A/N: I tried to make the beginning of this sad and sucked at it, so I gave up and moved on. Also I realized I haven't written Hades in a while, so I made him show up. Also, plot sort of happened, but then it just got eaten by sibling fluff.

BTW THIS IS OFFICIALLY AU FROM BOO BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH STUFF.

I'm too lazy to reply to reviews today, so just thanks to everyone who reviewed, now go do it again :D

Disclaimer: Yada yada yada I don't own PJO.

Chapter Fourteen

If someone had asked Nico fifteen years ago what he'd think of seeing his own grave, he'd have said something along the lines of, "It's on my Bucket List."

Well, now it had been crossed off.

Percy was making him extremely uncomfortable, the way he kept staring at him in concern as they stood in front of the headstone. It was as if Percy thought he'd have a nervous breakdown, seeing more effects of people thinking he was dead.

But Nico was fine. Silent, but characteristically so, and calm. He took in the ribbons and flowers, frayed and wilted, that his friends had left there over the years. He stared at the pitch black shroud spread over the gravesite, decorated with an embroidered picture of Cerberus wearing the Helm of Darkness, both signs of Hades.

After a few minutes of standing there, Nico turned to his cousins (including Frank, who Nico had shadow-traveled from the hospital against his will). "Can we go? I need to check back in with my father."

"Does he know you're back?" Jason asked.

Percy sighed. "He never knew he was gone. Nico told him his plan from the beginning."

Jason nodded slowly. "Oh. Okay then."

More uncomfortable than ever now, Nico looked back to Percy. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. I think I'm gonna spend the night with Dad."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, okay. See you soon then."

Nico nodded to his cousin, then to Jason, Piper, and Frank, and then- before things could get any more awkward- he shadow-traveled away.

"You're doing what on Monday?!" Hades exclaimed, leaning forward on his throne.

Nico shifted uncomfortably, nervously pulling at his fingers. "I'm auditioning for The Music Man," he repeated.

"May we ask why?" Persephone questioned.

"It's Adrianne's school musical," Nico explained. "I figured if I get cast, then I could spend more time with her."

Hades shook his head. "Nico, I get that you want to bond with your sister, but what could possibly possess you that could make you want to audition for a musical?"

Nico glared. "Hey, Percy said I was a good actor."

Hades rolled his eyes. "Percy Jackson wouldn't know a good actor if it hit him in the face. That Nicolas Angel movie? Terrible! They cast Colin Ford as the lead!"

Nico frowned. "Dad, that's- not even remotely the point here. I barely have to do any acting- the director's a demigod, if I threaten him enough, he'll give me a part. Then I can spend more time with my sister, okay?"

Hades sighed. "Yes, all right. Do what you want. Just don't come home one day and announce that you're going to be an actor. No god needs that in their life."

Nico rolled his eyes. "I won't, I promise. This is just for Bianca."

And it was "just for Bianca" that Nico found himself outside Mount St. Ursula's Catholic School for Girls on Monday afternoon, with his sword at his side and an audition form in his hand. With a sigh, he slipped into the shadows and reappeared inside the auditorium office, two feet from the director's desk.

The director who was currently pointing a gun at Nico's face.

"Who are you?" the 50-something-year-old man demanded, his hand surprisingly steady as he aimed the pistol.

Nico raised an eyebrow. His demigod instincts were telling him to run, or fight, or at least move out of the line of fire, but he found himself unable to be scared as his brain temporarily shut down at the sight of the man trying to shoot him.

According to Nico's files, his name was Scott Collums, and he was both a teacher at Mount St. Ursula's and the director of their theater program. He was a son of Dionysus with minimal power and just enough Camp training for survival, and- as far as Nico was aware- hadn't been attacked by a monster in 37 years.

And he was wearing a black suit with a white collar, and green robes.

"Are you a priest?" Nico asked, staring at the man in shock.

Scott blinked. "I- yes. Who are you?" he repeated.

Nico ignored the question. "What the Hades kinda demigod becomes a priest?"

Scott's weapon wavered, but didn't lower. "You… You're a demigod?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "Yeah, son of Hades, nice to meet you."

Finally, the man lowered his weapon and slipped it into his desk drawer. "Hey."

"What'd you think I was, a monster?" Nico then asked. "The gun wouldn't have worked if I was, you know."

"Celestial bronze bullets," Scott explained, as if it were obvious.

"Ah," Nico nodded. "See, that makes sense."

"What are you doing here?" the man then asked. "Did… Hades send a message?"

"What? No." Nico stared at the man like he was crazy. "I'm not my father's messenger. Not anymore, anyway. No, I wanna be in your musical." He showed Scott the audition form. "I have a certain interest in one of your actors."

Scott raised an eyebrow curiously, accepting the form. "May I ask which one?"

"Adrianne," Nico answered. "Long story short, she's the reincarnation of my dead sister- don't ask how, I don't wanna go into it. She knows nothing about demigods or who she used to be, but I want to get as close to her as I can. This show of yours is one way. So, you willing to cast me?"

Scott looked up from the audition form. "Well, that depends. How's your acting?"

"Decent," Nico replied warily. "I can get you references."

Scott nodded slowly. "And… your singing?"

Nico raised an eyebrow. "You want me to sing something?"

Scott grinned. "That's how auditions work."

Nico sighed, resisting the urge to reach for his sword. "Fine," he snapped, then- trying his best not to feel self-conscious- started to sing the first thing he thought of.

"Tu scendi dalle stelle, O Re del Cielo,

e vieni in una grotta, al freddo e al gelo.

e vieni in una grotta, al freddo e al gelo

O Bambino mio Divino, Io ti vedo qui a tremar,

O Dio Beato

Ahi, quanto ti costò, l'avermi amato.

Ahi, quanto ti costo, l'avermi amato."

When Nico finished, there was a minute or so of silence as Scott stared at him and Nico tried hard not to blush. "Well?" he finally snapped.

The director grinned. "Oh, you're cast all right."

"How'd it go?" Hades asked when Nico returned to the Underworld.

"Not bad," Nico replied. "I think."

His father frowned. "Meaning…?"

Nico sighed. "I don't know. I'm cast, I think, but… The director wanted me to sing something, and… It was a song Bianca taught me a long time ago… I'm honestly surprised I remembered it…" Nico shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, it was just weird. I'm gonna go hang out with Adrianne, I'll see you later, okay?"

Hades nodded slowly, frowning in concern. "Okay."

Nico met Adrianne on the front steps of Mount St. Ursula's, planning on walking her home with a clever excuse for why he hadn't brought his car. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to use this very clever excuse, because as soon as Adrianne stepped outside of school, she punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" Nico exclaimed, rubbing his arm where she'd hit him. "What was that for?"

"You didn't tell me you auditioned!" Adrianne scolded, looking angry while still grinning.

Nico flinched. "Uh, yeah. That… happened."

His sister rolled her eyes. "Well, you didn't tell me you were good enough to get the lead!"

Nico froze. "What."

"Yeah, cast list just came out," Adrianne explained, shoving a piece of paper at him. "See? Nico di Angelo- Harold Hill."

Nico stared at it, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Huh."

Adrianne punched him again. "Stop just standing there. Get excited! Harold Hill's one of the funnest parts in the world!"

Nico swallowed nervously, still staring uncomfortably at his name on the list. "Well, what part did you get?" he asked Adrianne, hoping to change the subject.

Her smile widened, as if that were possible. "Take a look for yourself."

Nico looked back at the list, at the name right under his. "Marian.":

Adrianne nodded excitedly. "Yep!"

Nico raised an eyebrow questioningly at her. "Marian… the Librarian."

"That's how the song goes."

He swallowed again. "So… you're my… love interest."

Adrianne rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah. But don't worry, we only kiss once."

Nico almost choked. "Wha- we kiss at all?

"Haven't you seen the show?" she laughed.

"I've been avoiding it," Nico admitted.

Adrianne rolled her eyes and grabbed Nico's hand, pulling him down the steps and towards the street. "Well, anyway, it's gonna be a super fun show so you should stop being a baby and get excited. Now let's go home and get something to eat, I'm starving."

Nico chuckled, and didn't remove his hand from his sister's as they walked.

"Are you sure you don't want one?" Adrianne asked as she exited the pizza place, greasy slice in hand. "Last chance."

Nico smirked at her from where he was leaning against the entrance to the Subway. "I'm good, really."

"Your loss," she commented, taking a bite of her pizza. "You're crazy, though. What kinda New Yorker doesn't like pizza?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "I grew up in D.C."

"Huh," Adrianne muttered thoughtfully. "Never been."

Wrapping up her pizza in a napkin so that she could eat it and walk at the same time, she then grabbed Nico's hand and continued to lead him down the street towards her apartment building. A few minutes later, once she'd finished eating, she resumed their conversation.

"So, legit question. Why'd you audition without telling me?"

Nico shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you."

Adrianne grinned at him. "Well, I sure was surprised."

Nico spent the rest of the afternoon in Adrianne's apartment, playing with her dog, watching American Idol, and going over songs for the show before rehearsals had even started, because Adrianne was an overachiever like that. She sang Nico the song she'd auditioned with (Till There Was You, which was actually from The Music Man), and Nico refused to sing his, and by the time Adrianne's parents kicked him out so they could make dinner, Nico realized that he had just had the most fun that he'd ever had with his sister, ever.

And wasn't that just sad?

A/N: Ey, plot sort of. Hope you liked it, please review!

Btw, the song Nico sang is an Italian Christmas Carol, it's called Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle. Look it up, it's pretty.