King of My Miserable Life

Chapter 17

Hades took his crown off and set it on his desk as Nico sat in one of the cushioned chairs. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I just...I had a question." Nico rubbed his temples. His crown never got any lighter. "About this...situation."

"Then ask it." Hades started to do the paperwork that never seemed to end. "I'm not stopping you."

"Why did you give me away?" Nico blurted out. "Why did you give me away as a baby?"

Hades' pen froze before finishing the word. Once the word was complete, Hades laid the pen down and looked up at his son. "Excuse me?"

Nico gulped silently. "I just...I was just wondering...why you didn't want me raised here."

Hades stared at him for some time before looking back to the paper in front of him. "Honestly? I didn't want you to be killed."

Nico shivered at the sudden coldness that swallowed him whole. "What?"

Hades trailed his finger over the desk. "I didn't want you dead. The rebellions were so bad, I expected to be dead within the year. Your mother and I agreed that it was best. We wanted you to live."

Nico felt his crown fall onto his lap but didn't bother picking it up. "You...really?"

Hades nodded. "What? You didn't think I cared about you?"

"No, not really," Nico admitted. "When I first got here, you-"

"I needed you to know that you are a prince and that you are Cartian, not American." Hades cut in. "I didn't want you to act like those filthy teenagers. You needed to act good. I can't have you dead."

Nico scowled. "You were doing so well up until that."

Hades frowned. "What?"

"My brother thing is an American, and so are the two people that raised me," Nico argued. "I love them. They're not filthy. You don't have to be Cartian to be a good person."

"I'm making sure you're still my son, even though you grew up somewhere else." Hades corrected. "I don't want our people to hate you. I want them to respect you so that when you become king, it will be an easy transition for the country."

"When I become king..." Nico shuddered at the thought. "Well, thankfully that's a long ways away."

Hades' faces darkened. "Yes...a long ways away..."

Nico frowned. "What? Is it not?"

"You should go get some sleep, Nico." Hades put his reading glasses on. "You've had a long day and no doubt you're tired. I bet your friend is already sleeping."

Nico grabbed his crown, curled his fingers around the sticky gems. "You...father, what aren't you telling me?"

"Goodnight, Nico." Hades gestured to the door. "Go lay down before I make you. This conversation is over."

Nico rose to his feet, kept his crown close to his chest. "I...okay, goodnight." He moved from the room, forced his feet to exit the office. Once the door was closed behind him and he was making his way down the hall, he allowed himself to breathe again. He couldn't be king soon, right? That would mean Hades would need to die.

He couldn't be king, he couldn't be king. He didn't want to be king.

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Nico laid in bed that night, tossed and turned as he tried to think of what Hades could have meant. Was he just trying to scare him, or were things more serious than Nico had known? How did Hades expect to die?

The dark ceiling loomed above him like the lid of a coffin. Nico stared at it, stared as if the darkness held all his answers. The snow fell lazily out his window, the furnace grumbled and shrieked. In the dark room, Nico felt more alone than ever.

"Me...as king..." Nico lifted his wrist to look at the scarred skin. "He thinks I'm king worthy..."

The night didn't answer, nothing changed. As the clock kept its pace and the snow kept coming down, Nico got out of his bed. Bare feet against the carpet, a jacket over his pajamas. He moved to the door that connected his room to Percy's, knocked softly to not let anyone in the hallway hear. "Percy? Are you awake?"

It took a minute for Percy to open the door, his blue pajamas decorated with fish. "Yeah, what's wrong?"

"Can I sleep on your floor?" Nico mumbled. He held onto his pillow and blanket, feeling like a child. "I can't sleep."

"Was it the talk with Hades?" Percy asked, moving so Nico could enter the room.

"Yeah, he said...nevermind." Nico laid on the floor by Percy's bed and wrapped himself up in the blanket. "I just don't want to be alone."

Percy closed the door before climbing back into his bed. "Was he mean?"

"No." Nico stared at the ceiling. "He...he said I might be king soon. I don't want to be."

"Doesn't he have to die for that to happen?" Percy asked.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, he does. So I'm just...confused. My brain is running on overdrive."

"You need some sleep." Percy covered himself up. "I'm exhausted."

"Did you have a good time with Annabeth?" Nico asked. "What are you doing still awake?"

"I'm waiting up to call mom," Percy replied. "The time difference and everything, I don't want to wake her up."

"Can I talk to her, too?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, course." Percy began to play on his phone again. "I'll wake you up when it's time."

Nico closed his eyes, felt the darkness weigh down on him. "Goodnight, Perce."

"Night, Nico."