Nico

It had been four days since Will left. I was flopped across my bed, staring miserably at the ceiling. I hadn't gone to work, I called in sick everyday this week. I hadn't spoken to Jason or Thalia since the night of their fight. I figured it was best to just let things simmer down. 

Suddenly, I was interrupted by the sound of someone rapping on the door, "Nico?" It was Jason. "Can I come in?" 

"No," I answered. The last thing I wanted right now was to socialize. 

"Please?" Jason said. 

I sighed and sat up. "Fine," I groaned. 

Jason creaked open the door and entered my apartment. The bed dipped as he seated himself on the edge. "You haven't been at work for a couple days," he remarked. 

"And we haven't spoken since your little outburst with Thalia who's apparently your sister," I reminded him.

"Please don't bring that up," Jason muttered. 

"How am I supposed to not bring up the fact that you didn't tell me that Mr. Zeus was your father and you had a sister who's also my reckless, drunk neighbor?" I replied.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my family. It's just that-"

"That you're ashamed of her? That you don't care about her?" I interrupted. 

Jason sighed, "Why do you care so much, anyway? She's not your sister. They're not your family."

"You're right, my sister's dead," I snapped. I sighed and pressed my fingers to my temples, "Look, I didn't mean to be so harsh about it. It's just that my sister's gone and I'll never be able to see her again, and yours is here but you refuse to acknowledge her. You have the opportunity to make things right and tell her that you love her. I don't."

"Maybe you've got a point," Jason admitted. "Growing up, our parents pretty much ignored us. Thalia was the one who took care of me most of the time. We were thick as thieves back then. When we became teenagers, I got obsessed with making Dad proud. I made good grades, did all my chores, I even got a job. I just wanted him to notice me and tell me that he was proud of me. Thalia kept telling me that he wasn't going to do it, and to just focus on doing what made me happy, but I didn't listen. 

She started getting into more fights with Dad, and soon she began drinking. At first, it wasn't such a big deal. She just had a glass of wine each night before bed. But soon, she started drinking until she was laying on the couch, unconscious. She was unhappy, I could tell, but I didn't know what to do about it. 

Finally, I turned eighteen and moved out of the house. I went to college and majored in photography so I could go work for the paper and continue my quest to please Dad. Thalia moved out too, but she bought an apartment in this shit hole and started gambling to make money. 

At first, we talked. We would visit each other and talk about what was going on in our lives. But one night I decided to confront her about her drinking problem and the gambling, and it didn't go well. She was drunk, as usual, and started screaming and throwing things at me. In a matter of minutes we were both screaming at each other. Finally I got fed up and left. Last night was the first time I've spoken to her since then."

An awkward silence fell between us. 

"You need to talk to her," I finally said. 

Jason shook his head, "I can't do that."

"Why not?" I asked. 

"I can't just march in there and talk about this stuff," he replied. "We'll just start fighting again. It'll make things even worse."

"What if I talked to her about this before hand? I'll tell her that you want to try and fix things, and we'll set up a time where you two can come in and talk it over," I suggested. 

He shrugged, "It might work. But what if she says no?"

I sighed, "Jason, she loves you, she's your sister. I'm sure if I explain to her what's going on, she'll agree. Do you want me to ask her?"

Jason went silent and looked down, suddenly interested in his shoelaces. "I guess it's worth a shot," he said softly. 

"Then I'll talk to her. If I manage to get her to agree, you'll come, right?"

"Right."

I nodded, "Good. She loves you Jason, I'm sure of it."

I took a deep breath as I prepared to knock on Thalia's door. I wasn't sure if Jason had arrived yet, or if he was still on his way. 

I managed to catch Thalia in the morning while she was still sober. When I first pitched the idea, she was completely against it. But after some talking, I convinced her to sit down with Jason and talk things out. 

I rapped on the door and took a step back. "One minute," Thalia called from inside the apartment. I heard shuffling and the clattering of dishes before the door swung open, revealing a surprisingly clear-headed Thalia standing on the threshold. Her hair was neat and brushed, her clothes were free of stains and wrinkles, her skin and face were clean, and her makeup wasn't smeared. 

"Hi, Thalia," I said.

"Hello, Nico," she replied. She stepped to the side of the doorway and gestured for me to enter. 

"Is Jason here yet?" I asked as I passed through the door.

Thalia shut it behind me and sighed. "Not yet. What if he doesn't come?" she said. 

"I'm sure he's coming. He's probably just running late," I assured her. 

She shook her head, "I'm not so sure about that. I've been such a terrible sister and treated him so horribly. I wouldn't be surprised if he decided not to come."

"Don't say that," I told her. "Jason's coming, I'm sure of it."

"He has to come, he has to. I need to talk to him. I need to tell him I'm sorry and that I love him. I haven't told him that in years. I want to fix things, I really do. I want to be his sister again, not just a stranger." She gazed at me, tears glistening in her eyes. "He has to come."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Thalia quickly settled herself in one of the comfortable-looking armchairs in the middle of the apartment and pulled a handkerchief from her skirt pocket. She wiped her tears and placed the cloth in her lap. I opened the door and found Jason standing outside. 

"Um, hi, Nico," he said. 

"Hello, Jason. Come in," I answered, stepping aside so he could enter. 

Jason stepped over the threshold and awkwardly took a seat in the remaining armchair. 

"Hello, little brother," Thalia greeted him, a slight edge in her voice. 

"Hi, Thalia," Jason muttered in reply. An uncomfortable silence followed. 

"I came to say I'm sorry," Jason finally said.  "I've been a horrible brother, I know that now. I should've listened to you and it was wrong of me to shun you for so many years."

Thalia gazed at her brother in silence, her blue eyes glistening with tears. "I'm sorry I never tried to fix things. I'm your older sister, I'm supposed to protect you and support you," she stated softly. She let out a sob and her voice faltered, "I failed!"

Jason stood up from his chair and approached Thalia. He pulled his sister into a tight embrace and held her silently as she wept. 

"I love you, Jason," Thalia repeated. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

"I know," he answered. He stroked her hair, "I know."

Jason lifted his eyes to meet mine and gave a subtle nod as if to say, "I can handle it from here." I flashed him a small smile in return before rising from my chair and exiting the apartment. 

Once the door had closed behind me, I pressed my back against the wall, closed my eyes, and sighed. Every day felt like it lasted a million years with Will gone. I wanted him here with me. I wanted him to wrap his muscular arms around me and pull me against his chest. I wanted taste his lips on mine. I wanted to run my fingers through his silky blond curls. I wanted to bury my face in his shoulder and take in the scent of his cologne. I wanted Will. 

My pining was suddenly interrupted when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whipped around and found myself face to face with the doorman, Grover. 

"Mr. di Angelo?" he said. 

"Yes?" I answered. 

He drew an envelope from his pocket and handed it to me, "This has been sitting in your mailbox all day. I figured I should give it to you."

My heart skipped a beat as I read the address. It was from Will. I quickly thanked Grover and hurried away to read my letter in private. 

I rushed into my apartment, slamming the door behind me. Hastily, I ripped open the envelope and removed Will's letter. 

Dear Nico,

You have no idea how much I miss you. It seems so lonely without you around to make me smile. I've met one potential friend named Cecil from Chicago who isn't so bad, but other than him I'm surrounded by strangers. I'm going to start training tomorrow and I'm not sure if I should be excited or not. I got a glimpse of the training courses when I entered Camp Edwards and they looked difficult.

Enough about me, how are things at home? How's the newspaper? Is Mr. Zeus still awful? Is it nice having our little apartment to yourself? Is Thalia doing okay? Write me back soon.

With love,

Will

I picked up the envelope to slide the letter back in when a photo suddenly fell out onto my lap. I picked it up and grinned. It was of Will in his new uniform. I set aside the photo and Will's letter and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from my nightstand. 

Dear Will,

A lot has happened since you left. I discovered that Thalia and Jason, are siblings and that Mr. Zeus is their father. They hadn't spoken to each other in years, but I finally got them to sit down and talk about it. In the end, they made up and everyone is happy now. I also told Jason about our relationship after you left. He was fine with it, and I trust him to keep it a secret.

Everything seems so much emptier without you here. I have no one to talk to, laugh with, make fun of, and cuddle with. I can't wait for you to return home and for things to go back to normal.

Love,

Nico

Satisfied with my letter, I slipped it into an envelope and placed it on the nightstand to be mailed in the morning. I flicked off the light, settled into bed, and fell asleep a few minutes later.