Children of Loss 22

Chapter 22

Nico groaned and rolled onto his stomach. He let out a sigh and shut off his alarm before dropping his head back onto his pillow. His dreams had, once again, been of Percy, though this time they weren't as pleasant. It was an odd feeling, knowing that the guy he liked was a killer.

He didn't get much of a chance to talk to Percy about it last night, though. The green-eyed young man hadn’t left Jason's side. Perhaps Nico could find some time to talk to him about it today. But was that even a good idea?

He let out a sigh as he rolled out of bed. On the bright side, his school had a basketball game today, so he would get to spend more time away from the hotel. He wasn't sure if he wanted to run away, but he currently felt a little uneasy being around the place.

Pushing those thoughts to the side, Nico slid on some pajama pants and walked out his door. He glanced towards the room that was now occupied by Jason, finding that the door was still shut, he ran a hand through his messy hair and headed towards the kitchen, wanting a cup of coffee to help wake himself up with. When he entered the living room, he froze on the spot.

Sprawled out on his couch was Percy. His right arm was draped above his head, over the arm of the couch. His lips were parted slightly and his hair hung slightly in his shut eyes, giving him an almost childish and adorable quality. Nico found himself smiling at the sight of the young man on the couch. He walked over and grabbed a blanket that had fallen off of Percy. When he went to place it back over Percy's body, the young man grabbed Nico's wrist and yanked him down onto his chest.

Percy let out groan as he stretched his arms above his head, finally opening his eyes. He peered down at Nico with a smirk. “Good morning,” he said roughly.

Nico felt his entire face go red as he felt Percy's morning arousal pressing against his stomach. Percy's hands slowly slid down Nico's back, where they slipped into Nico's underwear. He smiled at Nico innocently as the younger boy pried himself from Percy's grasp. “What are you doing here?” Nico asked. “Did you even leave?”

Percy yawned and sat up. “I was keeping an eye on Jason.”

Nico felt his heart start to pound in his chest as he took in Percy's messy morning hair. “Oh,” Nico replied. “That was very nice of you.”

Percy grunted as he stood up and walked into Nico's kitchen. The young man began tasking himself with making the coffee that Nico had intended, himself, to brew. “I'm not heartless, Nico. I do care about you and the other Lost Kids.” He crossed his arms on the kitchen island and rested his chin on them, watching Nico like a predator watched its prey. “Just remember that I wouldn't actually hurt you. I would, however, hurt someone who meant to do you harm.”

Nico nodded his head, his lips pursed. “I guess you really aren't a knight in shining armor.”

Percy chuckled. “No, but do you really want a knight in shining armor, or someone who has actually had their armor put to the test?” Percy asked with a sly smile.

Nico narrowed his eyes at him as he took a seat on the other side of the island. He heard Jason's door open a few seconds before the blond came padding into the kitchen. He stretched his arms above his head with a groan, giving Nico a good view of his shirtless chest.

He had a hairless, athletic body with no visible tan lines. He had the standard six-pack that Nico had expected the blond to have. He had muscular arms, but they were blemished with the track marks that Nico had spotted last night. Jason's hips had been bandaged up to hide the injuries the blond had somehow acquired.

“Coffee,” Jason groaned out.

Percy chuckled and got an extra mug out of the cabinet. “So, Jason, do you feel up to going to school today?” Percy asked. “You're welcome to say no.”

Jason scrunched his lips as he scratched at his head. “I'd like the day off, if you don't mind.”

Percy nodded. “Sounds good. It'll give us a chance to run over everything.”

Jason nodded back and looked over at Nico. “Morning, roomie,” he said with one of those fake smiles that Nico had learned to do so well.

“Morning,” Nico mumbled, raising an eyebrow at Jason. His eyes darted over to Percy, who smiled.

“Yes, Jason already knows our ways,” Percy explained, almost as if he could read Nico's mind. “But, I'm sure you'll learn all about his life in the days to come.”

Jason shrugged. “I got nothing to hide. My dad was an ass,” he grunted. His brow furrowed as he looked at Nico. “I'd, uh, just prefer it if you didn't say anything about it to anyone at school. I never told anyone, not even Daedalus.”

Nico nodded. “Of course. I never told him anything about my life here, either,” Nico replied.

There was a knock at the door, which brought a frown to Percy's lips. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. Nico cocked his head to the side and walked over to the door. He opened the door to find an upset looking Thalia.

“Where is he?” Thalia demanded, shoving past Nico. Nico raised an eyebrow as he shut the door and turned around. Jason's eyes widened at the sight of the girl, who punched Percy in the arm. The young man didn't seem bothered by it, though, as he just raised an eyebrow at her.

“T-Thalia?” Jason inquired, still looking shocked.

Thalia ran past Percy, nearly knocking the manager over, and wrapped her arms around Jason's neck. Nico walked back into the kitchen and turned off the coffee. He frowned as he poured three cups, keeping an eye on the scene in front of him. Percy sighed as his cup was sat in front of him. Jason pushed his off to the side to make sure Thalia didn't end up spilling it.

“How come you didn't tell me about this?” Thalia yelled, glaring at Percy.

Percy shrugged. “I never told the Lost Kids not to tell you. You should take that up with them,” Percy mumbled before blowing on his coffee.

“Um, I'm lost,” Nico said, taking a seat.

“We're brother and sister,” Jason explained.

“Though, we haven't seen each other for several years,” Thalia added with another squeeze. She frowned as she finally caught sight of Jason's arms. She gripped them firmly and inspected them. “What the hell, Jason?”

Jason sighed. “It's not a big deal.”

Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Not a big deal?” She hissed. She turned a glare on Percy. “Tell me you're not going to let him continue using.”

Percy raised a hand to try and calm her down. “Relax. You know my policy,” he said.

Thalia sighed in relief. “What the hell did our bastard of a father do to you?”

Jason frowned. “Can we talk in my room?” The blond mumbled.

Without waiting for a response from Percy, Thalia grabbed Jason's wrist and yanked him out of his chair, nearly causing her brother to spill his coffee. Percy chuckled as the door to Jason's room closed. “Well, she took that better than I thought she would,” the green-eyed manager joked.

“Why didn't you tell her?” Nico inquired.

“I needed things kept quiet until everything was over. Besides, I had no guarantee that I'd even get to grab Jason, let alone that he might live through the encounter.” Percy took a sip of his coffee. “He was on heroin when I got there, so I didn't really get any resistance from him.”

“He doesn't seem that broken up over the death of his father.”

Percy's eyes darkened as he took another sip. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip as he sat his mug down. “Well, Nico, I hate to say it, but everyone pretty much has a bad history with their parents when they come here.”

Nico frowned as Percy downed the rest of his coffee. The young man stood up and put his mug in the sink. He walked behind Nico and draped his arms over the boy's shoulders, resting his chin on Nico's head.

“But, unlike Jason, you have to go to school today,” Percy continued. “Hurry up and get ready, Clarisse will be waiting for you in the parking garage.”

Nico frowned as he drank his coffee. “What about the competition thing?” Nico asked.

Percy chuckled. “Called off, since I had to deal with Jason last night. I'm sure the others won't be happy, but I'm not in the mood to oblige them right now.” He moved his head down so that his lips were pressed to Nico's ear. Nico bit down on his lip as Percy's hand moved down to his crotch. “But, if it makes you feel any better, you were going to win, my dark little angel.”

Nico felt his cheeks heat up as he felt Percy's tongue run along the tip of his ear, Percy's hand squeezing his crotch. Percy smirked against his ear before pulling away. “That's just not nice,” Nico sighed. “Can't we, like, do the thing we did last time?”

Percy smiled and tilted Nico's chin up to look at him. He leaned in and brought his lips within an inch of Nico's mouth. “Perhaps for your Christmas present,” Percy whispered before pulling away with another smirk.

Nico frowned at his boss. “That's just cruel.”

Percy hummed to himself. “I suppose that's true.” He smiled warmly at Nico and ran his fingers into Nico's messy black hair. “I'm just looking out for you, Nico. You're fun to tease, but I do remember what I'm trying to preserve.”

Nico nodded sadly. He knew Percy was just trying to do what was best for him, but it didn't feel fair to him. Why was it fair for the others to get to have sex with the young man whenever they wanted to, but he was forbidden to, unless he wanted to prostitute his body? What kind of agreement was that, anyways? He really liked Percy, even if he was dangerous, so it didn't feel fair to him to be treated this way. But, then again, he didn't even know if Percy saw him as anything beyond a sex object.

Percy smiled as Nico stood up to go get ready for school. The green-eyed young man wrapped his arms around Nico's waist and pulled him in closer. “Cheer up,” Percy said. “If you like, you can hang out with me tomorrow night, after you get off work.”

Nico perked up a little and nodded. “That would be great.” He let out a long breath and removed himself from Percy's arms. The young man frowned as he stared down at Nico. “Well, I need to get ready.”

Percy nodded his head. “All right. I will see you when you're back from school.”

Nico nodded back and Percy headed for the door. With a final smile at Nico, Percy shut the door and was gone. Nico stood there for a few more seconds before turning around and heading to the bathroom. He shut the door and removed his clothes before turning on the shower.

As he was finishing up, the door swung open. Jason walked in with a toothbrush and toothpaste. He casually went about brushing his teeth, while Nico stood there with wide eyes. What the hell? The blond did know that Nico was showering, right? Unless he was deaf as well, he should.

Jason finally turned his head to look at Nico and smiled. “Sup?” Jason mumbled casually. Nico was appalled to watch as his new roommate blatantly looked his body over through the glass door.

“Um, I'm showering. Do you mind?” Nico retorted.

Jason shrugged. “I can join you, if you want.”

Nico smacked his forehead. “I'd prefer privacy.”

Jason chuckled. “Maybe you should lock the door.”

Nico huffed and turned around to hide his crotch from Jason's eyes. It wasn't his fault he was used to living without a roommate. At least he had remembered to close the door. Didn't the blond know how to respect boundaries?

Nico shut off the water and reached out to grab his towel, while covering himself with his other hand. Jason smiled innocently at him as he wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. Nico glared at the blond as he walked past him. He took the blond's place at the sink and began brushing his teeth.

His eyes darted back over to the shower when he heard the water start back up. His eyes slowly lowered as Jason lowered his pajama pants. The blond had on a tight pair of light blue boxer-briefs, which clung perfectly to his bubble butt. Like Nico, he had a pair of lower back dimples just above where his underwear began. Jason turned back around, which caused Nico's eyes to land on the bandages on his hips.

“Don't you have to get to school?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as he hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear.

Nico blinked a few times before looking back up at Jason's eyes. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” He frowned and glanced back down at Jason's hips. “How-how did you get those?”

Jason's lips tilted down into a frown. He removed his hands from his underwear and wrapped his arms around himself. “I gave them to myself. Can you please go already?” He said with a hint of coldness.

“I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.”

Jason shook his head. “It's all right.”

Nico pursed his lips and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. A jock cut himself? That wasn't usually the image that came to mind when someone thought of a cutter. What could have happened to the blond to make him turn to drugs and cutting?

Nico got dressed and grabbed his backpack as fast as he could. He hurried out of his and Jason's suite before briskly walking to the elevator. He hit the button to the parking garage and waited patiently as the metal box descended to his desired floor.

Upon his arrival, he found Clarisse talking to a muscular young man with black hair. He had dark tanned skin of a Hispanic origin and dark brown eyes. He wasn't quite as muscular as Beckendorf, but he was probably around the same stature as Butch. He was tall, probably matching Percy's height. His hair had a slight curl to it and he had upturned eyebrows, just like the Stoll twins. Also like the twins, he had a crooked smile, which screamed trouble. There was a faint hint of stubble on his face, which only seemed to enhance his features.

Clarisse frowned when she noticed Nico and shoved the young man away. He raised his eyebrows as he uncrossed his arms. “About damn time,” Clarisse grunted.

The young man smirked and ran his hand into the back of his curly hair. “I don't believe we've met,” he said, holding out his hand for Nico. Nico slowly took it the offered appendage, pursing his lips from the strong grip the young man had. “I'm Chris.”

“Nico,” the shorter brown-eyed boy said.

Clarisse rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, introductions and all that. Now get in the damn car,” she huffed.

Chris smiled at her before releasing Nico's hand. He patted Nico on the shoulder as he headed to the elevator. Nico got into the car and glanced over at Clarisse. “Who is he?”

The girl narrowed her eyes as she backed up. “None of your business, that's who.”

Nico held his hands up in defense. What the hell was that about? Nico sighed and looked out his window. He couldn't wait until he could have his own car.

Nico stepped down the bleachers with the crowd of people. Unlike everyone else, though, he was indifferent about their school's victory. He had never been much of a sports person. Growing up, he had preferred video and card games over anything concerning a ball.

He began looking around for Daedalus, but only managed to get himself shoved around. He frowned and decided to head for the exit. Even after working at the Lotus, he still didn't like large crowds. Perhaps he could wait for Daedalus in the parking lot.

Surprisingly enough, the boy he was looking for was outside by a vaguely familiar car, talking to a girl with long dark brown hair. Nico tilted his head to the side as he tried to place where he had seen it before. As he approached, Daedalus spotted him. The brunet waved him over. “Hey, Nico, come meet my girlfriend!” He yelled. The girl slowly turned her head around, her brow furrowed and a frown on her face. As soon as their eyes locked, their eyes widened.

Her eyes matched Nico's own, their father's eyes. Her silky long brown hair was kept in a ponytail, just like always. Like Nico, she was skinny and had pale olive skin. But Nico had grown since the last time he had seen her, as they were about the same height. Like their mother, she had freckles dotting her face.

“Bi-” Nico didn't even have enough time to get his sister's name out before she had practically tackled him into a hug.

“Nico, oh my god, I thought you were dead!” Bianca exclaimed, still refusing to let go of Nico. Not that Nico minded, as he was still clinging to her just as fiercely.

Daedalus's eyes widened as realization hit him. “Oh shit,” he said. “That's where I've seen you before.”

Bianca glared up at her boyfriend. “I've shown you his picture before! How could you have forgotten?” She hissed. “I could have found him already.”

“Shit, I'm sorry.”

“I-It's fine,” Nico stuttered as he finally pulled away from his sister.

“No, it's not fine. Nico, I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you had died out there,” Bianca argued. “I searched and searched and searched for you, at least hoping I'd find something. Even if it was a body. I just wanted to know.” Tears started to form in Bianca's eyes as she pulled Nico in for another hug.

“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “I didn't think to grab my phone before I left. Not that I could have charged it anyway.”

Bianca sighed and held Nico at arm’s length. “It wouldn't have made a difference. Dad had your phone cut off.”

Nico pursed his lips. “How's mom?”

“She...She's fine, for the most part. She still has trouble sleeping, not knowing where you are, or if you're even alive.” The brown haired girl fumbled in her pocket until she pulled out her phone. “I need a picture, so I can show her you're all right.”

Nico's eyes widened and he lowered his sister's phone. “I, uh, don't think that's a good idea,” he mumbled.

Bianca's brow furrowed. “Why not? She's worried about you, Nico.”

Nico nodded. “I know. I just don't want dad to know, okay? I don't want him to find me.”

Bianca sighed and nodded before pocketing her phone. “Okay. Just assure me that you're all right. Do you have a place to live? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you eating?”

Nico chuckled and hugged Bianca again. “Relax, I'm fine. Yes, I have a home. Yes, I'm taking care of myself. And, yes, I'm eating. I'm fine, Bianca, I promise,” he said.

Bianca sighed again and let the boy go. She turned around and punched her boyfriend in the arm. “Ow! What was that for?” Daedalus yelled.

“I'm holding you accountable for this,” Bianca said with a glare. “Just keep an eye on him at school, okay?”

Daedalus nodded, still rubbing his arm. Nico's eyes drifted over his sister's shoulder to spot Reyna in her car. “Um, I know we just found each other again,” Nico began, “but I need to get going. My ride is here.”

Bianca frowned at him. “I can give you a ride.”

Nico pursed his lips. “I, uh... No, that's all right. Besides, I'd hate to have made my ride drive all the way here for nothing.”

Bianca sighed as Nico gave her a final hug. “You still remember my number, right?” Bianca asked as the boy pulled away.

Nico nodded. “I'll call you, don't worry.”

His sister frowned at him as Nico walked off towards Reyna's car. The girl quirked an eyebrow at him when he got in. She opened her mouth, but shook her head. “Never mind, I don't want to know,” Reyna sighed.

Nico smiled and looked out the window. Maybe finding his sister was a sign that things were going to get better for him. Nico frowned as a thought popped into his head. He was now really curious as to why Percy had been so against Nico being friends with Daedalus. That friendship had led to his reunion with his sister. How was it a bad thing? But then again, Dionysus had claimed that Percy often had a hidden meaning with things he said.

“You don't really strike me as the sports kind of guy,” Reyna said, pulling Nico's attention away from the window.

He shrugged. “I was just going because my friend asked me to go,” Nico replied. “Besides, I just wanted some time away from the hotel.”

Reyna frowned at the road ahead of them. “Didn't take last night so well, eh?”

“How did you react when Percy was a killer?”

Reyna shrugged. “Well, I found that out the day I met him,” she replied. Nico's eyebrows rose at her confession. “But he dealt with my problem, so I didn't care.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“He killed my ex.” Reyna let out a long breath as she rubbed the tattoo on her wrist. “Yeah, he said he was originally just going to beat the guy until he got the money, but when I tried to leave and my boyfriend hit me, Percy shot him.” She smirked and poked herself in the forehead. “Right between the eyes.”

Nico frowned and fidgeted in his seat. “It didn't bother you at all?”

Reyna scrunched her lips. “Well, perhaps a little, at first, but not anymore. My ex ruined my life, whereas Percy gave me a chance at a new one. I'm glad the bastard is rotting.”

“But he didn't kill Apollo's ex, and that guy really hurt Apollo.”

Reyna sighed. “Apollo turned down Percy's offer.” She glanced over at Nico. “Even if people hurt you, if you really love or care about them, things like that are hard to go through with.” She shrugged. “So, Percy put Robert under his thumb and uses the bastard's position and power to his own advantage.”

“You said he gave Apollo a choice? Why didn't he give you one?”

“I don't know. Perhaps he saw that I didn't care? Percy is good at reading people. Who knows, maybe he knew Apollo would say no to the offer.”

Nico nodded. “Has this happened to any of the others? You know, Percy killing someone. Or, has he given anyone else the offer?”

Reyna smirked at him briefly. “That is between you and them,” she chuckled. “I can give you a list, if you want it.”

Nico bit down on his lip. Did he really want to know this piece of information? It might change the way he saw Percy. Well, he already knew Percy was a killer, so did it really matter at this point? “I, guess,” Nico whispered.

Reyna smiled. “Perhaps there's some hope for you yet, boy.” She tapped her finger on the steering wheel. “Let's see...there's Apollo, Luke and Octavian, Annabeth, Hazel, Calypso, and Silena.”

“That he made the offer to, or killed the parent or parents?”

Reyna shook her head. “That, my friend, is for you to discuss with them,” she replied. “It's a little of both, but that's as much as you'll get from me.”

Nico sighed and nodded as they pulled into the parking garage. Reyna pulled into the first parking spot she could find and threw her car into the space. Nico and her quietly got out of the car and headed for the elevator. Reyna slid her card into the slot and hit the button to their floor.

“You don't have to be afraid of him,” Reyna said, her eyes watching the numbers rise.

“I'm not,” Nico mumbled.

Reyna smiled and shook her head. “That's a lie.”

Nico frowned at her. “Okay, well, I'm not terrified of him.”

She chuckled at him. “That's better. Well, Percy probably doesn't mind. He knows it takes some time for some of us to adjust to the news.” Her smile dropped as the elevator reached their floor. “But, I'm sure Percy will do his best to show you all of this.” She rolled her eyes and walked out of the elevator.

Whiplash much? Nico shook his head and exited the elevator. As he was opening his door, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out as he was throwing his backpack on the couch. He didn't hear any noise in the suite, so he assumed Jason was resting or not in the suite at all. He glanced down at his phone, raising an eyebrow at Leo's name on the screen. He slid his thumb across the screen and raised the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Leo,” Nico greeted him.

“Hey. Are you back yet?” Leo asked.

“Yeah. What's up?”

“You wanna come down to the lobby? I'm on break and wanted some company.”

Nico smiled. “Yeah, that sounds great. I'll be right down.”

He hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. He opened the door and went back into the hall, frowning as he spotted the twins down at the elevator. Connor was frantically hitting the call button, but the elevator had apparently left since Nico last used it. Travis was tugging on the back of his brother's shirt.

“Connor, please talk to me,” Travis whined.

“I don't want to talk to you,” Connor growled, turning around and smacking his brother's hand away.

The taller twin frowned at his brother. “This isn't about Apollo and Leo still, is it?”

Connor glared at his brother. “No, this is about what you said yesterday. This is about going along with said blond's offer of sex, after I expressed my desire for us to stay out of it. And then, to top it off, last night, you come back, drunk, and want to wake me up so we can talk.” Connor shook his head incredulously. “I thought I came first here, above the others.”

Travis let his head fall back with a groan. “Con, I was wasted. I didn't think you wanted to talk to me.”

Connor narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “I figured that much out. Oh, I forgot one. You woke me up by falling onto the bed, drunk, and trying to get me out of my boxers.” The shorter of the two rolled his eyes. “Real charming.”

Travis's eyes grew hurt as he looked down. “I'm sorry, Connor.” The elevator door finally opened and Connor wasted no time in boarding it. Travis attempted to follow after him, but Connor shoved him out. “Connor, will you please wait a minute?”

“No, and don't wait up for me tonight. I'm sleeping with Percy.”

Travis let out a long sigh as the doors slid shut. He stumbled back into the nearest wall and slid down it, burying his face in his knees. Nico stepped closer and placed his hand on the corner, frowning down at the sulking twin. “Travis, are you okay?” He asked gently.

Travis shook his head, refusing to look up at Nico. “Do I look okay?” The brunet mumbled.

Nico slid down next to him and crossed his legs. “I'm willing to listen, if you want to talk.”

Travis sighed and raised his head, letting it drop back against the wall. “I try to be a good brother, I really do. I just feel like a fuck up sometimes.” He turned his head so that he was looking at Nico. “When we were going from home to home, I took as many beatings for him as possible.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You'd be surprised how many of those idiots were too stupid to actually try disciplining us at the same time.”

Nico frowned at the brunet. “I'm sorry. You seem protective of him.”

Travis smiled. “Am I? I didn't realize,” the brunet said in a bit of a sarcastic tone.

Nico frowned at the elder twin. “Travis, yesterday, when Connor got upset with what you said, are you two...?” He trailed off.

Travis sighed and slapped his knees before standing up. He eyed Nico carefully for a moment before running a hand through his curly hair and smirking. “I don't know what you're talking about, Nico. Everyone knows that incest is wrong, right?”

Nico opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. He let his mouth fall shut as Travis headed towards his suite. Finally, Nico stood up and stared after him. “I didn't say I had a problem with the two of you doing it.”

Travis stopped for a brief moment before continuing down the hall. Without another word to Nico, he slid his card into his door and disappeared inside. Nico took in a deep breath before exhaling it and hitting the elevator call button. He knew the Stolls turned up the brotherly love thing for the customers, but was it really an act? From the way they had been acting the past two days, Nico was starting to wonder.

When Nico reached the lobby, he found Leo tapping his foot. “There you are!” Leo exclaimed, grabbing Nico's arm and dragging him towards the nearby stairs and dragged him towards the pool.

“Where are we going?” Nico asked.

“Smoothies!”

Nico arched an eyebrow. “Okay? Random.”

Leo led them past the pool and to a door that led outside. He hadn't really visited the outdoor bar since he had arrived at the hotel, but he did know of its existence. The two of them waited in line for their order to be taken. Finally, they reached the counter, where a shirtless young man smiled at them.

He was an attractive young man, but Nico couldn't seem to figure out his age. He looked like he could have been working upstairs with the other Lost Kids. He had Apollo and Will's beach body and tan skin. He had nice full lips that were tilted up into a smile that could make anyone melt. His skin lacked any blemishes and he had perfectly shaped eyebrows. He had dirty blond hair that nearly passed for brown. He had it styled so that it looked messy, though he kept it parted off to the right. He had bright hazel eyes, which sparkled in the sun.

The young man rested his arms on the counter and leaned towards Leo and Nico. “Afternoon, Leo. Who's your friend?” He asked, smiling at Nico and raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Leo rolled his eyes. “This is Nico,” the Latino answered.

The blond grinned at him. “Oh, so you're Nico. I've heard about you.”

Nico frowned at the attractive man. “What have you heard?” he mumbled.

The guy shrugged. “Nothing bad.” He held out his hand and shook Nico's. “I'm Ganymede.”

“Shouldn't you be...I don't know, working somewhere else in the hotel?” Nico asked bluntly.

Ganymede chuckled at him. “So you think I'm hot?” The blond shrugged. “I get that a lot. But I did used to work in your position.”

“So, why did you quit?”

Ganymede placed his hands behind his head, giving Nico a good view of his washboard abs. “Most Lost Kids retire around thirty, which I turned back in May.”

Nico frowned at him. “You don't look thirty,” he assessed.

The blond chuckled. “Thanks, kid.” He winked at Nico and flashed a bright smile. “Well, I'm not that old, and I'm still good at what I used to do.”

Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, seduction and all that. Can we get some smoothies?” He grumbled.

Ganymede pouted at the Latino. “Still butt hurt over Apollo?”

Leo glared at the blond. “Shut up.”

The Adonis chuckled and got two empty glasses. “What would you like?”

“Banana,” Leo said, perking up slightly.

“And for you, cutie?” Ganymede asked.

Nico eyed the menu above the blond's head. “What would you recommend?” He asked.

“Everything is great!” Leo exclaimed. “It just depends on what you want. All of us usually get something different, even the twins. This is more Connor's area, as he is the one with the sweet tooth.” Leo tapped his chin. “Percy usually has the blueberry smoo-”

“I'll take that.”

Leo chuckled at him. Ganymede smiled and went about preparing their orders, while Leo and Nico sat down at the bar. Nico stared at the blond as he busied himself. So this was what Percy meant by Lost Kids never leaving?

“So, you were a Lost Kid while Percy was working as one?” Nico asked.

Ganymede quirked an eyebrow at him as he began the blender. “Well, he worked in Germany for most of his time as a Lost Kid, but he did show up before his eighteenth birthday.” The blond bit his lip. “Best fucking I ever got, right there.” He cleared his throat and blew at his styled bangs. “Anyways, yeah, I was around when he was stripping.”

“Everyone says he was good.”

Ganymede nodded. “Oh, that would be an understatement.” He bit down on his lip again. “Sin incarnate, that one is. But, yeah, I was around for all of the Lost Kids' arrivals,” his eyes darted over to Leo, “and all of their first experiences at the Lotus.” The blond smiled and slid their finished drinks across the bar.

Leo took his, glaring at the blond. Nico frowned and grabbed his own smoothie before following after the Latino boy, receiving a wink from Ganymede as he left. Nico sighed as he followed Leo back into the hotel. The Latino boy led them to one of the lounge areas in the hotel lobby. Leo plopped down on one of the couches with a loud sigh, drinking eagerly from his drink.

“He reminds me of Apollo,” Nico pointed out, taking a sip of his smoothie. He moaned happily at the taste. Somehow, it fit Percy. Perhaps it was all the blue Nico saw the guy wear.

Leo rolled his eyes. “That would be because he taught Apollo a lot of what he knows,” the Latino mumbled.

“You don't seem to like Apollo, or that's how it seemed yesterday.”

Leo sighed again. “I don't hate him. I don't think any of us hate each other. The closest ones that hate each other are Piper and Drew, and even they can get along sometimes. We're supposed to be a family, even if we're currently a madhouse.”

“What happened?”

Leo shook his head, busying his mouth with his drink. “I really don't want to talk about it,” he mumbled around his straw. “Maybe another time?”

Nico nodded. “There's a lot going on around here right now,” Nico said.

Leo's eyes drifted over Nico's shoulder, his eyes widening. “You have no idea,” Leo replied. Nico frowned and turned around, his drink nearly falling out of his hand.

Bianca and Daedalus were walking in the front door, being led by none other than Percy. Percy smiled at the two of them and directed them over to where Leo and Nico were seated. The green-eyed young man smirked at Nico when the brown-eyed boy looked at him in shock. He was gloating, the bastard.

“See, here he is,” Percy said. “Nico, look who I found outside the hotel.”

Nico chuckled nervously as Bianca sat down and hugged him. Leo still stared at the two guests with wide eyes. Beckendorf, Piper, and Will came out of the restaurant and froze when they saw the girl hugging Nico. It took them a few seconds, but their eyes widened when they realized who the girl was.

Bianca smiled at Nico as she let go of him. “Yeah, your boss was nice enough to validate our parking,” she said. “I just didn't want to lose you so soon after finding you.”

Daedalus let out a low whistle, his eyes roaming the lobby. “This place is even nicer on the inside,” he assessed.

“I guess you really are taken care of.”

Nico nodded, his eyes drifting over to stare at Percy in confusion. The manager smiled at him innocently. “Well, when I saw Nico's sister outside my hotel, I couldn't just let her pay for parking.” His eyes flashed mischievously at Nico. “Besides, any friend of Nico's is welcome here. Didn't I tell you, Nico?”

Nico frowned at him. Was this what he meant when he said he didn't want Nico being friends with Daedalus? Did he know this would happen? “I-You did say that, sir,” Nico said through gritted teeth.

Percy smiled and his eyes traveled down to Nico's hands. Nico frowned and pulled his drink away from Percy, glaring at him warningly. He was not going to let the jerk take another snack of his, not after the cupcake incident.

“But, I will need to get to work,” Nico continued.

Percy waved him off. “Nonsense, you don't have work for several hours. Bianca and Daedalus are more than welcome to eat here for dinner, my treat,” Percy said.

Nico frowned, which went unnoticed by Bianca and her boyfriend, who smiled at Percy. Why was he torturing Nico like this? “That would be great!” Bianca exclaimed. “I can't thank you enough, Percy, for taking care of my brother.”

Percy shrugged. “He takes care of himself. I just gave him a job and a place to sleep.”

“It's more than our father gave him.”

Percy's lips tilted down into a frown, his eyes drifting back over to Nico. “You have my word that he'll be well taken care of.”

Bianca smiled and nodded before turning back to her brother. “So, what do you do around here?” She asked.

“Yes, Nico, do tell,” Percy added with a sly grin.

Nico frowned at him. “I just work around the hotel. I hope you don't mind, but I work in a bar.” He held up a hand when Bianca went to open her mouth. “I don't drink.”

Bianca let out a breath. “Good. Well, I guess I don't mind. I suppose you make good money.”

Nico chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “You could say that.” Percy slowly moved closer, around the back of the couch.

Bianca pulled out her phone and looked at the time. “Shit,” she mumbled. “Um, let me call mom and let her know that I'm going to eat out.” She got up from the couch and walked a few feet away, Daedalus following behind her.

Nico's eyes widened as his drink was plucked from his hand and raised to Percy's lips. The tall young man winked at him as he sipped away at Nico's smoothie. “That was mine,” Nico mumbled. “Aren't I already suffering enough?”

Percy chuckled and swung his legs over the couch, sitting himself next to Nico. He licked his lips and winked again. “Well, if you had gotten a second straw, we could have shared,” he teased. He leaned into Nico's ear. “I'd much rather lick it off your body.” He smirked and pulled away, enjoying the sight of Nico's pink cheeks.

“You're such a jerk,” Nico grunted, snatching his smoothie from Percy's hands. He had to admit, though, that did sound like a tempting suggestion. “But were you being serious?”

Percy chuckled and slid his arm behind Nico. “You'll find out tomorrow night.” His eyes glanced over to Bianca. “Well, here she comes.”

Nico turned his head just as Bianca sat down again. “She said it was fine,” his sister announced. Nico frowned as Bianca took his smoothie and took a long sip before handing it back to him. Why was everyone stealing his snacks?

Daedalus happened to be admiring the lobby still, when the elevator opened. Jason walked out, a frown on his face. “Jason?” Daedalus asked, raising an eyebrow. The blond froze, his eyes going wide. Nico saw him curse under his breath.

“Uh, hi, Daedalus,” Jason greeted his friend as he approached. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, if you had been at school today, you would have found out that I'm dating Nico's sister.” The brunet frowned at the blond. “Where were you anyways?”

“I, uh...” Jason trailed off, his eyes darting over to Percy.

“I tried to warn you,” Percy breathed into Nico's ear. He sighed and smiled. “Jason works and stays here as well.”

Daedalus's brow furrowed. “You never told me this, dude,” the brunet said.

“Uh, yeah, well, I didn't think it was important. I didn't want anyone at school to know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I was looking for you, Percy. Rachel said you were down here.”

Percy nodded. He stood up and snapped his fingers at Leo. The Latino stood up and stared down at Nico with a frown. “Good luck,” he muttered.

Percy gave the boy a shove towards the elevator before glancing down at Nico. “I'll see you later, Nico, and I'll be waiting to hear all about your reunion,” the manager said with a fake smile. He turned his smile on Bianca. “I'll have the staff notified of your presence, so feel free to do whatever you like while you're here.”

Bianca smiled and nodded. Percy walked over to where Daedalus and Jason were having a quiet discussion. He grabbed the blond by the back of the neck and dragged him towards the elevator, sliding an arm around Jason's shoulders. Nico frowned as Percy leaned in and whispered in the blond's ear.

“Your boss seems nice,” Daedalus said, taking a seat on the opposite couch.

“Yeah,” Bianca said with a frown. “Maybe a little too nice.” She faced her brother. “He hasn't hurt you, has he? I don't know, something about him seems off.”

Nico shook his head. “No, he's been great,” he replied. Bianca searched his eyes for any sign of falsehood, but Nico had become better at lying since the last time he had seen his sister. “I promise. He's fun to be around.”

“I still wish you'd let me tell mom. I'm sure she would keep it a secret.”

Nico frowned. “I just don't want to take the risk. What if dad finds out? I don't want him showing up at school, or worse, here.”

Daedalus frowned. “So, was yesterday not your first meeting with Jason?” He asked.

Nico bit down on his lip. What had he gotten himself into? “No, it was,” he said truthfully. “It's just hard to explain.” Nico cleared his throat and stood up. “So, you guys want to go eat?”

“Can't you stay a little longer and talk?” Bianca frowned as Nico stood up.

The boy chewed on his lip. “I really need to get to work. I don't need to be late. But we can see each other a lot more from now on, right? You have my number, you can call me whenever you want,” he said. “But I do work late, so I might not be able to answer at night.”

Bianca sighed and stood up. The three of them walked out of the restaurant. “All right, I guess. Just call or text me if you need something, anything at all.”

“And I'll keep an eye on him at school for you,” Daedalus added.

Bianca narrowed her eyes at the brunet. “You better. I'm still mad that I could have found him already, if you had just made the connection.”

Nico smiled as they reached the front doors. “I really missed you,” he said quietly.

“I missed you, too,” Bianca whispered back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “You're getting taller, I don't like it.”

Nico chuckled and wrapped his arms around her back. “Well, I probably won't get much taller, unless I was lucky enough to take after dad in height.”

Bianca smiled and pulled back, a few tears in her eyes. “You're a much better man that he could ever be, don't forget that.” She gave him a quick hug before walking backwards. “I'll see you later, Nico.”

He smiled and waved at his sister and her boyfriend as they walked out of the hotel. “Bye!” He called after them.

“Did you have a good time?”

Nico jumped at the sound of Percy's voice in his ear. “Fuck, Percy,” Nico hissed.

Percy grinned. “Sorry, I just got finished with Annabeth.” Nico glared at the green-eyed young man as he stood to his full height. “So, how did things go?”

“I didn't expose the hotel, if that's what you're asking.”

Percy shrugged. “Was it? That's good to hear, though.”

“So, that's why you didn't want me talking to Daedalus?” Nico asked.

Percy smirked. “Was it? You tell me, Nico. I mean, what harm was there in you getting to see your sister again?”

Nico frowned. Something in the way Percy said that made him uneasy. Was he wrong in thinking that was the reasoning behind Percy's request on his friendship with Daedalus? “I don't know,” Nico mumbled.

Percy smiled and slipped his hand onto Nico's lower back, guiding the smaller boy to the elevator. “Well, don't worry about it right now. You do need to worry about getting ready for work, though.” Percy shoved Nico onto an elevator and leaned on the opening. “I'll see you later tonight, all right?”

Nico nodded. “I'm sorry.”

Percy shrugged. “Don't worry about it.” He winked and stepped back, allowing the doors to shut.

Nico sighed and pulled out his card. He slid it into the slot and hit the button to his floor. He wondered how bad this was going to go for him. Not only had he risked exposing himself, but he risked Jason's own privacy as well. He let out a groan. The blond would probably give Nico an earful later.

He stepped off the elevator when it came to a stop at his floor. He walked around the corner, just in time to see Silena slap Beckendorf across the face. Nico's eyes widened as he blinked at the couple. “You fucking liar!” She yelled. “You told me there wasn't anything to worry about, but Luke told me he saw you leaving his suite last night. And it doesn't take a genius to figure out what you two were doing, judging by the way Octavian was limping earlier.”

Beckendorf frowned at his girlfriend. “Just helping the guy out,” he grunted.

“You're too insecure.”

Beckendorf snorted. “You're one to talk. That's why I don't fucking like you being alone with Luke. I know about your early days here.”

Silena narrowed her eyes. “We weren't together back then. You weren't even here. Luke was there for me,” she hissed. “Why are you doing this? To help Octavian spite his brother? How low are you going to sink next time?”

Beckendorf pounded his fist into the wall by Silena's head. “I don't need your fucking judgment, woman!”

Nico swallowed and cleared his throat, drawing the couple's attention. “I, uh... Maybe you should do that in private,” he mumbled.

Beckendorf narrowed his eyes at Nico, but Silena let out a sigh and nodded her head. “He's right,” the raven haired girl said. “Thank you, Nico.” She crossed her arms and faced her boyfriend. “Come and talk to me after work, we can discuss it then.” With that, she stormed off to her room.

Nico frowned at Beckendorf as he slid a hand down his face. “Thanks for looking out, shortie,” Beckendorf grunted.

The raven haired boy nodded his head. “No problem,” he replied. “What was that about? You messed around with Octavian?”

Beckendorf sighed and leaned back against his doorframe. “Yeah, something like that. The guy isn't happy with his brother.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “Did Luke do something wrong?”

The muscular Lost Kid rolled his eyes and sneered. “Your concern for him is touching. But, yeah, you could say that. Well, he did something wrong in Octavian's eyes.”

Nico frowned. “What did he do? Does it have to do with me? Because Octavian has been sort of rude with me. Well, more than normal.”

Beckendorf let out a long breath. “Luke is one of the 'brothers' of our group, Apollo is the other. They were amongst the original four that came to the hotel after Percy's arrival. So, they have become the older siblings of our little family. However, Octavian ended up coming into the fold, which drew a lot of Luke's attention.” The muscular young man glanced across the hall at Luke's door. “But, as you can imagine, Octavian wasn't the same little brother that Luke had remembered him to be.”

Nico pursed his lips. “So, Luke was disappointed when he saw Octavian again?” He asked.

The buff Lost Kid shook his head. “No, not exactly, anyways. Luke has some issues over the matter, but that's about it. They were relatively fine, until you came along.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “What did I do? I'm not trying to cause trouble.”

Beckendorf shrugged. “You'll have to take that up with Luke or Octavian. Since Luke seems a little sweet on you, perhaps he'll share that info with you.”

Nico frowned and walked past Beckendorf, tired of hearing about the issue. He was tired of a lot of the issues he was finding out about. Was he really that much of a problem for everyone? Nico frowned as he shut his door behind him. But what did any of what Beckendorf just said have to do with Octavian being mad at Luke?

Nico hurried back to his room and stripped. He tossed his boxers aside and slipped on a dark red speedo. He grabbed some track shorts and checked his hair in the mirror. Grabbing his phone and wallet, he headed back out of his suite.

He found Juniper, Hazel, and Will waiting at the elevator. “Hey, Nico,” Hazel greeted him.

“Hey,” he replied with a wave.

Will smiled and slung his arm around Nico's shoulders. “So, Nico, we heard that you found your sister,” the blond stated.

“What of it?”

The blond shrugged. Juniper smiled. “It's nice, that's all,” the girl said.

“Sure, that's what I meant,” Will chuckled.

Nico frowned at him. “Is there a problem?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Will smiled and drew circles on Nico's chest with his index fingers. “Not at all. But you're not planning on leaving us, are you?”

Nico shook his head. “Why would you think that?”

“We were just worried about you,” Hazel replied. “We know you found out about Percy, and were curious if you were going to run back to your old life.”

Nico eyed the three of them carefully. “Wouldn't you like that?” He grumbled.

Will frowned and rested his cheek on Nico's head. “We'd miss you too much, Nico,” the blond sighed. “You certainly liven this place up.”

Nico sighed. “But I don't mean to do anything.”

Will held his hands up in a shrug as they all boarded the elevator. “Well, I for one am glad you will be staying with us.”

Nico pursed his lips tightly. “Found new blood to torment?”

Hazel and Will smiled innocently at Nico. “But you're still the new blood,” Hazel teased him with a wink.

Will hummed in agreement. “Yeah, you're still catching on to things, whereas Jason already has the hang of stuff, it looks like.” He grinned when he saw Nico frown. “But don't worry, Nico, I'll still be more than happy to play with you, even though there's a new Lost Kid.”

“My hero,” Nico mumbled sarcastically, shoving Will away and exiting the elevator.

Nico shuddered as he felt Will's breath on his ear. “I'd be glad to show you why everyone wanted me in the orphanage,” the blond whispered in a deep voice.

Nico turned his head to look at the blond, but Will just smiled and pushed past Nico. The brown-eyed boy frowned as Will walked past Ethan and Clarisse. “Will lived in an orphanage?” Nico asked, turning to Hazel.

The girl nodded. “Yeah, for most of his life,” the girl said sadly, her lips tilting down.

“What about his parents?”

Hazel shook her head. “You'll have to talk to him about that.” She scrunched her lips as she pulled her eyes away from Will's back. “He and I were in the same circumstance that you and Jason are in now, we both went to high school together once we arrived at the Lotus. So, I don't feel comfortable betraying his trust like that.”

Nico nodded. Juniper gave him a sad smile as she looped her arm into his and led him toward the stairs. “Cheer up, Nico,” she said as they reached the split in the hall.

“It's just a lot to take in,” he admitted.

The amber haired girl nodded and gave him a hug before waving and walking down the hall to her side. Nico let out a sigh and turned around, catching quizzical looks from both Ethan and Clarisse before frowning and heading down his own hall. Before ending up on the streets, he would have never imagined that someone's life could be filled with such depressing things, but here he was, meeting quite a few, all with equally depressing stories.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Nico wasted no time in going to the back room. Dionysus was happily tapping his foot and humming to himself, his head back and his eyes closed. Connor, Beckendorf, and Reyna were already sitting on the couch. Connor looked unhappy, frowning and leaning on Reyna.

Thalia pushed through the door to the girls' side and sighed at the sight of the sulking brunet. “Just man up and go talk to your brother,” she grunted.

Connor's face grew blank of emotion as his blue eyes flickered up to the raven haired girl. He simply shrugged his shoulders at her, not even bothering with a verbal response. Thalia rolled her eyes at him.

“Hey, Thalia,” Nico greeted the short girl.

She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. “Hey there, Neeks. So, I expect you to keep an eye on my brother for me, yeah? He was trouble as a kid,” she joked.

“Why didn't he come here with you?”

Thalia's smile dropped. “I-I just had to get out. And Heracles...he and our father...” She bit down on her lip, her brow furrowing. “I wasn't able to get to him. I didn't have much time, and I ended up making a last minute decision, not an easy one either.” She rubbed her arm nervously. “I-He probably holds a grudge against me for what I did. I wouldn't blame him if he did. I just reached my breaking point, you know.”

“He seemed fine with you this morning,” Nico pointed out.

Thalia shrugged. “He's probably good at acting, just like we are. Please don't say anything.”

Nico nodded his head. “I won't,” he promised.

Drew shoved through the door with a dramatic sigh before walking over and leaning against the bar with the flip of her hair. She held out a hand and inspected a gold ring with an emerald in it, a satisfied smile on her face. She made no attempt to indulge in conversation with anyone else in the room.

Nico glanced back over to Connor, who had dropped his head into Reyna's lap. The brunet, like his brother, was one of the skinnier Lost Boys. He had the hint of abs on his stomach and relatively tan skin with no tan lines. His normally bright blue eyes were dark and depressing looking.

Reyna finally huffed and got up, nearly knocking Connor out of her lap. The brunet frowned at her back as she left through the swinging door. Beckendorf grunted and got up to leave, shooting Nico a glance on his way. “Come on, slut,” Thalia called over to Drew, who rolled her eyes at the short girl.

As the two girls left, Nico held out a hand to help Connor stand. “Thanks,” Connor mumbled as he got to his feet. He adjusted his green speedo and glanced at Nico from behind his bangs. “About earlier...”

Nico shook his head. “I already talked to your brother,” Nico said. “I mean, he didn't really talk about what is currently going on, but he's upset you don't want to talk to him.”

Connor nodded his head with a frown. He turned his head to glare at Dionysus, who was watching them from the corner of his eye. “I know he means well, but I just wish he would stop being scared.” Connor's eyes hazed over, and it looked like he might start crying. But the boy shook his head and smiled at Nico. “We need to get to work, yeah?”

Nico nodded and walked out with Connor, who smiled at him one more time before heading off to a table. What was Travis scared of? He let out a sigh and headed to a table with a woman and two men. The woman had curled her black hair and smelled heavily of perfume. The man on her right had short peppered hair and stubble. The man on the woman's left had muscular looking arms and dirty blond hair that was parted off to the left.

“Good evening,” Nico said with a smile. “What can I get you?” He batted his eyes a few times and bit down on his lip.

While the blond man and the woman took a moment to look him over, the other man seemed unfazed by his lack of clothing. “I'd like you this evening,” the blond commented, his eyes locked on Nico's ass.

Nico forced his smile to stick on his face. “I'll see what I can do. So, what can I get you all to drink?”

As Nico finished taking the order, the lights in the room dimmed and the music started. The curtain opened, revealing three of the blond Lost Boys: Apollo, Will, and Octavian. They each wore black pants and ties. They began sliding across the floor to the hip-hop music currently playing, sliding their hands through their hair.

Nico took a quick moment to appreciate their shirtless states before heading to the bar room. “Oh, Nico, there you are,” Dionysus greeted him. “I was meaning to congratulate you on reuniting with your dear sister.”

“Thanks,” Nico said cautiously, setting his order onto the counter for the bartender.

The chubby bartender smiled at him. “Perhaps Percy was wrong after all.”

Nico tilted his head to the side, leaning back against the couch. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, it led to you finding your sister. Surely nothing bad could happen from that.” The man nodded his head. “Perhaps you could even bring her here. Yes, then she wouldn't have to live with that dreadful father of yours.”

Nico frowned. “I don't want Bianca to be brought into this,” he mumbled. “Besides, our father actually likes her. She wasn't the disappointment.”

Dionysus tutted while mixing the drink. “Oh dear, I shudder to think about what might happen if he were to find out about your new line of work,” the bartender said.

“Well, he's not going to find out.”

Dionysus's dark eyes sparked with interest. “And if he does? What then?”

Nico frowned and rubbed his arm. “I-I don't know. I don't really want to think about it.”

Dionysus's smile turned warm again as he handed Nico his tray of drinks. Nico forced his own smile on as he accepted the tray and walked out of the room as fast as he could without spilling anything. He walked through the door, just in time to get an eyeful of Octavian's tight pale ass being smacked by Will.

Nico handed off the drink order just as the blonds were leaving the stage. Next up was Butch, but Nico's attention ended up getting drawn away when he noticed Connor seating Percy, Leo, and Jason. Nico's lips tilted down into a frown when he saw Percy pull the blond closer, placing his arm behind Jason's head.

Two hours later, Nico was still keeping an eye on Percy's booth. Leo had gone off to take care of business, but Percy stayed behind, laughing and talking with Jason. But, while the blond did seem to be enjoying Percy's company, he didn't smile that much. At least not a genuine smile. His attention rarely focused on the stage, seemingly uninterested in the performances. Percy was the blond's primary focus.

Nico watched as Percy leaned in to whisper something in Jason's ear, a sly smirk on his face. Jason bit down on his lip and finally managed a real smile for Percy. This made the green-eyed manager smile brightly and place his hand on Jason's thigh.

“Well, well, look at that.”

Nico jumped at the sound of Apollo's voice in his ear. “You really need to stop doing that,” Nico hissed.

The blond shrugged. He had gotten dressed since his last performance, but still chose to walk around shirtless. He rubbed his arm as he looked over to Percy and Jason. Nico frowned and followed the blond's gaze. “Now do you see?” Apollo said quietly.

“See what?”

“What we saw when Percy looks at you.”

Nico's brow furrowed as he focused his attention on the green-eyed young man. “But they just met,” Nico reasoned.

Apollo shrugged again. “And? He took an interest in you quickly after meeting you.”

“So, Percy likes me?”

The blond rolled his eyes. “I didn't say that. I said he has an interest in you.”

Will came up behind Apollo and slung his arms around the slightly taller blond's neck. “What are we talking about?” He asked.

“Percy and Jason,” Apollo replied casually.

Will nodded. He looked over to the two in question and cocked an eyebrow. “Look, that's how he looks and smiles at you, Nico.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at the two blonds. “He could lose interest,” Beckendorf said, appearing beside Nico.

Nico frowned at him. “What do you mean?” He asked.

The muscular young man shrugged, getting small smirks from the two blonds. “I'm just saying that Percy still sees you as a child. An innocent little child. How do children match up against adults, who can fulfill certain needs?”

Nico's frown increased as he turned back to Percy. “He's the one who keeps saying no.”

“Is he?” Apollo asked.

“Maybe you don't push hard enough,” Beckendorf added.

Nico chewed on his lip for a few moments before tearing his eyes away from the raven haired young man in the booth. “But then I'd have to sell my body for sex,” Nico reminded them.

“But you could have Percy whenever you wanted,” Beckendorf reasoned. “Or maybe you should let someone help you draw his attention. Let someone help you prove to Percy that you're not a little kid.”

“But...” Nico trailed off, pursing his lips. If he gave in, wouldn't he be losing the one thing that gave him Percy's attention? If his innocence was gone, would Percy still show him the same amount of attention? Koko had seen something, hadn't she? Was there hope for him? If there was, he didn't need to throw it away.

“Maybe Percy wouldn't hold you to your end of the agreement,” Apollo tried reasoning. “I mean, you do seem special, so it could make sense.” Apollo and Beckendorf grinned at each other when Nico frowned at the ground.

Nico glanced over at Will, who had crossed his arms and seemed to be ignoring them. He let out a sigh before shoving Apollo towards the bar room. “Let's just finish our break, yeah?” He mumbled.

Beckendorf grunted at the two of them as Will pushed Apollo forward. Nico frowned and walked off. The conversation had made him uncomfortable, and he didn't like it. His eyes darted back over to Percy, who was leaning a little too close to Jason. Did he do that with the other Lost Kids? Did he do that with Nico? He did, didn't he?

Nico nodded to himself. Of course Percy did. Percy usually put himself close to Nico in proximity. But maybe this was how the Lost Kids felt when they stared at Percy and Nico. Was this the jealousy that Apollo felt at having the attention stolen? Was this the predatory feeling that Luke got? Was this their possessiveness?

An hour later, Nico was still uneasy with watching Percy and Jason. The blond had finally started talking with Percy, and the raven haired young man seemed eager to listen to the blond. Connor eventually broke up their conversation by approaching the table.

The brunet leaned onto the table and said something to Percy with a mischievous smirk. Percy smiled back and nodded. Connor then turned his attention to Jason and said something with a slightly forced smile. Yet, through all of it, Jason did little more than spare a glance at Connor's nearly naked form. The brunet's brow furrowed at Jason, who had turned his attention back to Percy. Connor and Percy shared a look, where he gave Connor a very clear stare that let the brunet know to drop the subject.

Percy dismissed Connor before turning his attention back to Jason. He said something to Jason and the blond nodded. Jason slid out of the booth, Percy following behind him. Percy placed his hand on Jason's back and guided the blond from the room, not even sparing anyone else a glance. If Nico were being honest with himself, it hurt.

Nico took a deep breath and headed for the bar room, needing to drop off an order. Dionysus tilted his head to the side when he noticed Nico biting on his lip. Annabeth frowned at him from the couch. “Are you all right, Nico?” She asked.

Nico slowly nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?” He whispered.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “You look a little pale.”

Nico handed over his drink order to Dionysus and sat down on the couch. “It's just Percy...and Jason.”

Annabeth sighed. “All right. Well, since you get a lot of problems with the boys, I guess I should give you some help.”

Nico smiled at her. Finally, someone wasn’t giving him more problems. “Thank you,” he said. “Percy's giving Jason a lot of attention, and it bothers me.”

Annabeth nodded her head, taking a sip of her water. “Well, I don't think that should bother you. After all, he's touchy with all of us.”

Nico chewed on his lip. “But...Apollo...Apollo said that Percy stares at Jason the same way that he stares at me,” Nico explained.

Annabeth let out a sigh before turning her head towards Nico. “Well, Nico, even if Apollo is right, I think that Percy still has some sort of interest in you,” the blonde said. “Jason's just the new kid, like you were. I'm sure that in time, Percy will come back around to you. After all, you're special in his eyes, right?”

Nico looked up at her, unable to bring a smile to his lips. The blonde raised an eyebrow at him as she awaited his response. “I guess,” Nico mumbled. “But what if he doesn't?”

Annabeth smiled at him. “I think you worry too much, Nico.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But, if it really bothers you that much, you could always welcome Jason the same way Apollo and the rest of us welcomed you.”

Nico's brow furrowed and a frown formed on his face. “You want me to hurt him?” He asked.

Annabeth raised a brow at him. “I don't want you to do anything. I was merely making a suggestion.”

“Here you are, Nico,” Dionysus said, holding a drink out to the boy. Nico smiled and thanked him before taking the drink and heading for the door.

He took the drink to its destined table and smiled at the woman with wrinkles sitting at the table. He tapped his finger to his thigh as he stood in the middle of the floor, trying to wrap his mind around everything.

His attention was pulled to the stage when The Dream's “Falsetto” began playing and Will appeared on the stage. He was clad in a light blue tank top and black cargo pants, which hung loosely from his hips. He ran one hand down his chest, while running the other through his short blond hair. He bit down on his lip as he slid his body to the right.

He popped his hips out and winked at a woman up close to the stage. He then began rolling his hips in a sinful manner, which managed to hold Nico's attention. The blond lifted his shirt up to expose his abs before dropping the fabric and shaking a finger at the audience.

He got down on his knees, spreading them wide. He continued to roll his hips as he slowly lowered himself onto his back. From there, he undid his pants and slid them off, jutting his hips into the air. He slid to the edge of the stage and got up close to a table with two men. With another wink, he ripped the tank top off of his body, exposing his surfer body to the crowd.

Will held out his hand to one woman and guided her up onto the stage. He winked at her before laying her on the ground and climbing on top of her. He began rolling his hips into the woman, while he worked on doing pushups. Nico unconsciously bit down on his lip.

Trying to show off, Will placed one arm behind his back as he continued his movements. After about five pushups like that, he lowered his body and trailed his face down the woman's chest. Coming back up, he locked eyes with Nico. The two held gazes as the blond continued to thrust against the woman. The blond winked at Nico and faked a moan.

Nico cleared his throat and tore his eyes away. He needed to remember that the Lost Boys were just trying to get into his pants because of that agreement. Still, Will was very hot.

Later, after all the customers were gone, Nico found himself in a booth with Juniper and Zoë. Apollo and Will were goofing off, dancing to some hip-hop song that Nico couldn't quite place, something about shoes. Most of the other Lost Kids had left to take care of their “after hours” business. Leo and Rachel sat at a table, counting up money and typing things into their laptops.

“Will, you need to show up to this room in thirty minutes,” Leo said, handing the blond a piece of paper.

Will grunted and pocketed it. “Are we free to go now?” He asked.

Apollo and Leo stared at each other, both with frowns on their faces. “Yeah, whatever,” Leo grumbled.

Nico let out a sigh of relief and stood up. He turned around and helped an exhausted looking Juniper to stand. Apollo and Zoë walked ahead of them, the blond whispering in her ear. “Well, at least I'll be out of the room, so I don't have to hear them,” Will chuckled.

“But you've got to work,” Juniper reminded him.

The blond let out a groan. “Don't remind me. I was hoping to get to go to bed, I'm so tired.”

The three of them boarded an elevator and Juniper slid her card through the slot. She hit the button to their floor before looking at Will. “Which floor?”

Will shook his head. “I'm going to go put something else on.”

When the elevator reached their floor, they all exited the metal box. Juniper yawned and waved at them before making the trek down her hall. Will leaned against Nico, trying to rest his cheek on top of Nico's head.

“I'm not your pillow,” Nico said with a smile.

“You could be if you were waiting for me when I got back,” Will said with a grin.

Nico rolled his eyes. “Tempting,” he mumbled sarcastically.

Will chuckled. “Too bad. I'd like to see if I could make you cry out in falsetto.”

“Nice try.” He stretched his arms above his head. “So, can I ask about something?”

Will frowned at him. “Is this something about my past again?” He asked. Nico nodded. Will let out a sigh and pulled out his phone to check the time. “Can it wait until later? Maybe this weekend?”

Nico gave the blond a small smile and nodded. “Yeah. Maybe I'll come by and play some games with you.”

Will winked at Nico. “I'll hold you to that.”

Nico pulled out his card and slid it into his door. He stepped inside and shut the door. Jason sat on the couch in grey pajama pants and a black t-shirt, his hair still damp from a recent shower. He was biting on his thumb nail as he watched some movie on TV.

“Hey,” Nico said slowly, his brow furrowing.

Jason raised his eyebrows as he tore his eyes away from the TV. He cursed under his breath, apparently having just realized he was biting his nail. He placed his hands in his lap and smiled at Nico. “What's up?” He asked.

Nico shrugged. “Just got back from work.”

Jason nodded. Nico's eyes traveled down Jason's leg. The blond's foot had started tapping incessantly. “I was just watching a movie, couldn't really sleep.”

“Are you all right?” Nico asked.

Jason nodded his head. “Yeah, I'm great.” He faked a chuckle. “Well, aside from having my best friend show up here today. Seriously, what the hell, dude?”

Nico sighed. “I'm sorry. I didn't know my sister would follow me home.”

Jason scrunched his lips. His eyes darted over to the TV for a second before returning to Nico's face. “It's cool, I guess. I'll just have to think up something to tell Daedalus.”

Nico nodded and sat down beside the blond, staring at the tapping foot from the corner of his eye. “Jason,” Nico began. The blond turned his head to look at Nico. “Did you actually work for your father?”

The blond frowned and rubbed at his forearm. “Yeah,” he admitted.

“Did-did your mother not object?”

Jason shook his head. “No, she was dead. She died when I was little. She was one of father's employees, who he ended up knocking up, twice.”

Nico bit down on his lip, his eyes traveling down to Jason's hips. “And the scars?”

Jason lifted his shirt and looked at his bandaged wounds. “It helped me take the real pain away. Fight pain with pain, I guess. It was a distraction,” the blond whispered. He frowned and let his shirt fall back down. “I just needed a place to hide them.”

Nico slowly nodded his head. “And what about the track marks? Weren't they visible?”

Jason held out his arm, inspecting the marks. “During work, some of the girls would help me cover them with makeup. It's also where I learned to cut on my hips. Several of the girls did it.”

Nico's brow furrowed. He slowly reached out and touched Jason's forearm. The blond watched him carefully for a moment, but didn't say anything. “Your father didn't care?” He asked.

The blond shook his head. “Why should he? He was just the sperm donor, as far as he was concerned. He didn't even give me or my sister his last name. He had...H-Heracles, and that was all that mattered.”

“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.

Jason gave Nico a lopsided smile and let his arm drop from Nico's grasp. “It wasn't your fault. My dad was a bastard. I can't really find it in me to care that he's gone.”

“You still have your sister.”

Jason sighed and stood up. “I guess. It'll take some getting used to,” he replied. He held out a hand and helped Nico up. “You should get some sleep.”

Nico nodded and turned off the TV. He followed the blond down the hallway. “Are you going to school tomorrow?”

Jason stopped in front of the bathroom and shook his head. “No, Percy wants me to stay here.”

Nico's eyes darkened until they were almost black. He had the sudden urge to shove the blond's pretty little head into the nearby bathroom mirror. Quickly shaking his head of such thoughts, he arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

Jason chuckled and waved his arm in front of Nico. “I'm having to quit drugs, Nico. Do the math.”

Nico wondered if the blond would wake up if he managed to get his hands on a needle and tried injecting Jason with it. “Oh,” Nico said. “Are you going to be all right? If you need anything, I'm right across the hall.”

Jason smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I'll let you know if I need anything.”

Nico stood there and watched Jason disappear into his room. When the blond's door shut, Nico turned around and entered his room. He stripped out of his clothes and pulled on his boxers from earlier. He flopped down on his bed and set his alarm. He let out a groan and stood back up, having forgotten to turn off the lights.

  As he stood up, his eyes darted over to his open closet. He walked closer and inspected himself in the mirror. In all honesty, he had expected to find himself with green eyes, judging by the thoughts he was having. Nico touched his face as he stared back at himself in the mirror. Was he going to be all right? This wasn't going to affect him, was it? Was this the first sign of becoming a monster like the rest of them?