You Are Not My Family

Chapter 4

Nico's POV

When Nico found that interview was televised, he freaked out at school, went home, and freaked out in private. In the closet. Behind some winter coats.

He lived with his girlfriend (not like that you perverts) in a big tan house with red shutters. He had been running away from a pack of hellhounds when he ran into Jess. She had been sitting on the curb, shooing a stray cat away from her house when she saw him run by, hellhound on his tail. She took down two with her short swords and then her aunt shot the last one with a gun, loaded with celestial bronze bullets.

As it turned out, Jess was a daughter of Nike (the first of her kind since they had been evacuted about 2 years ago) and her aunt Brenda was the daughter of Morpheus, the god of dreams. Aunt Brenda was Jessica's dad's adopted sister. Jess and her aunt had taken Nico in and enrolled him in school. After a few months, his relationship with Jess had grown into something more. He had been living with them ever since but now it was time to go.

He found Jessica outside sitting on the curb, "Hey. You know we have to leave now, right?"

Jess propped her elbow under her chin and raised an eyebrow, "You mean YOU have to leave now. There's no reason for me to uproot and leave my home just because YOU'RE running from a caring family."

Nico's heart practically shattered, "Well yeah, I guess."

She smiled and shoved him playfully, "YOU have to leave, but I'm tired of school so I'm going with you. We leave tomorrow." She sighed, "I just wished I didn't have to leave my auntie."

Nico sat dow next to her and wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders. Living in a house with three demigods, two of them powerful, left you open for LOTS of attacks. Aunt Brenda had a training room in the basement, so between weekend sword training, soccer practice, and monster attacks, Nico's arms were packed with lean muscles.

       He had also grown remarkably taller, the doctor said it was because he didn't eat enough. When Aunt Brenda heard that she made it her personal duty to get Nico to his full potential. He was six feet tall before he could utter, 'Sweet potatoe pie.'

   

       He nuzzled his head into her hair,"It's ok. Miss Brenda will always remember you, she loves you. Hey? Why are you sitting on the curb? You hate the outdoors."

Jess wiped her eye quickly, but Nico still saw. "It's a tradition. Every December fourth, I sit on the curb and remember."

         Nico's forehead crinkled, "Remember what?"

       She buried her head in his chest and barely audibly whispered, "My brother's death."

      Nico was confused, "This is my one-year anniversary of finding you guys. When I came running by you were on the curb."

     She nodded, "Yeah."

      They sat there in silence for a few minutes while Nico let this sink in. He had told Jessica about Bianca but she had never revealed anything about a brother. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jess shook her head yes, then no, then yes again. She took a deep breath, "My dad was a star athlete. He was kind and strong and talented, everything my mother could have ever wanted in a man. She fell in love with him and eventually had me and my twin brother Justin." Her voice hitched on the name and Nico nodded in a go on type of way.

"Anyway my mom soon left after that but it didn't bother my dad. What bothered him was the fact that he was getting old and slow, and the Lions dumped him soon after that. That was when we were two. He started making deals with local gangs to make money, he always had to have more, as if being a millionaire and living in a huge house wasn't enough for him."

"When we were five, he started going out alot, we learned to take care of oursleves. I would periodically go shopping and Justin would clean. Every day when I got home, I would find him on the curb, waiting for dad. When dad did get home, Justin would run up and hug him. Dad would pat him on the head once and push him away."

"When we turned nine, Dad stopped coming back. He just left one day. My brother was sitting on the curb and I asked him if he understood that dad was gone for good. He said yeah. So I asked him why he was still waiting. He said because there was always something worth waiting for. I laughed, shoved him a little, called him stupid, and went inside."

A tear dripped down her cheek, "The last thing I said to him was so mean and I never should have gone inside. The gangs were angry, My dad had never paid them back since he left. They shot Justin dead and I ran, Nico. I ran so fast. I didn't stop to yell or cry or anything, I just ran. I left his body there. He was my twin, we were connected, he was my best friend, the only person in the world who loved me, and I just left him for dead the second I saw that guy coming. I was on my own for a good month or so, it was scary, being nine and alone in Detroit. Eventually my mom sent Autntie to come find me but I still can't go a day without thinking of him."

Nico's favorite sweatshirt was soaked now but he didn't care. He held her close, "Shhhh, I understand."

She shook her head, "No you don't. Sometimes I feel like it's my fault, like he would be alive if I had helped him, or made him come inside. But at the same time it's his fault, you know. Cause he shouldn't have been out there waiting when he knew dad wasn't coming back."

Nico nodded, "If I hadn't been alive, Bianca wouldn't have joined the hunters, she wouldn't have felt the need to be free. But if she had stopped being selfish and stayed with me, than she could still be alive today. I think about her everyday too. So yes, I understand."

Jess leaned her head on his shoulder and he stroked her hair, he loved the way her dark purple eyes shined in the moonlight. He loved the way her hair looked like it was made of silk. And he loved her fearless, sort of prideful, sarcastic additude. He just loved....her.

They looked into each others eyes and she placed a sweet kiss on his lips, they would leave tomorrow.

Hazel's POV

After hearing Nico was in school, she had immediately gone to the computer and typed in his name. What came up was an ENTIRE Wikepedia page on her brother!

It said: Nico di Angelo (no middle name) born1998 "That's a joke." Hazel said outloud. Age: 15. Another joke. Height: 6' 0". Geez. Current residential home: 1454 Meadowbrook Lane, Denver CO. Bingo!

Then there was a school paper article on him. Nico di Angelo came to Mission Creek High with the intent to join the soccer team. He had made the team, challenged the captain, and taken his place, in the span of one week. He led the Mission Creek bulldogs to the state championship in late November. At the end of the game, he had shocked everyone by kissing Jessica Robinson, a fellow sophmore. They live together, as Nico is an orphan. Nico di Angelo has recently been discovered to be a child genius after scoring a 100% on his aptitude test. If he wishes, he shall go to college early, but he says "I could never leave Jess like that. She's my life. Without her I don't know where I would be."

Hazel finished the article with her eyes wide. Nico played soccer? She had never seen him once touch a soccer ball. He led his team to the state championship? He was definitely not a people person. He lived with his girlfriend? That was indecent. He was a genius? Ok so she already knew that last one but she wasn't quite over it yet.

She printed out the sheet and stuffed it in thier suitcase. They knew where Nico was now. He couldn't run forever.