Thanks for the Reviews!

Here's another chapter, I'll try to get the next one up ASAP because I have my final exams soon and I won't be up dating for about two months or something.

Thanks! Xx Enjoy…

THALIA

I made it all the way to the parking lot before I realised he wasn't going to come after me and that shattered me. I thought he was different, I thought he was the type who wouldn't quit on you. But I guess deep down he was still a rich bastard who runs away when any big responsibility came that he couldn't take care of with his money.

It was a good thing I had the rest of the month off to finish studying for my finals in the last week of March. I didn't think I could handle seeing him and knowing that when I told him that his child was growing inside me he just froze and did not possess the decency to say anything.

But who was I going to talk to, who was going to help me through this? Annabeth came to mind. She had mothered two children at a ridiculously young age, had finished university and was now very successful.

But could I do that all on my own, what would happen to Jason? He was too young to give up his childhood helping his slutty sister take care of the illegitimate child of her boss.

She bit back a sob as she thought of the mess her life would be reduced to in the coming weeks. She knew she had to be strong, for Jason, for herself and most of all for her unborn baby.

NICO

I stood there in shock as I watched her run away. Something in my brain told me I should probably run after her but my body was still in shock. I could not move.

I finally remembered how to walk when I felt my phone vibrate; I got it out and probably sounded like a zombie as I answered it. It was my new temporary assistant Roberto, "Hello sir, I'm in your car waiting for you. The coach has already gone off toward the airstrip"

"Oh right, I'll be on my way down." I answered as I made my way downstairs.

I was relieved to see I wasn't the one driving because I was pretty sure I was too distracted to do anything but think about the news. I wanted a family, definitely, but this was a huge shock. I would most definitely be supporting Thalia throughout this entire thing because I was part to blame for this.

I spent all the time thinking of what it would be like to be a father, I was so involved in my thoughts that I almost didn't notice when we were on the plane and subsequently when I fell asleep until we landed in Milan seven hours later.

I was shaken to my feet by Roberto who grinned and said, "Welcome home sir, the car is waiting for you."

I smiled slightly at him. He was a good kid from a less well to do background who I employed part time because his mother was very ill and he needed the money. He was in his last year of high school trying to get into Yale on a full scholarship.

"Thank You Roberto."

I wasn't allowed to go to my house, we were taken right to the venue of the event and I had to personally oversee the handing of the jewellery and bejewelled pieces to all the designers. The last person I had to hand the designs too was Silena. I walked over to her stall mentally exhausted already.

"Silena" I smiled as I greeted her.

"Nico!" she ran and gave me a hug and then she started searching for someone, "Where's Thalia?"

My smile faded, "She has exams soon so we both thought it was better that she didn't come for this particular show."

Silena caught my expression change, "What happened Nico and don't you dare try and lie to me." she asked with genuine concern.

I had known Silena for a very long time and so had Thalia. I knew she was one of the most trustworthy people I would ever meet and I had to tell someone before I imploded. "Promise me you will not tell anybody." I whispered to her.

She nodded, "I think Thalia might be pregnant." She gasped in shock.

"And you're sure it's yours?" I nodded, "Thalia doesn't strike me like the type to be sleeping around so I'm ninety nine point nine percent sure it is my child."

"Oh Nico, apart from looking completely unprofessional I don't see the problem. I mean it's not as if everyone knows you guys have been sleeping together?"

"Yeah I know, if you look at it that way, it's absolutely fine. But think about Thalia, what is going to happen to her. Let's not even mention the fact that she's mad at me right now-"

"Wait, why is she mad?"

"Um, well she told me she was pregnant and I sort of froze. By the time I unfroze I had to get on a plane here and I sort of haven't called her." My voice kept getting lower.

"You what?!" Silena screeched. She brought a phone out of thin air and I wasn't sure I wanted to know where it came from.

"Call, NOW!" she shouted, drawing looks from nearby.

I called Thalia's number and she picked up after the second ring, "Hey Silena," her voice sounded wary and tired.

"Hey Thalia it's me"

"Oh, what do you want? To tell me I'm fired?"

"No why would I fire you? I jus-"

"Because I was inappropriate and careless but I'm guessing you're calling to tell me you can't take responsibility for this child or I should probably abort it because it has the potential to ruin your life well you can piss off" She finished her rant and dropped the phone.

Silena looked at me, "Well, what did she say?"

"She thought I wanted to fire her and then she thought I wanted to tell her to abort the baby and then she dropped the phone one me."

Before Silena could say anything, one of the main coordinators called all the designers up to start the run through. The show was tomorrow evening and they had to run through it at least twice to make sure everything was perfect.

My job now was to stand here with my jewellers and make sure that any problems with the jewellery pieces were fixed to perfection. For obvious reasons, I was distracted but I was in luck, none of the pieces developed any problems so my mind was free to speculate or roam as it pleased.

What was going to happen now, would I have to marry Thalia? I knew my father was going to be absolutely livid, with good reason. He had warned me many times to never get involved with my secretaries at work and up until Thalia came round, I had never experienced even a slight hiccup while following that rule. Now in one try, I had not only broken the rule but also done the next worst thing, provided evidence of it.

The scandalous stories were what my father would hate the most. A thought occurred to me, if she was discovered as Zeus's first child and the prime heir to his massive fortune, it wouldn't be so bad. It was a very well-known fact that the two men, along with Poseidon, were practically brothers. All in university together, they had made their own routes to power and money. Pluto's had been a lot more to do with his inheritances than with pure luck like Poseidon's, but all the same they were now all immensely wealthy. It was not unusual that the children of two very wealthy families were joined to form an even more powerful coalition but why would one start off as a secretary to the other?

My head was so wrapped up in these speculations that I almost didn't notice when the rehearsal was over. Roberto tapped my shoulder and brought me back to the present day, "Sir, your car is ready to take you home."

"Oh, yes Thank you Roberto."

I walked out into the crisp evening air and got into the car. Roberto slid into the front seat and the driver started the engine. It was not unusual that my assistants would stay in a guest room in my house but at this moment I realised I missed Thalia's presence.

As soon as we arrived at my house, my father beckoned me over. "Father," I greeted him with a quick hug, "What is the problem."

"It has been confirmed again. She is Zeus's first daughter and her brother, is his son."

I nodded, "We already knew this, what else is new?"

"Well, her mother was a drunk and she is not a gold digger as far as her records have shown. She has had previous boyfriends but none of extraordinarily high status."

"Father, I am a hundred percent sure she is not a gold digger, as I told you before." Nico rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I know that but I wanted to be sure." He took a seat on one of the lounge chairs. "So, how are we going to tell Zeus and the children?"

"I don't know. She's been independent for a long time and she and her brother have gotten very close now that they're used to each other, introducing another long lost family member is probably not going to be easy on her" I speculated.

My father nodded, "We must tell them soon though."

"I know, but she has some very important examinations soon and I would hate for this to distract her." The guild racked my body as soon as I realised that there was every possibility that she would be highly distracted by the news that she was pregnant.

I sat there incessantly worrying about the impact of my carelessness on her life that I didn't notice my father trying to talk to me, "Nicolas, are you listening?" he asked gently tapping my arm.

"What? Oh, sorry father I am just a little tired from the journey." He studied me momentarily but he didn't seem to notice my lie or if he did, he chose to ignore it.

"Alright Nico, I'll talk to you on the way to the rehearsal tomorrow, you're right, it has been a long day" he smiled, "Good night Nico."

"Good Night Father, see you tomorrow." I exited the living room and went straight to my room still pondering what would become of Thalia.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Thank You Ladies and Gentlemen for coming to what is one of the largest gatherings of fashion in the world! Now, a round of applause for our main designers and accessory providers!" The announcer shouted to the audience first in Italian and then in English.

There were only about forty of us in total and we were supposed to go in groups of ten. I walked onto the main stage and waved for a few seconds before I had to go back off again and that was it, another fashion week completed. It was late on Saturday evening and the after party was starting as soon as most people finished here and went to the venue.

I was shattered and my mind was just not in the party mood. My flight was taking off by seven tomorrow evening and there was nothing more I wanted to do than just sleep my day away.

My father was staying around a while longer to talk to some business clients but I had informed him I'd talk to him tomorrow before I left. I climbed into the limousine and continued thinking about Thalia. She had been on the forefront of my mind ever since she gave me the news. I called her numerous times but she never picked up her phone, she had exams soon and she shouldn't have to be bearing this burden on her own. I was trying to at least show her that I wasn't going to just leave her on her own; the child was half me after all.

Once I got home, mentally and physically drained, I went straight into my bed and collapsed into a deep sleep.

I didn't get up till 12 the next day and even then, I didn't go looking for breakfast till around 1 or thereabouts. My father was nowhere to be found, still probably catching up on sleep. I was just finishing the eggs and bacon with sausages the chef cooked for me when Silena walked in wearing her no nonsense face.

"Get up, now and let us go outside. We need to talk" she spoke calmly which was much worse than if she was screaming.

As soon as we made it to the patio she grilled me, "Have you spoken to her?"

"I tried but she is not picking up any of my calls." Silena exhaled then, "She isn't picking up mine either."

We sat in silence for a moment but then she asked the question I had been dreading since the beginning of the week, "What are you going to say to your father?"

As if to spite me, another voice came, "Say to me about what?" my head snapped up and there stood my father.

My first instinct was to lie but he knew me way to well for me to get away with that. Silena looked between us and stood up to leave she knew this wasn't something she should be here for. "Good Morning Sir," she said politely. They had met before and my father knew her mother so he smiled slightly, "Morning Silena how's Aphrodite and your sister, oh, and your fiancé, Beckendorf?"

"He is doing well sir, as are my mother and sister, thank you for asking. Anyway I must be on my way, have a nice day and Nico, bonne chance" She smiled at my father again before making her way out.

"Why, Nicolas, do you need good luck?"

I sighed; there was no going back now. "Father you might want to take a seat for this."

"No."

I winced, that was never a good sign, but I took a deep breath and just blurted it out.

"Thalia might be pregnant and I am hundred percent sure it is mine."