Grief could make people do the strangest of things. It could drag the proudest, happiest person down to the very depths of their soul. It could drive sane people to do maniacal things. Grief could drive someone in a spiral that they wouldn't be able to climb out of. If there was too much grief, the hole would become deeper and deeper till it reached the bottom of the Earth.
Well, that's what one of the therapists kept saying. Nico didn't want to go to a therapist at all, but the Olympians demanded that all of the heroes see a therapist as part of their surprise evaluations. They would only say it was a coincidence that the evaluations happened not long after Reyna was murdered. Since the Olympians were full of such geniuses, they sent everyone to visit the same therapist: Nico's step mother Kore.
The only logical things for Nico to do was murder Kore's favorite plant. He had taken satisfaction in it, honestly. It was nice to take his anger out on something, even if it was a defenseless plant. The Olympians seemed to realize their mistake and got Nico a new therapist the next day. He had only seen that therapist twice and couldn't even remember the man's name. The first visit was to appease the Olympians, and the second was to act normal enough to not have to see the man anymore. It worked a little too well.
No one seemed to notice how Nico felt, and for him, things were only getting worse. The months since Reyna's death had been difficult, and time did not seem to be closing the wound. Everyone was grieving in their own way, but all of them were concerned about Thalia and her grief. Thalia was the one who was there when Reyna died, and she was the one forced to make the choice that killed Reyna. It tore Thalia apart, and she wasn't acting the same.
Thalia wasn't the only one being torn apart by sadness though. Nico and Reyna were best friends. They spent their free time at school together, and Nico was usually at Reyna's place every other week. Before Reyna and Thalia started dating, Nico and Reyna were the outsiders of their friend group. They were friends with everyone in their group, but none of the relationships were as close as they could be. Now, Nico was on the outside once again, but he was alone this time.
One thing that seemed to help Nico with his grief was visiting Hylla every week. The two didn't really talk much. They just sat there. One of them petted Aurum, and the other petted Argentum. It was nice to be able to grieve with someone else and not have to explain why you were still grieving. Nico's fellow heroes had plenty of responsibilities to distract them, but Nico wasn't really contacted to investigate crime scenes. He was more of a background character to fill out the roster of heroes.
His so called friends were scared to take Nico out on missions. They seemed to think he would lose his temper against a criminal and kill them. Nico had done it only once before, and it was by accident. He had still been coming to terms with his powers and didn't know how to fully control them. Now, he was a master of his powers.
Nico could manipulate shadows to hide himself, and when he got mad enough, he could kill someone with just a touch. Well, he thought it was just a touch. Nico didn't remember much from when he had killed that one criminal. He just remembered grabbing onto the neck of the criminal, and a deep anger consumed him. He saw red, and the pulse underneath his fingertips just stopped.
His older sister, Bianca, could hide in the shadows as well, but none of them knew if she could kill a man with a touch. That was probably why she fit in more with the others. His younger sister, Hazel, was able to manipulate minerals and was practicing her shadow abilities. Thanks to Frank, she fit in as well. Nico no longer had anyone to help him fit in or distract him.
The only thing to distract Nico from his grief was his hobbies. but his hobbies only offered him a window right into his grief. His family didn't even see what he was going through. Hazel was far too busy with Frank and her side projects to notice. If she did notice, she would have tried to make Nico feel better. Then, there was Bianca, who had just arrived back in town from one of Diana's sponsored trips. It was suppose to be a place for young teenage girls to find themselves. In reality, Bianca just used it as an excuse to get away from Nico and the responsibility of being an older sister.
It was all Nico's fault though. Between the responsibility of watching Nico after their mother died and Nico's erratic, childish behavior, Bianca needed a break. She found that in Diana, and she was practically glued to the woman's hip. Now that Bianca was back, Nico wanted to keep his distance and not scare her away again.
Nico sighed and laid his head against the window of his limousine. What did it matter if you had enough money to buy the entire world, if no one in the world wanted anything to do with you? Nico's family was the richest in town. His father owned all of the local mines and half of the ones in the entire country. His father also owned the local cemetery and funeral home. All that money didn't make up for the fact that Nico had no family.
His mother died when he was four years old, and no one would tell him how. His step mother claimed it was a result of her being mugged. Some of the Olympians claimed it was an accident. Other Olympians quickly made an excuse to leave and not answer the question. Hazel's mother had died as well, but her mind had been long gone before that. Nico never learned what Hazel's mother forced Hazel to do, but he didn't want to pry.
Their step mother, Kore, kept an eye on them from a distance. She didn't live in the same house as them but did stop by weekly to check on them. Nico still hated her. Kore was a replacement to his mother, but he would never see it that way. Nico had been four or five when he lost his mother, and the only memories he had of her were getting harder and harder to recall everyday. He only had a few pictures of her and held onto them tightly. Then, there was Nico's father.
As the limousine came to a stop, Nico was torn from his thoughts. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Nico looked at the checkpoint in front of him. Two large, serious looking men were talking to the driver and asking to see identification. Nico had already passed his up to the driver. This entire process wasn't new, but the last couple years had seen a few months were the guards slacked on the process. Not anymore though.
The barrier in front of them lifted, and the limousine moved forward. Nico stared up at Tartarus. The maximum security prison had been repaired from its breakout and looked more intimidating than before. Large, smooth walls surrounded the outside of the prison, making only one way in and out. Water surrounded the outside of the walls, and that water was notoriously dangerous.
Visitors to the maximum security prison were unheard of. They had to be approved by the mayor, which meant visits had to be approved by the Olympians. Nico usually visited the prison once a month, but the recent breakout meant he couldn't visit until it was deemed safe. It had taken five months, but Nico was finally allowed to visit again.
There was a bit of irony though. Nico's father helped create the prison. He was the one who made it nearly impossible to escape from, and now, Nico's father would spend the rest of his life there. The limousine came to a stop, and the door opened.
"Thank you, Charon," Nico said. He slowly got out of the limousine and looked at Charon. His gaze was met with a soft smile and impenetrable eyes. It was always had to read Charon's expressions, as his face was always stuck in a stoic smile.
While Nico did not like to use the term butler, it described Charon perfectly. He had been with Nico's family as long as Nico could remember. Charon made their meals for them and took care of the house. Nico always tried to help, but Charon seemed to be finished before Nico could even begin to offer. Nico didn't know if Charon got paid in Italian made suits or an actual salary, but whatever the payment was had secured Charon's loyalty.
"My pleasure, Master Di Angelo," Charon replied. He closed the door and followed Nico towards the entrance of the building, always keeping five feet of distance between them. Nico knew that Charon didn't have any children or even anyone that he was in a relationship with. He was just completely and utterly loyal to Nico's family, but it was like no one cared for him.
Hazel didn't like the thought of her own butler and would go out of her way to provide for herself. Bianca was never around, and whenever she was, she never talked to Charon. It was like he reminded Bianca of their father. Nico tried to be as nice to Charon as he possibly could, as he knew how alone Charon must have felt.
"Charon, can I ask you something?" Nico questioned. Charon looked at him and nodded. Four guards flanked them in their walk towards the front door. Nico looked down. Out of all the people he posed the question to, Charon was never one of them. Maybe, it was because he didn't want to ruin his relationship with Charon that he took so long to craft. The butler had been hard to get close to, but now, Charon actually told Nico about how his day was.
Or maybe, Nico knew that he would get the answer if he asked Charon. Was he that scared to know the truth? Was he scared to know what happened to his mother? Nico took a deep breath and spoke, "How did my mother die?"
Charon feel silent and kept walking. It took him a few moment,but he spoke, "I know the answer, but I believe that is an answer that you should ask your father. He was waiting for you to be old enough to understand."
"Did he kill her?" Nico asked. He stopped walking and stared at Charon. He felt the guards behind him stop, but all he could do was stare at the butler. Charon finally stopped walking and turned around.
"Of course not," Charon said. "It is just a story that he asked for us to not share, until he told you. It is something that a father should tell his son, but your father did not have a hand in it."
Nico nodded and continued to follow his butler. He knew the path so well, even though there was more checkpoints and guards along the way. Nico sighed and stared at the ground. Going to see his father every month was usually the best part of the month, but today, he was just tired of it. Nico wanted a father that was there. He didn't want a father that was stuck in jail.
Everyone knew Nico's father as the villain Hades. Everyone called him a sick bastard who murdered for fun and somehow hired a hotshot lawyer to help him escape the death penalty. There was one problem with all of that though. Nico did not know if his father actually murdered those people. He didn't know if Hades had all or even some of that blood on his hands. No one talked to Nico about his father. Hades was like the leper on the street corner.
Part of Nico thought that was why the Olympians kept an eye on him. His friends were only there to make sure he wouldn't snap and go crazy. That was why Nico's personal life was so closely monitored. When it came time to file taxes, Nico had to show receipts to prove that he wasn't trying to pay anyone to bust his father out of jail. One of the last ones to audit them commented that Nico had an obsession with his favorite card game, and he had snapped that she had an obsession with not minding her own business. Getting in trouble for that was so worth it.
Nico made it towards an iron door. After a few moments, a guard slowly walked towards the door. He brought the key towards a lock on the door but seemed to have trouble inserting it into the keyhole. After taking a few deep breaths, he managed to slip the key into the keyhole and turn it. The guard slowly opened the door.
Nico nodded towards Charon and walked past the guard. He walked into the large room and slowly took in his surroundings. Bookcases lined one of the walls, and Nico knew the books were changed out every few months. A desk on the other side of the room held reports from the businesses that Nico's father ran. Despite being in prison, he was still able to keep an eye on his businesses, even though Kore made most of the decisions.
"Father," Nico said. His eyes moved towards the table in the middle of the room, and he was surprised to see two men sitting there. One of them was Letus. The lawyer was surrounded by paper and seemed to be going over them with the other man. While the entire world knew Nico's father as Hades, Nico knew his father as the kind, loving man named Pluto.
"Nico," Pluto said. He quickly stood. The two guards at the door raised their guns. Pluto froze and slowly raised his gloved hands. His gloves seemed to glow bronze, and Nico couldn't remember a time when he hadn't seen his father with the gloves. "I haven't seen you in months."
"There was a breakout," Nico began. He rushed towards his father's side and hugged him tightly. Pluto slowly hugged him back, being careful to not hit Nico with his handcuffs. "I wanted to visit you, but they wouldn't let me. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," Pluto promised. He didn't let go of Nico for a few moments. Nico just enjoyed the touch. He was almost a little sad when Pluto pulled away. Nico slowly looked at Letus. The lawyer watched him quietly. Nico had seen Letus many times, as the lawyer always did his best to protect their estate.
"I can leave you two alone," Letus began. He started to gather his paperwork, but Nico shook his head. He didn't mind Letus being there. Letus was one of the few people who didn't poke and prod Nico about his past. The world knew Pluto as the businessman who died in a tragic accident, leaving his poor wife and kids alone. The world also harassed Nico about when he was going to take over his father's business, as if a fifteen year old should be trusted to make million dollar decisions.
"I don't mind if you stay. What were you two going over?" Nico asked. Pluto smiled and leaned back in his chair. Nico sat by his father.
"We are going to appeal your father's case. I believe I had found evidence that a witness was bribed," Letus said. He looked down at his mound of paper. "We just need a single hole in the case. The Olympians do not have an iron grip on the justice system anymore, and we may be able to get your father's sentence overturned and lessened."
"Even if that doesn't work, we will expose the Olympians for the hypocrites that they are," Pluto said. He looked at Nico. "Letus told me that there was a breakout of Tartarus about six months ago. What happened though? How did they break out?"
"My school had a field trip, and during that trip, Atlas managed to switch himself out with one of the guards," Nico said. Letus and Pluto exchanged looks, and it almost looked like Letus mouthed the word inside. Nico frowned. "He broke out the other Titans, and we tried to stop them."
Nico closed his eyes tightly and continued. "Atlas and another villain named Bellona died, but they killed one of my friends as well. My best friend, Reyna, was actually a villain named Praetor. She worked with us to stop the Titans, but in the end, she was captured with Thalia and Jupiter. Kronos forced Thalia to choose between killing her father or Reyna."
Nico felt tears flood his eyes, and Pluto pulled him into another hug. Nico spoke, "I miss her so much, but no one seems to notice that I am grieving as well. They just focus on Thalia, since she was Reyna's girlfriend. The only one who understands is Reyna's older sister: Hylla. The two of us grieve together. Hylla doesn't deserve to go through this pain."
"Another person dies due to the Titans. We should have handled them when we had the chance," Pluto muttered. Letus nodded his agreement. Nico just hugged his father. He knew that the Olympians had a chance to do what they wanted to the Titans, and their solution was to throw them into jail. "This is my fault."
"It's not," Nico interrupted. He looked up at his father. "This isn't your fault. You've been stuck in jail this entire time."
Pluto remained silent and finally just rubbed Nico's back. Nico closed his eyes. His father didn't need to blame himself. There was nothing Pluto could have done since he was stuck behind bars. Letus spoke, "Kronos murders a child, and they want me to defend him. They want me to defend a murderer. This is all to ruin my reputation and ruin your chance to be free."
"My brothers will do what they want, but in the end, justice will win," Pluto stated. "I do not want to worry about that now. I want to spend time with my son."
"Of course," Letus said. He gathered up the papers but left them at the edge of the table. Letus nodded to them and walked away. Nico looked at his father, and Pluto smiled at him. Nico knew he could not ask about his mother anymore. Not during this visit.
"Tell me about the past few months. I am here for you," Pluto said. Nico nodded and tried to relax. Being able to see his father again lifted some of the weight from his shoulders. He was worried that his father would be mad at him for not visiting, but things were normal between the two. Maybe, Pluto was just happy that one of his children was visiting him. Nico wouldn't worry about it too much. He just wanted to enjoy the time with his father, as things would get crazy with the appeal attempt, and something told Nico that things would not end well.