Eventually, Harry went off to do his own thing. I heard some individuals gossiping about James apparently slapping Aphrodite which sounded a bit mad.
I mean, why would he have a reason to slap the Goddess of Love?
Eventually, I noticed that my surroundings became more and more deserted until I was pretty much alone. Something about a concert they said.
I didn't mind it too much, to be honest. I was never the best at talking with new people (nor did I really want to) and my best friends were all doing their own thing. If anything, it meant that the chances of someone bothering me was far lower.
As more time passed…
Even though I could usually read stuff I found interesting for hours on end… My body started feeling uncomfortable and my mind became a bit dizzy. It was hard enough to read with dyslexia and the usual case of ADHD (thankfully the books translated themselves or I wouldn't be able to read them at all).
I guess that these were the consequences of all my sudden heroics. The rush of power that I wasn't used to at all.
I felt the burning desire to move… run… maybe even… fight. It was pretty natural, considering who I was. I couldn't sit still at all and that feeling of discomfort only grew.
Eventually, I just dropped the book I was reading and laid my head down on the table.
ADHD was really cooking me… honestly, I never really had too much of a problem with it. Dennis and James were always on the extreme side. They were constantly doing something… all the time. Harry seemingly had it perfectly under control. Before Percy had explained that all Demi-Gods had it, I didn't even think I had ADHD…
Though, it was true that sometimes my mind would wander away somewhere else when the teacher was talking about a subject that bored me… and I'd fidget a lot… and focus a bit too much on some things. But now… it was something else entirely.
Even though my body seemed to burn for some action, I didn't really feel like going somewhere else.
What about… a nice nap? No one would surely mind.
I raised my head for a moment, before putting my arms down on the table and using them as pillows. I had my head tilted, observing the books in the distance. Eventually, I managed to suppress the flame in my body and rest easy… closing my eyes.
…
I dreamt of spreading my wings and soaring through the skies. Nothing could restrain me… nothing could chain me. Everything was possible so long as I poured my heart and soul into it.
I was… truly free.
Until…
Lightning struck me down to the ground mercilessly. Rain poured onto my burned body as I looked up into the high heavens.
It was Zeus, his electric blue eyes swirling with hurricanes of lightning. His size was incomprehensible as he mixed in with the thunderous grey clouds, the sheer pressure from the power he radiated felt like the weight of the world had toppled over me.
Yet… I simply raised myself back up.
Was that really me? It felt like I was an entirely different person. It was the kind of dream where it was more like a movie scene. The kind where you were technically in control… but you really weren't.
I raised my hand and a scythe appeared, wrapping its long chains around my arm. Yes, it was a long scythe with a long chain at its end (didn't seem very functional). The entire thing had covered my arm and tightened around it.
"This is… the end of your impudence, boy."
Zeus announced in his thunderous voice.
"Is it?"
I cheekily replied.
We fought one on one… and, well, I kinda got cooked. You'd think that in my dreams, I'd be as strong as I wanted to be. But, effortlessly, I got struck down by a seemingly endless horde of lightning. Zeus turned me into a human barbeque almost instantly. Bro just snatched my chain like that.
And… he started t-bagging my corpse!?
What the fuck is going on…?
"You are not that guy pal, trust me you're not THAT guy." Zeus reaffirmed, now taking a T-pose… to assert dominance?
"But…" Somehow, I managed to speak (wasn't I dead?).
"Can you beat Goku, though?"
"What!?" His eyes widened in fear. It was too fucking surreal. "No… not him!"
"Hey, I'm Goku! A saiyan… from Earth!" His face was goofy at first but then it turned deadly serious. "I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am the protector of the innocent. I am the light in the darkness. I am the truth. Ally to good. Nightmare to you!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Zeus retreated all the way back to the sky. "You can't do this, you foolish boy… summoning him is illegal! ILLEGAL, I SAY! TAKE HIM BACK! NOW!"
"Nah, let Goku do the thing he likes most…" I grinned. "Fighting."
"And this… is to go even further beyond… HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
I didn't see what happened next… but I'm pretty sure Super Saiyan 3 Goku tore Zeus to shreds.
My dreams took a more wholesome turn and I began to see in first person. Conveniently, there was a mirror right in front of me.
Now, I was dripped the fuck out in a dark royal-purple coloured three-piece suit. I had a black glove on my left hand, complimenting the suit's colour. The only part of my outfit that went against the business fashion style… was the mostly-black Lakers cap with the team's logo on its front.
My physique… was the most noticeable change. Holy shit, I was handsome. Tall, muscular, a defined jawline… no more puffed out cheeks.
I looked mature. Serious.
My blue eyes were less on the greyish side. In fact, they almost seemed to glow a darker navy blue that was treading on purple.
"There's no way you're wearing that hat with the suit."
I turned to Thalia, who looked even more stunning than before in a fancy black-purple dress that matched her new longer hair. I won't lie, I was a blonde type of guy before and never even considered goth girls (we don't even have any at our school) but she is just… different.
In a way, she is everything I'm not. Confident, proud, powerful, an amazing fighter, outspoken, brave, an assertive leader.
Hot as hell on top of all of that… (and that's coming from a son of Hades).
Or was it those attributes that made her so attractive? Either way, I never crushed on someone so hard.
She took off my Lakers hat.
"Hey… that's a part of my identity, you can't just snatch it off my-"
She placed her finger on my lips and smiled rather… seductively? I'm pretty sure I was red as a tomato because my heart was firing off shotgun rounds every millisecond.
If you were asking… no, I did not wish for this dream.
"You won't be needing it."
She edged closer, grabbing the side of my face…
…
Then something shook me awake. Just as my dream was getting (way too) spicy.
Or rather it was… someone.
I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head to see who it was.
It was a beautiful grown woman with black hair and fiery eyes. Although, her fire wasn't the violent type… the type that would burn you. It seemed warm, cozy. Her figure radiated power, yet I felt no pressure from it.
Could she… be a Goddess?
I noticed that in my nap, I had been drooling a little which was mad embarrassing.
Immediately, I wiped my mouth and felt extremely awkward. Someone wipe me out from the face of the earth, pretty please. Please, with a cherry on top.
"Uhm…"
That was all I could muster in terms of words. Don't think that even counts as a word.
To be fair to myself, what would someone like that have to do with me?
"Your father wants you to have this." She gave a warm, sweet smile and showed me a letter. "Please read it as soon as you can, alright?"
"... Yeah… I will. Thank you?"
I probably blushed, hastily taking it. I thought Hades wouldn't have any allies in Olympus. Who would he trust enough with a letter that's presumably important? Was this some sort of trap?
But… she looked so genuine.
"When you're ready, seek out Percy Jackson and the others. They wish to return to Camp Half-Blood and it would be wise if you did so alongside them."
She gave me one last smile and turned away.
Well, I was starstruck for a little while. I don't think I'd ever get used to women who were that beautiful. I mean, no one in my school or city (that I've seen) could quite compare to most of the Olympians. I guess it was only natural… How could mortals compare to gods?
I shook my head.
There was no use in thinking too much about it.
This letter…
I carefully looked around, making sure no one was around. I even got out of my seat and found a nice little corner.
Alright…
The envelope itself was pitch-black in colour and a royal purple seal depicting a greek helmet kept it closed. The seal was medievalish, the types that were made of wax.
The moment I touched it, the envelope opened and the letter presented itself. It was a normalish letter with a sandy hue - except there were no words on it.
… Did he send me an empty letter? Am I being pranked?
The words slowly began to form from the top, blood red in colour. Hades certainly had a fashion style he stuck to.
'To my son, Rokas Ulanovas…'
'As you chose to attend Camp Half-Blood, I believe that it would be paramount that you knew about your younger half-brother residing there. You two are quite alike, from what I observed, so getting along shouldn't be too difficult…'
The letter contained details about my half-brother, Nico Di Angelo, alongside his current situation. His older sister, Bianca, had joined the hunters earlier and left him to join Camp Half-Blood alone. Apparently, she didn't want to have the responsibility of an elder sister…
I felt a slight bit of distaste reading that… maybe more than a 'slight', even.
The thought of having a little brother and leaving him alone to go and hang out with some hunters as an immortal… it was beyond selfish. That wasn't a responsibility that you can just toss aside when you don't want it.
As an elder sibling it's your duty to take care of the younger siblings… it's something that lasts a lifetime.
Hades mentioned that Biana died on the quest earlier and Nico had no idea, yet. He seemed to put the blame on Percy Jackson but I didn't think it was all that black or white. He definitely isn't the type of person to let a fellow demigod down… not if he can help it.
Most importantly, Hades wanted me to take care of Nico.
"Poor boy." I heard my mother's voice behind me. I glanced back and saw her reading alongside me. "Imagine how lonely he must feel when the only person he really knew left to join those hunters. His elder sister, no less. And now… "
"... Yeah." I remarked, nodding.
There is no feeling that's worse than being completely alone.
Though… I was never too good with socialising or talking to new people. It doesn't make it any easier that he's going to be dealing with some difficult things. I didn't have the type of light that could comfort others… like Harry.
But… I had to try.
"You need to find him." My mom insisted. "He's your younger half-brother, after all. Whatever happens, you should support him however you can."
"Mhm." I agreed.
If we're alike… it should be easier to break the ice, right?
I put the letter back in the envelope but not before noticing that there was something else inside. A golden card with a purple helmet engraved onto it.
It was right about the size of a debit and credit card… and when I flipped it, indeed, I did see numbers that would technically work.
At the very top, something was written in bold purple letters:
A 'small' loan of a million dollars.
A… million dollars!?
I began to feel an even greater sense of pride in being Hades' son…
I mean, I wasn't broke by any means and could even be considered rich relative to most. But a million dollars… that kind of money could change someone's life (if they used it right). Also, considering I left pretty much everything I had at Mr Chase's house (including my card), this gift could really be considered a life-changer.
I put the card in one of my pockets and sealed it up. I also slipped the letter inside of my messy Lakers jacket.
Whoever that beautiful woman was, she did say that Percy and the others were preparing to leave for Camp Half-Blood… and, admittedly, I wasn't too excited about staying around on Olympus.
Sure, the books were very fascinating but I didn't want to risk the chance of bumping into Zeus and having him zap me into ashes.
So… I headed out of the library.
I ended up spotting the group at the exit of Olympus (which, admittedly, took me way too long to find). Thalia, Percy and Annabeth stood together, talking about something. I stepped closer and soon enough they noticed me.
"Where were you this whole time?" Thalia questioned, raising an eyebrow. "We couldn't find you anywhere."
"Just the library." I replied, looking away a little.
Thalia glanced at Percy.
"Weren't you the one who checked the library?"
"... Well, it is a big library-" Percy replied, scratching his hair.
"I'm pretty good at being hidden." I added
"Well, the other three should be easier to find." Annabeth remarked, stroking her chin. "I already saw James… he was performing some kind of concert. As for Dennis, I heard about him fighting Ares and Harry… I've seen him around from time to time."
"Let's find the easiest first. The wannabe Michael Jackson." Thalia stated.
"Yeah… James is also the fastest out of all of us so he could also help with finding the others." Percy agreed, nodding.
…
When we approached James' concert, an entire horde of people blocked our way. It felt like the majority of Olmypus had gathered in this one place. And the thing as a whole… it looked like a legitimate concert. James had background dancers, a loud ass microphone, lights of all colours shining all over the place (usually focusing on him), a dedicated DJ…
Though, the most impressive thing was… James himself. I've never seen a Michael Jackson concert but it couldn't possibly be better than what James was cooking up.
Every move was so smooth, his voice came from the heart and captivated all who heard it, even his appearance… he looked like a God amongst mortals (that's saying something considering his audience).
No wonder the library was empty… Everyone was going to see him.
"Who knew that so many gods could idolise a demi-god like that…" Percy remarked. "How many enemies do you guys think that we'd make by abruptly ending the concert?"
"You know, it wouldn't be so bad if we left him here." Thalia added
Apollo glanced at us, noticing our group.
He teleported right next to us.
"Sorry, but James King is performing right now." He shrugged his shoulders. "Though, he and that other boy… Harry… won't be going to Camp Half-Blood with your group anyway. Us Gods have something special planned for them. Think of it as a special quest."
"A… special quest?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes… don't worry too much, they'll be fine." Apollo smiled reassuringly. "James, most certainly. He has quickly become a favourite of mine. Anyway, as things stand, you're missing one demi-god. Dennis, the crazy one. I'll do you guys a quick favour for all your good work and bring him here."
…
It was a bit concerning how we were split in half as a group…
Then again, it was James and Harry who were together. Harry was the most sensible one of us all and James had the determination to deal with all sorts of trouble. In the end, I didn't feel too worried.
We'd find a way to reunite eventually… I was sure of it.
Apollo left us at the hands of Argus, a blonde-haired guy with blue eyes. Well, a hundred eyes exactly. All over his body. Apparently he was a security guard for Olympians and a member of Camp Half-Blood's staff.
The Argus guy didn't take long, bringing us to a vast camp through a snowstorm. It was a unique way to travel, to say the least. I found it strangely relaxing.
Eventually, my eyes came into the view of a camp with twelve large and unique houses at its centre. They had the same U shape the Olympian thrones did… were only the Olympian major gods honoured?
The ones at the joined part were no doubt for Zeus and Hera. They were the most grand and fancy by far.
The camp as a whole was beautiful…. Is beautiful the right word? It was more cool and amazing, actually. The snow covered most of it but I could make out some things.
There was a beach further ahead which was a bit frosty, a nice looking lake, a huge field of snow (they probably grew something there in the sunnier seasons), something that looked like an archery field, an arena, theatre, a climbing wall (with lava falling from the top… yeah, it looked a bit too dangerous for my taste) and quite a few more buildings I couldn't quite make out.
Even though I loved going to a hot beach, the winter snow hits different.
"I won't lie, this place looks pretty empty. Where are all the demi-gods at?" Dennis questioned as we landed. "Hiding from me?"
"Most demi-gods don't stay year-round and only come for the summer." Percy answered.
"Isn't that dangerous?" I raised an eyebrow. "You know, with monsters being able to easily sense demi-gods who are aware of their heritage?"
"It's just part of being a demi-god… you can't avoid it." Thalia replied, turning to me. "Some of them blend in better than others. Some choose to stay in camp voluntarily while a select few would encounter far too much danger in the outside world… so they stay here. Being a child of the Big Three, it is a double-edged sword. You are more powerful… but you also attract more attention."
So I'm attractive now, huh… at least to monsters.
"Sounds like fun." I remarked, sarcastically.
"Yeah, Rokas is 100% right. It does sound like fun!" Dennis agreed with a grin, maybe not catching onto my tone or just joking along. "I BEG for monsters to come into our school and try to act up. It would make my day."
"The duality of man." Annabeth stated, looking at Dennis and I.
"Well, if Rocky is the most attractive to monsters because he's a son of the big three or whatever…" Dennis stroked his chin, looking at me. "What if I tied you up somewhere and left you hanging in some place where'd you be easy to find? I wonder how many monsters would show up…"
"How about we don't try that?" I countered, shaking my head with a smile.
"Think of it as a kind of strategy - we lure them all in at once… and have one big fight!" Dennis grinned. "You, me, James and Harry. That's all we really need to fight an entire army. That way, we won't have to worry about them when we're doing something else like exams or whatever."
Suddenly, Dennis wants to act experimental and get all strategic when it comes to thinking of a way to fight monsters…
"I mean…" I scratched my hair. "It could work?"
"It sounds like you're putting all of your friends in danger just because you want a fight." Thalia stated.
"Danger?" Dennis scoffed. "James would love to fight side by side in a fight like that. Rokas is also way too strong to be hiding from some silly little monsters. As for Harry, we'd all protect him easily. Worst case scenario… I'll just fight every last one of them myself!"
"You really do love fighting, Dennis." Percy remarked.
"I thought I couldn't lose, either… but there are only so many monsters you can fight at once." Thalia stated, glancing at Dennis. "You're not immortal."
"Fighting is what I live for, innit." Dennis smiled, nodding. "It's what I'll die for, too."
Dennis really was the only one of us who was so casual about dying. He was not afraid of the thought at all and sometimes I felt like he welcomed it… so long as he did it in a fight. That's what made him such a great fighter. He was able to give everything he had without the slightest hesitation.
His short yet powerful statement struck a long note of silence as we all kept walking towards a pretty big house that was getting close.
"So… you don't need to worry about my wellbeing, Juliet. I'll handle myself just fine."
… Juliet?
"Juliet?" Thalia raised an eyebrow. "You know my name."
"... Juliet? Yeah, that's your name innit." Dennis scratched his hair. "Juliet Grace."
"Thalia."
"Thalia who?" Dennis acted oblivious. "I never met a Thalia in my life."
"... Is this a joke I'm not getting?" Thalia raised an eyebrow.
"Not at all." Dennis chuckled, shaking his head. "Rocky might have an idea."
"Me?" I questioned. "Nah, I don't know what you're talking about."
… Was it a reference to Romeo and Juliet? We did spend a half-term on that play in particular last year.
"Heh… sure." Dennis grinned. "That's your business to settle."
"We're here. The Big House." Percy stopped, turning back to face us.
"Even I could come up with a better name than that." Dennis remarked.
"I doubt it." Thalia countered. "There isn't much in that head of yours except fighting."
"Hey… I can be clever. In fact, I am clever."
"... I wonder, what are Dennis' grades?" Thalia turned to me.
"... Pretty bad." I admitted, smiling a little. "He's always on the list of students in danger of failing."
"I thought as much." Thalia chuckled.
"... School tests are useless anyways." Dennis countered. "The fuck am I going to need algebra for? Or those English texts like Macbeth? Or spanish? I'm never going to fucking Spain."
"Never say never." I stroked my chin. "What if there was some super strong monster there?"
"Oh… there is?" Dennis' eyes lit up.
"El Diablo." I joked.
"Oh, we need to book a ticket after GCSEs then… I need to see what that Spanish cunt is made of!"
"... That just means the Devil in Spanish." Annabeth added.
"Nah, I can feel it. That monster's presence. He's waiting for me… very patiently."
Not going to lie, Dennis seemed a bit… high. More than usual. Did he get drunk or something? I wouldn't put it past him.
We moved into the big house and I met Chiron, the activities director. He introduced us to Camp Half-Blood more formally and then both Dennis and I were shown the orientation film… which was interesting.
The film was apparently directed by Apollo and it honestly felt like the type of presentation James would come up with. It explained more or less the questions our group had thrown at Thalia and Percy earlier.
Dennis was really keen on the fact that monsters would be attracted to phone signals from Demi-Gods… in fact, he seemed to look at his phone as a heavenly treasure of sorts. A grail that would grant his greatest wish.
After that, we were reunited with the main group in a room that featured many of the senior campers. I listened in and sat quietly, taking everything in. Though… I wasn't the type to talk too much anyway.
As for Dennis, Chiron bribed his silence with a lot of food. Meat, sweets, cookies, bread, everything. Man was feasting.
"The child of prophecy may be any one of you three…" Chiron stated, taking a look at Thalia, Percy and I. "Two of you have already reached the age of sixteen which would have fulfilled the first two lines of the prophecy. Given recent developments, I am sure that Kronos will strike soon… in a few years at the most. Worse still, he would strike here first."
"How do you know?" Percy asked. "Why would he care about the camp?"
"Because the gods use heroes as their tools." Chiron explained simply. "Destroy the tools, and the gods will be crippled. Luke's forces will come here. Mortal, demi-god, monstrous… We must be prepared-"
Tools… personally, I didn't like the sound of that.
"HUM!" Dennis bit a large chunk of meat. "Lukey Luke is coming straight to man's doorstep with a gift like that? Demi-gods, monsters, what else? Titans? Sounds bloody amazing. I can't wait… HUM!"
"It's not a matter that can be brushed aside so easily, not even by a demigod of your strength." Chiron spoke with a serious tone.
Then… There was a knock on the door as a boy with bright red cheeks came in huffing. He had a smile on his face as he looked around.
"Hey! Where's… where's my sister?"
His smile noticeably dropped the longer he looked. Dead silence accompanied his question. His appearance… matched the description Hades had given me. Given how everyone acted, I was almost sure that he was Nico.
No… I felt it. His soul. He was most definitely Nico Di Angelo.
My half-brother.
I… didn't know what to say. My voice failed me. Seeing his expression fall crushed me.
"Hey, Nico." Percy got up from his chair. "Let's take a walk, okay? We need to talk."
I watched them leave together and felt a twinge of guilt. Again, I was too hesitant to react. I lacked the resolve… I was a coward.
I took a deep breath.
I felt something… like things could go wrong if I just stayed around and did nothing. Percy wasn't a bad person, obviously… but what if Nico took the news the wrong way? What if he felt alone, betrayed… and ran away from the camp?
I… had to go.
I'm his big brother, I should be there for him.
Finally… I stood up.
"I have to go to the toilets."
I made up the first excuse that came to mind, leaving through the same door.
"... Do you even know where they are?" Thalia questioned.
"Just shit on Zeus' cabin." Dennis chuckled.
I won't lie… stalking wasn't something I ever practised (or even tried before) but I was shockingly great at it. Maybe it was my practice in playing stealth games or maybe some kind of power I inherited from Hades… hell, it could be both.
I followed them into some kind of dining place, listening in on their conversation.
Percy explained how it all had happened, how Bianca sacrificed herself for the quest. Nico did not say anything to interrupt him and simply absorbed everything he said.
"She wanted you to have this." Percy said.
"You promised you would protect her." Nico stated after a little while.
"Nico." Percy said. "I tried. But Bianca gave herself up to save the rest of us. I told her not to. But she-"
"You promised!"
… Things were not looking good. The chilling breeze seemed to be even colder than before.
"I shouldn't have trusted you. You lied to me. My nightmares were right!"
"Wait." Percy paused. "What nightmares?"
"I hate you!"
Man, I'd love to have Harry around right about now. How does one salvage this…
I mean, to him, I'm a complete stranger.
"She might be alive." Percy sounded desperate. "I don't know for sure-"
"She's dead. I should've known it earlier." Nico spoke with a tone of anger. "She's in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it."
I heard a strange noise behind me and turned to see four whole walking skeletons with swords. They advanced upon me at their own pace… hissing and grinning. I had no immediate weapon to fight them so I retreated.
"What do you mean, you can feel it?" Percy questioned. "... Rokas?"
"A little help here." I looked back, stepping away from the skeletons. "Those skeletons just seemed to appear out of nowhere."
Percy drew his sword.
"You're trying to kill me!" Nico screamed. "You brought these… these things?"
"Trust me, Percy doesn't have skeleton summoning powers." I turned to him, managing a smile. "Nor does he want to hurt you."
"Well… no and yes." Percy added. "They followed me here. Nevermind that, Nico, Rokas, run! Get help… these things can't be destroyed."
"Who… are you?" Nico looked at me, his dark eyes widening slightly.
"I am… your older half-brother. From our father's side." I explained, a little anxiously. "Listen, Nico… everything will be alright. You aren't alone. No matter what… I'll be there for you."
"Nico… is a son of Hades?" Percy questioned while being assaulted by the four skeletons.
I don't know if my impression of Harry was working because Nico seemed a bit… frozen.
"You're… my brother?"
"Yeah." I nodded, turning back to Percy. I had to help him or he'd get overwhelmed.
Weapon… I needed a weapon.
I did it before, didn't I?
So…
I closed my eyes, focusing on doing the same thing I had before.
A crack opened on the ground, splitting apart most of the pavilion in half.
Percy had managed to step away while the skeletons were caught right in the midst of it. Four large spikes of a glowing black metal… Stygian Iron… had risen up and impaled the skeletons right through. They burned away, turning into ash.
The ground closed on itself, snatching the remains away.
That… wasn't exactly my idea of a weapon. But it worked a lot better than me grabbing one and trying to swing it around, that's for sure.
Percy turned to me.
"Wow… Rokas. That was both amazing and scary at the same time." Percy remarked. "I thought they couldn't die but you just… impaled them."
"What do you know… I got more tricks up my sleeve." I chuckled. Honestly, I wondered what else I could do. Exploring my powers seemed like a fun hobby for the future.
I turned back to Nico.
"... I think you and I should talk for a bit. You know, break the ice?"
"I…" Nico lowered his gaze, turning to Percy with a deep frown.
"As I said before, I'm here for you." I managed a smile, patting his shoulder. "As your older brother, I'm obligated to help you with anything you're struggling with. I know we have never met before… but to me, a brother is a brother. In truth, I always wanted a brother… so realising that I have one is really amazing, you know?"
I half expected him to shove away my arm, call me a stranger and dip out…
But… he didn't.
Instead, he sniffled as his dark eyes grew teary.
"It's alright… there's nothing wrong with mourning loss." I stepped closer and gave him a warm hug. Admittedly, I felt extremely awkward doing that… but I felt like he needed it. "You can cry as much as you like. I won't judge you for it."
He did cry… a lot.
But, after a while, he wiped away his tears and managed a smile. By then, Percy had left us to talk alone.
"Thank you…" Nico took a deep breath. "I feel… better."
"So…" I decided to change the topic. "Tell me a bit about yourself."
… And that is how I found the best little brother in the world.