A/N: For my best friend, Bookaholism. Enjoy! :)

"Hey, Hazel!" called a girl's voice.

Hazel smiled warmly at her. "Hi, Gwen."

"Your brother's here," she said, looking bored.

"Who?" asked Hazel, looking confused. What brother? She didn't have a brother; she was an only child…as far as she knew anyway.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Your brother, Hazel. That Italian kid –Nick or something. Ring a bell?"

"Oh yes!" Hazel exclaimed. She almost smacked herself. How could she forget? Sure, she wasn't used to Nico being her brother but how could she forget about the demigod who'd given her a second chance at life? It was so disrespectful on her part!

"Uh…thanks, Gwen. I'll go and see him," said Hazel.

Gwen shrugged as Hazel hurried away to the spot where she'd met Nico before once. But that time had been really brief. He'd just came to make sure she was okay and settled in, then left soon afterwards. She hoped he would stay longer this time. She really wanted to get to know him. He seemed like an interesting person –a person who didn't have his life filled with goodness and happiness and rainbows and unicorns.

In her hurry, she didn't notice that she almost went past the spot they'd rendezvoused the last time.

"Hazel," he said.

She jumped, startled. Dear God, he blended in so well with the shadows. He was looking no different either. Pale face, haunted eyes which were dark as night, messy black hair, black clothes, his Stygian iron sword strapped to his side and the creepiest of all, his skull ring.

"Nico," Hazel said, smiling. "I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"I'm…good. As good as I can be anyway without Bian –anyway, how are you? Camp Jupiter's really great from what I've seen," said Nico as he sat on a nearby boulder.

Hazel tentatively sat beside him, hands on her lap. "It's incredible. Jason is such a good praetor. And Reyna. They make a good team. I might even think there's something going on between them." She laughed. Nico just cracked a small, nonchalant smile which said he couldn't care less about Jason and Reyna's non-existent love lives.

Hazel studied him. He looked so…broken. There was always an air of sadness around him, like he'd lost something very dear to him. And wasn't over it. Wasn't ever going to be over it. But maybe Hazel was wrong. Maybe kids of Hades just had that sort of aura.

Hazel willed him to make eye-contact. "Hey," she said softly, "Are you okay?"

Nico looked up and his eyes bore into hers but it didn't scare her like other Camp Jupiter people said. If anything, the grief and sadness she saw in them made her want to pull him into a hug. Maybe it was a brother/sister thing because even though she barely knew him, she still felt sort of connected to him. She felt like she could understand him if she tried to. She was warming up to him. And having a brother –albeit a half one –made her happy. Less lonely, somehow. It was just too complicated to explain.

He gave her a smile which broke her. It was just so…sad. And it killed her that someone so young could summon an expression so grim and devoid of happiness.

"I'm not okay, Hazel. I haven't been okay in a long time," he said.

Hazel's eyebrows knitted. "What do you mean?"

Nico sighed. "It's a very, very long story."

"I have time for a very, very long story. If you're willing to, I mean. You shouldn't if you don't want to. You're not obligated to or anything," said Hazel hurriedly.

Nico laughed softly. "Hazel. I'm not going to take you back to the Fields of Asphodel if you say anything wrong. Don't worry, I don't bite. Open up."

"Maybe you should too," she said quietly, looking down at the lush green grass.

All the remnants of a smile disappeared from his face and the grim expression returned.

"I'm sorry," said Hazel apologetically, "That was uncalled for."

"No, you're right," he said, "I haven't been myself lately. Since Bianca's…death." He swallowed and took a shuddering breath.

"Oh," said Hazel. She knew what losing someone you love felt like. Sure, her mother had treated her terribly but she had been her mother. You only have one mother and Hazel had lost hers. Who knew where her godly father was? She hated to even think about him.

"I still can't believe it," he said, "She was all I had. My mother is gone and now Bianca's too," he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, "She was my sister in case you're wondering. Real one."

"I'm so sorry. I know how you feel" said Hazel softly, placing a hand on his arm. He pulled it back angrily, tears glistening in his eyes.

"No! You don't know how I feel! He promised he wouldn't let anything happen to her, Hazel! He promised! And then he broke it. But I still can't hate him for it. God, I want to. So badly. I want to. But I can't," he said, his voice finally breaking on the last word. One tear trickled down in his sallow cheek. He wiped it off furiously, hating that Hazel got to see this vulnerable, utterly helpless side of his.

The angst in his eyes was breaking Hazel from the inside out. She wanted to do something to ease his pain. Something. Anything.

She didn't ask who 'he' was. It would seem like she was trying to pry. She still couldn't make head or tails of what he was saying but she could certainly see and understand it had come from the deepest and darkest pits of his complex mind, that he hadn't told this to anyone and it probably meant a lot that he'd opened up to her. Hazel. A practical stranger.

But no. She wasn't a stranger.

Hazel put her hands on his shoulder and he hesitantly leaned into her, allowing her to hug him. The sun set behind them, casting them as shadows.

No. She was his sister.

And she would be there for him.

No matter what.

Always.

A/N: Bookaholism: Okay I gotta admit this is terrible and don't ever ask me to write Rick Riordan's characters but yay! My part of the challenge is done! Good luck on yours :D I'm so glad you didn't give me Percabeth and now you can't. YESS!

Others, please review! I worked hard on this one :)