AN: Hello dear readers, I've tried to make up for the lack of any kick-ass action in this chapter with length. We shall see how to works out in your feedback! Thanks once again to those that reviewed, favourited or send me PM's. I really appreciate the support. As I've said before, this story has been a brain child of mine ever since the series ended and I started reading some brilliant AU stories here.

Anyhow, enjoy!

-o-

Time passes slow when you have something to hide.

As some philosopher once said, 'the greater the secret, the slower time feels'. For the whole school day, Hazel had to force her mouth shut just so that she didn't blurt out what happened to her over the weekend. Adding on to that, most of the school was still shut down after the shooting last week. Two students had been seriously wounded, but they were going to make full recoveries. After all, they weren't the targets- just unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

Hazel couldn't believe how close she had come to becoming a casualty.

It was probably foolish to come back to school, but she didn't want to raise too much suspicion by not turning up. Also, when Frank had come to pick up Nico from Gran's place, he had made sure to tell her to there were double the number of guards watching the school now- not that she knew there were guards before. Reyna also turned up, once again looking like a school girl, carelessly chewing gum in the corridor. School was only a half day today, and it had started off with an assembly where the district police inspector came to reassure the students that such an incident won't happen again.

Hazel had to stop herself snorting in disbelief during the inspector's speech. The woman had used the typical calming and relaxed phrases like 'a shock', 'surprising incident' and 'disaster was averted'. The language of those too far up in the world to care about the people drowning below them. Strangely, she found herself admiring Nico, who grew up with a father as rich as a god, but still wasn't completely lifted off the ground by the stick up his arse.

After assembly and then a few random classes where no one paid attention, they were finally allowed to call it a day and go home. No one's heart was in education around here anyways, so the teachers were happy to give themselves the rest of the day off too.

Hazel pushed past the hordes of her peers, with Reyna following silently, and came to a standstill at the front gate. There was a glossy black jeep parked amongst the ragtag of battered Nissans, scratched Fords and fifth hand Toyotas. She wanted to slap the person who thought it was smart to drive that car around this neighbourhood- and she had a hunch who it might be.

She headed towards it.

Reyna was still following her. But it seemed awkward to chat to her, and so she kept silent, as she had for the whole day. It was weird to find out that your best friend for years was a hired bodyguard. It cast everything in a strange light.

A window rolled down when they got close enough and Nico stuck his head out of it. "Hello. Ready to go for a ride?" Her brother was sporting a pair of reflective sunglasses that was meant to look cool, but Hazel privately thought that he looked like an overlarge fly.

"What are you doing here? Why are you picking me up? Where's Frank?" She hissed. "I thought Uncle Poseidon decided that we had to be with at least one security person at all times, after that incident."

Frank poked his head out from the backseat. "Hello!"

Hazel started, "Ah! Frank? Why are you not driving?"

Nico grinned, "Because I'm in a good mood, so he gets the afternoon off. He still has to follow us around though." He caught Reyna's eye, and something unspoken passed between them. "I think one security detail will be enough for the afternoon, don't you, Reyna?"

Hazel glanced at Reyna curiously. There seemed to be some secret that she wasn't in on. Her friend, on the other hand, nodded in agreement. "Alright, enjoy your afternoon then. I'm clocking off."

It felt bad, knowing that Reyna saw hanging out with her as a job. Well, it was a job. But it still didn't sit well with her. She clambered into the front of the Jeep. "So where are we going? And why are you in such a good mood?"

Nico pulled out of the parking spot, glancing left and right as he inched forwards to the school gate. "I went to see the family doctor today. Got some blood tests and stuff. Apparently, I'm not dying, as we all thought."

"I never thought you were dying!" Hazel laughed with a headshake, "Did you think he was dying, Frank?"

The bodyguard jerked out of his daydream guilty, "Of course not! So, the doctor didn't find anything wrong with you?"

Nico nodded, "Nothing out of the ordinary. Possibly over stressed. Could have something to do with nearly getting murdered twice in a week." He laughed suddenly, and Hazel wondering if he should have seen a psychiatrist instead.

After last night, they had grown closer. Hazel thought that Nico deserved credit for saving her life, and for being genuinely regretful and guilty that nothing had been done to alleviate their poverty. But she didn't blame him, or their father.

In fact, assuming the phrase 'like father, like son' was true, there must have been something commendable in their father also. Perhaps some sort of kindness concealed beneath a cold and calculating businessman exterior. She wanted to know more about Hades, but a hunch told her that asking Nico would end badly. Her brother was oddly detached from their father, he hadn't even been severely affected by his death as far as she could tell.

Hades seemed one-dimensional in Nico's mind, and as much as he craved attention from his father, he also resented and feared it. Over the years, this mental tug-of-war had left him swinging between unsurmountable egotism and unpredictable mood swings, evident in their brief few days of interaction. Hazel couldn't help but look at him and wonder if she should be thankful that she never got involved in this side of her parentage.

She changed the topic as the car surged forwards onto the main street. The seatbelt bit into her collarbone. The engine purred beneath them. "Where are we going? I'm not getting kidnapped, am I?"

Nico grinned, "Of course not. Since we had such a great time yesterday, I thought it was my turn to invite you to dinner. Though, we have to pick up some stuff first."

-o-

These kinds of shops were the ones that she would have avoided in her old life, with her old identity. It wasn't Gucci or Prada, in fact, it wasn't even on the same street as them. Nico had driven right past some of the most expensive luxury brands in the world without a second glance. They had parked near Broome St and walked through a maze of laneways that she wouldn't have braved alone.

When they came to the door, she had looked up at the sign that said 'Loop', with the two O's replaced by an infinity sign, and thought they had come to the wrong place and ended up at some tacky nightclub. But Nico opened the door after a moment of hesitance and she reluctantly followed.

To her surprise, it was a small shop. A small clothing shop.

These small boutiques where there were only three customers at any given time made her feel inferior. If she ever walked through the door of one of these places, immediately she'd be flagged by the shop assistants. They would always be polite- their pay checks depended on it, but their eyes mocked her.

You don't belong, they seemed to be saying, I would like to see you try to afford something here. Now that she was able to afford things here, and her brother and their bodyguard were literally right there to back her up, she felt bold and almost vengeful.

She wanted to do something rash. She wanted to show off to those stuck up assistants- buy up half the shop or something. But then she checked herself. This wasn't who she was, and if her mother was here she would be ashamed. She decided that this was a good way to maintain her integrity. If my mother would smack me over the head for it, then I shouldn't do it.

Not to mention, she wasn't sure how to go about buying up half the store anyways.

Frank had stationed himself behind her and was silent. His eyes were covered by shades. Nico stopped casually flicking at a lacy lavender dress as a store attendant approached them. She puckered her lips at them and smiled at Nico in particular. Her smile felt a bit forced when it came to her, but it was still considered in the friendly category.

"Good afternoon, sir. Madam. Are we looking at anything in particular today?"

Nico glanced around the store and shrugged. "This is my sister. She's visiting, and quite unfamiliar with your store. It was be fantastic if you could pick out a few sets of clothes suitable for a dinner."

Hazel thought that the store person was going to query him further. But perhaps she had a way of smelling out rich people. She simple smiled and nodded. Nico held out a credit card and waved away Hazel's protests. "It's on me. And if you can get the job done in the next hour, I'll double my tip."

The assistant took the card eagerly. Her smile, when she turned to Hazel, was now warm and friendly. "Of course. Consider it done. Madam? If you would follow me?"

She was whisked away into the back, where they apparently kept all the 'good' items. Another assistant had joined them, determined to give her a semi-makeover in the length of one hour to score that delicious tip.

Now that she was a treasured customer, the assistants took turns propping up articles of clothing under her chin and muttering both to her and themselves. "You'd look wonderful in this skirt!" "Oh, the bottom looks better gathered for her, don't you think, Martha?" "You have such a fine neck, we must complement it with a scarf. This is the finest of Chinese silk."

She felt like she was a doll in the process of being played with. They put a few articles aside for her to try on, and when she looked at them nervously as she unbuttoned her school shirt, they just tutted and left her alone. She put on what they'd found her, a dark blue blouse with flared sleeves, and a black pencil skirt. A small silver arrow necklace completed the look.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Even with the quick makeup that they'd done as they bustled around her, she could barely recognise herself. She looked amazing. The clothes fitted her perfectly. She didn't know how they had done it, but they certainly deserved that tip.

A knock. "Can I come in?" Frank's voice called out, "Nico told me to check on how they were going?"

She quickly stepped into the heels that they'd left on the ground next to her. Perfect fit, once again. "Ah, yeah! Come in!"

Frank opened the door and shuffled in cautiously, looking confused and nervous around the trolleys of women's clothing in the store. It must have been hard to navigate through here if you had the stature of a small bear. "Wow, this place is a bit packed…" He muttered as his tie caught on a clothes rack. He glanced up at her with a sheepish grin and then started in surprise. "Wow, um. You look so much better! I mean, you normally look good. You look even better now! But I like you before. Not like like, but just as a person." His face was flushed, "I think I'll just stop talking now."

Frank looked cute standing there, his tie still suspended in mid-air by the shelf. Hazel giggled, and then caught herself. Since when did she giggle? She coughed awkwardly to fill the sudden silence. "Don't worry, Frank. I get what you mean- thanks."

Frank jerked his tie from the hook and scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry, I just get tongue tied around girls. Especially pretty girls." He glanced around quickly, "Don't tell your brother I said that, he'll get overprotective."

Hazel smiled at him, "I'm sure he'll let it go. What's so bad about dating a security guard? At least I'll be safe, right?"

Frank grinned sheepishly, "Yeah. Now that I think about it, I'm sure he'll be fine with it. Especially since-" He snapped his mouth shut. "Forget I said anything. Let's go back."

Hazel felt there were too many secrets in this family, "What were you going to say?" Seeing that Frank wasn't meeting her eyes, she huffed and stalked past him. "Fine. Keep your secrets then."

"It's just not my secret to tell. I mean, there's no secret. What are you talking about?" Frank said behind her, they re-entered the store front. "Wait, Hazel! What's that on your neck?"

Nico was there, hands tucked into his pockets. He glanced up from his shiny oxfords at their words, "What's wrong with her neck?" He scrutinised her.

"There's nothing wrong with my neck, Frank was just- Nico, are you alright?"

Her brother's face had turned ashen, and he stood rock still as through he had suddenly been turned into marble. Hazel reached out to touch his arm, but he stepped back as though her touch would burn. He had been staring intently at her neck before, but now he dropped his gaze and didn't meet her eyes. "Sorry, I'm fine. I just- You look nice. Um, I'll wait in the car."

Frank stepped up next to him, "Sorry, Nico. I didn't realise. I should have noticed."

"What's going on?" She blurted out. "What's wrong with you guys?"

Nico looked her way cautiously. He reached a hand out slowly, and for a moment she thought he was going to grab her in madness. But he only gently pinched her necklace between thumb and forefinger. There was a strange expression on his face when he scrutinised it, as if he was somewhere else, in another time.

"You look amazing," he smiled at her carefully, "I like the necklace. You look good with it. We'll grab whatever else they recommended too."

The way he said 'it' made her suspicious. She didn't know how to put her confusion into words.

Her brother nodded and turned around to leave. Frank went to follow, but Hazel caught his elbow. "What about paying? And tipping?"

Frank laughed, "Don't worry about that. If Nico didn't pay them a tip, we wouldn't be allowed to leave."

But she wasn't done yet. "What was that about? Why do I always feel there are things around here that are being kept from me? That I don't know about?"

Frank pushed open the door for her, "Give him time. You know people- they're complicated. There are some doors that shouldn't be forced open."

-o-

"I don't know how to start."

Nico paused in the middle of snapping a craw off the aggressively shelled crab that he had just dragged onto his plate. "You just do the claws and then the shell."

But when she still had the confused look on her face, her brother sighed and snapped off the crab leg before handing it to her. Apparently, this restaurant was known for its seafood selection. That meant lobsters, crabs and fish so big that Hazel thought if it opened its mouth wide enough, she could be engulfed by it.

The moment that they sat down in a darkened table near the back, a waiter in a blue and white checked shirt had come over. He handed them a menu and in a respectful tone advertised their speciality. "What would we like to start with, Sir? Madam?"

Hazel thought it was strange that rich people ate dinner in so many courses. What was she even supposed to say? Were they asking for her to pick an entrée? Nico thought for a moment, "Godfather?"

"Is bourbon alright?"

Nico nodded in response. Hazel was stunned, she understood that it was some sort of drink order. What strange ways these people talked! But then she realised the waiter was looking at her now. "Um, lemonade?"

The waiter didn't even hesitate. "Of course. And may I direct Madam to our prime caviar selection, we have the black pearl Siberian oscietra or ars italica Russian oscietra. All served with crème fraiche, chives and blinis."

"Um…" What was a 'blinis'?

And so, they ended up getting two seafood platters. Which were amazing, Hazel had to admit, as she relished the smooth crab meat she currently had in her mouth. She hoped her sounds of enthusiastic approval weren't disturbing any of the other patrons. She took a sip of her lemonade and was surprised when it wasn't the sugary kind that she was used to. "Wow, what is this? Nico? Hello? Earth to Nico?"

Nico flinched as he snapped back to the real world. "Huh, what? Yes."

"I asked you an open-ended question." She noticed that his gaze was on her necklace again, she pinched it between her fingers. "Alright. What's the story with this? Dude, you need to stop staring at my chest. People will think it's indecent."

Her brother frowned, "That's a strange thought. That necklace… my sister had one. She used to wear it all the time, she said it gave her good luck. She bought it at that store too. Time goes by so quickly and I had forgotten about it, but when I saw you wearing it, I was just surprised… for a moment."

She watched his hands fidget nervously and observed the crab juice running down the side of his left hand before dripping on to the table. She thought his reaction at the store was more terror than surprise, but she didn't press him any further. As Frank had noted, some doors shouldn't be forced open.

"And you took me shopping at a store that Bianca used to go to?"

Nico gave an embarrassed shrugged, "s' not like I know any other mediocre women's clothing stores. And I couldn't google it, because I don't carry an electronic device with which to access the internet."

"Why don't you have a mobile phone? You're certainly rich enough to afford one." It seemed unimaginable that someone as wealthy as Nico didn't carry a mobile on his person.

Nico shook his head, "They're all traceable. I use voice calls on phones and then discard them after a while, but only in safe locations. Outside is not a safe location. It's just the price of being who I am." He chuckled, "Anyways, anyone who needs to reach me goes through our family's army of secretaries."

"And you trust them with your private business?"

Her brother looked at her, with a scrutinising glance that conveyed a tingle of suspicion. It seemed that he was read some meaning out of that phrase which she had no intended. Perhaps he was just curious about her sudden interesting in his life. Then he relaxed and laughed. "What private business could I have? The media knows more about my life than I do, and there's always Melinoe to remind me if I miss anything."

"Who's her?" The name sounded feminine.

Nico tapped his fingers on the velvety tablecloth as he was playing piano, "Our father's head secretary. Now mine. That woman knows everything there is to know about our family and our businesses."

"Sounds like a remarkable woman."

"Actually, she's a nasty piece of work. She's only loyal to whoever that can give her the best deal, or the most benefits. But that suits us, because we always can trump her other offers. She's devoted to our family as long as it benefits her."

"That's the type of person we employ?"

Her brother shrugged. He sighed, "Eat your food. I'm hungry, but I can't start eating until you've emptied your plate and I can put more opened crabs there for you."

"You're always hungry, just be patient." Hazel looked around at the dimly lit restaurant. Little Manhattan, it was called. The name seemed ironic. Manhattan wasn't small, but it certainly made you feel small. All the buildings imposing their shadows on you, and the eternal rush of traffic that stopped for no one. Even the Queen would feel small if she was here, standing like a nobody in the middle of Broadway, clutching her handbag in both hands.

"Does Melinoe know about our father's criminal activities?"

"Can you speak slightly louder please? I think the table on the other side of the room didn't hear you that clearly." Nico deadpanned, wiping his hands on a napkin. An opened crab was in her plate now, steam rising from the juicy white meat.

"…" Hazel still felt like slapping him. She gave him a firm glare that said I don't appreciate that.

Nico winced, whether from emotional or physical pain, she didn't know. He gripped the table, closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"What are you doing?"

"Breathing slowly, just like the doctor ordered." Nico relaxed cautiously after a few more breathes. "It's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine. What was the question?"

"Who else knows about our father's activities?"

"Everyone, apparently." Nico's brow creased, "It seems that like most of the household staff know about all the shenanigans that our father was up to. But not me, his son. I was away at school most of the time, across the ocean in Europe, fed with some blown up lie that if I could make him proud then everything would be alright."

She thought that it was ironic that she had so often wished that her mother had more time for her, or at least placed her a bit higher on the priority list and thought that all their troubles could be resolved if they had just been rich. And here was Nico, born into a family richer than she could have ever imagined, yet still facing the same feeling of abandonment that she had to endure.

Their father, who was the king of the New York underworld and owner of a real estate empire, had played an equally large role in messing up both their lives. She wanted to laugh. Laugh bitterly, that was.

"Target has good clothing, you know?" Hazel couldn't help but blurt out.

Nico's eyebrows lifted in confusion, "Target, the department store?" No doubt he thought she was going crazy.

"Yes, it sells alright clothing. You may not believe me, but… it does."

Her brother opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. He glanced at her hesitantly. "Why don't you show me sometime?"

-o-

AN: And that's it for now, folks! I've dropped some interesting information in this seemingly boring chapter, perhaps. I hope you enjoyed. Leave me a fav and a review if you've got a few seconds!

Cheers, H.