Tyler blinked incredulously. "I- wait, what?"

Brendon raised a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe you didn't know. Tyler, you are literally part of the mafia. How does someone not know that?"

"My parents didn't tell me!" Tyler exclaimed. "Holy shit. You're kidding, right?"

Brendon turned to him. "Does it look like I am?"

Tyler studied the man. His hair was messy, his skin pale. He had bags under his wide eyes, and he looked to be in a constant state of panic. He looked like a mess.

Tyler closed his eyes and leant back in his seat. "No. No fucking way. Are you... are you saying that I'm... part of the Persico family?"

"Stryker's not your mother's real maiden name," Brendon said.

Tyler shook his head. "You're fucking crazy."

Brendon looked at him almost sympathetically. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Tyler."

Tyler took a deep breath. "I'm okay. But... are you saying that my parents told the mafia where Josh is?"

"I think so," Brendon frowned. "Probably to get you back."

Tyler bit his lip. "What's gonna happen to them?"

"You don't wanna know," Brendon answered quietly.

Tyler turned to the window, trying to hide the tears gathering in his eyes. He lifted his arm to rest on the window and covered his mouth, watching as they drove into a rich neighbourhood. He looked at the large houses, eyeing their tennis courts and swimming pools.

The more he thought about it, the more he realised that it all made sense. He had never met his mother's family, and she tried to avoid mentioning them. She said that they lived far away, but that was revealed to be yet another lie when Brendon pulled into a driveway after a half an hour drive.

"The Persico house," Brendon said. "Your family."

Tyler got out immediately. He prayed that his eyes weren't red as he walked towards the door.

Brendon grabbed his wrist. "Are you an idiot? Stay in the car!"

"I'm their family," Tyler scoffed. "You stay in the car."

Brendon lowered his voice. "You don't have a weapon, a plan, or any experience, idiot."

Tyler pulled his wrist from Brendon's grip. "And you're some weird Russian guy they'll shoot on sight. Go back to the car, Brendon."

Brendon blinked away the insult on his face. "Have fun getting yourself killed," he seethed as he walked back to the car.

Tyler ignored him and walked up to the door. He knocked on it, running purely on the anger of being lied to for his entire life. He purposely softened his expression, trying to appear vulnerable.

A smiling old man opened the door, looking like a typical butler. There was a taller, definitely scarier man behind him, glaring at Tyler as if he had just killed his dog.

"May I help you?" The old man asked.

Tyler glanced at the blood on the taller man's knuckles and smiled nervously. "I'm Tyler. Tyler Joseph. I just... I just found out about this house, I think belongs to my family. Is this the Persicos?"

"Tyler Joseph?" The man repeated. "Do you have ID?"

Tyler nodded and pulled out his wallet. He displayed his student ID. The old man nodded and opened the door wider, motioning for the taller man to move out of the way.

"Come in," he smiled. "I'll introduce you to your uncle. He'll be ecstatic to meet you. You look just like him."

Tyler nodded, eyeing the grand house. He followed the old man up some stairs, ignoring the anxiety tickling his chest. They made their way to a large doorway and stopped.

The old man knocked on the door. "Mr. Persico?"

A hum was heard from inside, and the old man pushed open the door. Tyler stepped in, his hands clasped in front of him.

A large man was sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. There was a large scar across his neck, like it had been slit, and he had a scary resemblance to Tyler.

The man eyed Tyler suspiciously. "Who's this, Albert?"

The old man -Albert, presumably- gently pushed Tyler forward. "This is Tyler Joseph, your nephew."

The man raised his eyebrow and he stood from his chair. "Joseph? Are you one of the children that my sister's been hiding from me?"

Tyler glanced at Albert nervously. "Yes, sir. I- I just found out."

To Tyler's surprise, the man engulfed him in a hug. "Oh, my nephew!"

Tyler stiffened but didn't move away. He could smell the man's cologne, the scent making him crinkle his nose.

His uncle pulled away. "What are your intentions, boy?"

"I'm not sure," Tyler replied, running purely on adrenaline. "I just wanted to meet my family. I-I know what you guys, do, who you are, but I don't care."

The man nodded. "That's great. I'm John. Albert, why don't you introduce him to the rest of the family?"

Albert nodded and pulled Tyler out of the room. "They'll be so excited, Mr. Joseph. They know all about you and your siblings."

"They do?" Tyler questioned.

"Of course," Albert replied. "We've been trying to find you for years. Joseph is just such a common name, and we had little information. Where are you from?"

"Not far from here," Tyler said.

Albert smiled. "All these years, and you were close! Astounding. How long do you plan on staying?"

"Staying?" Tyler repeated. "No, I just wanted to visit."

Albert paused. "Sorry, young man. No one leaves once they've visited."