A/N: Caitlin's character is really hard to do. But I love her. Will hopefully update again soon. Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Hazel stood on her porch with her arms crossed over her chest and a glower on her face, the fading sunlight adding a perilous glint. Nico stepped out of the shadows and swallowed.

"I want to try," he said. His voice cracked on 'try'.

"She's not a dog, Nico," she rebuked.

"I know that!" he snapped. His anger faded as quickly as it'd arisen. "It's just that I..." Words escaped him; none of them were sufficient. He didn't think that he could raise a daughter, but Caitlin's mother, another demigod who knew his father's name, believed he could. And the more he thought about Caitlin, the more he wanted to. His own flesh and blood. Ever since Bianca- Percy Jackson- Nico had to try.

Hazel took mercy on him. "Ask Caitlin what she would like to do," she suggested.

She turned away from Nico and walked into her house, holding the door open for him behind her. He hesitated for a brief second before following.

Nico lifted up his hand and, taking a deep breath, knocked. Tiny footsteps pounded frantically on the other side of the door, but she opened the door slowly, peeking out with one eye cautiously.

"May I come in?" he asked. Caitlin nodded and opened the door all the way. He walked in and shut the door behind me.

They proceeded to stand in the center of the room awkwardly for the next minute. Nico didn't know how to ask her.

He cleared his throat. "Do you like it here?"

Caitlin nodded. "Aunt Hazel and Uncle Frank are very nice. They gave me ice cream before supper."

"Before supper?" Nico raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. She grinned back.

"I could- I could, uh, do that, you know, if you, uh, want to, you know… come live with me," he stammered out. "Maybe not every day, because too much ice cream would be bad, but-" And now he was babbling. He forced himself to stop talking.

"But you didn't want me," Caitlin said, eyes pooling with tears. "You left."

"I didn't know about you," he said with a wince. "And you surprised me. Sometime adults do stupid things when they're afraid. But you can stay here. My sister adores you- she's very angry with me." Caitlin nodded and swiped at her tears. Nico knelt down to look his daughter in the eye. "I might not be the best dad ever, but I'll do the best I can and-"

She cut him off by leaping at him and tackling him in a hug. Her body shook with sobs. Nico didn't know what was going on, but he gently pat her back and rocked until her crying subsided into sniffling ten minutes later.

He carefully unhooked her snake-grip on his neck and set her a couple of inches away, wiping the rest of her tears off of her face. "Are you staying here then?" Nico asked uncertainly.

Caitlin shook her head vigorously. "With you, Dad." She looked ecstatic when she said the last word, and Nico couldn't help but get a little teary-eyed himself. "With you."