CHAPTER SUMMARY

The wedding of Hades di Angelo and Persephone Levesque.

BEGINNING NOTES

Word Count: 3494
Content Warning: Violence (mild)

This one went way over 3K, but I'm wrapping up a lot of loose ends, so it was kind of unavoidable.

So, a few announcements before I get into the story:

1. Sorry for the massive delay, between college, a full-time job, moving states, and a million other things, this kinda fell to the wayside.
2. I've been working on my online portfolio, set to go up sometime this month. The domain will be themelodyrose dot com, but it's not live just yet.
3. I'm starting to write my next fic (besides the BBC Merlin one; updates soon but that one's going to be slow). It's basically a 1940's spy thriller taking place in Italy, but beyond that would spoil the fun so I'll leave it there. I don't know when it's going up, but in the next few weeks, I promise.

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ONE:
4. Remember how I said I'm putting up my website/online portfolio? Well, I need reviews/testimonials from you guys saying that I'm a decent writer. So, if you like my work, please comment any compliments you have on me as a WRITER, not this particular story.

It's been a wild ride, guys. Thanks for sticking with me until the end.

And all the characters are owned by Rick Riordan.

Credits at the end.

Nico tugged at his collar for the millionth time. He hated collared shirts. If it were up to him, he'd spend every day in black t-shirts with obscure band logos and memes printed on the front. But Papà had insisted he come to the wedding in a tuxedo, and Nico thought it was best to just humor him. After all, it was his father's special day.

There was a knock on his door. "Come in!" Nico called.

Hazel opened the door. "Oh my god, you look amazing!" she gushed.

"I'd better. This thing is strangling me," Nico complained. "You look beautiful, Hazel."

He wasn't lying. She was in a simple, cream-colored dress that fell just past her knees and matching flats. She was wearing the set of sapphire jewelry-earrings, necklace, bracelet-Nico had gotten her for her birthday (they were her birthstone). Her hair was pulled back into a bun on the top of her head, with just a few curls framing her face. She looked like a princess from a fairytale.

"Are you ready to go? Hades seems really stressed," Hazel said.

"Yeah, sorry," Nico said. "Tell him I'll be down in two seconds."

Hazel left him alone, standing in front of his mirror once again. There was this uncomfortable feeling he couldn't shake, and it had nothing to do with the tux. He found himself sitting on his bed, a picture of Mamma in his hand. He'd made his peace with the wedding-Papà deserved to be happy, after all-but still...

His door opened again; Bianca never bothered to knock. She was wearing an emerald green dress, the skirt cut in an angle so one half ended above the knee, and the other ended halfway down her lower leg. She'd curled her hair and pulled it back with two diamond clips. Her lips were Marilyn Monroe red.

She sat next to Nico on the bed without a word. She stared at the picture of Mamma from over his shoulder. "I feel the same way, you know," she said at last.

"You do? You've always seemed cool with it," Nico replied.

"I'm good at pretending. I even convinced myself." She reached for the picture. Nico let her take it. "Maybe that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I ran 'cause I couldn't cope." She put the picture down on her lap. "The day he told us, I spent the night crying on the stairs."

"Really?" Nico asked.

Bianca nodded. "But, you know, Mamma loved Papà so much. She'd want this for him, she'd want him to be happy and move on, even if she was jealous. Because that's what love is: putting people before yourself." She looked up at Nico. "I should've realized that. I never should've left you alone, not after I found out about the video."

Nico had wanted to hear that apology for a year. But, to his surprise, once she said it, all the resentment he'd built up went away. His eyes were finally open. "You needed to find out who you were," Nico said. "It was my fault too. I kept saying I didn't need anyone but you, but that's a lot of pressure to put on you. You were selfish for a year. I was selfish for six."

Bianca grabbed both of his hands. "Well, let's not be selfish anymore, then. Let's go downstairs and put on a brave face. I think it's time we moved on, too."

Nico pulled her into a hug. "You're right," he said. "Let's do it."

Hazel was right. Papà was one big bundle of nerves. It wasn't enough that most people would notice-like Nico, he was pretty good at hiding his emotions-but little things like the way he kept tapping his fingers on his knee gave it away. It was a little cramped in the limo with all three di Angelos, Persephone, Hazel, Demeter, Will, Luke, Thalia with a sleeping Elizabeth on her lap, and Persephone's wedding dress hanging in the back, which took up enough space to count as a person. But the limo was made for twelve people, so Nico didn't bother to complain. It was the ultimate first-world problem: my limousine usually has enough space for all of us to lie down, what a tragedy we actually have to sit up straight.

Papà didn't speak, but Persephone happened to speak more when she was nervous. And, of course, there was Demeter being Demeter. By the time they arrived at the Olympus Empire Country Club, Papà looked like he was ready to snap.

Bianca definitely noticed it too. "Persephone, Hazel and I can help you and Demeter with your wedding dress. We should probably get going."

"Is it so late already?" Persephone looked on the verge of tears.

"What do you expect with those di Angelo children lollygagging around?" Demeter criticized.

Papà's jaw clenched. "Now, Demeter-"

"Yeah she's totally right!" Nico said quickly. He really didn't want an argument. "I'm always late for everything, right Will?"

"Yeah!" Will agreed readily. "I'm always getting on his case about it!"

"At least you're with someone sensible," Demeter huffed. Papà rolled his eyes. Persephone mouthed 'thank you' to him. 'Anytime,' he mouthed back.

They got out of the limo without another incident. There was already press waiting outside the doors. As soon as the di Angelo/Levesque clan came into view, cameras started flashing and people started shouting questions.

"Is there no security around here?" Papà snapped.

"They won't be allowed inside, everything will be fine," Persephone told him, but she didn't sound so sure of it herself.

Nico shielded his face from the lights as they walked to the doors. He heard multiple questions shouted at him, most of them with the word "gay" in it. He was slightly offended. He'd spent years robbing stores, smoking pot illegally, and getting into fistfights, and that was what the world decided was the biggest scandal?

There's more to me than my sexuality, idiots. If you're going to harrass me, at least make it about something I fucking did.

They made it past the animals. The building was huge, with chandeliers, high ceilings, and grand staircases. Papà glared at the empty security desk. He looked like he was ready to kill a man.

Bianca shot a glance at Thalia. "Luke and I can track down security," Thalia offered. "You know we can kick their asses into gear, Mr. di Angelo."

"Do you have to curse?" Persephone complained.

"She's not our ward anymore, Persephone, she's perfectly entitled," Hades said. "That would be wonderful, Thalia, thank you."

"I'll take Elizabeth," Bianca offered. Thalia handed the portable car seat to her. Then, she and Luke headed off in a random direction to find the security office.

"You wanna go for a walk?" Will whispered in Nico's ear. His eyes were a little mischievous. Nico loved it. But, as much as he'd love a cheeky makeout session with his boyfriend, today wasn't about them.

"I'm going to stick with Papà," Nico said. "We can find some alone time at the reception."

"I'll find Lou Ellen and Cecil, then. They got here a little while ago," Will said. He gave Nico a quick peck on the cheek and headed off towards the ballroom.

"You can go with him," Papà offered. "I have Zeus and Poseidon to help me get ready."

"Nah," Nico said, "I can't leave you alone with those two. Well, I can, but I don't want my Papà to be charged with a double homicide on his wedding day."

"They deserve death," Papà grumbled. "I should not have been the one to break into the church graveyard. It was Zeus's damn baseball."

"You drew lots, and you lost," Nico reminded him.

"They rigged it."

"Uh-huh."

"They've always had it out for me."

"You do realize you all were fourteen, right? And it's been thirty years?"

"Thirty years doesn't change injustice."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You can hold a grudge better than I can."

Papà got an amused glint in his eye. "I try to excel in all things. Besides, you've never seen Mother Rhea angry."

The rest of the morning went okay. Nico had to step in to diffuse a few bombs between Papà and his old foster brothers, but that was to be expected. He didn't know why the three of them still talked to each other. They were always at each other's throats.

At one o'clock, Mellie the wedding planner told them to get into the reception hall. "Just to be clear, you put Thalia far from us?" Zeus asked Mellie. Nico grit his teeth; he saw Papà do the same. It was horrible, the way Zeus had let Juno throw Thalia out of the house.

"She's in the back, by the door, with the rest of the children's friends," Mellie assured him. "I thought that would be best anyway, in case the baby cries she can leave without disrupting the ceremony."

"Baby?" Zeus questioned.

"Elizabeth," Papà said, his voice dripping with attitude. "Her daughter."

Zeus raised his eyebrows. "Elizabeth Grace?"

"Elizabeth Castellan," Papà corrected. "Thalia got married, too. Not that you would care, Zeus."

Mellie clapped her hands. "Let's get going! Come on, Zeus, Poseidon, let's get our groomsmen into position!"

"Jason will be sitting with the rest of the teenagers as well," Papà said. "It was a... special request of mine."

Zeus didn't say anything. Nico relished his father's evil little smile. Thalia had her husband back, and now she was going to be able to spend some time with her long lost brother. After everything she'd been through, it was nice to give her a little victory. In the few months she'd stayed with them as their ward, before she bought her new apartment, she'd become a part of the family. The family she'd never had before.

Nico sat between Bianca and Will in the reception hall. Both he and Bianca were doing their best to joke around with their friends, but it rang a little hollow. It was hard, letting go.

Bianca grabbed Nico's hand when the processional began. She looked a little pale. Nico figured he didn't look much better. He was glad he they were in the back; he didn't want Papà to see them like this. It would ruin his special day.

Papà came down the aisle first. He kept his eyes dead ahead like he always did when he was nervous. His face was guarded. It was a little sad; his own wedding day, but he still had to play the part of the shrewd businessman for the photos that would inevitably leak onto the internet. The sarcastic, sentimental, loving man that Nico had come to know in the last year graced only a chosen few.

But even his guarded expression melted away when Demeter walked Persephone down the aisle. She looked gorgeous in her sprawling wedding dress, even with her face covered by the veil. There was such love in their eyes, both of them.

He deserves this. He deserves to be happy.

"My friends, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Hades di Angelo and Persephone Kore Levesque..."

Nico heard Luke and Thalia whispering behind him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He took a quick glance-they looked too concerned to be talking about Elizabeth. Thalia whispered something to Grover, who was sitting right in front of her. He glanced towards the door and his eyes widened. He whispered something to Percy, and Percy got the exact same expression.

Nico elbowed Bianca. "I think something's wrong with Luke and Thalia," he whispered.

"Can't it wait?" Bianca whispered back.

In response, Nico gestured to the Castellans. It was clear: no, it couldn't.

Bianca pursed her lips. "Let's go into the hall. I'm sure Thalia and Luke will follow us if something's up."

Bianca was sitting right next to the outside aisle, so it wasn't hard to get up and slip out the back. As if on cue, Thalia, Grover, and Percy stood up too. Luke couldn't because he had Elizabeth asleep on his lap. Bianca and Nico slipped out the door. They'd wait for their friends in the hall, since it would take a minute for the three of them to shimmy past their other friends.

The two di Angelos stood by the door. The press was nowhere to be seen, probably forced off the lot once Luke and Thalia made a fuss. There was one man, though, who slipped inside. He was a greasy guy with two different colored eyes. Bianca raised her eyebrows. "Dr. Thorn?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you," he said in a Persian accent. "To reclaim what is rightfully mine. I told you not to steal from me, Miss di Angelo."

"I- I didn't steal," Bianca stammered out. "I was going to swing by tomorrow and give you the money, I just didn't have my wallet on me, and you have to understand-"

"Spoiled little girl," Dr. Thorn snapped. "That statue was part of a first-edition set. Four thousand dollars I would've made, the collector came today, and one piece was missing. Luckily, a friend of mine was able to... reimburse me."

Without any warning, someone grabbed Nico from behind and locked him in a chokehold. Nico started to struggle. "Sorry, bud, no can do," his attacker said. It was Alabaster C. Torrington.

Dr. Thorn had sold them out to the Titans.

"Di Angelos are worth a lot of money these days..." Dr. Thorn said with a sneer. Another man stepped out from behind him, this one with a pointed chin and goatee, like Jafar from Aladdin.

"Bring her closer, Atlas," the man said. Bianca's captor walked her closer to the goatee man. "You may not know this, being in San Francisco, but your father has caused me a lot of trouble," he continued. "I've waited a year for both of the di Angelo children to be back together. Thank you for tipping me off, Thorn. Krios will give you your compensation."

"Thank you, Kronos," Dr. Thorn said. Nico and Bianca both gasped.

"Get them outside before someone sees us," Kronos said to Atlas and Alabaster. "We'll keep them safe and sound until their dear father learns his lesson. Maybe we'll get the traitor Luke out of it, too." Then, he turned back to Bianca and Nico. "Remember, if you make a fuss, I don't have to keep you in... mint condition."

Bianca's eyes darted around, but there was nothing she could do.

Or so Nico thought.

She kicked Alabaster in the leg, hard. He toppled to the ground, bringing Nico down with him. Nico took advantage of the fall to push Alabaster off of him. For a split second, his eyes met Bianca's. Her message rang loud and clear:

This is my fault. Run. Get help.

So, he did. He burst into the reception hall and screamed, "The Titans are here! They have Bianca!"

The crowd screamed. Papà sprinted down the aisle, a wild kind of fire in his eyes.

I have to help him before he gets himself killed.

"Kid!" Ares shouted. From across the room, with impeccable aim, he threw Nico his sword, Erebos. Why did he have it on him? It was Ares. Nico didn't bother to question anything that man did.

Nico ran back into the hall, sword in hand. Kronos met his eye. "I warned you," he said. A gun went off, and Bianca di Angelo was on the floor, bleeding out from a bullet to the heart.

"NO!" Nico screamed. Bianca wasn't... she couldn't be...

Rage Nico had never felt before encompassed his whole being. He screamed and charged at Kronos. Just like he had when he fought the college kids last December, he threw Erebos like a throwing knife, this time, straight at Kronos. This time, though, the sword was razor sharp. It sliced the side of Kronos's neck like butter.

Kronos roared with pain. Nico dove for Erebos, narrowly missing a bullet from Atlas's gun. He circled back to the Lord of the Titans, who was nearly passed out from blood loss. He grabbed Kronos by the hair and held him up right in front of himself like a human shield. "Shoot me and kill him," Nico growled. Atlas hesitated just long enough for Papà to grab him from behind. Nico slammed Kronos's head on the tile floor. The Lord of the Titans fell limp. Either he was dead or unconscious. Nico didn't care which one.

Papà was still fighting Atlas, and Thalia and Percy were busy with Alabaster. There was no one with Bianca.

Nico ran to her side.

"Reach into my pocket," Bianca said. Her voice was so weak...

"You're wearing a dress. You don't have pockets," Nico said without thinking. His sister was dying in his arms, and here he was, bickering with her like he always did.

"Dresses without pockets aren't worth shit," Bianca said. She grabbed Nico's hand and guided him to the pocket. He reached inside. Out came a small statue... it was a Mythomagic Hades figurine.

Nico took a sharp breath. "That's what you stole?"

"I wanted to say I was sorry," Bianca said, but she was struggling to speak. "Nico... Nico, I need you to... do me a favor."

"Anything," he said, tears in his eyes.

"Promise me you'll... wear that aviator's jacket more?" she said. "You... you look good when you're not in black."

"I'll wear it every day," he replied. His voice broke and the tears came.

"Good," she said. "Because... because listen to me..." She grinned at him. "I'm not... dying... over a... damn... Hades figurine..." She started to hyperventilate, but she kept grinning. "Now, tell me... the truth... the other night... when we finished the first... half of the recording... did you and... Will have sex?"

Nico recoiled on instinct. "Why the fuck are you asking me that question?"

"It's the... first thing that... popped into my head..." Bianca admitted.

"Thanks for asking about my sex life, Tommy Wiseau," Nico said.

"So, did you?" Bianca pressed. She tried to laugh, but all she could do was smile.

"Um, yeah," Nico confessed, blushing.

"Was it... your... first time?"

"Double yeah."

Bianca's smile got wider. "I'm glad you... found each other."

Nico grinned back. "I'm glad you introduced us, even if it was kind of fucked up."

"Our lives... are kind of... fucked up... if you haven't... noticed."

That's when the police and paramedics stormed in. They got Alabaster, Kronos, and Atlas pretty quickly; Dr. Thorn had already run off. Nico and Papà stayed with Bianca on the ambulance. Thalia wanted to go with them, but Luke was staying behind to help the police interrogate Kronos and the others, and she needed to stay with her husband and daughter.

Everyone else joined them at the hospital. It was agony, waiting while Bianca was on the operating table, even if he had Percy, Will, Hazel, and all his friends there with him. He kept his hand firmly in Papà's. Was it to comfort his father or get comfort from him? Probably both.

Three hours later, the doctor came out to speak with them. Nico braced himself for the bad news.

"Well?" Papà said.

The doctor smiled. "She'll make a full recovery."

Everyone screamed with joy. Papà and Nico hugged each other. They were both crying.

Bianca woke up an hour later. Just like the first time, Papà and Nico were right there beside her. "How are you feeling?" Papà asked gently.

"How do you think I'm feeling?" Bianca said in a gravelly voice. "Dejá vù, huh, Nico?"

"You got that right, B," he replied. "One difference, though-I knew you'd make it this time."

Bianca raised her eyebrows in that sassy way of hers. "Really, fratello? That's what you're going with?"

"You survived that plane crash for a reason," Nico insisted. "You're going to be the shining star of our family, the one the world remembers. I can already hear the crowd cheering for you at the Olympics, if you want, I betcha you can hear it, too."

Bianca's lips curled into a smile. "Only if you're there with me, Nico."

"Of course," he said. "Don't you remember my promise? You'll never be alone as long as I'm still breathing."

"Good," she said. "Because I never want to be alone again."

Nico took her hand, and Papà took the other. And there they were, the three di Angelos, in the same hospital where their troubles began. But Nico could see the bird's eye view this time. A boy, a girl, and their father, making their way through the strange miracle that was life. Maybe that's what made their recording so special... it was just a little slice of the mayhem.

It took seven years, but their dream had finally come true. Their family was back together again, and, this time, it was never going to fade away.

END NOTES

Did I have you worried there? Like I said in the tags: no one's dying... especially not Bianca.

Remember, if you like my work, please leave me a review of me as a WRITER so I can use it on my website.

This week's beta commentary:
STORY: "Our lives... are kind of... fucked up... if you haven't... noticed."
MELODY: I mean, you're bleeding out on the floor of a billionaire's lavish country club at your father's wedding after being kidnapped by a gang lord and shot by said gang lord... so, yeah, I think we've noticed.
JOJO: man way to steal the thunder at someone else's wedding, geez
MELODY: Oh those di Angelo kids, such attention hogs.

Credits:
Author: Melody Rose (Tumblr bianca-the-huntress)
Beta Readers: Jojo (Archive of Our Own bannedfrompencils), Luna Rain (Tumblr peppermintlove1), Oli (Tumblr paradoxicalpsychic)

Please comment so I know what you think! See you in my next fic (title pending)!