[Edited July 3. 2023]

"Who, Nico?" the boy in question fell silent. He certainly couldn't tell them that the god of the underworld was the only one who could allow him to tell them his secret. He also couldn't tell them that said Greek god was his father, which is why he was the one he made the oath with. That wasn't an option. So, he couldn't tell the truth. At least, not all of it. Though Nico was getting tired of having to lie for the gods. He wanted to have just one thing in his life that wasn't complicated-- that wasn't shrouded in mystery or lies. He wanted to tell the truth.

"It doesn't matter. There are only two ways that I can tell you. If they let me or if you guess. They aren't going to let me, so you better guess." He said before leaving the room, unwilling to continue being interrogated. Nico didn't hear them follow him so he assumed that they were still in the gym discussing this new information. Let them talk. They probably didn't want him around right then anyway. He had probably just lost all their trust-- something that could have easily been avoided if he had better impulse control. He'd been told that it was a symptom of ADHD, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

The son of Hades just really wanted to talk to Percy or Annabeth, or someone who he didn't have to lie to. He didn't have to make sure he didn't say something wrong to them. He didn't have to hide anything life-altering from them. They may still not be close with him, but at least they trusted him to some extent. He and Percy had been working on their relationship a little bit. and they were a lot better now. Percy understood why had done what he did at the doors of Orpheus. There was still tension, but the son of Poseidon had mostly forgiven him now. Percy wasn't really one for holding grudges.

While he was waiting for the others to go back to their normal activities, he visited the kitchen to grab a protein bar as a snack. He ate it at the counter, letting his mind wander onto all the different types of things he should ask Bruce to teach him. If Bruce still wanted anything to do with him after today, that is. For one, he was interested in learning other languages and brushing up on his Italian. He had never regretted learning Greek or Latin and doubted he would ever regret learning more languages. 

Maybe he could also have him teach him how to use a grappling hook, though Nico wasn't sure if he would ever be able to quite get the hang of that. He was never really comfortable with his feet off the ground There were other skills he wanted to learn too, like how to use a gun or throw knives. His younger self would have been bouncing off the walls at the idea of learning how to throw knives. It may not be particularly useful, but it would be fun to learn.

Having finished the snack, Nico threw the wrapper away and started making his way back up to his room. The demigod was so lost in thought that he rammed his shoulder into a wall while turning a corner. He stumbled back a few paces and glared at it.

"Why are you in my way stupid barrier!?" he hissed at it, he had always wanted to say that. It wasn't as satisfying out loud as it had been in his head. He heard a chuckle behind him and he turned around to see Dick standing there. Turns out that Alfred wasn't the only one who could appear suddenly. Nico took comfort in the fact that he didn't seem to be angry with him. Maybe he hadn't totally ruined things with the Waynes just yet. Or maybe Dick just didn't hold grudges.

"What did the 'stupid barrier' ever do to you?" He wanted to know.

"It existed. What do you want?" Nico shot back. Dick shrugged and pushed off the wall.

"I want to know what is bugging you, mostly." Nico eyed him. Why was he interested? Hadn't Bruce warned them to be cautious around him? Why would he care about whether or not anything was going on with him? Dick seemed to be genuinely curious so Nico decided to humor him.

"I'm just frustrated. I didn't want to ruin your trust in me earlier. I want to tell you what is wrong, but I can't," he started, "Now I doubt that Bruce will let me leave to see a friend from camp. I can't blame him, but I haven't seen him in a while." Nico said with a sigh. He rubbed his hand down his face.

"Who, Percy?" Nico shot the older boy a look. "You don't exactly have a lot of friends." 

"Yeah, Percy."

 "Is he at camp?" Nico shrugged.

"If he was he would have tried to get in contact with me by now," he said, knowing that he didn't have any mortal means of communicating, "He would know that I wasn't at camp. He must still be in Manhattan." he reasoned. Nico didn't mention getting in contact with him at the mall, because he couldn't very well tell Dick about Iris Messages. 

"Can you call him?" Without thinking, Nico violently shook his head no. Richard looked at the younger boy in confusion and some concern. His voice went gentle as he spoke, "ok, ok... no calling." Nico felt silly, Dick probably thought he was afraid of the device itself now.

"Yeah, never mind I'll just send him a letter I guess. He will get it when he gets back to camp, I'm sure," he said, thinking of Iris messaging him later that night. He'd have to actually send a letter or something and wait for a long enough time for it to have actually made it to Percy to keep the others from getting suspicious, but at least he could talk to someone for now. It was better than nothing, that's for sure.

That night Nico waited until the others left on patrol to IM Percy. He was in the middle of dinner and was stuffing his face with pizza. This was nothing new-- the boy could eat like one of his father's creations. Though this told Nico that the older demigod was definitely at camp because he would never eat like that in front of Sally.

"Percy!" he called. Percy's eyes shot up from his food and his eyes widened almost comically at the sight of him. did he really look different or was he just surprised? Nico looked down at his outfit. It was a simple black T-shirt and a pair of dark gray sweatpants. Maybe he did look a little odd.

"Nico! Chiron told me you were actually being adopted. I thought this was temporary?"

"There's nothing official yet, "Nico assured him, "But it's a possibility. Bruce Wayne offered to make it official. I've been living with him and his family for a while now."

"So you're living with mortals?" Percy scrunched up his nose. He had lived with mortals way longer than Nico had. Longer than most of the kids at camp had. He of all people had a reason to mistrust mortals. Nico could tell that his stepfather Gabe hadn't exactly been a good experience from the hints that Percy had dropped over the years. The son of Hades felt it fitting that man had been turned to stone.

"Yeah." He didn't elaborate-- feeling awkward. Nico didn't want to talk about the situation he was currently in. He knew that Percy wouldn't react well to knowing that Bruce was suspicious of him. Percy's loyalty would be the death of him someday. Apparently, his apprehension was clear because Percy frowned.

"Why did you IM me? Are you in trouble? Do you need help?" Nico waved away his question. He didn't want him to get the wrong ideas. Bruce may be mad at him right now, but Nico didn't think that he was in any real danger. Wouldn't Bruce have done something to him already if he were angry? Wouldn't he have already tried to force it out of him as Batman or lecture him as Bruce? Nico wasn't sure what constituted normal punishments these days. It had been a long time since he had had a parental figure around to enact discipline. Hades' version of punishment was to send him to his room at the palace or lecture him. Was that a typical father thing to do?

"I'm fine, Percy. I just wanted to let you know that I am ok. This was all pretty unexpected but I don't think I'm in danger here. I'm in Gotham, with Bruce Wayne. It's not a bad set-up if you ask me." He mused, gesturing around the room. He didn't share any of his other concerns with Percy-- he didn't want to worry him. Plus, anytime he brought up things from his past, people gave him a pitying look. He couldn't stand that look.

"Well, you need to be careful. Especially with everything going on." He said sternly, suddenly serious.

"What's going on?" The son of Hades asked, not entirely sure of what he was talking about.

"You know, with the monsters?" Nico stared at him blankly, "The monsters aren't staying dead." He lost focus and sank into his thoughts, Percy kept talking but he didn't hear him. Horrible images of invincible monsters crossed the younger's mind. Then he felt a glimmer of hope...Bianca. He could bring her back.

Nico cut the connection with Percy after a hasty farewell. He grabbed his backpack and then shadow traveled to the doors of Orpheus. He pulled out a reed pipe that he had taken from a fallen satyr during the war. At the time, he was planning on putting it in the attic with the other artifacts but he had never gotten around to it. Nico held it to his lips and played the worst-sounding note he could. It wasn't so hard-- he sucked at musical instruments.

The rock split and the stairs to the underworld appeared. Nico didn't hesitate to continue his journey-- he was on a mission that he could not fail. Nico walked straight past Cerberus and the checkpoints and past the fields of punishment and asphodel to Elysium. It wasn't exactly a happy reunion. He searched for hours and hours to find Bianca, but he couldn't. Nico felt my heart crush in on itself like a tin can, she had tried for rebirth. Bianca was gone. He walked back through Elysium and into Asphodel, mindlessly watching the spirits who forgot who they were. Now he would never see her again, even after he died, maybe it would be kinder to go to Asphodel.

He passed most spirits by without a second glance. They didn't know who or where they were. They were lost to time. Their faces were of little consequence to him. There was one, however, that caught his eye. She was looking about the place, her reddish/brown, frizzy, hair framing her face. Her skin was dark, cocoa brown, and unblemished. Something about her stuck out. Her eyes didn't look lost, she knew why she was here-- she remembered her past. But why?

Nico felt connected to her, more than he had with anyone ever before-- his instinct was to protect her. Her aura was that of death, but also something colder. She was a child of Hades or some death god at least. If the Roman demigods actually do exist, like that one soul in Elysium had told me, then she could be a daughter of Pluto. He had claimed to be a son of Mercury and died at the hands of a cyclops. Either way, she was his sister and he was here to help. She may not be the person he had come for, but she was better than leaving empty-handed. She was a second chance.

He went to the spirit, "You're different," the spirit looked up at him with beautiful, almost golden eyes, "You remember your past."

The spirit watched him. Nico could see that she was curious-- eyeing him carefully. Normal souls were not curious, "I came here looking for my sister, but I couldn't find her. I was hoping to bring her back from the dead." Nico wasn't sure why he was telling her these things but he felt the need to say it.

"You're my sister too, you deserve a second chance. Come with me." He held out his hand to her and she took it. Nico dragged her across the barriers of the different afterlives and out the gates. Cerberus barked but didn't dare leave his post as the son of Hades ran off with his newfound sister. He took her back to where the doors of Orpheus were. This time, there was a sign above the door that read exit.

He didn't know if this would work as a means to bring her back but he knew that she deserved a chance and this was it. Nico pointed towards the stairs, "Go, I will be right behind you. Don't look back until I say, you hear?" The girl nodded. Nico told her not to look because this was the same exit that Hades told Orpheus to use to bring his love back. The one condition had been that he could not look back until they were both out of the Underworld. Orpheus turned around too quickly and his wife remained dead. This was so close to the same story that he decided it couldn't hurt to not look.

After what seemed like forever they reached the top and they walked out into the cold air. The girl stood in front of him, solid again, inhabiting her own body. She had yet to turn around and the doors closed safely behind him.

"Ok, you can turn around now, I think," he said, checking to make sure the doors were really closed. The girl turned around to face him, her face was even prettier with blood flowing in her veins again. Her eyes were a little scared and also full of wonder.

"Thank you, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be alive. I am alive, right? I feel alive." She asked watching him carefully as she ran her hands down her sides to see if she was real, though ghosts could still touch other ghosts and themselves so...

"It would seem so. Do you remember who you are? What about your name?" He asked, knowing she would be disoriented. This was a lot to take in for both of them.

"My name is Hazel. Hazel Levesque and I am..." she trailed off.

"Are what?" he coaxed.

"You won't believe me..." Hazel looks back at the sealed doorway, "on the other hand, maybe you would. I think I am a daughter of Pluto, the Roman god of the dead." He nodded.

"Very good, you remember more than I thought you would. I am Nico di Angelo, son of... Pluto." He caught himself. I didn't think that it was wise to tell her that he was a Greek. There must be a reason that the two don't mix. Right?

"You're a child of Pluto too?" Her eyes widened hopefully. The demigod knew that look. It was hope. The hope that you were no longer alone in the world. It was then that he knew he had made the right decision.

"Yep."

"Where am I now? This certainly isn't Alaska." She said looking around.

"Alaska? Why in the god's names were you in Alaska?" Nico asked, having heard from his father that Alaska was the land that the gods cannot reach. How had she ended up there of all places? Hazel hesitated before she eventually gave in and told her story. It was a long and sad tale, and Nico could tell that she had left a lot out, but he didn't pry. She would tell him when and if she was ready.

"My mother was mad at Pluto and moved us there. Gaea made her do it though, put voices in her head," Hazel shrugged uncomfortably. Her mother was apparently a touchy subject. Nico could relate.

"What would the Earth primordial want with your mother?" He asked. It wasn't like she wanted a kid that emanated death, right?

"She needed her, to use me," Hazel said quietly, looking away from him and into the light-polluted sky.

"Why would she want a child of death?" Nico asked, thoroughly confused.

"Death? I am not a child of death?" Hazel asked, now also confused.

"Can you not raise the dead?"

"Like zombies?" She asked, looking slightly green.

"Sort of? But not the kind you see in the movies. I just raise skeletons and talk to ghosts. If you can't do that, what can you do?" He asked, interested. Hazel looked conflicted for a moment before sighing. He had a feeling she was about to tell him something that hadn't been a part of her earlier story.

"I can summon things of value. Like precious metals or stones. Though, whoever touches them besides my mother or myself dies a painful death," she said sadly.

"Why?"

"When I was close to being born, Hades offered my mother a wish. She asked for all the riches under the Earth." Hazel explained, "Pluto warned her that it might have horrible consequences, but she didn't care. I was born with the curse of being followed by cursed money. It pops up wherever I go. Just look there, another one." Hazel pointed at the ground behind him, there was a diamond ring sitting on the grass. He slowly stepped away from the trinket and allowed Hazel to pick it up.

"Handy, if you want to kill someone greedy," Nico said humorlessly. Hazel nodded sadly.

"Yeah, but I don't." She whispered. There was an uncomfortable silence between them as Nico digested this new information. Where could he take her so that she wouldn't endanger anyone?

"I'll need to take you to Camp soon-- sometime this week at the latest. There they can help you learn how to defend yourself. You can learn to control your abilities." Nico suggested. Hazel nodded numbly. She was probably overwhelmed. He'd been much the same when he'd first arrived at Camp Half-Blood and then again when he'd met Minos and discovered his heritage. It was different for Hazel, though. She already knew that demigod life wasn't what it was cracked up to be. 

"Where will I stay beforehand?" Hazel asked. Nico already had someone in mind for that.

"Time for you to meet an eccentric... friend of mine." He'd said the word friend like a question, not feeling that the word quite encompassed all that Pamela was to him. He continued, "She acts more like a 'mother figure' really." He said grinning at how interesting this was going to be.

"Um, ok? Lead the way I guess." Nico reached out and grabbed her hand and in seconds they were a couple of blocks away from toxic acres. He had just pictured Ivy when he traveled so she should be around there somewhere. Hazel leaned against the wall to recover from the jump. He really should have warned her beforehand, but it had been so long since he'd taken anyone through the shadows with him that it hadn't occurred to him.

 They were standing in a dark, cold alley that had vines literally covering the walls. He didn't want to just drag Hazel into Toxic Acres, having learned from Dick that the place was literally hazardous to enter. He needed a way to contact Ivy that wouldn't reveal his demigod status or put the two of them at risk. He stared at the densely packed foliage in the alley until he got an idea. Nico leaned over to the vines, hoping that this would work and that he wasn't about to look like an idiot for no reason. He knew that plants talked to Ivy, but did they talk to each other?

He said to it, "Tell Ivy that Nico needs to ask her for a favor, please."  Talking to a vine felt even more idiotic than he'd expected, especially when Hazel looked at him like he had lost his mind. However, in a few minutes, Poison Ivy herself rushed into the alley. Her hair was kind of frizzy and her dress looked a little ruffled. Nico walked out of the shadows so Ivy could see him. As soon as she had spotted him she was checking him over for injuries.

"Nico! Are you ok? Is that clown bothering you?" She scanned the area as if looking for the threat.

"I'm ok, Ivy. I promise. I called you here because a friend of mine needs a place to lay low for a little while until I can move them. Will you help us?" He asked in a pleading voice. Ivy looked him over before glancing at Hazel, who had retreated from the shadows a little way. She obviously didn't know what to make of his woman, but she didn't make it too obvious on her face.

"Nico, are you in trouble? " Nico silently thanked Persephone for turning him into that dandelion all that time ago.

" I promise I am not in any trouble that I can't handle. I just got her out of a bad situation and she needs a place to hide from her parents until I can get her out of town," he explained. He felt bad about it, but the little white lie was a necessary evil.

"She can stay with me at toxic acres if she wants," Ivy looked over the daughter of Pluto with heavy consideration. She nodded to herself, "Why not? We girls have to stick together, don't we?" Hazel nodded, but her eyes gave away how overwhelmed she was feeling.

"Great! Thank you so much, Ivy. I'll owe you," Nico said gratefully.

 "Don't be silly. I told you to call me if you needed anything right? I meant it. Now, before you come into Toxic Acres, I have an inhaled antidote that you both need to take so that you can be there without dying slowly." 

"I would much prefer not dying," he said agreeably. Ivy continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"This one will allow you to come and go as you please. Come on now, before the bat comes to check on me." Ivy handed them two flowers, each holding the antidote. All we had to do was allow the plant to attach to our faces for a couple of seconds and breathe in. It was a terrifying concept, but a necessary risk. Nico went first so that Hazel knew it was safe. Normally, he wouldn't have trusted Ivy, but she seemed to think of him as her kid. There was also the fact that she had no motive to hurt us yet even with the vines adorning the walls. Not to mention Nico felt sort of connected to her, it must have been his inner dandelion. Either way, he trusted her.

The antidote smelled like roses and he didn't die or pass out, so he assumed Ivy hadn't tricked them and they both followed her deep into toxic acres. He was definitely happy that He had taken the antidote. This place felt toxic just by the way the air settled on his skin. Hopefully, the antidote would prevent him from breaking out in hives, too. 

"This way, you two." Ivy beckoned the pair towards the least run-down condo. It was completely overgrown and there were no windows. All the windows had tree limbs sticking out of them, and some of the limbs had mutated fruits on them. Hazel was watching him, looking nervous about being here. It must have been quite a shock seeing all the skyscrapers and cars and stuff. She wasn't too surprised by Ivy, having seen her fair share of people with incredible powers. Nico gave her a reassuring smile, which felt foreign on his face. Nico led the way, following Ivy into her house that might as well have been a part of nature.

There were trees and flowers manifesting themselves on practically every level surface there was. Even on the chandeliers, which made the lights dance eerily on the walls. This was his kind of place. He wasn't so fond of the plant life but the place was dark and gloomy, reminding him of home. Though, the smell was certainly something he would have to get used to. It didn't smell bad, the scent was just a bit too strong for his taste. Too...earthy.

"Nico dear? That door straight down the hall is yours if you ever need it. The last door on the left, Hazel, is yours. If you need anything, just ask." Ivy pointed down the hall and Hazel hugged him-- catching him off guard. What was that for?

"Thank you again. Be safe, got it?" She said before turning and heading down the hall. He guessed that was goodbye. It made sense that she would need some time to adjust, so Nico tried not to feel hurt. This was a lot to take in. He could give her time.

"Yes ma'am," he said sarcastically. Ivy poked him on the shoulder. When he looked at her, she curled her finger, beckoning him into her living room. Nico followed her curiously. She looked around him as if seeing if she was being watched before smiling at him with a slightly green-tinted smile. Nico thought her enamel was combined with chlorophyll. He didn't like the mischief in her smile.

"Sooooo," Ivy purred mischievously, "Who's the girl? A girlfriend, I hope?" She wiggled her eyebrows conspiratorially. Nico snorted in complete disbelief.

"No! No! Nothing like that! She's my... half-sister. I'm pretty sure that she would be my half-sister... either way, we're related," he replied.

"Awww, I like her. You could have been cute together. You will bring your... what's the term? significant other over when you get one?" She sounded like an actual mother now, excited about her child's life. Nico would have laughed had he not been blushing. He hadn't really had much time for a relationship recently. He hadn't been in a relationship since before he'd left the Lotus Casino. If he'd had one before then, he couldn't remember it.

"Err, sure." He agreed. Ivy smiled and kissed him on the forehead. Nico stared at her for a couple of seconds, completely at a loss. He opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find the words.

"I uh. I should get back to the manor," he said finally before turning and abruptly walking out of the house. When he was outside, he wiped his forehead clean of her green lipstick and shadow traveled back to the manor. Nico landed in his bathroom, just as he had planned. He laid down in bed, wearing just PJ bottoms as Bruce came in to check on him. He pretended to be asleep until he left and soon after that, he actually fell asleep. He was too tired from all the shadow jumps in a row to even dream.