A/N: Hey guys! Okay so this is a long time coming, around four or five years, because I'm terrible and a procrastinator. I promised Parzival12 that I would write a story about Ethan and his mom, and now I finally did it! Sorry it took so long, I hope you like the story. The inspiration behind my even writing this story is because of the story "The Whole World Blind" by the lovely HecateA! I love how she explored the relationship between Ethan and Nemesis and it made me want to explore it too. You guys should check it out, not only is it better than my story, but it will give you so many feels. And a special thank you to my best friend Miranda for helping me edit this monster of a story that was twelve pages long! Ps. This is set in an alternate universe. Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Except the idea I guess.

'You will bring sunshine into someone's life.'

Was it just Ethan or were fortunes getting worse and worse? He sighed as he crumpled the thin piece of paper and threw it into the recycling bin. When he had asked Luke to pick him up some food, he had hoped against logic that Luke would actually pick him up some food. Ethan wasn't going to live off of take out for much longer—finances be damned.

He bit his lip. Should he ask his mom for help? He and Luke had been in a financial slump for awhile, ever since Luke was laid off. Then again Luke wouldn't be happy if Ethan went to his mother and asked for her help. Honestly he didn't even want to ask. But the two boys could only have so much ramen, McDonald's, and chinese take-out. It wasn't even the good kind of take-out—it was from a little shop down the street that was going under.

Maybe Ethan could subtly convince Luke to talk to his dad. Mr. Castellan was an overall kind man. He would understand the tough times they were having, whereas Ethan's mother would rant about how she was right and that the boys really couldn't support themselves. He hated to admit defeat, especially to his mother.

Besides Luke would find another job, it was Luke. Ethan's job could probably support them for another few months. It was at least enough for their rent and the water bill. Unfortunately it wasn't enough for their electric bill, so they've been paying it with their emergency funds. It was running low and after it was gone Ethan wasn't sure what they would do (Ethan's still holding out on the chance that Luke will get another job before it gets to that point.) At the rate it was going, it seemed like they would have to choose between the electric bill and food, at least until they can no longer afford either—winter was approaching fast and Ethan was not confident with the amount of candles and blankets he had saved. To Ethan, the options were trip in the dark and freeze to death, maybe even burn the apartment down, or starve. (Ethan silently decided that he needed to lose some weight anyways.)

While Ethan thought of what horrible outcome awaited them in their near future, Luke remained ever the optimist. Yes, they had to cut back on food a little, but losing a few pounds never hurt anyone. And yes, he still had to find another job, but Silena had put in a good word in for him at Starbucks. Ethan was just being overdramatic, they were fine. There was no need to ask anyone for help or, gods forbid, move back in with their parents.

"Luke?" Ethan called from the couch. Luke froze in the doorway, he had thought Ethan was still at work. Oh no. Did he get laid off too? Godsdamnit. What were they going to do now? Luke just got an interview with Starbucks. It wasn't even a guarantee, no matter what Silena had reassured him. How was he supposed to pay for the apartment, or the water bill, or the electric bill, or food the two of them, with a job at Starbucks?! No, no, no, no-

"Luke, is that you?" Ethan called again. Luke cursed their luck as he wandered into the living room.

"Hey Ethan." Luke froze once again as he took in the sight before him. Ethan was wrapped up in a mountain of blankets, looking like he just came back from the dead. The younger boy sneezed and grabbed another tissue.

"They sent me home, can you believe that?"

Yes, Luke could believe that. But he decided against telling Ethan that. "Wow, that's- that's weird. Do you at least get sick pay or something?"

"Yeah." Thank all the gods above, hallelujah.

"That's good. I'm sorry you don't feel good, man, do you want me to get you something? Like maybe that tea your mom got you for your birthday?"

Ethan coughed, the cough racking his whole body. "I already finished it all. But thanks."

Luke bit his lip and shuffled his feet as he thought about what to do. They couldn't afford to go to the doctor or get medicine, or even more tea. Maybe it was just a cold and it would go away in a few days-

Ethan then proceeded to almost cough up a lung. Godsdamnit.

This was fantastic, just fantastic. Maybe day one would be the worst day.

Ethan woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. He shivered slightly from the nightmare he just experienced. It started out how his nightmares usually started. Normal. Or at least it felt normal. Ethan and Luke were talking about camp. More specifically they were talking about leaving. Ethan didn't feel good about it. He had agreed with everything else Luke had said before. The gods did need to care more about their kids, and the minor gods did deserve some more recognition, at least starting with their own cabins.

The thought of actually leaving the camp, let alone to join the titans, made Ethan's stomach hurt. Why did they have to join the titans? Who said they could even trust them? Luke insisted that it was the only way that the gods would see what they had done, what they made them do. Ethan still wasn't sure, but Luke started to go on about how he couldn't do it without him. Ethan sighed as he finally agreed to go with his friend.

His mother was in the next scene. They were making a deal. Ethan wanted to believe what she was saying so badly. The next thing he knew he was alone with only one eye.

The scene switched to a dark tunnel, that time Ethan was alone. He walked through the tunnel, somehow sure of where he was going. Then he saw Percy, Annabeth and Rachel. The scene changed again and Percy and Ethan were in an arena. Annabeth and Rachel were out of the arena in chains, they looked worried. Ethan had a feeling they weren't worried about him. Percy drew a sword and Ethan raised his own. A part of Ethan wondered why he was fighting Percy, the part that knew something was off. The other part of him didn't want to fight, but for some reason didn't think there was any other choice. Ethan looked up, Luke was watching them. He could feel something very wrong with this, with this whole scene. The next thing Ethan knew, there was chaos all around them. Percy, Annabeth, Rachel and Ethan were running through the tunnel again. No, it was the labyrinth. They stopped after a while and Percy tried to convince Ethan to go back to camp. Everything faded away right after Ethan said he'll never go back.

The next scene was of both armies at a bridge. Ethan's stomach was in knots. He looked towards Luke, he looked back but it wasn't Luke. It was but it wasn't. Ethan felt like he was going to be sick.

The next moments blurred together; Ethan trying to stab Percy, Annabeth blocking him, Percy knocking Ethan out. After that, Ethan was suddenly in the Olympus throne room. Luke, wait no, it still wasn't Luke. The Not Luke was about to kill Percy. Ethan tried to stop him, he stabbed him in the back. At least, he tried to, his sword shattered and he was hurt instead. Not Luke threw him out of way. Percy was saying something he couldn't really hear. Ethan said something, but he can't remember what. Right after the words left his mouth, Not Luke opened up the floor and Ethan fell to his death.

Ethan slowly climbed out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen for a glass of water. Ethan shakily poured himself a glass. He took a sip and the glass promptly fell from his shaking clammy hands. Nausea and fatigue hit Ethan all at once and he tightly gripped the kitchen counter. His vision blurred and Ethan fell to his knees. He tried to calm down before he passed out but he couldn't seem to get air in his lungs. Not a minute later Ethan blacked out.

Luke ran out of his room and almost fell as he made his way to the kitchen. He was up binge watching 'Cowboy Bebop' when he heard the sound of glass breaking. At first he ignored it, writing it off as Ethan being clumsy. Then he heard Ethan shout his name.

When he made it to the kitchen, he found his friend passed out on the floor. Luke immediately rushed over and checked his pulse. He was alive, thank gods, but unfortunately, he was running a fever.

Luke carefully picked the younger boy up, grabbed his car keys and rushed Ethan to the hospital.

Mrs. Nakamura was not expecting to receive a call at three in the morning. She was not expecting it to be from a hospital. And she sure as Hades didn't expect to be told that her son was the reason they were calling.

Nemesis grabbed her keys and ran out of her apartment.

Nemesis was worried. Something very bad must have happened if Ethan was in the hospital. He almost never had to go to the hospital. Ethan had always been careful. He was smart and never let others talk him into anything dangerous. Hades, the only time he had ever really been hurt was when his eye-

Nemesis started to run to room 305.

When Nemesis finally reached the room, she was slightly surprised to see Luke Castellan leaning against the wall.

She took a deep breath, she had more important things to do than kill the 24 year old. Nemesis gritted her teeth slightly as she demanded what happened to Ethan. "What happened to my son?" Her voice was cold and held a slight tone of accusation.

Luke glared, "Do you think I did something to him?"

Nemesis raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She didn't deny it.

"He's my best friend! I'd never, you hear me, never hurt him!" Luke snapped.

Nemesis narrowed her eyes, but let it go. This was a whole other fight. (It probably wouldn't be the last time they argued about Ethan and Luke's friendship.)

"What happened to Ethan?" Nemesis repeated.

"All I know is that I heard glass break and a yell. Then I ran to the kitchen and found him passed out on the floor."

Nemesis closed her eyes then asked, "Was he hurt?"

"Not that I could tell. He was running a fever but…."

"I see."

Nemesis opened the door. They locked eyes for a second. The older woman didn't ask why he was waiting outside the door. She brushed past him and closed the door behind her.

Good riddance.

Nemesis never really cried. She didn't cry when her father passed. She didn't cry when Ethan's dad left. She didn't cry when Ethan decided to move out.

Nemesis could actually count the number of times she ever shed a tear on one hand. She had cried when her mother died. She had cried when Ethan asked her why he didn't have a dad. She had cried when someone gouged Ethan's eye out to get back at her.

If Nemesis was more of a crier, she would have cried as soon as she laid her eyes on her son. Not from sadness, but from relief. Yes, he didn't look like the definition of healthy, but overall he looked fine.

She pulled up a chair and sat as close as she could possibly get to her son. He looked so frail and small in the hospital bed. Wires were in his arms and the heart monitor was beeping steadily. Nemesis held his hand lightly, as though not to hurt him. She stroked his face softly, "Oh honey, what happened?"

Nemesis was on edge. She had been with Ethan for three hours and he had not made any signs of waking up. A nurse had finally checked on her son a few minutes ago and told Nemesis what had caused Ethan to pass out. When Luke had ran Ethan inside, the first nurse was told he had been sick for almost over a week. The doctor and nurses had frantically checked to see if that was the reason Ethan passed out. They found that he was in the early stages of malnutrition, on the account of their lack of nutritional food. Luke had said that since he was at work, he couldn't keep track of what Ethan ate. When he didn't eat the food Luke brought home, the boy had just thought that the flu was making his stomach hurt too. The nurse told her that his lack of eating, combined with his flu, was why he passed out.

Nemesis took a deep breath, calming herself slightly. It was nothing too serious, Ethan should be back to normal before no time.

Ethan stirred slightly. Her train of thought came to an abrupt end. "Ethan?"

He didn't say anything, but he seemed more lucid than before. "Ethan honey, I'm here. Please wake up."

It wasn't for another hour that Ethan opened his eyes. Nemesis was dozing in the chair beside his bed when she heard a slight noise from beside her. She immediately was alert and turned to where her son lay. "Ethan?"

Ethan blinked, he must be dreaming. Then again he never had dreams like this-

"Mom?" Ethan asked hesitantly.

"Oh thank all the gods above. Ethan, are you okay?"

Ethan stared at his mother. "Yes?"

"That wasn't an answer." Nemesis frowned. "Hold on, I'll call a nurse."

She reached over and grabbed the remote, she was about to hit the nurse button when Ethan put a hand on top of her's. "Mom, I'm fine."

His mother's frown deepened. She pushed the button anyway.

Ethan scowled slightly, "I said I was fine."

Nemesis rose an eyebrow, "You don't look fine."

"I just woke up. Do you expect me to look like I'm ready to walk on a runway?"

"You're in a hospital."

Ethan was silent for a moment. "Exactly, no one looks like the picture of health here."

Nemesis bit back a comment. She sighed, "Why do you always fight me?" Ethan stayed silent. "I try to take care of you or help you and then you just-just push me away! I'm trying to be your mom, why don't you ever give me a chance?"

"I don't need your help."

Nemesis squeezed her eyes shut. "Everyone needs help sometimes. Look, I know you're independent. You've always looked after yourself, Hades you never asked for my help when you were younger. You didn't even tell me when something was bothering you, or if you were hurt. You'd just keep your chin up and hold back the tears. You're strong, anybody with half a brain could figure that out." Nemesis looked pointedly at the door, where she assumed Luke was. "Ethan, it's okay to not always be strong. It's okay to need help."

Ethan looked down at his lap. He didn't say a word. Nemesis sat back in her chair, feeling drained.

The Nakamura's stayed silent until a nurse came in.

Nemesis walked out of her son's room, still feeling exhausted. She was surprised to see Mr. Castellan talking to his son. They were talking in hushed tones but she could tell they were arguing.

She walked over silently.

"-I don't need your charity!" Luke hissed out.

"It's not charity!" His father snapped back.

"What's going on?" Nemesis cut in, mocking their voice level.

Luke glared, "Nothing. My father was just leaving."

Hermes locked his jaw. "No, I'm not. We're far from done talking about this!"

"Oh I think we're done." Luke said coldly.

"If you needed help, why didn't you just ask?" Hermes sounded tired, drained, like the conversation had taken everything out of him. Nemesis knew the feeling well, conversations with her own son were never easy.

"I didn't need your help!" Luke snapped. "Ethan and I had it under con-"

Nemesis cut in, "You and Ethan had what under control?"

Luke sighed. "We were having some financial troubles. I got laid off and we had to rely on Ethan as the main provider for a while."

Nemesis held her tongue. Now was not the time to start a fight with her son's roommate.

"We were doing well," Nemesis and Hermes scoffed, Luke locked his jaw and ignored them. "Funds were running kinda low, but we managed. Then Ethan got sick and here we are."

Nemesis glared, "Why didn't you two ask for help?"

Luke looked away, "We had it handled-

"But you didn't!" Hermes snapped. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair,"Luke, you and Ethan should know that you can come to us. We're your parents, it's our job. We love and care about you two! It doesn't matter how old you are, we'll always be there to help you. You just need to let us!"

"I-" Luke hesitantly met their eyes. "Okay."

"Next time I want to know when you two need help." Nemesis crossed her arms. "I know I'm not the easiest person to talk to, but I do care. And I will help."

Luke and Nemesis held each other's gaze, "I promise, I'll tell both of you when Ethan and I need help."

"Thank you." Hermes sighed.

Luke suddenly perked up, "Is Ethan okay? I asked a nurse earlier, but she wouldn't say. He's going to be okay right?"

Nemesis sighed, "He'll make a full recovery. They want him to stay for a while, so they can keep track of his progress. He should be able to go home sometime tomorrow."

Luke's shoulders drooped, "Oh thank gods. I had thought- I mean- he just looked so… Not like himself."

Nemesis knew what he meant. Ethan always held himself in a strong way, made sure everyone knew that he was independent and didn't need anyone's help. In that hospital bed, he looks anything but strong and independent. He looks small, tired, and weak. She knows her son well enough to know that he must feel vulnerable and uncomfortable.

She sighed, "You can go home, Luke-"

"What? No!" Luke protested. "I'm staying as long as Ethan is!"

Hermes placed a gentle hand on Luke's shoulder. "I think Ethan and Nemesis need to talk. You and I can come back tomorrow when he can come back home."

Luke looked sharply at his father, "You and I?"

Hermes raised an eyebrow, "Yes, you and I have more to discuss."

Nemesis held back a smirk, "Don't worry, I'll let Ethan know why you're not waiting outside his door like a lost puppy."

Luke glared, but it wasn't as harsh as usual. "Fine, we'll be back tomorrow."

"See you then."

When Nemesis came back to Ethan's room, Ethan was looking more awake than before. He glanced up, quickly looking back down once he seen that it was her. Nemesis held back a sigh and sat down in the chair next to his bed. They sat in silence.

"Luke and his father will be back tomorrow when you're released." She muttered.

Ethan perked up a bit, "Mr. Castellan was here too?"

Nemesis hummed, "My theory is that his father paid one of the nurses to let him know if Luke was ever at the hospital."

Ethan held back a laugh, "I can see that."

"Much more probable than Luke actually calling his father in his state of worry."

Ethan snorted, "Yeah."

"Or you putting Mr. Castellan as one of your emergency contacts."

Ethan met her eyes, not saying a word. Nemesis rose an eyebrow and her lips twitched upward. "Now isn't that a funny thought."

Ethan bit his lip, "Do you think Luke will be mad when he figures it out?"

"If he figures it out." Nemesis muttered. "But no, I doubt that he would be upset. Not when he was waiting outside your door most of the night. You're-" Nemesis swallowed, "-best friends."

Ethan smiled slightly, "We are."

"You know," She started. It was amazing how those words immediately had her son tense and taking a defensive position. So it has begun. "It would be nice to know when my son needs help."

Ethan, for his part, didn't look surprised when she said it. No, he looked resigned, as they both knew that they would have a talk about this. "It would be nice to be able to tell my mother when I need help without having to worry about her giving me millions of lectures and holding it over my head for years after the fact."

"I don't hold it over your head for years after the fact!" Nemesis snapped. Ethan held back a smirk, looking like he just proved an unspoken point. Okay, no, they were not going to play this game again. It was unhealthy and it never solved any of their problems. There were no winners or losers when it came to a parent and their child talking things out.

But if they were to play this game, Ethan would have the first point.

She took a breath and gathered her composure again. "I had only brought it up again to remind you that I was good at helping you."

"Really?" Ethan asked. "Because it seemed like you wanted to remind me of one of the very few times I ever asked for your help or ever needed it, just to throw it back in my face."

"Ethan-" Nemesis stopped herself. They never communicated well, did they? It was the main reason they had such a rocky relationship. No matter how much they loved and cared about each other. "I never meant to 'throw it back in your face'. I just wanted remind you that I was capable of helping you. That you were capable of letting me help you."

Ethan sighed, the game seemed to be on hold. "I didn't realize what you were trying to do." He bit his lip and whispered quietly. "I'm sorry."

Nemesis shook her head, "Don't be sorry. I would have assumed the same thing you did. No matter how much we deny it, we are alike." It was true, whether they like it or not. They had the same temper, spitefulness, and general aura of indifference. Ethan handled it better than her, as he managed to make and keep friends. Nemesis barely managed to keep good acquaintances.

"No wonder we get along so well." Ethan rolled his eyes.

Nemesis snorted and laughed, Ethan slowly joining in. Their laughter subsided, Nemesis quickly sobering up. She grabbed his hand, silently comparing them.

"Ethan." Nemesis' voice was stern and made Ethan lookup. "You are not on your own."

Ethan looked down, "I know. It's just hard to remember…"

They had a lot to work on. But baby steps were always a start.

"I can remind you." She said softly.

Ethan gave her a small smile, "Thank you, mom."

She returned his smile, "I love you too, Ethan."