Nico POV

The streets of Brooklyn are too busy for me. I walk down and turn a few times not sure of my destination. I finally end up in a quiet doughnut shop named Monster Doughnuts. Strange name, I thought.

Monster.

The word in the very thought of my head sends a chill up my spine. Monsters don't scare me as much anymore, but the thought the word lead to does. Tartarus. I remember darkness, and if you were lucky, sometimes the rare light from the fiery river the Phlegethon. I had become very good over the last five years after the Giant War of pushing these thoughts away before they seemed to impale my mind again. I was the only person to survive Tartarus- at least for a bit.

Percy and Annabeth lived, and the only good part of this for me was that someone understood the nightmares.

"Are you going to order something?" The woman's voice in front of me ripped me out of memory. Like a tear in a seam of an article of clothing.

"Um, no thank you."

"Whatever," she muttered as she turned away, smacking her gum, and listening to her iPod.

I didn't feel welcome here all of a sudden. Then again, I never felt welcome anywhere really. Even as a kid I wasn't very welcome. My childhood wasn't happy- it wasn't even close to it. I had been shoved in a time-locked hotel, and my sister died soon after we got out. Oh, Bianca. If you could see me now. I left Monster Doughnuts practically slamming the door behind me. Immediately I notice a chocolate coloured building the lays right in the path of Monster Doughnuts. That's where Percy and Annabeth live, I told myself. I got an idea. They hadn't seen me in five years, but it was an idea that would benefit us all.

I walked up to the front desk while the plastic bag crinkled in my hands. At the desk sat a peppy looking woman in her 30's with about ten cups of coffee on her desk. I had a feeling this could go horrible.

"I'm looking for Percy and Annabeth Jackson, please. They're married."

"They are so sweet aren't they? Never let go of each other. I wish I could've had a love like that. You know, that sometimes love is just-"

"That's great. Their number please?"

"Oh was I blabbering off again? I'm sorry about that, how silly of me. Apartment 317."

"Thank you." Finally I was free of her. Did she ever shut up?

I finally reached the door with the number 317 across it on a fake gold panel. I knocked a few times and when the door finally opened I saw a surprised Annabeth who could only speak one word. "Nico."

"Hello Annabeth," I said. "It's been a while hasn't it."

"Percy!" She screamed, "Come here!"

I could hear him come to the doorway.

"Nico." Percy studied me. He looked…surprised. "It's just been so long. Come in."

Percy and Annabeth's little apartment was good for living, but not good to have a family. I asked them to sit down, which they found strange as this was their house. Reluctantly, they sat down. Slowly, I took out the mythomagic figures.

Percy frowned. "Nico, if this is about Bianca again-"

"This isn't about Bianca." I tried to smile to reassure them. "Annabeth, take this." I handed her a statue of Athena. It looked exactly like the one from the Parthenon. I know, because I've seen it. With gold (fake, obviously) and ivory detailing, it was [in every way] like the actual one.

She smiled. More like a twitch of a smile. Percy stared mindlessly at it, probably not noticing either that his right arm was wrapped around Annabeth's waist. She probably hadn't noticed either. THAT is how close they were. I took out the Poseidon statue and shoved it into Percy's hands.

"Someone told me its okay to be a kid once in a while." I smiled. A real, genuine smile that I hadn't had in years. "Let's play, shall we?"