AN: Over 50 reviews! Thanks, guys! My real life is exhausting; being a Science major is hard work! (Apparently, my university has a reputation for working students very hard, I should have expected it!) I haven't written anything in at least a month, so when I've finished all the chapters of Elephants and Strings of Fate...there might not be any more for a while...On the other hand, winter break commences in about a month and a half...so we'll see...

It was Sunday.

Two days since...since it happened.

Hazel was feeling much better, and she was going to be discharged on Wednesday, maybe Tuesday if she was lucky.

Frank and Nico were decidedly worse for the wear, mostly because they had essentially not left the hospital, apart from going home briefly for a shower and a change of clothes on Saturday, since Hazel's admission.

(Though, Frank was glad he left her side for that period of time. He was starting to smell rather bad, and he'd also managed to catch a phone call from his mother, and talking to her definitely helped with everything that had happened. He would be okay. He would be more than okay.)

Currently, Frank, Nico and Hazel sat in her room.

Their friends had left, as visiting hours were over, but the flowers, chocolates and stuffed panda bear (a gift from Leo- Frank was sure he was making fun of him, but Hazel absolutely loved it) beside her bed served as a reminder of their presence.

Frank and Nico were currently playing Mythomagic on the large tray/table that Hazel had eaten her lunch on.

(Or at least tried to; she was still nauseous.)

Suddenly, they heard raised voices in the corridor.

'...I shouldn't allow you to see her, gods know why you're here now, and only now! You know, her brother and her soulmate have been with her the whole time; they've barely left her side, and you're only here now! I shouldn't let you!'

That was Demeter, the rather formidable nurse who was in charge of Hazel's care.

'I'm her father.'

Nico and Hazel exchanged a glance, full of too many emotions for Frank to comprehend. Biting his lip, he reached out and took Hazel's hand, squeezing it gently.

A man in a dark suit entered. He had dark eyes, and dark hair and very pale skin.

'Father.'

Hazel bobbed her head in acknowledgement. Nico ignored him.

Frank started to stand to leave, but Hazel squeezed his hand.

'Stay, please.'

He did.

Hazel's father glanced at him, and Frank felt a shiver go down his spine. He desperately wanted to shrink, or become invisible. He felt his cheeks grow warm.

Hazel's father turned away, dismissing Frank as a matter of importance for the moment.

'I see you are recovering nicely, Hazel.'

She nodded slowly.

'No thanks to you.'

Nico's voice was full of venom.

He moved to leave, but Hazel reached out and grabbed his arm with her free hand.

She looked imploringly at him.

'Please, Nico, hear him out.'

Frank glanced at Hades, wondering how he would react to being spoken about as if he were not present, shut out and ignored.

He looked like he expected it.

The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

Suddenly, he looked more like Nico had when he'd joined their friend group (and still did sometimes)- like he felt utterly out of place, and utterly undeserving of being in their presence, unsure of how to act or what to do.

'I know, Nico.'

His voice sounded unbearably guilty.

Frank felt Hazel relax, her demeanour softening.

Nico crossed his arms.

'Where were you?' He stepped closer to his father. 'Where were you when Hazel was unconscious on this very bed?' His voice cracked. 'Where were you when death threats were being made against her? Where were you her entire life?' Nico's voice grew angrier and angrier, and more and more pain-filled as he spoke. 'Where were you when Bianca...when Bianca passed? Where were you when Mom...when Mom was sick? Where were you when she passed? Where were you?'

Hades had no response. He looked as if he'd been slapped, repeatedly.

Nico continued, poison and bitterness in his voice.

'You've never been here for either of us. You've never been here for anyone in your life, anyone who should be important to you.' He shook his head. 'No, you've only been there every now and then to criticise, to praise every now and then.' He raised his chin defiantly. 'Well, I'm sorry your favourite child is dead, but you don't have to suffer your disappointment of a son any longer. From this day onwards, I refuse to consider you my father.'

Nico made for the door. Hazel did not try to stop him, though tears pooled in her eyes. Frank squeezed her hand, and placed his other hand on her arm.

Hades grabbed his son's wrist. Nico visibly flinched at the contact.

'Nico, please.' The boy paused. 'I know I have been a terrible father. I know I have made many mistakes. I have been absent and distant and am not worthy to be your father.' He took a deep breath. 'But...those I care about, those close to me, are rarely happy. I want you, you and Hazel, to be exceptions.'

Hades looked his son in the eye, then his daughter.

'Please, let me talk to you. Let us talk, really, really talk. I have much to explain.'

Hazel and Nico exchanged a glance.

Hazel nodded, wiping away her tears.

'Okay. Let's talk.'

Nico, still scowling, sat down.

'This is your last chance. I'm not as forgiving as Hazel.' He seemed to be biting back a not that you would know.

Frank took that as a cue to leave. He felt this conversation was one that the di Angelo/Levesque family had to have on their own. With a quick glance at Hazel for confirmation, and a hopefully comforting squeeze of her hand, he left.

'Frank, should I go to Italy with my father for a month at the start of summer?'

Frank nearly choked on the brownie he was eating.

Hazel, who was arranging the rest of the brownies they'd baked on the plate, eyed him worriedly.

He swallowed, and gave her a thumbs up to indicate he was alright.

Over the last month since her discharge from hospital, Hazel's relationship with her father had improved dramatically. Even Nico's relationship with their father had improved significantly.

(The conversation in Hazel's hospital room had really helped. Hazel told him that her father had apologized for many of the bad decisions he had made. Especially importantly to her, he had apologized for rendering her mother bitter and resentful, though he had gently explained that he could not apologize for choosing to return to Nico, Bianca and Maria. Hazel did not hold that against him anyway. He had tried to explain how he had felt, and why he had distanced himself from them. Apparently, he and Nico were more alike than they cared to admit, with both of them refusing to form close relationships as they felt they did not deserve friendship or love.)

But it was definitely nowhere near ideal-advertising-family good.

And it really wasn't good enough to go travelling to a foreign country for a month. While Hazel and her father could likely be civil to one another for the whole trip, at the very least, Hades and Nico were a whole other story.

Frank took another brownie, broke it in half, and handed half to Hazel.

He chose his words carefully.

'Well, on one hand, travel can be a bonding experience and can bring people closer together. Italy was your father's and Nico's mother's home country, right?'

Hazel nodded.

'So maybe that will bring Nico and your father closer together. However, on the other hand, well...do you and Nico really want to be stuck with him for a month? Do you want to be stuck with Nico and your father together for a month?'

Hazel smiled wryly. There were bound to be many arguments when those two were stuck in close quarters.

'I know.' She sighed. 'Maybe I'm being naive, but I really want to go and have a big family vacation, a big trip with just the three of us all together. I think it might help, and he's making such an effort, and I feel like maybe he really has changed, or at least changed his mind.' She sighed again, and Frank covered her hands with one of his own. 'But I'm worried, what if it all blows up in our faces? What if we go and find out that he hasn't really changed? And Nico doesn't really want to go. I mean, he's always wanted to go to Italy...just not with our father. But he's said he's in if I'm in.' She smiled. 'He's an incredible brother.'

Frank nodded, remembering the hours he and Nico had spent by Hazel's bedside.

'Yes, he is.'

'But I don't want him to go just because of me. If we're going to go, he should want to go too!'

Frank rubbed the back of his head.

This was a tricky one.

He was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts, unconsciously running his thumb over Hazel's hand.

'I think you should take the risk. It does appear that your father has changed; perhaps he has not, though you can't be sure yet. It does appear that he and Nico can be civil towards one another, though you won't know how long they can do that or whether they will get any closer until that is tested. It is foolish to take a risk blindly, but equally foolish to not take a calculated risk.'

Hazel nodded, a small smile growing on her face.

'There is no reward without risk. Was that Sun Tzu, by the way?'

Frank blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

'Umm, no...that was Frank Zhang actually.'

She smiled up at him and kissed him on the cheek.

'Very wise.'

He grinned, cheeks still pink.

'Did it help?'

She nodded.

'I'll discuss it with Nico, but I think even he will agree.' She grinned. 'You know, deep down, he wants that perfect fairytale ending too, even if he insists that it's stupid and unrealistic and overrated.'

A year ago, Frank would have disagreed.

But now, having seen a whole new side of Nico di Angelo, he was inclined to agree.

'You know, I've heard they have really good gelato in Italy. You'll have to try some for me.'

Hazel laughed.

'Is ice-cream all you think about?'

He smiled and kissed her on the nose.

'You know it's not.'