Prologue.

She was dead. His beloved wife, Maria, lay in his arms. As the lord of the Underworld, Hades could sense the spirits of the dead, and his insides churned as he felt Maria's soul enter the gates of Hell. Having worked down there for, well, eternity, Hades was keenly attuned to every motion her ghost took in his domain.

Step, Step. She walked slowly on the ice-cold ground of the Underworld, unflinching as she inched closer to death. Her eyes were wandering, and she muttered his name over and over again, as if he could save her. Once she was past the gates, there would be no coming back- she would be past his power, and stuck forever in Asphodel or Elysium.

Step, Step, Step.

As he held her broken body, bent grotesquely halfway through, he couldn't help but pray, against all rationale, that she would stop. Turn back, and come back with him into his palace. He could get an additional wing built in the palace, where she could live. True, Persephone wouldn't be happy, but what could she really do?

Step, Step, Step. What could he really do?

He would do anything.

"Would you, Lord Hades? Would you do anything to be with Maria?"

He turned around, only to find three shriveled, human-sized squashes. Upon closer examination, they weren't squashes, but rather old women with skin that hung off them in sheets, with a long pool of string laying on the ground at their feet. In the hands of the middle woman, she slowly spooled the last bits of the string off.

The Fates. He stared at them, knowing that whatever he chose would change him forever. Would he value his respect for the laws, or personal passions? Maybe Persephone wouldn't even accept another woman in the palace, maybe if he rescued her, she would be unhappy, maybe-

Step. Maria!

"Yes."

She stopped moving, a toe over the precipice between life and death, as the Fate held onto the last strands of the string.

"You, Hades, out of all Gods or mortals, should understand what this means. Even the smallest twist in the string of Fate has huge consequences."

He stared blankly ahead, his common senses shouting at him, but she screamed louder.

"Anything. I swear on the River Styx. As long as Maria is back in my house- I'll deal with the consequences."

The Fate smiled, and snipped the string, so that only a strand remained.

"Her soul has been saved."

Hades let out a sigh of relief, as he felt Maria's bare feet leave the ground, floating over to his palace. He looked at the Fates, awaiting the second condition.

"Of course, one soul must be traded for another. The next mortal you lay your eyes on, will bear the curse of Death. He will live, but wish he was dead. The possibility of a happy life, full of wonder and joy, will always be right in front of him, but inch away when he seeks it."

He frowned. Of course, it was standard for these types of trades; he couldn't prevent pain, just redirect it. Despite what he presented to the outside world, Hades was not a cruel God. He tried to make death as pleasant as it could be, and generally tried to avoid hurting mortals unnecessarily. Was there any mortal who had recently angered him, that would deserve such a punishment?

He looked over at the Fates, who were oddly smiling. Of course. They knew who it would be already- it was fate.

"Dad! What's wrong with Mum?" He heard pattering feet, dancing lightly on the ground.

Every inch of his body wanted to turn around, to bring his daughter to safety, but that would only risk the curse falling on her.

"Bianca, baby, get Nico and get out of here."

"Is she alive?" Her voice quivered with tears. Unlike her brother, she was old enough to understand what death was. "What are those weird ladies doing here? Nico and I were playing hide-and-seek, and then I heard-"

"Out!" He shouted at her, and he felt pain gnaw at his heart as she ran out of the room, crying. He would explain it all to her later. Right now, he had to get his children to safety.

And then, from the other door to the hotel room, he ran in. His son. Hades' eyes opened in shock, and he tried to turn around as fast as he could, but he felt it in his body- the sudden lift of the curse.

He felt Nico's arms wrap around him, only reaching up to his upper thighs.

"Daddy, where is Mommy? Bia? Why are you sad?"

With one hand, he held Nico, as he pleaded at the Fates. "Why him? He's just a boy."

They only smiled. The Fate on the left took out a spool of thread, midnight black in color, and pulled out a tiny strand.


Car. Slamming doors. Screaming mortals.

He rushed inside. He had known about this place for a long, long time- a place where time was frozen, mortals forever preserved in a state of blissful unawareness.

The person behind the counter, a pretty attendee with black hair tied up in a bun, stared shocked at him.

"Take them. Please." He shoved Nico and Bianca forward, both of whom were half-dazed and slightly in shock.

The Lotus Hotel. The magic here, he could sense, was so strong that Nico would be safe from any harm. They would keep him safe, while the rest of the world raged on. He shoved Nico and Bianca inside, casting protective veils on both of them, and giving Nico the power to shadow-travel. He prayed it'd keep him safe, forever.

How wrong he'd turn out to be.

A/N: So, this story is basically going to be a string of Percy/Nico one-sided oneshots, in a mostly chronological order. Basically, if you like seeing a very heartbroken Nico get more heartbreak, read on. Else, there are tons of happy romance fics out there :)