Children of Loss 4

Chapter 4

Nico slid into the passenger seat when Apollo pulled up to the curb. The blond had changed clothes, and he now wore a sleeveless white shirt and some green track shorts that showed off his long smooth legs. “Have a good day?” Apollo asked as they pulled back on to the street. Nico just shrugged, looking out the window. His day had been rough, to say the least. He was the new kid. He hadn't made any friends. In fact he had done the opposite. Apparently, one of the kids had deemed him bullyable material. He had gotten shoved into the lockers twice. He also didn't like having to come in and have to catch up on so much work. Why couldn't Percy just let him stay out of school?

Apollo seemed to notice his sour mood and patted his leg. “How do we find out who we're on shift with?” Nico mumbled, still looking out the window.

Apollo frowned at him. “Leo should have set you up with a hotel email. You should have gotten an email letting you know. Check your phone.” Nico slipped his phone out of his pocket and went through his phone until he found his email.

“Travis, Charles, and two others that I don't know.”

“What are their names?”

“Calypso and Annabeth.”

“Ah,” was all that Apollo said. Nico gave him a look. “What? There's not much to say about them. They're cool. Calypso is kind of quiet. She's a real sweet girl. Annabeth is...well, Annabeth is just Annabeth. She's smart girl,” he said as he turned a corner, “and she is one of the few people Luke will get along with. She was also one of Percy's first adoptees. When he got put in charge he didn't really have any of us. Myself, Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia were the first ones he found. Took us all off the streets and put us to work.”

“When are you going to be at the bar again?” Nico asked, finally looking at the blond.

Apollo shrugged. “Don't know. I'm sure I'll be back soon. Possibly tomorrow or the next day.”

“You work tonight?”

“Yeah,” Apollo said, not taking his eyes off the road.

“Where at?”

“The hotel, duh.” Apollo grinned over at Nico.

“Ha ha, very funny. Seriously, where at?”

Apollo reached over and picked up some sunglasses, slipping them over his eyes. “So, what happened at school today?” Nico pouted at Apollo's obvious topic change.

“Horrible. Why do I have to go?”

“You can elect not to go to college after you graduate high school, but you do need to graduate. So, what happened?”

Nico sank back into his seat, crossing his arms. “I don't want to talk about it.” Apollo chuckled at him.

They pulled into the hotel's garage and Nico hopped out when Apollo parked. He grabbed his backpack and followed after the tall blond as he headed to the elevator. They boarded the elevator and Apollo slipped in his card before hitting the button to their floor. “So, I don't think I've asked, but how do you like it here so far?”

Nico looked up at him. Apollo slipped off his shades and clipped them to the top of his shirt. His deep blue eyes peered down at Nico as he waited for the dark haired boy's answer. “I love it. I like it better than my old life actually. Percy is really awesome to take people in like that.”

Apollo grinned down at him. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“So, what does he do all day? Just sit in his office?”

Apollo mumbled something under his breath, but Nico failed to make it out. Seeing Nico's confused look, Apollo cleared his throat. “For the most part. He'll roam the hotel on occasion. He likes going to the pool if he has free time. And, as you've seen, he'll go to the bar at night.”

“So, I don't really understand this hours discussion thing. I heard you and Luke ask to talk to Percy about your hours, but Percy said I shouldn't worry about it.”

Apollo started choking and then burst out laughing. Nico frowned at the boy's amusement. “He said that? Well then, that is interesting. I don't think you'll ever have to worry about your time slots, Nico,” Apollo said with a wink. Nico was about to question him, but the door opened and the blond stepped out onto their floor. Apollo passed Nico's door. He turned and walked backwards to his own room. “Don't hurt your pretty little head over it, Nico. It isn't a bad thing. If anything, you should be thankful.” Nico opened his mouth to question him once again, but the boy slipped his card in the door and closed it behind him.

Nico frowned at the spot where the boy had stood a second ago. He slid his card in his own door and stepped inside. He headed over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He had slowly begun to regain his normal appetite, but he had still been eating small, soft things. He would give it a few more days before returning to his normal eating habits.

He plopped down on the couch to watch some TV. He had a few hours before work. He would need to find something to eat before then. Maybe he would call the kitchen and have something delivered, which was what he had done for the past few meals. Like everything else in this hotel, the food was like a slice of paradise.

There was a knock at the door and Nico groaned as he stood back up. He walked over to the door and opened it. He looked up to find Percy's warm eyes staring down at him. He stepped aside to allow the tall boy entrance. Percy walked into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools, facing Nico. “I just wanted to come by real quick to see how your first day at school went.”

Nico sighed and sat back down on the couch, his head hitting the seat cushion. “Can't I just work around here all day?” He heard Percy laugh. It had become a sweet music to his ears. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him to crush on his boss, but he couldn't help it. He felt the couch shift and saw that Percy had moved from the stool. He sat back up, but regretted it instantly. He found his face extremely close to Percy's. He had to shift away from Percy slightly.

“It couldn't be that bad, could it? What was the problem? I can call and see if I can fix it.”

Nico looked down at his feet. “No, that's alright. You've already done so much for me. I feel bad asking for anything else.” He looked back over at Percy again, who had seemed to have shifted closer to him.

“You can ask me for anything you like,” Percy whispered to him. Nico flushed bright red at the sound of his voice. Percy's eyes sparkled. Nico felt himself unconsciously leaning closer to him. Suddenly, Percy cleared his throat and stood up. Nico let out a silent groan of frustration. “What was the problem, anyway?” Well there certainly was a new problem, Nico thought.

“It's nothing. I promise. Just being the new kid.” Percy nodded in understanding. “You going to be at the bar tonight?”

Percy looked away. “Uh, No, I've got a lot of work to do tonight.” Nico's face dropped at that. “So, you'll get your first paycheck this week. You should ask one of the boys or girls to take you to get some clothes, or something. I gave you a bit of a bonus to help you out in getting started.”

“Thanks,” Nico said, a smile returning to his face. Percy was being too nice. It wasn't helping Nico's crush, though. Percy nodded and headed back towards the door.

“Well, like I said, I just wanted to come and check on you. If you are having an issue at school, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll take care of it for you.” Nico nodded, standing back up. He walked over to the door where Percy was now standing.

Percy opened the door and looked back at Nico. “Percy?” Percy stopped closing the door. Nico moved closer to him. “Thank you again,” Nico said, wrapping his arms around Percy's neck in a hug. Percy stiffened initially, but slowly wrapped his arms around the small boy's waist.

“Don't mention it, Nico,” Percy whispered back. He took a step back, tossed Nico a final smile, and closed the door. Nico sighed and walked back over to the couch, which he fell face first onto. There was a downside to this paradise, and its name was Percy. He was the one thing that Nico could probably never have.

Nico walked hurriedly into the bar and over to the counter. He had passed out on the couch and had almost had been late for work. Chiron tossed him a knowing look as the boy hurried behind the bar and tied his apron around his waist. Travis was sat at the bar with a girl beside him. The girl was very beautiful, and naturally so. Nico could tell she had little to no makeup on. She had long caramel colored hair with two fairytale like curls hanging on either side of her face. Even over the smell of food and alcohol, Nico could detect her cinnamon shampoo. Her green eyes shined like two emeralds in the low lighting. In her hair was a silver flower, Nico assumed it was fake.

Travis saw Nico staring at the girl. “Hey, Neeks. This is Calypso. Calypso, this is our newest member.” Calypso gave him a warm smile, she held her hand out and Nico shook her hand. The two of them were currently eating, and Nico assumed they hadn't had time to eat either. “You want half?” Nico blinked and looked back at Travis. He must have noticed the longing look Nico was giving his food. He had a piece of his sandwich held out for Nico to take.

“I-uh-I don't know. Don't you want it?”

“Nah, that's alright. You look hungry, and I need to get started on my shift.”

Nico nodded and took Travis's spot after the boy stood up. He chewed off a bite of the sandwich, letting it fall into his empty stomach. “So, you're new here?” Calypso asked. Her voice was rich like chocolate. Nico nodded, not wanting to talk with his mouth full. “The others have been talking about you the past few days. I think we all know of your presence. Though, I'm betting you still haven't met all of us.”

Nico swallowed his food. “I think I've met most of you. Some I didn't get introduced to.”

Calypso chuckled. “Yes, we heard about your little run in on the top floor. That was Clarisse and Ethan. They work security around here.”

Nico felt his face heat up. “So, word definitely gets around in this place.” Calypso nodded, a warm smile still in place. Calypso finished eating her food and went to pick up her plate. Nico's eyes flickered down to her arm. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but the sleeve had slipped up higher, revealing the skin on her upper arm. A bruise had formed on the girl's arm. She noticed him staring and slid the fabric down. “What happened?”

“N-Nothing. It was nothing. Just some stupid drunk guy. It was taken care of, so don't worry about it.” She gave him another smile before walking off.

He felt someone pat him on the back. He looked up to see Charles smiling down at him. “Hey there, Nico. How you doing tonight?” the muscular man asked.

“Better now. I actually enjoy this more than school.” Charles tossed him a smile, walked behind the counter, and grabbed an apron. “So, do you go to school, Charles?”

“Beckendorf.”

Nico cocked his head to the side. “What?”

“That's my last name. Everyone calls me Beckendorf,” Beckendorf said with a grin. “Yeah, I'm going to college. I'm studying mechanics.”

Nico stood up and was about to take his plate to where Calypso had dropped hers, but almost bumped into someone. The first things he noticed were her stormy grey eyes. He felt like she was studying him. She had long, curly blonde hair. She was an inch or two taller than Nico. She had perfectly tanned skin, and Nico decided she was very pretty. “New kid,” was the girl's only statement. She looked him up and down, taking him in fully. Her eyes snapped back up to meet Nico's. “Annabeth.”

“Nico,” was Nico's response.

She gave him a knowing smile. “I know. I've heard about you.”

“Yeah, Calypso said that the others have been talking about me.”

“Yes, but that's not who told me about you.”

Nico watched her walk behind the bar. “Who told you about me then?” She just smiled at him again and walked off into the mass of tables. Nico huffed and took out his pad. He walked over to a nearby table, getting drinks for a woman who looked like a librarian and her overweight husband.

True to his word, Percy hadn't shown up yet. It made Nico frown a little. He kept glancing over to the elevator anytime it opened. Nico was getting better about things, though. His mistakes were kept to a minimal tonight. Maybe he was getting the hang of it.

Around ten, Nico got to go on break. He pushed past a set of doors and entered their small break room. He plopped down onto a chair. Travis looked at him upside down on the couch. The twins' Cheshire cat grin seemed to be their normal face setting. Travis's leg even swung in the air like a cat's tail. “Getting the hang of things?” Travis asked.

“Yeah. It just took me a few days of making a fool of myself.”

Travis grinned wider at him. “That's alright. We all messed up when we first got here.”

“Tell me about you and Connor.”

Travis's smile turned into a small frown. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, what was it like for you two before Percy found you?”

“Well, we were orphans growing up. We got moved from home to home a lot. Families didn't keep us too long. I'm not sure if it was our mischievous attitudes or if it was just hard to support two kids. We got put in some bad places sometimes. There was a druggie, an abusive mother, a couple that probably only took us for the tax benefits, and finally there was the single dad that tried selling us for money.”

“Wh-Why would someone do that?” Nico gasped.

Travis raised his eyebrow at him. “Are you really surprised at what people would do? What did you get kicked out for?”

“Being gay,” Nico whispered.

Travis nodded. “Like I said, are you really surprised? The world sucks. Now things aren't so bad. We make tons of money and are well taken care of. We probably make more money than some of those families will ever see in their lifetime. Don't feel bad for myself or Connor.”

Nico nodded slowly. “How did Percy find you?”

Travis chuckled. “Funny story, that. Well, we made the mistake of trying to pick his pocket. We had no idea the guy had lived on the streets when he was younger. It was like he knew all the tricks in the book. My brother and I were really good little thieves, but he caught us. Didn't try to take his wallet back. Even offered for us to keep the money he had in it. However, he offered us a job that could ensure that we stayed off the street and wouldn't have to go hungry again. The wallet or a job? That was our choice. We didn't even have to think twice about it. It didn't matter what the job was, we just wanted off of that street.”

Annabeth came through the doors and hit Travis's shoe. He looked up at her as she sat next to him on the couch. “Break time is over for you,” she said looking at Travis. Travis sighed and flipped his legs over the top of the couch. He flipped himself into a standing position, gave Nico a final grin, and walked out the door. Annabeth's eyes immediately darted to Nico. “So, how come Percy only has you working the bar? I think you would pull in some big bucks upstairs.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand some of the things they said sometimes. It was like they spoke a language all their own, or maybe it was a code. “Well, anytime any of the others bring it up, I get the feeling that it is because I'm sixteen. Though, I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. I mean I'm working in a bar. I thought you had to be eighteen to even do that.”

“You do look rather young.” Annabeth shrugged. “A lot of us drink and most of us are underage. You'll find that the rules from the outside world don't apply in here. Actually, let me rephrase that, the world that you thought existed doesn't apply here. I'm sure some of the others said it, but life isn't all sugar and rainbows, Nico. As you learned in your time on the streets, people suck. The world is a broken place where illegal things happen and nothing is done about it.”

“How come the police don't come here and shut things down? I mean, like, the underage drinking, and stuff. I'm pretty sure I heard something about arms dealing from a customer.”

Annabeth gave him another smile. “Didn't anyone tell you to keep your nose out of the customers' business?”

Nico sighed. “Yeah, Thalia did.”

“Yes, the customers are used to being able to talk about whatever they want. They don't like us sticking our noses into their business. We are there to look pretty and make them happy. The reason the police don't get involved is simple. One that may shock you, but simple. It's mainly because they get paid. Our owner, Gaea, isn't someone most people want to get in the way of. The police chief gets a nice fat check, and they stay away, unless Percy wants them here. The other reason is because nobody talks about what goes on here. What happens here and what goes on around here never leave this building. If someone talks, Percy finds out, and Percy will make sure that person doesn't come back.”

Nico was shocked. These people got away with who knows what here. Yet, it was just normal? “Ho-Wh-I-.” Nico didn't know what to say.

“Most of us are surprised by the nature of things when we arrive. You'll get used to it. Remember what I said, though, and don't talk about it to anyone. Don't even talk about it with the other employees. Only the Lost Kids talk about it. You are an adoptee, but Percy hasn't thrown you in as a Lost Boy. I know that sounds rough, but you aren't a member of the 'secret society'.” She let a soft smile play on her face. “I don't mean to sound cruel, or anything. I'm just being realistic. It would be best if you didn't even let on that you knew what was going on here.”

“I don't know what's going on here. It seems like a meeting place for crime lords. There's an entire floor that I'm forbidden to set foot on. This place is just so confusing. Yet, I'm happy to be here. I'd rather be here then back on the streets.”

Annabeth's lips thinned. “Just be thankful that you are only working the bar, then.”

Nico looked up at her. “Apollo said you were one of the first ones here.”

Annabeth nodded. “Yes, I was the first. Actually, what most people don't know is that I was here before Percy took over. He was working just like the rest of us when I arrived.” Her gaze seemed to become distant. “He wasn't...as nice as he is now. He lived on the streets for a long time before Gaea found him. I think it took a lot of work from Gaea to turn him into the charmer that he is today. I've never told anyone else that, and I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone.”

“I promise that I won't,” Nico assured her. She nodded her head, seemingly lost in thought.

“Well, I think we need to get back to work.” She stood up and extended her hand to help Nico stand up. “I think you'll do fine around here.”

Nico was let off at one, which he was most thankful for. He had almost fallen asleep twice at school earlier. He didn't want to have a repeat of that. He wasted no time in shedding his apron and heading for the elevator.

He smiled at Thalia as he saw the girl on the elevator. She, however, seemed nervous about having the boy on board. She was standing next to a man that looked to be in his thirties. He had on a pair of glasses and his hair was gelled back. She gave Nico a nervous smile as he boarded. He hit the button to his floor and the elevator started to descend.

Nico looked over at Thalia. She was wearing a camo jacket and a pair of loose black pants. As she felt Nico's gaze on her, she tightened her grip on the front of the jacket. Nico frowned at her. He didn't think about it too much, though. He was starting to get used to the oddness around here.

The elevator came to a stop and he stepped out, but Thalia didn't. He looked back at her as the door began to shut again. She just gave him a small wave. He stared at the elevator a moment, not understanding what had just happened. He shrugged and headed down his hallway.

A door at the end of the hall opened and Percy stepped out. He ran a hand through his hair as the door swung shut. He opened his eyes and noticed Nico staring at him. He threw on one of his famous smiles and headed over towards Nico. Nico smiled at him as he opened his door. “Are you about to go to bed?” Percy asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I think I can stay up for a while, if you wanted to hang out,” Nico replied with a grin. Percy nodded and the two walked into Nico's suite. Percy sat down on Nico's couch and motioned for Nico to join him. Nico scooped up the remote and flipped the TV on. Nico turned around to face Percy, whose eyes shot up to his face. Was Percy checking out his ass? “What would you like to watch?”

Percy shrugged. “I'm fine with anything. Just enjoying some down time before I had to get to bed.” Nico flipped through the channels until he found something suitable. He decided to turn the volume down so they could talk.

“So, why were you in that room? I thought you said you had to work late?” Nico asked, looking curious.

Percy cleared his throat. “Oh, that was business. Just discussing business with one of the boys.”

“You do some late night business discussions then. It's one in the morning.”

Percy chuckled nervously. “Yeah, well I have to make time for everything. So, Nico, tell me about yourself. What got you on the street anyways?”

Nico started fidgeting with his hands. “W-Well I told my dad that I was gay. It didn't go over very well and he told me to get out. I just didn't understand how he could do that over something so small,” Nico whispered, pulling his legs up to his chest.

Percy was frowning at him. Did Percy not like gay guys either? He didn't seem like the homophobic type. His face seemed to soften when he saw Nico's anxious expression. “I'm sorry, Nico. You didn't deserve that.” He patted Nico's leg. “So, what was life like before you got kicked out?”

“Well, I didn't get along very well with my dad. My mom is a nice woman, but she didn't stand up for us when dad was angry with us. She was just too quiet natured. Bianca was the only one that really took care of me. She tried to shield me from everything she could. The night I left, I heard her yelling at dad for what he was doing. I just hope she didn't get hit for it.”

“Did he ever hit you?” Percy asked, clenching his jaw.

Nico nodded. “A few times. The night it all happened he left a few bruises on my arm and my cheek.” Nico looked over at Percy. The boy had a dark expression on his face, and Nico thought it almost looked murderous. “I guess I'm glad to be here, because, it's also an improvement over my old life as well.”

Percy seemed to snap out of his anger and looked down. “Don't say that, Nico.”

“Why not? Everything seems so great around here. Why does everyone keep saying things like that?”

“You-” Percy sighed. “Never mind. It's not that important. I'll make sure you don't have it hard like that again.” Percy leaned back against the couch. “Now, let's watch this movie.” Nico leaned back into the couch and the two of them settled in to watch the movie Nico had chosen. Nico did take notice of Percy's arm falling over the couch behind his back. He tried to hide the smile that formed on his lips.