Disclaimer: I am a nobody. I'm not saying it again.

Warning: this chapter contains mentions of Suicide, and lots of Depressing crap. Please use caution.

Chapter 1: A New Life

Nico's POV.

I opened my eyes. Another day. Another glare. Another whispered accusation. Another look full of revulsion. Why did I even bother getting up anymore? I could stay here; in cabin 13. No one would notice. I could die; no one would notice. Well, my father would notice. Only because my ghost would be staring him in the face. Hmm, I could just stop living. It wasn't hard. Just stop breathing. Stop caring. No one cared about me anyway. A song came to mind. I started humming.

"I can't handle these pressures.
All I can say is this stress hurts.
Things are supposed to get better;
I just need to put myself first.
I'm always trying my hardest not to pick myself apart.
This energy is killing my vibes now.
Sometimes I just want to drown out
All of the thoughts in my mind; too much going on at the same time.
I wish it would stop and I've tried. but life just sucks then we all die.
That's just reality, yeah, don't lie to me.
Yeah, I'm messed up but I don't want to be."

I sighed, and got up. I could die, but I wanted to say goodbye first. How does one say goodbye for the last time? I couldn't just go up to Hazel and be like: 'hi! I'm going to go commit suicide! See you in the underworld!' she'd stop me. Hmm, I know! I'll write my goodbyes! I pulled a notebook out from the shadows; it was followed shortly by a pen. I put it to the paper, and began writing.

'Hazel. I'm sorry. I know you always wanted a brother, but I'm not what you want. Frank is good to you. Keep him. I love you Hazel. Please, don't blame yourself for my death. If anything, you gave me the will to live for a little while longer. I can't deal with the pressure any more. I think I'll try for rebirth.

Percy. I know you're at college right now, so Hazel will probably give this to you. You were a good friend Percy. You and Annabeth were really the only campers who ever treated me right. Thank you for that. Don't blame yourself either. This is no one's fault but my own. I should be stronger but, I'm not. Thank you for always being there for me.'

I closed the notebook, and set it on the bed. Right on the pillow. Hopefully, after a few weeks they would find it. I took a last look around the cabin, and dissolved into shadows. Where should I go to die? Hmm, I thought of all the places that were nice, and finally decided on Scotland. I felt the shadows deposit me on the ground, and I looked around. This wasn't Scotland.

In fact, this wasn't any place I knew. It was what looked like a mansion. What in the name of my father was going on? A figure stepped out of the shadows.

"Why are you trying to kill yourself young demigod?" he asked me.

"I don't see why you'd care, Thanatos. You are death after all." The now identified figure approached me. And stared at me.

"Ah, you are broken." He confirmed. I shifted under his gaze.

"Yes. Now, can I go die in peace please?" I asked. He gave me a withering look.

"Nico," he started. "I have a proposition for you." He told me.

"I'm listening," I replied.

"I can send you to an alternate reality. In this reality, there are people with something called 'quirks.' These are special powers not unlike the ones possessed by demigods. In this reality, no one will judge you for having less than light powers; as long as you use them for good. There is much happiness to be found in that world." He stated.

"What exactly are you offering?" I asked.

"A new start. You would be deposited there, memories intact mind you, and you could basically hit the restart button on your whole life. There is a school you could go to, and I'd give you a power boost." He explained. This was, this was.

"Yes!" I exclaimed. This was exactly what I needed! A new beginning, a new life! He nodded sagely.

"Be careful Nico, there are monsters in that world too, except they don't eat humans. most possess them to use their powers for destruction. Save some innocent lives. You will have two months before the entrance exam for the school. Use it to study, and learn about your new world." He opened the palms of his hands, and my world went black.

I opened my eyes, to see a completely different world. Everything looked similar, yet different. It was strange. I blinked a few more times to get my eyes to focus. No one was around. I stood, and almost fell. Something was on my back jacking with my balance. I turned around, and almost died of shock. I had wings. Like deaths. Huh. That must be the blessing he gave me. I took a step forward, and got some grips on my balance.

A scream shattered the peace I'd had. my head snapped up. What had Thanatos said? I should use my powers to save those I need? This sounded like one of those situations. I turned around the corner, and headed toward the billow of smoke that was slowly rising. A man-looking thing that had 6 arms, was holding two red headed children in his grasp. From their screams of terror, he was not their father. I ran up to him.

"Drop those children right now!" I demanded. He looked down at me -he was easily 15 feet tall- and laughed.

"Foolish child! I shall take you too!" he announced. One of his unoccupied arms came towards me. I used my honed battle reflexes, and jumped. I beat my wings trying to stay afloat, and what do you know, I was flying. I got the hang of it quickly, and dive bombed the brute. I summoned shadows, mildly surprised when it didn't take as much energy as usual, and formed a whip. I gave him a good smack on the head with my improvised weapon. He roared in anger.

"Come down here little child, and let me show you true power!" he yelled at my still flying form.

"Yeah, I'm going to go with no!" I yelled back. Then I used the shadows to travel the children out of his grasp. They landed in a heap about 20 feet away from the monster. One was a boy, maybe 7, the other a young girl. 5 at the oldest. I dropped down next to them, and formed a protective barrier just as he started his assault. I grunted as the man pounded the barrier relentlessly. I turned to the older kid.

"Listen to me." I told him. his head snapped up. "I need you to do exactly as I say. I'm going to drop this barrier on the count of three. When I say three, I want you to take your sister, and run as fast as you can towards that crowd. Got it?" he nodded.

"Ok. 1, 2," I said, then I dropped the barrier, and caught the man's hands. "3!" I yelled. I didn't have time to look back and see if the kid had run. I was a mit busy trying not to die. I snapped my wings open, and launched off. I still had four of his hands in my grasp. The other two came hurtling at me from both sides. At the last second, I shadow traveled away, and he ended up hitting himself. I landed, and summoned as much of my power as I could. Shadows rose up next to the briefly stunned man, and wrapped around him tightly like a strait jacket. Next, black stygian iron chains burst forth from the ground, and chained him to the pavement.

"Boy!" he yelled. A gag come out, and bound him as well. "Imh gnhg krgghh yiuu" he yelled into the gag. I turned with a smirk on my face.

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't hear you." I pulled my wings back into my now pretty much ruined shirt. To my surprise, it fixed itself. Now my shirt looked brand new. It still had holes for my wings; That was nice. I turned back to the crowd, and was instantly swarmed by reporters.

"How did you do that?"

"Who are you?"

"What's your name?"

"How old are you?"

"What's your quirk?"

"How long do you plan on staying in town?"

Questions bombarded me from every angle. My claustrophobia was not having it. My wings burst forth, and knocked them all back at least ten feet. I ran a hand down my face.

"One question at a time please." I asked. One of the female reporters stepped forward.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Nico." I replied. she gave me a strange look.

"No, I meant what's your superhero name?" she clarified. Oh, uh.

"Uh, I don't have one." I said uncertainly. The reporters all gasped.

"Why not?" one of them asked. I shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm not a hero." I answered. They all scoffed.

"Yeah right. You just saved two kids. You are a hero."

"I didn't plan on saving anyone when I came here. I'm just here to go to school." I told them. This was met with a flurry of scribbling.

"What school did you want to go to?" one of them asked.

"Ah, the Hero school in town?" I said. It came out as a question.

"You want to go to UA?"

"Yeah. I think that's the name." I confirmed.

"Well, with a quirk like that, you'll ace the entrance exam!" someone offered.

"Yeah, I guess." I hedged. I really didn't like talking to people.

"What is the name of your quirk?" someone asked.

"Uh, I um, eh," I stuttered. What was the name of my 'quirk'? everyone was looking at me expectantly.

"Well?" a bystander asked. I shook my head.

"Um, it, uh doesn't have a name." I fumbled. They shot me suspicious glances. Dang it! Pull it together!

"How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen." I answered. I was looking for a way out of the crowd. They were closing in again, and after 5 days in a jar, I did not like enclosed spaces. I opened my wings, and jumped. I was done talking to reporters. People gasped, and oohed at my wings. I flew into a wall, and dissolved into the shadows it cast.

I came out on a fire escape, not far away. I pulled the hoodie around my waist on, and hid my wings. The hoodie was black, with a flaming Phoenix on it. Oh, the irony. A Phoenix. The symbol of rebirth, and new life. Nice touch Thanatos. I looked across the crowd, that was slowly dispersing. I climbed down quietly, and started making my way away, when a hand grabbed my left arm. I twirled to see, the kid I saved?

"Nico?" he asked.

"What did you need?" I questioned. He blushed a little.

"I just wanted to say thank you for saving me and my sister. We would have been dead if you hadn't shown up." He said to the ground.

"Kato!" came a voice. The red head turned, and motioned for a red headed woman to come over. She did, and looked at me suspiciously.

"Kato! What did I tell you about running off?" she demanded. He grinned.

"Mamma! This is Nico! He saved Akari and me!" he exclaimed. She looked at me, and came over. I tensed. She hugged me vigorously.

"Thank you." She whispered into my ear. She pulled back.

"You're welcome." I told her. Akari came up behind her. she giggled at me, and ran over.

"My Hero!" she announced, and grabbed onto my leg. I looked at her for a moment. She was so young, and innocent. I pried her gently off my leg.

"Am I now?" I asked her, smirking. She nodded vigorously

"Yep! Mine! Mine! Mine!" she declared. I chuckled.

"Whatever you say little one." I told the smiling child. The mother looked at me with an unreadable expression. Then, she held out her hand.

"I'm Yua Yung, these are my children; Kato, and Akari." She told me. I took her hand, and kissed it in the way I'd been brought up. She smiled at my old-fashioned ways. Akari decided then that I was a jungle gym, and climbed up my leg, and onto my shoulders.

"Mine!" she announced, once again. I chuckled.

"Would you come home with us for dinner? I owe you at least that for saving the rest of my family." Ms. Yung asked me.

"Oh! I don't want to intrude," she cut me off.

"Nonsense! Come!" she grabbed my hand, and led me through a few twists and turns to a nice house. She walked up to the front door, and unlocked it. I ducked through the opening so that Akari who was still on my shoulders didn't hit her head on the doorframe. The home opened into the dining room. The kitchen was next door. It looked like the living room was next to the kitchen. There was staircase that I assumed led to the bedrooms.

"I'll get dinner." She announced, going into the kitchen.

"Come see my room!" Akira demanded, pulling upstairs. There were 4 rooms upstairs. One that was open, and obviously the master. She led me to a room decorated with hearts, and flowers in all shades of pink and purple.

"My room!" she announced. It was a nice room. The Yung family wasn't rich, nor poor. A good steady middle ground. I sat on the floor, as she regaled me with stories of how she got some dolls. Then, she pulled said dolls out, and asked me to play with her.

We played with her dolls for maybe half an hour before her brother opened the door, and started laughing.

"Akira! Why is Nico playing with your dolls?" he laughed. I smiled up at him.

"I'm sure you can play too. We were just about to have a prom night." I announced. Kato laughed harder.

"Mom sent me up here to tell you that Dinner was ready." He said, before running off. I turned to the little girl.

"Well, it appears prom night will have to wait." I said in a grave voice. She was overcome with giggles. If only I could laugh like that. Carefree, and happy. Wouldn't that be nice. I shook those thoughts away; this was my new life. No need to remember the old one. I stood, and followed Akira downstairs. she led me to the bathroom, and said that we had to wash our hands for dinner.

After washing our hands, we went to the dining room. The table was set, and some kind of curry was set out. My eyes widened.

"Ms. Yung. You didn't have to," she cut me off again.

"Nonsense! You saved my children. Whatever I do could never measure up." She declared. I mutely sat down. Her children dug in. I took a tentative bite. It was really good. I told her so. She blushed a little.

"Thank you, Nico."

We finished our dinner. I stood, and cleared the dishes off the table.

"Oh! Let me do that!" she said bustling over. I shook my head.

"It's no trouble ma'am. I'm used to cleaning dishes." Only because I had dish duty almost every day at camp. I stacked the bowls together, and floated them to the kitchen with shadows. Ms. Yung went to the bathroom. I made the shadows in the kitchen do the dishes.

"Do you want to see my drawings?" Kato asked.

"Sure." I told the young boy. He let out a whoop, and ran to his room. He was back not a minute later with a notebook full of superhero drawings.

"Wow. These are actually really good." I told the kid. He beamed. Ms. Yung walked out of the bathroom, and looked at me strange.

"I thought you were doing dishes. I heard them?" she looked really confused. I smiled at her.

"I am doing dishes. You can look for yourself." Kato sent me a glance, that said 'no you aren't. you're sitting here with me.' I smirked at him. Ms. Yung looked into the kitchen, and let out a gasp. She turned to me.

"Are you doing that?" she asked, sounding a little frightened.

"If you are referring to the shadows doing your dishes, then yes." I answered smoothly. She stared at me some more, before shrugging like it was perfectly normal.

"The crab bowl goes on the left." She told me, before walking upstairs. I smirked, and made sure to put the crab bowl on the left.

"You can do dishes with the shadows?!" Kato asked. I nodded, and fluffed his hair.

"Yeah. I can do other stuff too." Like murder people, move things, make things disappear never to be seen again.

"Can you fold the laundry?" he asked.

"Little buddy, you would be hard pressed to find something I couldn't do." Be happy was one of those things. Smiling genuinely was another. Laughing a third. Singing non depressing stuff was somewhere on that list.

"That's so cool!" Kato announced, pumping his little hands. A wisp of smoke came from one of them. He looked at it, and smiled. "My quirk does that sometimes." He told me, like it was a super-secret.

"What is your quirk?"

"I can set my hands on fire, from time to time. I can't control it very well though, so mommy said that I should only do when she's around to set the fire out. Her quirk is fire manipulation. She can control fire that is already there. she isn't immune to fire like I am though. Sissy hasn't shown her quirk yet, but it's only a matter of time. She'll probably have something fire related as well." He told me. Information overload.

"Thanks Kato."

"No prob!" he smiled up at me. "What's your quirk?" he asked, still enraptured. Uh, I didn't know…

"Um, my quirk it, it isn't really a quirk. I mean, like it's not just one quirk. I have multiple powers." I tried to explain. He gave me a strange look. I sighed, and ran a hand through my hair.

"See, I have control over the shadows. That's Umbrakinesis. But I can also create hell-fire, and ghost-fire."

"What're those?" he interrupted. I raised my left hand, and a ball of hell-fire blazed to life on it. "Woah." He determined. I set it out, and continued my explanation.

"That is called dark pyrokinesis. I can also create black lightning, but I am not going to do that indoors; as it would blow your house up. I don't actually know the proper name for that, so I have no idea what it's called." I could also do Necromancy, but I wasn't going to advertise that part of my powers. It was strictly dark. I could also heal a bit, but I had to drop all my blocks, and release my aura. I really didn't want to do that. Not to mention that there was nothing to heal.

Ms. Yung came downstairs, I stood.

"I really should get going." I told her. she gave me a speculative look.

"And where are you going?" she asked. Oh schist.

"Uh, home?" I said. It came out as a question.

"And pray tell, where do you live?" she asked, a hint of victory in her voice. I hung my head.

"Nowhere." I replied honestly.

"Kato," she said. "Go to your room. I want to talk to Nico. Alone." She looked at him. he hung his head, and went upstairs.

"I can form a barrier if you want more privacy." I offered.

"Sure." I flicked my wrist, and a shadow wall appeared in a 360 around us. She looked at it, before turning her attention back on me.

"Nico, I have a proposition for you." She announced. The last time someone said that, it was to keep me from dying. Why did I have a sense of Deja-vu?

"Alright." I said by way of affirmation. She took a deep breath.

"My baby sitter moved a few weeks ago. I'm in need of a new one. Now, I know that I've barely met you, but my mothering instincts went out to you. I trust you Nico. You said you didn't have a place to stay, and I think we can fix that. I have a guest bedroom, and I need a baby sitter. I was thinking that maybe you could be my new baby sitter. In return, you could stay at my house until the UA exam."

"Uh, wow Ms. Yung. I, uh, well. Um," I couldn't find a hole in her logic. I nodded. "Alright. But I refuse to let you do the laundry or the dishes. I can do those easily." She smiled.

"Ok! My children can show you the bedroom. Akira is the one that you'd have to babysit while I'm at my job. She's almost 5. Kato is 7, he goes to first grade until 3:30 every day."

"I can do that." I affirmed.

"Oh! Almost forgot! Can you cook?" I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, I can. I was on my own since I was 10. I can most definitely cook." I told her. her eyes constricted for a moment before she nodded.

"Ok then! That's settled! You can have every Friday night off, unless my boss needs me!" I nodded, and dropped the shadow barrier. I went upstairs.

This was going to be fun to explain.

End of Chapter 1.