Children of Loss 21

Chapter 21

Nico slowly made his way towards the cafeteria, where he was supposed to meet Daedalus. He smirked when he received a glare from Cal. He needed to remember to thank Luke for alleviating his bullying problem. Ever since the blond had broken the brute's nose, his life at school had become much easier. And, currently, it was his own haven from the chaotic environment that was the Lotus Hotel.

Something just felt...off at the Lotus. Percy had barely shown himself for the past two days, and the one or two occasions that Nico had gotten to see the young man, he always seemed to be busy. Leo and Apollo were still bickering, which Nico was doing his best to stay out of. Leo and Rachel also seemed to be busy, but they would never tell Nico what they were doing. And it was getting to the point where any time that Luke even glanced in Nico's direction, Octavian got upset.

As he neared the cafeteria, he came to a stop. There was a tall blond talking to Daedalus that Nico had never seen before. His features were striking, and he looked like he could have a future as a model. It was like he had been sculpted to near perfection, and in that regard, he reminded Nico of Percy and Apollo. He had electric blue eyes that would make any girl or gay guy melt. He had tidy short blond hair, which spiked out at the tips of his bangs. There was a small scar on his lip, which seemed to only add to his allure. He was decently tanned, and looked relatively muscular, though his arms were hidden behind the sleeves of his blue jacket. Nico would estimate that he stood about six foot one, but he couldn't be sure.

The blond was laughing at something Daedalus was saying. He held out a fist and Daedalus bumped his fist against the blond's. It was the blond that noticed Nico's approach first. He elbowed the brunet in front of him and nodded over to Nico. “There's the kid you've been hanging out with,” he said.

Daedalus smiled and waved Nico over. “There you are, Nico,” the brunet greeted him.

The blond frowned at Nico as he finished approaching them. His eyes ran over Nico's body a single time before raising them back up to meet Nico's. He threw a smirk back on and held out his hand. “Hi. I don't believe we've met before. I'm Jason Grace.”

Nico smiled and took the blond's hand. He shifted slightly as Jason's piercing blue eyes stared into his. “I'm Nico,” he finally managed to get out.

“Jason's the captain of the football team,” Daedalus informed Nico.

Nico nodded, fighting the urge to groan. What was it with him and apparently attracting attention from the popular kids? But it figured that the blond was a jock, considering his physical appearance. Jason smirked as Nico let go of his hand.

Two girls walked by, giggling and waving at Jason. The blond grinned, winked, and waved at them. Nico's lips tilted down into a minute frown. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something about the blond felt off to Nico. It wasn't a bad thing, more like a familiar one. It had been something in the way the blond had smiled at those girls.

Nico quickly shook his head and turned to Daedalus. “Well, I'm starving,” he announced.

Daedalus chuckled and gestured towards the cafeteria door. “I was just thinking the same,” the smart jock replied. He raised an eyebrow at Jason. “Care to join us?”

Jason glanced back over to Nico, studying the shorter boy for a moment. He slowly nodded his head and looked back at Daedalus. “Yeah, count me in,” he said with a grin.

The entire time they were getting their lunches, Nico kept catching Jason staring at him. Well, he wasn't exactly innocent of stealing looks at Jason, either. There was just something off about the blond, and Nico wanted to figure out what it was. As they made their way to their table, Nico's eyes drifted down to Jason's ass and hips. While the blond did have a very nice ass, that wasn't the reason he was staring at it. Something about the way the blond walked also stuck out to Nico. But he still couldn't quite place his finger on what it was that bothered Nico about this jock.

“So, why didn't you dress up?” Nico asked Daedalus, finally taking note of his casual appearance.

Daedalus shrugged. “I'm just not big on the holiday. Besides, I could ask you the same question. And I'd also like to point out that Jason isn't dressed up either,” the brunet replied.

Jason chuckled as he scarfed down a few fries. “I got work tonight, man,” he said

Nico nodded. “Same here,” the raven haired boy added.

“Well, I was going to ask both of you if you wanted to go to a haunted house with me, but I guess it's pointless,” Daedalus mumbled.

“The old ball and chain dragging you?” Jason inquired.

Daedalus nodded. “Yep. Apparently, her school is putting one on, and I thought I'd drag both of you along with me.” Daedalus sighed and shrugged. “She's into the holiday, I guess. Her father is a big horror movie buff, and I guess it rubbed off on her.”

Nico grinned. “My house was always the same way,” he chuckled. “Dad loved Halloween and the Day of the Dead.”

Daedalus arched an eyebrow at him. “I think that's the first time you've said anything about your family.”

Nico bit his tongue, fighting the urge to wince. He needed to be more careful with what he said. “Nothing to say, really,” Nico mumbled with a shrug.

A group of kids exited the lunch line, and from the looks of them, Nico had a sinking suspicion as to where they were headed. There were five of them in total, two guys and three girls. Nico recognized two of the girls. They were cheerleaders that were in his English class.

Daedalus eyed them carefully as they sat down at their table, while Jason grinned and bumped fists with the black haired boy, who reminded Nico of Superman because of his hair style. The two cheerleaders gave Nico a look of disdain as they sat down next to him.

“Daedalus, I feel like you don't want to sit with us anymore,” the brunette cheerleader sighed.

She did nothing but remind Nico of the preppy stereotype that was set forth for high school kids. She was a pretty girl of African descent, with curly brown hair that reminded Nico of snakes. She was just a little taller than Nico, which made him a little depressed. He had always been a little on the short side, something his sister had always teased him about. She had sharp brown eyes that would probably frighten little children.

Daedalus shrugged. “Sorry, Kelli, but you knew where I was,” he replied with a smile.

Kelli huffed and sneered over at Nico. “Yes, don't remind me.”

Daedalus frowned. He frowned and turned his attention over to Nico. “I suppose introductions are in order. Just ignore Kelli, she can be a little offensive.” Kelli scoffed at this. “Anyways, this is Dylan, Tammi, Austin, and Katie.”

The Superman look-alike, or Dylan, as Daedalus called him, arched an eyebrow at Nico. He finally ended up smiling, which nearly blinded Nico. He was also good-looking, with his perfectly styled black hair and perfect teeth. He probably had some wealthy parents, and would end up becoming nothing but a tool as he got older. He wore the school football team's jersey, and even had an expensive looking watch hanging on his wrist. His eyes were electric blue like Jason's, except his carried none of the warmth that Jason's did.

Tammi only reminded Nico of her cheerleading best friend next to her. She was pretty, but wore a lot of makeup. She had long blond hair that hung down just past her shoulders. Her icy blue eyes looked like they could freeze anyone with a single glance.

Austin didn't look as stuck up as Tammi, Dylan, or Kelli, though he did still give off the jock vibe. He was tall, so Nico was going to guess that he was on the basketball team with Daedalus. He had dirty blond hair and bright green eyes. There was a small mole on his left cheekbone. He also smelt of the scent of cigarettes, which made Nico wrinkle his nose.

Finally, there was Katie, who gave off a feel similar to Austin. She didn't radiate a malicious vibe, like the two cheerleaders were doing, but she was still very pretty. She had wheat colored hair and warm brown eyes. She was probably the shortest out of everyone at the table. Unlike all of the others that had joined them at the table, she was the only one that gave Nico a real smile.

“He's adorable,” Katie decided as she looked Nico over.

Dylan sighed and took a large bite of his burger. “Still working on the pet project, I see?” He said around a mouthful of food.

Daedalus rolled his eyes at the dark haired jock. “I told you, he's not my project,” the brunet mumbled.

“Careful, you don't want to let him drag you down,” Tammi sneered.

Daedalus sighed again and leaned over to whisper to Nico. “This is why I've never brought you to my table of friends.”

Nico smiled. “And here I thought you were ashamed of me,” he joked.

Daedalus smirked back at him. “No, more like the other way around.”

The rest of the school day dragged by slowly for Nico. He just wished that Halloween had fallen on the weekend, instead of the middle of the week. He knew he was going to be up later than usual tonight, and it only made him miserable thinking about it. When he got out to the parking lot after school let out, he found Will waiting for him.

The blond grinned at him as he slid into the car. “Happy Halloween, Nico,” Will greeted him. Nico just groaned and slumped into his seat. Will chuckled and pulled out of the parking lot. “What's got your pretty little head so distraught?”

“School. It does not mix well with my job,” Nico mumbled.

Will nodded. “That's true. I just graduated from high school, myself, back in May.” He patted Nico's thigh. “Unfortunately for you, you still have another year after this one. Not counting college.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond. Will grinned back at him before turning his eyes to the road. Nico rolled his eyes, but kept staring at the blond. Will was one of the few Lost Kids that seemed a little different to Nico. Hazel and Juniper were also on that list. He couldn't quite place it, though. There was just something different about them. Will seemed to carry an air of innocence about him, even though he acted just like the others. He had still stabbed Nico in the back, though.

And Nico had to admit that the blond was attractive. All of the Lost Kids were. And while he had originally thought of the boy as a younger double of Apollo, Nico was beginning to see the distinctions in their appearances. The most obvious was the hair, which Nico had noticed upon first meeting the blond. Will had straight hair, which hung just above his eyes, and in the light, had more of a glow to it than Apollo's. And since meeting the blond, he also noticed that Will had lighter blue eyes than Apollo.

Will also had just a hint of more muscle than Apollo. And if Nico had seen him running around a high school, he would definitely fit the bill of the popular pretty boy jock. Nico's gaze had unintentionally drifted down to Will's lips. They were soft and pink, and nearly screamed to be kissed.

Nico cleared his throat and looked away. He really didn't need to be thinking like that about someone who had betrayed him. Nico cleared his throat a second time and looked back at the blond. “You know, I'm closer to you than some of the other Lost Kids, yet I don't feel like I know you that well. What brought you to the Lotus?” He finally broke the silence.

Will frowned as he stared at the road ahead of him. His entire demeanor seemed to shift in the blink of an eye. His shoulders had slumped, his lips pursed, and his eyes carried a sense of pain in them. He quickly shook his head. “I, uh, really would rather just not talk about it,” Will whispered. He rubbed his arm and glanced at Nico. “Do you mind if we talk about something else?”

Nico frowned at the blond as he stared at him with concern. He guessed he could add Will to the list of Lost Kids that didn't want to talk about their pasts. What could have happened to them that they don't want to even think about the events that had gotten them to the Lotus?

“Sure,” Nico quickly said. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up.”

Will shook his head. “No, you're fine. It's just not something I want to really think about anymore.” He sighed and ran a hand into his blond hair. “So, uh, are you excited about tonight?”

Nico forced a smile onto his face and shrugged. “I guess. I'm working the stage tonight. What about you?”

“Bar.” Will turned to pout at Nico. “It's such a shame that I won't get to see you in that costume of yours.” He grinned as he ran a hand up Nico's leg.

Nico narrowed his eyes at Will and removed the blond's hand. “Yes, well, you saw it when I picked it out,” he mumbled.

Will chuckled as he pulled into the garage. “That's true,” the blond replied, parking the car. He turned the car off and leaned across the arm rest, bringing his face very close to Nico's. Nico stared at him in surprise for a second before moving his head back. “But I would much rather enjoy taking it off of you.”

Nico glared at him as they both got out. “Not a chance.”

Will frowned as they walked to the elevator. He slipped his arm around Nico's shoulder. “That's such a shame.” He leaned in close so that he could whisper in Nico's ear. “I'd give you plenty of reasons to scream on this Halloween.”

Nico shuddered as Will hit the button to their floor. “I'm sure,” he mumbled.

Will smirked and squeezed his shoulder. “Oh, that reminds me, Apollo and Octavian set you up for an appointment with Circe.”

Nico arched a brow. “What for?” He asked.

“Just to make you look better for tonight.” The elevator came to a stop and they both stepped out of the metal box. “We've all got to go down at some point today, so it's not like you're the only one.” He let out a chuckle as Nico came to his door. “Poor Hazel and Juniper have been in there practically all day.”

Nico nodded and slid his card into the door before opening it. “Does she know what I'm dressing as?”

Will nodded. “Apollo showed her a picture.”

Nico nodded again. “What are you going as?”

Will grinned at him and opened his own door. “That's a secret, Nico,” he chuckled. “Oh, and Percy usually picks the costume he likes the best.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “Is there a prize?”

Will's grin only grew. “Only a night you'll never forget.” He chuckled again as he stepped into his suite.

Nico sighed and walked into his own suite. He chunked his backpack onto the couch before walking back to his room. If he was going to be stuck in the spa for a few hours, he at least wanted to be comfortable. He walked to his closet and stripped himself of his pants. He picked out a pair of red track shorts to go with his black shirt. He quickly slipped the shorts on and made his way back to the front door.

When he emerged from his room, he found Travis and Connor heading towards their room. Connor had his arms crossed over his chest, while Travis rolled his eyes at something his brother must have just said. “I'm just saying that I think Leo is overreacting a little,” Travis grumbled.

“Why?” Connor snapped back, turning around to glare at his brother. “It's stupid to be upset at what happened?”

Travis gave his brother an incredulous look. “Um, yes? Have you forgotten where we work? Those types of emotions and feelings don't exactly go well with our environment. I mean, this isn't really the place for love.”

Connor's eyes flashed dangerously at his brother. His jaw tightened and his nostrils flared. “Is that so? Oh, well, that's good to know then.”

Travis's eyes opened wide and he followed after his twin as Connor spun around to walk to their room. Travis fumbled with his mouth for a few seconds before finding the right words. “I-I didn't mean it like that. Just that he just knew what he was getting into.”

Connor huffed as he came to a stop in front of their door. He turned an icy glare onto his brother. “And what about Beckendorf and Silena? They seem to work just fine. So, since they love each other, they should just break up? You know, since those types of feelings don't belong here.”

Travis bit down on his lip as he watched his brother slam his key into the door. “I didn't mean it like that, Connor.”

Connor turned around in the doorway and growled at his older twin, “Sleep in your own bed tonight.”

Travis jumped back as the door was slammed in his face. He sighed and let his head fall back with a groan. His eyes flickered over to Nico. “Everything all right?” Nico asked.

Travis sighed again. “Just my brother overreacting a little,” he mumbled.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Travis shook his head. “Not really.”

Nico arched a brow. “Well, why don't you go in there and talk to him? It's your suite, too.”

Travis chuckled and shook his head. “I'd rather not. I'll just let him cool off,” the brunet said. He rubbed at his face and walked across the hall to Apollo and Will's door. He waved at Nico before knocking on the door. Nico let out a sigh and headed down towards the elevator.

That had been rather odd. He had never really seen the twins fight before. He didn't even think it was possible for them to fight; they had always gotten along rather well. He traveled down to the lobby in complete silence. When it finally ended up coming to a stop, Nico headed towards the spa.

When he arrived, he found several hotel guests sitting in Circe's lobby. The woman herself was standing behind her counter, batting her eyelashes at a man in front of her. She was dressed in a black and green dress, with dark makeup on her face. Her dress slightly reminded Nico of Morgana from that BBC show Merlin.

“Have no fear, your daughter will be transformed into the epitome of beauty and radiance,” Circe said with a flirtatious smile. She slid her hand across the counter to brush her fingers along the father's hand. “My personal touch works marvelous wonders.”

The man cleared his throat and handed Circe his credit card. “That sounds good, very good,” he said, his cheeks turning red.

Nico tilted his head to the side as he watched the woman bite down on her lip as she rang the man up. It was strange, he thought. The action seemed odd and very familiar to him. Mainly because it looked like the way the Lost Kids handled hotel guests. It was like how Dionysus's smile had stuck out to him the other day.

She handed the card back to the man and turned her attention on Nico. “Ah, there you are. I've been expecting you,” Circe said. She stepped out from behind the counter and snapped her fingers, beckoning Nico to follow her towards the back.

She ended up leading him to the room he had been in after his waxing, and he even found a few of the Lost Kids seated in the room. He cracked a smile when he saw Hazel. The girl was painted completely gold and clad only in a gold bikini. She gave him a small smile and a wave when she noticed him.

“Well, you look...interesting,” Nico said as he took a seat across from her.

Hazel sent him a glare. “Shut it. I've been stuck in here all day,” she sighed.

Juniper sat next to Nico, and a girl was working on styling her face. She had a mixture of green and black eye shadow, a faint hint of shiny lip gloss, and a light green blush with glitter on her cheeks. Another girl was applying some fake pointed ears onto the Juniper.

“What are you supposed to be?” Nico asked.

Juniper smiled at him. “A fairy,” the amber haired girl replied.

Nico turned an eyebrow up at Hazel. “And you?”

Hazel rolled her eyes. “Haven't you ever seen Gold Finger?” She grumbled.

Nico chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, can't say that I have.”

Luke, Piper, Zoë, Calypso, and Silena were also there, and were being seen to by some of Circe's girls. Luke didn't seem to be having much done to him. It just looked like a girl was making his face appear artistically dirty. Piper was having hair extensions put in; a long brown braid that hung down to her lower back. Zoë was having dark eyeliner put on, and a dark shade of lipstick applied to her lips. Calypso was actually having makeup applied to her, which felt odd for Nico, since he rarely saw the young woman with any form of makeup on. Her hair was also being straightened and looked shinier than usual. Finally, Silena had her hair put up in two pigtails, with a blue bow in each one.

Circe took a seat next to Nico and turned on a curling iron. Nico's eyes widened slightly at the object. “Um, what's that for?” He asked.

“I'm going to give you curls,” the woman replied plainly. “It enhances the appearance of your costume.”

Nico sighed and nodded his head reluctantly. “Aw, Nico, you're going to look so cute,” Silena teased him.

Nico stuck his tongue out at her. “What are you supposed to be, Zoë? Since I'm not going to see you tonight,” he asked.

The girl made a face as her hair was tucked under a short haired wig. “Catwoman,” she mumbled. “The Halle Berry one.”

Nico stiffened as he felt Circe take a portion of his black hair into her hands. His hair was twisted around the object, while Nico did his best not to squirm. “I saw the twins arguing earlier,” Nico said, trying to distract himself.

Piper shrugged. “They fight from time to time, but they usually keep it behind closed doors. They'd never argue in public,” she said. She narrowed her eyes over at Luke. “Unlike some people.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “I don't argue with my brother,” he mumbled.

“Then what would you call it?” Hazel asked.

“He argues with me.”

Piper shrugged. “Well, that's true.”

A frown appeared on Silena's face. “Speaking of your brother, I need to talk to you,” Silena said.

Luke gave her an odd look. “Okay? Um, I guess after we're done,” he replied. The two stared at each other for a moment, something unspoken traveling between them. Luke sighed and nodded his head. The girl fixing him up informed him that he was done, but he didn't get up.

Five minutes later, the girl working on Silena also finished. Silena now wore a light shade of blush and had on blood red lipstick. Luke got up and the two of them walked out of the room, whispering to each other. Circe finally finished up on his hair. She spun him around so that he could get a look at himself.

His mouth hung open for about ten seconds before Circe actually reached out and shut it for him. “I like to think I'm good at what I do,” she said with a proud smirk.

“You look so cute, Nico!” Hazel exclaimed.

His hair was curled just right. There was even a curl that hung down slightly into his face. He had never thought that he would like his hair curled, but he had to admit that Circe really did a good job. Though he would probably only do it again for special occasions.

Circe spun him back around and tilted his chin up. “Now then, I'm going to apply a little makeup,” she said. Nico made a face at her. “Relax, it's only to cover up your blush, by Percy and Apollo's request. Percy said you blush too much, and Apollo said it would be good for your costume.” Nico let out a sigh and nodded his head. “I'm also going to give you a faint hint of a blush, to add to the quality of the costume.”

“I thought my blushing was a problem?” Nico mumbled.

Circe smirked at him. “Yes, but this isn't going to be a blush that makes your entire face red.”

Nico glared up at the woman as she got out the makeup she wanted to put on him. Hazel giggled at him while Circe went about fixing up his face. Piper got up while Circe was working on him. She came to stand in front of Nico and smirked at him. “Sucks that you're going to lose tonight,” she said.

Nico glared at her. “Dream on,” he grumbled. The girl only laughed and walked out of the room.

Circe finally spun him back around, once again amazing Nico. While she had done what she told him she was going to do, she had also given his face a faint glow. He wanted to reach up and touch his face, but Circe smacked his hand away. “No touching my masterpiece,” the woman snapped at him. “Now then, I want you to be very careful when you take your clothes off and put your costume on, understand?”

Nico nodded his head. She spun him back around and let him stand up. Nico was in the process of stretching when Percy stepped into the room, Rachel in tow behind him. The red headed girl was dressed like a flapper. She had on a short black skirt, with a long necklace of what were probably real pearls. She had on a small matching black hat and black heels. She held out her phone for Percy to take a look at. The young man nodded and smiled at her.

He chuckled when he saw Hazel. “I feel bad for you, Hazel. There's no telling how long you've been in here,” Percy joked.

Hazel groaned. “You don't want to know,” she mumbled.

Percy smiled and turned to look at Juniper. “Looking as lovely as ever.”

The girl's cheeks tinted pink. She smiled and bit down on her bottom lip. “Thank you, Percy,” Juniper replied.

Zoë stood up and Percy turned to her. She smiled as he took her hand and kissed it with a wink. “So, I don't suppose I could come talk to you tonight, could I?” She asked.

Percy smiled at her, placing his other hand on her waist. “I would say yes, but I'm afraid I can't tonight,” he answered. Zoë sighed, but nodded her head reluctantly.

Rachel smiled at Nico. “You look so cute, Nico. I just want to pinch your cheeks,” Rachel chuckled.

Circe sent her a warning glare. “I'll take your hand off,” she threatened.

Percy finally turned his attention to Nico. He smiled and walked up to the boy, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Well, well, and what are you supposed to be?” He asked.

Nico smiled up at him. “You'll have to wait and find out,” the brown-eyed boy said, running a finger down Percy's chest.

Percy smirked back at him. “I'm sure I won't be disappointed.” His eyes roamed down Nico's body a single time before returning his gaze to Nico's eyes. He raised both of his eyebrows a single time. He grabbed Nico's hand and walked around the boy. He rested his chin on Nico's shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Did you have a good time at lunch today?” He smirked against Nico's ear and squeezed the shorter boy's hand before pulling away.

Nico shuddered and looked at Percy in confusion. He quickly narrowed his eyes at the green-eyed young man, realizing that he probably meant Daedalus. Was he really going to be jealous? If he couldn't make his mind up about Nico, he really didn't have any say on the matter. And it wasn't like there was anything going on between Nico and Daedalus.

Nico glanced around at the others, who were all giving him calculating looks. Percy ran a hand through his hair and tilted his head to the side. “Anyways, I needed to ask you to get in contact with that friend of yours,” he continued, turning his head to look at Circe.

“Oh,” the woman said. She smiled and nodded her head eagerly. “Of course, sir.”

Percy smiled. “I told you not to call me that. You've been here longer than I have. So, just have him make sure stuff goes missing.”

Circe looked at him in confusion. “What stuff?”

Percy's eyes turned cold. “He'll know it when he sees it. Tell him I'll have an incentive for him waiting for him on my desk if what I want winds up disappearing.”

Circe swallowed, and biting down on her lip, she nodded her head. Nico frowned at Percy. What was going on? He wasn't quite sure, but he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. The look in Percy's eyes chilled him, just as it had while Koko had been around.

Percy cut his eyes over to Nico. He smiled and nodded his head over to the door. “Walk with me to the elevator?” He asked.

Nico forced himself to smile. He nodded his head and walked out beside Percy, Rachel on Percy's other side. “Can I ask what that was about?” Nico asked.

Percy's eyes flickered over to Nico, shooting him a look that warned Nico to drop the issue. Nico pursed his lips and turned his attention ahead of them. When they were stepping out of the spa, Percy's phone went off in his pocket. He slipped it out and checked the screen, smiling at the name. Rachel had the opposite reaction, her face paling slightly as she read the screen. Nico tilted his head to the side in confusion. He leaned over and read the name himself, a chill running down his spine as he saw who was calling. Gaea.

Percy clicked the accept button and held the phone up to his ear. “Hello? Yes, I'm fine. No, go ahead,” he addressed the woman. He clicked his tongue as they boarded the elevator. “Yes. No, I have Koko and Dr. Miami keeping an eye on his whereabouts for me. Yes, I'm dealing with it tonight.” Percy's lips tilted down into a frown. “I'd rather not say. No, I was going to talk to you about it when everything was in order.” He let out a sigh. “No, you won't hate it. I think you'll love it, actually. Just...give it a little more time?”

Percy fell quiet as Gaea spoke to him on the other side of the phone. Nico watched as Percy's eyes became distant and void of emotion. His lips set themselves firmly in a thin line. The young man let out a sigh and ran a hand up into his hair.

“All right, I understand. Yes, it's all been taken care of. I have everyone dealing with the situation,” Percy sighed. He grunted into the phone. “I'll talk to you later then.” He chuckled. “You worry too much.” With that he hung up the phone with a smile.

The elevator came to a stop and Percy shoved Nico out by his shoulders. Nico turned to frown at him just as the elevator doors were closing. He rolled his eyes and proceeded down his hall, where he found Silena, Luke, and Beckendorf standing in front of Luke's suite.

“I really don't feel like dealing with this stupid shit right now, Beckendorf,” Luke growled.

“Oh, it's stupid, is it?” The buff man barked back.

Luke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the other Lost Boy. “Charlie, calm down,” Silena said soothingly. “You're overreacting.”

Beckendorf placed an arm onto Luke's doorframe, separating the blond from Silena. “You want to talk stupid and pathetic? How about you and Nico? How's it feel having to look at him? How's it feel seeing everything he has?” Luke growled and grabbed Beckendorf by the throat. He slammed the taller young man's head into the doorframe. Beckendorf just chuckled at him. “It's all gone, and he's not getting it back. And it's your fault.”

Luke's nostrils flared. “I'll fucking kill you,” he growled.

Silena pried Luke's hand off of Beckendorf and pushed the two of them apart. “Both of you, calm down!” She shrieked. “All I wanted to do was get Luke to talk to his brother.”

Beckendorf removed himself from his girlfriend's grasp. “I told you, nothing's going on,” Beckendorf growled as he glared at Luke.

“Well, I guess we'll find out when I talk to my brother,” Luke hissed.

Ethan and Leo's door was flung open, the former of the two roommates appearing in the hall. “What the hell is going on out here?” The Asian Lost Boy snapped. He was in a partial state of undress, with only his lower half covered by clothing. Nico really couldn't tell what he was going to be, but it looked to be something oriental. Ethan's chest was pretty well-defined. He had a nice set of abs, which had a scar running diagonally across the right side of his torso. Though, Nico found it a little odd that Clarisse was the more muscular of the two Lost Kids in charge of security.

“This fucker needs to shut his mouth,” Luke growled, pointing an accusatory finger at Beckendorf.

“And you need to stay away from my girlfriend,” Beckendorf retorted.

Luke smirked. “I knew her first, so fuck off.”

“I don't really give a shit what everyone's problem is, just shut the hell up!” Ethan yelled. “Just back the fuck off of each other. We have enough going on right now, so don't cause more problems. I already have enough issues with having to hear about Leo's problems!”

Beckendorf and Luke grumbled, but remained quiet. Beckendorf sent Luke a final glare before walking off to his room. Luke rolled his eyes and walked into his suite, slamming the door behind him. Silena smiled at Ethan and placed a hand on his shoulders. “Thanks,” she said.

Ethan frowned at her hand, shifting slightly. “Don't mention it,” he mumbled, removing her hand from his body.

Silena pursed her lips, but didn't say anything further. She turned around and started to walk towards her hall, freezing when she noticed Nico standing there. She bit on her lip as she quickly walked past the raven haired boy. Nico arched an eyebrow after her before looking at Ethan.

“I love my family, but dammit, they bicker too much,” Ethan grumbled. “So much fucking drama.”

“I'm sorry,” Nico mumbled.

Ethan shook his head. “You're not so bad. You're just the center of a lot of their issues, but at least you don't try to cause problems.” He frowned as he looked at Nico. His hand slowly reached up and felt his eye patch, shifting on his feet once before walking back into his suite.

Nico stood in front of his bed in nothing but a black speedo. The box that held his costume from Aphrodite's Boutique sat on the bed. He slowly opened the lid and pulled out the black toga. He slipped the fabric over his head, making sure not to mess up his hair. He pulled out a golden laurel wreath and sat it on the bed. After that, he pulled out the golden belt and wrapped it around his waist. He pulled out the black bangles and slipped them onto his arms. He finally pulled out a pair of black angel wings, which he held out in front of him. He smiled as he slipped them onto his back. He picked up the golden laurel and carefully placed it on his head, making sure not to destroy Circe's work.

He stepped in front of his full-body mirror, admiring the completed costume. He had to admit, Aphrodite had been right about going with the dark angel costume. It fit him, he supposed. A good mixture of darkness and innocence.

He spun around and chuckled. It was nice. Perhaps he could have some fun tonight after all. He just hoped that everything went smoothly for him during his performances, especially his solos. Unlike the last time, Percy would be there to watch.

Nico walked out of his room and grabbed his wallet. He promptly let out a groan, realizing that he had no pockets. He sighed and walked out of his suite before heading for the elevator. He bounced on his heels as he rode the elevator up to the top floor.

When he emerged into the dimly lit hallway, he found Clarisse and Ethan sitting behind their podiums. Clarisse was dressed like a medieval knight, a literal one. Unlike most people, who wore fake armor, she actually had real plate armor on, and even had a sword and scabbard strapped to her side and a shield beside her podium. She did look like a true warrior, though. Nico had to give her that. Ethan had dressed himself as a samurai, also with completely authentic armor. And there was even a samurai sword strapped to his side, though Nico wasn't sure if it was actually real. But considering who he was talking about, it probably was.

He made his way past the two with a nod of his head. Clarisse arched an eyebrow at him. “Way to not look gay,” she cackled.

Ethan chuckled and shook his head. “Don't mind her,” he apologized.

Nico made his way up the stairs, finding the wall, once again, removed. Leo and Rachel were already there, sitting in Percy's usual booth on the boys' side. Leo wore a jaguar skin on top of his head, and like Ethan's sword, Nico wasn't sure if it was real or not. And besides a pair of ragged pants, Leo had nothing else on. His body was slim, like Nico's. He had the faint outline of abs, and his torso matched the rest of his skin.

Nico smiled and walked up to them. “Hey, guys,” he greeted them.

They both smiled back. “Hey, Nico,” they both replied.

“I like the costume,” Leo added. “It fits you.”

Nico smiled. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “You look pretty awesome yourself.”

“Thanks. I'm supposed to be a jagu-”

Leo cut himself off as a pair of arms wrapped around Nico's waist. “You look so adorable, Nico,” Apollo purred into his ear. “Even better, now that Circe has fixed your hair.”

Nico rolled his eyes. He tried to squirm out of the blond's grasp, but was unsuccessful. “What do you want?” Leo ground out.

Apollo smirked. “I just wanted to come talk to Nico.” He ran his fingers up and down Nico's bare arm before slipping them beneath the black fabric of his toga. “And I wanted his opinion on my costume. I mean, I'll be glad to hear yours as well, Leo.” Nico finally got to move away from Apollo. Nico's mouth suddenly felt dry.

Apollo practically had nothing on. The blond stood in front of them in nothing but a loincloth and a pair of chains around each of his wrists, though they weren't bound together. And the loincloth looked like it could easily be torn from Apollo's waist, which Nico sort of wanted to happen. Even if the blond had been a royal ass to him, he was still a hot piece of ass. No, wait, he meant that Apollo was still a hot ass. He let out a groan. Damn his teenaged hormones for rendering him incapable of thinking coherently.

“You, uh, look good,” Nico fumbled, his eyes glowered to everywhere but Apollo's face.

“Why are you even up here?” Leo growled.

Apollo shrugged. “Percy had me do a last minute switch since the twins are fighting,” he replied simply. His eyes flashed dangerously at the Latino boy as he grabbed Nico by the hand. “Come on, Nico. Come join the party backstage.”

Nico frowned and waved at Leo and Rachel as he was led off towards the stage door. He turned his head back around, ending up staring at Apollo's back muscles. Why did all the guys in the Lotus have to be hot jerks?

Most of the Lost Kids were standing around talking with each other when Nico and Apollo stepped into the dark lounging area. He also noticed that Percy was sitting on the couch, Thalia and Reyna on either side of him. Reyna was leaning her head on Percy's shoulder, while the young man smiled at something Butch was telling him. Both Reyna and Thalia soon jumped into the conversation with much enthusiasm. But out of everyone in the room, Percy was the only one not dressed up.

Silena had dressed herself as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Although, her skirt was a little too short to be go skipping down a brick road. She even had on a pair of ruby red shoes. Hazel looked pretty much as she had when Nico had seen her earlier, still entirely golden, and only clad in a bikini. Beckendorf had decided to be a fireman, hat included. He had on a pair of standard suspender pants and a matching thick coat, though he didn't have a shirt on underneath it all.

Silena and Hazel were trying to talk to Beckendorf, but the young man didn't seem to want to listen to them. Nico sighed and glanced around at the three talking with Percy. Butch was a caveman, wearing a leopard skin outfit that hung from his left shoulder. Thalia wore a skimpy police officer outfit. The shirt opened to reveal quite a bit of cleavage, and the skirt ended very high on her thighs. She had on a pair of black boots that nearly reach her knees and a matching police hat. Reyna had on a pair of what looked like dog ears. She was completely barren of clothing, except for a triangular patch of fur that covered her breasts, and a fur skirt around her hips. On the back of the skirt, she had on a tail. A werewolf?

Nico walked over and plopped himself down in Percy's lap, much to the green-eyed young man's surprise. He chuckled and looked Nico over. “Well, don't you look cute,” he decided. “I like it.”

“Thanks,” Nico grinned. He arched an eyebrow as he stared at Percy. “And what are you supposed to be?”

Percy's eyes turned a frightening shade of green. “A murderer,” he said in practically a whisper.

Nico swallowed, his breathing picking up. He found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Percy's green ones. They had him frozen, yet felt like they were pulling him in. He could probably drown in them if he stared too long.

Percy finally smirked and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. He let one of his hands travel up Nico's thigh, underneath the fabric of the tunic. “Hmm. It's pretty tempting to want to corrupt an angel,” he whispered into Nico's ear. “Tell me, what do angels wear underneath their clothes?”

Nico's eyes fluttered closed as Percy's hand reached the speedo under his toga. His breathing turned ragged as Percy's hand ghosted over his crotch. He heard Thalia chuckle behind him. “You're so terrible, Percy, toying with him like that,” she cackled.

Percy smirked at Nico before winking. “Maybe he shouldn't be so tempting.”

Reyna rolled her eyes, rubbing Percy's chest. “So, it's all his fault?” She chuckled.

Nico bit down on his lips, which drew Percy's attention. His green eyes flickered back up to Nico's in a seductive stare. Percy chuckled and removed his hand from Nico's crotch, sitting back against the couch. “I feel bad for him,” Butch said. “I mean, he has to get tortured by you on a daily basis.”

Percy frowned at the muscular young man. “What's that supposed to mean?” He grumbled.

Butch smirked. “Just that you're really good at what you do.”

Percy rolled his eyes. Nico chuckled at Butch before looking around at the others. Calypso was talking to Travis a few feet away. She was dressed as a French maid, but the skirt came up extremely high, like Silena's. And while he thought the girl looked extremely pretty without makeup, she did look really good with the stuff she had on. Travis was dressed similar to Reyna. He had on black cat ears and a pair of black fur shorts. On his hands were matching fur paws, and he even had a tail. And when he grinned, he only fulfilled Nico's assessment of resembling the Cheshire Cat.

Luke was talking with his brother, rubbing his temple as he did so. Luke was dressed in cowboy attire. He had the standard hat on top of his head, as well as a gun holster on his waist. And when Nico's eyes drifted lower, he noticed that Luke had on ass-less chaps. Nico's mouth fell open as he stared at Luke's ass. He had never seen that part of the blond's body, but he now found that he wished he had. He didn't have Apollo's ass, but it was nothing to scoff at. His cheeks stuck out of the back of his chaps, taunting Nico.

Octavian was dressed a little similar to Nico. He had on a white toga that cut off halfway between his crotch and his knees. He had a golden rope tied around his waist, and the fabric was held up by the part on the blond's shoulder, just like Nico's own costume. Octavian had a pleading look in his eyes as he talked to his brother, but they were talking too quietly for Nico to overhear them.

Annabeth seemed to be trying to get Piper and Drew away from each other. The two girls looked like they might tear into each other at any moment, but if Percy noticed, he didn't let on. Annabeth had gone with a sexy librarian look. A pair of glasses sat on her nose. Her hair was done up in a tight bun, which had a pencil sticking out of it. She had on a business dress, which cut off at her knees.

Piper was dressed like Princess Leia in her slave outfit. And the costume looked pretty authentic. Whenever the girl moved, the two pieces of fabric hanging from the back and front of her hips exposed a lot of her legs. Drew was in a cheerleading costume, also ending very high on her thighs. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, which she draped over her right shoulder.

Percy placed his hands firmly on Nico's hips and forced the boy out of his lap. He got up and turned to smile at the two girls on the couch. “Sorry to run off, but I need to get to my seat,” he apologized. He cleared his throat and turned to look at everyone else. The room instantly fell silent. Percy's eyes drifted across each of the Lost Kids, a silent warning going out to each of them. “I don't want any more fighting tonight, do I make myself clear?”

They all nodded their heads. Percy smiled and walked towards the door, slipping his hands into his pockets. The room stayed silent after the young man had left, a heavy tension lingering in the air. Those that had been fighting just moments before glanced at each other. Nico watched in confusion as they all smiled at each other and separated to finish getting ready. It was odd, seeing how much power Percy had over all of them.

Butch, Hazel, Silena, Travis, Calypso, and Apollo all left to go get ready to work the floor. Annabeth ordered the rest of them to get ready for the first number, which was to include everyone. The girls headed through the door that would take them to their side of the stage, while the boys all situated themselves on their side.

Panic! At the Disco's song “But It's Better If You Do” began playing and, one by one, the Lost Kids spun their way out onto the stage. They all blew kisses and winked at the audience as they took their place on the stage. They all snapped their fingers and slung their hands behind their hips. The routine wasn't so bad, in Nico's opinion. It just primarily revolved around moving the hips in the right way.

They had to snap their fingers and sling their arms back again before bringing them out to snap again. Nico got down on the ground with Drew, Reyna, and Octavian. They all crawled sinfully across the floor before extending their legs into air.

As soon as they were back on their feet, they all had to clap their hands together at the same time. He was relatively glad that the opening number tonight wouldn't involve taking off any clothing, since they were all decked out in costumes, which they would just have to go about putting back on. Still, there were going to be enough performances as the night went on that he knew that he would probably be getting irritated.

Nico had to slowly move his hand above his head and move it around in an alluring manner. Nico stuck his finger into his mouth and bit down on it in a suggestive way. They all moved around while they thrust their hips out. Now, the problem for Nico was that he found himself getting distracted during this part. Mainly because Luke was standing next to him, and Nico currently had a very good view of the blond's exposed ass.

But the song finally came to an end, which also brought an end to Nico's wonderful view. Luke turned around and caught Nico staring at his lower area, a smirk appearing on his face. As they all made their way off the stage, Luke caught up to Nico and leaned into his ear. “Careful where you stare, kid. You see, your mouth may so no, but your eyes practically scream 'take me now',” he panted out into the raven haired boy's ear. Nico felt the blond grin against his ear. “Though, I could think of some other uses for that mouth of yours.”

Nico glared ahead of them and elbowed Luke in the stomach. The blond grunted, but ended up chuckling. He slapped Nico on the ass before walking off to sit down on the couch. Nico caught sight of Octavian staring at him, his eyes as cold as ice. Nico frowned back at the blond before sighing and walking off to a mirror.

As the night slowly went on, the Lost Kids worked through their solo performances. It was now Nico's turn, and he found himself relatively nervous. While he enjoyed wearing his costume, it felt a little odd with having so many people staring at him in it. It was one thing to be on stage with the others, but it was another to be out there by himself.

Nico slowly walked onto the stage, which had the curtain closed, so no one was actually able to see him yet. He took a deep breath and sat down on the stage. He maneuvered himself into a kneeling position, pulling his knee tightly against his chest. He lowered his head onto his knee and waited for the song to begin. He thought about winning the little costume contest that the Lost Kids had. He wondered if it would have ramifications for him if he won.

Vampire Weekend's “Giving Up the Gun” began playing through the speakers. The curtain drifted open and the lights on the stage turned on. Nico popped his head up and threw a smile on. He kicked his leg out and spun around on the floor before rising to his feet. His heart began pounding in his chest as he chanced a glance out at the audience.

He hugged himself, while swaying his hips in a lewd fashion. He batted his eyelashes at the audience as the song came to the line “I see it in your eyes”. He fiddled with the rope around his waist, while biting down on his lip. He raised his finger up to stick into his mouth and bit down on it innocently while batting his eyelashes again, trying to play off the innocent angel vibe.

He glanced over at Percy's table, where he found the green-eyed young man with his elbow on the table, calmly watching Nico's every single move. And he wasn't the only one. Apollo had stopped walking to gawk at Nico's performance. Nico rolled his hips as he removed the rope from around his waist, letting it drop to the floor.

He spun around on the stage before getting down to crawl. He got on his side and lifted his leg up into the air, giving several people a good look at the speedo underneath his toga. He was thankful for Circe's work on his face, because he knew he was probably blushing profusely at the moment. Still, it was a little bit of a turn on. Not because of all the people, but the fact that Percy was watching. He liked that he had the young man's attention, and it was at that point something hit him. He now understood why the Lost Kids craved the attention of the green-eyed manager so much. It was addicting.

He got down on his stomach, facing away from the stage, and lifted his ass into the air. He spread his legs and pushed himself back up, fiddling with the small piece of cloth that held his black toga up. He blew a kiss at the audience with a wink. It was so awkward, and if he hadn't seen the other Lost Kids doing similar performances, he wouldn't really get the appeal of this. Before he had come to the Lotus, this sort of stuff had never really appealed as much to him. Sure he was the normal teenage boy that thought about sex, but the thought of sitting around to watch strippers perform had never really seemed like something he would like.

He slid his hand down the front of his toga, letting his mouth fall open in a silent moan. Percy was smirking at him from his booth, which made Nico smile in return. He finally hooked his fingers under the sleeve of his toga and lowered it off of his shoulder. The black material drifted gracefully from his body. He now stood there in front of everyone in his wings, laurel, the bangles on his arms, and his speedo.

He let his index finger trail across his smooth stomach as he bit down on his lip again. He bent over to touch his right hand to his left foot. He spun himself around in a slow and graceful manner. As the song reached its end, Nico slid his foot across the stage and sank back to a kneeling position. He buried his face in his knee as the song ended. The crowd applauded him, and he rose back to his feet to wave at them with a wink.

As he walked off the stage, he fought off a shudder. At least his performance hadn't allowed people to touch him. That was something he was trying to get used to. As some of the Lost Kids congratulated him on his development, he worked on getting himself back into his toga.

He walked over and sat down on a stool next to the couch, not wanting to mess up his wings. The Lost Girls were moving around on the stage, getting ready for their performance. Beckendorf sat by himself on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest. “You all right?” Nico asked.

Beckendorf turned his head towards him and grunted. “Just peachy,” he mumbled.

Nico swallowed before pressing on. “I, uh, overheard your fight with Luke.”

Beckendorf's face remained solemn as he looked at Nico. After a few seconds, he sighed and shook his head. “It's just hard sometimes, you know? It's hard having a relationship in a place like this, especially an exclusive one.”

Nico arched an eyebrow. “You two are exclusive? How does that work?”

The muscular Lost Boy sighed again. “Well, we don't have sex with the other Lost Kids, unless a customer wants to include them. And besides that, Percy's the only one we'll mess around with, but that's also for business. Percy understands, and he doesn't try to cause problems for the two of us.” The young man shrugged his shoulders. “He wants us to be happy and together, even in a place like this.”

Nico felt a little sad for the two of them. He had known that they were a couple, but he had never put much thought into it. Perhaps that was why Percy refused to date anyone. Still, it felt a little unfair to have someone like Percy be so unobtainable. He was fun to be around, even if he could be a little scary at times.

“I can't even imagine how hard it is,” Nico whispered. “I'm sorry.”

Beckendorf shook his head. “Don't worry about it, little man. I just have my own shit to work through.”

“But apparently I only make that worse for all of you.”

Beckendorf gave him a smile and patted his leg. “Well, I try not to blame you. I just...lose it sometimes. I think we all have that problem, to some degree.”

Nico let the muscular young man be. He got up and walked over to the edge of the stage, where the girls all sat in chairs. Thalia sat in the front, perched up on the chair so that her ass was jutting out from the front of it. The lyrics to the song came on before the music did, and Nico recognized it as the song “Express” from the movie Burlesque.

The girls behind Thalia began snapping their fingers. Thalia sat down backwards in the chair and smirked at the audience. Her hand slowly traveled down from her breasts to sit in between her legs. Drew, Piper, Reyna, and Annabeth all sat themselves provocatively in their chairs as Thalia joined them in their snapping of fingers.

The girls all turned around in their chairs and stuck their asses out towards the audience as they slid their hands down their legs. They slowly trailed their hands back up, letting their heads fall to the side. Thalia tipped her police hat down as she winked at the audience. The girls all bent over again, and began patting the chairs in a rhythmic fashion, slowly shaking their asses in the air.

Piper slowly slid her way out of the “skirt” that hung from her waist, leaving her in a skimpy thong that did little to hide her...lady parts. Thalia ripped her top open, exposing her red bra to the crowd. Annabeth undid her shirt and sank back in her chair, letting it slide off of her arms. The fur on Reyna's hips was removed, revealing a small thong underneath.

Thalia frowned, but only for a brief second. Still, it was enough for Nico to notice. He moved so that he could look out at the audience without them spotting him. Percy was getting up from his table and heading towards the door. Nico looked back at the Lost Girls. They all looked normal, but Nico was starting to see through their masks. They were bothered by Percy's action. And the Lost Kids on the floor seemed to be the same. They were all standing around, staring at each other in confusion. Something was wrong.

Nico pushed through the door that led from backstage to the floor. He had finally gotten to take his break, which he was very thankful for. He had wanted to try and sit with Percy, but the young man still hadn't returned. Leo and Rachel were still sitting in the booth, dealing with customers' requests.

As he was about to pass the booth, the customer that was talking to them got up and left. He scrunched his lips up and made his way over, wanting to see what the two knew. “Hey,” Nico greeted them.

Leo sighed and rubbed his face. “Before you ask, we can't tell you where Percy went,” the Latino grumbled.

“Sorry,” Rachel added. “The others have been asking for the past hour, but we were given orders to keep quiet.”

Nico frowned at them. “It seemed to bother the others, so I was just concerned,” Nico explained.

Rachel gave him a smile. “I know, but there's nothing we can tell you.”

“It's not like he won't find out,” Leo mumbled. Rachel promptly elbowed him in the ribs. Leo winced and rubbed his side with a pout. “Dammit, I'm just telling the truth.”

Rachel rolled her eyes before turning back to Nico. “You'll know before the night is over, Nico.”

Nico nodded his head slowly. He walked off, his eyebrows furrowing. He pushed his way into the break room, finding Calypso and Butch sitting on the couch. Dionysus stood at his usual place, working on mixing a drink. He was dressed up in a white pinstripe suit, with a white fedora on his head. Sticking out of the hat was a pair of red devil horns.

Nico sat down next to Calypso, making sure to lean forward so that he didn't mess up his wings. They were beginning to become a hassle, and he was looking forward to taking them off. “You look cute, Nico,” Calypso said sweetly. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He glared at her from the corner of his eye, refraining from wiping off his cheek. He still had to get through the rest of the night, so he didn't need to ruin Circe's work just yet.

“You know, Calypso, I kinda want to get you out of that costume,” Butch said suggestively.

Calypso chuckled. “I thought you were hoping to get to spend the night with Percy?”

The buff young man shrugged. “Well, that too. There's always a threesome.”

The girl rolled her eyes. “And if you had your way with that, Percy would be fucking you, while you fucked me.” She chuckled again. “Pass. Talk to me again when the positions change.”

Butch frowned. “Well, if I win, I get to choose how that goes.”

Nico's eyes had widened as he listened to the exchange. Was he hearing this right? Butch...liked it up the ass? It felt so odd to him. Butch seemed to notice his expression, chuckling at the boy.

“What's the matter, Nico? Surprised?” The Lost Boy said.

“Um, a little,” Nico confessed. “I mean, you're just...” Nico trailed off, gesturing to Butch's body.

“Buff? Muscular? The masculine type?” He shrugged. “Why should that matter when it comes to sex?”

“Are you gay?”

Butch and Calypso burst out laughing. “I don't think any of us have actually used labels since we first got here,” the Lost Girl chuckled. “Not even Apollo fully considers himself gay anymore.”

“Well, some were already bi when they got here, like Luke,” Butch added. “But we've all just shifted our sexuality towards bisexuality.”

“You sort of have to for this line of work.”

Nico frowned. He didn't consider himself bisexual. He still very much disliked vaginas. But then again, he wasn't prostituting his body like the others were. If he ever did end up doing that, would he become the same? He felt like it would be losing a portion of his identity. He didn't think he could picture himself being like the rest of them, casually having sex for business, losing touch with the emotional side of it.

“I guess,” Nico mumbled. He let out a nervous chuckle. “Still, I just wasn't expecting it.”

“You'll get used to stuff like this eventually,” Calypso said with a smile.

Butch chuckled. “So, what would you do if Percy picked Drew?” He asked.

Calypso frowned and shot her eyes over to the buff young man. “He's not an idiot. He wouldn't pick some shallow shell of girl. Let's see her take all that makeup off, and then we'll talk about how pretty she is.”

“Temper, temper, Callie.” Butch stood up and held his hand out for the green-eyed girl.

The Lost Girl glared at him before accepting his hand and standing up. The two made their way out of the room, Butch slinging his arm around the girl's shoulders. “My, my, there seems to be so much chaos going on in the hotel,” came Dionysus's voice from behind Nico.

Nico turned around on the couch to face the bartender. “Yeah, it seems like it. Are they always like this?”

Dionysus smiled. “No, not really. They are usually rather peaceful. I suppose something must be upsetting them.” The man let his final words hang in the air as he stared at Nico with a glint in his eyes.

“They never fight?”

The bartender shrugged. “They do, but never to such a degree. I mean, I thought some of them were about to rip someone's head off.”

Nico frowned. “It's not my fault,” he mumbled. “I'm not trying to provoke them. I just want to be happy. I just want to be part of this family.”

“Oh, well, you are. But now, they are getting to have all of their little flaws thrown in their faces. How would you react to a situation like that?”

“But I'm not doing it intentionally!”

Dionysus smiled and held out a drink out for Nico, who shook his head. The man shrugged his shoulders and downed the drink. “I really do love this brand of wine. You don't know what you're missing, Nico.”

Nico forced a smile onto his lips. “That's okay, I'm just not much for drinking,” he explained.

“Poor boy,” Dionysus muttered. “Oh well. How are you enjoying your holiday?”

Nico groaned and reached back to adjust his wings. “I'm ready to take these things off.”

“Well, I'm sure the customers enjoy seeing you in the costume.” The man grinned at him in a creepy manner. “Perhaps Percy enjoyed it as well. Maybe you'll be lucky enough to win that little costume contest that he has. It is rather obvious that you want Percy to take your innocence. It must be so hard for him not to devour you.”

Nico shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. “I, uh, guess,” Nico mumbled. “I'm not really sure where I stand with Percy right now. He seems to think he can tell me who I can be friends with outside of the hotel, but we're not together. So, I don't know why he thinks he can tell me things like that.”

Dionysus smirked. “Oh, I don't know about that. I'm sure Percy doesn't mean it in a bad way.” Something flickered in the man's dark eyes. “But between the two of us, when Percy tells someone something like that, they usually end up wishing they had listened.”

Nico frowned at the man. “Why?” He asked.

The chubby man shrugged. “Percy is just good at predicting things. He knows things. And he has your best interest at heart.”

Nico tapped his finger against the couch. What reason could Percy possibly have for this situation? There didn't seem to be anything wrong with Daedalus. He seemed like a nice guy, who didn't seem to really fit in with his other popular friends. The brunet was too good for them, in Nico's opinion.

“But I don't understand why he would want me to stop being friends with someone. What's the harm in just talking to someone? It's not like I'm going to tell him about the Lotus's secrets,” Nico said.

Dionysus grinned at him. “Perhaps it's not as simple as you think.” He shrugged as he took another drink of wine. “Percy's not always direct with his methods or the things he says. Perhaps it's not this friend of yours that he's really concerned with.”

Nico's brow furrowed. Then what else could it be? Nico slowly nodded his head and stood up. “Thanks,” he muttered before turning around and leaving.

He made his way back towards the stage door, not bothering to talk to any of the Lost Kids working the floor. Percy still wasn't in his booth, which only further worried Nico. He began chewing on his lip as he pushed his way through the door to the stage.

He spotted Annabeth standing in front of a mirror, and instantly headed over. “Hey, Annabeth,” he said.

The girl blinked at him in surprise in the mirror. “What can I do for you, Nico?” She said with a small smile.

“You've known Percy the longest, right?” The girl nodded. “Do you know what's up with him tonight?”

Annabeth frowned and sat her lipstick down. She cleared her throat and turned around to face Nico. “I...don't actually know what he's doing tonight. He didn't tell me anything,” she said softly. “So, I don't know what to tell you.” She placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I'm sure he's fine. Percy can take care of himself.”

Nico nodded. “The way he acted when Koko was here, and the way he sometimes acts, is that how he was before, when you originally met him?”

Annabeth studied Nico carefully for a moment. Nico shifted under her intense grey eyes. She finally let out a sigh and sat back against the vanity mirror. “In a sense. By the time I got here, Gaea had already done a lot of work on him. She had only recently moved him here from Germany when I arrived, probably around three or four months. But from what I gathered from people like Kronos and Koko, Percy was practically feral when Gaea first found him. So, he wasn't quite like this when she found him. But I'm not sure I would say that he's less dangerous now than he was back then. He might be even more dangerous now, actually.”

Nico pursed his lips as he listened to the blond. “Does he frighten you?”

Annabeth tapped her index finger on the desk she sat against. “Yes and no,” she finally said. “I think he cares about us, and doesn't look to hurt us, but I know he's very dangerous.” She shrugged. “You deal with all sorts of dangerous people in this job. You learn to see the comfort in having someone even more dangerous protecting you.” Her eyes grew distant. “Perhaps he could have protected me when my life was falling apart,” she whispered so quietly that Nico almost didn't hear her. The girl cleared her throat and wiped at her eyes to rid herself of the tears that were forming there. “I need to get ready.”

Nico swallowed and nodded his head. He didn't like falling down this hole anymore. It had been interesting to see more of the Lost Kids, but now it was becoming painful. They were still hurting, and it was starting to get to him. All it did was make Nico wonder what had happened to some of them. What horror did these Lost Kids experience? Not only that, but it also reminded Nico of why he was there. His father. His father hadn't wanted him. His father had beaten him. His father had tossed him out onto the street with no remorse or care for Nico's wellbeing.

Why should he blame these people for being bitter towards the world? He didn't find himself hating humanity or the world he lived in, but he could see where the rest of them had ended up that way. It was sad.

As he was walking around, Thalia grabbed him by the shoulder with a grin. “It's a sad day, Nico, when I look more manly than you do,” she chuckled.

Nico tossed her a glare. “Jerk,” he mumbled.

Thalia laughed. “I'm just teasing, dude.” She pinched his cheek. “So cute. You're just fun to tease. Anyways, what's up? You look like a kicked puppy.”

Nico shook his head. “It's nothing,” he whispered.

Thalia glanced behind Nico to where Annabeth was fixing her makeup. “What's up with the genius?”

“I don't know. We were talking about Percy, but then I think we drifted into talking about her past.”

Thalia's lips tilted down as she continued to stare at Annabeth. “She's a tough one, but she still has her moments,” Thalia said. She rubbed her arm as she looked back at Nico. “It's hard, you know? It's hard when someone you're supposed to feel safe around hurts you. It's hard to watch your life fall apart.” She looked down and shook her head. “And you end up alone, without any of the answers to your problems.”

“Do you mind if I asked what happened?”

Thalia gave him a weak smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. “One day. Not right now, though.”

“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.

Thalia cocked her head to the side. “For what?”

“For making you guys feel bad about yourselves.”

Thalia sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Shit, dude. Look, we're just trying to ignore what happened the best we can. Hell, we're trying to forget our pasts. It's just hard with you standing around, nearly the picture of innocence.” She winked at Nico. “You better get ready for your last performance.”

Nico frowned at the girl as she walked off. It felt like a never ending sea of questions was arising in Nico's mind. He wondered if he'd ever get the answers to them. Hopefully. He let out a sigh and walked over to a mirror to check his appearance.

The night finally came to an end, and Nico already had his wings off. He had them folded in his arms as he walked towards the elevator with Octavian and Piper. A few of the Lost Kids were off taking care of their “business”, which Nico was glad he didn't have to do. Leo and Rachel had mysteriously vanished at some point towards the end of the night, with no explanation about where they were going.

“Well, I had fun tonight,” Piper announced as they got into metal box.

Octavian rolled his eyes with a smirk. “I'm sure you did.”

She glared at the blond, hitting the button to their floor. “I don't know what you're talking about,” she mumbled.

The blond chuckled. “Of course not. I totally did not see you trip Drew when she was going to meet up with her customer.”

Piper smirked and shook her head. “Nope, that definitely did not happen.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “You must be seeing things, Octavian.” She smiled over at Nico. “You know, without the wings, you two look like opposite images, like the twins and their cat costumes.”

Nico and Octavian looked at each other before both shrugging. Octavian's hand drifted down to the bottom portion of Nico's toga. He lifted it up with a grin. “And we even have the opposite color speedos on.”

Nico scowled at him and batted the blond's hand away. “No touching,” he mumbled.

Octavian's grin only grew as he leaned closer to Nico, pressing him up against the wall. “Oh, come now, Nico. Surely you would enjoy my help with getting out of your costume.” He smirked and pinned Nico's hands above his head. Piper only smiled at Nico's uncomfortable expression. Octavian's tongue snaked out of his mouth and trailed along Nico's neck. “You could help me get out of my toga.”

Piper finally chuckled and tugged on the back of Octavian's costume. “Come on, we're at our floor,” she announced.

Octavian gave her a blank look before pulling away from the brown-eyed boy. Nico scowled at the blond as he straightened himself out and exited the elevator. Piper waved at them as she went down her hall. “You're confusing,” Nico said, slowing to a stop in front of Octavian's door.

Octavian shrugged. “Sex is sex, don't take any of it to heart,” the blond replied. “You're attractive, and I don't always like to bottom.”

“But there are other people to have sex with. If you don't like me, why have sex with me?”

Octavian smiled and ran a hand into his blond hair, brushing it out of his eyes. “We have sex with people we don't like all the time, Nico. Why should one of our own make a difference? And it's not like I hate you.”

Nico arched a brow. “You don't?” He asked skeptically.

The blond shook his head. “No. It's true I don't like you that much, but I wouldn't say I hate you.” His eyes flashed dangerously at Nico. “I just don't like what you're doing to my brother.”

Nico gave a single nod. “Noted.”

Octavian smirked and unlocked his door. Nico let out a sigh and walked to his door. He pulled out his card and unlocked his suite. He stopped as soon as he entered, the sound of voices drifting from the back of the suite. He slowly closed the door and walked towards the hall. He opened his door and tossed his wings in with a frown.

He found the spare room open and the light turned on. There were several people gathered around the bed, which looked to have someone on it. Will was sitting on the edge of the bed. The blond had dressed up like Peter Pan, but not the cartoon version. He had vines wrapped around his waist and up around his chest. His right nipple was exposed, as were most of his arms. He looked cute, Nico thought.

Esperanza stood at the foot of the bed, eyeing Percy. The young man had his back turned to Nico, and was hissing something at Leo and Rachel. He reached around to his back pocket and pulled something out. Nico's eyes widened as the gun was handed to Esperanza. “You know what to do with that, right?” He mumbled.

The woman nodded. “I'll have it back to you by tomorrow,” she answered.

Percy sighed. “And the rest?”

Rachel pulled out her tablet and scrolled through some things. “It should all be taken care of. I'll be picking up the evidence from the police station in the morning. You can get rid of everything however you see fit,” the red headed girl informed her boss.

Percy nodded. He touched Will's shoulder. “How is he?”

Will sighed and looked up at Percy. “He's fine. You didn't hurt him. His body is a little traumatized, though. The wounds he has are from previous events,” the blond replied. His eyes flickered over to Nico. He nodded his head towards the door. Percy turned around, and Nico's eyes widened in horror.

Percy was covered in blood. His shirt was soaked in it. He had a few spots on his face, but his hands looked drenched in it. His lips tilted down into a frown and he pointed his finger towards Nico. “Get out,” he growled.

Nico quickly shot back down the hallway. He entered the living room, where he tried to get his hands to stop shaking. Had Percy killed someone? Oh god, how dangerous was Percy? Nico's hand covered his mouth when something clicked in his mind. The thing he had seen in Percy's car that day so long ago, that present that Lehm had given Percy, it was a gun!

He winced when he heard the door slam shut. Nico sat down on the couch, his breathing beyond ragged. Had he been wrong about Percy? Should he be scared of the young man? He was a dragon, and Nico was living in his nest. Did the others know about this? Did they know what Percy was capable of? Were they okay with it?

Nico picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Perhaps they did know, and perhaps they were ok with it. Annabeth had said she felt safe knowing that someone more dangerous than the other people was protecting her. But would Percy harm them? Nico shuddered. What if he had killed Nico the other day when Nico had listened in on his and Koko's discussion.

His heart stopped as he finally looked at the TV. While the volume was off, Nico could still clearly tell what they were talking about on the news. A picture of a man with black hair and a matching beard sat on the side of the screen. The reporter was standing in front of what looked to be the crime scene. The name Zeus Olympium appeared below the picture, causing Nico's blood to run cold.

Percy had killed Gaea's competition. Next, a photo of a muscular looking young man appeared on the screen. He had light brown hair and grey eyes. Nico turned on the volume, making sure to keep the TV quiet. “Heracles, Zeus's son was also murdered,” the reporter announced. A picture of a blonde girl appeared next to that of Heracles. “Zeus's secretary and driver, Kinzie Hart, was shot twice in the chest and once in the head. Now, the police are refusing to comment at this time, but our crime analysts believe this is to be an act of gang violence gone wrong. There have been several other reported murders and gang wars nearby, and-”

Nico turned off the TV when he heard the door open. Will appeared in the hallway, smiling at Nico. “Wild night, eh?” He sighed.

Nico nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered.

Will frowned. “Hey, you don't have anything to be scared of, dude.” The blond sat down on the couch next to Nico. “Percy isn't going to come shooting us up.”

“But he is a killer.”

Will pursed his lips. “I don't know if I'd use that word. He does it when he needs to, not because he goes around wanting to murder people. He's not a serial killer. And he was just following orders from Gaea.”

“W-Were you surprised when you found out?” Nico asked.

Will's brow furrowed. “A little, but I just accepted it. I wish I had had him around before I came to the Lotus.”

Nico bit down on his lip. What was happening to this world of his? Where was the Percy that he had thought he knew? He wasn't sure if he felt safe around this one.

The door opened down the hall and Percy said, “Can you both come back here?”

Will grinned at Nico and stood up. Nico let out a long sigh before following the blond to the spare room. Well, he supposed it probably wasn't a spare room anymore. Percy stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Esperanza was now standing in front of Leo. She hugged the boy and stepped past Percy to leave the room. She gave Will and Nico a smile before making her way out of the suite.

Percy studied Nico's face carefully, searching for something. Nico stared back at him, trying his best to hide his fear. Percy finally held out his hand towards Nico. Nico blinked at it for a few seconds before grabbing it with a shaky hand. A small smile appeared on Percy's lips as he allowed Nico to enter the room. Nico's eyes widened as he finally saw who was on the bed.

There, sitting up and drinking a bottle of water, was Jason. The blond's hair was messy, and he looked exhausted. He wasn't wearing his jacket from school, and Nico could now see his arms. He had several track marks on his arm, which made Nico's pulse quicken to look at. His shirt was off, revealing several bruises, as well as a few cuts on his hips.

“Jason?” Nico whispered.

The blond looked at him with surprise. “Hey, Nico,” he rasped out.

“What's he doing here?” Nico asked, turning to Percy.

 Percy arched an eyebrow and looked at Jason. The blond chuckled awkwardly. “I, uh, guess I'm your new roommate.”