Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to the series PJO or HOO.

AN: Well, some action in this chapter. Apologies for the late update. Will attempt one every fortnight from now on- that's the task I've set myself. Looking forward to your feedback!

H.

-o-

New York had officially entered a month of transition, and the heavy raindrops customary of April were pattering on the windows as they drove along. It was still early morning, but the traffic was already sluggish. Pedestrians clutched their coats closer to themselves and tightened scarves as they battled the rain and rising wind.

Despite the excitement of yesterday, if you wanted to call it that, Wednesday was still a school day and they had to meet attendance unless they wanted the school administration to come knocking. Hazel decided that she didn't need another issue arising in her life at present, and so she grudgingly grabbed her bag after a quick breakfast and went to meet Reyna in the carpark. Frank was taking a day off to 'de-stress' and visit his grandmother again, so Reyna had to drive them both instead.

"How's Nico?" Hazel asked as she clambered into the car, for her brother didn't appear at breakfast- which wasn't a surprise. "Is this the usual car?"

"Yeah, he's alright. Whatever the idiot doctor was putting into him is making him nauseous, so he's decided to stay in bed for the day until he can get up and walk about without hurling." Reyna didn't address her second question, but Hazel let it pass.

"Darn, that sounds bad."

Reyna made a sound of a nonchalant agreement as she manoeuvred up the ramp that connected the large private garage to the outside world. "Hey, roll up your windows. It's cold outside."

"I didn't even know that you could drive," Hazel blurted out as she did as Reyna asked, "There's just so much that I don't know about everything and everyone around me- I've just felt so lost these last few weeks. Even when Nico was taking me around to fancy places, and I've learnt to trust you again, I'm still so confused."

The car veered to the left as they turned. Reyna glanced at her and grinned, "Don't worry, you still have ages to pick it up. A lifetime of understanding what's going on."

"Gods, that's not what I mean! Why are you not sympathising with me?" Hazel pouted and turned to look outside through the tinted windows.

"Because that's not what friends are for," Reyna laughed out loud but then relented, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

Hazel thought for a moment, "Tell me about my father. What kind of man was he?"

"Whoa, you get straight to the point, don't you?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Reyna indicated and turned right onto Broadway and joined the world of taxis. One honked at them as it sped past. Reyna swore and honked their honk back. "It's just not what rich people do. You ever hear Nico talk? He's got to do a few circles before he gets to the point."

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Just tell me."

"I honestly don't think I knew him nearly well enough to decide what kind of man he was. Plus, I didn't report directly to him either, so I don't even know what kind of boss he would have been. I do know that a lot of people were terrified of him and he had a lot of influence in the city."

"But those things don't often say a lot a person, do they?"

Reyna clenched her teeth and looked frustrated all of a sudden. "I think I believe that a person is the product of all their actions. I don't really believe in a deep down."

Hazel couldn't help but feel crestfallen. "So you didn't know him that well at all? Wait, how did you get hired then? Don't tell me it was through a recruitment process- surely they can't do that when child labour is involved."

"Child labour? Wow, you're sure stacking a lot of crimes on your own father's head! If it makes you happy, I've only met him a few times before. I can tell you about those if you want."

"Really? Go on."

"Well, the first time I met your father, it wasn't under normal circumstances. I vaguely recall that I was robbing him at gunpoint. Or trying to, at least."

"What!"

Reyna held up both hands defensively and lifted her shoulders in a way that meant hey don't blame me, and then placed them back onto the wheel.

"It was definitely justified, if I might say in my defence! There was a whole lead up to it. It's not like I just got bored and decided to steal some money."

"What kind of events could reasonably lead up to you robbing someone at gunpoint?"

"Well. It's a long story."

"New York traffic allows for long stories." Two men were having an argument on the pavement, one of them loudly gesturing to the coffee spilt on his shirt as they both huddle under umbrellas.

Reyna rolled her eyes at the scene, but her voice had taken on a sombre tone when she spoke next, "My father was an army veteran who was honourably discharged from service after being wounded. I'm not sure where or who my mother is, but my sister and I were always told that she left when we were very young. Father always said she was a soldier too."

"After a while, at home, my father went mad- he couldn't readjust to civilian life, you see. My sister and I escaped from the house that he barred us into when he was sleeping. Freedom was great at first, but we were two young girls on the run, with no money and no one else to turn to. Before we left, I had nicked one of Father's guns and I thought I'd make use of it."

She stopped and kept on driving.

"That's it?"

"What else is there to tell?"

Hazel almost smacked her friend, "What happened when you tried to rob him? How are you not in prison? Why did he offer you a job? There's so much more to this story. You are literally the worst storyteller ever."

"Alright. Well, we were hiding in this alleyway from the police and when I looked out, there was a well-dressed businessman getting out of a limo seemingly all alone. And me being who I was, went right up to him and pointed to the gun at his head. But before I could demand money, there were about a dozen guns pointed back at me."

"Nice to know that's the kind of guy my dad was." Hazel groaned.

"But he didn't shoot me or hurt me. Actually, he waved a hand for everyone to stand down and spoke calmly to me. Imagine that! He said that I reminded him of his own daughter, who had had a spirit just as fiery as me. And he offered to train me as a bodyguard and even put my little sister into the care of a lady who could work some serious spa magic. My sister is still there now, helping her out at the spa and living there- all meals and accommodation provided for by your father."

"Why would he do such a big thing for a random girl who had just tried to rob him?"

"I don't know. Maybe even criminal masterminds feel remorse and have good days."

"Maybe you really did remind him of his daughter."

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Have you ever met her before?"

"No. She died before I had a chance to meet her."

Hazel nodded absentmindedly. The familiar name again. Bianca. The sister whose death plagued Nico to no end. The girl who her father had loved so much that he could take in a random girl who reminded him of her. She vowed that she would find out more about this girl one way or another. Maybe Frank knew something that he wasn't telling her.

"Alright. Next question- when did you first meet my brother?"

Reyna maintained her absentminded tone. "Hmmm, it'll be a few years ago now. Shortly after his sister died. I ran into him that time, and a few times after when I went to make a report to Thanato about you."

"Wow… talk about being stalked. You guys seem quite familiar with each other."

Reyna glanced at her guiltily, "Familiar? Nico and I?"

"Like, you guys seem to be better friends than you let on."

Her friend laughed, but her eyes were concealed behind sunglasses so Hazel couldn't telk if it was nervousness or genuine amusement. "It's never good to get too close to your boss's son. You know what I mean?"

"You can't see him in a romantic sense?" Hazel decided to try her luck and test waters. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she was probing into Reyna and her brother's business. It was that damned curiosity. One day it was going to get her into big trouble. Especially when paired with her big mouth.

Reyna hesitated visibly, "What are you trying to get at?" She asked cautiously.

Well, I saw you guys getting it on the other night.

"Nothing! I'm just curious. Gosh, I just wanted to get my best friend's take on the brother that I've only known for a few weeks."

"Why is that questioning being put into a romantic lens then?"

Hazel racked her brain for an excuse. "Errr… well… You've obviously seen him at his worst, and I haven't. So, I just wondered."

Reyna chuckled, her earlier suspicions seemingly forgotten. "Trust me, you don't want to see his worst. That man spirals, you know. He can think himself into depression- it's a rare skill."

"Oh dear."

They turned right onto Washington Bridge and the traffic slowed even more. At this rate they were going to be late to school by the time they got out to the Bronx. Below, Harlem River was so reflective it hurt her eyes to look at so Hazel closed them and leaned back in the heated seat, feeling the light bounce around behind her eyelids. The rain had faded into a faint drizzle now and she felt strangely at peace. The sudden silence that descended on the car was peaceful and comforting. But then Reyna shattered it with one sentence.

"I'm going to tell you something very important that you can't repeat to anyone else, ok?"

Hazel opened her eyes and squinted at her friend. "What? What is it?"

"Someone wants to harm you and Nico. They tried to poison him yesterday. There's no doubt that they'll be after you as well soon. Thanatos has ordered me to investigate who's behind all of this. If there is a who. It might be an entire organisation. Whatever the case, I want you to come with me. It'll be a fortnight at most I think."

Talking about getting straight to the point.

"What- What about school?"

"You're seriously worrying about school at this point in time?"

"No! I'm not- I just don't know what to say. I've never done this before."

Reyna glanced at her, "Neither have I. But we'll be fine. I promise you."

Hazel nodded, and suddenly the day was no longer as pleasant as it had been a few moments ago. "Have you told Nico?"

Her friend took her sunglasses and chucked it into the backseat. "That's the thing. We can't let him know."

"Why?"

Reyna rolled her eyes, "Think about it. He's going to insist we either leave it to the professional detectives or want to come with us. You and I both know that that boy is not made for all this cloak and dagger stuff. He's never had to lift a finger to do anything in his entire life for goodness sakes. Also, Thanatos has information from a very good source that there are spies in the house staff. So, we let anyone know that we're investigating."

"And how are we going to do that? I think they'd know if we were missing for a whole two weeks."

"We just have to make them think that we're missing permanently."

"Missing permanently?" Hazel didn't like the sound of that.

She was about to say more when a large black car pulled up next to them slowly in the crawling traffic. There was something very familiar with it. She was about to direct Reyna's attention it when the tinted side rolled down automatically, and Frank waved at them as he drove up alongside their car.

"Frank?!"

Reyna rolled down her window.

"Hello!" He greeted her loudly. "Good luck! Reyna, I'm ready now. All the plates are switched and everything." He waved gloved hands at them.

"What's going on? Why are you here?" Hazel exclaimed loudly at no one in particular. "Why am I always the only one who doesn't know what's happening?"

Reyna grabbed Hazel's schoolbag off her lap and tossed it into Frank's car through the open windows without a word. Her own bag followed.

"Hey! My homework is in there!"

Hazel complained and then watched aghast as Reyna pulled out her gun and unlocked the safety. She angled back it at the front of Frank's windscreen as she accelerated. Without warning, three shots rang out and Hazel yelped and covered her ears in fright.

"What have you done?!" She looked behind and gasped as Frank's car swerved violently to the right, smashed into the barrier and disappeared off the side of the bridge.

She almost dislocated her shoulder as Reyna suddenly floored the accelerator. They sped through the traffic, colliding and smashing off at least a dozen side mirrors as they fled the bridge.

"What just happened?"

Reyna grinned at her. "Welcome to the afterlife. At least for a few weeks."

Shit.

-o-

A wave of pain reverberated through his upper body as if his heart was punishing him for making it work too hard. The events of the last few weeks had been hard on him, and how he wasn't a complete emotional and physical wreak Nico would never know.

Maybe he was.

A sharp pain erupted again from deep within his chest as he took a shuddering breath, twisting and biting to get his attention. Nico gasped as the feeling slammed its way into his consciousness, and for a moment engulfed all other thought. He spat out the water that run into his mouth and turned off the shower stream. It was time to get out. An hour of standing under the hot water had been pointless. Not to mention that it'll be nearing noon now- time to make an appearance.

Nico wasn't sure what was going on with his body. Perhaps the stress was getting to him. Maybe he was dying. Do people die from stress? At least his stomach felt better than when he had woken up this morning and he considered making a start on the tray that a maid had brought to his room earlier as he dried himself with a towel that had been heated on its rack whilst he showered.

He had just dressed and tied his shoelaces into an acceptable knot resembling a bow when Triton burst into his room, looking uncharacteristically flustered. The two men goggled at each other a while, until Nico recovered from his shock and stood up from the couch slowly, heeding past experience.

"Cousin?"

Triton approached him cautiously, with a guilty look in his eyes. "Nico… I- I have bad news. Though, you'd better sit down first."

Nico was confused as his older cousin took his elbow and pulled him down until they were both seated on the couch. "Where's Uncle Poseidon?"

"He had to go take care of some business with the company. He left last night. Listen, Nico. That's not important right now. Frank is on his way too."

Nico felt something heavy settle into the pit of his stomach. "Why? Has something happened?"

"It's Hazel and Reyna. They're missing."

-o-

By the time they got to the riverbank, a full force of law enforcement had already set up camp. Amidst the cacophony of sirens and media vans, not to mention nosy passers-by, a full team of specialised divers that had been hired by Thanatos was milling about. A makeshift shipping container base for them and their equipment was a hub of activity. Makeshift screens were being set up by the junior members of their security team even as Frank, Triton and Nico forcefully shoved their way through a gaggle of journalists.

Nico covered his face with one hand as the cameras all focused on him and flashed non-stop. Gods, those hurt his eyes. One balding man with a neck made angular from a lifetime of craning at other people's business stepped into their path and thrust a microphone under the young man's chin.

"Is it true that mental health issues are the reason that the Board were so strongly against you taking the position of chairman?" He shrieked. "Are you schizophrenic, Mr di Angelo?"

As Frank shoved the man back non-too gently, another reporter breached the boundaries. "Is it true that your father participated in shipping illicit substances into America? How heavy was his involvement?"

The other journalists took the chance to swarm closer.

"What's your explanation for the earlier shooting incident?"

"How do you know the two dead girls-"

Nico sprung around in to the vague direction of the last question. "They are not dead!"

Though briefly taken back by his furious response, the journalist recovered quickly. "Are they your secret lovers, Mr di Angelo?"

"Are they related to your father's company?"

Triton waved away the swarming crowd and covered Nico's face with the clipboard that one of the detectives had handed to him. They finally made it to the cover of the screens and Nico turned to glance behind him as his family's guards linked arms to keep the increasingly rowdy crowd at bay. He felt like he was going to throw up. Bile rose in his mouth, but with great effort he kept it down.

"Nico? Are you listening?"

"Mmm?" Triton was leading him to the edge of the water now, but Frank had stopped to talk to one of the guards. The usually cheerful and bumbling bodyguard was quiet and serious. He had sunglasses on to cover his eyes, appropriate given the occasion.

"Did you hear any of the run down I just gave you?" Triton stared at his face, as if asking whether he was still around.

"No. Tell me again."

Triton opened his mouth to tell him, but at the moment, a police officer jogged up to them. "Sir!" He saluted to the group and relaxed when Triton waved a hand at him. "The vehicle has been located at the bottom of the river by our divers. There doesn't seem to be any way to bring it up at this point in time. We'll need a cargo boat with a crane to raise it out, with the water pressure. It'll take a few hours."

"Where's my-" Nico caught himself at the last minute even as Triton was about to jump in, "Where are the passengers?"

"The water is too polluted to be able to make out much. But there are no heat signatures detected within or around the car. It is very likely that if they were unable to escape, their bodies will still be in there still strapped by seatbelts. Otherwise, the current could have relocated them further downstream."

Nico felt like the world had been pulled from under his feet. "I- We'll wait then. Until you guys get the car up at least." He thought he should have been grateful for the arm that Triton wrapped around his shoulders, but it felt too constricting. Surely this was a dream, a nightmare of sorts. Reyna was one of the more formidable women that he had ever met. And Hazel could hold her own as well. There was no way that they were dead when just yesterday the three of them had talked and laughed together. Nothing snuffs out joy and happiness like death, he thought.

Raindrops were falling now, hard and heavy. It was a fitting day for death, Nico thought numbly.

Unaware in his grief, he didn't realise that Frank had appeared behind them whilst the officer was talking. He didn't look shaken, but his voice trembled uncharacteristically. "What happened? How did the car end off flying off the bridge and into the river in the first place?"

The officer hesitated for a moment, "That information is currently… unavailable."

Nico glanced up at the man, "Do you know who I am?"

"Umm…" the officer nodded nervously, "Yes, sir."

"Then you surely know how much money I'm donating to the police force every year."

The officer started guiltily, but then looked around and came to a decision. "I believe… And don't take these words as final. Eyewitnesses have told us that at least three shots were fired at the vehicle in question before the driver lost control and drove into the river. Bystanders who were on scene didn't observe anyone escaping from the car after it entered the water." He looked at Nico in the eye, "I'm sorry."

Nico nodded in response and shook himself free from Triton's grip. Frank protested that he needed an umbrella, but there wasn't really any point. Nico walked closer to the river's edge, where a short slope led to a small sodden expanse of sand. The clambering of police trying to stop him, and Frank pushing them aside faded into the background as he descended.

The water splashed the bottom of his trousers as he stepped in. It was not yet high enough to envelope his ankles completely. The river looked grey and lifeless even as Nico shifted his attention from the oily water lapping his shoes to glance into the distance.

The bridge where Hazel and Reyna's car had veered into the river was partly closed, decorated with the blue and red siren lights of police cars redirecting traffic. Driven by an unexplainable urge, he walked further into the filthy water until it was up to his waist.

"Sir!" Frank was shouting at him, using the formal title that he was supposed to whilst in public, "Come back!" He had waddled into the water after him and was gaining ground.

"Stay where you are!" Nico commanded loudly. They were probably worried that he was going to do something crazy, like leap into the water and drown himself or something. No, that was not the plan. He just wanted to feel alive, to know that he wasn't dreaming.

As the freezing water shoved and swirled around him, Nico found himself thinking that his father would never have been so stupid. Hades would never waddle waist high into a dirty river and risk some terrible disease. He would never give the media such a great opportunity to question his sanity. Most importantly, he would never have been responsible for the death of his own sister by unnecessarily involving her in a world where she did not want to belong.

"Nico!" Frank shouted over the fuzziness that enveloped his mind. "The car! They're brought up the car!"

-o-

*Gives the queen wave*

See you all next chapter! Don't forget to tell me your thoughts.