Hey guys, I made this for Lunknownl's contest and forgot to put it up in my profile, so here it is. Enjoy! And don't worry, I will try to update on the rest of my stories soon!
Chapter 1
Narrator's(my) P.O.V.
It had been a long and busy day at Camp Jupiter, there had been a War Game earlier in the day and, once again, the fifth cohort had been decimated. Many were exhausted though from fighting off the many skilled demi-gods and were resting around, eating or spending time with friends. No one was by themselves, even Hazel was having fun with Frank, laughing about something funny and embarrassing that had happened to Frank during the Game while Frank blushed wildly and stuttered, trying to explain why it had happened. The only person that wasn't amid all the fun was one black clad and brooding ambassador sitting atop the 'monument' of respect to Pluto, the god of Wealth and the Underworld.
It had been a month since Nico Di Angelo had arrived at Camp Jupiter, claiming to be the Ambassador of Pluto. The Romans had been a little hesitant at first, but soon believed him and welcomed him into the Camp. Nico liked it here at the Roman Camp; they respected him and spoke to him often. Back at Camp Half-Blood everyone was afraid and wary of him and every move he made. Hades was never painted in a good light, Zeus always made sure any writings about Hades wrote about him as a cold, cruel, and judgmental God because, Nico knew, that Zeus feared that if everyone really and truly knew how Hades was, they would band with him and overthrow Zeus, thinking that Hades was the rightful heir. He even made Poseidon seem different than he was, of course to a lesser extent.
With Poseidon, Zeus made sure that in every writing regarding Poseidon, he was seen as a powerful, strict, harsh, and unforgiving god who sent many sailors to their deaths just for the fun of it(even though Zeus did that as well in regards to how many plane crashes occur each year compared to ship wrecking's). That is why Zeus loves the Romans so much, here at Camp, both Pluto and Neptune were treated horribly(shown by the sheds that they had as temples) so Jupiter was not fearful of being overthrown by the Romans. The only god that the Romans respected almost as much as him was Mars, but everyone knew that Mars would never do that, he was loyal to his father in every way. Nico wished though that Pluto would be at least a little more respected, not as much as Mars or Jupiter, but enough to at least have a temple like Bacchus or Bellona have, not just a pathetic shed that no one but Hazel and Nico came to visit.
When Nico had heard about Camp Jupiter from the ghosts in the Underworld he had been excited. He had loved Camp Half-Blood, but no one there loved him or paid attention to him, with the exception of Thalia, Grover, Chiron, Annabeth, and Percy. But, Thalia was always with the hunters, Grover was gone doing duties as the Lord of the Wild, Chiron was busy running the whole camp, and Annabeth and Percy were gone most of the year to their families and school. Nico had lost his sister and his only family long ago when she left him to be in the hunters and soon died on a quest. When he had tried to rescue her from the Underworld, he had discovered that she had gone for rebirth without even telling him. That's what hurt the most; she didn't even say goodbye to him, she just left, probably not even thinking about him in the process.
She had just wanted to be independent, alone, and selfish, just as she had been when she went to join the hunt without even telling him or asking him if he was alright with her leaving him. And the sad thing was that, even if Bianca had grabbed the Hades figurine and risked her life for it, Nico would have been too mad at her and would have refused it, holding a grudge against her that she left him alone to struggle in a world completely different from the one he had been born and raised in, the one he remembered. Nico took a deep breath at those thoughts, wanting to calm down, he was already depressed enough, he didn't need to add to that with thoughts of the past. He had a new sister now, one that loved and cared for him and would be there for him, one that would worry about him and wouldn't just leave him for the next best thing in her life.
But, in the back of his mind, there was doubt. What if she did get tired of him? What if she started to believe what everyone else thought and left him, only treating him with respect and stiff conversations that were just said to have something to fill the awkward silence. He hoped with all his heart that that wouldn't happen, he couldn't take anymore rejection from him family, no more or he feared he would fall apart once and for all, only a shell of the small, loud, mischievous, and bright myth-o-magic obsessed boy he had once been when Bianca was still alive. All he wanted was someone to see behind his cold and dark exterior and see that, deep inside, he was still that little kid, lost and alone and just wanting someone to be there for him, to protect and love him as only a child needed. Was that too much to ask?
Nico clenched his teeth at that, reaching up and furiously wiping the tears that were falling like raindrops down his face. He hated crying, it made him feel weak and vulnerable, as if he was just that same little kid. No, he was a demi-god, a son of Hades and he wasn't supposed to show emotion. If everyone saw him that way; thought that he was a cold, calm, strict, scary, and a removed boy, then he would follow their expectations and be that way, he would not resort to being that little child once again. But, as Nico sat there on the small little roof of the shed that was dedicated to Pluto, he secretly thought in the back of his mind and he hoped that, one day, he would find a home. Somewhere where he was loved and needed; somewhere where he was finally accepted and could be part of a family. With one last deep breath, he slipped back on his aloof and dark façade and shadow traveled away towards his new sister, Hazel. If he wanted a family one day, then he might as well start with a sister…