Ever since Nico was born, he was different. Everyone saw that he was, everyone saw that the entire di Angelo family were different. They looked like death has been crossed their home, and Maria being unmarried and having both her children out of wedlock certainly didn't help. Whenever the di Angelos crossed the street, the boys of the neighborhood would call the siblings things that no one should ever be called. Nico didn't mind then, mostly because he didn't know what half of the words meant, and kept playing with his toys, or with his sister. Bianca, on the other hand, despite her early age, seemed to know things. She seemed to know a lot. To Nico, she was unarguable, the constant right of his small world. Mother was a loving person, but to Nico's eyes, his sister was an absolute gem.

Every month, in the darkest and the latest nights, their father would visit them, with his tall figure and ever the dark clothes. Nico thought his dad was cool, because whenever he came he would come with another toy for him, another pirate or color pencils. Nico never saw his eyes, until one warm Christmas night their eyes met and Nico saw the deep, dark pits of his soul. His father immediately looked away, turning his head, but Nico stared still. For one second, just for one small second, he felt like a terrible fate was there for him.

Some years passed and a six year old Nico, along with his mother and beloved sister, went to Venice and visited Diocletian's palace, and Nico started to get fascinated by the ideate of mythology. It made him spend time and helped him not to care about the boys of the neighborhood, so what could be even better? His mother had told him about the stories of course, but this... This was new! This was like a fairytale. Nico liked fairytales. Who didn't?

After they got back, Nico started to befriend people. Well, just a boy from his class, but he was worth more than one. To Nico, he was a world wonder. They spent time together, and Nico would always come back to home with a huge smile on his tiny face. The boy was precious to Nico, a wonderful new toy. He told his mother and Bianca about him of course, and he saw the worried looks exchanged between them.

"Let's not tell your friend about how you feel, okay darling?" his mother said, and Nico, who did not understand, gave her a confused nod. This thing he felt, didn't everyone feel it towards their friends? People are weird, little Nico thought, and moved on easily, a privilege of being a six year-old.

Not everyone liked Nico at his school. Boys would hate him, and he could feel the concerned and disgusted, pitied looks of teachers behind him. One day, a kid who thought Nico was damned, shouted.

"Gay!"

Nico didn't know what the word meant. He asked his mother. He asked Bianca. None of them answered. Then, the late dark night came and his father answered him. Was that supposed to be wrong? Being... Gay? Nico was confused. What about the people who are gay? he thought, but this question was unanswered, so Nico decided not to push.

A war was starting, that was what his father and his mother whispered to each other. "I am not raising my children in the Underworld!" Maria said, and although Nico didn't understand yet, he somehow managed to get that the Underworld was not a good place.

Eventually, they decided to move to America. "A new start, that's what we need," Mother had said with a warm smile on her face. If only they knew what was expecting them.

Not so later, Nico found himself behind a dark shield with his sister, and as the sky growled, his tiny mind processed the image of his mother dying.

His mind and memory went blank a little later.

Some time passed, fairly short for Nico at the time, when a lawyer came to take them and travel to a academy. Nico was now into a game called Mythomagic, which was awesome, and yet still managed to include Nico's favorite gods and monsters. His beloved sister, Bianca, looked older now, more mature, grieving but motherly. And Nico did not notice what was wrong. No, he wouldn't notice it until it was way too late. They had quite an adventure on the way, but that was no matter, Nico could hardly remember what they did. He didn't seem to remember a lot nowadays.

Nico could feel something was wrong, but didn't care at all. It was a gift now, not caring when something was wrong. Westover Hall was strict, too strict and there always a small problem there. It was a talent, a God-given gift, not caring at all. Nico continued playing with his cards, and the ball was going just fine, until the teacher decided to kidnap he and his sister.

Luckily, a raven-haired boy, not that older than Nico, was there to rescue them.

Nico had always hoped that there would be something that would drag him out of the boring, ordinary world he was living in. Percy Jackson, as the boy later introduced himself as, was the hero of Nico's imagination, brought to life. He suddenly started to feel lighter, Percy would rescue them, right? He did not notice his feelings lying behind his small figure, but his sister did. And slowly, Nico started to feel his sister's already worried expression became even more desperate. She was not okay with being a demigod. She was not happy with it.

Later that day, Bianca chose to forget being a demigod, forget her small, too vulnerable brother and decided to be free, for one time in her hard life. Nico on the other hand, was stuck with his faith, the one with very powerful demigods and very dangerous quests.

Nico trusted Percy. He really, really did; from the deepest part of his heart. That was probably why he was genuinely hurt, grieving and heartbroken when Percy came with everyone else but his sister. He wanted to kill him, he really did. With the new-gained power that drove the skeletons away, he was able to as well. He could've killed him the second he ended the skeletons. But he didn't. He just couldn't.

That was when he realized what was keeping him from doing so.

He was horrified, ran away, and started a chain of a broken faith that involved a lot of that.

He spent his time looking for ways to bring his sister dead, and eventually, he found another soul that demanded vengeance. This one was different, though, Nico could feel it. He could feel a lot of things, nowadays.

Minos, the King Minos leaned in front of his ear and whispered things that only Nico would understand. So he began searching. But his sister never showed up to him, until the heroic demigod, Percy Jackson showed up and scratched the freshly opened wound once again. He wanted to be away from him. He would give anything, in fact.

Just to be away from Perseus Jackson.

But no, he couldn't help but keep getting involved. In the end, Minos was using him, just like everyone did. So Nico held up his courage and for the first time, declared himself as The Ghost King.

He had a plan, that might make Percy love him. Impress Percy. That was his goal. As he took a bite of the blue birthday cake, the first one he ever ate, he started telling his plan.

Nico begged.

He begged and begged to his father, begged him to join the war. His father did not approve. He didn't care. If that was the way to make Percy love him, then so be it. This silly crush of his, to another man, was growing like a silent monster, and he couldn't stop it. His father of course noticed.

Eventually, he agreed and they helped a lot, in fact. Nico settled to Camp Half-Blood for a while, just until he once again started to hear the "Why is he still here?"s and see the scared looks. Then Percy and Annabeth started dating, of course, and he finally realized that this place wouldn't be a home for him. He packed and went away.

Hazel Levesque was not Bianca. She had softer features, she was younger than Nico and she seemed to know where she was, unlike the other souls. She was a child of the Underworld, and to Nico, that was just enough. To Nico, that was more than enough to call her family. The Doors of Death were opened, a problem he'd try to solve later, and he knew that if he just sneaked her out, no one would object. She was a part of family, after all.

Everyone needed second chances.

Camp Jupiter didn't seem to be a home to Nico as well, although it was perfect for Hazel. It was okay. It wasn't the first time Nico felt so unwanted. Not caring at all, he continued his faith by traveling to the Doors of Death, which lead to other awful things.

The goddess of pain teased him for having too much pain on his shoulders, but Nico couldn't hang on longer. He needed to move on, like Bianca always did. Keeping it in would help, maybe. He was finally understanding what he felt when he looked at his father's eyes for the first time.

He was so ashamed, but secretly pleased when the giants got him out of the pits of hell, the pit of his now even more darkened, deep soul.

Percy Jackson, as usual, was there to save the day. That wasn't the first time in Nico's life. But sacrificing himself... Well, that wasn't a new either. But this time, Nico had promised himself not to agree, not to help at all.

Funny how love can make you dance.

He promised Percy to help him, and felt another wound being carved into his soul and mind.

Nico was already wounded in so many ways, but it seemed to increase wildly. He now had to encounter Cupid, and in front of another hero, a whole new level that was available for him to bleed. He just held it in, and let Cupid bully him, in front of someone who was a model for everyone. He could feel the pity of Jason's mind.

He just closed his eyes, and prayed not to cry as Cupid called him a coward. He was not, in many ways, a coward. Jason Grace seemed to get that. He decided to trust him, a first since Bianca died, to keep his secret. Not that he had a chance anyways. He was silent except for the times when he wasn't, which wasn't much, and swore to himself that he would leave when this ended.

Nico stared at the black sky as Reyna shifted comfortably next to him. It was one of those night which Nico felt too heavy to carry on. He watched the stars appear one by one, and just thought and thought.

Shadow-travelling had always been hard for Nico, but this was impossible. But that was what he did, right? To do the impossible and still get no credit. Personally, Nico wasn't even sure that he would survive through the journey, but he didn't care. As long as it was for Percy.

The war is over, or so it seems to be, and Nico looks okay. But he isn't. Because he knows and feels that he is utterly, undeniably broken, and he feels like no matter how much he tries, he will never be fixed.

Nico hates this, all the scars he has. Not physical, but mental. After all he's been through, it's the scars that hurts him the most. And he can't seem to run away from it, no matter how hard he tries. He forgets them sometimes, but they're forever there. To show that he is destined to be alone. That he deserves it. And the worst part is that Nico believes in this. He cannot be fixed.

He does not see yet, but eventually, he'll see, that he does not need to be fixed.