Children of Loss 25

Chapter 25

Slowly reaching out, Nico picked up a small picture frame that sat on the desk in the room. It contained a picture of his sister with her arms around Daedalus. They were both smiling at the camera. Nico pursed his lips and sat the picture back down. The rest of the pictures were of Daedalus's family. A tall, lanky man with glasses and a young looking woman stood in one picture.

The man looked similar to Daedalus, though he did not have the athletic build that his son had acquired. He had brown hair like his son, though his was gelled and styled to the side. His eyes were different, a deep blue color. He was a little tanner than his son, but carried the same warm smile that Daedalus did.

The woman, Daedalus's mother, was radiant. Her long black hair was draped over her left shoulder in the picture. Daedalus had, apparently, gotten his grey eyes from his mother, as she had a matching pair. She was paler than the man next to her. The woman had a beautiful, bright smile.

Another picture caught Nico's attention. In this one was a young boy with dark brown hair that looked like he had just rolled out of the bed. His eyes were also grey, but a lighter color than Daedalus's eyes. He was short, possibly not having hit puberty yet. He was tanned, slightly sunburned in the photo. He smiled up at camera with a toothy grin.

“That's my nephew, Perdix.”

Nico turned around to find Daedalus standing in the doorway. He smiled and offered Nico a glass of lemonade. “Thanks,” Nico mumbled, taking the offered drink. He sat the picture back on the desk.

“If you stay a while, you might be able to meet him.”

Nico nodded. “Sister or brother?”

Daedalus's lips tilted down. He cleared his throat, glancing at the ground for a brief second. “My sister's, and she's not with us anymore.”

“Oh.” Nico pursed his lips. “I'm sorry.”

The brunet shook his head. “It's fine.” The boy adjusted his glasses, while letting out a breath. “My parents do the best they can at raising him now.”

The raven haired boy's brow furrowed. “His father passed as well?” He shifted his weight, letting the room fall silent for a moment before proceeding. “Do you mind if I asked what happened?”

Daedalus sat his lemonade down on his nightstand before turning back to Nico. “Plane crash,” he said quietly. “A few years back. Something ended up going wrong with the wings of the plane.”

Nico stared down at the picture of Perdix. “Where's he at now?”

“Off seeing his father's parents. My dad took him. They live two hours away, so it'll be a while.” He cleared his throat. “My mom should be home soon, though.”

Nico took another drink from the drink he had been offered and took another look around Daedalus's room. The brunet had an average bed in the back right corner of his room. His desk sat in front of a window, and above it hung an old-fashioned flying machine. A large bookcase sat next to the desk, filled to the brim with books. Beside his bed was a basketball and tennis shoes. It felt like home.

“You have a nice room.”

Daedalus blinked at him. “Thanks.” He smiled brightly. “It's not the luxurious place you're staying at, but it suffices.”

Sunday had arrived rather quickly for Nico. And he would be off for Thanksgiving break for the upcoming week, which meant he could catch up on sleep and upcoming projects. But Daedalus had wanted to get a jumpstart on Nico's tutoring.

The raven haired boy had arrived around ten that morning, and it was just now reaching one in the afternoon. He had gotten a slight headache, but he wasn't going to complain. He had probably given Daedalus one as well, but the brunet had been a good sport about it overall. Nico felt good about this arrangement, and not just because it would keep his grades up. It now gave him an opportunity to spend some more time away from the hotel.

Nico turned around at the sound of a door opening in the house. Daedalus jumped off the bed with a smile. “Come on, that should be mom.”

Daedalus led Nico back through his home. The brown-eyed boy glanced around a lot, at everything. The brunet's house was nice, it felt warm. They had hardwood floors, all polished to perfection. Daedalus's parents had a lot of books, which seemed to be located randomly throughout the house, rather than stored on shelves. There were several family portraits, some of which included a girl with brown hair. Nico was going to assume it was Daedalus's sister.

“Hey, mom,” Daedalus greeted the woman from the photo. He grabbed a bag of groceries from her and walked the woman into the kitchen, which was also perfectly tidy.

The mother smiled and kissed the brunet's temple. She blinked when she spotted Nico, quickly clearing her throat and offering Nico her hand and a smile. “And who do we have here?”

“Oh.” Daedalus sat down the bag of groceries and moved to stand at the island beside Nico. “Sorry. This is Nico. Nico, this is my mom.”

Nico shook the woman's hand with a smile. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs.-”

“Oh, sweetie, just call me Minerva.” She released Nico's hand before turning to her son. “Has your father gotten home yet?”

The brunet shook his head. “No, but he'll probably be soon.”

Minerva nodded and began putting away her groceries. “So, Nico, Daedalus tells me he's dating your sister. Most boys get protective over things like that.”

Nico chuckled and turned to glance at Daedalus. “He seems nice enough, so I'll let him slide, for now.”

The mother smiled. “That's good to hear. I raised him to be a gentleman, so you shouldn't have anything to worry about.” Her brow creased. “I hear you're not living with your parents anymore.”

“Mom,” Daedalus said warningly, a frown marring his features.

Nico shook his head. “It's fine. No, Mrs.-” Nico clamped his mouth shut, receiving a look from Daedalus's mother. “Er, I mean, Minerva. I'm not living with my parents.”

“That's a shame.” The woman pursed her lips and shot a look at her son. “Well, if you ever need a meal or somewhere to sleep, you're welcome here.”

The raven haired boy smiled. “Thank you, but I'm fine.”

From the way Daedalus refused to look up from the island, Nico was going to assume the boy hadn't told his mother about his living conditions in their entirety. Nico was most grateful for that. There was just one problem with this situation.

“I, um, would just like to ask that you don't mention me to my parents, if you see them.”

Minerva looked between Nico and Daedalus. “Well, they were actually coming over here for dinner tonight.” Nico swallowed a lump in his throat, his face paling. Minerva pursed her lips. “I don't know what went on exactly, Nico, but if I need to call child services-”

“No!” The brown-eyed boy quickly shook his head. “No, I'm fine. I'd just rather not talk about it.”

The dark haired woman sighed and nodded his head. “I suppose you'll be out of here by the time they get here then?”

Nico swallowed again. “I guess so.”

Minerva nodded as she finished putting away her groceries. “Very well, I won't say anything. Just keep yourself out of trouble, Nico. If you need anything, just give my son a call. I'll send him along, even if it's the dead of night.”

Nico smiled brightly at the woman. “Thank you.”

Daedalus nudged the raven haired boy and nodded his head back towards his room. Nico gave the woman a final smile before following his friend back down the hall. Daedalus closed the door upon their arrival, letting out a sigh.

“Your mom is nice,” Nico decided.

The brunet chuckled. “That's what most people tell me.” He shrugged his shoulders. “She can be quite strict when it comes to my education, though.”

Nico sat down on the brunet's bed, gripping the sheets in his fingers. He stared around the room, while the other boy opened his laptop. This place was nice, unlike his old home. It didn't feel dangerous, it didn't feel unsafe. It felt like home. Why couldn't he have had a home and a family like this?

That wasn't to say he didn't love Bianca and his mother, they were great, but he couldn't be with him. All because of his father. He shivered in thought of his father. Nico began chewing on his lip, his gaze trained on his lap.

“You okay?”

Nico looked up to find Daedalus staring at him from the desk. He quickly nodded, throwing on a smile. The brunet looked at him with concern. “I'm fine, I promise.”

Daedalus pursed his lips, but didn't say anything. “So we should hang out again while we're on break. Maybe if Jason's feeling better, he can join us.”

“Yeah.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I'll see how he's feeling when I get back and I'll let you know.” Nico's phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and stared down at the screen. Octavian had texted him, letting Nico know he had arrived. “My ride is here.”

Nico quickly gathered his things, with some help from his brunet friend. Daedalus opened his door again and stepped outside to walk Nico down the hall. As they neared the door, Nico's brow furrowed. Footsteps were heard outside, along with some voices. The door opened a moment later, and in a small brown headed blur ran inside the house. Behind the small boy stood the tall man from the photograph in Daedalus's room, with Octavian in tow.

The man smiled and stepped forward. “Ah, you must be Nico. I'm Daedalus's father, Quintus.” He shook Nico's hand with a firm shake. “I found your friend here outside.”

Octavian gave the man one of the traditional Lost Kids' fake smiles. “I really was fine waiting in the car, sir.”

“Nonsense.” Quintus hefted the small boy that had run inside up into his arms. “It would be un-hospitable to leave you out there, waiting for who knows how long.”

Nico smiled. “Well, I'm ready to go.”

“Great,” Octavian said, still through his forced smile.

The child, Perdix, blinked at Octavian. “You're really tall. My dad was tall.”

Octavian's smile faltered. “Is he?”

“Was,” Quintus said quietly. Octavian pursed his lips, shooting Nico a glance.

Perdix didn't seem fazed by any of this. “Yeah, and you have the same color hair.” He quickly flailed his arms, trying to get a handful of the slim blond's hair.

Octavian's lips tilted back up, but this time it wasn't forced. Nico blinked. Had he ever really seen Octavian smile? A real smile?

Quintus chuckled and hoisted the child up higher in his arms. “So, Octavian was it? You said you were interested in studying politics?”

The smile that was fascinating Nico vanished, replaced by a blank look. “I said I had some interest in politics. Haven't quite decided if I want to venture into that career path just yet.”

Minerva came around the corner with a smile. She kissed her husband and took Perdix from the man. “Quintus is trying to get into politics.”

The man chuckled. “Just County Committee Member, nothing too exciting.”

The blond eyed the man carefully before nodding. “Good luck.” His eyes flickered over to Nico. “Ready?”

Nico nodded. Minerva put a hand on Nico's shoulder. “Feel free to come back any time, Nico.”

The child in the woman's arms leaned into her ear. “Isn't Daedalus's girlfriend's brother named Nico?”

Nico pursed his lips. Minerva had done the same as she stared at the child. “It's complicated, sweetie. We'll explain it later, okay?”

Perdix grinned and nodded. “Yeah.”

Octavian tugged on Nico's shirt. “Well, I've got to go,” Nico announced. He gave a lopsided smile to his friend. “Thanks for the help.”

Daedalus smirked and nodded. “I'll catch you later, man.” He walked the two over to the door and closed it behind them.

Nico followed Daedalus down the short stone path that led to the street. Octavian had parked his car on the curb. The raven haired boy stared at Octavian over the roof of the car, while the other pulled his keys out to unlock the vehicle.

Nico opened his door and climbed inside. “I didn't know you were interested in politics.” Octavian remained silent. “Why aren't you pursuing it?”

“Waste of time.” The blond cranked the car.

The raven haired boy frowned. “You could get out of the hotel.”

Icy blue eyes cut across the car. “And why would I want to do that?”

“Why are you always so evasive?”

“Why are you so annoying?”

Nico huffed. “I thought we were on a truce.”

Octavian smirked at him. “Fair enough.” He pursed his lips. “It's complicated.”

Nico stared at the blond from the passenger seat. “You didn't seem to like Daedalus's father.”

The blond shrugged. “I wouldn't say that.”

The short boy arched an eyebrow. “You looked irritable when you walked in.”

“He was trying to talk to me about politics,” Octavian mumbled. He reached back with his left hand and ran a hand through the back of his hair. “Why are you always asking questions?”

Nico sat back in his seat, frowning slightly. “I'm just a curious person.” The brown-eyed boy sighed. “All of you know these things about each other, so why can't I? I'm supposed to be included in this family, or that's what everyone keeps telling me.”

Octavian pulled his gaze away from the road to stare at Nico. He opened his mouth and let it hang open for a moment, quickly shutting it a second later. “You need to understand something, Nico.” The way he said it caught Nico slightly off guard. He had never heard Octavian speak so gently before. “We grew up with each other, not literally, but within the hotel. You were the first new addition to arrive in almost a year. We know these things about each other because we shared in each other's pain.”

“So, Jason will be treated similarly to me?”

The blond chuckled. “Jealousy does not become you, Nico.” He blew out a breath. “I don't know what the future holds, but if I had to guess, I'd say probably so.”

Nico turned his eyes to stare out the passenger window. “I'm still the outsider, though.”

“Maybe you should learn to adapt.” Nico heard Octavian sigh. “You'll never survive in this place at the pace you're going.”

“I'm fine,” Nico said softly. He began tapping a finger on his leg. “I can make it just fine.”

Octavian turned his head to give Nico a brief glance. “You say that now. Come find me when you change your mind. I can teach you a few things.” He chuckled when Nico turned around, mouth open, ready to remark on that. “Non-sexual, I promise. You're not as cunning as you might think you are, though.”

The raven haired boy narrowed his eyes. “I don't need any help.”

The blond shrugged. “Then I guess someone else will just pull another stunt on you like Apollo did.”

Nico averted his gaze with a frown. “I'll....I'll keep what you're saying in mind.”

Octavian smirked at him. “Good boy. Maybe you're not a complete loss.”

Nico's brown eyes shifted to the front window when the hotel came into view. “Will you at least tell me why you and Luke didn't come here at the same time?” His brow creased. “Out of everyone, you two talk the least about yourselves.”

“Maybe because we don't like thinking about it.” The older Lost Boy shivered, causing the car to swerve slightly. He let out a long breath, returning his blue eyes to the road. “Don't talk to him about it, please,” he said, barely above a whisper.

“What...happened?”

The blond pulled into the parking garage and found a parking spot. He shifted the car into park and let his gaze fall to his lap. “Luke...he had his job, long before we got here.” He turned to look at Nico with frantic eyes. “She...” The blond shook his head, breaking his eye contact with Nico. “Never mind.”

Nico stared after the blond as he got out of the car. He swallowed the lump in his throat before grabbing his things and getting out on his side. Octavian locked the door when Nico's door was closed. Nico didn't say anything else. It was just one of those moments where he knew if he asked another personal question, he might set off something he wasn't ready for just yet. He would let it go, for now.

Nico climbed out of the pool the next day. He shook his head, sending droplets of water flying everywhere. Juniper and Rachel laughed at him. “You looked like a wet dog,” Rachel said with a smirk.

Nico frowned at her. “Shut up.”

The red headed girl ran her fingers through his wet black locks. “Maybe you should get a haircut soon.”

The Lost Boy tugged at one of the strands hanging down into his face. “I'll give it another week, or two.”

Rachel patted him playfully on the cheek. “Just go see Circe, she'll fix you up.”

Nico sat down on one of the chairs beside the pool, in between Rachel and Juniper. It had been a quiet day so far, though it was far from over. He grabbed his towel and ran it through his hair. He was very thankful for his break, it was very much needed.

Rachel picked at one of her nails. “So, Juniper, have you tried to get a date with Percy yet?”

Nico frowned. Juniper chuckled and shook her head. “Not yet. I think he's busy today.”

“Oh yeah.” Rachel clicked her tongue. “I forgot Luke came to see him earlier.”

“Date?” Nico looked between the two Lost Girls.

“Well, not-date is the correct term, as you put it.” Rachel shrugged. “Should have seen this coming, Nico. The others saw an opportunity, so they took it.”

Nico turned to face the other girl. “Are you going to?”

Juniper gave him a sad look. “I was thinking about it,” she said softly.

“Don't be mad at her.” Rachel swatted his thigh lightly. “The others are just upping their game, you'll need to learn to adjust.”

Nico pouted. “Well, why does Percy have to oblige them with this?”

“He can't give you special treatment, Nico.” The red headed girl smirked at him. “As much as I'm sure you'd like that, it just can't be.” She sighed and leaned back to enjoy the sun shining down on her. “Just relax, Nico, you're fine. You worry too much.”

Nico frowned, clutching at his swim trunks. Part of him wished he had never asked Percy to spend time with him. It seemed to just make things worse. Now the others just had another opportunity to bond with Percy. He had wanted it to be special.

Rachel stood up with a grunt. She bent over and picked up her phone, which had been lying on her towel. She sighed and scowled down at the device. “Shit,” she cursed. “I've got to go.” She playfully punched Nico's shoulder before jogging out of the pool area.

“What's up with her?”

Juniper smiled sadly at the door that Rachel had left. “Her father is coming to town.”

“Does he want to see her?”

The Lost Girl shook her head. “No, and that's the issue. He's going to be staying here, but made it clear to Percy that he didn't want to see his daughter.”

Nico pursed his lips. “That's horrible. I mean, I know he disowned her, but that's just wrong. She has to stay invisible while he's here?”

The girl shrugged, running a hand through her drying hair. “I wouldn't say that is very uncommon. Percy does the same with Apollo-”

“He didn't last time.”

Juniper looked back at Nico with sadness. “Typically, he doesn't let Robert see Apollo.” She sighed. “He'll probably have Rachel and Leo swap their night jobs. So, Rachel will probably be sitting in with the boys while her father is here.”

“That's sad.” Nico pursed his lips and stared at the waves in the pool. While it was sad, perhaps it was for the best. He wasn't sure he would want to see his father if the man showed up at the hotel either.

He blinked when he felt someone tap his leg. He looked up to see Juniper smiling down at him. “Ready to go? Don't want you turning into a tomato.” She giggled when Nico quickly looked himself over.

Nico stood up with a scowl. She waited for Nico to slide his shirt on before starting to walk towards the exit. Nico stepped in beside her, walking in silence for a few steps. “So why come here?”

Juniper tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean? I told you why.”

“I know that Percy asked for you, but you told Bianca you still had a family. Why move away?”

Juniper sighed. “As long as they are being taken care of, that's what really matters. I can see them when I can.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “Taken care of?” He shifted his eyes from side to side. “Why would they need to be taken care of?” His eyes widened. “Oh god, your parents didn't get in some kind of trouble with Gaea, did they?”

The Lost Girl chuckled. “No, no, nothing like that.” She let out a breath. “Maybe another time, Nico.”

Juniper had just pushed the button to call the elevator, when an elbow rested on Nico's shoulder. “Oh, cutie, you look so adorable in your swimming clothes.”

Nico sighed and turned to face Ganymede, prepared to deliver a witty comeback. It fell short, though, when he stared into the ex-Lost Boy's eyes. Instead of meeting hazel eyes, Nico was staring at two different shades. His left was dark blue, while his right eye was green. A pair of glasses sat on his nose.

He smirked at Nico. “It's not polite to stare, you know.”

“Your eyes are different colors,” Nico stated bluntly.

Juniper and Ganymede chuckled at him. “Heterochromia iridum is the proper term that I think you're looking for.” He leaned in, still smiling. “And I really don't like being stared at.”

Nico blinked, his cheeks turning pink. “Sorry.” He opened his mouth, but the elevator arrived. “Uh, I'll catch you later, Juniper.” The girl nodded at him, her eyes darting between the two males in front of her. Ganymede smiled at her as the doors closed. “Um, so you wear contacts.”

The man shrugged. “They were irritating my eyes this morning, so I had to wear my glasses.”

Nico swallowed, catching himself staring again. “They, um, look really...nice.”

Ganymede smirked at him. “Really?” His smile fell with a shrug. “So I've been told, by plenty of customers.” The dirty haired blond let out a heavy sigh. “Apparently, it's a turn on for a lot of customers, especially men. Getting a blowjob from a guy with two different color eyes is super hot, or so they say.”

Nico had his lips pursed. It was hot, he thought. “Er, so why the contacts?”

The man shrugged, scrunching his lips. “Didn't really like being stared at so much. It made me a little uncomfortable.”

The raven haired boy looked at the blond with skepticism. “Really? A Lost Kid that doesn't like the attention?”

Ganymede cocked his head to the side. “You'd be surprised.” He smirked, flashing his bright teeth. “So, where are you headed?”

“Up to my room. You?”

“Same.”

Nico arched a brow. “You live here?”

Ganymede chuckled. “You really didn't know that? Some of the staff do live here, Nico, not just the Lost Kids.” He narrowed an eye and gave Nico a funny look. “You know, if I'm right, you should have my old suite. Maybe even my old bed and room.” He bit down on his lip.

“Pervert.” Nico rolled his eyes. “I probably have your suite, not sure about the room.”

The ex-Lost Boy hummed and pushed the call button for the elevator. “You could come up to my room.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “I'm sure it would completely remain innocent,” he said sarcastically. “Which staff member do you live with?”

“No one.” Ganymede shrugged. “We all live on the same floor, but our rooms aren't as big, and we don't take up an entire floor.” He motioned to the elevator when it arrived. “You're welcome to come have a look, in case you ever need to find me when I'm off the clock.”

Nico blew out a breath. He eventually boarded the elevator and watched as Ganymede hit the button to the twentieth floor. “Why this floor anyways? Why not keep you guys closer to the Lost Kids?”

The man shrugged. “Well, this floor has the single rooms.”

“How many?”

Ganymede smiled. “Just myself, Chiron, Circe, and Dionysus.” He sighed contently. “Though, I hear Chris might be moving in soon.” The blond mumbled something to himself.

Nico cocked his head to the side. “What was that?”

The elevator stopped. The other smiled at him. “Nothing, cutie.”

Nico looked at him warningly. “No sex. Just a quick look and then I'm out.”

“So hurtful. That's not much of a reason.”

Nico sighed as he followed the taller male down the hall. They went to the end of the hall before stopping. “I suppose it would come in handy to know where you live. You've been...insightful.”

Ganymede smiled, pushing his door open. “That's what I'm here for.”

The raven haired youth entered the room, staring around at the room. It was definitely not like the suites the Lost Kids had. It was just a luxury hotel room. There weren't a bunch of rooms, there was only the bedroom and the bathroom. The bathroom looked nice. It had glass walls like the showers upstairs, but the shower had been combined with the bathtub.

The bed was the same size as the one Nico had. The TV was an inch or two smaller than the one he had in his bedroom, though Ganymede had his hanging on the wall. There was a small kitchen area in the left corner of the suite; a refrigerator, microwave, sink, and stove.

Ganymede flopped down on his bed, crossing his feet. “Well, this is where the magic happens. Clothing is optional.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “Why don't any of you ever leave?”

The man's smile vanished. “You've been talking to Percy.”

“A while back.”

The man grunted and stared up at the ceiling. “It's just-”

“Complicated.” Nico pulled a chair out from a small table, sitting down in it. “I hear that a lot.” Nico stared at the blond man, still slightly fascinated by the eyes. “So, you used to be a Lost Kid, and you said you taught Apollo what he knows, right?”

Ganymede shrugged. “More or less.” He sat up and crossed his legs, still frowning. “I'm taking it you want to talk about Apollo?”

The brown-eyed boy shook his head. He shifted in his seat. He kept his eyes on the floor as he attempted to find the words to ask what he wanted to know. “The other night, I got to witness this obsession that some of the customers have with us.” He noticed Ganymede's eyes darken. “I was just wondering if you had the same experience, since you mentored Apollo.”

Ganymede put his hands in front of his mouth, his fist pressing against his palm. “He was such a sweet kid when he first got here.” His eyes seemed to search his comforter for something. “You know, sometimes we wonder if we create monsters, us older ones. He wasn't so different from you, you know? He had the same lovestruck look on his face when he stared at Percy.”

“I'm not in love with Percy,” Nico grumbled. Ganymede gave him a disbelieving look. Nico frowned at his lap. He didn't know anymore, he really didn't. Perhaps he should give it some thought at some point.

“He was so infatuated with Percy when he first got here,” Ganymede continued. “It hurt to watch, when it all came crashing down for him.”

Nico's brow creased. “Crashing down?”

“Percy didn't want him, at least not in the way Apollo wanted him to. And he's like you, or was. He put sex and romance together in his head. This place wasn't easy on him at first.”

“He seems fine now.”

Ganymede shrugged. “Like we've established, I taught him. Percy handed him off to me one day, told me to work with him.” The blond's gaze flickered over to the kitchen area. When Nico followed his gaze, he found that the blond was staring at a bottle of liquor. “He was a sweetheart; cute, young, and adorable.” Ganymede sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it for a moment before pointing the screen in Nico's direction.

Nico stared at a younger-looking Apollo. His hair was shorter than it was now, just a hint of curls in his blond hair. The blond's tan was less prominent, though, which surprised Nico a little. Nico assumed the picture had been taken shortly after Apollo's arrival at the hotel, because the blond still had faint traces of dark circles under his eyes. But most of all, he looked sad.

“He didn't take it so well, when Percy turned him down.” The phone was locked and placed on the bed. “Percy explained things to him, but it still hurt Apollo. It wasn't easy, teaching him.” The ex-Lost Boy's eyes grew distant. “He shook a lot, while I worked with him. He cried a lot of nights, and Percy didn't help him by letting him get comfort from his bed.”

“Why?” Nico swallowed. “Why would Percy want to have that done to Apollo?”

The blond's different colored eyes shifted up to Nico. “He had to, if Apollo wanted to stay here. Apollo was an intimate person, and there's not much room for that here.”

“He can still be sweet.”

Ganymede shrugged. “True, but that's part of his appeal. He just needed to learn how to get it right.” The man sighed and fell back on the bed. “He was angry with me for a long time after that, Percy too. Should have seen it coming.”

Nico furrowed his brow. “Seen what coming?”

Ganymede seemed to realize what he had just said. He sat up and frowned. “You should go.”

“What should he have seen coming?” Nico stared at Ganymede with determination. This felt important, and he didn't want to let it go.

The blond ran a hand down his face. “Just...promise not to repeat this, yeah?” Nico nodded his head. “Later, when Leo came to the hotel, Apollo got a little angry with Percy one night.” Nico felt the hairs on his arms begin to stand up. Oh god, he thought, was this what they were fighting about? “Apollo...Apollo coerced Leo to go back to his suite with him. Leo was supposed to be doing some paperwork for Percy, concerning some important documents.”

“He got Leo in trouble?”

Ganymede held up a hand, keeping his head lowered. “Just let me finish. He got Leo to go back to his room, and they ended up having sex.” The blond's eyes drifted off to the side. “Left the poor kid heartbroken after that.” His eyes returned to Nico's face. “And, yeah, he got Leo in trouble with Percy.”

Nico frowned. “Why would Apollo want to get Leo in trouble?”

The ex-Lost Boy shook his head lightly. “It wasn't meant to hurt Leo. The paperwork was very important for Percy.” The man pursed his lips. “Let's just say that Apollo's little stunt with you wasn't the first time he wished he hadn't upset Percy.”

Nico let his eyes drop from Ganymede's face. “I, um, need to get back to my room. I've got to get ready for work.”

Ganymede stood up at the same time Nico did. He grabbed the boy by his shoulder to keep him still. “Just remember to keep quiet about what I just said. You are a curious kid, and I don't mind helping you connect some dots, but I don't want to get burned because you go and run your mouth.”

Nico pursed his lips and jerked his shoulder away. “I'm not going to rat you out.” He averted his eyes when he looked up at the blond's eyes again. They really were fascinating to look at.

Ganymede followed him to the door, leaning on it as they stood in the doorway. “You're not quite like the others, Nico.” He furrowed his brow. “Word of advice, don't let Apollo take you under his wing.” He stared down into Nico's eyes. “Don't turn out like the others. I can't quite place it, but there's something about you, something refreshing.” He smiled. “I think I'm starting to see why Percy wants to protect you so much.”

Nico stared at the door with a mixture of confusion and concern. He watched Ganymede let it close in front of himself before walking back down the hall. As he reached out to press the button to his floor, something occurred to him. Why had all of that caused such a sore spot between Leo and Apollo? The blond had gotten punished, so why would they still fight about it? He thought that the Lost Kids were supposed to be accustomed to that sort of thing.

Nico froze when the elevator opened. He was immediately greeted by a thud. His brow furrowed as he crept out of the elevator and peered around the corner to the boys' hall. His heart sank a little in his stomach at what he found happening up against Luke and Octavian's door.

Percy had Luke's hands pinned above his head. The two were fiercely biting and sucking at each other's lips. Luke tossed his head back, another thud echoing in the hallway. Percy grinned and moved in to attack the blond's neck, pressing his knee into the blue-eyed young man's crotch.

Percy suddenly pulled back, bringing forth a small whine from Luke. He smirked and ran a hand under the blond's shirt. “It seems we have an audience.”

Nico's heart stopped. But Percy and Luke didn't look at him, they looked down the hall, to their right. Luke's blue eyes narrowed. “Enjoying the show, Will?”

Nico peeked out farther. Sure enough, the younger blond was standing in his doorway. He shrugged with an innocent smile. “Don't mind me. Carry on, gentlemen.”

Percy chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets. “Luke, door. We need to hurry before you have to get to work.” Luke grumbled and pulled out his key card. Percy slid a hand into his hair. “And you can come out now, Nico.”

Nico's eyes widened. Percy hadn't even been looking in his direction! Luke frowned when Nico stepped out from around the corner. “Twerp,” he mumbled. Nico narrowed his eyes.

Percy smiled and ran a hand through Nico's hair when he was close enough. “I didn't know you were into voyeurism, Nico.” The two blonds snickered. Percy smiled again before moving into Luke's suite.

Luke crossed his arms and stared at Nico. “Move along, kid.”

The raven haired boy huffed. “My name isn't kid, it's Nico. It's not that hard, even for your brain.”

Will raised a hand to hide his amusement. Luke turned a deathly glare on the other blond. “Is there a problem there, Will?”

The shorter blond chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, none at all. Go, have your fun.”

Luke's icy blue eyes returned to Nico. “Before I forget, Thalia wants you go shopping with her tomorrow.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “What for? We just went shopping.”

The tall blond rolled his eyes. “Thanksgiving is Thursday, brat. She wants to get a few things for decoration. Now, get your ass moving, unless you care to join us.” He bowed and motioned to his door with both of his hands.

“No thanks,” Nico mumbled. He tossed Luke a glare before shoving past him. He attempted to bump Luke's shoulder roughly, but it felt like he made contact with a brick wall. He winced and rubbed his arm.

Luke smirked before rolling his eyes and entering his suite, shutting the door behind him. Will cocked his head to the side as Nico walked to adjacent suite, his suite. Will held his hands behind his back and moved towards Nico, taking long strides. Nico turned his head to look at the blond when Will invaded his space.

“How are you doing, Nico?”

Nico arched his brows and shrugged. “Fine. Why?”

Will stuck his lips out in a semi-pout. “Not upset, seeing Percy practically fucking Luke up against his door?”

“Do you have a point to this question?”

Will leaned against the doorframe and grabbed Nico by his waist, pulling the shorter boy closer. “Just curious.” His expression faltered when the shorter boy yanked his way out of the blond's hold. “Why pursue the unobtainable, when there's something just as good in front of you?”

Nico gave the blond a curious look. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing,” Will sighed. He cupped Nico's cheeks and brought his face dangerously close to the other Lost Boy's. Nico sucked in a breath and pursed his lips. He pressed a hand to the blond's chest, attempting to create some distance. “It's just a kiss, Nico.”

“I highly doubt that. It seems like all of you are just trying to have sex with me, so Percy will be forced to keep his end of the agreement.”

Will leaned in again, but this time didn't attempt to kiss Nico. “It can't get broken if no one finds out.” His brow furrowed. “I told you, I'm not Apollo. I'm not going to rat you out.”

Nico gave the other Lost Boy a disbelieving look. “Apollo said something similar to me on the night he was giving me those lessons.”

Will sighed and released Nico. He reached up and ran a hand through his short hair. “I can't even have a chance? Just a chance, to show you that I won't do that.”

“You sided with the others that night,” Nico reminded him.

Will let his head turn to the floor for a few seconds before raising his eyes to look at Nico. “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Honeyed words?”

Will held up his hands defensively. “Okay, how about a compromise? You go on a date with me, and I won't make a single attempt to get into your pants.”

Nico pushed his door open with his back. “I don't know, Will. Let me think on it.” He placed a hand on the blond's shoulder.

Will smiled. Before Nico could fully register what happened, Will leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. Nico blinked a few times, the blond just standing there, grinning. “I'll see you later, Nico.”

Nico rolled his eyes as the blond slung his arms behind his head and made his way back to his suite. He let out a sigh and took a step backwards, letting the door close. He took in a deep breath before shaking his head. Nico nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of a crunch, like one would hear from biting into an apple. He turned around with wide eyes.

Jason sat at the kitchen island, a half eaten apple in his hands. His eyebrows rose as he looked at Nico. Nico pursed his lips at the blond's appearance. Jason had dark bags under his eyes, like he had hardly slept in the past few weeks. His hair was wet, probably having just had a shower. Nico couldn't remember even seeing the blond take one during his time being incapacitated. Jason's skin had lost some of its color, but the track marks seemed to have vanished. Due to Jason's shirt, Nico couldn't be sure if the same could be said about the cuts.

Jason blinked once. “You two looked cozy.”

Nico sighed, offering the other a smile. “Glad to have you back on your feet.”

The blond gave him a lopsided smile. “I feel like shit.” He let out a groan and buried his face in his hands. “I can't believe I was out of commission for nearly three weeks.”

Nico shrugged. “You didn't really miss anything.” He moved closer, resting his elbows on the island. “So, when do you start working?”

Jason took another bite of his apple. His words came out mumbled around the pieces of apple in his mouth. Nico arched an eyebrow at him. The blond chuckled and swallowed his food. “Don't know yet.” He groaned and rubbed at his temple. “And Daedalus?”

“Just a little curious. I talked to him. He thinks you've been really sick. I didn't really know what to tell him about the situation, though.”

The blond blew out a breath. “You couldn't make up something? Jesus, I thought you guys were supposed to be great liars.”

“I'm new,” Nico mumbled.

Jason rolled his eyes. “Clearly.” He let out a sigh.

“You know, it might help if I knew what the real story was. At least then I could know areas to stay away from.”

Jason's blue eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “I told you, my dad was an ass. What more do you need to know?”

Nico crossed his arms. “What about Thalia, does Daedalus know about her?”

“No.” The blond leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as well. “Why would I want to tell my best friend about the sister that abandoned me?”

“I'm...I'm sure she tried.”

Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah,” he spat out, “I'm sure she tried so hard. She could have done something. She could have distracted him. We could have both gotten out.”

Nico arched a brow. “Distracted your father?”

Jason shook his head. “Just drop it, it's not important.” The blond sighed and stood up. “No, she abandoned me. She left me there...with him. With both of them.” He ran his tongue along the bottom of his teeth. “Yeah, great sister.”

“You don't know, she could have-”

“Where's Percy? I need to talk to him.” Jason's eyes dulled as he reached out for his phone.

Nico sighed. “He's with Luke.”

Jason shrugged and made to move towards the door. Nico arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh.” He blinked a few times. “Oh. Uh, never mind.” The blond's lips tilted down, his eyebrows drawing together. “I'll talk to him later.”

Nico gave the other an odd look. “What was that?”

The blond's eyebrows rose. “What was what?”

Nico gestured to Jason. “That! The expression you made. It's like annoyed, or something.”

“I'm not. I just forgot that,” he gestured at Nico's lower half, “that was how Percy conducted business around here.” He blew out a breath. “Just great,” he mumbled.

The raven haired Lost Boy scrunched his lips. “It feels like you're disappointed about that.”

Jason grunted and stretched his arms above his head. “Whatever. I'm going to go...do something. Anything. I've been in my room for too long.”

“You're just a ray of sunshine,” Nico mumbled as Jason headed back towards his room. Jason turned his head to give Nico a dirty look.

Great, Nico thought, this was just what he needed. His roommate was back on his feet, which meant that Percy's attention could resume with the blond. Or maybe it would falter. Jason was feeling better now, so maybe it would work in Nico's favor. Doubtful, Nico thought, things didn't seem to have a habit of going his way lately.

Nico stood in front of Annabeth and Thalia's door on Tuesday afternoon. He reached up and knocked on the door. He stood there for about a minute, not receiving any answer. He let out a sigh and reached up to knock again, when a hand slid a card into the slot.

The raven haired boy turned to find Annabeth standing beside him, an unreadable look in her eyes. “Afternoon,” she greeted him.

“Hey,” Nico mumbled. “I'm ready to go whenever you two are.”

Annabeth nodded and pushed the door open a little. “Well, Drew will be tagging along with us, so you can start your happy dance over there in the corner.” She actually pointed over to where her couch sat. Annabeth was capable of humor?

The blonde closed the door behind Nico. This was the first time that Nico had been inside Annabeth and Thalia's suite; it felt strange. Not in a bad way, just new. Unlike most of the boys' suites, their suite didn't seem to have many personal items. Perhaps their bedrooms were different? A few books were scattered around; one laying on the coffee table, while one sat on the arm of the couch, and another sat on the stand with the TV. A switchblade sat on the coffee table with the book, possibly Thalia's.

Annabeth was in the process of opening her mouth when the bathroom door opened. The sound of a shower running filtered into the room. But more importantly, Percy stumbled out of it, carrying Thalia in his arms. And more importantly still, they were both completely wet and naked.

Nico pursed his lips as he witnessed Percy lower and raise the Lost Girl on his manhood. His heart felt like it might break when the raven haired girl bit down on Percy's neck. Another thrust, another piece of his heart broke. There was a heavy lump in his throat that he just couldn't seem to get rid of.

They both laughed as Percy stumbled into the wall, banging Thalia's back against it. Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Charming,” she mumbled.

“Piss off, Anna-” Thalia shut her mouth when she spotted Nico standing in the middle of the living room.

Nico averted his eyes to the floor as Thalia forced Percy to put her down. The brown-eyed boy pursed his lips and crossed his arms, drawing in on himself. Annabeth sighed and shook her head. “I swear, you're all idiots.”

Thalia shot her a dirty look as she darted into her room to grab their underwear. Percy kept staring at Nico as he slipped on his boxers. As Nico began to chew on his lip, Percy narrowed his eyes. “I swear to any god that will hear me, Nico, if you run, I will tackle you.”

Nico scowled at him before averting his gaze again. Thalia had managed to get her panties on, so Nico didn't want to look up just yet, not with her breasts still out. Thalia began chewing on her lip. “I-I'll be just a second, Nico.”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I'm going to get Drew. Hopefully this train wreck will be over by the time I get back.” The blonde reached out for Nico, but a grunt from Percy stopped her. She dropped her hand, gave Nico a look, and headed out the door.

Thalia brushed her hair behind her ear. “I'm going to get dressed.” She stepped into her room and tossed Percy's pants at him, hitting him in the face with them.

The manager glared at her and worked his legs into them. He stumbled into the living room, where Nico was sitting himself down on the couch. Nico wiped at his nose, his eyes becoming blurry. He didn't want to cry, he just couldn't help it.

“Nico.” The boy didn't look up. Percy tilted his head, trying to catch the boy's gaze. “Nico, look at me.” The brown-eyed boy sadly shook his head. Percy bent down and cupped Nico's chin, forcing the boy to look up. He swiped a thumb across Nico's cheek with a frown. “Why are you so upset? You know this is what goes on.”

“It still hurts.”

The young man sighed heavily. “You really need to stop walking in on me with this stuff.”

Nico frowned up at him. “Why can't...” He groaned and cradled his head. “I just want to be different, special.”

Percy stared down at him, his brows furrowed. “You are different, and you are treated special. If you weren't, don't you think you'd be doing the same job as the others? You'd be selling your body for my profit if you weren't.” He cocked his head to the side, arching a brow. “So, do you want to rephrase that statement?”

Nico stared up at the young man, doing his best not to cry anymore. “I really like you, Percy.”

“I know,” the green-eyed young man said softly. He weaved his fingers into his hair, giving Nico an exasperated look. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you. That's all I want.”

“You-” Percy shut his mouth. His brow furrowed again. His eyes, it was like he didn't understand what had just been said. Nico stared up at him in wonder. Something felt wrong. This had happened the other night, and Percy never had trouble with words.

“Shit, what did you say to him?”

They both looked up to find Thalia lowering her shirt. Percy threw on a smile and stood back to his full height. “Just making sure he's not traumatized from seeing your vagina.”

Thalia chuckled. “Maybe he'll come around.”

“Gross,” Nico mumbled, wiping at his eyes to get rid of any leftover tears.

Percy laughed. “Well, it seems he's feeling better.” He squeezed the back of Nico's neck when the boy stood up.

Thalia grinned and grabbed Nico by the wrist, dragging him towards the door. “Come on, Nico, we have an adventure to complete.”

“We're just going to get Thanksgiving decorations,” Nico mumbled.

Thalia waved her hand over her shoulder as she closed the door behind herself and the two raven haired males. “Just take all the fun out of it.”

Annabeth came up and leaned against the wall with a sigh. “I was starting to think you had convinced Nico to have a threesome with you two.” The girl's comment made said boy wrinkle his nose.

Drew let out a sigh, busily inspecting her nails. “As much as I do enjoy shopping, I don't like having to stand around.”

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, calm yourself down, slut. There's plenty of dicks for you to insert into yourself later.”

Drew shot the shorter Lost Girl a dirty look. Nico chuckled, drawing a grin from Thalia. Nico and the three Lost Girls were headed down the hall, when Percy cleared his throat. “Nico.” The brown-eyed boy froze, unsure if he wanted to turn around. He ultimately decided against it. “Don't go to bed after work. I feel we need to have a long talk about a few things.”

Nico pursed his lips, nodding his head lightly. The others looked at him with a variety of looks. Nico felt Percy ruffle his hair as he passed. They all boarded the elevator, Percy pressing the button to his floor first before pressing the button for the garage. Thalia leaned towards him.

“You know, we didn't get to finish. Boys shouldn't be left with blue balls.”

Percy just shrugged. “I'm fine.” He didn't look at her, just stared at a space on the wall. The elevator came to a stop at Percy's floor. The young man tossed everyone a wave before making his exit. Nico watched Percy for as long as possible, until the elevators doors blocked his view.

Nico turned towards Thalia. “So, what is it we are shopping for exactly?”

The Lost Girl shrugged. “Just a few things. We'll probably swing by the mall, if you want to get anything.”

“Octavian was talking about outfitting me in some things, but I'm not sure I want to go with it.”

Thalia beamed at him, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Annabeth rolled her eyes. “He's busy right now.”

The blue-eyed girl shrugged. “Then I won't call him.”

She scrolled through her phone and clicked on someone's name. She clicked speakerphone and held the phone out in front of her. The phone began ringing. On the fourth ring, it was accepted and they were greeted by a groan. “Hello?”

“Yo, jerkface, go fetch your brother for me. He needs to come shopping with us.”

Nico blinked at the phone as he heard Luke groan again. There was the sound of covers being thrown back before the low thud of feet hitting the floor. Drew let out a heavy sigh as the sound of Luke opening his door echoed from the phone. Nico looked up to find Annabeth holding the button to keep the elevator from moving.

Nico's eyes widened at the sound of a door being kicked in, followed by loud yelling from Octavian and Reyna. “What the fuck, Luke? I'm a little busy right now.”

“Thalia wants you to go shopping with them.”

“Fuck that.” Nico's face screwed up as he heard moaning. “I'm busy. Tell her I can't.”

Luke let out a sigh. “Thalia? He says he doesn't want to go.”

Thalia frowned. “Can't you work some magic, or something? Please? For me?”

The blond on the phone grunted. The sound of the phone being placed down soon followed, the room on the other end of the phone becoming quiet for a brief second. “What the hell are you doing?” Octavian yelled. Nico's eyebrows rose at the sound of something breaking. “Put me down, you bastard!”

Reyna let out a sigh. “Whatever. Call me when you get back.”

“Fuck you, Luke!” The younger brother let out a yelp. “Stop carrying me! We are not cavemen, dammit! We are supposed to be civilized.”

The phone was scooped up. “Yeah, I'll have him to you in just a second.”

Octavian let out another yelp, and it sounded like he was tossed onto the leather couch. Annabeth shook her head and hit the button to their floor. Thalia grinned to herself and hung up the phone. The elevator arrived at their floor again. As they were rounding the corner to the boys' side, the first door on the left opened.

Luke shoved Octavian out, the shirt hanging on top of the skinnier blond's head. “I hate you,” Octavian grumbled, his brother blocking the entrance to their suite.

“Just making sure you have fun.”

Octavian glared at him. “I can just get back in, I have my key.” The pale blond reached to pull his wallet out. Luke arched an eyebrow and held up a keycard in between his fingers. Octavian's mouth fell open. “You asshole!” He let out a sigh. “Fine, whatever, let's do this stupid shopping trip.”

Luke smirked. “Have fun.”

“You're not even coming?” Octavian yelled, punching his brother in the chest.

“I was sleeping.”

“I was having sex!”

Luke smirked. “And now you're not. Have fun.” The door was shut and locked in front of Octavian.

Octavian turned around to glare at the four other Lost Kids. “I hate you all.”

“Believe me, I didn't ask for you to come,” Drew drawled.

Thalia smiled and wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders. “Nico here wanted you to help him pick out some things you mentioned.”

Octavian narrowed his eyes at the raven haired boy. “Sorry,” Nico mumbled.

The blond groaned before running a hand through his hair and marching off towards the elevators. The Lost Kids boarded the elevator again and set off for the parking garage. Octavian let out a sigh when they came to a stop. “Let me guess, we're also doing your little Thanksgiving shopping trip.”

“Yep,” Thalia said cheerfully.

Octavian tossed Nico another dirty look as he shoved the shorter Lost Boy into the back of Thalia's car. The blond slid in beside him, while Drew sat on his other side, already busy applying a new coat of makeup. Thalia turned around in the driver's seat to grin at the three Lost Kids in the back. “Who's ready to have some fun?”

All three of them grumbled their response. With a smirk in Annabeth's direction, Thalia cranked the car and pulled it out of the parking garage. Nico just sat there, picking at his jeans. He felt awkward sitting in between Drew and Octavian, neither of them being the friendliest of people.

The raven haired boy scrunched up his lips and turned his gaze onto the back of Thalia's head. “What are we getting, anyways? And what for?”

Thalia smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “Thanksgiving, duh.”

“What do we do exactly on Thanksgiving?”

Thalia tilted her head to the side. “Have you never had a Thanksgiving before?”

Annabeth sighed and shook her head. “I think he means what do we do for Thanksgiving.” She turned her body slightly to face the back of the car. “We'll have dinner together after work.”

“Like one big happy family,” Octavian droned, facing his window.

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Apollo's going to be looking for some music for us to listen to while we eat, but we wanted to go get a few things to set the mood.” She waved her hand casually. “Just stuff like candles. As you can imagine, there's not a lot to decorate with for the holiday. All of the food is going to be prepared by the kitchen staff, so there's not a lot for us actually to worry about.”

Drew clicked her tongue. “A night off work. That just means it's a night I can't get some more money. I'm glad we didn't celebrate this holiday.”

“As loving as ever, Drew.” While Thalia didn't turn around, Nico could practically feel the eye roll from the girl.

“So, do we make a deal out of every holiday?” Nico asked.

“Most of them.” Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Christmas is always a fun holiday around here. Percy spares no expense in fully decking out the hotel. He'll even get a huge Christmas tree to put in the lobby.” The blonde gave a soft smile. “But, I think all of the holiday celebrations are more for Percy, than they are for us. He didn't really get a lot of this when he was a kid.”

Thalia grinned. “New Year's Eve is always fun. We all get plastered.”

Nico scrunched his lips. “I think I'll pass on that.” His brown eyes locked with Annabeth's grey ones. “What about Valentines Day?”

“Work?” The blonde chuckled. “We each buy the others some candy and stuff like that, but that's about it.”

“Well,” Octavian turned away from the window, “no one usually sleeps alone on that day.”

Nico blinked. “Does Percy do something similar to what he was going to do on Halloween?”

“Uh, no.” Annabeth's lips thinned. “It just goes back to what we've been trying to drill into your head, Percy doesn't do love. At least not the romantic love.”

Thalia's eyes cut over to Annabeth. “That's not the only reason,” she mumbled.

Annabeth sighed and began curling a strand of hair around her finger. “Yes, well, he doesn't like talking about that.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “What?”

“Nothing,” Octavian, Thalia, and Annabeth all said at the same time. Nico only frowned in response.

The car fell quiet for a while after that, Thalia maneuvering the car towards the mall. Nico was hoping to get Thalia alone on their trip. There were a few things from what he and Jason had talked about yesterday that he was hoping the sister could shed some light upon. Of course, it felt like he had things he wanted to ask all of them, but that was because he did. They were all mysteries, even the ones who had disclosed some of their pasts to him.

When they arrived at the mall, Drew was the first one out of the car. “Let's hurry this holiday shopping along. There are better things for us to be doing, like shopping for clothes, or accessories.” She inspected her wrist with a frown. “I think I need a few more bracelets.”

Octavian, who was walking next to Nico, grunted. “What, you're actually going to pay for them?”

“I don't believe she actually said the word pay, Octavian,” Thalia pointed out.

Nico blinked. “Wait, is she talking about stealing?”

Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Possibly. Who knows with her? She might just be making a list for what to ask for from clients.”

The tall blond beside Nico slung his hands behind his head. “Oh great manipulative bitch, you never cease to amaze me.”

Drew turned to sneer at Octavian. “Like what you do is any better.”

Octavian stared back at her, blankly. “That's just a game. I like to see who is smarter. I mean, if they are looking to try and run things, they should be of decent intelligence.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I don't go around trying to coerce them to do things for my benefit.”

“Whatever. You're not fooling anyone with your honeyed words.”

Octavian tapped a finger to his lips. “You know, I feel like there's a man in China that was asking about you, Drew. Perhaps I should look into contacting him for you. I'm sure he would be delighted to come find you.” Drew's face paled, her mouth shutting tightly. Octavian smirked and slung his hands behind his head again. He looked down at Nico, who was staring up at him. “And that, Nico, is the power of information. It's why Percy values it so much. It holds so much power over people.”

“It feels dirty.” A frown spread across Nico's face. “It's like preying on people's mistakes.”

Octavian chuckled. “It gets the job done. Perhaps they shouldn't be doing some of these things.”

“But people make mistakes, it's what makes us human.”

Thalia clicked her tongue. “Not everyone sees these things that he's talking about as mistakes. People do bad things, things they don't regret.” The Lost Girl lightly chewed on her lip as they entered the mall. “People aren't always nice, Nico. There are bad people in this world, I figured you would have seen that by now.”

“People come to the hotel to deal in slavery and the production of weaponry,” Octavian added. “The people who purchase children to do their work, abuse, and fuck, are they nice people?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or what about the dictators that you might find doing business in one of Gaea's hotels? What of the people who buy missiles, and then turn around and bomb villages of innocent people? Are they good people, Nico?”

Nico stared at the tiled floor of the mall. “That's different. What you just did with Drew sounds like something different.”

Octavian cocked his head to the side. “How?”

“If she wasn't trying to hurt someone, or if it's not something she's proud of, if it's not something she wanted to do, it's not her fault. It shouldn't be held over her head for the rest of her life.” Nico's eyebrows drew together. “That's not nice. I know people do bad things, but that's different from mistakes.”

Annabeth turned to blink at him a few times. “He's got a point. Besides, your brother should take a page from that book.” She turned her grey eyes on Octavian, cocking a brow at him. “Or maybe you should.”

The tall blond pursed his lips. “I...I don't hate Luke for what happened. He's my brother, and I still love him.”

“Doesn't mean you don't hold a grudge.”

Octavian tore his eyes away from Annabeth. “He shouldn't have left without me.” He stared down at the ground, mumbling his next words. “Maybe that's why he and Thalia get along so well.”

The raven haired girl stiffened, but didn't stop walking. “Way to sour the mood,” she mumbled.

Thalia looked up at Octavian, the two of them glaring at each other for a moment before the girl sneered and walked into a Bath and Body Works. Drew immediately began picking through various lotions, while Octavian drifted around the store, looking very bored. Nico stuck with Thalia and Annabeth, as both Lost Girls began looking through candles. Every now and then they would pick one up and smell it before offering it to the other for inspection.

Nico's eyes followed Octavian for a moment. “Why is he like that?”

Annabeth picked up another candle. “Like what?”

“Bitter?”

Annabeth sniffed the candle, turning her head towards Nico. She blinked before following his gaze over to the blond Lost Boy. “Well, we're all bitter, just in our own way. We all cope with our issues differently.”

“If he's still upset with his brother, why does it seem like Luke is the only person Octavian truly likes?”

Thalia sighed. “First, you need to understand that we can't always know the consequences of our actions, Nico. Luke did run away from home, but he had good reason to do so.”

Annabeth put the candle back, a frown on her face. “Not all of us were kicked out. Some of us ran, too afraid to stay at home anymore.” She looked to Thalia, offering her a weak smile. “Not all parents love their children.” Her eyes returned to Nico. “You grow up, believing all of these things about your parents, but they all just turn out to be false hopes.”

Thalia stared at Annabeth with a broken look. “It's not always the parent's fault, though. Like Nico was saying, people make mistakes.”

“Costly mistakes,” the blond whispered, poking through more candles. Nico noticed her purse her lips. Her grey eyes glistened, like she might start crying soon.

Thalia placed a hand on the other Lost Girl's shoulder. “Don't try to think about it.”

Annabeth gave her a weak smile in return. Thalia squeezed the blonde's shoulder before pulling Nico away. Nico stared at her, the girl letting out a heavy sigh. “Where are we going?”

“Just looking for anything else that might be good to get.” She cleared her throat, throwing on a smile. “Can you think of anything?”

Nico scratched his cheek, looking around the store. “Not really. But I did want to talk to you.”

Thalia sighed. “Of course you did.”

“Never mind.”

The Lost Girl shook her head. “No, go ahead. Ask me anything.”

Nico swallowed before opening his mouth. “What's up with you and Jason? I guess you were right about him being upset with you.”

Thalia pursed her lips. “Can you believe he didn't want to see me after waking up? He didn't even ask for me.” She let out another sigh, her gaze dropping. “I know how Luke feels. We both fucked up. I probably could have done more. He was all I had left of a real family, I should have done more.”

Nico's forehead creased. “What happened on the night you left? He seems very adamant about that being what has him upset.”

“Our father happened.” Her eyes slowly darted back and forth, as if they were following an invisible object. “But he can't hurt anyone now, Percy made sure of that. But, that night, I got away from him, after so many nights of crying myself to sleep and just thinking that I'd never manage to do it. I was just a kid, where was I supposed to go?”

A woman came up to them and asked if they needed any help with anything. She wore a strained smile, and Nico couldn't help but compare it to the ones the Lost Kids wore. She couldn't hold a candle to some of them. It was obviously fake, obvious she didn't want to be doing this. Thalia and Nico just shook their heads and the woman walked off.

Nico wrapped his arms around himself. “So, he's just mad that you left him to live in that life, being a prostitute for his father?”

Thalia opened her mouth, but it just hung there for a moment, no words coming out. She stared down at the ground and shook her head. “No, it's a little more fucked up than that.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “So why didn't you take him? What stopped you?”

“Heracles.” Her eyes were distant, as if she wasn't fully focused on the conversation at hand. “As odd as it might sound, Nico, this is the best family I've ever had. It's more loving than my old one. We fight, but we still love each other.” She smiled at him. “Never forget that we'll be there if you need us, like Luke with your bullies.”

The brown-eyed boy nodded. There had been a time where he had a hard time believing that statement, but he was starting to come around to the notion. Several of them had gotten involved for helping him with the bullies. And Octavian had offered to help him with several things, though it was at the price of staying away from Luke. Annabeth had even offered to give him advice.

“About earlier,” Thalia continued.

Nico shook his head. “I was being stupid.”

The Lost Girl pursed her lips. “You're far from stupid, Nico.”

“Doesn't mean I can't make stupid mistakes.”

Thalia brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “I just figured you would have gotten over this by now.” She studied Nico's face, her brow furrowing. “Unless, you really do like him.”

Nico tilted his head. “What do you mean? Of course I like Percy. Why is that unusual?”

“It's just that most of us don't truly have feelings for Percy, at least not in the healthy sense, or perhaps the romantic sense. Luke is in lust with Percy. Apollo thinks he's in love with Percy, or wishes he could be. The twins ended up shifting their feelings into a brotherly bond with Percy. And-” Thalia clamped her mouth shut. “Never mind.”

“Why is this a big deal?”

“It's complicated.” Thalia pursed her lips. “I don't know. You've talked to Apollo. Percy is...Percy is acting different.” Her eyes met Nico's own. “Especially lately.”

“He doesn't seem happy with me right now.” Nico rubbed at his arm. “Should I be worried about what he wants to talk about?”

Thalia shrugged. “I don't know, Nico,” she said softly. “The only advice I could give would be to talk to Rachel. She's...good at reading people. Maybe she can help you out.”

“Chiron said that no one can know what Percy's thinking.”

The Lost Girl chuckled. “No, but reading someone is different. Besides, Rachel isn't just anyone.”

Nico gave her a lopsided smile. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Not a problem, short stuff.”

Nico arched a brow, gesturing to Thalia's body. “You're one to talk. And I'm getting to be taller than you now.”

Thalia sighed and placed a hand on her hip. “The curse of being a girl. I'm done growing, and I feel like a child with my height.” She grinned wickedly. “But, you know what they say, it just means that I'm fun sized.”

Nico chuckled and nodded his head. Annabeth walked over and deposited several candles in Thalia's arms. “The best I could find was pumpkin scented. How does that sound?”

Thalia shrugged. “Works for me.” She nudged Nico's shoulder. “You can take the other two and get a start on shopping, if you want. Annabeth and I will be along shortly.”

Nico nodded and maneuvered around a few stands to get to Octavian and Drew. “I'm just saying that I think it was uncalled for,” Octavian grumbled to Drew, who was inspecting a few products.

The Asian shrugged. “Not my fault that Frank doesn't like you.”

“He banned me from entering Asia!”

Nico cleared his throat. “Um, we can go ahead and shop now, unless you two are busy.”

The blond snapped his fingers. “Come along, shortie, I want to go ahead and get this over with.”

Drew scoffed as they exited the store. “Please, it's going to take me a few hours to get an adequate new wardrobe.”

Octavian rolled his eyes. “Never the light spender, are we, Drew?”

Nico blinked at both of them. “Aren't we running on a tight schedule to get back?”

“Thankfully, yes, or else we'd never get to leave this place.” Octavian sighed and shook his head. “She'd buy the entire place if she could.”

Drew snapped her fingers at them a few times before dashing into a nearby store. Octavian let out another sigh before grabbing Nico and following after the Lost Girl. But, by the time they got inside the store, Drew had disappeared. Nico's eyebrows rose as he looked around for her, but couldn't even get a glimpse of her.

“Damn, she works fast.”

Octavian nodded in agreement before nodding his head towards the men's section. “I figured you could manage what I mentioned on your own.”

“I didn't actually ask that you come along. Thalia just sort of did it.”

Octavian shrugged and began sort through some jeans. “Well, I don't need anything, so just look around and find stuff you like.” He pursed his lips and held up a pair of dark skinny jeans. He held them out in front of Nico, letting the legs of the pants fall down. He tilted his head and admired them for a second before folding them back up and shoving them in Nico's hands.

Nico looked around the store once more for Drew before returning his attention to the other Lost Boy. “So, why a scarf exactly? It was a little random.”

“I just thought you'd look good in one.” The blond casually walked over to a rack with a lot of scarfs. “Dark colors, dark colors,” he kept mumbling to himself as he picked through them. With a click of his tongue, Octavian pulled one out and wrapped it around Nico's neck. The blond tapped a finger to his lip as he studied the raven haired youth. “Yes, I like it. Now you need a beanie to match it.” The tall Lost Boy scrunched his lips up, his hip jutting out slightly to the side. “You could also put that with a pea coat.”

Nico tugged lightly on the scarf, pulling it from his neck. “Maybe when it gets a little colder. The scarf and beanie are fine for now.”

Octavian tilted his head to the side and studied Nico again, his brow creasing. “Huh, you really are perfect, aren't you?” His icy blue eyes seemed to pierce into Nico. “Innocent, hopeful, sees the good in people, and now you don't display any desire to live luxuriously.”

“But I do live luxuriously, at least compared to how I used to live.”

“And yet I really don't see you ever spending that money you make. What do you plan on doing with it exactly?”

Nico shrugged, grabbing a grey scarf from the rack. “I don't know, haven't thought about it. Maybe save it? I'm not sure how long I'll be here, making this money. I'd rather not end up broke with no money again. And maybe-” He shook his head. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to think about how Percy could be right about his future, about how he should think about leaving the hotel, about leaving Percy. But if things got to be too much, he needed an escape.

Octavian sighed and led Nico towards another rack, this one with beanies on it. He picked up a few, placing a black one on top of Nico's head. “I don't really understand you, Nico, and I'm really good at knowing people.” He adjusted the beanie on Nico and pursed his lips. “That one will do.”

“This feels strange.”

Octavian cocked a brow and removed the beanie from Nico's head. He stared down at it and ran the material between his fingers. “Feels fine to me. What's the problem?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Not with the hat. I mean you. You're being nice.”

The blond shrugged and placed another beanie on Nico's head. “If you prefer, I can go back to being an asshole.” The blond exhaled and removed the grey beanie that he had put on Nico. “I did say we were on a truce, and you're keeping your end of the agreement.”

“I still don't like it.” Nico frowned at the blond, who turned around and started walking. Nico huffed before following after him. “I'm supposed to be friends with Luke, even if he is an ass sometimes. I like being around him.”

Octavian turned his icy blue eyes on Nico with a blank look. “You're more trouble than you know, especially for my brother. And the worst part is that you don't even realize it.”

Nico cocked his head to the side. “Are you and your brother intimate like the twins, or something?”

Octavian gave him a funny look. “We've had sex, if that's what you mean.”

The raven haired boy shook his head. “No, that's not it. I mean-never mind. It's not important.”

Octavian smirked and began walking again. He sighed and rose on the balls of his feet, looking around the store. “Fucking hell, Drew, where did you go?” He grunted before lowering himself and looking at Nico. “Good luck on that front.”

“What front?”

“The twins. If you're smart, you won't try being direct with them. They like mind games. You want in their inner circle, you'll have to learn to play along with their games.” Octavian narrowed his eyes as Drew emerged from a few clothing racks. “Are you done yet?”

Nico's eyes widened as he took in all the clothes that Drew carried in her arms. Not only that, but she had one of the store worker's carrying another armful for her. Poor guy didn't even have a chance. Drew smiled at the young man sweetly as he placed her large pile of clothes on the counter. Nico and Octavian watched as the young man dashed around behind the counter to ring Drew up.

The Asian Lost Girl flipped her hair back, turning to face the Lost Boys. “And that, gentlemen, is how you go shopping.”

Nico quirked a brow. “Looks more like how you go broke.”

Drew scoffed. “Please, I'll never be broke.”

Octavian shook his head with a frown. “She's got a lot of wealthy men wrapped around her finger,” the blond whispered.

By the time the young man was finishing up with Drew, Annabeth and Thalia entered the store. “Sorry we took so long, but we knew that would happen,” Annabeth said, pointing to Drew's large amount of bags on the counter. “So, we stopped off at the bookstore.”

“And Hot Topic.” Thalia clapped Nico on the back with a grin. “Have fun?” She eyed the few scarves, beanies, and the pair of pants that Nico had in his hands. “That's all you're getting?”

“That's what I said,” Octavian sighed.

Nico frowned and placed his things on the counter, while Drew slid her card through the machine. “It's all I need. I don't see what the big deal is.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I might buy a game system soon, but I'm still trying to decide. I don't really have a lot of time to play anything.”

Annabeth chuckled. “This one wasn't too much of an ass, was he?” She gestured to the tall blond beside Nico.

Nico blinked up at Octavian briefly before returning his gaze to Annabeth. “Actually, he was...nice.”

Thalia felt of Octavian's forehead. “Are you sick?”

Octavian glared at the short Lost Girl, smacking her hand away. “I can be nice, dammit!” The cashier quirked an eyebrow at them as he worked on checking Nico out. The raven haired Lost Boy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

Drew pulled out a charm bracelet and slid it onto her arm. “Are we done now?”

Thalia turned to Annabeth, who shrugged. “I suppose,” the raven haired girl replied.

Without even bothering to wait for them, Drew made for the exit. Nico rolled his eyes at her and picked up his single bag. The rest of the group slowly exited the store, not really bothering to catch up with the Asian girl.

“Have fun today, Nico?” Thalia turned to him, waiting for an answer.

Nico smiled and nodded. “Yeah, actually, I did.”

“Stop it,” Nico mumbled. He narrowed his eyes at the elevator door as his assailants continued to grind their butts against his sides.

“What's the matter, Neeks, you can get naked on stage, but you can't have a little fun?” Travis grinned and turned around, grinding his front against Nico's backside.

Nico let out a heavy sigh, Apollo chuckling in his ear. “I hate you all, so very much.”

Zoë rolled her eyes. “You're all children.”

Apollo chuckled and stopped moving, resting his chin on Nico's head. “Feeling left out, Zo?”

Travis grinned wickedly and inched closer. The Lost Girl gave the brunet an icy glance, pressing a hand to his chest. “I will castrate you if you try.”

Travis pouted. “But then we wouldn't be able to have any fun.”

“How will I ever survive?” Zoë droned. The elevator opened and the Lost Kids made their exit. Ethan greeted them from behind his podium, but Clarisse was nowhere to be seen.

“I wouldn't go up there just yet,” Ethan called over his shoulder.

Apollo frowned and turned around. The blond slung his hands behind his head. “What's going on?”

“Percy and Clarisse are getting into it.”

Zoë sighed. “Silena?”

Ethan shook his head. “Working the bar, can't get her.”

Apollo sighed and shook his head. He bounded up the stairs, and the other three quickly followed after him, leaving Ethan to do his job. Nico nearly bumped into Apollo at the top of the stairs, the blond having come to a stop. Travis quickly steadied him, preventing the youngest Lost Kid from tumbling down the stairs.

Clarisse and Percy stood in the center of the room. Rachel was standing a foot away from Percy, close enough to be at hand, but far enough away to stay out of the brutal storm that was Percy and Clarisse. Percy stood, arms crossed, with a bored look on his face. His eyes were dark and piercing into Clarisse, unblinking. Clarisse had a fist clenched at her side, while she was using her other hand to shove Percy's shoulder.

“What the fuck, Percy?” The girl yelled. “You couldn't even clear this with me first? I thought we were cool, but you have to go and be an ass!”

Percy's eyes were nearing a deep emerald color. Apollo wasn't even attempting to get involved like he had the other night with Silena. Instead, he stood frozen in place, lips tightly pursed. Neither Travis or Zoë seemed all that eager to jump in either. A few of the Lost Kids were poking their heads out of the back door, trying to get a view of the growing disaster.

Percy squeezed his hand into a fist for a split second before stretching his fingers at his sides. “Clarisse, I want you to drop the issue. Now.” The young man popped his neck, his eyes never leaving Clarisse.

“Fuck you, Percy! He doesn't need to get involved in this!” Nico's eyes widened when Clarisse actually shoved Percy hard enough to make him stumble backwards.

The young man's eyes looked near murderous. His lip twitched as he straightened himself out. “I understand that you're mad, and I'm willing to let you blow off your steam, but I suggest you find other ways to deal with that anger.” The green-eyed young man crossed his arms over his chest. “Am I making myself clear?”

“This is fucking stupid! What the fuck? You knew I'd hate you for this.” The Lost Girl poked Percy hard in the chest, bringing their faces extremely close together. However, Percy didn't even bat an eye. He just stood there, staring coldly at her.

“I said, am I making myself clear?” Percy asked in an eerily calm voice. “I've told you before, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my hotel. Stop trying to act like your father.”

Clarisse's nostrils flared. She got a tight grip on Percy's shirt and the two just stood there, staring at each other. The tall Lost Girl glared at Percy for a while before releasing her grip on his shirt. “Whatever,” she grumbled, walking away from the young man.

Percy watched her shove past Nico and the others before letting his shoulders relax. Zoë sauntered over to him as he was running a hand through his hair. “Problems?”

He smiled at her and slid a hand under her shirt, caressing her back. “Of course not. Just having a friendly discussion.” He let out a sigh, letting his eyes close. “I want everyone to be getting ready by the time I open my eyes. Understood?”

The back door quickly swung closed. Apollo nudged Nico to head towards the bar room. Zoë ran a hand through Percy's hair before smiling and following Apollo and the others out of the room. Dionysus sat in his usual chair, a huge grin on his face.

“Oh my, it sounds dreadful out there.”

Apollo rolled his eyes. “Like you weren't listening at the door.”

“Oh, it seems you've caught me, Apollo. I know, I'm a horrible person. How will I ever live with my shame?” The man placed the back of his hand to his forehead and leaned back in the chair. With his eyes shut, he raised a glass of alcohol to his lips and sipped from it. “Delicious.”

Apollo grunted and yanked his shirt over his head. Nico would be lying if he said he didn't look. Apollo had a nice, lean body. Reyna and Annabeth pushed through the door, immediately copying Apollo's actions. Within mere seconds, the room's occupants, save for Dionysus, were stripped down to their underwear.

Apollo walked over and poured himself a shot, downing it in an instant. Dionysus let out a sigh. “Ah, to be young.”

Apollo's blue eyes turned on the bartender. The blond rubbed at his neck, letting his eyes shut and trailing his hand down his torso. He smirked at the man and sat the shot glass down. “Unlike you, I don't plan on ruining this figure.”

Dionysus's lips tilted up. In response, Apollo's lips fell. The blond cleared his throat and quickly walked towards the door, brushing one of his curls out of his eyes. Nico eyed him funny, watching until the blond had left the room. His eyes shifted, eventually falling on Annabeth, who was giving the bartender a blank look.

Something about the way the blonde always did that got under Nico's skin. It was completely unreadable, void of all emotion. And unlike most of the other Lost Kids, Nico had yet to see Annabeth actually get upset or angry. She was always so calm, even more so than Percy.

Annabeth blinked and her eyes flickered over to meet Nico's. The raven haired boy's face turned a little pink and he looked away. Annabeth's brow furrowed. “All right, everyone, let's get to work.” Giving Nico another brief glance, she pushed through the door on the girls' side.

Reyna and Zoë followed after the blonde, leaving Nico and Travis alone with Dionysus. The man smiled. “Ah, Nico, I hear your new roommate has finally woken up. I shall very much like to meet him when he starts working.”

“I bet you will,” Travis mumbled. He nudged Nico's shoulder. “Come on, let's get out of here.”

Dionysus inspected one of his nails. “Oh, Travis, you and your brother are never any fun.”

The brunet narrowed his eyes and stormed out of the room, Nico following close behind. “Travis?”

The elder twin turned and blinked at Nico. “Hmm?”

“What's up with Dionysus? Why does everyone dislike him so much?”

Travis sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair. “It's-”

“Complicated,” Nico mumbled, “go figure.”

Travis grinned at him. “You're learning.” His hands moved down to rest on his hips. “Anyways, he's just messed up. Careful what you say to him, it might come back to bite you. He's not a very nice person, even if he tries to come off as such.”

Nico pursed his lips. “But he used to be a Lost Kid. Everyone seems fine with Circe, Ganymede, and Aphrodite, so what's the issue with Dionysus?”

The twin's smile faltered. “Besides being an evil genius and getting inside your head and under your skin?” Nico quirked a brow at him. “Well, he's...he's...” Travis grabbed his chin. “He's like temptation. As much as I hate it, there's the Bible thing with the snake and the apple.” Travis waved his hand through the air absently. “He's like that.”

Nico's head fell to the side. “But, aren't we the same? Temptation, I mean. I thought that's what our job was.”

Travis chuckled. “Perceptive little bastard, aren't you?” The brunet scrunched his lips up. “It's a little different, in a way.” He smiled again, but Nico just blinked at him. The brunet sighed and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “Just trust me, okay?”

Nico nodded his head. Travis smiled again before walking off. Nico sighed when he spotted Apollo, already tending to Percy's table. Nico moved past said table, offering the green-eyed young man a smile. Percy glanced up at him for a brief second before his eyes returned to Apollo. Nico's smile faltered, his shoulders slumping slightly.

Was Percy mad at him? Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything earlier. In the back of his mind, he knew Percy probably wouldn't return his feelings, but it didn't hurt to try. Right?

As the music started for the night's performances, Nico made his way to his first table. The table's occupants didn't seem very eager to make conversation, so Nico made quick work of scribbling down their drink orders. It did not really bother him that they weren't eyeing him over, his mind seemed to be in a million other places.

As if on auto-pilot, Nico drifted back towards the bar room. His eyes stared down at the floor, his brow drawn tightly together. There was something, tugging in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it. Odd, he thought.

Nico pushed into the bar room and handed Dionysus the drink orders, not really looking at the man. “Everything all right there, Nico?” The man asked.

Nico blinked. “Huh? What?”

Dionysus tilted his head to the side. “You seem awfully distracted.”

“Just have a lot on my mind.”

The chubby man gave him a lazy smile. “Do tell. Perhaps I can help.”

Nico frowned, gripping his notepad tightly in his hands. “I don't know if I should.”

“Oh? Well, typically, when someone wants help with a problem, they ask for advice.”

The raven haired boy sighed. “It's just Percy, nothing really new.”

The smile grew. “I hear you two went on a date, which would explain why the others are working so hard to get Percy to go on one with them as well.” Dionysus began pouring one of the drinks. “And he has seemed a little stressed lately. I wonder if the two could be related.”

“Percy has a lot to deal with. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the other Lost Kids.”

Dionysus's eyes flashed with a spark. “Perhaps, but could it have anything to do with you? Are you troubling him, Nico?”

The Lost Boy fumbled with his mouth. “I-I, er-I didn't-” He let out a sigh. “What could I have done?”

“I don't know, Nico, what could you have done?” He smiled as he mixed another drink. “I'm sure that new boy, Jason, will be getting a date soon.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “I didn't even go on a date with Percy. I explicitly said that it wasn't a date.”

“How unfortunate for you. It seems the other Lost Kids don't wish to play your game.” He quirked a brow. “Does it bother you that they get to have sex with Percy after their 'not-date' is over?”

The pale boy frowned. “We didn't even do anything,” he mumbled.

Dionysus stopped what he was doing, his smile falling. “You didn't?” He blinked a few times, sounding unsure of what had just been said. “Are you sure?”

Nico cocked an eyebrow. “I think I'd know if I had sex or not. We didn't do anything. I don't know, Percy has seemed bothered or something lately.”

The man clicked his tongue, starting on the final drink. “Interesting.”

“I...guess? I don't understand why this seems so fascinating.”

The man hummed to himself. “I hear you walked in on Percy having sex again.”

“I hear you used to be a Lost Kid,” Nico countered. He crossed his arms. Two could play this game.

The bartender frowned and gave him an annoyed look, shoving the tray of drinks towards him. “Touché, Nico. I don't know who you've been talking to, but I'm not sure I approve.”

Nico smirked and shifted the tray closer to himself. “What, it's only fair that you know so much about everyone else? And, to be honest, I wasn't asking about you, it just came up in conversation. Though, I did have small suspicions.”

“I see.” The man let out a sigh, returning to his chair, a drink in hand. “Well, that was a long time ago. Ancient history. No need to concern yourself with any of that.” Nico took the tray and headed for the door. “Oh, and, Nico?” The boy turned around. Dionysus swirled his drink around in his hand. “Careful to play with fire, one typically ends up getting burned.”

Nico's brow furrowed as he pushed his back against the door, exiting the room. Was that a threat? If it was, it was the first one he had gotten from his quest to discover things. Either way, perhaps he should tread more carefully. It didn't seem like Dionysus was someone he wanted to have problems with.

The first hour passed by relatively quickly, and that tugging feeling had grown. He finally placed it, though. It was the feeling someone got when they were being watched. Nico just couldn't figure out why he had this feeling. It could have been from some of the customers, who would glance at the passing Lost Kids on the floor from time to time. A lot of the customers liked to watch them walk away. But that wasn't it, or at least Nico didn't think that it was.

He tried looking around, searching for the source, but no one really stuck out to him. He never caught anyone looking his way, yet the feeling still remained. The Lost Boy tried ignoring it, but it did not seem to help any. If anything, the suspicion grew as the night progressed.

By the time the clock was nearing midnight, he was starting to think he was becoming paranoid. Was he losing it? Nico stood in one of the corners of the room, having had wiped off a table after a customer left.

“If you don't move soon, I'm going to suggest we rent you out to an art gallery.”

Nico blinked and looked up, finding Apollo slipping some cash into a small lockbox they kept for money. The raven haired boy frowned. “Have I been standing here that long?”

The blond shrugged, pressing his palm on the counter and leaning on it. “Only about five or ten minutes.”

“Damn,” Nico cursed under his breath. “I just have this weird feeling like I'm being watched.”

Apollo quirked a brow. “Good. We usually want people staring at us, Nico.”

The boy shook his head. “No, not like that.” He groaned and scratched the back of his head. “It's been like this all night, I just can't find anyone staring.” He looked up when the blond didn't respond. The blond lips were tightly pursed, his eyes a shade darker. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” the blond mumbled.

“You're lying. Do you know something?”

Apollo shrugged. “Don't worry about it, Nico, just get back to work.” The blond closed the lockbox and slid it back under the counter before heading back onto the floor.

Nico found it hard to stare at the stage tonight. He kept glancing over to Percy's table, who seemed to be busy or distracted every time that he looked over. He was hoping that Percy wasn't going to distance himself or pull away. Nico felt like he had been making very good progress on getting to know Percy. It would be bad if all of that were thrown out the window.

When the night finally came to an end, Nico ended up sitting at a table Apollo and Beckendorf. Apollo was slumped down across from him, eyes closed. Beckendorf was scribbling on a napkin, caught up in whatever he was doing. Rachel was running over some last minute business with an exhausted looking Percy. The young manager let out an exasperated sigh, sliding out of the booth.

“That will be all for tonight, Rachel,” he said, holding up a hand.

The Lost Girl closed her mouth, pursing her lips. She gave a nod and folded her hands in front of her. Apollo let out a yawn and opened his eyes. “Can we crash now?”

Percy nodded and the three Lost Boys worked on making their way down the stairs. “Not you, Nico.” The Lost Boy froze. He gulped and turned around. “You and I still need to talk.” He patted Rachel on the cheek before sliding his hands into his pockets and walking over to Nico.

The young man gestured for them to continue on, so Nico resumed his descent down the stairs. Once they were in the elevator, Percy hit the button for their floor. Percy never spoke the entire way to Nico's room, which was bothering Nico to no end. He was nervous and beginning to panic.

When Nico opened the door to his suite, Jason looked up at them. He smiled at Percy, who returned it with one of his own. “Hey, Percy. I was hoping you would drop by.”

Percy smiled wider. “Well, I'm afraid that this visit concerns Nico, but I'll catch up with you in a minute.”

Jason blinked, his gaze dropping to Nico's face. He stared at his roommate, who only pursed his lips and averted his eyes. The blond gave a nod before returning his attention to the TV. Percy lightly shoved Nico in the back, urging him on to his room.

Percy shut the door softly behind them. Nico sat down on his bed before looking up at the young man from behind his bangs. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.

Percy tilted his head to the side. “For what? You haven't done anything wrong.” He rolled his eyes when Nico relaxed his shoulders. “You're not in trouble, Nico.”

“Then why are you here?”

Percy smiled. “Well, if you don't want to talk to me...”

“N-no, I didn't mean-what do you want to talk about?”

The green-eyed young man chuckled. “You're cute.” He sighed and ran a hand into his hair. “Nico, Nico, Nico, what am I going to do with you?” He paused, not bothering to look at the boy on the bed. “You seemed troubled tonight.”

Nico frowned. “How would you know? You weren't paying me any attention.”

Percy just smiled wider. “Anyways, we need to talk about these feelings that you're developing.” He sighed again and sat down on the bed with Nico. “You may think you have these romantic feelings for me, Nico, but I assure you that they-”

“I know how I feel, Percy.” Nico's forehead creased, his frown increasing. He scooted an inch away from the young man beside him.

“I'm not healthy for you. I don't get why you don't understand that. And most of the Lost Kids get out of this phase by now.” The manager exhaled and glanced over at Nico. “You need to get over this. You want me, I get that, but I can't give you what you want. I can't give you an exclusive relationship. I can't be with you.”

Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. “You're not as bad as you think you are. I think you're a good person.”

“I'm not,” Percy grumbled, turning his face away from Nico to stare darkly at the wall. “You just haven't gotten that through your head yet. You'll just have to learn.”

“I'm not going to learn that, because it's not true.” The boy frowned and stood up, moving to stand in front of Percy. “If you weren't a nice person, you wouldn't help all of us to get off the streets.”

“And I put them all to work selling their bodies.”

“You take care of us. You protect us.”

Percy stared darkly up at Nico. “It doesn't change anything. You and I cannot be together.”

“Do you like me?”

Percy sighed. “I think you're a nice person that-”

“That's not what I meant!” Nico shouted. He crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze not faltering when Percy stared up at him again.

The young man ran a hand across his face. “I know what you meant, Nico.” He pursed his lips and shook his head. “It doesn't matter. The bottom line is that I'm dangerous for you. It would be like drinking poison.”

Nico reached out to touch Percy, only for the young man to grab his wrist. Percy's dark green eyes stared back at him. He moved Nico's hand away from him before releasing the boy's wrist. “Why are you so difficult?”

Percy smirked. “Why are you so stubborn?” The young man sighed and stood up. “So smart and yet so blind.”

“Are you calling me stupid?”

The young man smiled wider, shaking his head. “No, not at all. Just let this all go, okay?”

“I don't want to.” Nico's brow furrowed.

Percy reached out and brushed Nico's bangs to the side. “You really are going to be the death of me.” Percy pursed his lips and let his hand fall back to his side.

“You're not even going to answer my question?”

Percy stepped around Nico, moving closer to the door. “And what question would that be?”

Nico stared up at the other raven haired male. “How do you feel about me?” Percy stared at Nico for a long time, unmoving, unblinking. Nico glared at Percy's retreating form. “I'm not letting this go.”

Percy stopped in the doorway and Nico caught a smirk on the corner of his lips. “I figured you wouldn't.” He turned around and gave Nico a real smile. “I'll see you later, Nico.”

Nico collapsed on his bed when his door shut. This was so frustrating. Why did Percy want to push him away so much? And, yet, he had never flat out told Nico to stop with all of this. If he had really wanted Nico to back off, he would have said so, wouldn't he? He was the boss, so he could have made Nico do so, but he hadn't.

The raven haired boy rolled over onto his stomach, resting his chin on his arms. His mother had always told him that real romance wasn't easy. It wasn't meant to be something simple. It wasn't a fairytale. People didn't get together in some simple story and live happily ever after, they had to work for it. It was like a challenge, his mother had always said.

 Well, Nico would accept this challenge, until the time came that Percy actually denied having feelings for him. If that time ever came.