Children of Loss 8

Chapter 8

Nico fidgeted at his desk as he watched the time tick by. He was finally getting to join the ranks of the Lost Kids. His training would start today, and Nico found himself oddly nervous. He figured this basically meant that the boys would be standing in front of him the entire time in very little clothing. Then there was the “private lesson” from Percy. Nico really didn't know what to think about that. Why did he need a private lesson? Why was Percy going to be the one giving it? Nico's mind had so many questions running through it.

He was ready for school to be let out so that he could get on with everything. Nico scowled at the clock as he felt a piece of paper hit the back of his head. He turned around in his seat to glare at his bully, who he had learned was named Cal.

“What?” Cal asked with an annoying grin on his face. Nico just rolled his eyes and turned back around. He didn't feel like putting up it. Nico placed his chin on his palm, supporting his head. Maybe he should take Percy up on that offer to fix his problem. Nico growled under his breath when he felt another piece of paper hit the back of his head.

Three o'clock finally rolled around, releasing Nico from his day of school. He walked to his locker and put away the books he didn't need. Closing his locker, he made his way outside. Nico walked out the front door and immediately hit the pavement. Cal and his brother, Zethes, laughed at him. Nico glared at them as he pulled himself up. He spotted Apollo's red car in the parking lot. Deciding just to walk away, Nico headed towards the car.

Not going to leave Nico be, Zethes and Cal followed after him. “Where you going, homo?” Cal jeered at him.

“Wait, don't get too close, Cal. You might catch the gay,” Zethes added with a smirk.

Nico kept walking, though. He didn't feel like putting up with them anymore today. He was just ready to get back to the Lotus. He heard Cal growl behind him. Cal grabbed Nico's shoulder and spun him around. “Where the fuck do you think you're going, faggot? You pay attention when I talk to you.”

Nico heard a car door slam very loudly behind him. A firm arm yanked him out of Cal's grasp. Apollo stepped in front of Nico, letting his height tower over the two bullies. “Do we have a problem here?” Apollo asked hatefully. Nico peered around Apollo's form to stare at Zethes and Cal. The two were glaring up at the blond, but weren't making a move. “If you are done with my friend here, I believe I'll get him home.”

Zethes tapped Cal's shoulder and the two spun around and walked off. Apollo stood his ground in front of Nico until the two were far enough out of sight. Apollo spun around and tugged on Nico's arm, dragging him towards the car. Nico climbed in as Apollo started the car and floored it out of the parking lot.

“Why haven't you said anything about being bullied?” Apollo asked harshly, placing his sunglasses over his eyes.

“It's nothing I can't handle,” Nico shot back. “I'm big enough to take care of myself.”

“Clearly. Is that why you were letting them push you around? You better be glad I was the one picking you up. If it had been Percy, he would have broken their arms.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he doesn't like people harming us.” An awkward silence fell over the two after that. Nico leaned his head against the window. Part of him couldn't help but still feel jealous of the fact that Apollo had had sex with Percy. The rational part of his brain tried reminding him that it was part of the blond's job. In the end, it really didn't matter, though. Percy would never be his. As the others had said, Percy never let himself get attached to anyone.

Nico was feeling anxious about all of this. He had never done anything like this before. Percy had been the first person to see him naked since he was a little baby. He felt nervous about having to expose himself on stage. No. He didn't have to do this, he had chose it. Why, though?

Was it Luke's cocky attitude? Did he want to be part of the “family” that the Lost Kids had? He wasn't being peer pressured, though. He could never blame any of the others for pushing him. All of them had warned him. They had all tried to ward him away the best they could, but he hadn't listened. Nico knew he probably could have said no and everything would have gone back to normal. There was just some part of him wanted to do it. Percy.

He wanted to prove himself to Percy. He wanted to show the young man that he was not a little kid. He wanted Percy to at least treat him like the others. Nico felt his cheeks heat up at the thought. Even though it wouldn't be a special first time, Nico kind of wanted Percy to have sex with him like he did with the others.

Nico retracted his head from the window at the sound of thunder. He looked up at the stormy clouds forming in the sky. “Excited to start your lessons?” Apollo asked as they pulled into the parking garage.

Nico looked over at him and shrugged. “I guess. I've never done anything like this before. I'm kind of nervous about exposing my body.”

Apollo parked the car, turned it off, and turned to face Nico. “You'll get used to it. Don't worry. You're probably not going to get touched very much if you're just getting on stage. Count yourself lucky in that regard.”

“Percy showed me the security room last night.” Nico wasn't sure why he blurted that out. His cheeks darkened when Apollo raised an eyebrow at him.

A smirk formed across Apollo's lips. “Did you enjoy the show?” Putting some distance between him and Apollo, Nico got out of the car, heading for the elevator. Apollo got out and chased after him. “I'm only teasing,” Apollo said once they were in the elevator. “Let that be your first lesson today. You'll need to learn how to talk like the rest of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Everything out of your mouth, pretty much, needs to be flirtatious.” Apollo hit the button to their floor and they began to ascend. “It's not as easy as it looks, but once you get the hang of it, you'll do it without thinking about it. But you can always act like yourself when you're just around the rest of us, like on our off days.”

“I'm not going to be getting a lap dance, am I?”

Apollo chuckled and leaned into Nico. “Only if you want one,” he said with a wink. Apollo tugged on a lock of his hair. “I think you'll have fun today.”

“No orgies,” Nico mumbled as they exited the elevator. Apollo chuckled and followed Nico to his suite. Once inside, Nico dropped his stuff off. “Do I need to wear anything in particular?”

“Loose clothing I guess. You can dress like you do when we go workout. Speaking of which, I need to run and change.”

Nico waved as the blond walked back out the door. Nico headed for his bedroom, searching for some clean workout clothes. Finding a pair of black track shorts and a red shirt, Nico began changing clothes.

After he was done, Nico grabbed his phone and card before exiting his room. He walked out into the hallway just as Apollo and Will exited their room. Will's hair was wet, as he had probably just exited the shower. Nico learned to stop questioning the Lost Kids' sleeping habits weeks ago. Given their late hours, they got as much sleep as they could. Will gave Nico a small wave as the three headed back towards the elevator. “Hey there, Nico,” Will said with a yawn.

The three of them boarded the elevator and Will hit the button to their desired destination. Will stretched and popped his back as they waited. Nico couldn't help but let his eyes wander over to Will's exposed stomach as his shirt rode up. It was sort of unfair how perfect all of their bodies were. That wasn't to say that Nico's body was anything to be ashamed of. It was nice to finally be able to look at himself in the mirror.

“So, Nico, how are you feeling about getting on stage?” Will asked, trying to break the silence.

“A little nervous. I'm not really used to all of this stuff,” Nico answered, blushing lightly.

Apollo and Will looked at each for a moment. “Nico, are you a virgin?” Apollo asked bluntly.

Nico's face lit up like a tomato. “Yes,” he mumbled under his breath, but the two blonds still heard him.

“That's so cute!” Will said. “Too bad you aren't working the back rooms. The price for virginity is pretty high.” If it was possible, Nico turned a darker shade of red.

“I'm going to guess you know jack shit about seduction,” Apollo said.

Nico buried his face in his hands. “I just never found the right person,” Nico mumbled into his hands. “My mom and sister kind of drilled it into my head that I should wait.”

“Why?” the two blonds said in unison.

“Sex is fun,” Will added. “It's a nice stress reliever.”

The elevator door opened before Nico could reply and the three headed down to the private part of the gym the Lost Kids used. When they arrived they found the rest of the Lost Boys lined up against the nearest wall. They all were fidgeting nervously as they watched something in fear. Nico turned his head to find Percy pacing on the other side of the room. He was on the phone with someone and was clearly not pleased. His jaw was firmly set and his eyes blazed with anger. He was speaking what Nico thought sounded like German, which made him sound even angrier.

Apollo pressed a hand to Nico's back, pushing the boy into the room. Apollo shut the door behind them and the three new arrivals went over to stand quietly with the others. “What's up?” Apollo whispered to Beckendorf.

“Gaea called. She's not happy about something,” Beckendorf answered, keeping his eyes on Percy's fuming form.

With a huff, Percy bid the woman goodbye and hung up the phone. He rubbed a hand across his mouth. Leo stood a few feet away from Percy, stepping up to the angry black haired boy once he placed the phone in his pocket. “What was that about?” Leo asked.

“It seems we have a problem. Gaea just informed me that Zeus has set up a similar business a few blocks away. It doesn't quite have the sophistication of the Lotus, but it still is a thorn in our side,” Percy replied, cracking his neck. “I'm going to have to deal with that fucking bastard if he doesn't get the hint. I swear, he's like a damn cockroach.”

“I'll get upstairs and see what I can find.”

Percy nodded. Leo spun on his heel and jogged out of the room. Percy paced for a few more moments as the room stayed silent. Percy finally sighed and looked up at the group of boys. “I need to go take care of this. I want you guys to get Nico started while I'm gone. I'll be back later to check in on things.” All of the Lost Boys nodded their head as Percy walked towards the door. Nico blinked as he looked around at them. It was amazing that one boy could strike fear into each one of them, especially given the fact that Butch and Beckendorf were bigger than Percy, both in musculature stature and height.

Apollo cleared his throat and stepped forward. He clapped his hands so everyone's attention was on him. “So, let's get started,” Apollo said. Will walked over and got a chair, placing it in the center of the room. Apollo gestured for Nico to sit down. Nico hesitantly made his way over and sat down in the offered chair. “Don't be scared, Nico. We're not going to hurt you. Plus, clothes will be staying on for this...well possibly anyways.”

Travis walked over to a speaker. He picked up an iPod off of the top of it. He hit play and the room was filled with music. The Lost Boys all scattered around the room, forming a jumbled circle.

“Alright, where shall we begin?” Apollo pondered, stepping behind Nico's chair. Nico could still see Apollo in the mirror that lined the wall in front of him, though. He leaned down to place his head a few inches above Nico's shoulder. “All of those people that you will see out there are here for one purpose. They want to see you. You're fulfilling their wildest fantasies.”

“You're the husband they never had,” Octavian added, coming up to Nico's other side.

“You are the dream boat guy that never came along,” Travis said from Apollo's other side.

Luke came to stand in front of Nico. He leaned down and pressed his palms to Nico's legs. “You're the one night stand that they get to have with you any night, on stage, whenever they want,” Luke added. Nico gulped as he looked around at the four guys surrounding him. He had to become like them. He had to do this so he could prove he wasn't a child.

“You'll need an angle,” Will said, leaning on Luke's shoulder. “Well, I guess the innocent type fits the best. You'll be a natural.” All the Lost Boys chuckled. Nico frowned at their amusement.

“Well, what's each of your angles?” Nico asked. All of the boys lined up in front of Nico.

“We are a little bit of everything. It's good to have diversity when it comes to the variety of customers. That way you can have whatever they want. All they need to do is pick one of us from the group,” Apollo said, leaning on Octavian's shoulder. “Of course, you could go with the hot blonds.” Apollo gestured to himself, Will, Octavian, and Luke.

“There's also the brothers,” Luke said, pointing at himself and Octavian.

“Or the twins,” the Stolls said.

“I like to think of myself as that dream boat guy,” Apollo said with a grin. “But I give off the beach vibe. I'm also the musician of the group and I incorporate that into some of my performances.”

Octavian ran a hand through his hair, giving Nico a seductive look. “You could always have me and have your brain stimulated before I fuck your brains out,” Octavian said with a wink, “or you could fuck my brains out. I also work in the kink room.”

“What's that?” Nico asked, cocking his head to the side.

All of the boys grinned. “Well, some of the customers just like a...more interesting touch.”

“If you were in the security room, you saw the rooms with whips and stuff, yes?” Apollo asked. Nico nodded. “That's what he does.”

“Some of us specialize in that. It's quite fun,” Octavian said with a wide grin. “I do very well with a lot of politicians.”

“Like my brother, I work in the kink department too,” Luke said. “Everyone loves the bad boy, especially one with a scar.” Luke strolled up to Nico. He leaned down, coming mere inches from Nico's face. He grabbed some of Nico's hair and pulled Nico's head back. “I'm also quite good at domination.”

Butch and Beckendorf walked forward. Luke spun around and walked back to the line. “If you like the muscular type, look no farther,” Beckendorf said with a grin.

“We get a lot of clients that like to be dominated,” Butch added. “We get a lot of requests to fuck people up against walls. I work down in the kink room as well.”

The twins grinned as Beckendorf and Butch walked back to the line. They held hands as they walked out towards Nico. Travis wrapped an arm around Connor's waist as Connor wrapped his arms around Travis's neck. “You'd be surprised at what people like. We're pretty good at threesomes,” Travis said, winking at Nico. “We both work down in the kink room too.”

Connor nuzzled his brother's neck. “People also think it's hot when we have sex together,” Connor said, grinning at Nico. “So we bump up our brotherly love while we are working around the hotel.” The two detached themselves from each other and made their way back to the line of Lost Boys.

Will stepped forward. He placed a finger below Nico's chin, tilting Nico's head up to look him in the eyes. “Other than you, I'm the youngest of the group. People like the twinks,” Will said, leaning in very close to Nico. “You'll find out really fast that most of the customers like the young look.” Will dropped his finger and stepped back from Nico. “Like Apollo, I give off the beach boy vibe, with a slight hint of the 'All American boy' look.”

The boys scattered around the room once again. “He also needs to learn how to talk,” Apollo said, running a hand through his hair.

“That's not so hard,” Connor stated. He looked down at Nico. “You just remember that everything you say needs to be seductive. You can say whatever the fuck you want when it's just around us or at school, but you have to watch what you say around here.”

“Every word out of your mouth needs to be enticing,” Travis added.

“You need to mesmerize them not only with your words, but with your eyes,” said Luke. “You need to make sure they are paying attention to you.”

“Learn to move your body just right,” Will said, sitting down on the floor. “Every move that your body makes needs to draw the eye.”

“You have to walk with an air of confidence,” Beckendorf stated, patting Nico on the back.

“Always keep eye contact,” suggested Butch.

“They need to be the one squirming in their seat, not you,” Travis stated, pulling Connor into his lap.

“You need to be arousing,” Apollo said with a wink. “You need to be able to stimulate them with your eyes and your mind. Even the sound of your voice needs to be alluring.”

“Don't think that they own you, though. If they ever lay a finger on you, they will find themselves in deep shit,” Connor said with a crooked grin.

“You are the one that initiates contact, not them,” Luke said, pointing a finger at Nico. “The only time they are allowed to touch one of us first is in the private rooms.”

“The only time they are allowed to touch you on the floor is when they slip you money,” Octavian added, leaning against the wall.

“That reminds me,” Apollo said, snapping his fingers. “We'll need to take him to get some accessories and shit.”

“What?” Nico asked. He didn't like the sound of that.

“Things like speedos, special outfits, et cetera.”

“Don't look so scared, Neeks,” Connor said. “It'll be fun. We can have bonding time while we get to look at you in various articles of skimpy clothing.” Nico's cheeks lit up.

The door to the room opened and Percy stepped inside. He looked to have calmed down from earlier. All of boys seemed to relax upon realizing that. “How's it going?” Percy asked, leaning against the wall next to the door.

“He'll be a natural in no time!” Travis exclaimed with a grin.

Percy rolled his eyes. “What did you cover?” he asked, addressing Apollo.

Apollo blew his lips. “The basics,” the blond answered. “We covered our specialties, how he should speak, the way he should walk, and we're going to make plans to go get him outfitted.”

Percy nodded. “Alright. I suppose that'll be good for today. All of you can go get ready for work.” All of the boys picked themselves up and headed towards the door. Percy pressed a hand to Nico's chest as the boy made his way to the door. Percy leaned in to whisper in Nico's ear. “Where do you think you're going? I told you I was going to give you a private lesson.” Nico felt his face heat up. Percy pushed Nico back down in his chair.

“Wh-What kind of private lesson?” Nico stuttered.

Percy grinned down at him. “I'm going to teach you how to apply what they told you.” Percy's fingers reached to the hem of his shirt, pulling the fabric up and over his head. Nico's eyes became saucers as he stared at Percy's flawless body. Percy's torso was perfect. It was lean and toned in just the right way. His tanned skin didn't have a blemish on it. “Now then, I believe you should already be able to pick up on the proper way to talk. All you had to do was pay attention to the way we usually speak. I don't strip anymore, but I still talk like them when in public. You'd be surprised at how cooperative people can be when you can work seduction properly.”

“Can you give me an example anyways?”

Percy flipped his hair out of his eyes. He leaned down, close to Nico's ear. “What kind of example would you like, Nico?” Percy whispered seductively. Nico shivered at the feel of Percy's breath on his neck. Percy snapped his fingers. “That reminds me. You need to learn how to interact properly. You will only touch the customers very rarely. You need to learn how to seduce them without touching them.”

Nico cocked his head to the side. “I'm lost.”

Percy took one of his hands and trailed it up Nico's arm, not letting it touch the skin. Nico convulsed as he felt Percy's fingers brush over the hairs on his arm. He could feel Percy's warmth on him. Nico's eyes flickered up to Percy's exposed chest. His skin looked so amazing. Nico wanted to reach up and touch it. Unconsciously, Nico's hand rose and started reaching out for Percy. Percy slapped his hand away. He grasped the hair on the back of Nico's head and pulled Nico's head back, exposing Nico's neck. Percy straddled Nico's waist, without sitting in the boy's lap. He leaned in close, letting his lips graze the soft skin of Nico's neck. Nico felt his body heating up. Percy blew against his skin, making Nico shiver.

Nico looked up into Percy's eyes as the taller boy pulled away. Nico let out a quiet moan at the look in Percy's eyes. He felt himself leaning forward while Percy leaned forward. Percy pressed him back against the chair as he finally sat down on Nico's lap. He held Nico's arms against the the sides of the chair. Percy continued to lean in, bringing his lips mere inches from Nico's lips. Nico's eyes had closed of their own accord. Nico could feel his heart pounding against his chest, which was rising and falling heavily. Right before making contact, Percy leaned back, face returning to normal. “Were you taking notes?” he said with a grin.

Nico groaned, letting his head fall back. Percy stood back up and circled Nico. “That was totally unfair,” Nico mumbled. Percy just smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

“You need to learn to do that.” Percy finally came to a stop in front of Nico again. “It'll get easier over time. You just need to get the hang of it.” Percy reached a hand out and helped Nico stand up. “You should also start trying to walk properly. I want to see you start to strut and shake your ass.” Percy winked at him. “If eyes don't stare at your ass as you walk away, you're doing it wrong. Oh, and never crouch down to pick something up again, bend over.” Percy looked up at the clock. “Alright, I think that'll be all for today. I'll let you go get changed.”

Nico gave Percy a smile. “Thanks again,” Nico said walking towards the door. He stopped when Percy spoke again.

“One more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Don't lose that innocence of yours in all of this,” Percy said, offering him a smile.

Nico sat at the table with Hazel, Zoë, Octavian, and Thalia. Hazel was finally going to be working in the bar with Nico, which made him happy. He wanted to get to know her and Butch better since he just recently met them. The group was currently eating a dinner, making small talk from time to time. “So, how was he today, Octavian?” Thalia said around a bite of food.

Octavian glanced up at Nico momentarily. “He's alright. All he had to do was sit and listen today,” the blond responded.

“I'm sure he's a fast learner,” Hazel said with a smile.

“I am impressed he has taken it all so well,” Zoë said. “I figured being so innocent, he would have freaked out.”

“I'm not a kid,” Nico said with a pout.

“Yeah, that doesn't help your case, Nico,” Thalia joked. “You should start practicing on customers tonight. At least work on how you walk and talk.”

“Try practicing walking in your suite,” Zoë suggested.

“Work on your facial expressions in front of a mirror,” Octavian said, taking a bite of his food.

“Facial expressions?” Nico asked.

“Yes,” Thalia said. “You need to look at them just right, as I'm sure the boys told you.” Nico nodded. “Everything about your face has to be just right.”

“You need to learn to seduce someone with just a glance,” Hazel added.

“So, how does it feel to be a Lost Boy?”

“Is he one yet?” Octavian commented. “Let's wait until we see him on stage first.” He glanced over at Nico. “No offense.”

“None taken, I guess,” Nico mumbled.

“Don't worry, Nico. You're assured a spot. You just got to get on that stage and shake your ass,” Thalia said with a wink.

“Well, we need to be getting to work,” Zoë stated. Her, Octavian, and Thalia stood up and bid Hazel and Nico goodbye. Nico looked over at Hazel, who smiled back at him. Nico liked her already, she kind of reminded him of Bianca.

“So what's your story, Hazel?” Nico asked, taking a drink.

Hazel set her napkin on the table, finished eating her food. “Well, I grew up in New Orleans with my mom,” Hazel answered.

“You're a long way from home.”

Hazel nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. “My mom, she wasn't that nice of a person. Selling her own body for money was one thing, but then she started selling mine. I was just a kid when she started doing that, only twelve. I felt sick with myself most nights. I threw up after every time it happened. I felt so disgusted with myself. I grew to hate my mother. I didn't understand how a mother could do that to their own child.”

“I'm so sorry,” Nico whispered.

Hazel shrugged. “She ended up moving us to a pretty bad neighborhood. Those sex offender websites don't always come in handy. I'll just say that we had a very extensive client list built from our neighbors.”

“That's so horrible.”

“It's in the past. I managed to get some money while my mom was gone one day. After that, I high tailed it out of there. Hitchhiked my way all the way out here. Spent a year on the streets before Percy found me. I was more than eager enough to take the job. Considering my past, it wasn't anything new for me to do.”

Nico finished eating his food, needing to hurry and get to work. The two stood up and walked out of the hotel's restaurant. They boarded the elevator and Nico hit the button for the bar. “Hopefully I can get used to all of this like the rest of you.”

 “I'm sure you will. You have all of us to help you learn. We're a family here, Nico. We look out for each other.” Nico let a smile spread across his face at Hazel's comforting words. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here. He had a new family to help take care of him.