Chapter Text
"Nice try, My Dear Tempest..” The soft chuckle of the ‘Ghost Prince’ rang out in the dimly lit room as Detective Jason Grace failed to land a hit on the thief yet again. Jason growled and shot out another bullet towards the thief. The figure disappeared, and reappeared behind the detective with another laugh. Jason spun quickly, and glared in the direction of the sound. It takes a moment to spot him, considering he’s rather far out of eyesight, and the warehouse is rather dark, but Jason does see him. The cocky bastard sits at the very top of a large stack of crates, both legs hanging over, hands at the very edge as he leans forward. Jason doesn't need to be able to see the other to know they are smirking.
See, “The Ghost Prince”, as the media had so wonderfully named him, is a criminal, or well, to be more specific: A vigilante criminal. He steals things that had already been stolen, things from the black market and robbery’s and returns them to their rightful owners. It's a good deed that he does, but it's not his job. Now, if the Ghost Prince had stuck to his vigilante work, enforcers of the law like Jason Grace would not be hunting him down. The Ghost Prince is wanted because he occasionally drifts from his path of justice and steals from major corporations. Things stolen from these companies however, somehow always turn up, but that doesn't excuse the robberies though. The Ghost Prince had committed and is continuing to commit multiple crimes, therefore he must be punished.
One problem with that. The thief is a super. He has a certain ability that makes it near impossible to capture him. Jason’s come close, of course. Just yesterday he had managed to actually land a shot on the Ghost, cracking the silver face mask he previously wore in half, but the Ghost himself remained unharmed, and he bolted before anyone could see his face. A few times Jason had managed to corner, or handcuff the guy, but his powers always kicked in and he escaped. every. single. time. It was beginning to irritate Jason. In all his years of work, he had never failed to catch anyone, and he’s been chasing this guy for almost thirteen months now. Catching his Ghost Prince was on Jason’s personal agenda now, not just his work.
“That mesh mask looks rather ridiculous on you.” Jason called out to his opponent as he took another shot. Once again, The Prince vanished in a ball of darkness and reformed on the opposite side of the room. Jason could hear him huff as he crosses his arms, brown leather bag, probably filled with whatever it is he stole from this warehouse, hangs carelessly in his hand. He really does look ridiculous with that mesh mask. The Ghost Prince always wears the same thing;black leggings (or spandex, to be honest, Jason's not really sure what they are), black combat boots, black long sleeve shirt and black gloves. His hair is dark brown, straight, and always pulled back. He always wears some sort of mask too; his usual has always been a solid, silver face mask, but since Jason damaged that yesterday, he wore a thick black veil that made the thief look like a mourner at a funeral. The only thing that came and went was the dark hooded cloak that the vigilante occasionally wore, like tonight for instance. Personally, Jason despised that cloak, although He had no particular reason. “I must agree with you there. I feel like a weeping widow with this veil. However, this is all your fault, I wouldn't have to wear this silly thing if you hadn't cracked my favorite mask with that gun of yours.” He scolds Jason, but there is a hint of displeasure in his words, and Jason can not help but grin. It’s good to know that he irks his nemesis as much as the other annoys him.
“You could always take it off. That’d save us all a lot of trouble.” Jason took the distraction of conversation to try and shoot again, but the other saw it coming. This time, he reappeared directly in front of Jason. At this distance, Jason could clearly see his criminals cocky grin, and the smallest hint of brown eyes.
“You would like that wouldn't you? Would you like to see my face for personal, or business related satisfaction?” The Prince had an odd way of talking, his words and phrases always seemed strange.. almost poetic. Somewhere within his mask there must be a voice modifier, for there was always this calming, melodic tune that surrounding the guys voice.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.” Jason took another opportunity to attack his opponent, but this time, instead of trying to shoot him, he simply grabbed a black clattered arm, and tossed the criminal to the floor, and tackled him. Jason held the other down by his wrists, and used his legs to box his body in. The Ghost Prince couldn't vanish if Jason was blocking him like this, right?
“Why tempest, getting frisky while on the job? Didn't think you were the type.” The captured thief mocks from below. Jason huffs, ignoring the sly smile that pulls up on the others lips beneath the mesh.
“You can’t vanish if I am holding on to you.” Jason says smugly, thinking he’s finally gained the upper hand in the situation, not willing to admit he has no idea what to do from here.
“Oh really?” The Prince laughs in response. In a quick moment, he raises his leg, and harshly knees Jason in the groin, twice, when Jason winces in pain, The Ghost Prince takes his opportunity to knock Jason off of him, and just like that he’s gone. This time, he does not reappear elsewhere in the room. He did however, leave behind the brown leather pouch he was carrying.
Once Jason recovers from the pain, and the shock, he makes his way to the bag and carefully pulls it open. He expects to find money, papers, jewelry, something. What he finds, however, is a bag of pebbles with a small note from the criminal.
“I can always count on you for a fun Friday night. -Your ‘Ghost Prince’”
Jason groans in frustration. He had stolen nothing. The whole thing was just a game to entertain the Ghost Prince. Worse; Jason was a pawn in said game and he really, really did not like that. He pulled his communicator from the pockets of his black work slacks, and called up his boss.
“Reyna, it was a fucking game. I was his entertainment for the night.” Jason groans into the phone the second he hears a ‘click’ signifying he had been patched into the other officers line.
“I'm starting to think our Ghost Prince is as obsessed with you as you are with him.” His boss, and lifelong friend, Reyna laughed at him from the other end of the phone. Jason snorted. “Oh please. I am not obsessed.” Reyna’s laughter increased.
“Jason, seriously. You spend almost every waking minute trying to find this guy. I call that obsession.”
“I call it my job.” Jason counters. The conversation ends there, Jason finishes his report to her, telling her every detail about their encounter, and of course, she laughed when he mentioned the flirting. Then they hung up the phone, and Jason got a very well needed four hour nap before he was called up at an ungodly hour of the morning for a case.
“Dad? What’s going on?” Jason had been called at five in the morning to deal with a robbery case. Someone had broken into the home of the CEO of the Adonis company. A large corporation that owns several shops around the town, and they’re all rather popular places, but the most well known company under the Adonis corporation is the jewelry line. Anyone who is anyone has some sort of accessory from “Elysium Jewels”. Hell, Even Jason had an Elysium made watch.
Adonis was started, and owned by one Hayden Di Angelo; A tall, pale man with curly black hair, dark eyes and a dark and mysterious aura. The CEO was easily one of the richest people around, maybe even the richest, that made him a common target for robberies. On this night, Someone had snuck into the Di Angelo mansion and stolen a prize piece of jewelry. The thief was most likely The Ghost Prince; he was out tonight, and this wouldn't be the first time he had stolen from Hayden Di Angelo.
“Nothing son, Someone broke in again.” At the top of the stairs stood who must be Hayden's sons. A young man, probably Jason's age. Thin and lean with olive skin that had sickly pale undertones. His features are sharp, and stunning. His eyes are the darkest shade of brown Jason has ever seen, it reminds him just how much Jason likes brown eyes. His hair is an unruly mess of shoulder lengthed, dark brown curls that made it obvious the boy had just woken up. Above all, he was half naked. Seriously, the boy is standing there on the staircase in nothing but black boxers and gray socks.
Jason had a hard time removing his eyes from the man.
“You need a better security system father.. Was anything stolen?” He asks, his eyes settle on Jason, and his face goes red. Probably finally realizing that he’s standing in a room full of detectives in nothing but his underwear.
“Unfortunately, yes.. Your mother's necklace has been stolen.” Both Di Angelo's tense up a bit, and the young man's jaw tightens, obviously upset.
“I can assure you we will do everything we can to get back your stolen property.” Jason attempts to, well, he’s not entirely sure what he’s trying to do. Perhaps comfort them, is a good choice of words.
“And you are?” The boy's gaze on Jason intensifies as he raises an eyebrow.
“Nico, this is Officer Jason Grace. Mr. Grace, this is my son, Nico.” Hayden takes the honors of introducing them to each other.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Di Angelo. Like I said, I will do anything I can to get your mother's necklace back.” Jason tries his best to smile kindly, but Nico Di Angelo just nods his head slowly, then looks back to his father.
“I am going back to bed. Goodnight.” Just like that, young Di Angelo disappeared up the stairs, leaving Jason alone with Hayden, and the surrounding officers that were far too busy investigating the crime scene to have noticed what just happened.
"I really can not talk right now, Riptide.” Nico hissed into his earpiece as he ran across the warehouse. The round of bullets going out behind him seemed to prove his point.
“Just thought I’d tell you that there is a hunky blond in here looking for you. Oh, and I'm hungry, pick me up something on your way back.” Nico groans in both annoyance and confusion at his friend.
Percy Jackson, or, Riptide as he’s called in the underground, has been one of Nico’s closest friends for years. They’ve definitely had their differences, and they didn't always get along, but Percy saved Nico’s life when he was like twelve and Nico returned the favor years later. After a while, the two got over it all; the betrayal, the fighting, the heartbreak, once that was all out of the picture, slowly but surely, a friendship blossomed. Now Percy likes to take the role of Nico’s older brother. Percy is a relaxed, go with the flow kind of guy with messy black hair, bright sea green eyes with the body and tan of a swimmer. He’s a marine biologist, he’s often protesting and fighting for the rights of the ocean and it’s creatures. Percy also helps his father, Poseidon, run his company. Trident deals with anything and everything that goes on in the ocean. The most famous being the Cruise Line section. At Night however, Percy works alongside Nico in managing the crime around the city.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nico dodges behind a stack of crates, and pulls the shadows it provides around himself, giving him the opportunity to hide for a second. He’s not being chased by the police for once at the moment, that’s an unfortunate no. Nico’s currently in the middle of a battle with two low-life criminals who are not so happy with Nico stealing their black market goods.
Nico’s father, Hayden, or Hades around the underworld, has been managing the crime in this town since he was younger then Nico. Crime here used to be disastrous, but ever since Hayden Di Angelo stepped in, it became tamed. Hades did not allow for injustice, he punished the wicked. Anything stolen, unless justly stolen, would be returned to where it belonged. Murder, unless justly committed, is unforgivable. Hades did not tolerate the reckless treatment of life. Death was not a toy for people to play with. As times changed, Hades began to need to cover his tracks. The vigilante crime system the Di-Angelos ran was not acceptable to the police. Mostly because Jupiter Grace didn't like people doing his job for him. He didn't like his limelight being stolen. Hayden started to use his powers over the earth and it’s minerals, and he created Elysium Jewels.
Then he met Nico’s mother, Maria, on a trip back to his old home in Italy. Back in the states he gave her her very own Italian restaurant and cafe so that she may enjoy and share her love of cooking, while keeping a piece of Italy with her. Maria and Hayden had two kids; Bianca, and then Nico. Maria died in a hotel when Nico was around ten years old. Hayden had been heartbroken and sent the kids off to private school. When Nico was twelve, one of Haydens rivals tried to kidnap the Di-Angelo siblings with the intents of killing them and sending their heads back to Hades. They were saved by Percy Jackson and a group of his friends. Percy quickly became a hero in Nico’s eyes, and then his crush. About a month later, Bianca went on a trip with Percy Jackson and a few of his friends, the very ones that saved them. Nico protested the trip, not wanting to be away from his sister. She was his only friend. Nico asked Percy to look out for her. Bianca died in a car crash. Nico ran away. Years later Nico took up working for his father in the underground.
Then Nico discovered his father had another child after a sudden affair down in new Orleans. Hazel Levesque was his new baby sister. Nico was happy to have a new family member. As Hazel got older, Hayden gave her a businesses of her own. Hazel runs an animal shelter. Then Hayden remarried to a women named Persephone. Nico grew to love her. Hayden gifted her with a plant nursery, and to appease Persephone’s very critical mother, Hayden gave her management of what was once Maria’s restaurant and cafe. This was an act that hurt Nico dearly, but after a long while he grew to like his new family, step-mother and step-grandmother included.
Now when Nico took up the underworld side of his father's business, he tended to disappear for days at a time, and those who cared for him tried looking for him, Long story short Percy Jackson landed right in the middle of a crime scene. The two have been partners in crime - pun intended- ever since.
“What part of ‘there is a tall, muscular, hot blonde guy in your office looking for you’ do you not understand?” Percy's sarcasm chimes in through the device and Nico can not help but groan as he exits the shadows of an alleyway two blocks down from the warehouse he was just in.
“You know what. Whatever. I’ll be right there.” There’s no point in trying to make sense of Percy right now. Nico knows hes not get a name or anything more than ‘hunky blonde’ out of him anyway, so Nico makes use of the dark abandoned ally and sinks into the shadows once again.
“Excuse me? Mr-” Jason quickly stops in his tracks as he walks into the office of Nico DiAngelo. Jason decided that he ought to question the young DiAngelo to help further the investigation on the recent burglary at his father's house, and also partially because the image of a tired Nico in nothing but boxers and socks standing at the top of the stairs looking down at him with questioning eyes has not left Jason's mind all morning. However, the person behind the polished oak desk at the moment is not the young man that's been plaguing him for the last few hours. Instead, there was a lean yet muscular man with a surfer's tan, wild black hair, and eyes the color of the sea. He had to be around the same age as Jason was, despite the childish way he spun around in the office chair.
“Jackson. Mr. Jackson. I'm Di Angelo’s secretary. How may I help you?” He stopped spinning to give Jason a smile, and although it probably was meant to be innocent, it looked rather wicked. He claims to be Mr. Di Angelo's secretary, but he’s definitely not dressed for the part with his dark blue flannel and jeans.He was also sure that secretary’s had their own desk, and did not spin around in their boss's chair when they were gone.
“I'm here to talk to Mr. DiAngelo.” Jason quickly straightens his back and regains any image he may have lost by his confusion from when he first walked in. This man may not look or act like the secretary he claims to be, but he’s not lying. Jason has a knack for hearing the truth in people's words, and there was truth in this guys voice, a strange truth, but a truth none the less.
“I figured that much, cause if you weren't well then you just wouldn't be here at all. If you could specify, that would be great.” Mr. Jackson jokes, which sort of throws Jason off a bit. He wasn't expecting it. Then again, he wasn't expecting Nico DiAngelo to not be in his office.
`“Wait. Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Muscles. I think I can guess.” Before Jason can give Mr. Jackson his title and his business with DiAngelo, Jackson is on the phone. He spins in the office chair so that the back is to Jason, and begins a very quiet conversation with someone. Then the call is over just as soon as it started.
“Nico went out to pick up lunch, he’ll be back soon. You can wait for him if you want.” The secretary spins back around to Jason, kicking feet up on the wood desk.
“Thank you. I’ll wait for him.” Jason says, carefully making his way to sit in the seat on the other side of the desk, across from Mr. Jackson.
“Jackson huh?” After a minute or so of awkward silence, Jason decides to pick up on the first conversation piece he can possibly think of.
“That’s right.” The raven haired man responds, nodding his head to Jason.
“You wouldn't happen to be Perseus Jackson? Whose father is the founder and CEO of Trident Ships?” Trident ships owns both a cruise line, an ocean cargo shipping business and just about anything else that involves the seas.
“That's me. Except nobody calls me Perseus. Just plain Percy is fine.” Jason gives a small smile at that, and nods his head. Jason has met Percy’s father, Poseidon on a few occasions. The two have the same joking and laid back attitude.
“It’s nice to meet you, Percy. I am Jason Grace, by the way. I am with the police station, I came by to ask Mr.DiAngelo a few questions about a case that involves his father.” Jason takes the chance to finally introduce and explain himself.
“Oh, I know who you are.” Percy says with a shrug, and then stops to look over Jason in his casual gray shirt and jeans.
“You don't look like a cop right now though.” Jackson says, a hint of amusement hangs in his voice. Jason is taken by surprise by Percy already knowing who he was. Jason can not help but wonder how, why, and for how long. Did Percy know from the moment he walked in, or did it take him a few minutes to realize?
“I didn't want to attract much attention, I thought marching in here in my uniform might give off the wrong impression to the workers, and to any media who saw me come in here.” Percy nods in understanding, and opens his mouth to make a comment, but never gets them out.
“Percy Jackson you get your feet off of my desk this instant!” behind Jason the door to the office opens, and Nico DiAngelo storms in.
“We do have a guest you know.” Percy grumbles in defeat as he swings his feet off of the desk and stands up. “What did you bring me?” He asks, his eyes dropping to the fast food bags and drinks in Nico's hands. Jason's eyes however, linger on Nico Di Angelo himself. Wavy brown hair, deep brown eyes, pale olive tone skin, slender figure covered by a charcoal colored button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black pants. Just like last night, Jason became mesmerized by the man before him.
“A burger, fries and that blue coconut soda you like.” DiAngelo made his way to his desk to set the food and drink down. Jason quickly stood to his feet.
“Mr. DiAngelo. I'm officer Jason Grace, we spoke briefly last night. I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about the case when you have a chance.” Jason tries to act as formal as possibly, even as Nico DiAngelo turns to him, with the slightest bit of panic and worry in his eyes before he regains a calm and collected exterior.
“Of course. I have the time right now, if that's alright?” Jason liked that idea, he liked the sound of Nico's voice, and he liked the way Nico looked at him. “That works.”
“Officer huh? I was so sure he was your new boyfriend.” Percy mumbles through a mouth full of burger, which confuses Jason. A few minutes ago Percy openly admitted that he knew who Jason was. Percy’s statement also made Jason feel a bit embarrassed, not just because the idea of dating Nico Di Angelo was an intriguing one, but because the faint blush across Nico's ears and nose that made Jason believe the dark haired boy was having similar thoughts, is what made him feel suddenly shy.
“Percy you can stop playing secretary and leave now.” The young Di Angelo groaned at his friend, causing Percy to just stare plainly in their direction before standing to his feet, collecting his food, and walking towards the door.
“Fine, but you owe me one.” Percy calls out, just before he shuts the door, leaving Nico to sigh in defeat and Jason in confusion.
“So. Mr. Grace. Before you start questioning me, may I ask you a question?” Nico Di Angelo makes his way around his desk, and sits down in the large leather office chair, and then gestures for Jason to sit down in the chair on the other side of the desk.
“Of course. Ask away.” Jason gives him the permission as he follows his gesture, and sits back down in the chair that he was in earlier. Jason is not sure what Nico could possibly want to ask him, but whatever it is, Jason is sure it’s a harmless question.
“Why are you not in uniform for this visit?” He inquires, taking a sip out of his fast food cup. Jason looks down at his casual attire, thinking over his investigation at the Di Angelo home, and the particular conversation he had with Hayden Di Angelo towards the end of the night, before looking back to Nico.
“Your father asked me to. When I told him I would need to question you, he asked me to do so discreetly. He said he wanted to keep you out of the media during such negative times. He claims that your name always popping up in the more unfortunate telling about his business would not only taint your name, but give you a reputation that's reliant on him. I agreed to help try and keep you out of the media as much as I possibly can, and I thought walking in here in my uniform might cause suspicion.” Jason explains his reasons as Nico sighs, and mumbles a curse at his father under his breath before continuing the conversation.
“You are a rather big name, Jason Grace. You're probably one of the most well known officers, as well as the heir to Olympus. You visiting me in my office, uniform or no uniform, is bound to raise questions.” Nico is quick to counter, and by the tone of his voice, Jason concludes that the young DiAngelo is trying to gracefully, and subtly hint that Jason isn't particularly welcomed in his office.
“If I were to visit in my uniform, it would draw more attention, and it would be much more difficult to cover up with an excuse. Less people notice me, or pay attention to me when I am in my casual clothes, and even if someone does notice me coming in here, there are plenty of things I could make up that would eliminate or lessen media coverage.” Jason counters, leaving them at a draw, for both of them are right. Jason is a big name, both for his own work and his father's work. He’s definitely got some celebrity status, and anything the public can do to get his face in the media, they will do. But, on the other hand, people tend not to notice Jason as much out of his uniform, and without the uniform, Jason is also free to lie and create any number of excuses that would help him try to accomplish Hayden Di Angelo's request.
“Fair Enough.” Nico sighs, tapping his nails against the desk, eager to end the current conversation. “You may begin your interrogation now, Mr. Grace.” Jason cringes a bit, as he really does hate to be called ‘Mr.’ It just doesn't sound right to him, it sounds like they’re referring to his father, and the last thing Jason wants is to be compared to his father. However, he does understand the need for the formal talk. Jason knows that even though he doesn't have the uniform on, this is still official business.
“Very well then. Mr. Di Angelo, you no longer live in your father's house, is that correct?” Jason pulls a slick recorder stick out of his pocket, presses the start button on it, and places it on the table in front of him before starting his question. Nico looks down at it curiously, obviously not happy when he realizes what the device is, but says nothing about it.
“Yes, that's correct. I moved out of my father's house when I was 18. I live in my own residence now.” Nico sighs. It’s only the first question, but he is already visibly annoyed and done with this interview. Which is a rather quick change in mood from when Percy was still in the room.
“Then why were you sleeping at your father's house the night of the robbery?” Nico sucks in a sharp breath, and raises an eyebrow at Jason, pointing a rather harsh glare at the detective.
“Officer Grace, are you implying that I might have aided in the theft of my own dead mother's memento?” Jason shakes his head, and leans back a bit.
“Not at all, Di Angelo. I am simply covering the bases.” He says in an apologetic tone, Nico seems rather offended that he could possibly be a suspect. He must have been very close to his mother, and that necklace must have meant quite a bit to him.
“Fine. Two or Three times a month my father likes to have family dinners, and once a month my father and I like to have dinner, just the two of us, to discuss business matters. That's why I was there, we had a business dinner that went very late into the night, and included quite a few glasses of wine. I live on the other side of town from my father, and he thought it would be dangerous for me to drive home so late after drinking. So I spent the night in my old room. It’s a normal and frequent event for me, you can ask anyone in the family, in case you don't believe me.” Nico must have been good at reading people, because Jason didn't believe him on that. Hayden Di Angelo did not seem like a family man, and the idea that his family avidly got together to eat dinner together went against everything Jason has ever heard about the Di Angelo family line. They were apparently very personal, and distant people with a dysfunctional family.
“I was under the impression that the Di Angelo household was rather tense.” Jason searches for a phrase that wouldn't piss Nico off, but he doubted such a thing existed.
“I don't know why the public thinks that. Look. Things haven't been tense in our family for years.” He groans, and Jason nods. For a moment he wants to dive deeper into that subject, but seeing as Di Angelo is already agitated, it would be wise not to.
“What time had you gone to sleep that night?” Jason moves on to his next question. Nico sits for a second, trying to think it over.
“Let's see. We had a late dinner, and it took us a while to eat between all the talking, and I believe we finished at around 9:30 or 10. Then we talked for another few hours about work and business while we drank. I think it was near 1 in the morning when I tried to go home, we argued over the matter for a while, so I don't made it to room till 1:30 in the morning, so I don't think I was actually asleep in bed till around 2:30 maybe even 3.” Nico lays out his story, and Jason listens carefully to every bit.
“Are you saying it took you over an hour to actually fall asleep?” Jason picks up on that time gap instantly. Nico claims that he made it to his room around 1:30, but probably didn't fall asleep till 3 at the latest. That would give him over and hour, maybe even an hour and a half of time. Now, Nico isn't a suspect, but he could be an aid to the actual thief, perhaps. The only motive Jason could see Nico having, is wanting to keep his mothers necklace to himself. If his mother was important to him, then the heirloom would be incredibly important as well. The sentiment of the piece is the only thing, seeing as Nico claims he gets along with his father, and he wouldn't need the financial benefits from him. However, if Nico wanted to keep the necklace so badly himself, he could have very well asked his father, and that's something his father would have mentioned if it happened.
“I have a very precise ritual before going to bed. I also have difficulty sleeping. So yes. It took me at least an hour to get to sleep after retreating to my room.” Jason decides to leave that subject alone too. He wants to ask what that ritual consists of, but Jason thinks that would also agitate Nico, and decided to drop that question.
“To your knowledge, is there anyone who would have motive to steal your mother's necklace?” Jason moves on, and Nico pauses to think again. He seems to be going over every motive or every person that could lead to the theft.
“The necklace is one of a kind. My father made it for my mother as a gift for their first Christmas together. It's one of the first extravagant necklaces he ever made. That value combined with the price of the materials used in it, it is a very expensive piece. Any thief in need of money could have a motive for that necklace.” He explains as he pulls his hands into his lap. He stares down at them as he twists on a silver, skull shaped ring that he wears.
”Can you think of anyone in particular that would want to steal it?” Jason asks, to which Nico only shakes his head. That last question must have struck a nerve with the young Di Angelo somewhere.
”Can you think of anything that happened that night that could help give away the thief?” Jason tries asking. Nico hesitates for a split second before shaking his head again, making Jason to think there is something he‘s not saying now.
”Nico, if you want to find your mothers necklace, I suggest you cooperate. If you know anything at all. If you heard a noise. If you saw something out of your window before you went to sleep. If you found something. Anything at all, please tell me, It could help the investigation.” At this, Nico looks up at Jason again, glaring, but this time, his eyes are a bit glossed over.
“Look here,Officer. Jewelry is an important marker in this family. It's our trademark. When my mother was alive, she wore that necklace everywhere. She was wearing it the day she died, and it was what identified her body for us. Whatever its material value is, I assure you it’s sentimental value is higher. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to find her necklace and bring it home to my father. If I knew anything at all that would help you find it, you would have known before you even stepped foot into my office.” Nico snaps a bit. He's not pissed off or anything like that, no, he just seemed hurt. When he looks up at Jason, Jason seems to think he looks like a puppy, a ferocious one, but still a puppy. For a fraction of a second, Jason wants to comfort Nico. He wants to hug him and tell him that they’ll find his mother's necklace. But just as soon as he has the thought, Jason realizes that the action would be highly unprofessional and unwelcome. He also realizes that Nico is mourning for more than the loss of his mother's memento.
“Thank you, Mr. DiAngelo. That's all I need for now. If there is anything you happen to remember, or find please let us know. I will also update both you and your father on the case as frequently as possible.” Jason gets out of the chair, and grabs the recorder of the table, and stops it before shoving it back into his pocket.Then he pulls out his business card with all his information on it from his other pocket, and slides it across the desk. As he pushes in his seat, Jason looks at Nico DiAngelo, and there is something incredibly desperate in his eyes as he glares down at the Jasons card, something that makes Jasons heart thud in his chest.
“And I promise you. I will do everything I possibly can to.. No, I will find and return your mother's necklace.” Jason does something he tries to avoid doing during cases. He makes a promise. In the world of law, promises just do not belong. You never know if you will actually be able to keep it or not. Most of the time it's a fifty fifty shot, and if you get that unfortunate shot you are going to wish with every last piece of your body that you had never made that promise. Because the look on your client's face when you tell them you couldn't keep that promise, it’s heart breaking. So yeah, Jason usually liked to avoid making promises in his line of work, but right then, looking into Nico Di Angelo's eyes, Jason felt like he didn't have a choice. He needed to make that promise, and Nico needed to hear that promise.
“Thank you..” Nico sighs, standing to his feet as well, then he silently walks Jason to the door of his office. “Thank you.” He repeats as he watches Jason Grace leave his office. When Jason is gone, there is the sound of a thud against the door. Jason knows that Nico had dropped against the door, and slid down to the floor. He could hear him sniffling. It took every ounce of self control Jason had to not go back in that room and comfort his client. Nico Di Angelo was a private, shielded person from what Jason could tell, add that to the fact that Nico waited until after Jason was gone to cry, and it’s obvious that Nico wants to be alone at the moment. So Jason left. He left and went home.
After a good long shower, and a much needed nap, Jason put his uniform on and got back to work. He sat in his car for hours, watching traffic and occasionally going over paperwork for the DiAngelo robbery. The highlight of his patrol hours was when someone buzzed past him going twenty miles over the speed limit and he got to chase after them to give them a ticket. It was a very boring and uneventful night, until around 11 o'clock, when he got a call.
His Ghost Prince had been spotted.