Another chapter before New Year people!

I'll just say something first. This story won't be Percy/Nico because it is just family bonding. So, just bromance.

Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson & the Olympians. All the rights go for Rick Riordan.


The forest was darker than Nico first thought, but he didn't care.

Nico ran as if there was no tomorrow because maybe there wasn't tomorrow for him, he had just angered his father to a point that Charon must've been waiting for Nico to show up.

The boy didn't know how he hadn't collided with a tree yet. It was so dark that Nico couldn't identify things by their shadows. So if there was a bear or a bunny in front of him, he wouldn't know. Nor he would care.

Tears were rolling down Nico's cheeks. It has been so much time since he last cried. He didn't cry at the meeting with Cupid, he almost did, but he didn't. What better would it have made? Nothing. Nothing would have gotten better. There was still a war happening. Two people in Tartarus. Freaking nightmares at night. People to take to the House of Hades. A crush to ignore. So, yeah, nothing would have gotten better if he had cried that day.

If Nico wished that he had died instead of Bianca? Not that much anymore. However, he had wished the lightning had struck him instead of his mother. Oh, how Nico wished that the woman, his mother, was alive. Even if that meant that he would be dead.

The tears came faster and he ran faster too. He wanted to run so fast and so much that his body would hurt for a month.

Nico felt some cuts opening in his skin. Some twigs had cut his skin as he ran and he didn't care. Blood dripped from his left cheek and both of his arms. The boy went flying when he tripped on something big that he guessed that it was a fallen tree.

"Damn it!" Was that all he could say? Yes, it's not like he was thinking of curses anyway.

The son of Hades decided to keep lying on the ground. The air was cold, Nico didn't actually mind since he just ran an unknown distance for an unknown amount of time. He felt a skeleton of a small animal lying by his side. In matter of a couple of minutes it started to purr. Recognition passed through his mind.

"It's you again, Small Bob." Nico said quietly turning his head to the direction of the skeleton cat. Or where he assumed it was because Nico couldn't actually see to dead animal in the darkness of that night. The animal purred more. How it was even purring? Mystery. "How are you even here?"

Nothing in response.

"Great. Now I'm talking to a dead cat. No offense, Small Bob." Nico said and turned his head to the dark sky. The dead animal stopped purring and climbed on Nico's chest, just to start purring again. "Of course, use me as a pillow if you want. I won't care."

Small Bob curled itself on Nico's chest as the boy started stroking it. The dead animal and the chilly air of the night helped calm him down for a little, but with that came the pain of the bruises.

With time, Nico felt colder, but didn't have enough strength to get up- nor will he must say. He started to feel dizzy and the blackness involved him.


Thalia was walking through the woods alone so Jason, Katie and her could cover more ground to find Nico. She was used to hunting in the woods with the hunters at night, but that didn't mean that she could see well in the dark. She knew Nico could see better than the rest of the people in the dark, but she doubted that he could see in pure blackness that was that night.

The daughter of Zeus was carrying a lantern, just like her brother and cousin were. They were sure that the gods didn't even notice them getting the lanterns and sneaking out of the house without permission.

Thalia was sure Hestia would kill them when they got back. It has been almost three hours since they had ran out of the house to find Nico without warning anyone.

Little sparks were exploding from her because of her anxiety. What if they were too late? What if Nico was hurt badly? What if he was dead? Thalia couldn't even think of considering the last option.

The hunter closed her eyes and took a deep breath trying not to jump in bad assumptions.

The chilly air of the night wasn't helping at all because she Nico ran without a coat. Gods, she was feeling really cold with a thick coat she found in the closet Aphrodite made for her and Hera.

She opened her eyes and saw flames a few yards away. Thalia felt a smile growing on her lips. We finally found you, Nico! She thought to herself and ran to that direction.

"Nico!" she yelled and when she got closer she touched the person's shoulder. A fluffy coat was on the person's shoulder.

"Thalia?" The person turned her head to stare at Thalia in disbelief. That was when Thalia noticed that the flames weren't in the ground, but in Hestia's hands.

"What are you doing here?" They asked at the same time.

"Looking for Nico!" Both answered at the same time again.

Thalia took a deep breath, she couldn't help feeling disappointed, her cousin was missing and she hoped she had found him "Who else is here?" she asked.

"Poseidon and Demeter"

"Jason and Katie are here too. We decided that it would be better if Percy and Hazel stayed." Thalia told her. "May I?" she asked pointing to the flames.

"Of course." The goddess of hearth answered and Thalia put her hand near the flames that were coming from Hestia's hands.

With that they started to look for Nico together. Thalia warming her hands and Hestia enjoying the company of her niece.


Demeter would never admit that she cared a lot for Hades' son. But she couldn't help feeling sympathy for him. Hades was so hard on Nico. Sometimes she had to hold herself not to get the boy away from the world, take him to a farm where he would work, get healthy, learn better manners and be loved.

Demeter cursed herself when she almost did that. It wasn't her fault that she always had a soft spot for children. So did her daughter, Persephone. Nico and Persephone have grown closer after the war.

Demeter knew that the boy had tried to please his father and gain his love, with time he gave up and grew closer to Persephone- who had started to accept the boy and befriend with him.

Demeter was with a lantern, but guiding herself through the plants, where the plants were, what was near them, etcetera. Someone was coming on her direction. That someone was also caring a lantern, definitely not Nico.

When the person got close she pointed her lantern to his face. Blonde, blue eyes "Jason" she said disappointed.

"Lady Ceres? I mean, Demeter. What are you doing here?" He asked confused.

"The same thing you are. Now lift your left foot because a spider will climb it if you don't." The goddess said bored and he did as she said.

"Thanks, Lady Demeter."

"Keep walking. We don't have time to chit chat now." Demeter said and they started to look for the son of Hades together. After a couple of minutes she said "Oh, next time you call me Lady Demeter, or Lady Ceres for that matter, I'll turn you into wheat to make cereal and then I'll feed Nico with it. It makes me look old. Do I look old for you?"

Jason turned pale before saying, "No, of course not! You look only thirty! What should I call you?"

"Good. Call me Aunt Demi. I'm on my Greek form, so no Aunt Ceres for you."

"Okay… Aunt Demi."


The moment a figure came on Katie's direction she knew it wasn't Nico.

Or a person, by the way.

And it wasn't only one bear, but seven bears. It seemed like all the bears on the woods planned to come after her. Great! Just what I needed. One missing cousin and seven bears chasing me down. Perfect. She thought cynically.

She made a sharp, thick and long branch grown on a tree. She quickly apologized to the tree and broke it off the tree intending to use it as a weapon. Yes, attack the daughter of Demeter, not the son of Jupiter that fights since he was baby or the Hunter of Artemis that fights since she was nine.

The larger bear let out an aggressive roar before coming to her direction.

"You really came in a bad time, cutie." Katie said angrily before making plants twist in the paws of the other bears to keep them at bay while she fought with the one that looked like the leader.

Katie made a deep cut on the bear's shoulder, taking the brief distraction of the bear to bring her weapon down on the bear's neck, it made a grave wound, but not instant kill. She cursed under her breath. The bear managed to make a wound on her arm, she ignored it.

"Okay, now you are pissing me off." She said angry before making deadly movements with her branch. The bear fell on his back almost dead. Her branch across its heart in matter of seconds. "Who's next?"

Two bears came. Katie made a tree with a sharp pointy top rise fast under one, killing it. The other she made roots grow twisting themselves in the bear's body, suffocating it to death while she started fighting with other.

She was feeling tired, using her powers too much drained her, but she couldn't stop or she would die- which wasn't an option. She was almost ending the fourth when she felt a sharp pain on her back. She screamed and gave the fatal blow, she fell in the ground soon after. Unconscious.


Poseidon wasn't having much luck. Four hours of nothing. Until he heard a scream not even twenty yards away. He ran in his godly speed to the sound. He saw a girl killing a bear until she fell on the ground; there was a bear behind her.

The god summoned his trident and threw in the bear, killing it rapidly. There were two other bears, now coming in his direction. His trident flew to his hand again and he killed the bears with ease.

He went to the girl's side, picking her up. Just when he saw her face up close Poseidon could see that it was his niece, Katie. She had a deep wound on her back and one also deep on her left arm. Besides that, only a few minor wounds on her legs and arms.

He decided to take her to the cabin looks-like-mansion instead of keep on looking for his nephew because she could die of blood loss.

Poseidon started to run when he got close to the cabin. He opened the door lay Katie down on the empty table. Hera came to him probably because she heard him coming in.

"Brother, did you find…" she stopped with the sight of the girl. "Zeus! Get some Ambrosia! Fast! Nectar too! Don't forget the towels!" Hera yelled, "What happened to her?"

"I found Katie fighting bears. There were three dead on the ground; she was finishing one when another attacked her from behind. I killed it and two others." He explained and Hera covered her mouth in shock.

"Here, honey." Zeus said coming from the kitchen with all Hera asked. "What happened to her?"

"Seven bears." That was all she said before she started healing her niece. "Get me some vinegar." Zeus went to the kitchen and came back with one bottle. Hera cleaned Katie's wounds before giving her one square of Ambrosia and one sip od Nectar. "That's all I can do. I can't feed her with more or she'll die"

"I'll finish with water." Poseidon said getting a bottle of water.

He cleaned the vinegar from the wounds that didn't close; he also closed the wounds with the water. Leaving three scars on her left arm and three on her back.

"That should do." He said and his siblings nodded. "Where's the bastard?"

"His bedroom." Zeus answered. "You won't believe this, but after what Demeter said plus a lecture from Hera about that, Hades did seem to see what he had done. He got that same sad look he had on his eyes when mother faded, only worse."

"So he has guilt eating him from inside out now?" the god of seas asked. The couple nodded. "Good." He said before looking at his niece and realization hit him. "How could I have been so slow?"

"Brother, that's your biggest ability." Zeus said with a smirk on his face. "But I have no idea what you are talking about."

"The kids. If Katie was outside, she wouldn't have gone alone, would she?" Realization hit the face of the other gods.

Zeus searched for them on the first floor. Poseidon on the third floor, which resumed on the biggest music room ever. And Hera was searched on the second floor.

"Perseus and Hazel are here!" Poseidon heard a yell coming from the second floor. He went down and saw Hera on the door of a room with a big television and a X-Box.

"Hi, Dad, do you and Lady Hera want to play Just Dance 4?" Percy asked as he paused the game. Poseidon sent him a hard look while Hera glared at him.

"It's Aunt Hera, and no. Where are Jason, Thalia and Katie?" Hear asked even though Katie was on the kitchen, but that was now, she must've been with Jason and Thalia before.

"They're on their… bedrooms…?" Percy answered, but it sounded more like a question.

"Wrong. Your father just came in with Katie bleeding heavily on his arms." Just with that Poseidon noticed that his shirt was bloodied.

Percy and Hazel only seemed to notice when Hera said too. The two went down the stairs in a flash. Poseidon and Hera went calmly right after them. Katie started to stir and opened her eyes.

"How did I get here? Where's Nico?" she asked trying to get up, but almost fell, luckily Hazel was near to don't let that happen.

"I heard you scream, went in your direction, killed the other bears and brought you here to heal you." Poseidon answered.

"Thank you" she said with appreciation.

"Are Jason and Thalia looking for Nico?" Zeus asked her.

"Yes, are Hestia and Demeter looking for him too?" Katie asked them.

"Yes. It's almost dawn, I hope they find him fast, it's cold outside and Nico wasn't wearing a jacket." Hera said looking at the window. The demigods stared at her in disbelief. "Don't look at me like that, just because I'm the goddess of marriage doesn't mean that I wish death to ever illegitimate child in the world."

"It's just that…" Hera didn't let Percy finish.

"Never show any signs of love? I'm sorry to disappoint you Perseus, but I'm also the goddess of motherhood and familial love. Why do you think that I agreed with all this anyway? Out of madness? I know this family needs to get better." The goddess said looking him right in the eye.

"I'm sorry." Percy said looking at the ground.

Hear looked at him for a moment and let out a sigh "You're forgiven. Now take Katie to her bedroom and don't you dare leave this house without my consent. That works for you too, Hazel. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Aunt Hera." The daughter of Pluto and the son of Poseidon answered and helped Katie to her room.

"Wow." Zeus said with a smirk. "You just managed to control Perseus."

"In other circumstances I would be angry for that. However, now I'm just amused and glad because I will punish him myself if he leaves this house." The god of seas said and Hera chuckled.


After one hour two girls entered in the house with disappointed looks on their faces.

"Any luck?" Hera asked her sister even knowing the answer.

Hestia yawned before saying, "No, let's hope Demeter or Jason find him. We are too tired to continue." Thalia only nodded at that. The girl climbed up the stairs going to her bedroom.

"What if he shadow traveled?" Zeus asked them "He can be anywhere in the world by now if he did."

"Impossible. I set up protective yards, it's impossible for anything to get in or out magically. Teleporting and shadow travel are classified as magical for me and the yards." She answered, "Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to sleep while Hera go on my place because Nico can get out running."

Hestia went to her room and Hera to hers. The goddess of motherhood came back with a thick coat and a lantern. Prepared to look for her runaway nephew, maybe find her sister or her stepson along the way. When she opened the door she that it was starting to rain.

"Styx!" She cursed loudly as she closed the door behind her.


Who will find Nico? Demeter and Jason? Or Hera?