And, the long waited for: Father Nico! Let's see how Nico Di Angelo deals with his new role as a parent. Do you think he'll do nearly as well as Thalia? I hope that this story is nearly as satisfying as Mother Thalia was!

Disclaimer: I, very sadly, do not own PJO.

Today was supposed to be a normal day. Nico was hiding in his cabin. Everywhere he went, those stupid Stoll brothers followed him around, determined to make him watch some stupid movie that they thought he was in. Percy was just spending all day with Annabeth, so he had no one to hang out with.

He wasn't going to go anywhere near Thalia. That girl had turned nuts overnight! Whenever she saw him, she would start fussing over him, like he was some sort of baby! And then – here came the creepy part – she would know what he wanted. Sometimes even before he knew it! Okay, so that might come in handy during a battle, but when your cousin knows when you need to use the bathroom? That's just a little too close.

Nico fell onto his bed in exhaustion. He was just so bored. And it really didn't help that this Aphrodite girl named Emanheline or something kept trying to flirt with him. She was kind of weird. She kept asking him if he wanted to play with Barbies. Sons of Hades do not play with Barbies!

A knock resounded on his cabin door, and Nico groaned inwardly as he drew himself up to answer it. If it was Thalia, holding a coloring book because she knew that he was bored, he was going to shut it in her face.

"Hello, son." Okay, so it wasn't Thalia.

"Um, hi Dad." Nico stood at the door awkwardly, wondering what he was supposed to do.

"Would you like to let me in?" Hades asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sure." Nico stepped back, his face burning, as his dad walked into his part-time home and surveyed the mess. The only occupant was a teenage boy, so Hades really couldn't blame his son.

"Is there something you needed, uh, Dad?" Nico questioned hesitantly.

"Yes. How shall I put it to you?" Hades frowned, and pondered on it for a moment. "Ah, yes. Do you know how your cousin, Thalia Grace, has been acting…rather strange?"

"She's a total nutcase." Nico clarified.

"Yes, well, you see, there is this test that the gods bestow upon the Big Three children to assess how well they work together, and understand and realize each other's needs."

"Thalia's already taken this test, hasn't she?" Nico nodded, catching on faster than even Hades had expected.

"Well, yes. Now, son, it is your turn to take the test." Hades cleared his throat to fill the awkward silence.

"Well? Where do I take it? Do I need to know things like favorite colors? I mean, because, Percy's is blue, but I forgot what Thalia's is." Nico waited for his dad to answer, wondering why the God of the Underworld looked so uncomfortable.

"That's not exactly the test." Hades mumbled. "You see, your two cousins have been turned into young children, three and five years old. You are responsible for taking care of them, and making sure that they don't kill each other."

"WHAT? I have to babysit?" Nico looked at his father incredulously. "I'm a horrible babysitter! I almost murdered the last kid I tried to babysit!"

"Uh…the aura of your demigod…ness…has been removed so monsters cannot track you down while you are caring for your cousins, um, you can go in the air, underground, and in the water with no problem, and on your bed is a wallet that holds unlimited cash, credit card, and drachmas, just in case you need it. Other than that, um, good luck. Bye!" Hades blurted out, and then snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Nico stared at the spot where Hades had been standing, hoping that it was all a nightmare.

Then, he heard it. A soft crying noise from outside his cabin. The door swung open of its own accord, and right before his own eyes, a short, black haired little girl with electric blue eyes and an even smaller little boy with black hair and sea green eyes stood, holding each other.

"Nico!" The girl shouted, recognizing him.

"Nicko?" The boy looked confused.

"No, stupid. Nico." The girl snapped.

"Uh…" Nico sank onto his bed, unable to process what was going on.

"You know Nico, stupid. He's taking care of us. Do you remember me?" The girl sounded exasperated.

"Nope." The little boy popped the 'p' sound, obviously enjoying the little girl's dramatic speech.

"I'm Thalia! And you're Percy!" She roared.

Nico whimpered softly. These were his cousins?