lizzi: I guess good things can come from study hall. But I got rid of mine, yay! Yes, they be back together. Hopefully they stay that way.

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Miette in the Rain: Actually, I'm glad I didn't stop at the knock too. I could have been sneaky, but that would have been mean.

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Lucy: You're welcome, I'm glad I made your day. Yeah, I'm glad too. My poll is working now, so you can vote if you haven't already. Most people agree with you.

zcrewman: My poll is working so you can vote now. I think everyone wants me to have Nico hurt Luke, but I'm not sure yet...

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Tenebrae Erebus: I'm glad you like my stories. Please don't faint, it would cause unwanted medical bills for your family. I'll try to tone down my awesomeness. Sorry about the poll, but I love the way you phrased your response. By the way, I love your name.

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riot chicks: I think that's the best idea I've heard. Should Nico hurt him?

xXxZuesMasterBoldxXx: I'm sorry you didn't like Thalia getting raped, but it's a very important part of the story. Thank you!

17 reviews! More than any other chapter!

I don't own Percy Jackson.

Chapter 10 – A Demon's Fate

watch?v=x6vK9kMwEkc&feature=fvst

They drove for an hour, until 5:30 when Thalia told him, "I don't want to go home."

He nodded without responding and turned into the parking lot of a 24 hour Dunkin' Donuts.

They got coffee and donuts and ate in silence. Finally Nico said, "Thalia."

She looked up at him. "I didn't cheat on you. I never wanted to kiss Rachel."

Thalia looked back down at her donut and nodded. "I know."

Nico began to speak again, and Thalia looked up and said, "Drop it, Nico."

Something about the way she said it made him stop.

He stood up. "I'll be right back, he mumbled as he walked towards the bathroom.

In the bathroom, he put his back against the wall and slid down it, and rested his hands on his knees. He wanted to hit something, but he didn't want Thalia to hear. The mirror above the sinks would shatter if h punched it, shatter into falling silver shards. Some of the shards would be big, and they would look like covered in blood, silver drenched in ruby red. Luke's blood.

Nico clenched his fists. Luke's name made him sick. He'd never met Luke, and now the one thing he wanted was to meet him. The skin him alive, gouge out his eyes, and then burn what was left of his pathetic existence.

Angry tears began to stream down Nico's face, and he hit his knees with his clenched fists. That…that thing had just raped Thalia like she was worthless. And Nico hadn't been there to stop him. He hadn't been able to protect the person who mattered most to him.

It didn't feel like he sat there for very long, but when his phone rang, the clock told him he'd been there for half an hour.

His phone was playing Basket Case by Green Day, and he almost didn't answer it. He didn't want to talk to Bianca.

But he knew he would never hear the end of it if he didn't answer, so he dug the phone out of his pocket and pressed call.

"Hello?" he said.

"Nico di Angelo, where the hell are you?" Bianca whisper-yelled.

Nico winced, even though her voice wasn't very loud. "Dunkin' Donuts."

"What the hell are you doing in Dunkin' Donuts at 6 o'clock in the morning?"

"Uh…" Nico looked around. "Sitting on the bathroom floor."

Bianca was silent for a moment, and Nico could imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose. "You're sitting on the bathroom floor. At Dunkin' Donuts. At 6 o'clock in the morning."

"Yup," Nico said, nodding even though she couldn't see.

Bianca sighed. "Why?"

Nico paused. He wasn't sure how to tell Bianca that he'd left the house without telling anyone at 2:30 in the morning to drive two hours to pick up a girl who Bianca didn't approve of. "I went to get Thalia," his mouth said without consulting his brain.

"What?"

"I went to pick up Thalia," he repeated.

Bianca was silent again. "You found her?"

"She called me."

Silence. "Good."

Nico couldn't think of anything to say. Luckily Bianca saved him the trouble of having to respond.

"You have to come home. Dad and Persephone will be worried if they wake up and you're not here."

Nico clenched his teeth at the sound of his stepmother's name, and debated not coming home simply to make Persephone and his father mad. But he shook off the thought. He had to bring Thalia back.

"Thalia's staying with us," he said. He hung up the phone without waiting for Bianca's reply.

Nico sat on the bathroom floor for a few more seconds before standing up, brushing off his jeans, and going back out to rejoin Thalia. She looked up at him when he sat down, but didn't say anything.

His coffee had gone cold, and he'd lost his appetite for the half-eaten donut in front of him. Thalia had finished her coffee and donut and was staring at the table in front of her.

"Come on," he said, standing up and walking to the door. He heard her follow him.

They drove in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Then Nico said, "I'm sorry."

Thalia didn't answer him or even look at him.

"I know you hate it when people say that, but I have to. I'm sorry I didn't chase after you after you saw me with Rachel, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you when…"

"I know," Thalia interrupted him. "I'm sorry too."

He looked at her, surprised. "I'm sorry I ever thought you would cheat on me. And I'm sorry I didn't pick up when you called."

Nico reached over and took her hand. He almost expected her to pull away, but she didn't.

When they got home at 8:30 in the morning, he led her by the hand past Hades and Persephone who were standing in the kitchen drinking their coffee and up to his bedroom without saying a word.

I'm sorry this is such a short chapter and I'm sorry it was late, I had writers block and a ton of homework. Homecoming was last Saturday, it really wasn't very much fun. Thank you to everyone who reviewed. By the way, people have been saying that they didn't like the chapter where Thalia got raped. It might be because I didn't write it well or something like that (I have zero experience) but if it's because you didn't like the idea of her getting raped, then be warned: this story is very dark. That's all I'm going to say.

I hope to update as soon as possible, but we all know how that tends to work out. I'll try, but don't hold your breath.