More Than You Know (Oneshots)

Where To Draw The Line

NICO POV

I've never been one to cry that much. It's just a fact about me, I suck it up and I don't cry about it. After becoming the Ambassador for Hades, my father, I practiced that skill even more. My father is always up my back, constantly yelling at me for being useless and not doing anything right. Now, don't get me wrong, I can take a few comments. But every time he brings up the fact that Bianca would have done better, my heart breaks.

That was a low blow.

Talking about my dead sister, to my face, and saying I should have died instead of her?

That's not just a low blow, that's a freaking foul shot.

Soon after that, I found myself sitting alone in the forest, thinking about my relationship with my father. Sure, it made me sad, but this was one of the first times I had ever allowed a tear to slip because of it.

I was sitting all peacefully and quietly on my own when, all of a sudden, I started to hear the sound of twigs snapping and someone lumbering over towards me. Thinking it was a monster, I hastily picked up my sword and held it up in a defendable position.

"Easy there Nico," a familiar voice said, with a hint of humor. "You never could beat me before!"

Percy.

Gods. Why did he, if all people have to come to my spot?

I quickly dried my tears and sat back down, not saying anything. He just took a seat next to me, resting his head against the trunk of the tree, and contented himself by just staring at me so intensely.

I know he knows that I know that he knows that I cried.

I was just waiting for him to bring it up.

What if I brought it up first? Maybe I could ease down in the lesson I'll be getting from the cousin that assumed the role of my big brother.

"It was nothing," I told him. "Just had a couple of bad days and then my dad... well, I thought I could be alone for a bit but I forgot you're the only idiot demigod that goes into these woods.

"Your... dad?" he repeated, furrowing his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at him. That's what he's stuck on?

"Yes! He called me down for something and I went and I got the full blown lecture again. That's it!"

Percy had a weird expression on his face.

"Has... has he ever hurt you like this before?" Percy asked me. Where were all of these questions coming from?

"Well, um, I've never cried about it before, but yeah, I guess. I mean, he's always a little angry and sometimes he yells, that's it."

Percy looked really focused right now, but it didn't seem like he was focused on me.

"You have to protect yourself," he said forcefully, as if trying to get it through my skull. "The gods, they weren't built to be parents. They don't know how. Draw the line, Nico. Don't let him hurt you like this."

He looked so serious I couldn't tell where all the passion was coming from. He seemed so intent on making sure that I couldn't let my dad hurt me.

My dad hurt me.

What would Percy know about that?

"I don't understand Percy."

He looked at me, with a sad expression on his face.

"I mean exactly what I said. Don't let Hades hurt you. Screw him and screw the gods. If he tries to hurt you, shadow travels your way out of it. Don't let him say stuff like that to you and don't ever let him actually physically hurt you. I'll be damned if he does, you hear me? It'll be hard at first, but you need to learn how. If you can't, tell me. I know our relationship is rocky, but this is the one thing you have to tell me about, no matter what."