I apologize for the bad email format, truly. Warning: Abandonment; substance abuse. Read with caution.

Part 1: Tiny Dancer

1.5: With No One Near

From: [not in your contact list] ecopper

To: [you] nicodian

About: too bad

Body: ok that's it. You didn't respond to me. You blocked me. I didn't do anything to you. I even offered you an alternative. Too bad everyone knows your dirty secret now. Lol wait till school on monday

- V -

What did that mean? What dirty little secret? His sexuality wasn't that big of a secret. Nico had already hooked up with quite a few questioning guys, but hopefully this wouldn't invite them to be openly homophobic.

Nico rubbed his face into his hands. At 5 AM on a Monday morning, he was just begging for an excuse to not to go to school. He could always just say he was in mourning, but Bianca wouldn't like him to do that. He looked at his face in the mirror, and took a double take. His face was puffy, but it was the only sign of life in a dry desert, devoid of emotions. Worst of all were his eyes. Nico had always liked his eyes, they were a pretty shade of dark brown. But now, they looked just like Bianca's, and his eyes were the exact same shade.

The mirror was now covered by a black towel.

The funeral had been nice enough. Great aunts he didn't know and didn't care about expressed their condolences, and Thalia and Reyna had an awkward encounter, both having romantic history with Bianca. Nico walked down the empty hallway, and passed Hades's closed bedroom door. After some consideration, he decided that today was already going to hell, what was he going to lose? He backtracked a few steps, and opened the door.

Holy shit. Hades's needed to get his act together. The room smelled terrible, similar to a skunk. Clothes were strewn everywhere, and not all of them were his. Nico sidestepped the more feminine of the selection, and made his way to the lump in the sheets. He pulled the wrinkled sheets back, and almost jumped out of his skin when it was revealed that it was not, in fact, Hades's sleeping form, but a large heap of unclean laundry. "You want something, kid?"

Nico turned around, and found Hades with a toothbrush in his mouth. He shook his head. "No, sir." Hades rolled his dark eyes, much like a teenager. Nico frowned, Hades wasn't usually this informal.

"Then why are you here, creeping around?" Hades was definitely drunk. Or high. Most likely high. Nico squinted at his eyes, they were a startling red. Not to mentioned the smell that he originally perceived as a skunk... marijuana, then? Why would Hades choose such an... unclassy drug, as he considered himself better than the average person?

"Answer me, Nicodemo." Nico blinked. He hadn't even known that was his real name. Hades stumbled towards him, stumbling and bumping into his bed.

The wall was colder than expected. He had backed away when Hades came closer, and Hades scowled. "You're growing soft. Back in my day, people could take anything. Ha, your generation gets mad from pronouns. Snowflakes." Nico gulped. He felt Hades's bad breath on his neck, and bolted. Suddenly, he wanted to go to school. Anywhere, actually. In the moments of leverage he had on Hades, he barricaded his bedroom door with his desk and bedside table. He heard a little pounding on the door, then nothing.

- V -

Five hours later, he left his room. Nico looked around corners; hopefully his dad had gotten down from the high. Once he reached the imposing wooden door, there was no turning back. He twisted the handle, and the room was empty. He looked around the room. All the clothes, sheets, curtains even, were gone. He stuck his head in the bathroom, nothing. Then he was struck with a thought, the safe!

He ran to closet, and entered Maria's birthdate into the safe. Sure enough, it opened. To an empty box.

Nico groaned. Where was Hades? The car was gone, the little valuables they had in the safe were gone, Hades was gone. He came to a startling conclusion. Hades had run off.

No money, no money to pay bills. No car, no way to get anywhere. He was alone. Just 10 years ago, their family was complete. Maria was still alive, even in her last stage of Pancreatic Cancer. Hades was still 'Dad,' and took Nico and Bianca to soccer games and the library. And Bianca, she was lovely.

But now they were all gone. And he was alone.

- V -

"Reyna?" He called tentatively into the speaker of his phone. He paced his room waiting for a response. He was done crying, he'd spent the last 2 hours trying to figure out a game plan. Reyna answered groggily, he forgot it was still early. "Nico? I swear - if you're asking for forgiveness, or worse, for me to apologize to you, you've got another thing-"

"He's gone."

"Hades?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes, hang tight."

Sure enough, she pulled up in a car so similar to Bianca's, it was clear why they were lovers. Reyna jumped out of the car and zoomed to Nico. She enveloped him in a hug, and it smelled a little bit like Bianca. Nico sniffled, and she wiped his eyes. She turned around, braid swinging. She climbed into her truck. Patting the seat next to her, she frowned when Nico made no move to get in. "Don't you have anything packed? I'm taking you to my dad's house."

Nico flushed. "I don't need your pity, Reyna."

She rolled her eyes. "If you think this is pity, then you've clearly never had someone do something nice for you. Get in." Nico looked at her and contemplated his choices.

"We won't baby you too much, dad's never home and neither is Hylla." Nico reluctantly climbed in, and Reyna drove slowly, trying not to jostle her dogs in the bed of the truck.