The Darkest Sunrise

(Ian's P.O.V.)

We are caffeinated! I am a little disappointed that Tara was wrong and there is no such thing as Godbucks, but I gladly down my Starbucks all the same. We're just coming out of there when I see him.

He's dark. That's the first thing I notice. He's also kind of hot. I didn't say anything when Cody was making his homophobic comments to Thalia, but I am still really annoyed with him. I don't do labels. I don't call myself gay or bi or anything. I'm attracted to people, not their gender. But boy oh boy, am I attracted to this kid!

He looks at me and our eyes lock. His quickly turn to the floor. Tara nearly bumps into me as I study him. "Ian?" She asks. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I say. "So, where to first? We're on a quest and we have no idea where we're going, right? Fun! Let's go have an adventure!"

The kid looks up. Now he's studying me. Actually, he's studying us. He looks at the t-shirt peaking out from under my jacket and his eyes widen.

Cody comes up behind me and freezes. "Di Angelo," he mumbles. "Great. Where that kid goes, trouble follows. He's a son of Hades. Watch your back."

The boy stares at him as recognition dawns. "Cody," he says. He seems nervous. I notice he looks around. "Are you guys the only ones here?"

"What's it to you?" Cody asks.

"Hi," I say, annoyed at the rudeness Cody is showing yet again. "I'm Ian and this is Tara. And you are...?"

He looks at me and I like the way his eyes feel on me. Yep, I'm crushing.

"Nico Di Angelo," he says. "Son of Hades."

"I'm the son of Hermes, and Tara's the daughter of Apollo."

"Right. I should go."

"Nico, wait," Cody says reluctantly. "Why are you here?"

"I was thirsty."

"For the blood of children? Oh, wait, you're a son of Hades, so you're just another poser goth kid drinking coffee, right?"

I want to punch him, but Tara gets there first. She whacks him hard in the chest and I burst out laughing. Even Nico smirks.

"Quit being such a jerk all the time!" Tara yells at him.

"Quit hitting me every five seconds!" Cody retorts.

"When you can go ten without saying something rude!"

Nico looks at me and I start laughing harder. "She's good for him," Nico decides. "It's refreshing to see someone who won't take his crap."

Cody glares at him. "Seriously, why are you here, Di Angelo?"

"I've come for your soul," Nico says dryly. "But I just realized you don't have one."

Cody looks like he might swing at Nico but one stern look from Tara stops him. "Sorry," he mumbles.

"Seriously, though, what are the chances of us running into a random demigod at Starbucks? There's got to be a reason you're here. Do you know something about our quest?" I ask.

Nico shakes his head. "My dad said I should be here, now. That was all I got. But I agree there's probably a reason I'm here," he says.

"So join us," I say. I hope I don't sound too enthusiastic. I can't explain why I'm so drawn to the guy, but I really like the idea of adding him to our quest.

"I don't do group activities," Nico says. "My quests are usually solo."

"Because you're a freak," Cody mumbles. He yelps as Tara kicks him. I start laughing again.

"Nico, I don't believe in coincidences... I don't think," Tara says. "So you need to come with us, at least for now. Ignore Cody. The rest of us do."

Nico looks reluctant, but says, "Fine. Until we figure out what's going on, I'm with you guys. So where are we going?"

"We were hoping you could tell us."

"Boston," I say.

"Huh?" Cody asks me.

"We're going to Boston."

"How the hell do you know where we're going all of a sudden?"

"Because that dude is holding a sign that says 'Boston: Fun For All! Great Tourist Spots And Tons of Places to Hide From Monsters!' I think that last part was directed at us."

Cody blinks at the sign. "He's right."

The guy holding the sign waves at us.

"Oh, hey Hermes," Nico says.

"Hermes? Wait, what?" I asks. Am I really looking at my father?

"Son!" He greets me warmly with a big hug. "Good to see you! And hello, Nico. And, um... You two lovely demigods."

'"Son?' That's all you have to say to me?" I demand.

He looks wounded. "I'm Tara, and this is Cody," Tara supplies.

"We've met," Cody says.

"Cody, right! Son of Ares. How are you?" Hermes asks.

"Quit hugging me!" I say, breaking his hold. "You are missing for my entire life and then you hug me? I don't hug strangers!"

Tara and Cody stare at me. They've never seen me upset. I don't usually get upset in general, but something about my father acting like we're best friends really pisses me off.

"Ian," Tara says gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. So, Boston? Great. Red Sox. Let's go."

"Wait! I need to warn you, this won't be easy," Hermes says.

"It never is," Nico says. He stepped closer to me when I started freaking out and I don't even think he realized he did it. I like how close he is. I lean toward him. He moves away slightly, but not as much as I think he was initially going to.

"Look, you need to watch your backs, okay? Look out for monsters. Oh, and watch for trolls. There's a really nasty one living out there. He'll throw you straight into Tartarus if you're not careful!"

Nico stiffens at the mention of Tartarus. I touch his arm. He lets my hand linger for a moment before he jerks away.

"What else do we need to know?" Cody asks.

"You'll find out more when you get there. For now, here. I've got bus tickets for you." He hands them to us. "And Ian? I'm sorry I haven't been around. I'm a pretty busy guy, but I don't want you to think I don't care about you. I made the mistake of staying away from another special son of mine, and it ended... badly. I won't do that again."

"Luke." Cody supplies.

"The one you were harassing Thalia about?" Tara asks.

"One and the same. He became the vessel for Kronos." Hermes cringes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories. He died a hero, for what it's worth."

My father looks so upset, I suddenly can't hate him as much. "Thanks, Dad," I say to him.

He nods. "If you need me, Nico knows how to reach me. Good luck, guys." With that, he vanishes. I am left with no idea what to say.

Notes