a/n: Okay, just a warning in advance, but i have my major end of high school exams up so it's gonna be difficult finding the time to write these stories. I have three going on here and another on another website. I know it probably wont make much of a different because it's been a year since this was posted and it still has barely any chapters... but ya know!

anywayy... enjoy!xx

-James POV-

Carlos had always had a serious attitude problem, and that was evident from the day I met him. We'd arrived here together after meeting at a train station and spending a good week battling our way across the USA with injuries we'd forgotten we'd had. We'd stuck like glue ever since. Almost getting killed does that to people...

We'd met Logan not long after that when me and Carlos finally got out of the infirmary, and we'd taken to the hot headed blonde when he'd arrived a few weeks later with a broken ankle.

We were a mixed group too, but we'd all learnt to deal with each other. Me and Kendall didn't know who our god or goddess parent was so no one was really sure how we were supposed to act... But Carlos was another story.

You could almost see the fire burning in his eyes when he got pissed off. You didn't want to get on the wrong side of him or you could end up plummeting down to the underworld... In extreme cases. I'd seen him do it to some demon monster thing before when it slashed him, leaving a scar he was still pissed about. It was down one side of his face spreading from his eyebrow to just below his cheekbones.

All of this was the exact reason why I stopped Percy from following Carlos.

"Percy... Leave it... I'll go" I insisted, standing up too. Percy fell back into his seat slowly

"But-"

"I know how to calm him down, it'll be fine, trust me" He hesitated, but finally he nodded.

"Tell him I'm sorry?" He asked. I nodded with a small smile, before sliding out from in front of my chair and following Carlos.

"But... Nico! What's he ever done that I haven't?" I heard Carlos say through the door to his cabin. Faintly, I could hear a voice reply.

"Carlos, I've told you. When the time is right you can come down here too. You're much more powerful than Nico, and you know how to get here to visit anytime. Nico is still struggling so he stays here a lot longer"

"But dad..." Dad?

"AND you have James, and that Kendall is pretty hot headed too. Do you ever wonder if maybe he's your brother? Just a thought. Even if he's not, you both have a lot in common. And Logan, isn't he worth staying for?"

Hades. I knew that voice from the last time, I could recognise it anywhere.

I knocked lightly on Carlos' door, hoping he would hear. When the door opened the sink obviously had no iris message. What was I expecting? Him to leave it open? Carlos' eyes looks bloodshot and red... He'd been crying.

"Are you..."

"Okay? Oh yeah, I'm great, just peachy!"

"Carlos.."

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough..." Carlos lowered his eyes to look at the floor. "Why are you desperate to go down there Carlos?"

"I don't know... I'm not desperate... I just don't want that snot nosed kid taking my place" His voice turned to a bit of a snarl again.

"No-one could take your place Carlos, you're not easy to forget!" I said with a slight smile. He looked up with a bit of a smirk, showing a hint of the hyper, smiley ball of energy he usually was.

"I guess… Do you… Do you mind…? I just want some time alone…" Carlos stammered slightly. I smiled at him sympathetically and nodded.

"I don't mind, I just wanted to make sure you were okay" He smiled back as I turned to leave. Before he could fully close the door I turned back.

"Your dad was right Carlos. You do have us. We're like brothers, and we always have been. Even if you can't trust Logan and Kendall, you know you can trust me" He looked to the floor and nodded. I nodded too before turning and walking away. He needed time. I had to respect that.