Date: June 15, 1981

      Nico twisted his skull ring as he waited for his father to knock on the door of his apartment. Reyna was already in there, sitting down at the table that he had set for dinner. Nico has spent a good chunk of the afternoon leafing through recipe books, searching through grocery stores for ingredients, and preparing the meal.

Penne drizzled with olive oil and garnished with pesto made of basil and thyme was laying in a large bowl on the table. Nico had bought a fresh baguette from a bakery and sautéed veggies were covering a ceramic plate Hazel had made for him in middle school. He had made pomegranate lemonade and six cups were full to the brim with it. For dessert, Reyna had brought over brownies that she made herself and the delicious scents of the food wafted through the air. Nico hoped his family came soon because the food looked superb.

"Is there anything in particular I should try to say or avoid saying?" Reyna asked from the dining room.

"Avoid mentioning Bianca, Marie, or Maria," Nico said, naming his three dead relatives.

     "Got it," Reyna said.

     Just then, there was a knock on the door and Nico opened it up to see his father smiling at him the same way a king might smile at their subjects. He looked as regal as a funeral home owner could look. His black suit and tie were pressed and crisp and his dark hair was neatly combed. He was as pale as the Grim Reaper and as Persephone liked to joke, just as alluring.

      Persephone looked the same as she had ever with her licorice-black hair and skin as pale as chalk. She was wearing a black dress and red lipstick. Beside her, Hazel looked positively radiant in a yellow dress that made her warm skin pop. She had the widest smile of the three and when she hugged Nico, he could smell the scent of vanilla perfume wafting from her curly hair.

     "I'm glad that you guys could come," Nico said after he let go of Hazel. "Dad, Persephone, Hazel, this is my girlfriend, Reyna."

     "How did the two of you meet?" Persephone asked as they all sat down.

"We're coworkers," Reyna answered.

"You seem like an intelligent lady," Hades remarked. "Why are you working at McDonalds?"

"I wanted to work in the military, but it's hard for women to get in," Reyna said. "They're are not many positions open for me."

     "And what did you guys do for your first date?" Persephone asked.

     Nico felt his ears burn. He and Reyna exchanged glances. Nico stared at his bowl of pasta as if night give him a clue.

     "Nico took me to a local museum," Reyna said.

      "How romantic," Hades said sarcastically.

      "It was very romantic," Nico deadpanned.

       "Yeah," Reyna agreed. "We umm — we had our first kiss next to an Egyptian mummy. It was really something."

     After that, the conversation steered towards how the rest of the family was doing. Hades complained about how some customer had demanded a gem-encrusted coffin made of pure silver, while Persephone told them of a tricky customer who wanted a bouquet of black flowers. Nico perked up when he heard that Hazel was seeing a guy named Frank. They had gone out on several dates and were now going steady.

    After dinner ended, Reyna said goodbye and headed to her apartment. Nico played some card games with his family before they all watched Casablanca together. Finally, Nico gave his family hugs goodbye and they headed to their hotel for the night. Nico sighed as they departed; the plan had worked.