Prologue/summary:

Ever loved someone knowing that they'll never love you back? Ever felt that no matter what you did just to get their attention, they will never see it as anything more than just your idiotic way of expressing yourself? Ever went by everyday putting on a straight face, having to burden all this pain? Having to love someone that even if they loved you back, couldn't ever be with you because it was forbidden? Thats exactly how Nico Di Angelo felt about loving Thalia Grace. He went by everyday, knowing that he will never be able to bring his sister back to life because she had decided to be reborn, knowing that no matter how much he loved Thalia that she could never feel the same and they could never be together.

Nico had developed a crush on Thalia ever since she and Percy had saved him and his sister from the manticore at West Over.

He had saw her as a beautiful punk rocker girl with spiky black hair and electrifying blue eyes.

He had tried to get to know her more when they had reached Camp Half-Blood, but she never gave him much attention. She was too preoccupied with Annabeth missing and the fact that the Hunters of Artemis were staying at camp.

He was selfish and naive at that time. He was mad that Bianca had left him for the hunters. He wanted Bianca to be there to give him guidance when he needed it most. He felt alone for the first time. He felt unwanted. Unloved.

Then Thalia passed by him and saw the pained look on his face. She felt pity for the poor little ten year old boy. She understood what it was like to feel alone and unloved. She was basically alone for quite some time before Luke had taken her under his wing, much like what he did for Annabeth. She knew how it felt to be unloved as well because of her mother. She never had anyone to look over her and made sure she was alright. The closest person she had to a parent was probably Luke and if Percy was being truthful about Luke's betrayal, than Luke was no longer part of her life anymore.

She sat down next to Nico at her own pine tree and put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, are you alright?" She had asked him with a look of concern.

Nico looked up at Thalia, who was at least six inches taller than him, and shrugged. He could feel his heart pounding faster as every second went by.

"I'm...decent." He said quietly, hopping not to show any traces of the fact that he had been crying.

Thalia gave him a sympathetic smile and wiped away a stray tear that was slowly falling down his left cheek. She remembered having done the same thing to Annabeth when they had found her huddled next to a statue, alone and very much afraid of the strangers standing right in front of her.

"No seriously, what's wrong?"

Nico looked down at his hands and the pain that had been haunting him before came back to him.

He had looked so timid and vulnerable back then.

Thalia pulled him into a hug, letting little Nico cry on her shoulder.

When the seemingly endless droplets of tears had stopped flowing, Thalia had asked him again what was bothering him.

Nico looked down and for a second Thalia was afraid that he would break down into tears again. But instead he took a deep breath and told her exactly what was bothering him. He told her how he felt about Bianca basically leaving him and how alone and unwanted he had felt.

Thalia gave him another sympathetic look and told him that she understood how it felt to be alone and unwanted. She explained to him the struggles she had went through before reaching Camp Half-Blood.

Nico gave her his undivided attention. And for the first time in all his life, he had finally found someone, other than his sister, that actually understood him. He had felt a special connection to Thalia. And that was also the first time Nico had ever fallen for someone.

"...And that's basically my life story." Thalia concluded.

Nico looked at Thalia with a newfound understanding. He had never expected that Thalia's life would be so horrible, so full of betrayal, hurt and agony. It had never crossed his mind that Thalia would have so much pain in her past.

Every time Nico saw Thalia at camp, he had seen her as confident and intimidating, always knowing when and what to do and never regretting anything she had done. Now he knew that in all these two days he had known Thalia that her attitude was really just a facade. An act. Something she did to mask all that shes been through.

Nico surprised Thalia by giving her a meaningful hug.

Thalia stumbled back a little, but hugged him back nonetheless.

To Thalia, Nico reminded her all too well of her lost brother, Jason Grace. Nico was innocent and naive, much like Jason the last time she saw him. That was the one thing she didn't tell Nico about her life.

She couldn't bare with the fact that her mother was just so careless as to just give away her own son like that. Bad enough that her mother was unstable and was always an attention-seeking drunkard. But giving away her own son? And to Hera of all people? That was one of the many things she could never truly understand.

Another thing she could've never understand was the fact that Bianca had just deserted her brother without even giving much thought into it made Thalia's blood boil. How could she? At least she even had a brother! A brother that cared so much about her and she had just left.

Thalia would've given anything to have Jason back. She would never leave Jason behind the way Bianca had to Nico.

Although to be fair, Thalia could understand that having to basically raise your little brother and having to always be the responsible one could be really tiring. And Thalia did somewhat respect Bianca for having to put up with the kid for so long.

"Thalia?" Nico asked all of a sudden.

Thalia looked down at the little kid that was still hugging her tightly as if the world was depending on it, "Yeah?"

"Promise that you won't leave me behind?"

Thalia smiled. That was the one thing she could be sure of that she would never do. "Promise."