Children of Loss 10

Chapter 10

Nico stood in the parking lot at school, waiting to see who would be coming to get him today. It would be so nice when he could get his own car, so he would not have to rely on people to get him to and from school anymore. Part of him was dreading the end of school, because it meant he would be going shopping with the boys, and they would probably be making him as uncomfortable as possible.

A silver Jaguar pulled up the curb in front of him. Nico raised an eyebrow, opening the door, and sliding inside. “Hey there, Nico,” Rachel greeted him, fixing her hair in the mirror. “Ready to go?”

“If you use the word loosely,” Nico mumbled back.

“That's the spirit.” Nico smiled and looked back out the window. Out of everyone, Nico had not seen much of Rachel or Leo since he had started working the bar.

“Rachel?”

Rachel kept her eyes on the road. “Hmm?”

“How come I don't ever really see you and Leo spending time with the other Lost Kids?”

Rachel clicked her tongue. “Complicated. Leo and I don't have to take our clothes off to make good money, and I think the others are a little resentful of that.”

Nico frowned to himself. “That doesn't seem very fair.” Rachel just shrugged. “Would they have treated me the same if I didn't get Percy to put me on the top floor?”

Rachel sighed. “Annabeth's right, you do ask a lot of questions. Look, Nico, the others are just complicated. We're all a family, but as you have taken notice of, the others are a lot closer. Try not to think too much on it.”

Nico huffed and pulled out his phone, glancing over his list of co-workers for tonight. He pocketed his phone and looked over at Rachel. “I'm supposed to go shopping with the guys today, how is that going to happen?” Nico asked.

“I'm taking you back to the hotel. I think that they have a hotel van to take you shopping. Percy wanted me to come get you, opposed to having a bunch of wild guys coming to pick you up.”

“Thanks for that.”

Rachel chuckled. “You're not like them,” she mused.

Nico cocked his head. “What do you mean?”

“You're...normal. You don't try to be something you're not.”

“Will said something similar last night.”

“Then they have already noticed the difference between you and them.”

“And?”

“Nothing.” Rachel pulled into the parking garage and parked the car. She unbuckled her seatbelt and sat and looked at Nico for a minute. “It's nothing you need to worry about, Nico, just don't let them bother you. It's nothing you did, just know that.”

Nico looked at her funny, but before he could ask what she meant, Rachel got out of the car and headed for the elevator. She pulled a phone out of her pocket and started writing a text. She gave Nico a silent smile once they boarded the elevator.

They stopped at the main floor. Nico instantly spotted the Lost Boys grouped up in the middle of the lobby. Rachel tossed Nico a wave as he started walking out of the elevator. Before he got off, Rachel grabbed his backpack and took it from Nico's shoulders. “I'll drop this off in your room for you,” Rachel said with a smile. Nico nodded and waved at her.

Nico made his way over the Lost Boys, who were listening to the twins say something funny. “There he is!” Beckendorf exclaimed, pulling Nico into their circle.

“Ready to go?” Apollo asked.

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Nico muttered. The guys all smiled at him. “No molesting me.”

“Take all the fun out of it, why don't cha,” Connor said with a pout.

“Relax, Nico, there will be no molestation, unless you count light groping,” Will joked. “We will be inspecting everything you try on.” Nico groaned.

“We're wasting time,” Luke stated, checking his phone. “Percy wants him back a few hours before his shift starts.”

“To the van!” the twins exclaimed, grabbing Nico and dragging him out the door.

“Help me,” Nico whispered to lady behind the desk as they made their way past her. Apollo and Will just smiled and waved at her, assuring her that Nico was fine. Butch held the sliding door open as the twins dragged Nico into the van.

The ride was relatively normal. They chose to talk about normal everyday stuff for the most part. Only a few times would any of the guys say something to Nico about stripping. Beckendorf finally pulled the van up to a small shop and the guys all piled out. Not giving Nico any chance of escaping, the twins once again grabbed Nico's arms and dragged him inside.

A thin blonde woman stood behind the counter. She had long golden hair, a large chest, and flawless skin. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at the boys. “Hey there, boys,” the woman said in a silky smooth voice. “What can I do for you today?”

Apollo walked up to the counter and placed his elbow on the surface, propping himself up on his palm. “We got a new guy with us today, Aphrodite. Think you could help us hook him up?” Apollo asked her.

Her eyes flickered to Nico, lighting up as she took notice of him. “Oh my, he's a cutie. Where did Percy find this one?”

“On the streets, the same as the rest of us,” Luke grumbled. Aphrodite rolled her eyes at him and sauntered out from behind the counter. She walked over to the door and changed the sign to closed.

“Feel free to take as much time as you need. I'll take a look around in the back and see what I can pull from back there.” She snapped her well-manicured fingers at Butch and Beckendorf. “How about you two big strong men come and help me move some boxes around?” Butch and Beckendorf nodded and followed off after the blonde woman as she disappeared into the back room.

“So what is this place?” Nico asked, picking up a pink feathered boa and eyeing it funny.

“This is Aphrodite's Boutique,” Octavian said, sifting through one of the racks.

“Percy has her on the pay roll to help us with our wardrobe,” Travis explained.

“So when we come here, we get the place to ourselves,” Connor added. “So, feel free to look around for anything you like.”

“Yes, 'cause this place screams my style,” Nico deadpanned.

Nico poked around the place for a while, not really finding anything he wanted to try on. The guys, however, had found plenty of stuff for Nico to try, choosing to dump everything they liked into one of the dressing rooms. When it had enough stuff placed into it, Will shoved Nico inside, closing the door behind him. Nico sighed to himself. He stood there for a moment, eyeing the pile of various clothing and objects the Lost Boys had picked out for him. He heard the others still moving around outside, obviously still looking for things for Nico to try on.

Nico hesitantly picked up the speedo on top of the pile. There was a knock at the door, which made Nico jump. “If you don't start trying the stuff on, I'll come in there and supervise,” Apollo warned.

“I've got it,” Nico complained, pulling his shirt over his head. He slipped his jeans off after that, not wanting to take his boxers off just yet. He sifted through the pile again, trying to find something appealing. He found several speedos, figuring he would need several of those, judging from the attire he saw on the top floor the other night. He picked out a few before he decided to show a pair off to the guys. If he didn't, they would probably come in after him. Quickly discarding his underwear, he slipped the speedo on. He slowly opened the door, finding the Lost Boys staring at him with wide smiles. The twins wolf whistled at him, earning them a glare from Nico.

“Don't be shy, Nico. Your body is sexy,” Connor assured him.

“Turn around,” Luke commanded, doing a circle motion with his index finger. Awkwardly, Nico spun around in place, until Travis grabbed his hips to make him stop. Nico groaned as the boys took their time critiquing the way his ass looked in the speedo.

“Get those,” Apollo told him, “and any other pairs of speedos that you like. Keep in mind you'll need a few, so take that into account.” Nico nodded and quickly vanished back into the dressing room. A schoolboy uniform and a man thong were tossed over the door.

“Oh hell no!” Nico shouted, dropping the thong on the ground.

“You have no choice on that one,” Octavian called back. Nico glared at the door, sliding the speedo off of him. He slipped his underwear back on, not wanting to be naked for too long. He created a pile on a chair in the corner. He dropped the black speedo and man thong on it before returning to the pile. He sifted through the speedos he had come across earlier, tossing a few different colored ones at the chair. He picked the uniform off of the floor and decided to try it on.

Nico once again emerged from the dressing room with an annoyed look on his face. “Damn,” Apollo mumbled, eyeing Nico over. “I approve.”

“I'll second that,” Luke said, staring at Nico's ass while he had his back to him, a wicked grin on his face. “He can be in one of my numbers.”

“I don't like where this is going,” said a disturbed Nico.

“These really fit your ass nicely, Nico,” Travis said, grabbing Nico's butt, which caused Nico to jump.

“I'm going to go change now.”

“You're getting that!” Apollo called after him.

“Yeah, yeah.” Nico pulled the uniform off, tossing it at the chair and looking for something else to try on.

“I found a few things,” Nico heard Aphrodite say, having come back from the back room. Nico groaned as a box was slid under the door. He peeled back the lid to see what was inside.

“I am not dressing as a bunny!”

“It'll be adorable.”

“No.” Nico kicked the box to the side, opting not to try it on.

“Fine, be a spoil sport. I found you the perfect attire for Halloween, though.”

Nico poked his head out of the door. “Halloween?”

“We do a special show on Halloween,” Octavian explained.

“So you'll need a costume,” Butch continued.

Nico sighed. “Alright, I'll look at it in a minute,” Nico agreed. He sighed in relief when he spotted a simple pair of black pants in the pile. He picked them up and slid them on, quickly noticing the velcro on the side of the legs. No question what that is for, Nico thought. He picked up a bow tie and quickly tied it around his neck. He stepped back outside, doing a quick model for the guys. They all smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Nico grumbled and stepped back inside.

“Do you want me to fetch him some Christmas attire while you're here?” Aphrodite asked. Nico sighed and let his head hit the wall. He heard Apollo chuckle.

“No that's alright, we'll bring him back when it gets closer,” Apollo told her.

Nico stripped the pants off and untied the bow tie. He dropped them on the growing pile on the chair. He went back over to the other pile and tried to find anything else he liked. A caveman outfit, a Robin costume, cowboy chaps, a cowboy hat, a loincloth, and a sailor outfit soon joined the pile on the chair. Nico decided to toss a few more speedos into the pile for good measure. He threw his clothes back on and exited the dressing room. “I think I'm done,” Nico said. “Everything I want is in the chair.”

Apollo nodded and went to retrieve said objects. He returned a few seconds later and dumped all the objects into a box. Luke tossed in a pair of handcuffs and a leash with a studded collar. The twins threw in some oil, a fedora hat, and a trench coat. Will threw in several lollipops, a few which were oversized.

Aphrodite smiled and handed Nico another box. “This will be perfect for your Halloween costume. It just fits you so well,” she said with a wink. Nico chuckled nervously and peered inside the box. He stared up at her in confusion. “You have no choice but to try it on.”

“But-” Nico started, looking at Apollo.

“No buts, Nico,” Apollo said, shaking his head.

“Except yours in that costume,” Will said with a wink.

Nico groaned and made his way back into the dressing room. He opened the box and pulled the pieces out of the box. He removed his clothing once again so that he could get this costume on. He slid the fabric over his head, letting it fall gracefully over his body. He grabbed a piece of rope and tied it around his waist, admiring himself in the mirror. He picked up and placed the final pieces where they needed to go before taking a final look at the finished costume. He smiled to himself as he stared at his reflection. It really wasn't that bad, he thought to himself. He slowly opened the door, the guys' jaws dropping upon seeing him. Aphrodite squealed behind the counter. “Adorable!” she exclaimed.

Percy called about an hour later. Apollo smiled, turning away from Nico and the others, and picked up the phone, putting it on speaker phone. “Hey, boss, how's it going?” Apollo asked cheerfully.

“I was calling to see how things were going,” Percy's voice came from the phone.

“Everything's fine, nothing to-”

Nico broke away from the twins and made a mad dash for the phone. “Percy, help me!” Nico yelled. The twins tackled him, and clamped hands over his mouth.

“Is that Nico?” Percy asked.

“Nico? No,” Apollo lied, shooting Nico a look. Nico kicked around helplessly as Will and Octavian tried to fit him into another outfit.

“What's going on?” Percy asked exasperatedly.

“Just getting him decked out.”

Nico broke away again, crawling across the floor with the pants to his policeman uniform around his ankles. He grabbed the phone from Apollo, falling back to the floor. “Percy!” Nico yelled.

“Hi, Nico,” Percy said cheerfully.

Luke and Apollo grabbed Nico's legs and dragged him back towards the dressing room. “Help me, Percy. They won't stop molesting me.”

“Okay, have fun.” Nico gaped at the phone as Percy hung up. Apollo grinned and plucked the phone from Nico's hands.

“Now then, get that uniform on. We need to be getting back,” Apollo commanded. Nico sighed and let his shoulders slump. “It's the last one, I promise.” Nico nodded and stood up, pulling the pants up to his waist. Butch tossed him the shirt, which he quickly slid on, buttoning it up. Travis placed the hat on his head. They all took a step back to admire Nico, all of them nodding in approval.

“Alright, I think we're done,” Beckendorf told Aphrodite. “Time to ring him up.”

Aphrodite smiled and scanned all of pieces of clothing, costumes, and objects for them. Nico fished his debit card out of his wallet and handed it to the blonde woman. After she was done, she handed Nico the bags and they were on their way out the door.

Nico sighed in relief as he sat down in the van. “That wasn't so bad, now was it, Nico?” Connor asked, a wicked grin in place.

Nico groaned and slumped down in his seat. “I feel violated,” replied Nico. The guys all laughed at him.

“You'll do just fine, kid,” Butch said from the passenger seat.

They rode back in silence. Apollo broke out in song once, which made Nico smile. The blond really did have a nice singing voice. Nico's eyes traveled from Apollo, in the seat in front of him, to Luke and Octavian, sitting beside the other blond. Luke had his head slightly turned towards Octavian, listening to his brother talk about the book he was reading. Nico smiled. It was nice to see the Lost Kids like this, when they were being themselves and had their guard down.

Perhaps Luke's ass-like personality, was just his own mask. He seemed to let it slip when they were alone, especially when his brother was around. Octavian was the one person that Nico had never seen Luke be a jackass to. Maybe Luke was a big softie underneath all of that bitterness. Luke caught Nico staring at him and flipped Nico off. Or maybe he was just a jackass.

Beckendorf parked the van and the boys all piled out. Percy was waiting for them in the lobby, looking at his phone when the Lost Boys entered. “You're late,” he informed them.

Apollo frowned. “Only by fifteen minutes,” the blond replied.

“Go get ready for work,” Percy ordered. Without question, the boys left Percy and Nico alone in the middle of the lobby. Percy turned his gaze on Nico, eyeing the bags in his hands. “Have fun?”

Nico glared at Percy. “You heard me over the phone, and you let them have their way with me,” Nico huffed.

Percy chuckled and took the bags from Nico's hands. “Relax, I'd have said something if I knew they were really doing something to you.” Percy poked through the bag. Nico watched as Percy's eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. “Nice choices. Now then, are you ready for your lesson?”

“Always.”

“Good.” Nico followed Percy into the elevator and the two rode up to the floor above them. They walked down to the gym, where Percy closed the door behind him. He sat Nico's bags down beside the door and pulled a chair into the middle of the room. “Sit.” Nico did as he was told, watching Percy pace around for a moment. “This will be out last private lesson.”

Nico frowned. “Oh.”

Percy grinned at Nico. “Don't look so happy about it. You'll just be busy tomorrow, we won't have time.”

“Busy with what?” Nico asked.

“Well, the boys are going to run over some last minute things with you, and then the girls are going to take you down to the spa.” Percy's grin grew. “I hope you don't mind a wax.”

“What are they going to do to me?” Nico asked in horror.

Percy chuckled and walked behind Nico, placing his hands around Nico's shoulder and resting his head on top of his arm. “Circe just needs to get rid of your body hair, and some other stuff to prepare you for Friday night.” Percy's hands trailed down Nico's chest until he got to Nico's lap, then he slid them back up, trailing his fingers along Nico's cheeks. “Now then, I think it's time we begin.”

“Anything specific on the agenda for today?”

“Just touching up on a few things, and we'll go from there.” Percy grabbed the back of the chair and spun Nico around, facing him away from the mirror.

“What did you do that for?”

“So you can't see my reflection.” Nico was about to open his mouth to respond, but he shuddered when he felt Percy's hand ghost over his shirt. “Touch can be very important, but you need to learn to do it just right. Too direct a touch can be boring, a light touch has a much more...intimate effect. Nico let his eyes close as he felt Percy's fingers trail across his neck. The hand then stopped touching him. Nico tried turning around to look at Percy, but Percy held Nico's face forward. “No peeking.”

Nico shivered at the feel of Percy's breath of the back of his neck. He let his body relax as he felt Percy's caress return to his chest. One moment Percy's hand would ghost over Nico's hand, the next it would be on his thigh, and then it would running up under Nico's shirt.

“However,” Percy started, placing Nico's legs on top of his shoulders, “sometimes a more physical approach is desired.” Nico moaned as Percy pressed himself against Nico's bottom. Percy smiled above Nico. “Sometimes, you'll have to be dominant.” Nico nodded slowly, mesmerized by Percy's close proximity. Percy's hand slid up Nico's shirt, pinching his nipples. Nico couldn't help himself, he rolled his hips against Percy. Percy's hands immediately latched on to Nico's hips. “Don't do that,” Percy growled.

“Why? I know you want to. I want to. What's the problem?” Nico panted.

Percy stepped back, letting Nico's legs drop from his shoulders. “Because I said no.” Percy straightened himself out before speaking again. “I'll try and give you a few more lessons next week. I want you to be able to do everything the guys and I have shown you before next Friday, understood?”

“Yeah,” Nico mumbled, finally closing his legs and sitting up in his chair. Percy blew out a heavy breath. “Anything else?”

Percy smirked, finally looking at Nico. “That depends; can you control your hormones?”

Nico huffed and crossed his arms. “It's not like you're making this easy.”

“I'm just showing you how to do a good job on the top floor.”

“By giving me private lessons where you make things heated and then pull back.”

Percy raised an eyebrow. “Would you prefer I not give you private lessons?”

“N-No, that's not what I meant. It's just frustrating.”

Percy crouched down in front of Nico, resting his arms on Nico's legs. “I'm just trying to help you out, Nico.”

Nico stared down at his lap. “I-I'm sorry.”

Percy cocked his head to the side. “For what?”

“For making this complicated? For reading the signals wrong.”

Percy smiled and patted Nico's leg. “Don't worry about it, Nico. Besides, who said I don't enjoy the attention?” Percy winked at Nico, who flushed red. “You're cute when you're embarrassed.” Percy stood back up and took a few steps away from Nico. “I think we'll call it here for today, though. How about you go drop your stuff off and you can go to dinner with me?”

Nico smiled. “I'd like that.”

Nico smiled at Percy as he spotted the black haired young man waiting for him outside the hotel's restaurant. Percy grinned back and led Nico inside. Nico had to bite back a frown when they sat down with Butch, Piper, and the twins. Percy did a fist bump with Butch and looked over his menu. Nico glanced over at the twins, who wore smiles and were giving Nico a thumbs up. Nico looked at them questioningly before looking at his own menu.

After they had all ordered, they all started falling into various conversations. “So, how is Nico doing?” Piper asked after a while.

“I think he'll do great next weekend,” Connor remarked.

“He'll do pretty well this weekend while he's serving drinks,” Travis added. “We got him all decked out today.”

“And those private lessons?” Piper asked with a smirk.

“Good,” Percy replied, taking a sip of his drink, but not looking at her. Piper frowned at the lack of detail. “Don't forget to remind the girls I listed earlier to take Nico to his appointment with Circe.”

“I remember,” Piper grumbled.

Their food eventually arrived and the table began eating. Nico didn't get much of Percy's attention during the meal, Percy focusing on Butch. If Nico didn't know any better, he would say they were old friends. Percy seemed eager to talk to Butch, mostly about sports, which Nico had a hard time following. Nico caught Piper giving him a sad smile as she watched him watch Percy. Was it really that obvious? Was it really that hopeless? Nico didn't know anymore. Percy was so confusing.

When they finished eating, the group stayed at the table to talk for a bit longer. Everyone seemed eager to have Percy's attention, as he drifted from one conversation to the next. While Nico did not seem to get any time to talk to Percy, Percy did lay his hand across Nico's knee under the table. It made Nico smile to himself, yet hurt his head at the same time. An hour ago, Percy was telling him he shouldn't be trying anything with Percy, but now here Percy was being touchy with him.

Percy eventually had to bid them farewell, as he had to go get ready for the busy night ahead. “And so the long weekend approaches,” Travis muttered, eyeing some of the guests. Nico had noticed that the hotel seemed to be getting packed over the past two days. He guessed that meant that most of these people would be up on the top two floors.

“At least we get a bigger paycheck when they happen,” Piper reminded him.

“True.” Travis leaned back in his chair. “You going to be ready, Neeks?”

“I hope so,” Nico replied.

“You'll do fine, dude,” Butch assured him. “I mean, you've got Percy as your private tutor.”

“Yeah, none of us got lessons from him,” Connor added.

“Yes, but none of us were as innocent as Nico,” Piper chimed in. She stared at Nico for a moment and made a face like she had something bad in her mouth. Nico frowned at her. She noticed his reaction and took a drink of water. “Bad aftertaste I guess.” Nico continued to frown, unconvinced. What was that about?

“What's so great about getting private lessons?” Nico asked, turning his attention away from Piper.

“Dude, Percy was like the best back when he worked our jobs,” answered Connor. “At least that's what Annabeth says.”

“Speaking of jobs, we should get going,” Travis reminded them, standing up.

Nico walked nervously around the bar. The other night had been so awkward for him, and tonight was no different. Now, knowing what went on upstairs and what the place really was, Nico could not help looking at everything differently. He felt like all of the customers looked at him like a piece of meat, waiting to pounce on it. He even looked at his co-workers differently, knowing it was all just an act.

Nico carried a tray full of empty glasses back to the bar. He sat the tray down, letting Chiron unload the glasses. “Does this ever get easier? I just can't help looking at this place differently,” Nico confessed.

“You get used to it,” Calypso assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Try not to let it get to you.”

“Nico, you have nothing to worry about down here. All of the customers have been explicitly instructed by Percy that they are not allowed to touch any of you anywhere outside of the top floor,” Chiron assured him.

“Or the kink room,” Luke added, dropping off a drink ordered. “Whining again?”

Nico huffed. “No. This is just different for me,” Nico shot back.

“I told you that you wouldn't be able to handle it. Maybe you should have listened to Percy.”

“I didn't say I couldn't handle it.”

Annabeth came up and smacked Luke on the back of his head. “Play nice,” she warned the blond.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Luke said with a grin, earning him a glare from Annabeth.

“Can't you say anything nice to him?” Calypso asked with a frown.

“Like that thing you said about him last night?” Calypso went pale. Luke just rolled his eyes and glanced over at Nico. “I've been plenty nice to him in sessions.”

“That's enough out of all of you,” Chiron warned them. “Now, get back to work, and start acting like the family you're supposed to be.”

“Yes, sir,” they all mumbled, walking off, leaving Nico alone at the bar with Chiron.

Chiron picked up one of the glasses and started cleaning it. He glanced up at Nico to notice his frown. “Everything alright, child?” Nico nodded his head. “Don't let them get to you. It's not your fault.”

“That's what Rachel said, but I don't understand what it means,” Nico replied.

Chiron sighed, setting the cleaned glass down. “The Lost Kids are complicated, Nico, in ways that will take you some time to understand. You have an effect on them, just ride it out, and they will all come around.”

“They are confusing. They've been so friendly, with the exception of Luke, and sometimes Octavian, but today it's like they dislike me.”

“They don't dislike you, Nico,” Chiron assured him. “Not even Luke dislikes you. They are just dealing with some things.”

“Like what?”

Chiron shook his head. “It's not my place to talk about.” Nico frowned, but nodded his head. He picked up a new set of drinks and headed back to the crowd of tables.

Nico sighed in relief when his break finally rolled around. He walked into the break room to find Annabeth and Luke already occupying it. Annabeth had her legs across Luke's lap. Luke was listening to Annabeth talk as he twirled a piece of her hair around his finger. Annabeth stopped talking when she noticed Nico in the doorway. “I think I better be getting back to work,” she said, rising from the couch. She gave Nico an unreadable look as she brushed past him, stopping in the doorway. “Behave yourself,” she warned Luke.

Luke rolled his eyes and waved for her to leave. Nico walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He walked over and sat down in the chair. Nico fidgeted with his water bottle, fully aware of Luke's eyes on him. He didn't want to start another argument at the moment, so he tried to ignore the blond.

“What's your problem with me?” Nico finally blurted out, regretting it the moment the words left his mouth.

Luke just smirked at him at first, leaning back against the couch and resting his arms across the back of it. “Just that. You. You're my problem,” he replied with a cocky smirk.

“But I didn't do anything to you. Have I done something wrong?”

“No, and that's the problem.” Nico huffed. Luke's smirk finally dropped, his face becoming serious. “You're nothing like us.”

“What's that even mean?”

“If you have to ask, you'll never know. Who says that I'm the only one that has a problem with you? You should thank me for at least being blunt with you about my feelings, opposed to the others trying to make you feel like family while they try to make you feel like an outcast at the same time.”

“They don't make me feel like an outcast,” Nico argued.

“Not yet, but they will.”

“Just tell me what your problem is with me.”

“No,” Luke said defiantly.

“Then how am I supposed to do anything about it?”

 Luke shrugged. “Not my problem,” he sneered at Nico. “Figure it out for yourself. I'll just be here, enjoying the show as you get your feelings hurt. And not just by the other Lost Kids, Percy too, and that will be the best part.”