Nico's POV

   (Trigger Warning: Death, depression, abuse, and some things kids at Nico's old school say about the fact that he's gay.)  

 My life hasn't been the best. My father disappeared when I was a baby. I only know him through stories from my mother and older sister Bianca. I grew up in Italy until the age of ten. Then, my family moved to America. It wasn't that bad. I had trouble adjusting in the American schools since I knew no English. But after speech classes and many new friends, I learned to adjust just fine. I then found out I had a younger half sister, Hazel. She's amazing and I love her so much. But, it didn't last long. It didn't last long at all. It all went to hell when I found out I was gay.

 It was in middle school when I found out. I made friends with this kid named Percy Jackson. He was a great guy and still is a good friend of mine. It wasn't until I began feeling strange every time he did something normal to him. Sometimes he gets excited about things and grabs the closest person and runs to whatever is causing his excitement. When a group of my friends (Percy, A really smart girl named Annabeth, Hazel, A funny kid named Leo, A weird girl named Piper, Piper and Leo's best friend Jason. Hazel's best friend Frank, my good friend Reyna, and Annabeth's best friend Luke.) and I went to this Carnival, Percy found out about the cotton candy machine. He saw some kids with blue cotton candy and freaked out. That's when he grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the machine, leaving our friends to have to run after us. I began to panic on the inside. My heart began pounding against my rib cage. My face felt like it was lit on fire. 

 Once we got there he let go and went over to buy the candy. One of my friends, Reyna, asked why my face was so red. Then Hazel gasped and said I was blushing. I was so confused. Was I blushing because Percy grabbed my hand? Well, he hasn't done that before. I went home that day and asked my sister about it. She got really excited when I explained what happened. She said I had my first crush. Then I panicked a bit. I had a crush on Percy?! But, he's a boy. Shouldn't I have crushes on girls? It wasn't the best way to find out. But, it went bad when I told my friends about it. Everyone else said it was perfectly fine except Luke. He just stared at me for a second then snickered. I didn't think much of it until lunch. Luke stood up on our table once we sat down and yelled,

"HEY EVERYONE! I FOUND OUT MY FRIEND NICO DI ANGELO IS A BIG FAGGOT!"

 Everyone turned and looked at me. Some laughed. Some just looked confused. Others looked disgusted. My heart dropped into my stomach as more and more kids laughed. Luke even laughed and began chanting,

"FAG-GOT FAG-GOT FAG-GOT"

 Soon, everyone was chanting. Except the remaining of my group. Annabeth, Percy, Jason, and Reyna stood up and pulled Luke off the table. I wasn't able to see what they did to him because Frank, Leo, Piper, and Hazel grabbed me and rushed me out of the cafeteria as a table of boys began throwing food at us. We ran into the empty art room and stayed there until the others came back, looking furious. Reyna and Jason were ranting about how much of a jerk Luke was. Percy was trying to comfort Annabeth who looked plained shocked. Frank and Leo were standing guard outside the door. Hazel and Piper were comforting me, telling me there was nothing wrong with liking boys. It was the worst day of my life.

 Well, that's a lie. The worst day of my life was when mom and Bianca died. We were all coming back from a night out to eat when three large guys dressed in black appeared from no where. They demanded our money and whatever variable things we had. My mom immediately gave them her purse and begged them to leave us alone. One of the three grabbed her purse while another one asked for her jewelry. She reluctantly took her necklace, rings, and bracelets off and gave them to the man. Bianca immediately did the same, removing her earrings and bracelet. He smiled and nodded towards the third man who was the only one we didn't hear from. He reached into his jacket with a sickening grin on his face. Mama began screaming in Italian, begging for mercy. Bianca pulled me behind her and ducked behind Mama. Then, I heard a sound I can never unhear. A shot.

 Mama's body jerked as she screamed for the last time and she dropped to her knees. She then fell foward, blood spilling onto the ground. A gunshot wound was obvious on her chest. Bianca screamed and pulled me farther behind her. But, I already saw it. And still see it every time I close my eyes. Then I heard the same sound again. Another shot. This time I screamed in unison with Bianca. She fell backwards and I grabbed her and held her up the best I could. A gunshot wound was planted dead in the middle of her forehead. Blood trickled down her head and face. I dropped her in surprise and from her heavy weight. I looked up to see the gun now pointing at my head. I yelped, holding my arms up to block my face. Then there was a shout from above,

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM HIM! I'M CALLING THE POLICE!"

 The three mumbled among each other then turned and ran, leaving me and my dead family abandoned. Well, not quite abandoned. A kid three years older then me ran up. He had shirt light brown hair that stuck to his head like it was wet. He was pale, but it was an average pale. He had glittering green eyes and a kind smile that faded once he saw the bodies of my sister and mother. He was quite taller then me. He walked up, shock and horror covering his face.

"My god. I didn't think... I... Oh jeez. Are you ok?!" He stumbled over his words. In a different situation I would have thought that was cute.

 Tears burned in my eyes as I took a step back from the growing pool of blood that was forming under my sister's head, caking her hair. She was flat on her back, head slightly tilted to the side. Her eyes were half closed, yet I could still see the lifelessness from where I was standing. My mom was laying face first on the cement. A pool of blood was forming under her as well. Her hands were still tucked underneath her. It looked like she was trying to cover her wound. I looked up at the boy who was still staring at me. 

"I-I'm o-ok I guess," I whispered, letting tears slip out. 

 The boy stepped over the bodies, gently touching my shoulder. I looked up, wiping away more tears. He sighed, looking around. He then pulled a phone, his phone, out of his pocket. He began typing in something, maybe a phone number. He stopped short, looking at me.

"I'm going to call the police, ok? But, you're coming with me."

 I looked at him in confusion, sniffling and wiping my face again. I hated feeling like the weak 12 year old I am. 

(AN: Hey guys, It's me. Author. Now, please don't freak out about his age. I know he wasn't 12 when his mother died nor when Bianca died. But, this is an AU. It's supposed to be different. Please don't hate just because of a few changed details. For those who didn't care, sorry for wasting your time. I just didn't want my comments to be filled with, "Hey, he wasn't 12 when they died!" Or some nonsense like that. So, continue.)

"W-What? Why? I don't even know you!" I raised my voice a bit, my voice still shaky.

 The boy sighed, lowering his phone a bit. I couldn't help but peek at his screen. It looked like he was texting someone. The name "John" was on the top of the screen, meaning that's who he was texting. I didn't want to read what they were talking about so I looked up and caught his eyes. I felt a blush creep onto my face. He was handsome. Really handsome. The boy then blinked, ending the silent staring contest we were having. He then took a step back, avoiding stepping on Bianca's bloody hair. He stuck his hand out like he wanting me to shake it.

"I'm Nathaniel. Nathaniel John. You can call me Nathan. And if you don't come with me, the police with probably put you in a foster home. Unless you have a father. Do you?" He said calmly.

  I slowly took his hand, my blush growing. I looked up and locked eyes with him again. He actually shook my hand and smirked at me. I blushed even more and looked at my feet.

     "I-I'm Nico. Nico di Angelo. And no, my father disappeared when I was little. I don't remember him. And... I guess I'll go with you then."

 So, Nathan took me in. I lived with his family for three years which is when he turned 18. Then, I moved out with him. We got our own apartment. During the three years I had stayed before the move, I learned he was bisexual. We started dating a few months after we moved out. Everything was great!.. Until he started drinking. Now, I know he shouldn't be able to drink yet since he was only 18 years old but since he's so tall, many people believe he's older. So now his drinking is a problem. He gets so aggressive when he drinks. He yells and curses and says things he would never say sober. It wasn't that bad. He eventually calmed down and he was all apologies once he was sober enough to remember what had happened. He loves me! I swear he does! He just has a drinking problem. And.. An anger problem. He gets angry easily, even when he wasn't drunk. He even hit me sometimes... But not always! It's only when I say something wrong. It's my fault. He did a lot for me. He needs me. 

 So, now I'm 16 and Nathan is 19. But, things aren't too much better. He still drinks. He still yells. And the hitting is becoming more often. But, it's only because he can't control himself. He'll go crazy if I leave. He still loves me and I.... Love him. He has a job now. He leaves in the morning before I wake up and comes back for lunch. Then he leaves again. He comes back a few hours before dinner and usually sleeps until I wake him. He likes to have dinner at 7:30. He gets a bit mad if dinner's late. That's why I start cooking before he comes home. But everything's fine. 

 Sure we moved and I haven't seen them in a year, but that's just because this home is better for us. That's what Nathan said. Sure we live too far away from the cemetery my mom and Bianca were buried so I can't visit them, but that would just district me from more important things. That's what Nathan says. Sure I can't leave the house, but then the police would find me. That's what Nathan says. Sure I cut... Sure Nathan has gotten more aggressive... Sure I get a lot of bruises... Sure I'm not allowed to talk to Hazel or Percy or Reyna... But it's for the best. That's.. That's what Nathan said. 

And Nathan is always right...

 (Hey. So, that's the introduction of "Within the Forest". Should I keep going? This chapter was just Nico explaining his past. If I do a part 2, it will be Will telling his past. After that, the real chapters will come. That is, if people actually read this and like it! ... Which I doubt. But for those who are reading it, should I continue? Let me know. See ya~)