Hullo, people! Thanks for the reviews. Sorry I wasn't able to update for a while. I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Kane Chronicles: Shadow's Serpent.

DISCLAIMER: I AM STILL NOT RICK RIORDAN AND I STILL DON'T OWN PJO.

Thalia Grace had no idea what to expect as she followed her new friend to his house.

Neil's mother was just about to leave. She waved at them from her car. Neil waved back.

They both walked in the house. "Want a snack?" Neil asked.

Thalia smiled. "Sure, thanks." She glanced around. "So, um, where's your brother?"

"Oh, yeah." Neil grinned. "Come here, Luke-man!"

A toddler, probably about two years old, crawled out of a room. He was old enough to walk, but he still tripped a bit over himself a bit.

"Neil-y?" the little boy asked, looking at his older brother in wonder. Then he saw Thalia. "Thally!"

Neil's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa. It seems like he knows your name or something."

Thalia was studying the little kid Luke. He had tufts of blond hair, blue eyes...and a scar. She swallowed. "How'd he get that scar?"

"I have no idea," Neil said with a frown. "The doctors said that maybe he was born with it or something. That's pretty common when it comes to babies, apparently."

"Okay, Neil, just a question," Thalia said. "Why the heck do you want to be friends with me?"

Neil shook his head. "I have no idea," he said again. "This is gonna sound terribly gross, but I felt a connection when I crashed into you in the hall. Nothing romantic or anything," he added quickly when he noticed Thalia's wrinkled nose. "I have a girlfriend, remember? I really don't know why, but I had a feeling that I needed to be your friend. I'm not sure if I can explain it further." An electronic beep suddenly interrupted them.

"Oh, Allie's calling me," Neil said, smirking. "Speak of the devil. Excuse me."

He walked out, leaving Thalia with Luke. Thalia stared at the kid and caught her breath, feeling completely sure now that this really was her old pal Luke. She was really proud that he didn't end up in Fields of Punishment, or anything. She patted his head. "You are a good guy after all," Thalia said. "Now, continue being good, bro. I know you can make it to Isles of the Blest."

Luke stared at her uncomprehendingly, then gave her a sticky smile. "Tanks, Thally," he said.

Thalia was in a good mood when she went home to Percy's. She knew why Neil was drawn to her. Maybe the Fates or the gods wanted her to know that Luke really was a great friend, and a hero in the end. And in the process, she also made a new friend. She decided to keep in touch with Neil. She knew that her fellow Hunters will make fun of her for it, but Hades with them. Maybe he was a repulsive boy, but he was also a friend, and that kind of balances it out, just like her friendship with Percy.

Annabeth was scowling at the sink.

It was Saturday afternoon. For some reason, Annabeth was in a terrible mood. As a daughter of Athena, she had sharper instincts than most. She suspected that someone was delibirately trying to sabotage her relationship with Percy.

She sighed and scrubbed a plate with the sponge. Mrs. Blofis had a cold, so Annabeth volunteered to wash the dishes. That was her least favorite chore, and it didn't help that a monster had broken in last night and destroyed the dishwasher while Thalia was shooting it with an arrow. Now the dishwasher stood next to the sink, broken beyond repair.

"Annabeth?" a voice said. Annabeth looked up and saw Percy there.

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," she said with a halfhearted smile.

Percy gave her a concerned look. "Something wrong?"

Annabeth shrugged as she tried to remove the greasy junk from under the pan. Gross. "I don't know. I just feel like someone's..." she trailed off.

"Trying to break us up?" Percy guessed, looking grim. "Look, Mimi is just crazy, and—"

"No," Annabeth said. "There's something else." She paused. "I don't know, Percy, but something weird is going on."

Percy nodded. "Yeah. I think I can sense it, too. Like...an immortal presence or something?"

"Yes," Annabeth said. "I hope that it's nothing serious."

She looked so worried and vulnerable, so unlike her usual confident self, that Percy couldn't resist putting his arms around her. "Don't worry, Wise Girl, everything will work out. With Mimi and everything."

He leaned down and kissed her. Annabeth could feel her worries tumbling away.

"Hey, Percy! Have you seen Mr. Blofis?" Nico was yelling. He flung the kitchen doors open and saw them kissing. He backed away awkwardly. "Uh, am I interrupting something?"

A foamy sponge flew from Annabeth's hand and hit Nico in the face.

Nico closed the door, wiping the soap and meat loaf essence from his face. Yuck. "Couples," he muttered.

Nico finally found Paul. Paul agreed to let him take the fishing pole.

"Maybe I can take you fishing, too, some other time," Paul suggested.

Nico grinned. "Thanks, sir. I'll keep that in mind." He wondered what it would be like to have nice, regular mortal parents who can take you fishing.

He left the place and went to the fishing pond across town. A boy wearing a black jacket and baggy jeans was sitting there, frowning at the water. "Hey, Adam," Nico called.

Hades looked up and smiled. "Hello, Nico," he said. Nico was aware that he had the same dark brown hair and brown eyes as he does. Man, we could be brothers, he thought. But then the thought of siblings made him remember Bianca di Angelo, his dead sister. He winced and pushed the thought from his mind.

Hades looked at his son in concern. "Anything wrong, Nico?"

Nico shook his head. "Um, just thinking about my sister." He exhaled. "She died a couple of years ago.

Hades tensed. Thinking about his own daughter was painful, too.

Nico realized what he said and immediately felt embarrassed. "Sorry," he muttered. He didn't usually tell strangers about his personal life, but for some reason, he wanted to tell this guy everything. That was definitely weird. He only felt like that with his dad.

He sat down next to Hades and put the line on the water.

It was pretty awkward for something like thirty minutes, until something pulled at Nico's line.

"Hey, you got a catch," Hades pointed out.

Nico yelped and tugged, and what appeared was a gigantic fish.

"Whoa!" Nico shouted.

Hades laughed and they high-fived.

After that, they went out for burgers and talked like a couple of good old friends. In a way, Hades felt closer to his son.

Thank you, Poseidon, Hades thought. Who knew that fishing could be a great way to get to know someone?

Maybe he could go fishing with Persephone, too, for some bonding time. Okay, never mind, that idea was just weird, and he's pretty sure that Demeter wouldn't really go for that.

All in all, it was the best father-son trip, even if Nico didn't know that it was one.

Gah, I'm still feeling dizzy from all the Harry Potter reading last night. I didn't sleep until, like, 4 am. Ugh. Anyway, hope you liked it! Please REVIEW.