A/N: I'm sorry for being very late. There's family problems and a major writers block. I try to read off my block to get inspired. All I need to do is read Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and it help. So here's a chapter and hopefully more soon to come. Enjoy! :3

Disclaimer: I wish I own but I don't. Only the story plot.

BTW: I have discontinued Look At Me because I don't know how to continue it. I'm terribly sorry.


We're out of breath. Except Nico.

I bend over and let Nico slip off my shoulder. He keeps his eyes behind us. Seeing if blondie is still following us. This is a very scary encounter for Grover and I. I'm not sure for Nico but he does seems shaken up.

"We should get inside," Grover suggest. I nodded. We have somehow made it to my apartment safely. I feel like we didn't. Not safe at all. I walk up the stairs to the door.

I turn the knob and push it open. "Come on guys," I wave them to me. I see Grover grab Nico's good hand and drag him inside. I close the door. "Mom! I'm home! I've brought friends!" I watch Nico take in his surroundings. The apartment is new to him since we moved here from the suburbs where Grover still lives.

"That's great!" Mom calls from the kitchen. I grab Nico's good hand to pull him towards the kitchen, he shook me away instead. I frown. "I've made a lot of cookies since I knew you were going to bring over Grover and Ann-" She stops herself when she walk into veiw.

Her smile turn from happy to confuse. Mom's shiny eyes stare at Nico. He stare back. "Hello Mrs. Jackson," Nico greet. Mom blink at him.

"I'm going to get a glass of ice water Sally," Grover says as he walk pass us to the kitchen.

Mom snap back. "Yes, okay Grover. Um..." She rubs her hands on her apron. Flour going everywhere. Her smile got bigger, sending that happy vibe out like always. I rub my hands together, I feel anxious. "Hello Nico. It's been so long. You grew."

Nico nod. I see him move his feet in a nervous movement. "Nice to see you too, Mrs. Jackson." Nico fix his glasses.

"It's Mrs. Blofis now." Nico blink at her, confusion written all over his face. "Come, I've made plenty of cookies." Mom wave for us to follow as she return to the kitchen.

Nico look up to me, making me to tense up. "Did she just said blowfish?" I chuckle.

He looks so cute with that confuse expression, but I know I couldn't say that. I think he would kick me in the nuts again if I did say that. "No silly. Blofis. Don't worry, I thought that, too. Even Grover and Tyson." I grab both his shoulders and start to push him to the kitchen. "Come on, there's blue cookies that you haven't had for four years."

He didn't object. He walk the small path that Grover and mom took. I follow him. Nico sits in the opposite seat in front of Grover. I have decide to sit next to Neeks. He scoots to his left away from me. Mom place a big plate of her infamous blue chocolate chip cookies in the middle of us.

Grover grab a cookie and smash it in his mouth. "So," Mom starts, "how's everything Nico?" I grab a cookie and also smash it into my own mouth.

Nico reach out for a cookie with his good hand. "Everything is going okay Mrs. Blofis." Nico pulls off a smile. I look at Grover who looks right back at me, slowly chewing on a cookie. "Dad's a little stressful. Mom is okay. Bianca and Hazel and I are adjusting to school."

I look at Mom. She nods to Nico but she can tell. Nico eyes are saying that they are okay, but his smile says otherwise. How much is he hiding?

"That's great," Mom says. She claps her hands like she have an idea. Which she probably does. Mom gives off one of her biggest mom smiles. "How about you all come over for dinner one of these days. That would be wonderful, wouldn't it?" The house phone starts ringing.

Nico nods. The phone stops. "That would be wonderful Mrs. Blofis. I'll ask Mom and Dad when I get home." Nico switch the cookie around in his hand.

"Sally," Paul call from the archway, "someone is on the phone for you. He said his name is Hades. Like the Greek god." Mom stands up.

"Okay sweetie. I'll be back boys." Mom walk to Paul. "And Paul, I like you to meet Nico di Angelo." Mom left. Paul's eyes look at the small boy next to me and brighten. This is going to turn a very sharp turn.

He gave a big smile to him, but it felt like it was directed towards me instead. "You are Nico," he says in a playful tone. Paul round the table to Nico. He held out his hand and Nico accept it. "I'm Percy's step-father Paul Blofis. It's so nice to meet Percy's old boyfriend." Paul sits himself in the seat mom was just sitting.

Nico's face turn red. "B-boyfriend?" Nico turn to me. "What does he mean 'boyfriend'?" I can feel my own face turn red. Sharp turn. TURN IT BACK!

Grover snicker. "It's not what he means." My face flush harder than I expect it to. It's burning. "Tyson said something stupid last night and...and...took it the wrong way." I fade on the last part. Nico gives me the infamous glare that runs through the di Angelo family.

Grover starts laughing. Any harder, he would choke on that cookie that's still in his mouth. "Oh man," Grover breathe out.

Paul chuckle. "I'm kidding sonny." Paul pats Nico's shoulder. Nico takes a bite of the cookie. "Though, I did hear that someone had a huge crush on you." Paul smirk at me. I face palm myself. Nico choke on the cookie instead of Grover who is trying to breathe.

Nico slowly turn to me. I have the feeling he might punch my nose with his cast hand. Maybe my manhood instead. Whichever will hurt the most. Paul snickers.

"Nico." We look over at Mom at the kitchen archway. "Your dad is coming to pick you up." Nico frown. Grover and I exchange a look. We both are thinking the same: He have to deal with the blonde.

"Look at the bright side," Grover says. "You get to spend a little more time with us." Both of us smile to him.

There was a flash of something across Nico's eyes. Something that we haven't seen in such a long time. It was gone just like that when the doorbell ring.

"Who can that be?" Paul ask. He gets up and walk to the door. Mom stay at the archway, watching from there. We hear the door open and her face expression became sad.

"What's wrong Sally?" ask Grover. Mom turn to us. We know what she is going to say. If only we didn't.

"Your father is here Nico," she reply. "That is awfully quick."

Nico slowly stands, sighing all the way. He grabs a cookie. He mutter, "Too good to be true," before shoving the cookie into his mouth. He grabs another one before walking off.

Grover and I follow him, but we only stop next to mom. We see Hades di Angelo, Nico's dad, standing at the doorway. He looks worse than Nico. Red eyes, sullen checks, heavy bags. Hades look like he haven't slept in weeks; or even eaten. Probably haven't.

Hades smile tenderly as his son approach him. He pats Nico's messy head. "We'll have a talk when we get home," Hades says at Nico. Nico only nod. Hades look at mom. "Thank you Sally for keeping a watch on my son."

"No problem Hades," mom says. " If you ever need me to watch Nico, I'm right here."

Hades nod. Before he turn away, Hades lock eyes with me. Dark emotions flood in his eyes. A sign that he will deeply hurt me if I hurt his family. Again. I force the giant knot that form in my throat down.

Before the door close, I see Hades get the cookie that Nico offers.

"Well," Paul says after a long silence when he close the door, "where's Tyson?"

Mom hum. "He's at a friend's house."

~forgive~

It's five in the morning.

My face hurts. My hand hurts. I'm sleepy. Everything is blurry.

I really want to crawl up into a ball and sleep in a corner. Not like it's anything new.

I ring the doorbell. Dad left me here on the doorstep before going to work. He knows it's the safest, even though he hates it when I'm near him.

They're here and they know I know they're here. I turn my head to the right. Down the street is an orange delivery truck for strawberries. He's in it. Ready to come out of it with others to take me, and whoever, back to hell if they need to.

The door opens. Sally stands there half-awake, half-asleep. "Nico? What ar-" She stops and take a closer look at me. "Oh my. Wh-what happen?" She waves her hands. "Nevermind that. Get inside." Sally softly grabs me and pull me inside. Then she close the door, lock it, and push me further into the apartment.

"Okay, let me see you." She turns me around. Sally have gotten down to my height. Her hands softly touch the bruise on my cheek. I flinch. "Does it hurt?"

"No, just sore," I lie. I'm not suppose to say anything or they will take us back.

Sally sigh. She knows I'm lieing. I think it's that mother instinct that can tell when their child is lieing. Her mouth opens to say something but close it. She's thinking of her words. What to very carefully say. Sally place both hands on my shoulders.

"Nico," Sally warmly starts, "you can always talk to us of what happen. To Percy and I. Even Grover. Okay?" She smile. I always like her smile. Always warm and fuzzy and shining and lovely. Just like my mom's. "The apartment is sound proof from the outside and block any type of transmission signals."

I shake my head. "Even if it is all that, it's not like I'm going to tell what happen so easily."

"That's okay." She sigh. "It's only a choice if you want to. You must be tired. Do you mind sleeping with Percy? You two always love to sleep together when you two were little."

But we're not little anymore, I wanted to say. But I nodded. I bound up the stairs, taking two at a time. "It's the first door to your left," Sally call from down the stairs.

I held my hands in front of me. I write with my right, I mouth. Which is cast. Great, I now realize that I'm going to have trouble with classwork. I turn left. Both doors are ajar. I enter the first one. It's blue. Clothes are everywhere on the floor. There's posters of superheroes on the walls. Percy is spread out on his bed. Softly snoring and very much drooling.

Wonderful, I got to deal with the drooling. I slip off my shoes and sit at the edge of the bed. I hate the drooling. There are times when I wake up with drool on my face or in my hair. I slip under the blanket at the edge of the bed. Percy is closer to the wall so there's a lot of space between us.

I close my eyes. Letting sleep overpower me. Percy move behind me. I feel something wrap around my middle section and pull me. I yelp. Percy hum behind my head.

I forgot, Percy snuggles.