PJO Family (AU)

Alright fangirls, it's Ghost king time.

I'm Nico Di Angelo Argo, currently thinking about my life in the pasta aisle. I'm also thinking about pasta, but that's irrelevant. Specifically this boy I have a crush on, Will Solace. He also happens to be my only friend. I know, sad. But it's partially because I have enough people I need patience for, having friends is just asking for trouble. Maybe that's why my sister won't let me do more for the family. My mental state is a little stretched, but I can still do stuff! Like what I'm already doing! She just needs to let us go.

My thoughts turn back to pasta when a forty-something lady on the other side of the aisle asks me to move so she can see whatever I'm standing in front of. I walk down the pasta aisle before reaching the shelf I was looking for. Alright, rigatoni or penne pasta? When I told Percy and Hazel what it was called they ran in circles saying "Penne Pasta" and it was cute. It got annoying though, so rigatoni. I put it in the cart and I see the woman from earlier is staring. Maybe I need to wear less black clothing and more midwestern middle aged woman clothes when I go shopping.

Before I check out I look around the store for Reyna, then head to the registers. I immediately recognize her at one of the registers, and head straight for it. It's a longer line than some of the others, but I don't mind. I patiently wait my turn until it's my turn. She jumps when she sees me, probably surprised. "Nico! What- Why are you here?" She's reasonably startled. "I'm here to check out my items, so it'd be great if you did just that." I say, acting like I just happened upon her. She must never know.

She checks out the items, and I look for signs that she's happy I'm here. She has an emotionless mask on her face, but her mouth keeps trying to twitch into a smile. This is the heartwarming nonsense I carefully search for my sister while I'm supposed to be shopping for pasta. And I did successfully get pasta. She gives me my groceries and smiles at me when I leave the store. It's a short walk to my bike, in the same place I left it, and I hurry to be home before the others.

I try to admire the scenery, but it's hard when it's just a bunch of depressing apartment buildings. I think of the lives of the people living in each apartment. An old lady with cats. A family of two working hard to keep afloat. I see our apartment. Us. a family. Sure, we're a group of orphans who rely heavily on the oldest to stay in an apartment. But I cook. And shop, tutor kids for money. Piper is going to get a job aside from practically mothering all of us. I get to the apartment building, and as ratty and filthy as it is, it's home. I say hi to the two greyhounds who hang around our apartment building and have defended Reyna from her unfair share of creeps. Seriously too many creeps. Why her? I walk in and sigh when I remember I have to drag my bike up two flights of stairs before getting home, because even though Leo makes the best bike locks, Reyna still doesn't trust the neighborhood gang, which have apparently stolen bikes.

I'm exhausted before I get to the second flight, dreading the next flight. We lived in a really nice apartment before our parents died, but the rent was too high. So now we live here. In a 2 bedroom apartment, that somehow fits all 6 of us, Percy's fish named Blackjack, and Hazel's pet rock Arion. I pull my bike into the living room, if you want to assume we have a living room. It's more kitchen with a table in the middle, six stools wrapping around it, and a couch. I walk over to the fridge and put in the food, thinking about what dinner should be.

Fair warning, I have sketchy grammar. little too late for that tho ig.