Thalia:

It was horrible. He didn't speak for days. He barely eat and he would only sleep if I was by his side. Not that we tested what would happen if I left. I stayed with him every night, his arms wrapped around me. I was scared that I'd lose him worse than the first time.

It had happened at the beginning of the summer. Zoe had been trying to 'recruit' me for the hunters. She'd already gotten Bianca in on it and I wanted to see what it was all about. I went with them on a campout, and it stunk. Like, literally. A skunk crawled into my sleeping bag. And then I got back and Nico… He was angry. I'd never seen him angry like that. He told me that I'd betrayed him. That he couldn't believe I'd consider leaving him for them. So I broke up with him. I knew it wasn't the end, just a break, but then Bianca called me. Nico was scared I'd left for good. He was so scared that he'd pushed me away….. He was going to give up.

So I went to his house. I explained it all to him. I did not want to join the hunters. I thought the whole no guys thing was just that no guys could join up. Then I learned what it really meant. I told him I just needed some time away from him. Clear my head. Then the beginning of the year rolled around and he showed up at my doorstep….. I took him back immediately. If I hadn't then I would've been broken, too. I made sure that he knew that I wouldn't be leaving him. And know, in his time of most need, I felt like I was his anchor line.

I was keeping him from drifting away. Well, me and Hazel. When she visited him, she was nervous. Like she might not be welcome. Then he'd hugged her and I knew I wasn't alone. We took shifts watching him. Me, Percy, and Hazel. Percy'd take mornings, me in the afternoon, and Hazel would join me until lights out. Grover slept awkwardly on his bed, knowing I was there, but Nico felt comfortable so I stayed. We really thought we'd seen improvement.

Then his dad came.

It had been a few weeks since the bodies had been declared unfound. The search over, Nico was a like a rock by the ocean, each wave chipping another piece of him away. He spiraled down again, and I wouldn't leave his room. Not for food, not for school… Nothing would keep me away from him. And then I heard a knock at his door. I figured it was Hazel, coming to help me watch him. I left his side, only for a second. But when I opened the door, it wasn't Hazel.

Nico's dad looked like a mad man. His eyes burnt with the same intense fire that Nico's had, but lacked the friendliness. I knew he was rich, and not just by the suit he wore. He's a big time oil player, drilling on the west coast. His hair was slicked back and he was even paler than Nico. He looked awkward standing in the doorway, but I stepped aside, letting him in.

"Are you Nico's girlfriend? He's told me so little about you." Thank gods I thought. I let him in, but kept my distance. Nico was still on the bed, curled into a ball. His dad, Hades (Yes, the one we curse people to) sat beside him, but sent me a look that asked for privacy.

I didn't want to, but I left the room. I sat on the couch, exhausted. Hazel came in after that, with a bagel and some coffee. I stole it from her, but she didn't mind. No, she was too surprised that her dad was in the next room over, talking to her half brother. We didn't speak. Didn't trust ourselves to. And then Percy came in with Annabeth and Grover. They got in right when the crying started. The other's tried to hold me back, but I wouldn't be. I nearly kicked the door down, but when I opened it, Nico was crying and his father was comforting him.

Hades didn't seem like the kind of dad to comfort, but he was. Nico was letting out tears, but they didn't sound angry or hurt or sorrowful. They sounded relieved. Like everything had left him and he was just glad that he'd known his sister and mom so well.

After he left, I grabbed his arm. It was such a weird sensation, like he radiated power. Power that came with a price. I didn't let it scare me. "Thank you. He hasn't been the same since… but what I just saw. That was the old Nico." I said. He gave me a sad look.

"He will heal, but it will take time. He will need you." He told me. I nodded my head a little. Duh, I knew he needed me. But not as much as I needed him. I let the answer hang in the air as Hades, one of the richest people on earth, walked out of the room and into the daylight.

Percy:

The funeral was nice. Bianca and her mother weren't ever found, but the empty caskets were beautifully made. They made me believe that they were going to be happy, were they were going. I didn't know where that might be, but… If there was a heaven, they both deserved it. I was one of the pallbearers with Nico. He'd gotten better. Close to what he'd once been. He came back into school, caught up on his classes… I just hoped we never saw that side of him ever again.

I met with Calypso, the one that was Zoe's sister. I still couldn't believe her story. And not just the one that involved Juvie. No, she gave me the actual events of what happened in the car.

"We were going back to Goode Academy. Zoe was so excited that I'd agreed to go back with her. It was only my junior year, and she was a senior…. but we could never talk long in juvie." She explained, tears in her eyes. Leo was holding her hand, and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Bianca was telling me about how happy she was to finally meet me. Then Nico called her and….. This car came around the corner. Fast. It swerved into our lane and Bianca's mom….." She'd begun to cry.

Leo whispered a few words of encouragement I didn't catch, but Calypso nodded her head and took a deep breath. "Zoe opened my door and then shoved me out the other end. I hit the water and then…." I thanked her for telling me. After a few more reassuring words from Leo, she calmed down. Then I joined Annabeth and Thalia and Nico. We were going to leave and Nico look really anxious to go.

"Lets head out now. I could use something to eat." I said. Annabeth shot me a warning, but to everyone's surprise Nico was the one to laugh. "Perce, you're always hungry." The fact he'd laughed passed me by. The others looked confused but I smiled. "Lets go then. I'm buying." Thalia joined in. "Then lets go. I'm usually the one stuck with the bill." She said. We all laughed at that.

And so, we left the funeral and went to the nearest McDonalds. Nico bought a Happy Meal, but hey, we weren't going to complain. He was eating. I grabbed Annabeth's hand from under the table and she smiled at me. When Nico was gone… She kept me from drifting away. I wanted to find the coward who ran a minivan off the road and didn't stop to help. She made sure that Nico was my highest priority. I didn't get the chance to go after him.

And right now, in the middle of the McDonalds, nothing could've been more perfect.

Percy:

That week was good for Nico. The bullies had been stepping their game up, now virtually unopposed in the hallways. I even got a few hurtful comments thrown my way. I saw Matt Sloan going in for Annabeth, but I stopped him. Nico might be gone, but that didn't mean that we were free game. I launched myself at the bullies when they tried, pushing them back. It was strangely therapeutic. Just being there for my friends was nice. I didn't let anyone get too close, and I wasn't alone. Jason and Thalia were at my side the whole time.

And then there was Rachel. As you can imagine, she was very angry. She sent me a few texts I can't repeat on New Years Eve. I guess she only checked to see if it had worked that day. I was a bit busy with my girlfriend (Still love that word) to notice. So when we did get back into school I was watching Annabeth, too. Matt Sloan wasn't the only guy going after her. No, Rachel sent them all. It was a minefield that I had to lead Annabeth through while blindfolded. It was more like I was walking ahead, detonating any explosives before she could be hit.

I guess I'm a pretty good minesweeper, because after only a week the troubles vanished. All I had to worry about was Nico, but even then it was only for another week. Then the funeral came around and yeah. Now Nico is feeling better.

All in all, a great year so far.

Four months later…..

Still doing great. Me and Annabeth are boyfriend and girlfriend and no one questioned it. The guys steer clear and the girls know I'm officially off limits. They didn't like that, but Annabeth made it pretty clear I was taken.

But now I'm facing a new challenge. "How do I ask Annabeth to prom?" I said into my computer. Mrs. O'Leary looked up at me, like things were about to get interesting. "I mean, I want it to be special, you know?" Carter and Sadie had never given me a bad lead before when it came to dating, but they both looked stumped. Then Zia, another great asset, came onto the screen. "Duh, ask her. Just ask her if she'd go with you. She'll say yes." I nodded my head.

"Yeah, I know- well I hope she'd say yes- but I still want to be special about it all. Not make it public or a huge show or anything. Just make it special." I explained. Zia gave me a quizzical look. Maybe I wasn't being clear enough? Then she spoke. "No, the thing is, you just telling her, that's what's so special about it all. She wants to go with you, you just need to send her the right message." She said. I kind of understood, but then Carter and Sadie stepped in. "She's right. Save all the crazy stuff for senior year. It'll be more special that way." Carter assured me.

Sadie was going to chime in, but it seemed that I was at a decision. Yes, I'll do the special crazy ask-out, but not this year. I sighed. "Fine. But then you guys are going to hear about it if she says she won't go out." I warned them. They all looked horrified by that, but Sadie piped in. "If that happens, Carter and I'll be there. We'll take you to the prom." She promised. I saw Carter's face turn pink.

"Thanks Sadie. I guess I'll have to skip Prom here and go with Percy. My prom experience will not be with Percy."He complained. I fake frowned. "Aww, why not? Prom at your rival school would be memorable." I said. Sadie let out a long laugh. I had to go. "See you guys later, okay? I've got to go." They waved me off, Sadie scolding Carter about same gender dating while Zia began to bust up. I was kind of sad when I signed off.

Yeah, the Kanes rocked. I picked up the leather jacket by my bed. I had a date to catch.

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LHG :)