King of My Miserable Life

Chapter 3

"What was the meeting about?" Percy questioned for the fifth time, sitting beside Nico and across from his parents at the table. "What was so important? Something to do with Paul's work?"

Paul and Sally glanced towards each other before Sally moved a hand across the table, laying it over her biological son's hand. "Percy...some things can't be revealed all at once."

"That sounds sketchy," Nico spoke up.

"Very," Percy agreed. "Mom...what is it? Just tell us."

Sally sighed, her other hand moving to her stomach. "It...it wasn't about work."

"Okay...?" Percy set his cheeseburger down. "What is it?"

"It was about Nico," Paul spoke up. "About...about his biological parents."

Nico's straw slipped from his mouth with a string of pop that fell to the table. "Excuse me? I thought they told you that they died. You said they died in a car accident."

Sally looked like she was trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, Nico. I'm sorry. That's what they told us to tell you. The government didn't want you to know-"

"Since when did the government care? Since when did you listen to them?" Nico was on his feet, his dark eyes betrayed and calculating, calculating if there was any trust left. "You lied to me about my parents?"

"Nico, sit down." Paul tried. "Just listen to us, okay? We'll explain."

"You'll fucking explain!" Nico pushed his chair in roughly before stalking out of the restaurant, leaving his uneaten meal behind.

Sally looked to Paul, her eyes mournful. "Paul..."

"He'll be fine." he kissed her forehead. "When he comes home we'll tell him about tomorrow. If he isn't back by midnight I'll go find him."

"Tomorrow?" Percy spoke up, his voice quiet at what had just happened. "What's happening tomorrow?"

"Oh, Percy..." Sally got up and started to gather their trash. "We'll talk at home, okay? Let's get home before it storms again."

Percy glanced over at Nico's food. "Should I bring his incase he's hungry later?"

Sally nodded, handing him a bag. "Put it in there." She took the garbage and threw it away, her hands shaking slightly as she did so. "Okay, let's go. Let's get home. Percy,...we have a lot to talk about."

Percy didn't reply as he packed Nico's food up and then followed his mother, his hands clenched around the bag as he thought about where Nico had gone. Alcohol, drugs, dark alleys. In the pouring rain that never seemed to stop.

Once they were back home and dried off, they sat in the living room with blankets around their shoulders and cups of hot chocolate in their hands. Percy stared at his parents as they explained, as they told him the truths behind all the lies.

"I never really told you why I adopted him, did I?" Sally started, her soaking hair falling to her shoulders and her pregnant stomach showing beneath the blanket. "I was on my way to work when I passed the orphanage. This man was holding this screaming child, holding this boy that was screaming for his mother. They wanted him in this orphanage but the orphanage didn't want to take him. I talked to the man and he told me who the boy was. I couldn't stand to see him cry. So I took him in, tried to act like the mother he was screaming for."

Percy brought the blanket closer to himself as the storm pounded against the windows. "His dad was trying to give him away?"

Sally shook her head, nodded, shook it again. "His father had sent him with that man to give away. He wanted him to grow up away from there, until he was needed back home."

Percy scowled. "That sounds horrible."

"And it is," Sally agreed. "He was stolen from his mother's arms and dropped onto a plane heading for America."

"He's not American?" Percy's shocked expression almost made Sally laugh. Almost. "What country is he from?"

Sally looked to Paul. "Can you...?"

"Percy, he has no idea about any of this. Remember that." Paul sighed. "He's from Cartia, Percy. The frozen country with the evil king."

Percy frowned, thinking back to what they had learned in history class. Founded by the British and Russians, rebels selected a king, hundreds of years had passed. The story of any other country's beginnings despite the fact that the blood never stopped being shed. Evil king after evil king, fake people who acted like they had no idea what was going on. Killings in the news, tortures and executions.

"He's Cartian..." Percy breathed out. "That...that explains his pale skin, and...and his eyes...but his hair..."

"His mother was Italian." Sally managed. "That's where his dark hair comes from. But, yes, his skin and eyes are from his father."

"Okay, okay." Percy held his hands up. "Pause. His father gave him away to someone in America because he didn't want to raise him. Right?" She nodded. "Then why does he want him back now?"

Sally sipped from her hot chocolate, her hands tight around the cup. "Percy...some things...you can't tell anyone...got it?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Okay,"

"No, I mean it." she frowned. "Do I have your word?"

"I promise not to tell anyone outside this family." Percy leaned forward. "So, tell me."

"His father is...is King Hades..." Sally's voice was almost too quiet to hear. "His mother, Queen Maria. She...she just died. His father wants him back, to teach him to become the heir. Because...he is, heir."

Percy laughed in disbelief. "You're playing with me."

"His plane leaves at nine tomorrow morning," Paul muttered. "We're not playing."

Percy moved a hand to his head, his thoughts swarming too fast to make any sense. "Nico...is a prince...of a far country...he's leaving us...he's gonna be gone...forever..."

Sally started crying, silent tears pouring from her eyes. She tried to respond but her voice caught in her throat, and in a minute she was out of the room and in her bedroom. Paul sent Percy an apologetic glance before following his wife, the bedroom door closing behind them. Percy was left staring at his feet, staring as he tried to make sense of everything.

Only one thing he knew was for sure. If Nico was really leaving, Percy was going with him.