Children of Loss 26

Chapter 26

Dark brown eyes blinked, his hands dangling above his head as he hung upside down on the jungle gym. His legs were hooked into the bars, while his hair blew in the breeze. His gaze fell upon Daedalus and Jason, as the two tossed a football back and forth. It was quiet at the park today, it was nice.

Bianca came into his view and cocked an eyebrow at her brother. Nico winced as her hand smacked against his stomach. “Is my baby brother developing a hint of abs?” She smirked when Nico did his best to cover his stomach with his shirt.

Nico righted himself and sat upright on the metal bars. “I've just been taking care of myself.”

“I'm glad to hear that.” The girl climbed up and sat down beside her brother. Nico smiled lightly when she reached an arm out and pulled him closer, so that he was leaning against her. “You were always so scrawny when you were at home.”

Pale lips tilted down as brown eyes shifted to the ground. “And you always tried to get me more food.”

“Someone had to take care of you.” Bianca reached up and adjusted the green cap that rested on her head. “It's nice to see you without bruises.”

The raven haired boy rubbed his hands together. He unconsciously reached up and touched his cheek, like he was expecting to find one there. “How are things at home?”

“Quiet, for the most part.” Brown eyes darted over and met her brother's own brown ones. “Mother looks at a picture she kept of you whenever father isn't around. I'm not sure he would be happy if he knew she kept it.” A sigh escaped her lips as she looked over to her boyfriend. “He told everyone that you decided to leave home. I don't think he noticed, but Daedalus's mother gave him a very hateful look when he told them that.”

“I would worry about the police looking for me, but this is Los Angeles that we're talking about.” Nico looked up at the cloudy sky. “Will you see me for Christmas and my birthday?”

Bianca smiled and squeezed him closer. “Of course. I'll make sure to get you a nice cake, too.”

They both jumped when the football sailed into the jungle gym, just a few inches away from them. Jason and Daedalus both laughed as they jogged over. Bianca scowled and smacked her boyfriend upside the head. Jason nudged Nico with his elbow. “We'll need to be getting back soon. Tonight's my first night on the job, and I need to go talk to Leo beforehand.”

The raven haired boy nodded his head and jumped down from his perch. Bianca smiled and ruffled his hair. “Hey, Jason, you'll keep an eye on him for me, won't you?” The blond smiled and nodded. “Don't hesitate to let Daedalus's know if something is wrong. I know this one won't be so willing to tell me if he's having problems.” Nico scowled as Bianca's hand came in contact with the back of his head.

“I love you, too, Bianca,” Nico mumbled, rubbing the spot his sister had hit.

“You better, dork.” She made to hit Nico in the arm, but ended up swinging her arm around him and pulling him into a hug.

Daedalus reached out and squeezed Jason's shoulder. “I'm sorry to hear about your dad, man. If you need to talk about it, give me a call.”

Nico gave Jason a quizzical look, but the blond chose to ignore him. “Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.” He slung his arm around Nico and pulled him away from Bianca. “We'll see you two later.” Nico frowned up at the blond as he was led away. Jason grinned and waved at Bianca and Daedalus until they were a good distance away.

“What did you tell him?” Nico opened up the passenger door to Jason's car-a blue sports car, big surprise-and turned to face his roommate. He supposed the others had been right about Jason probably having a car.

The taller Lost Boy turned to Nico once the car was cranked. He adjusted the heat, as it had been a little chilly today. “That my dad died in a car wreck, which was slightly true.” Pink lips scrunched up as he shifted his car into drive. “Well, sort of. Anyways, I told him that Percy had taken me in after that, and that was sort of what Percy did. That part was pretty much true.” The blond let out a sigh as he began poking around his car. “You see, Nico, that is how you lie.”

“I'll be sure to take notes.”

They both grew quiet when a pack of cigarettes fell from the visor above Nico's head. Jason blinked and plucked them from Nico's lap, raising them to his face for inspection. “I figured Percy would have confiscated these.”

“You smoke? Shouldn't you refrain from that if you're into sports?”

Blue eyes rolled before they glanced over at Nico. Jason shoved the pack into a space beneath the radio, turning his attention back to the road. “Just enough to take the edge off.” Nico's eyes wandered down to stare at the cigarettes. “There were just some really bad days, and I needed something to help.”

“There are better ways to cope with your issues.” The Lost Boy reached up and brushed his long bangs out of his dark eyes. “Percy said he didn't like us smoking.”

Jason rolled his eyes and the two started a glaring contest. “What, are you going to run and tell on me? If I recall correctly, he said he didn't approve of it, not that he didn't allow it.” Nico began to frown as he turned his head away. “Besides, he left them in here. I'm pretty sure if he cleaned out all of my drugs from my stuff, he would have checked my car.”

Nico's brow furrowed before he met Jason's gaze again. “Aren't you going to smoke one then?”

The blond chuckled and reached for the pack again. He tossed it up once and caught it before placing the cigarettes between his legs. “I found them. I never said anything about smoking them, at least not right now.” A calloused hand raised and rubbed across his mouth. “There's a difference between thinking about doing something and actually doing it.” Jason let out a breath before giving Nico a brief glance. “Thinking about doing something bad doesn't make you a bad person, Nico. It makes you human.”

“But they're bad for you,” Nico reasoned, scowling at his roommate.

Jason laughed loudly. He let his head fall back against the headrest with a lick of his lips. “People do unhealthy things all the time, Nico. Just look at America. We love our fast food.” Nico followed Jason's hand as he gestured to some of the fast food chains that they passed.

“I suppose.” His brown eyes returned to Jason's perfectly sculpted face. “Are you going to smoke them?”

Letting out a breath, Jason glanced down at the cigarettes. “You know, Nico, you don't always need to know the answer to things.” He turned towards Nico with a grin. “I mean, I don't, and it's my decision.”

Nico blinked when his phone began to vibrate. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, spotting a text from Apollo. “Apparently, I have practice in a few minutes.”

“I guess it's good that we decided to come back.”

Nico typed out a reply, letting Apollo know that they were pulling into the garage, and let his phone drop into his lap. Jason flung his car into the first parking space he found and shut off the car. He grabbed his football from the back seat before slipping the pack of cigarettes into the visor above his head.

The two began their trek over to the elevator, Jason tossing the football up into the air as they walked. Nico frowned as he watched his roommate from the corner of his eye. Was it just him, or was there something off about his roommate? No, he was sure there was something...different about him. He just wished he could place a finger on it.

They both ended up back in their suite, where Nico quickly changed into some loose clothing. When Nico emerged from his room, he found Jason lying across the couch. The blond grinned up at him before standing up. “Do you think they would mind if I stopped by?” The tall Lost Boy blew out a breath as he tossed the football onto the couch. “It gets boring in this suite.”

Nico shrugged, heading towards the door. “I don't see why not.”

Nico closed the door once he and Jason were outside. There was a brief tugging sensation around his waist, and then his eyes widened as his track shorts were yanked down to his knees. He turned and glared, being met by the smirking faces of the Stoll twins.

Travis cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised mischievously. “Neeks, why can't you just play with us a little bit?”

His brother pouted and slung an arm around Travis. “Yeah, you have such a nice ass. It's such a shame it's being wasted.”

They both blinked when they realized Jason was standing there as well. Travis tapped a finger to his lip. “Dear brother, how long has it been since we had a foursome.”

Nico glared at them as he worked on tying his shorts in a knot. Jason rolled his eyes. “Pass,” he mumbled. Three sets of eyes blinked at him, the twins looking slightly shocked.

Connor leaned in and whispered something to his brother, who scrunched his lips. The older of the two let out a sigh before placing his hands on his hips. “Anyways, we need to get a move on, or we'll be late.”

Travis hit the button for the top floor when they were all aboard the elevator. Nico was still staring at his roommate, who didn't seem to be paying anyone any attention. Was he not the only one turning down sex at the Lotus? Nico blinked and looked away when Jason spotted him staring.

He focused on the twins instead. They stood very close to each other, their hands so close that they would brush against each other from time to time. As they passed the bar's floor, Travis leaned his head on Connor's shoulder and whispered something in the other's ear. They both grinned wickedly as the elevator came to a stop.

Mind games, Octavian's voice played in Nico's head. Perhaps Luke and Octavian weren't going to be the most difficult. Nico wasn't sure how he was going to pull this off; perhaps he did need Octavian's help. When the doors opened, they were all met by a startling surprise.

Everyone on the elevator jumped back against the wall with wide eyes as they found a rather large gun pointed in their direction. Nico felt like his chest might break out of his chest from how hard it was pounding. Clarisse grinned wickedly before lowering the gun. Percy rolled his eyes and sighed beside her.

“I was hoping you wouldn't do that,” the manager mumbled.

Clarisse grunted, the grin still on her face. She went through inspecting the gun as everyone on the elevator recovered from their near heart attack. Connor whined and shoved Travis off of him. In the shock, Travis must have made himself ready to act as a human shield for his brother. The slightly taller brunet turned around with a frown and looked his brother over. Connor swatted his hand away before shoving his way out of the elevator.

Nico and Jason exited the elevator, both looking between Clarisse and Percy. The manager shrugged. “I got her a present.” He rolled his head to the side to give the Lost Girl an annoyed look. “Although, I do remember saying wait until she was in the shooting range before taking it out of the box.”

The muscular Lost Girl chuckled and turned the safety on before placing it back in the black box that sat on her podium. Percy let out a long breath as he closed the lid on it and placed it in Clarisse's hands. “Well, Jackson, you really do know the way to a person's heart.”

Percy grunted and popped his knuckles. “So, we're all good now?”

Clarisse shrugged, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “I suppose. I'll catch up with him after you're done.” The Lost Girl grinned down at the box before stepping onto the elevator. She hit a button and the doors closed, leaving the three males alone.

“She's scary,” Nico mumbled.

Percy grinned and placed a hand on top of his head. “At times, but she's good to have around.” He scratched at his brow, turning his eyes on Jason. “Did you two have fun at the park?”

The blond nodded. Percy shoved Nico in the back and the three moved towards the stairs. Nico's eyes grew dark when he noticed Percy slip a hand around Jason's waist. However, it didn't seem all that welcomed. The blue-eyed Lost Boy frowned and brushed the hand off of his waist, putting a few steps of distance between himself and Percy.

When they reached the top, Percy stepped closer and tugged on Jason's arm. The blond frowned as the raven haired manager whispered something in his ear. When he pulled away, Percy noticed Nico staring at them. He gave a small wink before nodding his head towards the stage.

As Nico was making his way to the stage, a leg shot out and tripped him. Nico glared up at Luke, who sat the nearest table. “Whoops,” the blond said innocently. He shrugged and reached out to help Nico up. Nico followed Luke's blue eyes when he looked away.

Percy had stopped walking towards his booth and turned to stare at them. He gave Luke a warning stare before turning around and sitting down. Jason slid in beside him. Percy glanced at them for another brief second before diving into conversation with the blond beside him.

“So sorry about that,” Luke said sarcastically.

“Yeah, right.” Nico glared up at the blond, yanking his arm away from Luke. “Afraid you'll upset Percy?”

Luke smirked wickedly at Nico, a dark glint in his eyes. “You know, if I didn't know any better, twerp, I'd say you've been avoiding me lately.”

The shorter Lost Boy cocked a brow. “Did you miss me? No one else to torture?”

Luke placed his arms behind his head. Brown eyes shifted over to stare at the blond's flexing arm muscles. Nico's eyes shifted back to Luke's face, where he was met by a wicked grin. “Careful where you stare, brat, I'll start to think you're interested in me.”

“Yo, big bad wolf and red riding hood, we have work to do!” Apollo called over to them.

Nico gestured towards the stage, his gaze still locked with the blond in front of him. “After you...red riding hood.”

Luke narrowed his eyes before shoving Nico and heading towards the stage. “So funny, twerp.”

Apollo tapped his foot as they both climbed onto the stage. “Are you two done eye fucking yet?”

Connor chuckled. “I'm surprised you haven't already fucked him senseless yet, dude.”

Icy blue eyes darted over to Apollo and Connor, giving them a chilling glare. Both Lost Boys clamped their mouths shut and looked away. Luke swiped a thumb across his mouth before taking his place in front of Apollo. Nico blinked before walking over to stand beside him.

Nico frowned when they didn't start right away. He looked up to find Apollo and Luke staring at each other. The curly haired blond had his brow drawn together, while Luke gave him a blank look. Apollo finally shrugged and stepped over to the stereo.

After they were done practicing their main routine for the night, Nico jumped off the stage and walked over to where Percy and Jason sat. He slid in on the other side, receiving a smile from Percy. “You know, Nico, I do have room on my other side.”

Nico rolled his eyes and slid down in his seat. Percy chuckled and rested an elbow on the table. Nico's eyes locked onto Percy's other hand as it traveled under the table and rested on Jason's thigh. The blond looked down at the appendage before frowning. Percy sighed and pulled his hand back.

What happened next surprised Nico quite a bit. Travis came up to the table and greeted them. After making a few suggestive innuendos to Percy, he grinned and placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. The blond flinched and jerked away from the brunet, sliding closer to Percy. Travis and Nico blinked at Jason oddly, but Percy just gave the blond a blank look from the corner of his eye.

Travis rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, sorry?”

Jason frowned down at the table. His only reply was in the form of a silent shrug. Travis turned towards Percy for help, but the manager just nodded his head to walk away. The brunet pursed his lips before slipping his hands into his pockets and walking back towards the stage.

Percy sighed and leaned back in his seat. “So, Jason, you want to come up to my room tonight? It seems like you're still adjusting and having some problems. I think we should talk about it.”

Blue eyes blankly flickered over towards Percy. “You mean so I can get in your bed.”

The manager sighed. “I didn't mean it like that. However, we do need to talk about that. And it's your call, not mine.”

Nico chewed on his lip as he glared at the two across from him. Percy was practically giving him a full invitation to have sex, and Jason was turning it down? Though, perhaps Nico should be happy about that. Still, it didn't make him happy that Percy was making that move. He thought Percy didn't go to the Lost Kids for sex. Had that been a lie as well?

Nico turned away hatefully when Percy's green eyes fell upon him. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched some of the other Lost Boys do more practice numbers. Percy's phone began ringing. When it didn't get picked up, Nico glanced at Percy from the corner of his eye.

The manager was drumming his fingers on the table, his gaze trained on Nico. It made Nico feel uncomfortable, so he squirmed. And in response, Percy smirked at him before reaching and picking up his phone.

“Hey, Leo.” Percy leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, now is good. Bring him on up.”

Nico watched Percy curiously as he placed his phone back on the table, where he spun it around. Drumming on the table three times, Percy nudged Jason to stand up. The blond frowned and slid out of the booth, allowing the slightly taller male to climb out. Nico swiveled around and looked at the stairs as footsteps echoed up into the room.

Leo and Chris emerged onto the floor, the latter of the two gawking around the room. The Lost Boys on the stage stopped what they were doing to observe the new arrival. “Hey, Chris!” The Stolls waved at him.

“Hey,” the young man replied awkwardly. Percy strolled up to him, hands in his pockets. “I see you weren't lying about what went on here. Wow.”

Percy arched a brow and bounced on the soles of his feet. “This isn't going to be a problem for you, is it?”

The muscular young man swallowed and rubbed at his stubble. “It doesn't affect my current employment if I say no, will it?”

The green-eyed young man chuckled and shook his head. “You're welcome to say no. I just could really use some extra help looking after these guys.”

Dark brown eyes focused on Percy as the owner of the eyes rubbed the back of his neck. “And everything is all good now?” The tall manager gave a nod. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

Percy shrugged casually. “You'll primarily be in the bar. Later at night, I'll probably have you take Clarisse or Ethan's place up here, or perhaps in that other room I spoke of.”

A few of the Lost Boys snickered when a tinge of pink appeared on Chris's cheeks. Percy must have told him about the kink room, Nico supposed. It was then that Chris's eyes actually landed on Nico. Shock was written across the young man's face. Nico could tell that he was slightly caught off-guard at seeing the boy, so young, working up here. And not only that, but he probably thought Nico was a prostitute like the others.

But Chris didn't say anything. He just cleared his throat and refocused his attention on Percy. “When do I start?”

A bright smile graced Percy's face. “Very good. You can get started tonight.” The young man slung his arm around Chris's shoulder and smiled wider. “Come on, I'll get you set up in your new home.”

Everyone watched as Chris was led from the room. “Interesting,” Apollo observed. He and Luke caught each other's eye before they both nodded, mumbling the name at the same time.

“Silena.”

Apollo clicked his tongue, his eyes roaming across the room. Nico observed the very moment his blue eyes fell upon Leo. The two stared at each other for a significant length of time. The Latino sneered and tossed him the finger before looking down at his phone. The tall blond rolled his eyes.

“Dismissed,” Apollo finally announced.

As the others gathered their things and made their way down the stairs, Nico lingered behind. Leo was busying himself at a nearby table, laying out some documents. The Latino boy sat down with the click of a pen and began scribbling entries onto the important documents. Nico frowned as he studied the other Lost Boy. He did not see Leo being as social with the other Lost Kids like Rachel would at times. He wondered why that was.

“Are you just going to stand there?” Nico blinked and found Leo smirking up at him. “You've been spacing out a lot lately.”

Nico rubbed the back of his neck and sat down at the table. He supposed that was true, and he should probably work on not doing that. “Do you ever get lonely, Leo?”

The Latino stopped working and looked up at Nico with raised eyebrows. “Uh, what?”

“I just...don't ever really see you spending time with the others.” The pale Lost Boy shrugged.

Leo sighed and scribbled something else on the documents in front of him before clicking his pen and placing it on the table. Nico watched as Leo crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, looking off to the side. “Just sort of the outsider, like you are at times.” Leo suddenly smirked mischievously and turned to Nico. “They just can't handle me.”

But Nico wasn't convinced, and Leo knew it when he saw the look on Nico's face. The Latino sighed and dropped his cheek into his palm. “Why didn't you work with the others when you got here?”

“I was smart, Percy saw that. Though, I think some of them were surprised by that fact when I first got here.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “Why?”

Brown met with brown as Leo's eyes returned to Nico's face. “I didn't really go to school like some of the others did. My mother and I moved around a lot, for...personal reasons.” The curly haired Lost Boy rubbed at his face with a sigh.

Why? That was what Nico wanted to ask, but he knew he asked that question too many times. But, still, something felt odd about what Leo had just confessed. Why were Leo and his mother always on the move?

Nico opened his mouth and let it hang there for a moment before closing it again. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, tapping a foot on the floor. “Rachel said you were underage, but-”

The Latino burst out laughing. “Oh, geez, please tell me you've been here long enough to realize that was a lie.”

Dark brown eyes narrowed. “I was just about to say that I didn't think that was the case.” Leo held his hands up defensively. Nico eyed him for a moment, watching as he twirled his pen around on the table. “So, what's the real reason? You and Rachel are attractive, I could see both of you doing well in this line of work.”

Leo sighed and began tapping the pen on the table. “I think, on Percy's part, it was primarily the fact that he needed assistants to replace the ones leftover from his predecessor.” The other Lost Boy pressed his lips together, refusing to look at Nico. “As for why I didn't...I don't know. I was originally going to do both. I figured it would pay off rather well, but things rarely go according to plan.”

“Something happened?” Leo nodded. “But you didn't start out selling your body, why?”

Leo sighed and finally looked at Nico. “Percy offered the position to me, both of them. I immediately took him up on the secretary position. It was money, money that I needed. He gave me some time to think about working with the others, but...things got complicated.”

Complicated, Nico was growing to hate that word. It felt like an easy out for the Lost Kids, a way to avoid their issues. Still, Nico knew, without Leo telling him, what he meant by that. Apollo happened.

Leo chuckled lightly. “You know, Nico, I think it should be a requirement for you to buy us a drink before you get all personal with us.”

When their eyes met again, Nico saw the emotions in Leo's eyes: discomfort, avoidance, pain. Nico wondered if this was Leo's mask. Did all of the Lost Kids do this, just using a different method? Perhaps this was just how Leo coped with his pain, making jokes.

“Does this have anything to do with why you and Apollo seem to dislike each other at times?” Perhaps he shouldn't have asked, but he wanted Leo's side of the story. And, besides, it wasn't like he was ratting Ganymede out. The man had just said not to bring his name into things, that didn't mean he couldn't use the information to his advantage.

All traces of humor dropped from Leo's face at the mention of the blond's name. “I, um-yeah.” The Latino boy pursed his lips and gave a small nod. “But I was stupid, and young.”

“You're still young,” Nico pointed out. “You can't be much older than me.”

“I'll be nineteen on the thirtieth.”

Nico smiled. “Well, you could pass for someone my age.”

Leo returned his smile with a lopsided one. “I was still stupid. I really am trying to help you by telling you not to pursue Percy, Nico. He's not Apollo, I know that, and he wouldn't intentionally try to hurt you like that, but it's not smart to chase after him.”

“Apollo hurt you.”

Leo blew out a breath. He began drawing circles in the table's surface, his eyes trained on the documents. “I was just new.” There was a long pause, where Leo just continued to draw on the table with his finger. “We had sex one night. And, I don't know why, but I thought it actually meant something. But, when morning came around-”

“He was an asshole.” Leo nodded, still not looking up. “Percy did something similar when we sort of messed around.”

“That was-never mind. It's not important. Just...maybe you should talk to Rachel about that.”

Nico planted his chin in his palm with a sigh. “That's what everyone keeps telling me.”

“Anyways, Apollo just tossed me to the side. I didn't handle it very well. I tried talking to him, I'd go to his room at times and knock on the door, I wanted more sex, but none of that mattered. Percy mattered to him, and I was just a pawn in his little game.” Leo finally looked at Nico, a dark look deep within those brown orbs. “I was...I had never...” Leo let out a breath. “I had never had sex before Apollo. I didn't really look at sex all that well after it was all over.”

Nico just sat there, staring back at Leo. That was the missing piece, the piece he knew he had been missing after his talk with Ganymede. It was the reason for the bitterness. “What happened?”

Leo smiled coldly and shook his head. “I think Percy saw that it wasn't a good idea to put me to work with the rest of them. He took back his offer and I settled in as just being his assistant.” He reclined in his chair, balancing himself on the back two legs. “So, my dear Nico, that is why I don't really spend my free time with the others. Who do you think they sided with?”

“But what about those that weren't here when it happened?”

The Latino boy sighed. “Didn't matter. Apollo is close to the others. He's one of the four siblings, I'm just Percy's secretary. They heard Apollo's side and fell in line behind him.”

The pale boy furrowed his brow. “You can always spend time with me. There shouldn't be an outcast here. We should all stick together in a place like this.”

“Well,” Leo began, “the others do have my back, I know that. Our petty differences don't matter when something important happens. We do stick together when we need to.” He smirked and stood up, gathering his papers. “It just so happens that there's not really anything going on here at the moment to unify everyone. Siblings fight, yet they still love each other.” His brow furrowed as his eyes moved up to look at Nico's face. “I still care about Apollo, and I love him like a brother. I'd stick my neck out for him if he got into trouble, as he would do the same for me. Fighting is healthy sometimes in relationships.”

“I suppose.” Nico kicked at the floor, watching as Leo finished gathering his things. Leo smirked at him and the two began walking down the stairs.

Leo snapped his fingers once they were in the elevator. “Oh yes, don't forget that you don't need to eat tomorrow before work. We have the big dinner afterwards, so save plenty of room for all the food.”

“Gaea doesn't mind that Percy gives everyone a night off?”

Leo's eyebrows rose. “Oh, he really does give everyone the night off.” He turned towards Nico when the boy gave him an odd look. “Everyone will be there, for the most part. Percy will be there, all of us, Ganymede, Circe, Chiron, Aphrodite, Dionysus, and our newest edition, Chris.”

“Why not the entire staff?”

Leo shrugged. “Everyone that will be there is part of the family, or was at the time. Well, they still technically are. It's a more...positive aspect of being a Lost Kid for life. You're always part of the family. Percy works more closely with these people.” The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out, but didn't continue towards their rooms. “The staff that will be there help see to Percy's Lost Kids, who are some of the most important people in his life. It's sort of his way of saying thank you.”

Nico nodded. “I'm sure it'll be a very entertaining night.”

Leo chuckled in response. He began walking to his suite, where he stopped and spun around in front of the door. “Oh, I'm sure it will be very interesting.”

Nico could feel the scowl on his face. It didn't deter him from giving it, though. How? How had he actually managed to get to Percy's table, and on the first night? Nico didn't understand it. It was like Jason had actually known what he was supposed to do. Nico didn't learn about getting Percy's table until it was too late.

Two arms slung around Nico's shoulders. “Tough break there, Neeks.”

The brown-eyed boy turned to give the Stolls a dirty look. “Is there a point to why you're over here?”

“Well,” Connor began, “you've been standing here, staring out from behind the curtain, for about five minutes now.”

Travis grinned and leaned his cheek on Nico's head. “And you need to be getting ready.”

“I just don't understand.” Nico huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why isn't he messing up?”

Both twins chuckled. “The night is still young, Neeks,” Connor replied. “Everyone messes up when they first start.”

Nico's eyes returned to Jason's form. The blond was leaning on Percy's table, smiling at something Percy was saying. Part of him wanted to hate Jason. This just didn't seem fair. But, there was also a part of him that was trying to focus on how little clothing Jason had on. And the speedo really did cling to his ass rather nicely. It also left little to the imagination for the blond's front, which looked like nothing to be ashamed of.

That had always been a part of working in this field that made Nico a little miserable, seeing the Lost Boys with little to no clothing. And there were some that looked...blessed by whatever god or gods that existed. Luke, who was reclining on the couch behind Nico, happened to be one of those boys. Although, unlike some of the other Lost Boys, Nico had yet to see the blond completely naked. Still, he could tell that Luke was a little above average.

“You're staring again.”

Nico blinked, realizing that he had, in fact, been staring at Luke. The blond arched an eyebrow at him, swinging his leg back and forth over the arm of the couch.

“Well, more precisely, you were staring at my dick.” Luke grinned and sat up. He stood up and walked past Nico, brushing shoulders on the way. “Remember what I said earlier.”

Nico huffed and glared at the back of the blond's head. “Asshole.”

“Actually, it'll be your asshole that'll be sore when I'm done with it.”

The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and moved over to one of the mirrors to get dressed for his next performance. A heavy tension seemed to fill the air when Luke and Beckendorf nearly bumped into each other. The larger Lost Boy grunted and handed Luke his costume. The blond just ignored him, walking off to his own corner.

Nico swallowed and turned back to Beckendorf. “Hey,” he began.

Light brown eyes flickered over to Nico. “What's up, little man?”

Nico cleared his throat as he slipped himself into the little bit of cloth that would be on his body for their performance, Beckendorf already fastening, the metal bands around his arms. “How's Silena? I haven't gotten to see her in a while.”

Nico looked down at himself, wanting to make sure he had his costume adjusted right. There really wasn't much to it. A leather belt rested on his hips, which held up the two pieces of cloth that would cover his front and back. However, the two pieces of cloth weren't connected and his legs were very much exposed. Nico worked on slipping his own metal bands onto his arms as Beckendorf chewed on his lip.

“She's...good. Percy's been having her take it easy.”

Nico nodded. “Can I ask you something?”

“You just did.” The taller Lost Boy grinned down at him. Nico blinked up at him. He felt extremely short compared to Beckendorf, mainly because he barely reached the Lost Boy's shoulders. “Fine, what's up?”

“It's about Luke.”

Beckendorf's lips tilted down. “Why do you wanna talk about that asshole?”

“Just curious as to why you resent him so much?” He studied Beckendorf's face, letting his words sit for a moment. “He helped her out that night.”

“Yeah,” the other said quietly. “Luke and I have been...getting along since then. He looks after her, I know that, but I don't like it sometimes. It should be my job to take care of her.” Large, muscular arms crossed themselves over the chiseled chest in front of Nico. “Luke and I have a long history when it comes to Silena. That's about all you need to know for now.”

The curtain closed, signaling it was time for them to go on stage. Beckendorf headed that way, whereas Luke was already taking his place on the stage. The Stolls grabbed Nico by his hands and dragged him onto the stage.

Luke stood in the middle, hands on his hips, waiting for the number to begin. Nico stood to his left. He reached up and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes. He jumped, clamping a hand over his mouth to mask a yelp, when Travis, who stood behind and to his left, pinched him on the ass. Connor, who stood on Luke's right chuckled and winked in Nico's direction. Beckendorf, on the other hand, seemed to be focusing his attention anywhere but Luke.

Luke shot Travis a glare and the brunet straightened in his place. The curtains opened, the lights still dark, and the song began. The first few beats of Florence and the Machine's “Bedroom Hymns” filtered into the room and the lights flashed on. The Lost Boys began swaying around, letting their hands roam across their bodies.

Nico and the others spread their legs out wide, bending at the knee, their hips thrusting back and forth to the beat of the song. Their hands moved out from their faces and were spread out in front of them. With a kick of their left leg, they threw up their right hands and imitating something similar to the Charleston with their bodies.

The group shifted around, so that Connor and Nico were centered towards the front. Both of the Lost Boys put sly smiles on their faces as they trailed their fingers along the fabric that was covering their crotches. Their hands moved up above their heads, letting the fabric drop before it showed too much.

The two Lost Boys then turned towards each other, pressing themselves against one another. They each kicked their right leg out, aiming it just to the side of the other in front of them. Their hands were thrust up into the air, while their bodies jumped around. Nico took in a sharp breath as he attempted to catch Connor's long leg as it shot up again, which he did successfully; Connor doing the same to Nico's leg. They leaned back, which probably would have ended in disaster, but Luke and Travis fulfilled their duty of pressing a hand to their lower backs.

With the help of Luke and Travis, the two boys were separated. Luke and Nico locked eyes for a brief moment before the blond dipped him and curved him downwards and then back up. Nico let out a breath that he had been holding as he found himself up against Luke's bare chest.

Nico slowly crept down Luke's chest, spreading his legs out so that they angled directly to both sides of his body. His pale hand lingered on Luke's belt, their eyes meeting again. There was a dark look in Luke's eyes, one filled with lust. It made Nico shudder and lick his lips to look at it.

And then it was over, the performance continuing. Luke swung his leg over Nico's head and they all fell back into their original positions. Every one of the Lost Boys on stage mimicked Nico's position of spreading their legs, and, once again, thrusting their hips to the beat of the music. And that was what they continued to do until the song came to an end.

They got a standing ovation from the crowd, but Nico was more concerned with getting off of the stage. Once off the stage, Nico couldn't get into actual clothes fast enough. “Go take your break, brat,” Luke mumbled, plopping back down on the couch.

Nico finished putting his shirt back on and blinked. He ran his tongue across his lips, realizing how dry they were. He headed towards the door and emerged out on the floor. His blond headache was nowhere to be seen, which meant Nico wasn't going to be spending his break in the bar room. His eyes flickered briefly over to where Percy sat. The green-eyed Adonis was laughing and talking with Rachel at the moment. He caught Nico staring at him and gave the boy a wink.

Nico coughed, his cheeks heating up, and continued on his way. That was where he wanted to take his break, with Percy, but Jason would be returning soon, and Nico sort of wanted to avoid his roommate for the moment. He pushed open the door and was met by an odd sight.

Jason was standing beside Dionysus, who had a huge grin plastered on his face. The blond was staring down, with wide eyes, at his hand. Upon closer inspection, Nico noticed a clear packet sitting there. Inside were small white pills. Before Nico had time to question anything, Hazel was smacking the packet out of Jason's hand.

The blond blinked and swallowed, Hazel busy crushing the pills under her foot. Dionysus gave her a dark look, until he noticed Nico standing there. The man righted himself by clearing his throat. He threw on a smile and went back to work. “Hello there, Nico.”

Jason turned a pair of wide eyes on the newly arrived boy, panic written across his face. Hazel shook her head with a sigh, tossing Dionysus a hateful glare. When the man didn't seem to be paying her any attention, Hazel turned towards Jason. She placed a hand on his back and guided him away from the bartender, putting as much space between Dionysus and Jason as possible.

“Um, hi,” Nico said awkwardly. “What's going on?”

Hazel sat Jason down on the couch before pointing an accusing finger at Dionysus. “This asshole is trying to cause Jason problems.”

The bartender shrugged. “I simply asked for him to take it to a table.” He placed a hand on his chest and sighed. “How was I ever supposed to know that he would want the substance for himself?”

“I should go get Percy.”

Dionysus sighed and raised a drink to his lips. “Ah, Hazel, dull as always. All of you are always so boring.” Taking another drink, he leaned against the bar. “Why is it that this place seemed more entertaining when I was doing your job?” He smirked, snapping his fingers. “Oh, yes, now I remember what changed.”

Hazel glared at Dionysus for a brief moment before turning her attention back to Jason. “Are you okay?”

Jason nodded, letting out a long breath. “Yeah, I'm good.”

Hazel's head turned and she locked eyes with Nico. “Can you keep an eye on him for a moment? His break is almost up. I just don't want him to be alone with this bastard.” Hazel finished her sentence by giving the bartender another dark look.

Nico nodded and Hazel sauntered out of the room. Jason ran a hand through his short blond hair. “You don't have to keep an eye on me,” he mumbled.

The brown-eyed boy shrugged and opened the small fridge that they kept in the room. Pulling out a bottle of water, he closed the fridge and sat down beside his roommate. “Not like I have anything better to do.”

Jason turned to face Nico with a worried look. He glanced at Dionysus before locking eyes with Nico again and leaning in close. “Please don't tell Percy,” he whispered.

“Why would that matter?”

“I don't want him to be disappointed in me.” Jason pursed his lips, his gaze falling to the floor. “He's done so much, I'd hate to make him think all his hard work and patience were for nothing. This is just harder than I thought it would be.” Blue eyes turned to Dionysus. “I just didn't know about him.”

Nico followed Jason's gaze over to the bartender, where they both stared at the man. Nico could only imagine what Jason was thinking about right now, but he knew that he himself was finally realizing that the others were right about Dionysus. But that just led back to his original question about the man: why did Percy keep him around?

“Yeah, don't worry about it.” Nico patted Jason's bare leg, which pulled the blond's attention away from Dionysus. The tan Lost Boy smiled at him before staring down at Nico's hand. The blond scooted away, Nico's hand falling from the blond's leg. “You okay?”

The blond shrugged. “Yeah, why?”

Nico's brow furrowed as he studied Jason's face. “No reason,” he replied hesitantly. He had been right earlier, something was off about Jason. Touch seemed to bother him, Nico just didn't know why.

Both boys nearly jumped out of their skin when a drink was placed between their faces. Jason glared up at Dionysus. “Come now, Jason, it's just a peace offering. What's the harm in a little drink? It's not what your problem was.”

Nico turned a dark glare on the man. “I thought you said you didn't know he had a drug problem?”

The man placed a hand over his mouth. “Did I say that? Whoops, silly me.” He waved the drink in front of the blond's face. “So, how about it? No hard feelings and all that.”

Jason pushed the bartender's hand away. “You probably drugged it with something.”

Dionysus chuckled and downed the drink. “That wounds me, Jason. You're just being paranoid. But suit yourself, more for me.”

The blond Lost Boy grunted and stood up. Nico found himself unsure of where to look. On one side, he had Dionysus with a smirk on his face. On the other side, there was Jason's perky ass staring him in the face. There were times he found himself hating being a hormonal virgin, surrounded by a bunch of attractive guys.

“I have to get back to work,” Jason mumbled. He gave Nico a weak smile before exiting the room.

Nico leaned back into the couch, watching Dionysus from the corner of his eye. “I don't understand why you're here, especially if you threaten the Lost Kids.”

Dionysus smirked and rested his arms on the back of the couch. “I don't know what you mean, my dear Nico. Besides, Percy wants all the possible business outlets he can get.” Nico watched in annoyance as the smirk tugged upwards. “Is it my fault if his precious Lost Kids fall from the desired path? Before he came along, there wasn't anyone seeing after our little family in such a way.” Dark eyes dulled as they looked down at the boy on the couch. “Perhaps you should go visit Atlas in South America, or perhaps Kronos in the Middle East. After you see how things work at the other hotels, you'll see that not everyone has it as easy as the lot of you do.”

“Then I'm glad Percy's in charge.”

Dionysus's dark eyes gleamed with joy as he swirled the empty glass in his hand. “Is he really all you thought he was? You've been here for a few months now, surely the golden armor is starting to fall from your Prince Charming.” Nico turned his head away as Dionysus's smirk turned dark and twisted. “He is the one who has me working here after all. He's the one that has me doing this side business for him. Your golden angel is no better than the very people in that room out there. All he cares about is the money he makes; that's all you're good to him for.”

Nico's fingers clenched at the track shorts he had on. “He's not.”

“Oh come now, Nico, you're a smart boy. Surely you can see what's right in front of your eyes.” Dionysus finally pulled away from the couch and walked over to set his glass down on the bar. “I can only imagine how devastated you'll be, should you ever have to prostitute yourself. You'd end up just like Apollo, Silena, and Octavian when they first arrived. I'm betting you'd be shaking and crying, just like they were after their first night doing that.

“Has anyone ever told you about their first nights here, about how they curled up and cried afterwards? Or what about the methods your Percy used for breaking them in?” Dionysus continued. He pressed his back to the bar and watched Nico, who had his head turned slightly towards the man. “You'd hate and loathe Percy and his touch after the first night, just like those three did. Because, I'm sure you know by now how he comforts all of you.” Nico swallowed when the man paused, already mixing another drink. “But, you'll never really find out. Percy knows you're not strong enough to handle that stuff, so he keeps you locked away.”

Nico's pursed his lips, the color draining from them. “You don't know me,” he whispered. “And you don't know Percy.”

“I'd say I know him better than you.”

The Lost Boy stood up with a frown. “You don't know what you're talking about. The others were right about you.”

The man scoffed. “We'll see, in time.”

With a final look in Dionysus's direction, Nico turned and briskly walked from the room. He did not like this new side of Dionysus that he was seeing. He was starting to wish that he had been more willing to listen to the others when they told him to stay away from the man. Nico really needed to remember that the others were not always out to harm him.

Luke and the twins were setting up for the next performance when Nico returned. Beckendorf waved Nico over. “Hey, shortie, you wanna go watch the girls for a minute?”

“Sure,” Nico replied, fiddling with the water bottle in his head.

“Thanks.” Beckendorf stretched an arm above his head. “I just wanted something to do.”

The raven haired boy nodded his head as they walked through the door that separated the Lost Kids by their gender. “So, I think I'm seeing Dionysus for who he really is now.”

The young man's brow furrowed. “Something happen?”

“He had some drugs.”

“He try to slip you something? 'Cause if he's trying something, I'll go in there and break his fucking-”

Nico held up a hand, quickly adding, “He didn't do anything.” The boy shrugged. “He was trying to offer Jason some, I think. He claimed it was for a customer, though. Hazel took care of it.”

Beckendorf nodded with a grunt. “Yeah,” he breathed out, “he's not our favorite person around here.”

Silena spotted them and walked up to them, throwing her arms around Beckendorf's neck. “Charlie Bear, what are you doing over here?”

“Just thought I'd come see the most beautiful girl at the hotel.” Nico smiled when the Lost Boy pecked the girl on the lips, both of them smiling brightly.

Thalia appeared beside them, delivering a punch to Beckendorf's arm. “Charles, I didn't know you felt that way about me,” she laughed.

The tall Lost Boy rolled his eyes, but grinned down at the girl. Silena smiled and leaned her head on her boyfriend's chest. “You two are just in time, we are about to do a performance.”

Thalia grinned and nodded. “It's pretty sexual. Which as we all know, is my favorite kind of thing.”

Beckendorf tapped Nico on the arm and directed them over nearby the curtain, where they could get a good view. Leo could be seen wandering around on the floor. The Latino boy tended to a few customers that were attempting to get his attention. Nico blinked as Percy's head of black hair emerged from the stairs. He patted Leo on the shoulder as he walked by to sit down at a booth. And, as predicted, the three Lost Girls on the floor made a dash towards Percy's table. In the end, Piper won.

Nico turned and opened his mouth, ready to continue his conversation with Beckendorf, only to find that the other Lost Boy had wandered over to where Silena was getting into a skimpy police outfit. He sighed and shook his head.

The Lost Girl pecked the tall male and scampered over to where Thalia and Drew were gathered. The lights turned off and they made their way onto the stage. The lyrics of Tata Young's “Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy” sounded in the room, soon followed by the song's music, which is when the lights turned on.

Upon each of the song's main words, each of the girls struck a pose. It started at the end, with Drew crossing her arms over her chest in an 'X'. Next was Silena, who stuck her stomach out and placed the back of her hand across her forehead, while letting her head fall back. Finally, Thalia struck her pose, grabbing her breasts and opening her mouth in a silent moan.

Silena and Drew strutted across the left and right side of the stage, while Thalia stayed towards the centered. Thalia would sway her body around in a lewd fashion, and then deliver a smack to her rear when it was facing the audience. And every time the words “sexy, naughty, bitchy” would appear in the song, the girls would strike their poses again.

“More problems?”

Nico nearly jumped at the sound of Annabeth's voice beside him. He turned to stare at the blonde in the darkness, finding her eyes on the girls on stage. “Why would you say that?”

“You look like you're having a problem.” She turned to smirk at Nico. “But, I was also in the bar room earlier, and Jason and Hazel were talking about him getting Percy's table. You know, it's not every day that the new addition gets the boss's table on the first night.”

“Yeah, he's lucky,” Nico mumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest and continued to watch the girls perform.

“Or he had help.” Annabeth and Nico looked at each other, the boy giving her a questioning look. “Thalia told him.”

Nico's lips tilted down. “Lucky him. Nobody took the time to tell me that when I first started.”

Grey eyes studied Nico's face as he began to sulk. “You'll just have to start getting creative.” She shrugged when Nico looked at her again. “We've already seen that Percy is taking a similar interest in Jason, like the one he took with you.”

“But Jason isn't like me.”

“No, Jason's more...delicate, in a way. You both require his attention. However, Jason already has something going for him that you don't.”

Nico pursed his lips. “And what would that be?”

“Percy isn't restricting him. He can get whatever he wants from Percy, whereas Percy has pretty much forbidden you to have sex with him.”

Nico suddenly found the floor rather interesting. “I mean, what am I supposed to do?”

Annabeth gave him a weak smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I don't know. But, I'm willing to make suggestions, if you want them.”

Nico eagerly nodded his head. “That would be great.”

“I'll just think on it a little bit.”

The Lost Boy tilted his head to the side. “Why are you helping me, though? I didn't think any of you would actually want to help me with Percy.”

The blonde let out a sigh and returned her attention to the girls, who were nearing the end of their performance. “Let's just call it me trying to make up for our catastrophe on your first night on stage.” She licked her lips and offered Nico another smile. “I acted a little childish. I'm not saying I'll be able to get you Percy, because I don't know if that's really in the realm of possibilities, but it's only fair, considering Thalia has already helped her brother.”

Nico smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Annabeth, I won't forget this.”

The Lost Girl crossed her arms over her chest. “We'll just have to see what opportunities present themselves.”

The rest of Nico's night went rather smoothly. At the end of it all, he sat at a table with Butch, Zoë, and Reyna. Percy and Rachel sat in the manager's usual booth, running over a few last minute details on something that sounded rather important. Leo had dropped in to deliver his report, but Percy had ended up sending the Latino down to his office.

“So, how does this Thanksgiving dinner thing work?”

Everyone at the table turned to look at Nico. “It's like a family reunion, all the food included,” Reyna chuckled.

“Are there seating arrangements?”

Butch shook his head. “Not really. You can sit with whomever you want.”

Nico scrunched his lips. “Why do I feel like this is another form of the battle over Percy's table?”

All three of them chuckled. “It's not so bad,” Zoë assured him. “It's not anywhere near as competitive as up here.” The Lost Girl shrugged her shoulders. “We set aside business for the night.”

Butch smiled, resting his elbow on the table. “It's just a casual dinner with the family.”

Nico ran a hand through his growing locks. He frowned when his head was shoved to the side. He scowled up at Percy, who was now standing over him. “About time for a cut, don't you think?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “I'm getting it cut today...err, tomorrow? I'm still confused on how all of you refer to time when it comes to after work.”

Reyna smirked at him. Nico's eyes fell upon her hand, which was running up and down Percy's arm. “If we haven't slept, we will call it tomorrow. In this place, sleep is the determining factor for the end of the day.”

“Unless you don't sleep,” Rachel added. “That can happen from time to time.”

Percy groaned and made a face. “Anyways, we should be getting some sleep.” Everyone jumped up when the young man snapped his fingers. “Off to bed with the lot of you.” Nico smiled when the manager ran his fingers through the boy's black locks.

His euphoria was short-lived, however, as Butch slid an arm around Percy and maneuvered himself and the manager towards the stairs. Percy smirked and pulled the Lost Boy closer as they descended the stairs, Zoë and Reyna following behind them.

“This explains a lot, you're cute even when you scowl,” Rachel laughed, gathering up her things. Nico turned to frown at her.

“What's that supposed to mean? Explains what?”

The girl shook her head. “Nothing.”

Nico's brow furrowed as Rachel walked towards the back door. “Where are you going?”

Rachel sighed and turned around, clutching her things to her chest. “To the security room. Percy wanted me to keep an eye on Jason during his first night.” She blinked, her back slowly opening the door. “You want to keep me company?”

Nico fidgeted before nodding his head. Rachel smiled at him as he stepped in beside her. This was actually good for him; Thalia had said that he should talk to Rachel. They walked down the dark hallway, until they stood in front of the black door to the security room. Rachel pulled out her keycard and slid it through the slot and Nico opened the door for her. The Lost Girl winked at him before tossing her hair back and walking into the room.

Rachel pulled two of the chairs out from the control panel. She swiveled them around and offered one to Nico, while sitting herself down in the other. Rachel flipped the monitors on while Nico sat down beside her. The Lost Boy leaned back in his chair, his eyes landing on his roommate getting undressed in front of an overly dressed woman.

“Why is Percy concerned with Jason? It's not like he hasn't already done this stuff before.”

Rachel looked away from the monitor, at Nico, and blinked. “Just making sure he's good to work.” The red haired girl propped her feet up and pulled out her portable tablet, turning it on. “Why do I get the feeling that you're about to bombard me with questions?”

A smirk touched at the corners of Nico's lips. “I see I'm becoming predictable, I'll have to work on that.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Nico, you've been predictable from day one.” The girl scrunched her lips up, typing something into her tablet. “Well, perhaps not with your desire to work up here. I don't think anyone saw that one coming. Makes me wonder what you'll do next.”

Nico let out a sigh. “That seems like so long ago now.”

“Anyways, what do you want to talk to me about?”

Nico's response never came, though. In the monitor right below Jason's, stood the twins, naked except for their tight speedos. Nico's mouth fell agape when the two leaned in towards each other and locked lips. Travis opened his mouth and slid his tongue along Connor's mouth, seeking permission, which he ultimately got. Connor wrapped his arms around his brother's neck while their tongues battled. The older lady in the room fanned herself as the brothers continued to make out in front of her.

Travis's hands slid into the back of Connor's speedo, drawing a moan from the younger brunet. Nico licked his lips as Connor's speedo was removed and the twins fell onto the bed beside the woman. Before Nico could finish blinking, Travis had spread Connor's legs and engulfed his brother's manhood.

Nico's eyes opened wide when a hand was waved in front of his face. “Nico? Enjoying the show?”

The brown-eyed boy turned to find Rachel smirking at him. “I, uh-what?” Rachel laughed at him, causing Nico's face to turn red. He chanced another glance at the monitor, only to find Connor sucking on his brother's arousal. “What about the customer?”

Rachel shrugged. “Some people just like to watch, especially with the twins.” She shrugged again and looked down at her tablet. “They just find watching twins fuck hot.”

Travis smirked and shoved his brother back on the bed, slipping a finger into Connor's entrance. The younger brunet threw his head back in a moan, his hand landing on the woman's leg. “What, uh, were we talking about?”

Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. “You can watch them, it's fine. Shit, if you asked them, they'd probably put on a show for you in person.”

Nico's eyes widened as he stared at Rachel. “I, uh, don't know about all that.”

“Nico, I feel like you're about to explode from all the blue balls Percy keeps giving you.”

Nico pouted and slumped down in his chair, his eyes returning to the twins. He swallowed and licked his lips as he witnessed Travis penetrate his brother, their tongues battling for dominance. He could feel his shorts and speedo tightening as he grew aroused.

The Lost Boy cleared his throat and looked at Rachel. “I just, uh, wanted to talk about Percy.”

“Shocker,” the girl said sarcastically. “What about this time?”

“Thalia said you were the person to talk to, that you were good at reading people.” Nico blushed when he glimpsed at Travis slamming into his brother's ass.

Rachel sighed. “What has he done now?”

“He's just...confusing.” Nico frowned and looked over at Rachel again, squeezing the arms of his chair. “I just don't understand him. He gives me mixed signals, like telling me to stop pursuing him, yet he doesn't seem to really mean it.”

The Lost Girl leaned her head on her hand, glancing away from the monitors to look back at Nico. “Why bring it up now? Nothing new there.”

“It's just...” Nico frowned and stared down at his lap. “Percy shows Jason a lot of attention, and he's just seemed a little preoccupied lately.”

Rachel smirked at him. “You're jealous. Why are you worried? I think you need to relax. Percy's just complicated.”

“Does he like me?”

The red haired girl sighed and leaned back in her chair, rocking it back and forth. “I can't give you an answer on that, Nico. That's something you'll have to take up with Percy. I don't really know, to be honest.” She offered him a small smile. “If it makes you feel better, he does act different with you.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“Just be yourself.” Rachel reached over and patted Nico's leg. “Don't worry about it, Nico. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. Don't pressure it.” The girl sighed and picked up her tablet. “I don't really know what else to tell you.”

“I was hoping for something more helpful,” Nico mumbled.

Rachel sighed and let her head fall back. “Okay, fine, I'll keep an eye on things. When I see something interesting or helpful, I'll let you know.”

“I-” Nico fell silent as his eyes fell on Travis's tan ass rocked back and forth into his brother's ass. The sound was turned down, but Nico could still hear the loud moans that Connor was making. “Thanks.” Nico placed his hands over his crotch, his face heating up.”

Rachel chuckled and shook her head. “I think that's enough for you. Go back to your room, I think you have some business you need to take care of,” she laughed with a wink.

Nico cleared his throat, chuckling nervously as he stood up. He raised an arm to rub the back of his neck, but then remembered his problem down below. Rachel quirked an eyebrow at him as he backed towards the door, lowering his shirt.

“Night, Rach.”

The Lost Girl narrowed her eyes. “Don't call me Rach.”

Nico smiled before ducking out the door, letting it fall shut behind him. He let his head fall back in a moan as he traversed the dark corridor in front of him. This was not going to get any easier for him, was it?

Circe swiveled Nico around, allowing him to get the first glimpse of his new haircut. He had to blink a few times in order to realize he was staring at himself. Before arriving at the hotel, he had never thought he could look this...nice. He didn't really want to say good or hot because he still wasn't that confident with himself. But he did think he looked nice now.

He looked healthy. When he had been at home, his cheeks were often sunken in and dark circles would always reside under his eyes. His skin looked brighter after coming here, and he wasn't as frail looking either. He let out a sigh of contentment, a smile gracing his face.

Circe smiled at him in the mirror as she brushed a hand across his bangs. They had been covering his eyes pretty badly, but now she had cut them down to merely ghost over them. His hair was styled to look partially untidy. And the hair itself, it felt so soft.

Circe smirked when she noticed him feeling of his hair. “You like it? I'll get you a bottle of the shampoo.”

“You look nice.”

Nico turned his head to smile at Calypso, who was sitting in the chair next to him. She wasn't having much work done to her, just a simple haircut and manicure. “Thank you.”

“I suppose he does,” Drew grumbled from Nico's other side.

“Always the charmer.” Nico rolled his eyes. Drew, on the other hand, was getting the works done to her hair. One girl was on her hair, another applying makeup, and another putting nail polish on all over her nails. “I sometimes wonder what you really look under all that makeup.”

“Horrid,” Calypso sighed.

Drew narrowed her eyes and cut them over to Calypso. “Perhaps you should take a lesson in true beauty, Calypso.”

The other Lost Girl scoffed. “Please, you know nothing about beauty. All you do is hide behind your makeup and jewelry.”

“I just know how to look good.”

“Is it looking good, Drew? Is it? Or perhaps you just don't like people seeing the real you?”

Drew glared. “Go back to your street corner.”

“You first,” Calypso shot back.

“Ladies,” Circe began, putting a few finishing touches on Nico's hair, “please take your squabbling elsewhere.” She sighed and let Nico stand up.

Calypso looked her nails over before smiling and thanking the girl that had worked on them. Nico stared between Drew and Calypso for a moment, the latter of the two making her way towards the exit. Making a quick decision, he hurried after the caramel haired girl.

“Hey,” Nico called after her.

Calypso turned around and blinked at him. “Nico? What's up?”

The boy shrugged. “Just wanted to talk.”

The Lost Girl arched a brow. “Oh really?”

Nico cleared his throat and looked away. “Okay, so maybe it has to do with that stuff back there.”

Calypso sighed and they headed for the elevators. It was nearly time for work, so they didn't have very much time left to get dressed and get moving. “She just...gets on my nerves sometimes.”

“Is it true what you said about her?”

The Lost Girl tilted her head to the side as she stared down at him. “What did I say again exactly?”

Nico punched in the button to their floor before falling back against the elevator wall. “That she hides behind her stuff so that people can't see the real her.”

Calypso pursed her lips and took an interest in the rising floor numbers. “That's something for you to talk to her about. I may not like her all that much, but she's still family.”

“Doesn't seem to stop all of you from gossiping. It's hard to find something that everyone doesn't know around here.”

Calypso sighed. “It's not like that, not entirely. There are things we know to keep quiet about when we tell each other things.” She smiled and shrugged. “Luke and Octavian know something about you that they won't share.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “What?”

She shrugged. “How should I know? Annabeth said she asked them what you three talked about when Luke stormed off at the water park, and both of them refused to say anything. We just know when to keep things quiet.”

Nico blinked, staring off into space. Luke and Octavian hadn't talked about that? It hadn't been that big of a deal, or even a secret for him, but it still felt nice to know. Perhaps Will had been telling the truth as well. If Calypso was being honest, maybe he should reconsider some more things about his new family.

Nico's eyebrows rose when something else clicked in his head. “Wait,” he began. Calypso turned to look at him. “You implied that she worked on a street corner.”

“Oh.” The Lost Girl rubbed at her arm, looking relieved when the elevator arrived on their floor. “Again, just talk to her. She's not a complete bitch, when you get to know her.”

“I take it we're talking about Drew?” Piper walked out from around the corner, a smile on her face.

“The one and only.”

Piper tutted under her breath. “Oh, Nico, don't waste your time.”

Calypso smiled and rolled her eyes. “Don't listen to her, Nico. Go and talk to her, you'll just have to do some pushing.”

Piper chuckled. “But he's good at that.”

Nico glared at both of them before marching down to his suite. It seemed his list of things to inquire about was just going to keep getting longer. It felt like he got more questions than answers in this place.

Nico slapped a hand over his eyes when he opened his door. Jason looked up from sliding his speedo up. He blinked at Nico's red face before chuckling. “Really? Wow, I figured you wouldn't be bothered by this stuff by now.”

“You have a room, and a bathroom. Use them.”

Jason chuckled. “Sorry, I didn't think you'd be coming back so early.”

Nico cleared his throat. So he had been right about his assessment on Jason last night, he was nicely endowed. Focus, Nico told himself. He needed to get ready, not have dirty thoughts about his roommate.

Nico looked Jason over as he slid on a pair of black pants. “You working the bar tonight?”

The blond nodded. “Are you?”

“Yep.” The brown-eyed boy ran a hand into the back of his hair. “I suppose we'll be working together.”

Jason gave a nod before bending over and picking up his shirt. “You going to get ready, or just stare at my body?”

Nico blushed again, quickly moving past Jason and going to his room. He was right, this was not going to get any easier. If anything, he should only expect it to get worse. Why did teenagers have to have such raging hormones?

By the time they got to the bar, Silena and Reyna were already working. Chiron smiled at both Jason and Nico as they approached. “Hello there, you must be Jason.” The bartender reached out and shook the blond's hand.

Jason nodded. “And you must be Chiron.”

Nico rolled his eyes and got his apron before heading onto the floor. Was anyone going to do anything bad to Jason like they did to him? Nico was starting to wonder. Then again, he had never seen their stunt coming. But wouldn't they have gotten him in on it?

As the night progressed, Nico was starting to get annoyed with Jason. He had little trouble with the customers it seemed. People seemed to like him, his bright smile getting many in return. The only problem Nico could pick up on was the blond's difficulty with moving around so much with all of the orders. The blond had nearly dumped a large salad on a woman's head, much to Nico's delight. It had just been disappointing that it hadn't actually happened.

And, of course, there was the touching. If Nico watched closely, he noticed the twitch of Jason's lip every time one of the customers touched him, even in the slightest. And that, perhaps, brought Nico the most joy in watching Jason's first night at the bar. He had not had much of a chance to watch him upstairs last night, but he wondered if it was anything like this. Perhaps worse, especially with the touching. He wondered how Jason was going to fair when he actually performed on stage.

Much to Nico's delight, Percy exited the elevator halfway through the shift. That delight was short lived, however, when Percy merely ruffled Nico's hair and walked over to the bar. The manager leaned across the bar and smiled at Jason, who was waiting on an order. Nico frowned. Whatever Percy was saying, Jason was reacting to it. The blond chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. And the look they gave each other, there was no doubt about that look. Originally, Nico had wondered if Jason wasn't interested in Percy, but that definitely did not seem to be the case at the moment.

Whatever they were discussing, Jason was nodding. Nico could feel his lips pursing. “What has your panties in a wad?” Reyna asked, coming to a stop beside him.

“That,” Nico grumbled.

Reyna arched a brow. “What of it? Why exactly is it bothering you? From what I have observed, you've seemed cozy with both Will and Luke lately. Not to mention how heated your interactions with Apollo were when you first got here.” The Lost Girl gave him a look. “Perhaps you should take that twig out of your eye.”

Nico huffed at her as she continued on to the bar. Percy took a seat at the bar, while Jason walked off. Nico walked up to the bar and dropped off his order with Chiron. “So,” Nico began. Percy looked up at him, swirling a drink in his hand.

“So,” Percy repeated, a smile tugging at his lips. “What can I do for you?”

“I was just wondering if I could sit by you at dinner.”

Percy smiled and rested his cheek on his palm. “If you want, up to you. I do happen to have one seat open beside me.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “Who has the other one?”

Percy shrugged. “Jason. I just asked him to.”

The Lost Boy's blood began to boil. His eyes grew dark as he clutched at the bar. “That was...nice of you. Why did you ask him, though?”

Percy studied Nico for a moment before taking a sip of alcohol. “I thought it was a nice gesture. He's new to the family, and I've been enjoying talking to him.”

Did Percy not enjoy talking to him? “I thought you were paying him attention because he was recovering from his addiction.”

“I was.” Percy cocked a brow. “What's your problem? I gave you plenty of attention when you first got here. I still give you plenty of attention.” His eyes flashed a shade darker. “Now, stop acting like a child and get back to work.”

Nico set his jaw firmly in place as he took the tray of drinks from Chiron, who gave him a sympathetic look. Nico dropped the order off and turned to look back at Percy, who was now in a deep conversation with Chiron. Percy seemed rather animated with the way he talked, often shaking his head by things that Chiron said. Percy rubbed his temple and waved a hand absently in the air.

Nico found himself wanting to be alone. His leg was becoming jittery as he stared at the back of his head. Percy had called him a child. That had hurt, a lot. What was he supposed to do? He pursed his lips tightly as he forced tears from surfacing. Why was Percy acting like this? Nico had thought things were going well between them. What changed?

When Nico returned to the bar, Percy had gotten up and gone to talk to a man at a table. Nico sat his tray down and stood there, slipping Chiron the next order in silence. Chiron gave him a sympathetic look as he began on the orders. “Don't look so down, my child.”

Nico's lips tilted down even more. “That's all I am apparently, a child.”

Chiron placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I don't think he meant anything by it. Percy just has a lot on his mind right now, and he's sorting through his problems.”

“I was just making such good progress, and now I feel it was all for nothing. Why did Jason have to come along anyways? Percy didn't have to pick him up.”

Chiron arched a brow. “He didn't have to take in a lot of people, but I'm sure you're glad he gave you the opportunity. Does Jason not deserve the same chance, a chance at a new life?”

Nico sighed cast his eyes downward. “I guess,” he mumbled. “I thought Percy didn't take an interest in his employees?”

Reyna bumped into Nico. “Hasn't stopped him from showing an interest in you, for whatever reason that may be.”

Chiron smiled. “The girl is right, Nico, you're getting mad at Percy for doing the exact same thing he does with you.”

Nico glared at Reyna. “Well, I don't see him snapping at Jason.”

The Lost Girl shrugged. “What has he done to deserve it?”

Suddenly Nico wished that Hazel hadn't stepped in yesterday. If she hadn't, maybe Nico could have had a good retort to that remark. But that didn't really matter at the moment. Nico was just wanting to not be seen as a child right now.

When it reached two in the morning, Chiron announced that it was time to close up the bar. The customers that remained at this point begrudgingly got up and paid their tabs. Reyna and Piper had gathered up Nico and Jason, and they were all standing near the elevators. Once Chiron was done closing up, all of them boarded the elevator and rode down to the lobby.

The other Lost Kids were already in the restaurant by the time they arrived, with the exception of Rachel and Leo. Piper left them and sat down next to Hazel and Thalia. A large, round table had been set up in the middle of the restaurant for them. Chiron took his place between Circe and Aphrodite. Circe was doing her best to look like she was partially paying attention to the ramblings of the skinny blonde woman on the other side of Chiron. Ganymede winked in Nico's direction and sat down on Circe's other side.

Percy, Leo, and Rachel walked into the room, Chris in tow. The manager smiled and gestured to the table. “I'm sure you can find a place, Chris.”

The newly promoted worker blushed and awkwardly over to sit beside Clarisse. Dionysus was busy eyeing a wine bottle on the table. Several of the Lost Kids were just doing their best to stay lively. Much to Nico's displeasure, Percy tugged on Jason's arm and led him over a place at the table. Unfortunately for Nico, the only other spot beside Percy was being occupied by Annabeth. The Lost Girl smiled and leaned in towards Percy.

Nico blinked when there was a tug on the hem of his shirt. Will smiled up at him, pulling a chair out so that Nico could sit down. Nico smiled at him and sat down. His eyes returned to Percy, barely catching those green eyes leaving his form. He looked over at Jason, listening to something the blond was saying. But, Percy's eyes briefly returned to Nico, glancing between Nico and Will, almost studying them.

When everyone had finally taken their seats, Percy stood up and cleared his throat. “Well, here we are again, another year past. It's been two years since I took over here, and I like to think we've been doing very well.” Everyone smiled at him. “I want to thank you all for such a great year. As some of you may have noticed,” a smirk touched at his lips, “we have a few new additions to our family.”

Will slung an arm around Nico's shoulders. Percy caught the action and arched an eyebrow in Nico's direction, but made no further acknowledgment of the action. By this point, Dionysus was already opening that wine bottle he had been eyeing. Chiron sighed and shook his head, opening another bottle and pouring himself some before passing it down.

Percy gave Dionysus an annoyed look. “Anyways, I just want to say that I really appreciate how hard all of you have been working. You've all been great, and I just wanted to say that I really love you guys and all that you do for me.”

Percy sat back down and caught Chiron's eye. He gestured to the large turkey in the middle of the table. Chiron smiled and stood, picking up a carving knife. Nico tilted his head to the side. He leaned towards Will and whispered, “Why doesn't Percy do the cutting?”

Will smirked. “Chiron is like the father of the group, and Percy respects him a lot.”

Chiron carefully cut each piece of turkey, putting the slices on a plate and passing them around the table. Upon getting their plates, everyone poked around the rest of the table, dumping sides onto their plates. Glasses of water were set out at each place, as well as empty wine glasses. Though, as time went on, some of those glasses were filled.

A few of the Lost Kids abstained from the wine, but they were very few in number. Piper and Juniper turned it down entirely, while Will and Hazel kept their glasses low. Instead of passing it on, Will held the bottle out for Nico. “You want some?”

Nico stared down at the dark bottle. “I, uh, don't know. I've never drank before.”

“Oh, you should try it,” Silana encouraged.

“Yeah, just a little bit,” added Butch. “What's it going to hurt?”

Will turned towards Percy. “I mean, it is fine, right? It's just for the holiday, not a big deal.”

Percy's eyes studied the bottle for a moment before lifting to Nico's face. He stared into Nico's eyes for a long time before shrugging. “It's his call. Let him do what he wants.” And, just like that, Percy went back to talking to Jason.

Nico frowned before lowering his gaze to the bottle. Adults drank this stuff, right? He did want to be an adult. “I don't know,” he mumbled.

Octavian smiled and handed Nico his glass across the table. “Here try this one, it's a white wine.”

Nico stared at the blond, his eyes eventually shifting over to Luke. The taller of the two brothers was watching Nico intently. Nico shifted under the heavy gaze before sitting back down in his chair. He stared down at the glass nervously.

Will chuckled. “Go on, it's not going to hurt anything.”

Thalia waved absently. “A little isn't going to do anything, Nico.”

Apollo rolled his eyes. “Unless he's a light weight.”

Nico pursed his lips, taking a deep breath. Just trying it shouldn't hurt anything. The raven haired boy slowly lifted the glass to his lips, his heart pounding heavily in his chest. All eyes seemed to be on him as the liquid flowed down his throat. Percy even stopped talking with Jason, his eyes now a few shades darker.

Nico made a face as the taste hit him. He put the glass down, where a laughing Octavian took it back. Annabeth chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Here, Nico, try this one. You might like it better.”

Nico scrunched his lips up, holding the new glass in front of him. He looked at Will, who gave him a thumbs up. Apollo was resting his cheek on his knuckles, an amused smirk on his face. But what bothered him the most was the look Dionysus was giving him. He could only imagine what was going through the man's head right now.

The taste wasn't so bad this time. It was still a little bitter for his taste, but he could tolerate it. He shrugged and handed it back to Annabeth, while Will poured him a glass of his own. Percy gave the blond a dark look, though Will seemed to miss it. The manager caught Nico's eye, giving him another harsh stare. But then, just like that, the look was gone. Percy's eyes returned to their sea-green color, his shoulders seemed to relax, and his frown vanished. But, even more concerning, he looked away from Nico, like he was bored and didn't care what was going on in the boy's direction. It hurt, and Nico now felt like broken glass.

Beckendorf held up his own glass. “So, Nico, not so bad, eh?”

“Well, I don't think I'm going to make a habit out of drinking it.”

Will smirked at Nico, leaning on his hand. “I bet you're a hilarious drunk.”

“Too bad you won't be finding out,” Luke muttered.

Will blew out a breath. “Don't rain on the parade, Luke.”

Nico's eyes landed on Percy again, but the manager was no longer paying him any attention. Nico frowned and took another drink of wine. He began to poke at his food, but suddenly found he didn't feel so well. He wasn't sick, he knew that, but he didn't like the feeling that was building in his stomach.

An hour quickly passed, and Nico was on his third glass. His face felt rather warm, and the room seemed to sway every now and then. Will leaned in on him. “Aw, Nico's a lush. So cute.”

Nico attempted to scowl at the blond, but he was fairly certain that it failed miserably. He let out a long yawn, his eyes beginning to droop. And, finally, Percy looked at him again. “Can someone help him up to his room, please?”

Will smiled brightly and stood up. The room began to blur for Nico. His eyes closed and he tilted in his seat, a firm hand catching him. There was a grunt behind him, followed by a nervous chuckle. Nico felt his body being scooped up.

“Don't carry him over your shoulder, he'll probably vomit.”

“I got it.”

Nico's eyes attempted to open, but all he caught was a brief glimpse at the lights above him. Letting out another yawn, Nico descended into blackness.

Nico groaned and rubbed at his eyes, finally coming to. There was a slight hammering in his head. He stared around at his room, only to find something very wrong with it.

It wasn't his room at all. There was not anything familiar about it. There was a dark blue blanket currently draped on top of him. It was very warm and soft, and he just wanted to curl up with it and sleep more, but he knew he couldn't. Directly across from him was the TV, sitting on the dresser. Beside it was a PS3 and a pile of video games for it.

A pack of chocolate chip cookies sat on the nightstand. There were a few pictures sitting on the other dresser in the room; one of Octavian, one of Thalia, one of Annabeth, and one of Percy. Clothes littered the floor carelessly. In front of the pictures was a row of knives and a pair of brass knuckles. Nico looked up to find a pair of handcuffs hanging from the headboard.

Nico sat up straight as the doorknob began to turn. He found himself staring into the icy blue eyes of Luke, who arched an eyebrow at him. He was clad in nothing but a pair of black shorts, which hung loosely on his waist. “Joy, you're awake.”

Nico rubbed his head. “What am I doing here? The last thing I remember, I was supposed to be going to my room. Where's Will?”

The blond sat down on the edge of the bed. “Not here, obviously. He never took you anywhere.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “Then how did I get here?”

“I carried you.” Luke cracked his neck before falling back on the bed. “Is there a problem with my bed?”

Nico quickly shook his head. “But why did you bring me here? Why not take me to my room?”

Luke sighed and rolled until he was sitting close to Nico. “Well, you're welcome to leave and go there, but you'll only be met with the sounds of Percy and Jason having hot and loud sex.”

Nico frowned down at the blanket, rubbing at his arm. “Oh.” He wiped at his nose, looking at Luke from behind his short bangs. “Maybe I don't want to do that.” He tossed the blanket back and looked down at himself. He was still fully clothed, save for his shoes and socks. “Can I, uh, sleep on your couch?”

Luke leaned against the headboard, rolling his eyes. “I was just going to let you sleep where you were, you're not bothering anything.”

Nico felt sick, and he wasn't sure if it was from that feeling from earlier, or if it was from the alcohol. “Why didn't you let Will bring me up?”

The blond gave him a blank look. “I mean, sure, if you wanted to be molested while you were passed out.”

“Oh.” Nico looked down again. “Thank you.”

Luke rolled his eyes and slid his legs under the cover. “Yeah, whatever. If you want a change of clothes, there's some on the floor beside you.”

Nico looked down, and sure enough, a pair of cotton shorts and a loose T-shirt, both from his own room, sat on the floor. He swung his legs out and reached down to pick them up. With a small look in Luke's direction, Nico exited the room and went to the bathroom to change.

After he was done, he stopped in the middle of the hallway. Silence. He frowned and pushed into Luke's room. “Where's your brother?”

“Not here.”

“Why?”

Luke shrugged. “Apparently, people think I'm going to rape you, or something.”

Nico scoffed. “That's stupid. Why would they think that?”

Luke's eyes darkened before he lunged and pinned Nico to the bed. Nico squirmed, finding his arms captured above his head. Luke sat on top of him, a dark look in his eyes. “Maybe I will,” he said darkly. “Maybe that's just what you need, to be fucked. And I'll be the one to do it.”

Nico swallowed, eyes going wide as Luke leaned down. Their lips were dangerously close, Nico could feel Luke's breath on his face. And Luke's crotch was thrust against his own. Nico bit down on his lip, not wanting to let the moan escape him.

“What do you think about that, brat?”

Nico stared up at Luke with wide eyes. “No.”

Luke's brow furrowed. “No? What do you mean 'no'?”

Nico blinked up at Luke. He felt the blond loosen his grip. “You won't do it, I know you won't.”

The taller Lost Boy swallowed, his eyes narrowing. He tossed Nico's arms to the side and fell back on his butt. “You don't know what the hell you're talking about.”

Nico shook his head, sitting up. “You won't, not without my permission. I know. I knew after the night at the pool. The look in your eyes gave it away.”

Luke scoffed and looked away. “Just go to fucking sleep,” he growled.

Nico frowned, but didn't say anything further. He slid his legs under the cover and rolled onto his side, away from Luke. The room was silent for a long, awkward moment, until Luke climbed off the bed and turned off the light. The blond collapsed onto the bed with a huff.

“Thanks again for letting me stay here.”

The blond behind him grunted. “Whatever, just don't fucking cuddle me. I'm not your stuffed animal.”

 Nico chuckled softly in the darkness. He had missed this side of Luke. Maybe it would stick around this time. Nico sighed, his eyes already drooping. Tomorrow would be better, he told himself. He needed to fix whatever was going on between himself and Percy, he just knew he had to.