Nico

As I drove to my father's apartment that evening, I sat and remembered what had happened earlier this evening,…

I sat there holding her, soothing her, as she cried her eyes out for reasons I wasn't sure of. The moment I acknowledged my feelings for her I could literally feel my heart expanding.

She eventually stopped crying and looked at me, "I hope I didn't ruin your suit?"

"It's alright you didn't ruin my suit" I answered although I was sure that there had probably been some serious, but small, damage to this suit. I wiped some tear drops off her face, "Why the water works Thalia?"

"I have never seen my brother so happy, not ever. He wants to meet Zeus today this evening if possible and I just feel like he's looking for a way to get away from me because I'm not a good older sister." She confided in me.

"Thalia you're a 23 year old recently finished student who had to take care of a 15 year old sibling you didn't know you had for the past year. You've made sacrifices and have been willing to make sacrifices to make sure he got the best out of life, you're a wonderful sister and I am sure Jason knows that."

She nodded and seemed to realize the position we were in so she detached herself from me. "So what now?" she asked me.

"Well it depends on you really, do you want dinner at a restaurant or at his place or your place, say the word and I'll have it organised for you. You could even organise it yourself if you really wanted."

She stood up and walked towards the door, "Tell Zeus to suggest a place and give you the address. I prefer if we are meeting on more neutral territory." With that she left the room.

It didn't take long to organise the meeting. I spoke to Zeus directly and he suggested one of his favourite pizza places which was quite posh but a good choice nonetheless. Once I had told Thalia I decided now would be a good time to give her some space so that she and her brother could discuss whatever needed to be discussed.

I gave Piper a ride home and tried to avoid all her questions but asked her many about what she wanted to do with her life and her aims and dreams. She was a very interesting and talented girl and I could see why Jason liked her so much.

My father's cook brought out dinner as I sat with my father trying to watch television (though I wasn't really succeeding). My mind was constantly being occupied by thoughts of Thalia-be it her legs, her eyes, her laugh, her mannerisms –she had completely taken over my mind.

"Something on your mind Nico?" my father asked, concerned.

I didn't want to tell him yet, in fact the only person I did want to tell was Percy so I shook my head, "No father, just thinking about how crazy today has been." He let it go but he had always been able to read me too well for my own good so he knew I was lying.

I picked up my phone to send a message to Percy and he replied saying he'd meet me at our favourite bar in an hour. Once I was done with dinner, I excused myself to change into jeans and a polo shirt and then made my way over to the bar where Percy was.

X

I walked all the way to the edge of the bar where our usual booth was positioned and slid into it opposite Percy. "Dude, what's up?" he asked immediately.

I recounted the entire situation from where we left off and included Thalia's new rejection and my own recently developed feelings and plans for her birthday. "I don't really know what to do now Perce. We're going to Paris in a week and we're going to be spending large amounts of time together but she only wants to be friends."

Percy was quiet for a few moments. "You have to tell her how you feel dude. Now that she technically doesn't need to work for you since Zeus can support Jason, she has no obligation to stay at your company. Also, from what I've heard, she hates taking charity from you so if she knows how you feel, you can explain to her that it's you spoiling the woman you love on her birthday and now that she doesn't actually need anything from you it makes it more genuine. Whatever you do though, just tell her."

I nodded, "Her birthday falls during the time we're in Paris but after the fashion week and her brother's birthday is in four days. I already have my present for him but she would never have let me give it to him. My present for her depends on what she says after I tell her.

"The necklace?" he asked. I nodded, "The smaller more nondescript one. I don't want to scare her away by giving her the bigger one; I'll save that one for later." Percy seemed to approve of this plan, "Good luck man, you deserve it. I think she likes you too but after the pregnancy thing she was just scared and wanted to keep your relationship professional. Now things have changed, let's see how she changes. I can't believe Zeus is her dad though, now our twosome can become a threesome" Percy waggled his eyebrows which led to me kicking him underneath the table.

"You are such a pervert Jackson."

"You wouldn't have it any other way Di Angelo, you wouldn't have it any other way."

THALIA

"Dad is so awesome don't you think? I think he's the coolest thing since sliced bread. No seriously, He's amazing." Jason gushed as he and I made our way home after meeting with our father.

Thalia had to admit, she had already liked Zeus but she was relieved that Jason absolutely adored him, it would have been very depressing if he hadn't, because now Zeus was ready to officially take responsibility for Jason. I was a legal adult so I could do what I wanted but there had to be papers signed to hand over major guardianship to Zeus. However I had insisted on playing the role for a while longer until I was sure that Jason was 100% comfortable with it. For now all Zeus had to do was pay for child support.

That meant a lot for me. It meant that I didn't have to work for Nico anymore because the amount Zeus wanted to pay to support Jason far surpassed the amount I needed. So that meant I could take on a normal part time job and would not struggle for finances.

Jason's birthday was in a few days and it had been amazing when Zeus had mentioned it without any provocation and then gone on to talk about the day Jason was born. He had asked Jason what Jason was going to do to mark such a huge landmark…

"So Jason, what do you think you'll do for the big birthday?" Zeus asked.

Jason's gaze darted to me for a second and then fell, "Oh, I think I'm going to have a few friends over and just watch some movies and have some cake and stuff." He answered.

Zeus raised an eyebrow at me and I felt my heart break a little, "Actually, he's coming to Paris fashion week with me because his best friend and girlfriend are going to be there with their siblings, who are good friends of mine. We were planning on staying for a week or so extra after wards just to relax."

Jason's face brightened up and he smiled so widely it made up for the fact that I would have to swallow my pride and accept Nico's offer. Jason hugged me tightly and exclaimed, "You're the best sister ever!"

Zeus smiled at us and said, "Excellent! Pluto, Poseidon and I had already planned to be there at the same time and I know Perseus, Annabeth and their children were going as well. I was going to ask if you wanted to come along and stay with me at my villa but I didn't want to seem too forward. So, what do you say?"

Jason's eyes were shinning so bright I thought they might pop out of his head. I was supposed to be staying with Nico for the duration of the holiday but with what had gone down between us I wasn't sure if that was a good idea anymore. "I think that's a great idea, I have to stay with Nico for the fashion week because I'll be very busy but Jason can stay with you the entire time."

Jason fist pumped and from then on he couldn't stop bouncing. The remaining plans were made; Jason would come to Paris with Nico and I because Zeus was coming later. Piper and Leo would already have come the day before because Silena and Beckendorf had an earlier flight. Jason would stay with Leo and Piper because Nico and I had to work then when Zeus came he'd send for Jason. At the end of the Fashion week, I would leave Nico's house and join Jason and Zeus. My birthday was later that week so I would do something with Annabeth, Silena, and the guys.

I had made up my mind, at the end of Fashion week; I planned on quitting my job as Nico's secretary because by then I would also know the result of my finals so I would be able to start my own career on the path that I choose. It was time to move on from this stage of my life. My fling with Nico was fun but I had to get serious, look for a serious relationship with someone who loved me and not my body.

NICO

The next week in the office was total chaos. The preparations had come to a close and now it was all about securing the jewels for transportation. That was always difficult. My father, Thalia and I had taken to dividing and conquering and although getting everything organised and ready was supposed to be a full time job, my mind was always on Thalia, constantly.

We still spoke in an amicable tone, still shared and laughed at most of our inside jokes. I kept it clean only for her sake because I knew what she wanted and I was keen on doing everything required to keep her happy.

On the day of her brother's birthday, I gave her half of the day off which meant around double the work for me but it was worth it. It was the last day of work before Paris so the chaos was at its height but I had to handle it alone for Thalia's sake,

I finished from work at around ten pm and made my way over to her house with Jason's present. I knocked on the door and was surprised to find Zeus standing at the door. "Hey, Uncle Zeus, how are you?" I asked as I walked into the house.

"So a man can't see his own son on his birthday?" Zeus responded with a smile. I hadn't seen him this happy in a while and I was glad to see him getting along so well with his children.

"What are you doing here my boy?" Zeus asked, "Come to court my daughter?" he winked at me.

I blushed, "N-no Uncle Zeus. I, uh, came to give birthday boy a present."

Zeus chuckled but whispered to me, "Don't be a coward son, take life by the horns" at that point Thalia walked in and smiled lightly at me. "I can see it in your eyes Nico; it's very hard to hide."

I blushed more and stepped away from him, "Hey Thalia, where's Jason?"

"Jason, you have another guest!" Thalia shouted down the corridor.

"I'm coming!" he shouted back. There was the noise of a door slam and three sets of footsteps came bounding into the living room.

"Oh, hey Nico, I didn't know you were coming" Jason said as he appeared with Piper and Leo behind him

"I had a late day at work if not I would have been here earlier, but I came by to drop off your present" I said as I handed him the bag.

He peered into it and his eyes bulged out, "Dude, this is like newest Xbox that came out literally two days ago, and some of these games haven't even been released yet, how did you even get these?"

"A magician never tells his secrets," I said with a smirk. Jason dropped the bag and walked forwards to give me a hug. He used that as a decoy to whisper in my ear, "You have my blessing young Nico."

"Thanks again though dude, you're like the big brother I never had." Jason smiled and then he turned back to Leo. "Dude, I have the prototype version of Grand Theft Auto New York and Call of Duty IV." Both teenagers hi-fived and bounded back into Jason's room with Piper rolling her eyes as she followed them. The comment he made left my insides tingling with the satisfaction of having made a kid so happy. I'd never had any siblings and Jason was as close as I got to a little brother.

I turned to see Thalia watching me intently and smiled at her which made her blush lightly at being caught watching me. I didn't want to interrupt any family time so I decided to take my leave. "Well uncle, it's been nice seeing you and I am sure I'll see you in Paris?"

"Yes of course Nico, give my greetings to your father for me." Zeus said as I gave him a small hug

"See you on Sunday Thalia, I'll come and pick you and Jason up at twelve, don't be late this time." I finished with a smirk which caused Thalia to blush deeply. "Bye !" I said quickly making my way down the stairs so that Thalia didn't kill me.

Xxxx

On Sunday, I got into my black land rover and made my way over to Thalia's house. I wore a dark blue button up with black jeans and blue loafers. My Ray Ban aviators sat comfortably on my face and I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time.

I called Thalia to tell her I was on my way and I heard her commanding Jason to carry their bags down the stairs. I made my way into their flat and got the two other bags that Jason hadn't managed to carry. Just as Thalia came out I nearly dropped the bag on my foot but managed to keep my composure. She was beautiful. She wore a pair of trousers with a tank top and a blazer and managed to look like some super model on holiday. On her feet were wedged heels and on her head sat a pair of sunglasses. She walked towards me and I was mesmerised by her long and extremely thin body.

I snapped out of it as she got to where I was standing and proceeded to take the bags down the stairs. We set off once she had locked their apartment up and Jason declared he hadn't eaten so we had to stop at a Starbucks to get him some food. Thalia decided she wanted some coffee too so we all disembarked from the car and made our way into Starbucks.

I was standing on the line when Jason said, "Dude, we're inside. Take off your sunglasses." I smiled at him, "Why, am I embarrassing you?"

"No, you're embarrassing yourself and my sister." He said.

"He's not embarrassing me; in fact I think I'm going to put my sunglasses back on." Thalia played along and put her glasses back on her face."

Jason groaned at our stupidity and walked away from the line, "You know what I want so I'll be standing way over there."

Thalia and I burst into laughter and suddenly there was a click of a camera. I opened my eyes to see a man, in his mid-thirties with a large professional looking camera, standing by the doorway. He made his way over to us and introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm James Carmichael and I'm a photographer" he smiled and struck out his hand which I shook.

"Hello, I'm Nico, is there a reason why you took a picture of us?" I asked and the man nodded in response.

"You see, I photograph for designers so usually models and what not. My most recent client just so happened to be Ray Bans and I've found exactly what I want to do for their next shoot. In fact the shots I have of the two of you would be perfect for what they want but of course I can't use this without your permission." He explained.

"So wait, you're saying that he and I just unknowingly modelled for a famous eyewear designing brand and you'd like to use the shots for their next advertisement?" Thalia asked again.

"Yes, essentially, now I know this is a bit farfetched but here is my card. And if I could have your contact details that would be lovely." He finished.

Thalia just shrugged and gave him her email address. "You can contact us both there and we'll give you our final decision soon."

"Thanks a lot Ms Grace, I will be in contact" the man saluted us and then left the shop.

"That has got to be the strangest thing that's ever happened to me." I said.

"Well, those strange things usually end up being the best memories." She responded.

I nodded at that and we got our coffee and Jason's breakfast then continued our journey to the Airstrip.

xxxxx

xxxxx

THALIA

Once we got to the hotel Jason looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. "This is the most amazing place in the world." Nico stood at the counter chatting amicably with the manager in French.

He walked back over to me after a few moments and took a deep breath as if he had bad news, "Okay, they say that the hotel is fully booked because of the Fashion week so instead of giving us two suites they're giving me a luxury suite with a terrace and a beautiful view of the Eiffel tower." He sounded like he was trying to sell it to me; "I know this might make you uncomfortable, but it's a one bedroom suite with one bathroom" he looked down at the floor. "I tried everything but there was nothing I can do and I-"

I cut him off with a wave of my hand, "I'm sure we'll survive besides, we have a living room right? It'll be fine because I'll have my space and you'll have yours" I said reassuring myself more than him.

I didn't want him to get any ideas about us, what we had been was definitely over. No more sex no more kisses no more nothing… but is that what I really wanted? I still found him inappropriately attractive and with everything he'd done for me this past couple of months and days even, it was hard not to feel some emotions towards him. Was it worth it though if he didn't feel the same way about me? He probably just saw me as his secretary he liked to screw every once in a while… but you heard what he said, my heart argued. He told me that I meant more to him than any other secretary he'd ever had and he considered me his friend. Surely that meant something?

I glanced over at him as he spoke to the manager again; he was smiling and laughing as if the manager were an old friend. Soon, he bid the short bald headed man goodbye and turned to me. "We can go up if you're ready and I've asked him to prepare a car to take us over to Silena and Beckendorf's house, oh and the bags have been taken upstairs already."

I nodded to him and he led the way. Once we arrived at the suite I felt my breath leave my body. It was absolutely stunning. It was on the seventh floor, the most luxurious suite in the hotel and it was absolutely massive. It had a terrace which overlooked the entire Paris skyline and seemed like it was within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower. The room itself had a massive queen sized bed with many pillows and a door to the terrace. The entire apartment had neutral tones; brown, beige, white, cream and it was beautiful. Jason stood in awe but couldn't seem to muster any words as he just stood there gaping with his mouth open.

I stood looking through the large French doors that separated the living room from the terrace, "It's gorgeous," I breathed.

"I know, trust me I know." he was looking at me in a way that made me question what exactly he was referring to as gorgeous. I felt slightly uncomfortable at the thought and cleared my throat which brought Jason back down to earth. "Um, I think I should take Jason over to Silena's house now." I said awkwardly to Nico.

"Of course, let me just call Jacques to make sure the car is ready for our departure" Nico whipped out his phone and dialled the number rapidly. When the person picked up Nico slipped into French and I had to try and tune out just how delicious he looked now, try, being the active word.

Jason nudged me in the side to stop me from staring then chuckled, "Sister, you have so got it bad."