his father says “And where do you think you’re going?”

Nico shook his head, “Following your advice. I will find out more about my mother one way or another.”

***

Nico woke up in a somewhat familiar room- not a room that he had spent a lot of time in, but a room that he had passed through a few times. It took him a moment to realize he was at camp, in the infirmary. As he sat up, a couple pairs of hands pushed him down, but not before a sharp pain shot through his body.

“Easy there.” He looked to the owner of the voice. Michael Yew.

Nico looked around, “What the hell happened?”

The other boy there, one with blonde curls and blue eyes, glared, “You’re an idiot is what happened.”

“Will Solace,” Michael scolded, “what have we said about mouthing off to patients. But yeah, Hades brought you here, saying that you had confronted Zeus about something and got struck by lightning.”

Oh shit.

“How the hell did I survive?” Nico said.

Michael shrugged, “I think Zeus knew that if he killed you, Hades would wreak havoc on his child.”

He wouldn’t. Nico thought, Hades didn’t care that much, or maybe he would, but not enough to kill Thalia, or whatever love child Zeus potentially had out there. Nico sat up, and came face to face with Will Solace.

“Why’d you confront Zeus?”

Wow. Straight to the point.

“I needed information about my mother.” Nico replied. “Zeus killed her, and I guess… I don’t know, I got emotional and forgot who I was talking to.”

Will’s face softened, “Damn…”

“Will, language!” Michael scolded, turning his attention back to Nico. “He did break a few bones, but you’ll survive. You are lucky Zeus went easy on you.”

Easy on me. It didn’t feel like Zeus went easy on him, but he was alive, and that had to count for something. He looked up and sighed.

“Where’s my father?”

Will and Michael exchanged a glance, before the older brother chimed in, “He left… said you belonged here anyways.”

Nico rolled his eyes, “Right. He just didn’t want to have a really awkward conversation.”

Both children of Apollo exchanged a glance, but did not push any more than that.

Michael Yew looked at the child of Hades, a soft expression on his face, and said, “I am going to go check on other patients, do not leave this bed. I mean it, Nico.”

And with that, Michael walked away, leaving Nico and Will sitting next to each other. Will simply stared at him, but he couldn’t comprehend the expression on his face. Still, a silence stretched between them.

“You’re going to run the second I leave, aren’t you?” Will said.

Fuck. Nico wasn’t used to people being able to read him like a book. Even Bianca, he felt, never truly understood him like this, she was twelve, after all.

“I- there’s nothing left here for me.” Nico said. Honestly, there was nothing left anywhere for him.

“That’s bullshit.” Will said. “You have friends here, the Stoll brothers, Percy Jackson-“

“I don’t care about Percy Jackson.” Nico snapped.

“I thought you guys made up?”

“We don’t. Doesn’t mean I care.”

Will rolled his eyes, “You are impossible.”

And with that, Will left, but not before saying, “Your father left you this. Thought you’d might want it.”

He handed Nico a book, a photo album, it looked like, a note attached to it. Nico - Your mother would be proud of you. An apology of sorts, at least the best apology he would probably ever get from his father.

Then he opened it, a picture of a woman, who looked almost identical to Bianca, with a man who looked to be his father, but happier. Me and my love, it read, and Nico realized the hand writing was different from the note. It was his mother’s. Tears formed in Nico’s eyes, before hearing Will Solace sigh.

“Listen, I understand your reservations about staying here, I do. Being a child of Hades… that cannot be easy.” Will said. “But you need people, human people, people who understand you, not just ghosts.”

And with that Will left. Nico then stared at the ceiling, a familiar voice filling his head, Nico, I know I may be harsh, but I do care about you. I should have never pushed you, but I do think the child of Apollo is right. You need people who can understand your situation, and I cannot.