Children of Loss 20

Chapter 20

Nico frowned down at his phone for the tenth time since Percy's text had come in half an hour ago. Apparently, his boss had something important he needed to ask Nico, and wanted him to come up to his suite. So, Nico now stood on an elevator as it rose to Percy's private floor. When the elevator finally came to a stop, Nico stepped off and turned down the right hall.

He knocked on Percy's door and waited for the green-eyed young man to come to the door. He slid his phone into his pocket as the door opened. He looked up and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

Apollo stood in front of him, soaking wet and clad only in a black towel. The blond had a second towel resting on his dripping wet curls as he stared down at Nico. One of Apollo's eyebrows rose at him as he raised his hands to dry his hair off.

“Um, Percy wanted to see me,” Nico said.

Apollo nodded. “He's still in the shower, but he should be about done,” he replied.

Nico cleared his throat as he tore his eyes away from Apollo's dripping wet chest and entered the suite. Apollo chuckled at him and shut the door behind him. As if on cue, the sound of running water shut off. Apollo walked over to Percy's couch and sat down, not even caring how much of his thigh he was exposing.

Nico turned his head when he heard the bathroom door open, and he froze on the spot. Percy walked out of the room completely naked. He did have a towel, but it was currently in his hands and was being used to dry off his dripping body.

He blinked up at Nico when he noticed him standing there, and Nico's cheeks heated up. Percy smirked at him and walked into the living room, not even bothering to put the towel around his waist. “A-aren't you going to put that on?” Nico asked.

Percy raised an eyebrow at him as he walked by Nico. “Why? Would you like me to put it on?” He purred in Nico's ear.

Nico followed the tall young man's movements as he walked into the kitchen, his eyes solely trained on Percy's perfect ass. “You, uh, wanted to talk to me?”

Percy opened his refrigerator and bent over, causing Nico's eyes to widen further. “I did.”

“Oh, don't mind me, I'll just sit over here,” Apollo mumbled.

Percy chuckled as he pulled a bottle of water from his fridge. “Haven't had your fill yet?”

“Does it matter? Everyone knows you'll just focus on Nico,” the blond said bitterly.

Percy's eyes grew icy as he stared at Apollo from across the room. “Why don't you wait in my room for a moment, Nico. It seems I have some business that needs to be cleared up,” Percy ordered.

“But-” Nico began, but Percy cut him off.

“Now.”

Nico pursed his lips and tossed Apollo a final look before walking back to Percy's room. He frowned as he entered the room and went to shut the door, but kept it cracked. He peered out, managing to catch sight of Percy, who finally decided to wrap his towel around his waist.

“What is your problem?” Percy hissed.

“The same problem we all have. You have it as well, so I don't know why you're playing dumb,” Apollo snapped back, coming to stand close to Percy.

Percy's eyes flashed dangerously. “My dear Apollo, are you calling me dumb?”

Apollo swallowed and shook his head. “N-no.”

Percy smiled coldly at the blond and patted his cheek. “Good. I've known you such a long time, and I'd hate to have our history be tossed away like that.” He let out a sigh. “You were one of my first Lost Kids, so why are you getting miffed by the new one?”

“You're not the same,” Apollo mumbled.

Percy frowned at the slightly shorter blond. “I don't think that's true.”

“You pay him so much attention. And don't think we haven't seen you watching him. You look at him, a lot. You treat him differently. None of us had the choice he did. You refuse to have sex with him, but I'm starting to wonder if it's actually a bad thing that you won't.”

Percy's lips thinned and he crossed his arms over his bare chest. “I don't know what you're talking about,” he said firmly. “None of you have acted like this about a Lost Kid before, and I'm not sure I like it.”

“Like I said, you act different, too. Do you even know how you feel about him? You know, we originally thought you were just as conflicted as us, but, now, we're starting to wonder. I thought you didn't develop feelings for your employees.”

Percy stared at Apollo for several long seconds before raising an eyebrow. “Apollo, I've never been in love, and I don't expect to start now. I care about all of you, Gaea, and a few others. I don't do the romantic thing. I believe we've been over this, several times.”

Apollo shook his head. “Are you really going to lie to me? I thought you were an honest person,” Apollo whispered.

Percy sighed. “I'm not lying. I think you're still upset about last night.”

Apollo's eyes instantly darkened. “I am, but that's different. You hurt me, Percy. I know you had Robert come to the bar. I don't know how you managed it, but you got him there.”

Percy shrugged. “If you want honesty, fine. Yes, I did have him show up last night. I let it slip that Koko and Kasper were going to be at the Lotus, knowing he would want to speak with them. Then, I just left it up to Leo to act on his own sore spot to direct Robert to the bar.”

Apollo's eyes glistened as if he might start crying. “Did you really have to punish me like that?” He whispered.

Percy wrapped his arms around Apollo's waist and pulled him closer. “I thought I made up for it last night? Well, it's over, so you don't have to see him again for a while.”

Apollo nodded while refusing to look up at Percy. “Okay,” he whispered. His breath hitched as Percy slid his hand down the back of Apollo's towel, though he made no move to catch it as it fell from his waist. “I, uh, need to go get ready for work.”

Percy smirked and removed his hand. But before Apollo could move away, the black haired young man leaned in and licked a droplet of water from Apollo's neck. The blond shuddered and smirked up at Percy before pushing him away and walking towards Percy's bedroom.

Nico's eyes widened as he shot away from the door and sat down on the bed. A moment later, Apollo walked into the room. He glanced at Nico for a second before walking over to his discarded clothing, which lay scattered across the floor. Without any concern for Nico's presence, he bent over, giving Nico a very good view of his ass.

Nico averted his eyes when he heard Percy clear his throat. The green-eyed young man had himself propped up against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest. “Enjoying the sights today, Nico?” He chuckled.

Nico scowled at him, though the effect was lost due to his red face. Apollo chuckled at him as well as he slid himself into his jeans. He tossed his shirt onto his shoulder and walked past Nico, ruffling his black hair along the way. “Play nice,” the blond chuckled on his way out. He slid a perfectly manicured hand down Percy's bare chest before disappearing out the door.

“Enjoy the show out there?” Percy asked, stepping into the room.

Nico swallowed as Percy unfastened the towel from around his waist. He bit down on his lip as he watched Percy find some clothes in his closet. “I, uh, don't know what you're talking about,” Nico replied.

Percy smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. “I know you were listening. You're predictable, Nico. You're curious, so I knew you would want to listen in. But it didn't bother me.”

Nico's breathing picked up as Percy walked over to him. He straddled Nico's legs and grabbed the brown-eyed boy's pale hands. Nico watched with wide eyes as the tall young man before him placed Nico's hands on his ass. Percy grabbed his face and forced him to look up at him.

“But, I needed to talk to you,” Percy continued.

“W-what about?” Nico croaked out.

“So, you remember we have that expo today, right?”

Nico nodded. While he couldn't tear his eyes away from Percy's eyes, he was very much enjoying his hand placement. He was also very aware of what was right in front of his face, just along the edge of his peripheral vision.

“Well, we are a bit short staffed, so I thought some of the Lost Kids could help out. And when I mentioned it to Koko and Kasper, they asked for you to work it.”

Nico blinked up at him. “They did?” He asked curiously. “So, what do I need to do?”

Percy smirked and pushed him back on the bed. He pinned Nico's arms above his head and crawled on top of him. He spread Nico's legs apart and placed himself in between them, pressing his pelvis against Nico's clothed ass.

Percy leaned down and licked Nico's earlobe. “I need you to do what the Lost Kids do best, entertain the guests and gather information,” he whispered into Nico's ear.

“Uh, what?”

Percy rolled his eyes. “Remember, the Lost Kids also have another job when they are in those back rooms. They are there to entertain the guests, but they are also getting information from the clients. Gaea values information, as do I. And today in particular, I want to know all that I can.” Percy's eyes took on a dangerous look. “Big things are happening, Nico, and I need to know what some of those people are planning.”

Nico moaned when Percy thrust his hips into Nico's. “O-okay. Anything in particular?”

Percy smirked down at him. “Just listen. However, make sure that you keep your nose out of their business.” Percy's eyes became even more frightening as they seemed to change to a deep emerald green. “Oh, and one more thing. I want to make this very clear, Nico. Do not go poking into anything between Koko and myself when we talk together, do you understand?”

Nico shakily nodded his head. “Yes, but-”

Percy shook his head. “No buts. You either get it or I won't let you in that room.” He grabbed Nico's jaw and made sure the boy held his gaze. “Nico, I'm being dead serious. Do not listen to anything that she and I talk about. I will not protect you from the consequences if you do.”

Holding Nico's gaze, Percy climbed off the shaking boy. He grabbed a pair of boxers and slid himself into them, while Nico continued to lay there on the bed trying to process what had just happened. Percy glanced back down at him as he slid a pair of black pants on.

“Are you scared of me now, Nico?” Percy asked as he picked up his shirt.

Nico's eyes locked onto Percy's. He blinked a few times at the Adonis in front of him. Was he scared of Percy? He had seen how cold and cruel Percy could be. He had also seen how intimidating and terrifying the young man could get. “No,” Nico finally whispered, sitting up on the bed.

Percy's lips tilted down. “Really? And why is that?”

Nico pursed his lips as he glanced up at Percy's intimidating green eyes. “Be-because I don't think you would ever hurt me, not physically anyways. You can be cruel and hurtful, but like my punishment, I don't think you are always doing it to hurt us.”

A faint smirk creeped onto Percy's lips. “You're smarter than I thought, Nico.” He shrugged his shoulders before sliding himself into a dark blue button up shirt. “Well, I do like to kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.”

“But why Apollo's ex?” Nico asked. Percy tilted his head and frowned down at him. “It's something I can't figure out. What was the purpose of hurting him like that?”

Percy sighed and walked over to his closet and retrieved a black tie. “Apollo still has some unresolved feelings for Robert. And they aren't going to get resolved until he confronts his problem. So, while I was punishing him in a way similar to how he hurt you, I also did him some good.”

Nico frowned. “I doubt he's going to thank you for it,” he mumbled.

Percy chuckled and tied the tie around his neck. “I wasn't expecting him to. I don't tell them these things, and I expect you to keep it to yourself. They do know that I care about them, and have their best interest at heart.” Percy held out his hand and Nico placed his hand into Percy's palm. With a smile, Percy pulled Nico off of his bed. “Now then, I believe you need to get changed and get down to the expo.”

Nico pushed his way out of the Lotus's conference room, his empty tray pressed tightly to his chest. “Busy crowd out there, eh, Nico?” Dionysus greeted him.

Nico smiled and nodded as he walked over to the chubby bartender. He quickly listed off several drink orders, and Dionysus got busy. “So, this is an expo for arms dealers? That's what I've gathered,” Nico asked.

Dionysus grinned at him while mixing one of the drinks. Nico stared at the man for a few seconds, admiring the man's bright smile. For someone that could sometimes creep him out, the man had a nice smile. Though, it somehow reminded him of how some of the other Lost Kids would smile at him. “Smart boy. And you would be right. Well, that and Kasper will be going over his big announcement again...but that's more to rub it in their faces.”

Nico arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Ah, no, you wouldn't have seen his announcement in the Philippines. Well, you'll get a watered down version today, don't worry.”

“Isn't he an arms dealer, though?” Nico asked.

Dionysus nodded as he got to work on the final drink. “Yes, they are. But you'll see what I mean when he gets up to talk.”

Nico frowned and took his loaded tray from Dionysus. He pushed his way back out the door and entered the crowded room once again. He moved around and started handing out drinks, while doing his best to listen to the people around him.

He walked up to an Asian man dressed in military attire and an Arabic man dressed in an expensive business suit. Nico glanced down at their name tags as they took two drinks off of his tray. The Asian man had Wang written on his, while the Arabic man had Ajam on his.

“So, our neighbors are purchasing some American SAMs in response. We'll have to make due with some outdated equipment for now; cost efficiency and all that,” Mr. Wang informed the other man.

“I could have some associates of mine have that shipment of theirs go missing, for the right price,” Mr. Ajam responded.

Nico blinked at them for a brief second before averting his eyes and taking his tray of drinks away from them. Sure he had dealt with hearing this stuff up in the bar, but he felt a little more nervous knowing that he was in a room full of arms dealers and foreign dignitaries.

“And they think we are unaware that they are planning on moving their troops across our borders.” Nico stopped and eyed the man who was speaking's name tag. “We've already readied a retaliation force to be waiting for them,” a Mr. Diederich continued.

Nico bit down on his lip as he stared at the man. He finally tore his eyes away when someone took one of the last drinks from his tray. He smiled warmly at the woman before heading over to where he knew Percy was seated.

Sure enough, he found the green-eyed manager seated in a VIP lounge that only he, Koko, and her bodyguard team occupied. Percy smiled at him as he approached, and he held out his hand for a drink. Nico picked one off of his tray just as he was swarmed by Lutz, Ugo, and Valmet, who took the other three remaining drinks.

Nico handed Percy the drink and leaned in to whisper in his ear about the things he had overheard. When he pulled back, Percy's eyes were closed. He had a faint smirk on his lips as he took a sip of the alcohol. “Thank you, Nico,” he said.

Nico's eyes widened slightly as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. “Percy, he's so cute,” Koko whined in Nico's ear.

Percy smiled at Nico before waving the girl over to him. “Sit before you fall over,” he chuckled as the girl sat down beside him. “Now, I know you came here for something other than to hear your brother talk.”

Koko's lips tilted up into a crooked smile. “Percy, Percy, you know me too well,” she replied, placing her hands in her lap.

Nico pursed his lips and turned his back on them. Something about what Percy said earlier made him afraid to find out what would happen if he were caught eavesdropping. So, he walked to the rope that cutting off the lounge from the rest of the room.

“Does this have anything to do with that kidnapping you instigated,” Percy asked, though his voice had lowered.

“Perhaps,” Koko replied nonchalantly. “I also wanted to see you.”

“And it's not to recruit me?”

Nico could practically see the smile that he knew was creeping onto Koko's face. “No. I've come to accept you're more valuable to me where you're at. But you promise to keep your word with Gaea?”

Nico turned his head so he could see the two of them out of the corner of his eye. Percy gave a single nod. “I'll talk to her, don't worry. How's Dr. Miami and her part coming along?”

There was something about the way the two of them looked at each other that made Nico shudder. Their eyes were so dangerous and calculating, like if they were playing chess, they would be able to stay five moves ahead of their opponent.

“All is going well. Bookman is on to us. He stopped us at the airport,” Koko said with another crooked smile.

Percy's lips formed a thin line. “Do you want me to find him some other pressing issues to deal with?”

Koko's smile tilted until it formed a wide shaped 'V'. “No, that won't be necessary. It's too late for him to stop what we've been planning.” Koko's eyes closed and her lips thinned out. “I just worry about if Gaea will go along with this.”

Percy smiled at his friend. “I said I'll talk to her. She'll listen to me, don't worry. And I won't tell her until you get that final piece, which is why I'm assuming you're really here in America.”

Koko smiled and nodded. “Yes, I'll be dealing with that after I leave here,” she replied.

Nico looked away when Percy's eyes flickered over to him. He stared out at all of the other guests in order to make himself look preoccupied. He let out a quiet yelp when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. “What did I say about eavesdropping on us,” Percy whispered into his ear.

Normally, it would have aroused Nico, but at the moment, all he could feel was fear. “S-sorry. I didn't hear anything important, I promise. I don't even know what you two were talking about,” he stuttered.

He felt Percy smile against his cheek. “Good. Now, feel free to watch Kasper's speech,” the green-eyed manager whispered before pulling away from Nico.

Nico looked up at the ceiling as the lights dimmed. He pressed his empty tray against his chest and stared at the stage when a spotlight turned on, illuminating the podium on stage. Everyone in the room fell silent and turned towards the stage as Kasper walked out onto the stage. He was dressed similar to how he had been last night, but now wore a dark blue business suit with a grey tie.

He tapped the microphone twice before flashing his brilliant smile at the room. “Good afternoon to all of you arms dealers, mercenaries, and military officials,” he began. He chuckled lightly as the room remained silent. Nico looked around and found that Kasper was receiving several angry looks.

Not many people seemed to be amused by him. In fact, the only people he could see smiling were the other Lost Kids working the expo, Percy, Koko, Chiquita, and Koko's team. But none of that seemed to bother Kasper, whose smile never faltered.

“Now, keep in mind that I am only the spokesperson for this. If you have any questions, please refer to the pamphlets have been handed out, or call our company directly,” the platinum blond man continued. Kasper cleared his throat before setting his smile back on his face. “For any of you that missed our previous announcement, let me reiterate what we are selling. The Hekmatyar Global Grid is a civilian-run supply, resource management and, command and communications package consisting of a global naval container shipping web constructed by HCLI and one hundred twenty-five satellites supporting the Global Position System. Since ancient times, armies have been like dogs leashed to the chain of their supply lines.”

Nico felt himself swallow unintentionally. During his speech, Kasper's eyes had shifted from looking happy to a look that matched Percy and Koko's eyes. His eyes were cunning and cold, yet the smile never once fell from his lips. And now, he was getting even more angry looks than he had before. The air in the room practically radiated tension, yet it didn't seem to bother Kasper at all.

“Let's get rid of this uneconomy that results in either mountains of excess supplies or hungry soldiers,” the man continued. “The Hekmatyar Global Grid provides supplies and communications scaled to the conflict in question-just what you need, just when you need it.” Kasper's icy blue eyes now added another emotion to them. His eyes were challenging, as if daring someone to say anything about what he was saying. “With Hek-GG, any army can improve their chances of deployment abroad for cheap. Even if your country already has the capability to deploy forces overseas, Hek-GG will greatly reduce your cost.

“We wish only to serve as pioneers for this new market born from privatizing military infrastructure. Optimization. I must say that armies will never be able to compete with civilians in matters of finance,” Kasper finally finished. He stared out at the room in silence, his eyes chilling every bone in Nico's body. The room remained quiet, though. “Thank you for your time.” Kasper gave a wave to the audience before walking off the stage.

Nico just stood there, his jaw hanging open slightly. “Holy shit,” he whispered under his breath. What kind of man had the balls to actually stand up in a room full of arms dealers and tell them that they were about to become obsolete? And it hadn't even bothered Kasper that the entire room could have probably killed him. Not only that, but Chiquita was on the other side of the room from Kasper. It was as if the blond wasn't bothered by life-threatening situations in the least.

Nico glanced at Percy from the corner of his eye. If Kasper was a close friend of Percy's, what did that say about Percy himself? Percy had never shown even a glimpse of fear in the time that Nico had known him. He even housed and did business with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. And to go one step farther, whatever Koko was planning, she wanted Percy in on it. If the girl wanted Percy and Gaea to go along with her plan, what did it say about how dangerous and powerful Percy and Gaea were?

His eyes then traveled over to where the young boy on Koko's squad, Jonah, sat. He sat on Koko's other side, his normal blank expression on his face. Nico frowned down at him. He sort of felt sorry for the kid, having to be involved with an arms dealer.

He put on a smile and walked over to him. “So, Jonah, can I get you something?” He asked. He cleared his throat when Koko shot him a look. “Non-alcoholic of course.” Koko relaxed and went back to her conversation with Percy.

Jonah's eerie red eyes tore away from Nico when Kasper walked into the lounge area. “I'm fine,” the kid mumbled.

Nico nodded while glancing over at the blond man that sat down across from Percy. “Alright, well, let me know if you need anything.” He scrunched his lips as he returned his eyes to the kid. “What's a kid like you doing involved in stuff like this?”

Jonah frowned as he looked back at Nico. Kasper chuckled. “Ah, I found young Jonah here in the mountains where I was in the process of building a road. Killed all of my men, that one did,” the man answered. Nico looked back at the kid with surprise. “But he's proven to be a valuable asset to my sister's team.”

Koko frowned at her brother. “You left out the part where you locked him in a shipping container for several days,” she grumbled.

Lehm, who sat on Jonah's other side, patted the kid on his shoulder. “Don't worry about this one, he can take care of himself,” the man chuckled.

Nico looked up from the kid in front of him when Leo came into the lounge area. He cleared his throat and glanced at Percy. “A few people were waiting to talk to you and the Hekmatyar siblings,” the Latino boy announced.

Percy smiled and stood up, extending his hand to help Koko to her feet. Nico watched as Koko enveloped Jonah in her arms as they walked off, calling his name playfully in his ear. It eased him to see the young woman like that. It was as if his presence had a calming effect on the girl. Kasper stood up as well, and turned to look at Nico again. He studied Nico for a moment before flashing his smile and walking off after his sister and Percy. As he watched the group go, he wondered if he would ever see them again. They definitely brought out an interesting side of Percy.

Nico sat backstage with the twins and Octavian, though the later had yet to acknowledge his presence. The twins were busy stretching themselves for their performance, as they would be going on first. Octavian would go on after them, and Nico would after he was finished. After that, they would do group numbers and more solo routines to fill the entire night with entertainment for their guests.

“Hey, you don't look so nervous tonight,” Travis said as the two brothers stood up and slung their arms around each other's shoulders, their normal Cheshire cat grins on their faces.

“Just got my mind elsewhere,” Nico mumbled. Which was true, he did. While he probably wouldn't see either of the Hekmatyar siblings again, or not for a while anyways, they had managed to leave an impact on his life, especially Koko.

“Well, maybe you won't embarrass yourself tonight,” sneered Octavian. “But if you do, don't expect me to jump to your rescue like my brother did.”

Nico frowned at him. “Good, I wouldn't want you to have to strain yourself on my part.”

The twins grinned at them before winking at each other. “Well, you two play nice,” Connor began.

“And, Nico,” Travis added. Nico quirked an eyebrow at him. “Feel free to watch our performance.”

Nico tilted his head to the side and gave them an odd look as they turned around and walked towards the stage. He frowned as the music began with a thumping noise. What kind of song was this? It wasn't the Lost Kids' usual dance music.

His eyes widened as the lyrics to Nine Inch Nails' “Closer” began playing. “Oh dear god,” Nico whispered as he got up from the couch to go watch. What sort of dancing were the twins going to do to this song?

He watched as Travis walked around Connor and bent him over, grabbing the smaller twin's hair roughly. Travis slid his shirt off before sliding his fingers under Connor's shirt and slipping it over the shorter brunet's head. Travis spun Connor around and the younger twin jumped up to straddle his brother's waist. Travis lowered them to the ground where he spread Connor's legs as wide as they would go. Connor rolled his head back to wink and grin at the audience playfully while his fingers worked to remove his brother's pants.

When Travis had rid his brother of his own pants, the older twin smirked and began rolling his hips into his brother. Nico's mouth fell open as he watched Travis descend to claim his brother's mouth with his own. Until he had met the twins, he had never given the idea of incest, let alone twincest, any thought. But now, watching the two of them, it was extremely hot.

Travis then pulled Connor into his lap, where the smaller of the two began rolling his hips. Travis tossed his head back into a moan before smirking at the audience. He dug his nails into his brother's back as Connor leaned down and their lips met again.

And the crowd seemed to think so too, seeing how a lot of money was being placed on the stage. Travis finally dragged Connor off the ground and pushed him against the stripper pole. Connor jutted his ass out, and Travis hooked his fingers into his brother's speedo, sliding it down to reveal his relatively tan buttocks. If he ever did end up breaking that agreement Percy had made, he knew the first two people he wanted to go to now that he had seen this. Well, the first person would be Percy, so they would technically be the second.

Travis pressed himself against Connor's exposed ass and ground his brother into the pole. Connor pushed his brother away so that he could turn around. Travis moved back in and bit down on his brother's shoulder, while holstering Connor's legs up around his waist. He proceeded to fake fuck his brother up against the pole, while Connor used his feet to expose Travis's ass to the audience.

As Connor lowered himself back to the ground, he was forced to turn around by Travis. The slightly taller twin yanked Connor's butt out towards him and yanked the back of the speedo down again. He then proceeded to spank his brother several times before leaning forward and licking down Connor's spine until he reached his brother's ass. And then, to Nico's surprise, Travis spread Connor's ass and dove his tongue in for a brief second just as the song ended.

When the twins returned they smirked at Nico, who still stood in place with his jaw hanging open. “I take it you liked it?” Travis asked, trailing his finger along the bottom of Nico's chin as they walked past.

“We'd be glad to put you in the middle sometime, Nico,” Connor purred in his ear as he followed his brother to the couch.

Nico cleared his throat and turned around. “That was...interesting,” he said, his voice cracking. He thought he had gotten used to some of their antics, but somehow, that had just been really hot for him to watch. And in the back of his mind, Nico found himself actually wanting to know what it was like to watch the two of them have sex.

As Octavian made his way onto the stage, Nico began stretching, while watching the twins out of the corner of his eye. Luckily for him, they had yet to put their clothing back on. He slowly reached down to touch his toes, and ended up receiving whistles from the twins. He tossed them a glare as he tried to go back to his stretches.

He let out a yelp when Travis suddenly appeared behind him and smacked him on the ass. “You know, Nico, you have a really nice ass,” the older twin pointed out.

“Off limits,” Nico mumbled.

Both of the twins pouted at him. “Pity,” they chimed in unison.

All too soon, Octavian's performance was over. Nico stood at the edge of the stage and took a few deep breaths. He just needed to remember not to focus directly on the audience. Just tune them out and have fun, he kept telling himself.

Ciara's “Promise” began playing and Nico made his way out on stage slowly. Percy had said that a slow song would probably be better for his first try, so he had gone with it. Well, technically it was his second try, but who was counting? Nico pushed his nerves down as he slid his hands down his thighs, while simultaneously biting down on his bottom lip. He made slow and precise pops with his hips as the song went on.

He slowly got onto his hands and knees and crawled on the stage, arching his back and butt with the beat of the music. He sat down on the stage and slapped the floor before stretching his hand out to touch his left foot. He then preceded to lift that leg up and lay on his side. The girls had, thankfully, put a little stage makeup on him to lessen his blushing. And he was thankful for this because he knew his face was turning red. Even with all the training, actually doing such provocative things on stage still embarrassed him.

He got back to his feet and slowly slid the hem of his shirt up. Surprisingly, the other Lost Boys that were working the floor had actually taken a moment to watch him. More than likely, though, they were probably watching to report to Percy about how Nico did. Nico's hair had apparently decided to love him tonight, as it fell down into his face perfectly.

He finally pulled the shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. He kept swaying and popping his hips as the music played on. Adding to the look his hair gave him, he decided to pull out a few tricks the Lost Boys had given him during their lessons. He shot the audience a look of lust and seduction, while simultaneously biting on his lower lip.

The problem, that he knew would happen, finally came when he tried to get himself out of his pants. He stumbled, but managed to catch himself before actually falling on his face. And surprisingly, the Lost Boys had held their breath. They really were confusing sometimes. They wanted him to mess up, but they also apparently didn't want him to. He supposed it had to do with that whole confusing “he bothers them, but he's still family” thing.

While he was finally standing there in his red speedo, he attempted to seductively run his hands through his hair. He wasn't sure if it was sexy, but it was too late to change it now. As the song began to come to an end, he moved to the edge of the stage and laid himself down on his back. He used his elbows to prop himself up as he rolled his hips.

At this point, a few people ended up coming towards the stage to give him some money. He continued to roll his stomach and hips as several patrons slid some dollar bills into the waistband of his speedo. Nico couldn't bring himself to look any of them in the eye, though. It was taking all of his concentration just to keep from shuddering and running off the stage as he felt them touch his skin. He felt a little sick with himself at the moment, and he was beginning to regret his decision to go down this path.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the song faded and the audience gave him a round of applause. He threw them a fake smile and waved at them before walking off the stage with his clothes. Once backstage, he hunched over and started breathing heavily.

“Are you alright there, dude?” Connor asked.

“How do you guys stand those people touching you?” Nico said breathlessly.

Travis shrugged. “You get used to it,” he answered.

“More like you learn to put it in the back of your mind,” Octavian corrected him. He eyed Nico with a frown. “We've all been there. You have to learn to ignore them.”

Connor nodded. “It gets easier with time, Neeks. Don't sweat it, though,” the younger twin assured him.

Nico let out a long breath and nodded. Maybe they were right. He hoped they were anyways. Part of him didn't want to go back out of there, but part of him didn't want to disappoint Percy. He also had the desire to be part of the Lost Kids, be a part of their family. And all of that meant he had to do this.

“I call cheats on that game,” Nico grumbled as he and several other Lost Kids exited the laser tag arena in the hotel. “The twins ganged up on me.”

Travis and Connor smirked at him. They closed their eyes and crossed their arms over their chests while wagging a finger at him. “Now, Nico,” they both began, “there's no need to be a sore loser.”

Nico scowled at them. It also managed to weird him out, once again, with how they could speak simultaneously like that. Luke chuckled and walked past Nico, ruffling Nico's hair on the way. “Don't be mad because my team beat you, kid,” he teased.

“You covered your sensor plates!” Thalia snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at the blond.

Luke crossed his eyes to stare at the finger in front of his face before smirking. “Tell it to your captain.”

“She did,” Apollo grumbled.

Luke shrugged. “All's fair in love and war,” he sighed. Apollo rolled his eyes.

Beckendorf smirked and clamped a hand down on Luke's shoulder. “We just strategized better,” the muscular young man chuckled.

Thalia chuckled as she saw Juniper sit down and hang up her equipment. “Not to mention we were handicapped. You didn't have to play, Juniper,” she said teasingly.

Juniper smiled at the raven haired girl. “Sorry, I'm just not much for shooting things,” she apologized.

Apollo waved her off. “No worries,” he reassured her.

Luke slung his arm around Apollo's neck. “Yeah, besides, this means he lost our bet,” the blond practically growled into Apollo's ear.

“Fine, whatever, I'll come to your room later tonight,” the slightly taller blond mumbled.

Luke smirked and leaned in closer. “Don't get butt-hurt, Apollo. Well, not yet anyways.”

Apollo rolled his eyes and smacked Luke's arm off of his shoulder. Nico arched an eyebrow as he watched the two blonds. He wasn't really that surprised that bets among the Lost Kids involved sex at this point. Saturday night had ended up going by sort of smoothly for Nico. Most of his routines had involved group numbers, though they weren't as physical or graphic as the twins' opening number.

And the next day, Nico had woken up to find all seven of these Lost Kids banging on his door. Since they all had the afternoon off, they had decided to head to the game area, which had an entire floor to itself. Even though they had lost, Nico had had a really good time. It had helped take his mind off things. He supposed that was why they did things like this sometimes; anything to help cope with what they had to do.

“I guess we should get something before work,” Thalia suggested. The others nodded their agreement, and they headed towards the elevators. They rode up in mild silence, the twins occasionally saying something childish.

Once they got to their floor, they all ended up going to their rooms to change clothes. Nico was in the process of slipping on some black pants, when there was a knock at his door. He opened the door to find a shirtless Luke standing in the hallway. Nico's eyes unconsciously slid down Luke's bare chest. This was the first time that he had actually gotten to admire it up close, and it was definitely not disappointing.

He wasn't as buff as Butch or Beckendorf, but he had slightly more muscle on him Apollo did. Where Apollo had the body of a surfer, Luke looked more like a baseball player or a football quarterback. He was slim, yet muscular. He also had a very nice skin tone. He wasn't as tan as Will or Apollo, but he definitely wasn't pale like Nico.

“If you don't stop ogling my chest, I'm going to fuck you right there on your floor, kid,” Luke said as he slid his shirt over his head.

“Uh, sorry,” Nico apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

Luke shrugged with a smirk. “I'd stare at me too, don't worry.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “What did you want?”

Luke cracked his neck, which made Nico wince. “How do you feel about going out and getting food? We thought we'd enjoy some of the pre-Halloween environment, since we won't be able to have any of it on Wednesday.”

Nico shrugged. “Sure. It doesn't bother me any,” he replied casually.

Luke nodded his head. Nico's eyes traveled over to the scar that sat on the right side of his face. Luke was still a mystery to him, but he also knew there were certain Lost Kids that would take him longer to crack, and Luke was high on that list. The blond frowned at him when he noticed Nico staring. His bright blue eyes turned a few shades darker as he turned around, hiding his scar from Nico's eyes.

“We'll be waiting by the elevators then,” the blond mumbled before exiting Nico's suite.

Nico scrunched his lips and walked back to his bedroom. He needed to get to know Luke better. There were several Lost Kids that he wanted to get to know better, but there was something about Luke that was intriguing to him. He definitely wanted to know how Luke had gotten his scar. He stopped in the middle of his doorway, a frowning forming on his lips.

When Nico had first gotten to the Lotus, Apollo had told him who the original Lost Kids were, and he didn't recall the blond mention Octavian's name on that list. So, was there something missing there, or was it just a mistake on Apollo's part? It was definitely being added to the list of things he wanted to know about Luke.

He blinked when his phone began ringing. He walked over to his bed and plucked the device off of it. He arched an eyebrow at the name on the screen before raising it to his ear. “Hello?” He asked.

“Hey, Nico,” greeted Percy.

Nico smiled and slid his shirt over his head. “Hey, Percy. What is it?”

“Koko is about to take off, but she said she had something she wanted to tell you.”

“And you can't take the message for her?” Nico asked with a chuckle.

“Well, she said she wanted to give it to you directly.”

Nico let out a sigh. “Alright, but I was about to go eat with the others.”

“Oh, that's alright. You can eat with me instead,” Percy said.

Nico instantly brightened. “Alright! I'll be right down then.”

While he couldn't see Percy, he knew the green-eyed young man was smirking. Without saying anything else, Percy hung up the phone. Nico smiled as he grabbed his wallet and keys. He headed out the door to his suite, where he instantly came to a stop.

All of the Lost Kids that he was supposed to go eat with were standing out in the hall with Leo. Well, Apollo technically had the Latino boy cornered by the elevators and was glaring down at him. “I can't believe you did that, asshole,” Apollo growled.

“Like what you did was any better,” Leo huffed back, glaring back at the blond defiantly.

Apollo rolled his eyes with a sneer. “Are you seriously still upset about that? Get over it. Look where we live. Now I know the real reason Percy didn't put you to work with the rest of us, you couldn't have handled it.”

Thalia placed a hand on Apollo's shoulder. “Alright, boys, I think that's enough right now,” she tried soothing them.

Apollo wasn't having any of it, though. “You went too far, Leo. You sent my ex down to the bar, knowing full well I was there. You know how I feel about him!”

Nico walked up to Luke, who had his arms crossed over his chest. “Hey, twerp,” Luke mumbled.

“What's going on?” Nico asked, eyeing the two fighting Lost Boys.

Luke shrugged. “Just some drama.” He glanced over at Nico. “Don't tell Percy.”

Nico nodded. He meant that, too. He didn't want to risk bringing down the wrath of the Lost Kids on himself right now. “I, uh, won't be going to eat with you guys. Koko apparently wants to talk to me before she leaves, and Percy asked me to eat with him.”

Luke glanced at Nico with a frown for a few more seconds before looking back at the arguing Lost Boys. He shrugged. “Fine by me,” he mumbled. “See you at work.”

Nico nodded and inched his way past Apollo and Leo. The twins were in the process of pulling Apollo away from the Latino boy. Apollo narrowed his eyes before letting Leo go to his room. Nico frowned to himself as the elevator doors slid closed. Why did it seem like there was always something new to learn around this hotel?

When the elevator arrived in the lobby, Koko and her squad were waiting there. He didn't see Kasper or Chiquita anywhere, so he assumed they were either already gone. Koko stood behind Jonah, with her arms draping over the front of the boy. This action didn't seem to please Valmet, who had a large frown on her face as she watched her boss and the boy.

“There you are,” Percy said as Nico approached them.

“Ah, one second, Nico, I need to talk to your boss for just a second,” Koko stated. She smirked and gently shoved Jonah away. Percy waved his hand at Nico, signaling they wanted some privacy. The others all put some distance between the two young adults, so Nico decided to follow their leads. He sat down next to Jonah in a chair.

Percy and Koko conversed in hushed voices, though their topic of discussion didn't seem to be anything pleasant. Their eyes, once again, adopted an icy cold look. Percy nodded his head at something Koko said. He fished a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Koko. While he couldn't make out everything that was being said, he did manage to decipher the words “Cuba” and “Bookman” from Percy's lips.

Koko smirked at him before patting Percy on the shoulder. Her head tilted slightly to the side as she began speaking to Percy. Nico glanced over at Jonah. “So, Jonah, how do you like traveling with Koko?” He decided to ask.

Jonah didn't look at him, he just kept watching Koko and Percy. “Traveling with Koko is never dull,” the kid replied.

Nico nodded. “I know that feeling. She seems to like having you around, though.”

Jonah's lips tilted down. “Koko is confusing, and I feel I don't understand her sometimes. It's like she's so far away, and I'll never be able to touch her.”

Nico glanced back up just as Koko leaned up to kiss Percy on the cheek. Percy smirked back at her before turning and waving Nico over. “Believe me, I know how you feel,” he said as he stood up and walked over to the two young adults.

Koko narrowed her eyes at Percy, who held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I'll let you talk to him in private,” Percy chuckled. He ruffled Nico's hair before walking over to talk to Lehm and Valmet.

Koko watched Percy walk off for a moment before turning her intimidatingly blank gaze on Nico. He swallowed hard as he stared up at her. Like the other times he had seen her, she had dressed herself in all white today. “You, uh, wanted to talk to me?” Nico asked nervously.

“I did,” she replied, her gaze unwavering as it studied Nico's face.

Nico's heart began pounding in his chest as he fought the urge to squirm. How could people like her and Percy make him so nervous and manage to intimidate him with just a single look? He supposed it came with their personalities, and was needed for their positions.

“I wanted you to watch out for Percy for me,” she continued.

Nico raised an eyebrow. “I think he can take care of himself,” he chuckled, but she didn't seem amused by his joke. He quickly pursed his lips.

“Don't push him too much.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand where she was going with all of this. “Um, okay?”

She finally smiled and pulled Nico into a hug. “I also wanted to wish you luck for when you meet Gaea,” she whispered darkly into his ear. She pulled back, flashing him a dangerous look. “Believe me, you're going to need it when she sees what I've seen.”

Nico was left standing in the middle of the lobby, completely dumfounded by what had just happened. Percy came up beside him and waved at Koko as she disappeared out of the hotel. “I take it she had something interesting to tell you?” He asked, placing an arm around Nico's waist.

Nico gulped and nodded. He began chewing on his lip nervously. Suddenly, he didn't feel so eager to meet the infamous Gaea anymore. “She, uh, just wanted to tell me how much she enjoyed meeting me,” Nico lied with a smile.

Percy eyed him with a small frown. Nico shifted under Percy's gaze. He suddenly felt stupid for lying to Percy. The green-eyed young man seemed to know everything that went on within his hotel. He knew how to read people, so he probably could easily tell that Nico was lying to him.

But Percy shrugged and pushed Nico towards the hotel's restaurant. “I'm going to miss her,” Percy finally said.

“You two seemed close.”

Percy nodded. “She's one of the few people I call a friend.”

Nico frowned at Percy as they sat down at a table. “What about the Lost Kids? Your employees? Gaea?”

Percy chuckled at him. “They are more like family,” he answered. He smirked across the table at Nico.

Nico scrunched his lips up. He wasn't sure he wanted to be thought of as family by Percy. They fell quiet after that. The waiter came by and took their order, and they made small talk while their food was being prepared. They were in the middle of eating, when Percy decided to say something that made Nico freeze.

“So, the others tell me you made a new friend,” Percy began. Nico frowned at him as he took another bite of his pasta. “Be careful what you get into.”

Nico froze and dropped his fork. His eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you say that?” Nico asked a little harshly.

Percy's eyes were blank of emotion as they stared at Nico. He silently tapped his finger on the table before replying. “I just think you should watch your step.”

Nico glared at Percy. “He's my only friend outside of this hotel. He's also a nice guy. I don't want to stop talking to him, and it's really none of your business.”

Percy's eyebrows rose as he sat back in his seat. He chuckled before falling silent. Nico continued to glare at him until he found that Percy wasn't going to look at him anymore. Who was he to say such things to Nico? He had no right. It wasn't like Nico was his boyfriend. Was this because of jealousy? It would be strange if it were. Percy never seemed to have an issue when the Lost Kids made passes at him. So, why Daedalus?

They continued the rest of their meal in silence, Percy finishing his before Nico. Although he was finished, he didn't leave. He just sat there and stared at Nico from time to time, which made Nico slightly uncomfortable. When Nico was finally finished, without saying a word, Percy rose from his seat and walked towards the exit. Nico frowned and followed after his boss.

Percy didn't stop or look at him, only kept walking. They boarded the elevator in silence and Percy slid his card into the slot before hitting the button to the seventieth floor. The air was awkward, now that they were in such close quarters and still not talking.

When the elevator finally stopped, Percy placed a hand on Nico's chest to prevent him from leaving. “I meant what I said, Nico,” he said, fixing Nico with a stare.

Before Nico could respond, Percy removed his hand and walked out of the elevator. Nico frowned and followed after him, but Percy went down the girls' hall, preventing Nico from continuing the conversation. Nico frowned as he stood in the middle of the hall, watching as Percy disappeared up the stairs.

He finally rubbed his forehead and turned around. He hurried up his set of stairs and went to the backroom. Dionysus was there, relaxing in his chair. Luke, Hazel, Drew, Will, and Thalia were also there, doing their best to ignore the chubby bartender. Dionysus flashed him a dazzling smile upon noticing Nico's presence, once again sticking out as odd to the boy.

“Ah, there you are, Nico. I had missed having you around,” Dionysus greeted him.

Nico threw on a smile and nodded. Luke tossed the chubby man a glare before turning to Nico. “Yeah, well, I don't want to baby you like Apollo did. So, just keep in mind everything we've told you,” he said, giving Dionysus another glance.

It seemed a little odd to Nico. This part of a job wasn't hard for him. He was used to it by now. It was getting on the stage that still made his skin crawl. Will smirked and stood up. He walked behind Nico and slid his arms around the black haired boy's waist. “Don't mind him, Nico. He's just being overprotective,” Will chuckled.

“I am not,” Luke growled.

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Oh please, dude, you're like one of those dogs that tries to bark like it's all big and bad, but is just a big softie,” the short girl teased him. Luke tossed her a glare. Thalia held her hands up defensively. “Well, when you want to be.” Luke continued to glare at her. “I was just joking.”

Luke rolled his eyes and sat back against the couch, crossing his arms over his chest. Will chuckled in Nico's ear. “He is a softie, but it's usually towards his brother,” the blond whispered.

Nico turned his head to find Will studying him. “What?” Nico asked, wiping at his face.

Will shook his head. “Nothing. It's nothing.” He flashed Nico a bright smile. Will squeezed Nico before removing his arms from around the shorter boy's waist.

Drew grunted and stood up before walking out the door. Hazel frowned at the girl's back as she left. “Well, I guess we should get to work,” she mumbled.

They all separated out their respective doors, leaving Nico standing in the room with Dionysus. Yet again, he found himself puzzled by something else concerning Luke. “Penny for your thoughts?” Dionysus asked, waving a drink in front of his face.

Nico blinked at it before taking a step back and shaking his head. “No thanks, I don't drink,” he replied.

“You poor child,” Dionysus chuckled.

“It's just that everything seems to be getting more confusing around here.”

“Ah yes, this place does have that effect on new people. It's all better when you get to the bottom of the rabbit hole.” He patted his pockets, frowning to himself. “Of course, I'm sure there are some ways to smooth out the process for you.” He let out a sigh. “Damn, I'll have to order more.”

Nico frowned, while eyeing Dionysus suspiciously. “I, uh, think I need to get to work,” he mumbled as he slipped himself out of his clothes.

The bartender smiled at him again before he turned around and walked over to start getting drink orders ready. Nico walked out the door, shaking his head lightly. Things were starting to feel a little overwhelming for him, and he didn't know what to do about it.

As the first performance began, Nico had to stop and stare up at the stage in confusion. It was slow, and if his memory served him correct, it was Secret Garden's “Nocturne”, which didn't really make sense for a stripping song. As the lights came on the stage, he found Apollo on the floor.

The blond was dressed in a pair of light blue Arabian baggy pants. The only other thing covering his body was a gauzy matching transparent scarf wrapped around his body. He started by rolling across the stage, while throwing his legs up in the air. When he sat back up, he swayed his body slowly back and forth to the soothing music.

A layer of the scarf was removed from his left shoulder, exposing his tan shoulder to the audience. Apollo slowly climbed to his feet, where he slowly slid the rest of the scarf from his body. Nico found that his eyes had a hard time looking away as Apollo revealed every inch of his perfect torso. It was also like no one else was around, just Nico and Apollo. Perhaps that was how the blond meant for it to come across; a more intimate performance.

Apollo moved across the stage, letting the scarf drag on the ground behind him. His left leg shot into the air, as the blond pulled off an aerial kick. After that, the blond slowly leaned back, placing his hands gracefully on the stage. Nico's eyes slowly widened as the blond's feet came off the ground as Apollo pulled off a perfect handstand. He marveled at the blond's back muscles as the blond gracefully balanced himself on his hands.

Apollo's feet finally moved down, though he chose not to go the same route as he got in that position. He slid onto his knees and twisted his arm and wrist above his head. He then moved both of his hands down to cup his crotch before rolling over onto his stomach. He bent his knees so that his feet nearly came up to touch his head before continuing his roll, ending up in a crouched position.

The blond slowly rose back into a standing position, while slowly lowering his baggy pants. Nico felt himself bite down on his lower lip when he realized that all Apollo was wearing underneath those pants was a semi-transparent black man thong, that did very little to hide his crotch.

Nico cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the stage as the blond began to wrap up his performance. That had definitely been interesting to watch, he thought. He walked over to a table, where a red headed woman sat, practically drooling at the practically naked Apollo. “Good evening, beautiful,” he greeted the woman. “What can I get for you?”

“How about him?” The woman chuckled, pointing a well-manicured finger at Apollo.

Nico forced a smile onto his face as he felt his stomach clench a little. Sure he knew what the others' job was, but after experienced being touched last night, he couldn't help but feel a little sick about it all. These people were paying money to have sex with the Lost Kids, who probably found some of their customers to be disgusting.

“I'm sure that can be arranged,” he said sweetly.

She finally looked at Nico as Apollo walked off the stage. “Well, why don't we just get me a margarita, sweetie?”

Nico nodded and slipped his pen and pad into his speedo. He walked back to the backroom, where he found Percy seated in Dionysus's usual chair. He cocked his head to the side and gave Nico a sly smirk as the brown eyed boy entered the room.

“What are you doing back here?” Nico asked Percy before turning to Dionysus. “I need a margarita.”

“Coming right up,” Dionysus replied. He then nodded his head over to Percy. “I asked him to run and get something from my room, so he was just brining me what I needed.” Percy smiled up at Nico, making the boy frown.

“Are you not talking to me now?”

“Oh, you want me to talk to you?” Percy said innocently. He raised his hands in a shrug. “It seemed like you didn't want to talk to me back at dinner.”

Nico scowled at the young man. He was so frustrating sometimes. Percy whistled and Dionysus turned around just in time for Percy to toss him a small clear bag. Dionysus smiled and raised the object up to his forehead, making the motion of tipping a hat. Dionysus finished the drink he was working on and handed it to Percy, who proceeded to take a long drink from it as he watched Nico.

“Don't you have something better to do than stare at me?” Nico mumbled.

“I thought you liked it when I stared at you?” Percy replied with a smirk. He then shrugged. “Well, if you prefer, I won't stare at you at all.” As if to prove his point, he planted his cheek on his palm and glanced off to the side.

Nico pursed his lips, already disliking how his words were being used against him. “That's not what I meant, and you know it.”

Percy's smirk returned as he turned his eyes back on Nico. “I know. I was just poking fun at you.” He rose from the chair and made to brush past Nico, but ended up circling around behind the boy. He leaned in and whispered in Nico's ear, “And it's a little hard not to stare at your ass anyways.”

Nico rolled his eyes. He heard Percy chuckle behind him before pulling away and walking out the boys' door. He frowned to himself as he realized he wouldn't be able to get to Percy's table now before the others, since he had to wait on Dionysus to finish his drink order.

“So, little Nico, we haven't really gotten to speak since last weekend,” Dionysus said, breaking the silence.

Nico blinked for a few seconds before focusing his attention on the man. “Oh, yeah, I guess not. I don't really like thinking about last weekend,” he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess you were wrong about how the Lost Kids would handle things.”

Dionysus arched one of his eyebrows as he made the margarita. “Oh, I wouldn't say that.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “But you said-”

“I said that I was certain they would handle the situation on their own, and they did.” He reached over and poked Nico's forehead as he emphasized every word of his next statement. “It's important to pay attention to detail around here, Nico.”

Nico frowned as he stared up at the man's finger, which was still pressing against his forehead. “Well, you could have been more specific,” he mumbled.

Dionysus wagged a finger in front of Nico's face. “Ah, but then you wouldn't have learned anything.” He smiled brightly at Nico. “I was just helping you along the path to finding out what the problem was.” His eyes flashed with something unreadable for a brief second. “And now you can fix the problem, just like you said.”

Nico scrunched his lips up and his eyebrows furrowed. “I don't know how to fix it.”

Dionysus's grin grew until it started to creep Nico out. “Sure you do. The answer is right in front of you,” he said, handing Nico the drink.

Nico frowned, but took the drink from the bartender. He would need to pay attention to the way the man spoke, since he apparently spoke in riddles. Why couldn't there just be simple and obvious answers to his problems lying around. In one weekend, he sort of felt like his list of questions had managed to double. It was a little frustrating, if he were being honest.

 All in all, it was starting to give Nico a headache. This place was obviously not meant to be simple, and he knew that every question that he was raising in his mind would not have a simple answer to it. He knew right then and there that Luke had been right about Nico falling deeper into the hole that was the Lotus Hotel, and, honestly, Nico wasn't sure if he was going to like what was waiting for him at the bottom.