Thin lines

Chapter: 5

Thanatos:

I stole a glance at Nico, he seemed lost in thought. I know this because if he had been watching he would have noticed mother acting weird. She said she had something to announce at tonight's dinner and that's never good.
"Tonight we will be having a steak dinner!~" Sang my mother. I saw her glance Nico, waiting for his reaction. Nico is a vegetarian. I feel sorry for him. I could tell he was forcing back a gag. The steak was done rare, you could see some blood in all the juices. Hazel looked like she wanted to cry. She's not a full blown vegetarian, but blood is also not her cup of tea. We sat waiting for mother and father to take the first bite to begin the dinner.
"Darling," mother said as she grabbed fathers hand over the table.
"We haven't seen our children in so long!" She said in mock sorrow.
"No we haven't dear," Father replied in fanning innocents.
"I believe we should do something special! Seeing as so many birthdays are near!" She said. Ok now this is definitely getting suspicious. They never acknowledge Hazels or Nicos birthdays. They must be trying to-
"Oh I know darling!" Said father as if he had discovered string theory,"We should let them take the first bite! This will be a big birthday meal!" Yup. There it is. Of course. Nico and Hazel never actually eat at family dinners. Mother and father always do their best to choose all the foods Nico and Hazel hate, and those are the times they actually allow Nico and Hazel food. It is rude to not eat at business conferences, lunches, or in the hospitality of a business partner, even if you don't like the food. What with having foreign business partners, you might not always fine the food appetizing. And with my parents being 'image crazed' even when it comes to the smallest things, have taught us how to 'eat with out eating.' Meaning we will look like we are eating, but, one look at out plate would say other wise. Trust me that trick comes in handy more times then you would think. Either way Nico and Hazel don't usually eat the food given to them, and my parents know that. Getting them to take at least one bite of the bloody meat on their plate would be challenging. Of course if they were given honor of first-bite, there would be no getting out of it. What with mother, father, me, and all the chefs watching in the room. I really wish all of this would stop honestly. Nico and Hazel, well, their good kids. And contrary to the belief, I have nothing against them. My parents aren't the best of people, but they have always treated me nicely and provided for me what others could only dream of. But with the way they treat my half siblings, it's hard to say otherwise. They treat them like lower class in their own home. They refuse to even sleep on the same side of the mansion as them. In fact they refuse to allow me to sleep on the same side of the mansion as them. In all honesty I'm actually quite protective of my younger siblings. They haven't the idea of the countless times I've stopped my parents from doing something they would regret towards them. But I'm sure they don't return the feelings. I'm not stupid. I see the way they look at me when we pass in the hallways. Or the way they cringe as I speak to them. When they speak in hushed whispers to one another, only stopping when I look their way. They have a closeness only siblings could have. A closeness that I could never have. Trust me, if I had known of their existence before hand, if I had known I had half siblings out there, I would have forced my parents to take them in. To not allow them to fade in the background, blocked by my family's 'image'. I had always wanted siblings, someone to share all of my toys and secrets, someone to protect and someone to protect me. I only wish I had learned of them sooner, and not once it was to late... Not after she died. Not after the were traumatized by terrorists. Not after the war!
If only I had known sooner... But they are here now. And they might not know it, but I do all I can to protect them. Because they are still my family. We are still siblings. I don't know what it feels like to lose a sibling. A true, real sibling. A sibling that you share your toys with, to share your secrets with, a sibling you protect, as they protect you. But they do. And the look of pain on their faces when I first met them was something that has engraved itself into my brain. I might not be their sibling, but they are mine. And if Nico and Hazel being each others sibling, if clinging to the other, being close to one another, and not me, keeps that pained look off their faces then so be it. But I'll still protect them, treat them as my siblings, even if they don't return the favor. Thats why I do what I'm about to do.