Work Text:
Nico was home alone as Will was at the hospital and Bianca and Ryder were at school. He thought it would be nice for a morning to have the house to himself and get some work done uninterrupted.
Two hours must have gone by when the doorbell rang. He dragged himself out of his chair to open the door. “Dad?” he said confused.
“Hello, Nico.” Hades let himself inside the house and Nico followed him completely baffled. Hades never visited him which meant that his visit was probably for no good reason.
“What are you doing here?” Nico asked. “I mean, how did you know that I would be alone?”
“Just because I don’t show up that doesn’t mean that I don’t keep an eye on you,” Hades noted. “I have something to give to you and I thought that it would be better if it was just the two of us.”
Yes, that made Nico even more nervous. The last time Hades wanted to give him something, Nico got a French zombie chauffeur. “Okay? I guess.”
“Look Nico, I know that we don’t exactly have a father-son relationship-“
“It’s fine really. You are technically not allowed even now to talk to me. You are a God and all that stuff.”
“I’m glad you feel that way,” Hades exclaimed. “I’ve done some stuff in the past that I am not proud of. I may have been a little selfish, and I want to fix my mistakes.” Nico wanted to say “You? Mistakes? Never.” But he felt like it would be inappropriate. Hades put a pouch on the coffee table. “This is one of the many ways I plan to make up with everything.”
Nico didn’t know what to say. Or at least what Hades would expect him to say. Nico took the pouch from the table, and he cautiously opened it. Inside of it, he had expected to find knives, potions, or something shadowy. But what he really found in it surprised him even more. Necklaces, Earrings, rings, and bracelets decorated with diamonds and other precious metals. “What does that supposed to mean?” He asked Hades confused.
“When you were going to study in Rome, you asked me if I know where your mother’s house in Venice was. I told you that I couldn’t remember.” Hades said awkwardly.
“You knew.”
“I knew. But I didn’t want you to go back there.”
“Why?” Nico demanded.
“The reason doesn’t have any significance right now. The place brought pain to me. Pain that a husband shouldn’t have for a woman other than his wife. When Maria died I went back to Venice. I took all of her jewellery with me. The last piece that could remind me of her.” Hades held a ring in his hand with nostalgia in his eyes.
“You’re saying that all this jewellery was my mother’s?”
“Yes, my son.” Hades sighed. “I have had them in my palace for over 80 years. But I don’t deserve them. I was selfish. You deserve something from your mother. All this stuff rightfully belong to you.” He motioned on the jewellery. “I don’t care what you decide to do with them, but they are yours.”
Hades left soon after him and Nico finished their conversation. Nico continued to stare at the jewellery laid over the coffee table. They were his mother’s jewellery? It just seemed so surreal. He hardly has any memories of her, thanks to Lethe. But he was sure that Hades had something to do with his occasional flashback memories. And now he had her jewellery? He couldn’t believe it. What was he supposed to do with all of them?
Will came home way earlier than usual. “Hey, what are you doing?” He asked Nico who was still sitting on the floor.
“Hades came by. He brought me my mum’s jewellery.” Nico replied unable to take his eyes off the small boxes on the table.
“Oh.” Will could tell that Nico was feeling weird. “You have something from your mother. That’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes, I guess so. I don’t know why I feel so weird. I should be happy.”
“It’s weird because you miss her. But you are happy. You think that you aren’t happy, but it was sudden. You have every right to feel a bit overwhelmed.” Will soothed him.
“You are right. But I can’t believe that I have her stuff.”
“She definitely had great taste on jewellery. What are you going to do with all of them?”
“You’ll have to wait to find out.” Nico smiled.