Children of Loss 18

Chapter 18

“Percy!” Nico cried out as he released himself on his shower wall. He panted heavily as he stood under the hot water. As he had done frequently, of late, Nico had once again woken up fully aroused. And once again, it was his boss that was the star of his erotic dream. Nico shook his head and turned off the water.

He had to get control of himself. Percy would never be his, and it was probably time he got that through his head. Nico grabbed a towel and dried his hair. He walked out the door, wanting to make himself some coffee. Since he lived alone, he didn't really concern himself with closing his bathroom door anymore. He stepped into the kitchen, pulling the towel off his head. Nico's breath hitched as he jumped back against the wall behind him.

Standing in Nico's kitchen, with a smirk on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand, was the very green-eyed boy he had just been thinking about. Nico's entire face turned red as Percy's eyes drifted down his naked body. He quickly wrapped the towel around his waist. Percy just continued to smirk as he raised his coffee to his mouth.

“Good morning, Nico,” Percy greeted him. Nico looked him up and down, studying him uneasily. Today he was dressed casually in a dark blue v-neck and black pants.

“M-morning,” Nico stuttered. “I was, uh, just gonna make myself some coffee.”

“Here.”

Nico blinked at the coffee that was shoved in front of his face. He slowly reached out and grabbed the cup himself, raising it to his lips. He let out a satisfied moan as the warm liquid flowed into his mouth.

“So, did you have a nice shower?” Percy asked, stepping closer to Nico.

Nico nearly choked on the coffee, his cheeks darkening again. Had Percy actually heard him cry out his name? Nico grabbed his towel with his free hand, and held it tightly around his waist.

Percy's grin turned smug. “Nico, why are you embarrassed? It's not like I haven't seen you naked,” he purred into Nico's ear, sending a shiver down Nico's spine. With a satisfied grin, Percy pulled back, plucking his coffee out of Nico's grasp.

Nico frowned. He straightened himself out and gave Percy a glare. “What's your point?” Nico said defiantly. “Apparently you didn't like it.”

Percy chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee. “And who said that?”

Nico huffed. He wanted to strangle Percy at this point. Was this just a game to Percy? Was his heart just something to be played with? “What are you doing in here anyways?” Nico mumbled.

Percy smiled. “Well, I tried knocking, but you didn't answer, probably too busy with your shower activities.” His eyes flashed in amusement when Nico's cheeks heated up again. “So, I just let myself in.”

“Remind me to bolt my door,” Nico grumbled.

Percy placed his hand on the wall beside Nico's head, while using the one holding his coffee to run his index finger along the inside of Nico's towel. “But what's the fun in that? Maybe I like dropping in on you like this.”

“As long as you don't pull some Twilight shit and stare at me while I sleep.”

Percy chuckled. “I also needed to talk to you before I took you to school.”

Nico held up his hand to stop Percy. “Whoa, hold on a second. Who said you were taking me to school?” Nico asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Percy's head tilted to the side. “If you prefer to walk...” Percy trailed off.

Nico slumped his shoulders. “Why are you so cruel?”

Percy ruffled Nico's drying hair. “It's one of my many,” Percy leaned in to whisper in Nico's ear, “many talents.” Percy sat his coffee down as Nico walked into the living room.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” Nico asked, just wanting to get to the point of Percy's surprise visit.

“You have lessons with me for the rest of the week, immediately after school.”

Nico blinked, spinning around in surprise. He was even more surprised when his towel fell off his thin waist. He yelped and went to reach down and grab it, but Percy beat him to it. Percy smirked and slung the towel onto his shoulder. Nico scowled and moved his hands down to cover his crotch.

“Lessons for what?” Nico asked, pursing his lips when he felt himself growing hard. He couldn't help it. Being naked in front of Percy was a little arousing for some reason.

Percy smirked and stepped closer to Nico. Nico's eyes widened when Percy slid his hands behind him, and planted them on his ass. Nico tried so hard to glare at the tall young man, but he had to put all his energy into not moaning. He was going to strangle Percy. Mainly because he knew Percy was only doing this to tease him.

“I need you to be over your stage fright by Friday.”

Nico blinked at him, his mind forgetting about the hands placed on his butt. “Wait a minute. I'm working again?” He asked.

Percy cocked an eyebrow. “Yes? Why would you think otherwise?”

Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times. He sort of felt stupid. Percy's hands moved up to his hips. “Sort of,” he mumbled. “I thought I might be getting kicked out.”

Percy frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Why would you think that? Nico, I wouldn't kick someone out onto the streets. Shouldn't you know me better than that by now?”

Nico's face turned red, but for a different reason this time. He really should have known that. He really had been stupid. “I just wasn't thinking. I got scared when you said I wasn't going to be working until further notice, and it didn't help that you restricted me from doing anything.”

Percy smiled and ran his hands up and down Nico's sides before removing them. He chuckled, which made Nico frown. Percy cleared his throat. “Sorry. I didn't mean to make you freak out like that,” he assured Nico. “I was never planning on kicking you out. I just can't show favoritism. I mean, I know Apollo sabotaged you, but I can't just go easy on you. You complain about how the Lost Kids treat you sometimes, well, how do you think they would react to you getting special treatment like that?”

Nico pursed his lips. He just felt like an idiot at this point. Percy had been doing him a favor, and he had spent the past few days upset with the green-eyed young man. And he had at least made some new friends out of the punishment. Nico let out a sigh. Now that he thought about it, maybe he shouldn't have been mad at Percy in the first place.

“Anyways,” Percy continued when Nico didn't say anything, “I'm going to be working with you myself so that I know you are ready for Friday.”

Nico nodded. “Sorry.”

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

“I should have known you weren't going to kick me out.”

Percy shrugged. “Don't worry about. You got scared. Your mind fucks with you pretty hard when you’re frightened.”

Nico nodded. “I guess that's true.” He glanced up at Percy. “What are you scared of?”

Percy smiled down at Nico, but didn't say anything. What kind of answer was that? Did he have something he didn't want to talk about? Or was it that he didn't get scared of anything?

“I promised you that you wouldn't have to suffer like you did before, and I meant that. I mean, I can't give you a perfect life, but I trust that you can find your own happiness. And then maybe one day you will choose to leave and pursue something.”

Nico frowned. “You want me to leave?”

Percy sighed and pulled out his phone. “Go get dressed, or you'll be late for school,” he ordered.

Nico nodded and walked towards his room. It wasn't until he heard Percy chuckle that he remembered that he didn't have his towel on. His cheeks tinged pink, and his hands went behind him to shield his butt from Percy's eyes.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the school day for Nico. He made his way through the halls towards the parking lot, dodging his way through the crowds of people. Unfortunately, someone ended up bumping in to. He slid across the floor, his books scattering in front of him. He groaned and got onto his hands and knees to crawl over to them. As he was reaching for one of his books, a hand grabbed it and picked it up. Nico blinked up at the boy in front of him, who was already tasking himself with gathering Nico's fallen binders and books.

The boy was relatively tall, and looked to possibly be a year older than Nico. He had light olive skin, like the sun couldn't decide if it wanted to tan him or not. He had a few freckles splashed across his cheeks, and a friendly smile on his face. He had wavy light brown hair, which was kept relatively short. His dark grey eyes sat behind a pair of glasses, which had drifted slightly down his nose. He looked relatively fit, but from the way he dressed, Nico wasn't sure if he was a jock or a nerd. He wasn't really one to stereotype people, but he just couldn't tell with this boy.

Nico stood up and took his books from the boy's hands. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

The boy smiled at him for a moment before frowning and tilting his head to the side. “Do I know you from somewhere?” The guy asked out of nowhere. He pushed his glasses up, the light reflecting in them, and studied Nico in silence.

Nico blinked and scratched the back of his head. “Uh, not that I'm aware of. I'm Nico.” He stuck his hand out, offering it to the brunet.

The guy scrunched his lips, tapping his finger to them. Nico raised an eyebrow at him. This guy really seemed to get lost in his thoughts. He finally blinked and shook Nico's hand with a light chuckle. “Sorry about that. I have a tendency to drift off sometimes. I'm Daedalus,” the boy finally said.

Nico nodded and smiled. “Well, thanks again for helping me pick my things up.”

Daedalus nodded. He studied Nico for a few seconds. “Are you sure we haven't met? I’m certain I know you from somewhere.”

Nico shrugged. “I've been attending school here, so it's possible you've seen me around.”

Daedalus grabbed his chin, his face returning to another thoughtful expression. “Perhaps, but I don't think that is it.” He let out a sigh. “Oh well. If it comes to me, I'll let you know.”

Nico nodded. He turned and watched the boy walk off, shaking his head at the retreating brunet. That was odd. He didn't think he had ever laid eyes on that boy before in his life. The boy was unique, so Nico figured he would have stuck out to him. With a shrug, Nico headed for the parking lot once again.

He slid into Clarisse's car upon his arrival. The brunette didn't even bother waiting for him to buckle up before she zoomed out of the parking lot, her usual scowl on her face. Nico clutched at his seat as he quickly buckled his seatbelt. He had to remember to request that Clarisse never pick him up from school again.

“Good afternoon to you too, Clarisse,” he grumbled when he was done buckling up. He sat back with a sigh.

“I had wanted to enjoy my afternoon off, but then I got asked to pick you up,” she complained.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Well I'm sorry, but I don't have a car yet.”

He would need to start saving up for one. He had never expected his dad to buy him one. Since Bianca was only a year older than him, he had been forced to rely on her for rides to anywhere he wanted to go. He wasn't really sure what his father intended to do the following year when Bianca was off at college, and now, he would never find out.

Thinking about all of that made him a little depressed for Christmas, which was right around the corner, followed by his birthday. He supposed he wasn't going to be looking forward to those Christmas mornings of waking up to presents under a tree. Not that he had ever gotten much anyways. Bianca and his mother were really the only ones that contributed to making those days special for him, out of his family anyways. He had been a disappointment to his father even before coming out, and the man had definitely made that clear to Nico.

“So, we heard you're going to be back at work this weekend,” Clarisse voiced, probably uncomfortable with the silence.

Nico nodded. “Yeah, Percy told me this morning.”

Clarisse nodded back, a frown on her face. “Lucky you.”

Nico frowned at her. What was her problem? “I guess, but I figure the others will just go back to treating me how they did before.”

“I guess we'll find out,” she sighed.

The car fell silent after that, making Nico slightly uncomfortable. Leo and Rachel were right it seemed, there was a divide amongst the Lost Kids, and Nico was starting to see it better now. Something else that Nico found curious was the girls' living arrangements. The divide was obvious amongst the boys, with Leo and Ethan rooming together. However, Clarisse and Rachel did not room together. Rachel shared a suite with Piper, while Clarisse shared one with Silena. It was a small detail, but it still stuck out to him.

He figured Rachel was probably the best person to ask about that. Clarisse just gave off an aggressive aura, and Nico wasn't sure how the girl would react to being prodded about her life. Which probably meant that Nico wouldn't be finding out the girl's past any time soon.

The car ride passed relatively quickly, but to Nico, it felt like an awkward eternity. He was going to go out on a limb and guess that all of the Lost Kids, including Percy, had these odd mood swings. Yesterday, Clarisse had been relatively social with him, and today, it felt like she wanted to be far away from him. Perhaps that whole issue the Lost Kids had with him wasn’t exclusive to the ones that got on stage.

Clarisse got out of the car with a grunt. Nico sighed and followed after her. Was he always going to have a problem with someone around the hotel? Were they just going to rotate with him? Perhaps that was a benefit of being friends with all of them now. If he had an issue with the security workers, he could just go to the performers or the secretaries.

The two rode up the elevator together in silence. When the doors slid open, he found Percy in the hall with Octavian and Luke, frowns on all faces. Clarisse grunted and walked past the trio, noticing the looks on their faces, and choosing to stay out of it. Percy sighed and flicked his eyes over to Nico, silencing him with a look when he noticed the smaller boy about to open his mouth.

“Again, don't you think this is a little childish?” Percy asked Octavian, rubbing his temple.

“No, he's being a jerk,” Octavian huffed.

Luke sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “And you're being a brat. You're just being paranoid.”

“Bullshit!”

“Look, I don't want any more problems with all of you right now. I had enough last weekend to last me several months. So, can we all try and get along for a while?” Percy growled with an icy glare.

“And you wouldn't understand! It's bad enough that I feel like shit about myself whenever I look at Nico, but now he's going to make it worse with this,” Octavian argued.

“You're being ridiculous,” Luke sighed. He finally noticed Nico and narrowed his eyes.

Octavian spun around and leered at Nico. Nico pursed his lips and fidgeted where he stood. What was all of that about? Percy shook his head and waved his hand off down the hall, signaling Nico to go.

“I have to deal with cleaning up the mess all of you caused last weekend, so if you'll excuse me,” Percy announced.

“Whatever,” Octavian grunted, spinning around and heading for the elevator, bumping his shoulder into Nico's in the process.

Nico frowned and rubbed his shoulder, looking between Luke and Percy. “What was that about?” Nico asked once the elevator had shut.

“Nothing,” Luke mumbled.

“Just cool off for a little while,” Percy told him. “I'll text one of the others to make sure Octavian does the same.” Percy's expression turned grim. “As I said, I don't want any more conflict amongst all of you for the time being. You all had your fun, now keep it civil. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Percy,” Luke grumbled.

Percy turned to Nico. “And if I see any more fighting, out of any of you, there will be harsher punishments dealt. I don't give a damn what goes on in private, but I will not tolerate any childish behavior in public.”

“Yes, sir,” Luke and Nico replied.

Percy clutched the back of Luke's hair and put his other arm around Luke's waist. “And I want you and your brother to have made up by tomorrow. If you do, perhaps I will lift the punishment I put on all of you.”

Luke swallowed, nodding his head. Percy's expression softened once again, a smile creeping onto his lips. He nuzzled his cheek against the slightly shorter blond's hair, holding Luke closer to his body. “Now get some rest. I have to work with Nico,” Percy chuckled.

Luke nodded. His eyes flickered to Nico a final time, making Nico feel uneasy under the blond's dark gaze. Percy cleared his throat and Luke grunted before turning and walking to his room. Nico and Percy walked down the hall, Nico pulling out his card and sliding it into his door slot. Percy pulled his phone out and sent off a text before sliding the phone back into his pocket.

“What was all of that about?” Nico asked once they were inside.

Percy sighed. “Not your concern,” he replied.

Nico nodded his head. He had learned by now when to not press something. Around here, it probably meant it was something he wouldn't like. “Well, what was that about punishment? I don't recall getting an extra punishment.”

“Because it didn't apply to you,” Percy sighed.

“Well, what was it?”

Percy frowned at Nico for a few seconds before sitting down onto the couch with a grunt. “Since last weekend was a group effort, I took away the Lost Kids' method of negotiating hours,” Percy explained.

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. Was that why they were being nice to him? Was it because they were trying to get that ability back? Percy rolled his eyes at Nico and stood up to yank Nico down onto the couch, next to him.

“I'm not sure what is going on in that head of yours right now, but you think too much,” Percy chuckled. “It doesn't seem to be helping you figure things out, either.”

Nico frowned. That was sort of true. “It's just that the others have been oddly nice to me lately, and I can't help but feel that your punishment is the reason for it,” Nico mumbled.

“Well, from what Chiron told me, they started doing it Saturday afternoon, and I didn't let them know about the punishment until later that night. So, I'm going to assume that is not it.”

“Then why?”

Percy shrugged. “You'll have to find out on your own.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “You know, don't you?”

Percy smirked at him. “Perhaps.” He chuckled and stood up. “But we are wasting time. I need to begin working with you on your stage fright.”

Nico squirmed under Percy on the couch. The green-eyed young man smirked down at him as he settled between Nico's legs, lightly pressing his pelvis against Nico's crotch. “Wh-what is the point of this again?” Nico asked as Percy pinned his wrists to the arm of the couch.

“You have to get more comfortable with your body,” Percy whispered in his ear. “Not to mention that on occasion, some of the other boys will be doing stuff like this to you on stage.” Percy ran his free hand down Nico's bare torso, letting his fingers ghost across Nico's soft skin. “And I don't need you blushing at the smallest thing.” He bit down on Nico's collarbone, making the pale boy gasp. “While it is cute and adorable when you blush, I need it toned down slightly. A faint blush is fine, but your entire face sometimes turns red, and I don't need that.”

Nico yelped as Percy sat up, tugging Nico into his lap to straddle his waist. Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck. “So, you're going to work with me like this until I can get more comfortable?” Nico asked, a smirk on his lips. “I think I'll need extra help.”

Percy rolled his eyes. “Very funny.” He grabbed Nico's hips and thrusted up. Nico's mouth fell open as he clung to Percy. “I don't think you're quite ready to dive into that territory yet, Nico.”

“Why not?” Nico panted.

Percy's hand slid down Nico's body until they settled on his hips. “Let's not get into that, shall we? I'm hoping you choose not to go down that road, Nico. There's a lot that you don't understand, things that I'm actually trying to shield you from, but you make it hard on me sometimes.”

Nico frowned at him. “Like what?”

Percy's eyes ran down Nico's body before returning to his brown eyes. “Like I said, I can't give you special treatment. Don't put me in a situation that neither of us want to see happen.”

Nico sighed. However, Percy pulled him out of his mopey state by squeezing his ass. “You're such a jerk,” Nico grumbled.

Percy smirked. “Hey, I gave you what you wanted just the other day.”

“And you said it probably wouldn't happen again.”

Percy shrugged. “I did say probably, which implies that there is a chance that it might.” He ran a hand through Nico's black hair. “We'll just have to see. Maybe if you're not too naughty, I'll make an exception for Christmas.”

“Are you sure I shouldn't be naughty to get that present?” Nico asked smugly, leaning in to kiss Percy.

Percy turned his head, Nico's lips landing on his jaw. “I only kiss during sex,” Percy said, setting Nico off his lap.

Nico groaned, letting his head hit the arm of the chair. “You're such a tease.”

Percy shrugged. “If you prefer, I don't have to even consider doing that to you again.”

Nico's eyes widened. “I-I didn't mean it.”

Percy chuckled and pulled out his phone. “Well, I think that is all for today,” he sighed.

They both stood up, and Nico walked him over to the door, opening it for the taller young man. They both were surprised to find Apollo standing outside, his fist up to knock on the door. His eyes flickered between Percy and Nico, eyeing Nico's bare torso.

Nico blinked as Percy slid his arm around Nico's waist. “What are you doing here?” Percy asked.

Apollo frowned when Percy rested his cheek on Nico's head. Nico noticed the blond's lip twitch. “I wanted to talk to Nico,” the blond mumbled.

“A civil conversation?” Percy slid his other arm around Nico's waist, pulling the smaller boy back against his chest.

Apollo pursed his lips and inhaled sharply. Nico noticed the blond's eyes darken. He felt a little lost at what was happening at the moment, but he figured it was better if he stayed quiet.

“Of course,” Apollo ground out with a fake smile on his face. “So, what were you two doing?”

Percy smiled, humming as he hugged Nico tighter. “I was just giving Nico a lesson in stage fright.”

Apollo clicked his tongue, his eyes flashing venomously at Nico. “Sounds like fun.” He paused to look back up at Percy, something unspoken traveling between the two tall young men. “I mean, it sure looks like you two had fun.”

Percy's hands roamed Nico's torso. “It was very fun. Just like we had fun Friday night, after he was done with work,” Percy said with a smirk.

Apollo's face paled. “You mean, you...and him?” Apollo said, his eyes wide in surprise.

Percy shrugged. Nico tried to squirm away. He didn't like the uncomfortable feeling that was coursing through the room at the moment. He really didn't want to be involved with whatever was going on. But Percy pulled him back against his chest, this time so that Nico was facing him.

Apollo's fists clenched. “I thought he wasn't being treated special?” Apollo ground out between his teeth.

Percy's eyes became solemn. “It was just oral, and besides, you can just blame yourself for it happening. He was only up in my room in the first place because of what you and the others did,” Percy responded calmly. “I'm not going to give him special treatment. As I said, if it were to really happen, I would not treat him any differently than the rest of you.”

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. What were they talking about? He didn't like the sound of it, whatever it was. Nico tried flailing his arms from within Percy's grasp. “Hold on a second, can someone explain to me what you're both talking about?” He asked.

Apollo blinked at Percy. “You haven't even told him what will happen to him?” The blond deadpanned.

“Because I trust him to be smarter than to actually come to me and ask for it,” Percy replied. He clicked his tongue, his eyes turning snake-like as they stared at Apollo. “Although, with all of you roaming about, perhaps I should warn him of the consequences.” Percy smiled coldly. “Oh wait, I think you all ruined your chances at achieving your goal with your little stunt.”

Apollo's mouth fell open in shock. Nico blinked at the two of them. He felt like he was missing something between them. He was more concerned with how they were acting at the moment than what they were actually talking about.

“Well, I need to get going. I have to get some work done, and you two need to talk.” He smirked and groped Nico's ass. “I'll see you later, Nico,” he said seductively.

Percy patted Apollo's shoulder as he walked out the door. The blond just stood there, shell shocked. Nico fidgeted in front of him, even though the blond's eyes weren't necessarily on him. Whatever had just happened hadn't been anything good, or at least that was how Nico felt.

“So, uh, you wanted to talk to me?” Nico asked, walking over and picking his shirt off the ground. He was going to assume what had just happened was to explain for his lack of wanting to punch the blond again. Perhaps it was because they had known Percy longer, but it seemed like he had a strong effect on them with his actions.

Apollo blinked and shook his head. “Uh, oh, yeah,” the blond replied. His cheek still had a small trace of a bruise on it, and his neck was still healing from the scratch Nico had given him, though it was much smaller than it had been on Saturday night.

Nico eyed him cautiously. Just because he didn't have the current desire to punch Apollo again, didn't mean he was going to go running back into the blond's arms. “What about?”

Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, wanted to come by and apologize.” He sighed. “I don't think that was the right way for you to find out how we felt.”

Nico stared at him coldly. “No, it wasn't.”

Apollo nodded. “And I'm sorry about that.” When Nico didn't answer, Apollo took a step closer. “So, are we cool?”

Nico shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “I don't know if I can forgive you. Perhaps in the future I will, but for now, I'm still hurt by what you did. I thought I could trust you. And now, I just feel used.”

Apollo sighed. “We handled it wrong. We wanted you to fit in with the rest of us. We wanted to make it so that we didn't hate ourselves every time we looked at you,” Apollo explained.

“So, you try having sex with me, and humiliating me?”

Apollo mumbled something under his breath.

Nico raised a brow. “What was that?” He asked.

“I don't really want to talk about it, Nico,” Apollo whispered, looking up at Nico with sad eyes. “It's just that some of us don't let go of our feelings while working here.”

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “I don't understand.”

Apollo shook his head, his curls flying about in the process. “It doesn't matter. Some of us got jealous, myself included.” He pursed his lips and looked Nico over. “That's really all you need to know for right now.”

Nico nodded, though he was still confused. “Alright.” He studied the blond for a moment. “What exactly was that that you and Percy were talking about?”

Apollo pursed his lips. “Something that apparently Percy thinks he doesn't have to worry about, but the rest of us feel it is inevitable,” the blond answered.

“Which is?”

“Becoming one of us completely.”

Nico arched a brow. “And how is that supposed to happen?” He asked.

Apollo shrugged. “That's for you and Percy to talk about.” His lips fell into a frown and his eyes darkened. “You think you're not being treated differently, but you are.”

“How so?”

Apollo let his head tilt to the side. “What was it Percy made clear when you first got to join our ranks?” He smirked and snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, he said you weren't going to sell your body.” The smile dropped from his face. “Tell me, how exactly is he treating you like us?”

Nico pursed his lips, his eyes softening. He hadn't really thought about that. He let his head fall with a sigh.

Apollo nodded his head. “That's what I thought. Don't say Percy never did anything for you. And now you see why we weren't really happy about that. Does it really seem fair that he actually allowed you to strip, but decided that you couldn't be a prostitute?” Apollo smirked at him. “Doesn't really seem like he's letting you make the choices, now does it?”

Nico's eyes looked broken. But Percy had said he was getting to make all of the choices for himself. “Why is he doing it?” Nico asked.

Apollo shrugged. “That's sort of what we want to know. How do you think we're supposed to feel when our boss, who has never shown an interest like this in anyone, suddenly takes an interest in the new kid?”

Nico's eyes widened. Was that it? Did Percy have an interest in him? Did he like Nico? Was he really getting special treatment because of it? It didn't feel like it sometimes, and Percy had even made it clear that he couldn't give Nico special treatment.

He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back at Apollo. “If that's true, then why doesn't he actually have sex with me? Why doesn't he kiss me? You're probably over-thinking all of this,” Nico reasoned.

Apollo rolled his eyes. “Are you really so blind? Percy doesn't want to touch you because he sees you like we do, and he himself is tainted and corrupted. He doesn't want all of that ‘infecting’ you. He wants you to stay all pure and shit, since that seems to be what drew his attention in the first place.” Apollo crossed his arms. “Tell me, when you two did have oral sex, did he let you do anything to him?”

Nico opened his mouth several times. Why hadn't Percy let him do anything to him? He quickly shook his head, casting his eyes to the floor.

Apollo shrugged. “That's what I figured,” he sighed. “He didn't want you to because him doing something to you and you doing something to him are different in his mind. You weren't the one doing the sexual act, he was.” He ran a hand through his curly hair. “And you don't even have to negotiate hours. So, can you begin to see why we might not be that happy with how he treats you?”

Nico chewed on his bottom lip. He was actually starting to see where they would actually be irritated with him. “I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.

“Don't worry about it. We'll work on being more civil with how we react to stuff like that.” Apollo sighed and turned around to leave. He looked back at Nico as he was about to close the door. “Again, I'm sorry. Maybe in the future, you can forgive me.”

Nico pursed his lips. He wrapped his arms around himself. “I don't know, Apollo. You all made me feel unwelcome, like you don't want me here,” he mumbled.

Apollo's eyebrows furrowed as his frown increased. “Nico, no matter what you think, you're always going to be a part of this family.”

Before Nico could say anything else, Apollo shut the door. Nico stared down at the floor. Why did it seem like things were getting more complicated? Last weekend he thought he had things figured out, but now he wasn't so sure.

Nico was relieved when the lunch bell rang. He had nearly overslept, and hadn't had time to eat breakfast, so his stomach was hungry. He nearly shot out his desk and into the hall. He smiled as he thought about the food that was soon going to be in his stomach. He had let himself relax at school ever since Annabeth had given him a shield from his bullies. So, that was why he didn't see it coming when he was practically thrown into a locker.

He winced as he rubbed the back of his head, looking up at Cal and Zethes. “What do you two want?” Nico grumbled as he climbed back onto his feet.

“We saw your new girlfriend,” Zethes chuckled. “Quite an improvement over the blonde.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. What were they talking about? “What?” He asked.

“The girl that picked you up yesterday,” Cal snorted. “She's quite the looker.”

Nico's eyes widened. Oh, that was it. They had seen him with Clarisse, and now they wanted to go back to tormenting him. That was just great, just what he needed to make his week better.

“She's not my girlfriend,” Nico tried defending himself.

“Yeah, right,” Zethes laughed, shoving Nico back into the lockers.

Nico scowled. “I'm not lying.”

Cal snorted. “You lied to us, faggot,” he sneered.

“That wasn't very nice,” Zethes added.

“Now we just feel stupid.”

“I don't see how that's my fault,” Nico interrupted him.

Cal glared at the pale boy. He grabbed Nico's collar and yanked him off the ground. “Watch your mouth,” he growled.

Zethes shook his head. “We can't believe we fell for that. How could someone like you get a girl that pretty? So, when we saw you yesterday with that girl, we knew.”

“Well, we knew you had a boar for a girlfriend, or you were best friends with some dyke.”

Nico clenched his fists at his sides. He didn't like that they were dragging Clarisse into this. All three of them were surprised when they heard a throat clear. Zethes and Cal turned to find Daedalus behind them with an eyebrow quirked.

“Is there a problem here?” The brunet asked.

“Stay out of this, Daedalus,” Cal growled.

“Yeah, this doesn't concern you,” Zethes sneered.

Daedalus tilted his head to the side. “Well, actually, it does. You see, I was just looking for Nico here. I had asked him to eat lunch with me, and it seems you two are detaining him,” the brunet retorted. Nico sent him a thankful look.

Cal snorted. “You hang out with this loser?” The bully asked in disbelief. “Well, if you are looking for a rep killer, be our guest.”

Daedalus blinked at them with a blank expression and pulled Nico away from them. “And yet, he will probably amount to more in life than either of you two ever could dream.”

Nico's eyes widened as he was yanked away from the two fuming bullies. He couldn't believe Daedalus had actually said that. He frowned after a few seconds of the shock wearing off. Was Daedalus popular?

“Thanks,” Nico mumbled.

Daedalus shrugged and let go of Nico's arm. “I'm not a fan of bullying,” he replied.

Nico nodded. “Well, I think I need to get some lunch. Thanks again.”

Daedalus chuckled. “Well, you could actually eat lunch with me.”

Nico blinked in surprise. He hadn't really made friends with anyone at school yet, so he had been eating alone every day. He quickly nodded. “That would be great,” he said with a smile.

Daedalus nodded back, and the two walked into the cafeteria. They quickly went through the lunch line, where Daedalus waited for Nico before he led the black haired boy to an empty table. Nico frowned as they sat down. Hadn't Cal said that Daedalus was popular? He quickly shrugged that thought off.

“So, did you ever figure out why I seem familiar?” Nico asked, trying to break the ice.

Daedalus smiled as he took a sip of his drink. “Not quite yet, but I always figure things out,” he replied.

Nico nodded as he took a bite of his burger. “So, are you a jock?”

Daedalus chuckled and nodded. “Sort of. I'm the captain of the basketball team.”

Nico stared down at his tray, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. “Oh, that's cool,” he mumbled.

“Yeah, but I'm also the president of the science club.”

Nico raised an eyebrow at the grey-eyed boy. “Seriously? Do you just try and break stereotypes, or something?”

Daedalus snorted as he sat his drink down. “Something like that, I suppose. I'm not a very big fan of stereotypes. Why should one be restricted from something just because they like something else?”

Nico nodded. That made sense. It would explain why he hadn't felt uneasy around the boy when they had met yesterday. He sighed as he picked at his mashed potatoes. Maybe he had finally found a friend at this school. Though, he doubted he would ever be able to have the boy over to hang out at the hotel. If he did, he would have a lot of explaining to do about why he lived there without parents, and then that would just lead into what Nico did for a job.

Lunch quickly went by, the two boys making some small talk from time to time. Even when they were being quiet, it didn't appear like Daedalus was bothered by their lack of talking. When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, the two boys walked through the hall, Nico just listening to the taller boy talk. Nico quickly learned why he was the president of the science club, the boy had to border on genius level.

The rest of the school day crept by, and Nico made himself as unnoticeable as possible. Even when school finally ended, Nico did his best to blend with the crowd as they walked outside. When he finally got to the parking lot, he was relieved to see Octavian already there, waiting in his car.

He jumped in, finally letting out a breath. Octavian rolled his eyes at Nico and cranked the car. Nico frowned at the blond as he pulled out of the parking lot. It seemed like he just couldn't be at peace with all of the Lost Kids at the same time.

“Did I do something wrong?” Nico blurted out.

Octavian glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “What would make you think that?” He asked snidely.

“It's just that yesterday, you seemed like you were annoyed with me. And now today you still seem annoyed with me. Is this about the same thing as last weekend?”

“And what exactly happened last weekend?” Octavian asked innocently.

Nico frowned. “Cut the crap. I know all of that really happened. I don't know why all of you are trying to act like it didn't.”

Octavian smirked. “What, you can't figure it out for yourself?”

“No, that's why I'm asking.”

Octavian shrugged, slipping some sunglasses onto his eyes. “Well, I don't really feel like explaining it, so you can go fuck yourself.”

Nico glared at the blond. “And what was all of that in the hallway yesterday?” Nico snapped.

“None of your business,” Octavian sneered.

“You were talking about me!”

“Only indirectly. But all of that was between me and my brother.”

“You're such an ass.”

“And you're a brat,” the blond retorted.

Nico huffed and turned to look out his window. He felt this was a little unfair. The others never told him what their problem was. They just found some way to make him miserable. Some family, Nico thought.

The rest of the car ride was spent in an awkward silence. Octavian had turned on some music to near deafening levels. He was so thankful when they pulled into the parking garage and he was able to get out. He felt like he was about to punch another blond in the face.

He was surprised to find Leo in the parking garage, waiting on them. “Hey there, Nico. How was school?” The Latino boy greeted him.

“Fine,” Nico mumbled. Octavian grunted and shoved past them to board the elevator.

Leo raised an eyebrow at Nico as the two of them joined the blond. “So, Percy wanted me to come bring you to his office.”

“What for?” Nico asked.

“He's a little busy at the moment, so you'll have to wait for him to finish.”

Nico nodded. They rode up in silence. Octavian didn't even bother to look at either of them. Whatever had happened yesterday had apparently put him in a bad mood. Even though the blond had said it didn't concern him, he couldn't help but feel like it did.

The elevator stopped at the Lost Kids' floor first, letting Octavian off, who didn't even bother acknowledging them as he left. “What's up his butt today?” Leo asked as the doors slid shut.

Nico shrugged. “Beats me. He won't tell me anything,” he mumbled.

Leo sighed as the elevator arrived at Percy's floor. He gave Nico a sympathetic smile as they headed towards the office. Upon stepping inside, Nico immediately picked up on some shouting from Percy's office. The door was open, and Nico could see a man standing up in front of Percy's desk, shouting at an irritated looking Percy.

Percy's eyes flickered to Nico. He glanced to his side and nodded towards the door. Rachel soon appeared in the doorway. She stepped outside and shut the door behind her, her lips pursed.

“What's going on?” Nico asked as he sat down.

“One of Zeus's associates came to talk to Percy,” Leo answered.

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “That guy that he was talking about a while back? The club owner?”

Rachel nodded. “Yes, and he apparently thinks that Gaea and Percy are getting in the way of his business,” the red headed girl responded, looking at Leo and rolling her eyes.

Leo snorted as he sat down at his desk. “He's making it out like he was here first,” the Latino chuckled.

“The guy isn't very bright either.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “Why is that?” He asked.

Rachel sat down, raising a brow at Nico. “Because he’s in there threatening Percy.”

Leo gave a low whistle. “Ouch. I mean, I figured Zeus wasn't very smart, but is he really that stupid? I mean, he might as well insult Gaea to her face,” Leo stated.

Rachel nodded. “I know. I can't wait to hear what she thinks about this.”

“You could call her,” Leo suggested, slinging his arms behind his head. Nico perked up. Would he actually get to hear or see the infamous Gaea?

Rachel eyed Percy's door nervously. “Um, I think it would be better if we let Percy tell her. Besides, if I called her, she would probably just turn around and call Percy while he was talking with the guy.”

Leo nodded. “Good point,” he mumbled.

“What's going to happen?” Nico asked.

The two of them looked at each other and then at Nico. “Well,” Leo began. Nico's eyes widened as he heard the man yell, followed by a loud thud. Percy's shouting soon filled the air.

“He's going to make it clear not to mess with him,” Rachel whispered.

Percy's door flew open, and the man hobbled out, holding his nose, which looked broken and was now gushing blood. Nico gulped as he watched the man walk out. Percy came to the doorway and leaned against the frame as he watched the man leave, his eyes snake-like.

When the door slammed shut, Percy's eyes immediately flashed back to their warm sea green color. He threw on a smile for Nico and nodded to his office. “Rachel, would you mind getting a paper towel to clean up this mess?” Percy asked.

Rachel nodded and walked over to the counter beside Nico. She grabbed a roll of paper towels and scampered into Percy's office, Nico following behind her. He watched as she tore off some paper towels to wipe up some blood that had gotten onto Percy's desk. Nico's eyes widened at the tall black haired young man. He had figured Percy had punched the guy, but it looked more like he had slammed the man's head onto his desk. He was beginning to see why the other Lost Kids were so afraid of Percy.

Nico laughed as Daedalus talked about an accident in his science class at the beginning of the year, which had seared some of Zethes's hair off his arm. Thursday had finally rolled around, which meant Nico had one final day to prepare for the weekend. Though, Percy had him scheduled to work the stage on Saturday, which he claimed to be good for Nico, something about him getting to meet an old friend of Percy's that was going to be staying Friday night at the Lotus. He didn't know anything beyond that. Percy had just seemed relatively happy with whoever the friend was visiting. He wasn't sure how to feel about it, though. Should he be happy or jealous?

It just sounded stupid to feel jealous, though, when Percy wasn't his. He wanted to feel excited and happy, because he was getting to meet someone from Percy's younger years at the Lotus. He was going to assume that this person knew Percy before any of the Lost Kids even did. He was a little curious at who it was. Maybe it was the black haired boy in that photo Percy had.

Cal and Zethes were still giving him a hard time, and his ribs were now sore from getting kicked by Cal. Piper had noticed him clutching his ribs when she had picked him up yesterday, and had asked Nico to go to Percy about it. But after Nico had seen what Percy had done to that man, Nico had said no and begged her not to tell Percy. Cal and Zethes might have been jerks, but he didn't want them to be beaten to an inch of their lives.

“So, you got any plans this weekend?” Daedalus asked.

“Oh, uh, just work,” Nico replied, wincing as soon as the words had left his mouth. He shouldn't have divulged that. Now, Daedalus would probably ask where he worked.

But to Nico's relief, the brunet just nodded. “That sucks, I guess.”

Nico nodded. “What about you?”

The taller boy smiled. “I've got a date.”

Nico nodded again. “You have a girlfriend?” He asked.

“Yeah. We just started seeing each other a few weeks ago.” Daedalus took a bite of his roll. “What about you?”

“Oh, uh, I don't have anyone.”

Daedalus scrunched his lips. “That sucks, dude.”

Nico shrugged. “I'm working on it,” he mumbled. Again, he needed to watch what he said. Although, it was partly true. He was trying to get Percy, but he also knew he would probably never succeed.

“I'm sure it will work out,” the brunet said with a smile. “So, what's his name?”

Nico nearly choked taking a sip of his drink. “Wh-What makes you think it's a guy?” Nico asked nervously.

Daedalus smiled at him. “I sort of figured it out, Nico. And, I'm assuming it's not me. So, what's his name?” Daedalus asked again.

Nico took a bite of food as he contemplated the best choice for this. Should he divulge this information? He finally swallowed his food and spoke. “Percy.” He glanced back down at his tray. He figured it wouldn't hurt anything. Chances were that Daedalus and Percy would never meet, so what was the harm in it.

The jock nodded. “Well, I'm sure he will come around,” he tried assuring Nico.

Nico gave a lopsided smile. “Thanks,” he said sheepishly.

The rest of the school day slowly crept by for Nico. He knew what would come when school let out, and he wanted to avoid those two bullies at all costs. And it didn't help matters when Cal sat behind Nico in his last class.

When the bell finally did ring to signal the end of school, Nico shot out of his desk and bolted out the door. He sprinted to his locker to quickly drop off and pick books. After that, he fell into a crowd and made his way outside, where he found Luke's car waiting him on the other side of some buses, relatively out of the sight of the school building.

Nico made a break for it and ran away from the crowd of students. But, unfortunately, it didn't matter. When he got to the other side of the buses, he found Cal and Zethes waiting for him with smirks. “And where do you think you're going?” Cal asked.

“I don't see your Frankenstein girlfriend anywhere today,” Zethes chuckled.

Nico's eyes flashed from them to Luke's car, weighing his chances of reaching it. Luke was watching him from inside the car, his cheek resting on his fist. He raised an eyebrow at Nico. Nico's shirt was grabbed by Cal, who shoved him up against the bus.

“Don't ignore me, fag,” Cal snarled.

“I wish I could ignore your breath,” Nico replied, making a face of disgust.

Cal growled and pulled his fist back to punch Nico. Nico squeezed his eyes shut in preparation of the blow, but it never came. He slowly opened his eye when he heard Zethes yelp.

He blinked in surprise when he found Luke with his foot on Zethes's chest, and his hand grabbing Cal's wrist. “Who the fuck are you?” Cal growled, yanking his arm free of Luke's grasp.

“You his boyfriend?” Zethes grunted as he picked himself up.

Luke crossed his arms, taking a step in front of Nico. “I'm not. But so what if I was? Do you have a problem with it?” Luke growled.

Cal narrowed his eyes. “Back off, dude,” he warned.

“Are these the two idiots I've been hearing about?” Luke asked Nico.

Nico blinked. He swallowed and nodded. Luke nodded his head, keeping his eyes on Nico. In one swift motion, Luke drew his fist back and punched Cal in the face. Nico and Zethes's eyes widened in utter shock. Cal collapsed onto his back, clutching his now bloody nose, which looked broken.

Luke grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him towards the car. He opened his door and shoved the raven haired boy inside. Nico's eyes were still wide when Luke got into the car. He turned his head to look back at Cal and Zethes as they pulled out of the parking lot, watching as Zethes freaked out over a panicked Cal.

“You-you hit him,” Nico voiced.

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, I didn't think you noticed. I mean, you were standing right there, I figured you didn't see,” Luke said sarcastically.

“But I thought we weren't supposed to use violence?”

Luke's eyebrow rose. “Why do you think I parked behind the buses? No one saw anything.” He took his right hand off the wheel and flexed his fingers.

“This is exactly why I didn't want Piper to tell Percy.”

Luke shrugged. “You should have been more specific. I don't recall hearing that you said anything about us not getting involved.”

“But why?” Nico asked.

Luke ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth as he looked at Nico. “Why the fuck did I decide to pick you up?” Luke grumbled. “I don't want to be the one to have this talk with you, kid.”

“What talk? And why not?”

“I hate mushy shit. I don't want you fucking crying on my shoulder, unless it involves me actually fucking you.”

“You're such a romantic,” Nico mumbled, bringing a smirk to Luke's lips.

The blond shook his head, his smirk turning to a frown. “Look, go ask one of the others. Let them tell you.” His eyes darted from side to side. “No, wait, then they might tell you some fabricated story that I actually care about you.”

“Do you?”

Luke narrowed his eyes at Nico. He ran his sore hand through his short blond hair. “Look, kid, even though we have our issues with you, you're still one of us. You're still a Lost Kid. We bicker and fight with each other from time to time, but we protect our own when it comes from an outside source.”

Nico stared at him curiously. That had not really been what he had been expecting. Had he misjudged them? Or was this just another ploy to lure him into a false sense of security?

Luke blew out a breath. “I get that you probably think we don't want you here,” Luke continued, “but that's not true. We'd never wish someone back on the streets. Sure, we can be cold and cruel, but we aren't heartless.” He looked out his window, mumbling his next sentence under his breath. “Not even me.”

“So, what, you feel bad about what happened?” Nico asked, raising a brow.

Luke's face darkened. “I don't. I don't know about the others, but I know I don't. You deserved it. You're too fucking perfect, and a fall was what you needed.”

Nico's face fell. “Oh, I just thought that maybe that was why all of you were trying to be nice to me and act like nothing was wrong,” he mumbled.

Luke snorted. “No, we were nice to you because it was our way of saying that you were still family.”

“Well, Apollo came to apologize last night.”

Luke smirked. “Did he?” The blond shrugged. “I figured the jealous bastard would end up tucking his tail between his legs and go running to apologize.”

Nico's head tilted to the side with a frown. “Jealous?” He asked curiously. “What do you mean 'jealous'?”

Luke chuckled. “Oh, he didn't tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Luke began laughing as he parked the car. He sighed as placed his hands behind his headrest. “Do you remember what I said about falling until you saw how messed up we really were?” Luke asked. Nico nodded his head. “Guess what?” Luke got out of the car.

Nico got out as well and looked at the blond over the roof. “What?”

 “You're falling again.”