"Wait up!" Nico's dark eyes were bright, his token darkness lightly lifted.

"What?" Luke asked, turning. The boy following him, all the way from the entrance to the reincarnation booth.

"I just…" He suddenly appeared young again, having shouted his protest before he could think of a valid thing to say. "I – I'm Nico de Angelo." He stood there, feeling rather stupid in his skin.

"Right," Luke replied. "I –We know some of the same people, right?" It was a gentle euphemism for their earth-dwelling friends.

"Yeah," Nico said, nodding. An idea struck him, and he grabbed it impulsively. "I'm heading up to see them now. To my new cabin. Do you want me to pass on any messages?" He waited, curving his spine back in instinct. At that moment, he would have given anything to have been a few inches taller.

"No, that's okay," Luke replied, slowly. "I told them everything I need to."

"Oh. Okay. Cool." Nico stood around, waiting for another inspiration to faze his drifting thoughts. They didn't really know each other, though. There was no reason they'd have anything to talk about. "I've heard a lot about you," he said, finally.

Luke quirked an eyebrow, not answering. He took the off-hand comment as an insult.

"Um," Nico continued, "I get it, you know?"

"Get what?" Luke asked, newly annoyed. He died a hero; did this kid really have to harass him?

"Everything. About you know, the… the prophecy." Had he been an honest sort of person, Nico would have admitted that he said this selfishly. Nico wanted answers, and he found he could generate any momentary characteristic when trying to achieve something for himself. This included outgoingness, a tendency that he simply lacked as of usual.

"Alright," Luke sighed. He tried to smile, but it came off as a suspicious shrug. This kid was messed up, he figured. After all, they hardly knew each other, if at all. Were all half bloods born to possess destructive complexes? "Well… see you."

"Wait," Nico said again. "Uh, do you need help with anything? Want a tour maybe?"

"No thanks," Luke replied, his usual coolness reapplying itself. He wanted to be a better person, yes. He thought it would help in the next life, yes. However, that did not involve humoring strange little boys.

Nico himself felt his head spinning. Why was he being so forward and… generous? Ashamed of his peculiar behavior, he let Luke leave with a swift nod. If he couldn't figure out his magnetism to the older boy, he might as well not embarrass himself further.

As he watched Luke walking away, the strut of a washed-up confidence, he realized what it was. They were alike. Daddy issues, a desire to be in control. From what he'd heard, they were similar.

He shivered. Why hadn't Percy, or someone else, set up precautions? If he was as connected to Luke as he felt, then why was nobody worried? Why was nobody looking out for him, or marking him as a possible player in the next prophecy?

A tiny voice rang back, clear as a bell. You debunked all doubt when you got your father on their side. That was heroic. Nico kicked angrily at the pavement. If he was such a hero, then why didn't they treat him that way, either? He wanted to be treated like something. He was either a hero or a villain, he didn't go for being the unnoticed go between.

Luke turned around, evidently having heard Nico's heel connecting with the ground. He merely looked, remaining silent.

Nico stared up at the older's face, searching it for signs of similar physical appearance. Luke was light, and Nico was dark. Luke was tall, and Nico was small. They did not look the same, certainly.

"You know, you're young," Luke said, sighing. "Whatever it is that your worrying about, don't. You'll get over it."

"You didn't," Nico said, suddenly pouting. He didn't take to being told he'd 'get over it'. Now it didn't matter that they were unacquainted.

"Yeah," Luke said, nodding. "But that's me. I wouldn't worry about it."

"You didn't get along with your dad either," Nico said. He winced, assuming Hades would crack down on him any second. He was in his realm, after all. However, no such reprimand came, and he wondered if the god was only confirming his dislike. He glanced around, unsettled all the more.

"You're not like me," Luke said. "And – and if for some reason you're wishing to be, don't. Seriously. You don't want to be me."

"Why not?" Nico asked. "Everyone knows you're a hero."

"Yeah…" Luke said. "It's not worth it, though. Trust me. And anyway, you're different than I was."

"How?" Nico asked. They hardly knew each other, how could Luke be so sure? He wondered where his present confidence really came from. If he could turn it on with the press of an emotion, why didn't he do so more often?

"You want to please your dad, right? You want things to get better?"

Nico nodded, feeling very young. He was just a kid who wanted his daddy to be proud. "Yeah," he said finally. "Yeah."

"Well, I was never like that. I wanted revenge. It was different."

"Oh," Nico said. He wanted revenge too, kind of. Or… not really. He wanted to win, but that was not the same, exactly.

"So stop pitying yourself. You haven't got it any worse than anyone else, okay?"

Nico's tanned skin reddened, and he felt anger creep through the muscles in his jaw. What did that mean? "What do you mean?"

"All the half bloods… this is a problem for all of us. Don't let it bother you, okay? It's going to get better. I think Percy made sure of that."

Nico nodded, feeling slightly embarrassed. Luke sounded annoyed.

"Bye?" Luke asked, wondering if he would go away.

"Bye…" Nico replied. He trudged off, still feeling low. Rather than take anything meaningful from the experience, such as the importance of speaking your mind, Nico only took Luke's words. Get over it. It's going to get better. We're not that similar.

He frowned, his lip puffing out in an attempt at saddened anger. It didn't work, and Nico still felt uncaring. He found it hard to believe that Luke truly only wanted revenge, and not his father's final acceptance. Was it too late? Was that it? Was Nico still young enough for things to change? Shrugging, he quietly left the Underworld. Maybe things would change, and maybe they wouldn't, but the sad thing about Nico's life was that he couldn't do anything about it.

A/N: I know it's a little strange, but so what? I wanted to do something involving the interaction of Nico and Luke. They're similar, kind of. Anyway, tomorrow I leave for camp, so this will most likely be my last PJO fic until I return. Toodles guy, please review!