Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any of the characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan. I own only the plot.

Nico pulled his leather jacket tighter around himself, trying to block out the cold and the despairing thoughts that threatened to consume him. He walked through the dark empty streets of New York, fighting the tide of emotions he had worked so hard to numb. If you couldn't feel the pain, then it wasn't there. If you pushed it all behind you, then it would never catch up. So that's what Nico did. He told himself that he didn't care, that nothing mattered. Eventually he had said it enough to convince himself that it was true.

Eventually Nico arrived at his destination. He sighed, hating the place with all the fibers of his being, but knowing that he had to go inside. Where else could he go, anyway? Nico swallowed all the thoughts of hatred, placing a look of indifference on his face. Once again numbing every emotion.

And he stepped forward, walking into his house, a place that would never be his home.

"I'm back," Nico called, listening to his voice echo through the empty mansion. He knew no one heard him, knew that no one cared. He told himself that was the reason he never did, either.

As he was walking through the shadowed hall, he heard someone familiar call his name.

"Nico."

Nico turned around warily. Unfortunately, he was faced with the person he least wanted to talk to right then. Or ever.

"Father."

Hades di Angelo was a strict man. Unfeeling, unforgiving, and rich. Filthy rich. It was probably one of the reasons Nico hated him so much. He had so much, but was never satisfied. Nico told himself that he was not the same way.

"Nico, I need to talk to you." His father's metallic grey eyes were cold, and showed no emotion. Nico was painfully aware that his black ones were the same.

Nico shrugged, nonchalant. "Okay."

As he followed his father down the hall to where he assumed would be his father's office, Nico tried to fight the rising wave of dread in his chest. His father never interacted with him. Never. Why the sudden need to talk to Nico? After seven years of silence, why talk to him now? They both knew that they were counting down the days until Nico moved out for college. Hades was going to pay for his tuition and then they were never going to speak to each other again. Both of them were fine with the arrangement; heck, both of them loved the arrangement. What could be so important? Why did Hades even care about something enough to consult with him about it?

But that's the real question, isn't it? Nico thought. What's so important that he cares about my opinion in the matter?

Whatever it was couldn't be good.

Any further musings Nico could have had were interrupted when Hades spoke.

"I need to talk to you about your future, Nico."

Nico almost burst out laughing. "No, you don't."

He started to walk away but his father grabbed his arm.

"Get inside the office Nico."

Should he? He didn't really care if his father told him he was a failure and not to expect to get into a good college. Nico was actually pretty smart, his father just didn't care unless he was at the top. He also didn't care if his father continuously told him that he was a disappointment. He could even live with his father telling him that he was a mistake, a misfortune, a burden. It wasn't like he hadn't heard any of it before.

Nico's curiosity got the better of him. After all, his father willingly sought him out for the first time in years so that he could talk to him about something. It might be entertaining to find out what it was.

So Nico went into the office and sat down, propped his feet up on a small table, slouched, and glared at his father, waiting for him to speak.

Hades took his time. He straightened a couple things on his desk. Before his sat down, he took a key out of his pocket and went to the door. Nico had no time to protest before the key was in the lock, and put in Hades' pocket. There goes that escape.

Nico then realized just how bad this conversation was going to be.

Hades sat at his desk and then started his piece. "Nico, I know I haven't been the most involved father-" Nico snorted "-but that doesn't mean I haven't been looking out for your best interests. Listen, Nico, I've discovered something from one of my employees who has a daughter at that school you go to-what is called, Half-Blood High? Such an odd name- but anyway, he was talking on and on about this boy in his daughter's class who rides a motorcycle and whose name was Nico. Well, I'm not stupid and I put two and two together. I told him that you were my son. He seemed shocked, and when I asked him why he said that this Nico di Angelo was the opposite of what he would expect from a child of mine. Naturally I asked him to elaborate. He said that the Nico di Angelo his daughter talked about was solitary and mysterious, hanging out with no one and glaring at anyone who dared look at him. That was when I knew it was you, by the way. I happened to wonder out loud what it was with teenagers these days that didn't make them want to hang out with rich kids. That was when he told me that no one knew you were rich." Hades looked at him pointedly.

This was another thing Nico hated about his father. Hades couldn't stand the fact that no one knew his son was rich. Hades wanted to flaunt his money, and Nico was an easy way to do that through.

Hades continued. "And then my employee told me that no one knew anything about you, even the fact that I am your father. Or that Thalia, Jason, and Percy are your cousins. My question for you is: Why?"

"Jason, Percy, Thalia, and I agreed not to talk to each other at school, or to tell anyone we're cousins. I haven't told anyone about you because I don't want people associating me with the word 'rich.'"

"What's so bad about being rich?"

"I don't want to flaunt how much money my family has, Father! I like the reputation I've built for myself at school."

"You need to tell people who you are."

"Well, I won't. And neither will you because I can deny anything you say as a rumor. Now let me out of this office."

"Nico, this affects your future. How do you expect to get special treatment if no one knows you're my son?"

"For the last time, I don't want anyone to know I'm your son! I am smart, you just don't care because I'm not the smartest. I don't want special treatment; I want to earn what I receive."

"I'm trying to help you get ahead in life. One day people will know that you are my son, Nico. Nothing you do or say can change that fact. You can't go through life denying your roots and isolating yourself from people."

"I never said I isolated myself."

"Yet I know that you do. From the black attire to the moody slouch- everything about you screams 'Don't talk to me unless you want to die a painful death.'"

"Well, I like it that way."

"How can you possibly enjoy living on the edge of existence?"

"People know I exist."

"Only because they're terrified of you."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because I'm your father, whether you like it or not."

"I don't like it, and being my father has never made you care before, so what's so different now?"

"...I want to rebuild our relationship."

"What relationship?" Hades winced. Nico didn't care and continued. His father was not getting off the hook just because he winced at something he said. No, too many years of suffering because of him had passed for Nico to come running back. Especially after what his father had said to him after Bianca had died, what he had repeated saying. Hades had said- his father had said-

Nico glared at his father, gazing at him with cold hatred. He nearly spat out the words. "Any relationship we might have had drowned when you told me I should have been the one to die."

A/N: This chapter was short; the next ones will be longer. I understand that there are a few questions you might have regarding Hades' reasoning, but that will be explained in future chapters. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you for reading!