Children of Loss 40

Chapter 40

School had started back up in full swing, something that Nico was nowhere near ready for. It had already been more than a week since the drug disaster, but he still had a hard time looking at candy the same way. Something Daedalus noticed as he held out a bag of Skittles.

“Something wrong? You look pale.”

Nico shook his head. “I'm fine.” He swallowed a lump in his throat and pushed the bag away. Jason arched a brow at him, his hand paused in the middle of finishing up some last minute homework. “Just a late night.”

Jason went back to his work. “He probably ate something that made him sick.”

Nico tossed the blond a glare. Jason smirked, not looking up, but aware of Nico's action. After Will, Clarisse, and Luke had left that night, Nico had spent some time hunched over the toilet, trying to get any remnants of his drugs out of his system. When Jason had found him, the blond had assured his roommate that Will said he would be fine. But to Nico that did not really matter.

It wasn't about the fact that he would be fine, Nico had consumed drugs. Technically by his own choice, even if he didn't know what they were at the time. The fact remained that Nico could add another thing to his list of things he had disappointed Percy with.

And what if Percy did find out? Would one of the other Lost Kids tell him? Would Kronos? Nico chewed on his lip. How mad would Percy be?

That was if anyone could contact Percy. As far as Nico was aware, only Kronos had spoken to Percy since the green-eyed young man's departure. It sort of made Nico depressed, not that he wasn't already. Why hadn't Percy contacted any of them, or more specifically, Nico?

In the past week, Nico had barely done anything besides work and school. He just didn't have the energy. Even if most of the others weren't openly blaming him for Percy's removal from the hotel, Nico still blamed himself.

Not that Nico would have been able to do anything if he weren't depressed.

Slowly, the Lost Kids had begun to tear themselves apart. There were very few not in a feud over something, and some of the latest fights had been very petty and trivial. So far, Nico had made a pretty detailed list in his head for who was fighting.

Silena was fighting with Beckendorf, which caused Beckendorf to fight with Luke, since that was who Silena went to talk too after her and Beckendorf started not talking. Even though they were living together, Luke and Octavian were currently not on speaking terms, which got very awkward when Nico had to go see either of them for their lessons. And then the more worrisome fights begun. The ones that Nico had hoped would keep it together.

Annabeth and Luke had gotten into another argument, which had ended in a lot of heated words and their refusal to be at practice with each other. Luke had then snapped at Apollo for his childish actions with Leo, which had resulted in Apollo and Luke giving each other black eyes. From there, Leo refused to even breath the same air as Apollo, forcing Rachel to deal with the blond when needed. After Luke and Apollo's spat, Thalia came to Apollo's defense and got mad at Luke, lecturing the blond about minding his own business. Luke found it funny, since Thalia was being a hypocrite. And then, even though they were fighting, Annabeth had gotten angry with Thalia for snapping at Luke. That one had resulted in Thalia sleeping in Zoë's room for two nights, until Zoë got irritated with Thalia about some things that Nico was still not clear on.

Late last week, a fight had broken out between Calypso, Piper, and Drew. That one had woken up their entire floor in the middle of the night. While Calypso and Piper weren't fighting, the two had apparently had enough of Drew's attitude. The very same day, Clarisse had given Beckendorf a very long lecture on being a better boyfriend to Silena, which had nearly resulted in another fight. Then there were three fights that Nico still was unsure how they started, one between Reyna and Octavian, another between Apollo and Butch, and the other between Butch and Will.

And, just over the weekend, Jason had gotten into an argument with Thalia about her abandoning him. While Thalia didn't really argue back, she didn't seem to want to talk to her brother either. And the last fight had been between Will and Luke, and neither had been willing so far to tell Nico why they were arguing, even though he had caught his name being thrown around.

All of that had happened...in a week.

The remaining few that weren't fighting apparently had no desire to make any of it stop. Travis and Connor had said they found it amusing, and Nico had caught them eating popcorn when Clarisse and Butch had nearly gotten into their fight. Ethan said he simply didn't want to get involved. “I finally get to be left alone,” the Lost Boy had said. No one was willing to listen to Rachel, even though she was trying her best to deal with all of them at once. And Juniper was too soft spoken to get anyone to listen to her. Needless to say, things did not look good for their group.

And Kronos? Well, he had actually been fairly quiet in the past week. Nico could only assume he was taking great satisfaction in seeing the Lost Kids tear themselves apart. It was so frustrating and unnecessary that they were all fighting, when the real enemy was just getting to relax and enjoy the show. But what was he going to do? Nico was still new around the place, and was to blame for Percy's absence. Who would listen to him?

To say that Nico had a headache and his patience was near its end was probably an understatement.

Which probably did not help matters when he met Cal and Zethes in the hall later.

To be honest, Nico had just assumed that his problems with them were over. Oh how wrong he was. Cal's strong shoulder made contact with his and sent Nico into the nearest locker. But, unlike the last time this happened, Nico did not just keep his head down. His eyes darkened as he looked up to see Cal and Zethes laughing at him. Jason reached down to help him, but Nico shot up and barreled into Cal.

Zethes stepped in, pulling Nico off of his brother. When Cal cracked his knuckles and tried to punch Nico, Jason stepped in and sent a fist into the brute's stomach. Nico broke free from Zethes and grabbed the asshole by his throat. Zethes's head collided with the floor as Nico straddled him. Pinning the guy's arms down with his legs, Nico sent his fist flying into the jerk's face. Zethes started yelling threats, which Nico ignored. But he couldn't stop either.

His fist made contact with Zethes's nose and Nico heard a crack in the back of his mind. And to make it worse, Zethes spat in Nico's face. Seeing red, Nico drew back and sent his fist flying as hard as he could. In the fog of Nico's mind, he could barely hear Jason calling his name, but it was too dull for him to acknowledge. Nico's eyes took on a terrifyingly dark tone to them as he wrapped a pale hand around Zethes's throat and tightened his grip.

“St-stop!” Zethes wheezed out, struggling against Nico.

“Nico!” Jason called out from behind him.

Nico's cold eyes continued to stare down at Zethes, his lips tilting up into a cold smirk. His nails dug into the skin of Zethes's neck, blood pouring from the guy's mouth. It was here that Nico truly realized just how fragile life really was. Just a little longer, or a snap of the neck, and Zethes's life force would have been gone. It would be so easy to just...

“Nico!” Daedalus's voice yelled, yanking the raven-haired boy off of Zethes.

Nico blinked, startled. He stared down at his hands, which were partially covered in blood. Looking up with wide eyes, Nico stared at Zethes as he coughed and wheezed for breath. It was then that Nico also noted a tooth on the ground beside the bully. Quickly reaching up a hand, Nico inspected his own mouth, quickly finding out that it was not his tooth.

Daedalus spun him around. “Nico, what the hell was that?”

Nico glanced over to Jason, who released Cal. The large bully ran over to his brother. But before anyone could say anything further, two teachers came running down the hall. “What is going on here?” One yelled.

Zethes pointed a shaky hand towards Nico. “He knocked out my tooth and was trying to strangle me!”

Jason held out an arm in front of Nico. “They were harassing him first.”

The two teachers shook their heads and snapped their fingers towards the office. Nico shut his eyes, letting out a breath. Things just got worse.

Jason and Nico both ended up getting suspended for two days, and Nico would be serving detention with Cal and Zethes upon his return. Apparently, the principal was tired of having the two bullies in his office.

He now sat in the passenger seat of Jason's car, not willing to look at his roommate. Jason had yet to speak to him since they left the office, which probably meant there was going to be another fight to add to the list. Nico pursed his lips and looked at his lap. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled.

Jason briefly glanced over at him. He reached over and brushed Nico's bangs up. It took Nico a moment to realize the blond was looking him over for any sign of injury. “You don't have to apologize,” Jason finally said. The blond returned his hand to the steering wheel. “At least you're okay, though I think you went a little overboard.” When Nico didn't answer, he glanced over again. “You okay? I've never seen you get like that before.”

Then Jason hadn't seen him in the backrooms, Nico thought bitterly. Now that everything was over, Nico was scared. Not about what Kronos might do to him, though that was worrisome, but his own actions. He was getting worse, and Nico didn't like it. Was he just going to end up like the rest of them at the hotel? A year ago, Nico probably wouldn't have even thought about raising his fist to get into a fight, and now he had nearly suffocated a guy.

And that was not even the worst part. So what could have been worse than all of that?

He. Had. Enjoyed. It.

It had been so satisfying to see Zethes squirm like that, after all the tormenting that he and his brother had caused Nico. It was deserved, but it was also something that Nico should have never done. Kronos was going to kill him.

When they got back to the hotel, Nico was scared to even get out of the car. Jason shook his head and forced Nico out of the car. The blue-eyed Lost Boy headed for the elevator. “Why don't you just hide if you're so nervous?” He suggested.

That was a great idea!

So Nico did just that. And it was not as easy as it sounded, as two hours in, he started hearing Kronos calling his name in the various places he tried to hide. This was what brought Nico the cabana. While Ganymede was dealing with two girls, Nico ducked behind the counter.

“That will be ten doll-” Ganymede blinked down at him, furrowing his brow. “Dollars.”

The two girls peered over the counter at him. “He's cute.”

Nico chuckled and waved at them. Ganymede shook his head and took the money from the girls, who walked off chuckling to themselves. Ganymede nudged Nico with his foot to get farther under the bar. Nico wasn't sure what was going on, until he heard the last voice he wanted to hear right now.

“Have you seen Nico?” Kronos's eerily calm voice asked.

Nico peered up to get a look at the bartender's face. Ganymede scrunched his lips and shook his head. “Can't say that I have. At least not today. You want me to tell him that you're looking for him?”

“Yes, and send him to my office. I got a call from his school.”

The bartender gave a nod. “Will do, boss.” After a few moments of silence, Ganymede crouched down. “Why is the devil looking for you?”

“I got into a fight,” Nico mumbled.

Ganymede arched a brow and tilted Nico's chin up. “You look fine to me. Who was it with, a bunny?”

Nico scowled and knocked the man's hand away, crawling out from under the bar, but staying on the ground. “No! I got into a fight with those assholes from the last time.” Ganymede gave a surprised nod. “I sort of knocked one's tooth out.” That made the man laugh. “It's not funny! I nearly killed the guy.”

“You? Kill a guy?” Ganymede sat down beside Nico. “Cutie, I'm not sure I could believe that.”

“Well, I did.”

“So what's the big deal?”

“Their dad is a client here,” Nico mumbled.

“Oh.” Ganymede popped his lips once. “Well...I suppose that would be a bad thing. I feel like you may have a lot to worry about, should Kronos tell Percy about how you've been while he's been gone.”

The Lost Boy buried his face in his hands. “Don't remind me,” he groaned. “I just need a place to lay low for a few hours. I guess I'll have to face him during or after work.”

Ganymede gave a nod, chuckling. “Well, I'm about to get off my shift. I can smuggle you out of the hotel, at least for a few hours.”

Nico's eyes widened as he gripped the man's shirt. “Really?” He exclaimed. “I would love you forever.” The man grinned at him. “Not like that!” Nico sighed and shook his head. “There's too much sex going on around here.”

Ganymede stood up, holding up a finger. “There's never too much sex to be had, my dear Nico.” He smiled and finished up his shift, cleaning up the cabana area. After he had the money put away and everything in a safe place, he led Nico into the hotel.

They traveled back to the garage, where Ganymede smuggled Nico into a silver mustang. “Why can't I get a nice car like everyone else?” Nico whined.

The ex-Lost Boy chuckled as he pulled out of his parking spot. “Got to get your license first.”

When Nico and Ganymede arrived back at the hotel, Nico had his arms full of arcade prizes. As Nico got to learn, Ganymede was very good at the dancing games there. He had also made a teenage girl cry. After he parked, Ganymede looked over at Nico with a smile, spinning the little pinwheel that the boy had stuffed in his arms.

Nico narrowed his eyes and attempted to stuff what he could into a bag they had been given. “Here,” the boy mumbled.

“But I wanted to win your affection.” With a pout, the man batted his eyelashes at the Lost Boy.

Shoving the bag towards the man, Nico climbed out of the car. “There are a lot of days I feel like a sheep amongst wolves in this hotel.”

“Come now, Nico,” Ganymede began as he followed after the boy, bags in hand, “I think we both know that you have your own wolf side to you as well.” Nico shot the man a dirty look. “Just speaking the truth. I mean, I hear you did pretty well with that young man the other night.” The ex-Lost Boy grinned. “You could always tie me up to my bed.”

“Only in your dreams.”

The man's mouth fell open in mock shock. “Who told you?”

Nico shook his head with a sigh. He frowned and glanced over Ganymede's shoulder when he noticed something. Luke was uncovering his motorcycle, tossing the tarp into his car and grabbing his helmet. The raven-haired Lost Boy pursed his lips and came to a stop. He blinked, not looking back to Ganymede. “You go on ahead, I need to talk to someone.”

Ganymede glanced over his shoulders, shaking his head. “You have fun with that,” the man said before heading towards one of the elevators.

Nico made his way over to the blond, who did not look all too happy at the moment. “What's the matter with you?” Nico asked, leaning against one of the concrete pillars that supported the garage. “Did you find out Kronos beat you for the biggest asshole award?”

Luke briefly looked up at Nico before reaching into his car for a second helmet. “Had a fight with Octavian, wanted to get out for a while.” The blond held out the second helmet. “Want to come?”

Nico blinked. “But-” He pulled out his phone to check the time. “It's literally twenty minutes until we're supposed to be upstairs. We need to change, so that we-”

“Not going to work,” Luke grumbled as he threw one leg over the motorcycle and sat down. He arched his eyebrow at Nico. “Want to come or not? Work means facing Kronos.”

“You're going to get in trouble.”

There was a dull look in the blond's eyes as he blinked at the other Lost Boy. “I don't really care right now.” He leaned forward with a smirk. “You really need to learn to live a little, kid.”

“I-”

“Oh, Nico!”

Nico clamped a hand over his mouth at the sound of Kronos's peaceful voice. It was far too calm for his liking, and the young man was somewhere in the garage. Far too close for Nico's liking. He would be alone with the manager, with no one but Luke as a witness. Unless Luke left. Which, judging by the looks of things, the blond was getting ready to do. Nico doubted that Luke wanted to stick around for Kronos to find them. He would probably abandon Nico to be tortured by their boss.

Eyes full of panic, Nico turned back to Luke, who silently held out his spare helmet. That cocky smirk of his was plastered across his stupid face as he waited for Nico to make a decision. Inhaling deeply, Nico cursed under his breath and climbed onto the motorcycle, taking the helmet as he did so.

By this point, Nico can hear Kronos's footsteps over the soft purr of the motorcycle. As Nico fastened the helmet, he wrapped his arms tightly around Luke's waist. “Go!”

Luke didn't need to be told twice. The ground shot out from under them and the two soared towards the exit. Unfortunately, Kronos found them and yelled at them as Luke zoomed onto the exit ramp.

“Hey! Where do you two think you're going?”

Feeling bold, Luke reached back and flipped the young man off before shooting away. Nico shut his eyes as he felt the ground fall out beneath them upon breaking surface. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that they were weaving in and out of traffic. When he heard a horn blowing at them, the brown-eyed Lost Boy tightened his grip on the blond's torso.

“Open your eyes, you fucking pansy!” Luke called back to him.

Nico was not sure he honestly wanted to. The wind was hitting his body very harshly, and there was no telling how fast Luke was going. But when there was the sound of tires squealing and another horn blowing, Nico felt he had to. They had apparently ran a red light.

Nico was ready to snap at Luke to be careful, when the lights of the city caught his eye. The sun had already set and the lights of the city had all come alive. Car lights moved by them in a blur, and the lights on the sidewalks were almost hypnotizing.

They zoomed in between cars and felt adrenaline start to pump through his body. It was all so mesmerizing, the way the lights moved and stopped at the whim of a light. When they finally did hit a red light that Luke decided to stop at, Nico took the opportunity to look up at the buildings. He had seen them plenty of times during his time on the streets, and back then he had merely wanted to be able to be inside one of them. But now, Nico just stared at them in awe, marveling at the way the lights stood out in comparison to the night sky above them.

And then the light turned green and they zoomed between the cars to break out in front of the traffic. Unfortunately, there had also been a police car at the light. Their lights blared behind them and Luke tightened his grip on the handles.

“Um,” Nico frowned, “shouldn't we pull over?”

“Only if you let go.”

Nico was about to question the blond, when the motorcycle shot forward onto the opposite side of the road. Nico screamed as they just barely dodged an oncoming car to turn down an alleyway. The cops did go around, but unfortunately met the two on the other side. This, however, did not deter Luke. The blond bobbed and weaved between cars on either side of the road with ease, nearly causing the police behind them to wreck into several cars.

The light up ahead of them turned red and Luke began to turn the motorcycle to the left. They passed to the center of the light, with the oncoming traffic coming at them from both sides. And, at the very last second, Luke rapidly spun the handles to the right and sent them flying between the two lanes of oncoming cars. The police car squealed to a halt before two cops climbed out and yelled after them. But they were long gone, and Luke didn't even seem concerned about them catching him.

They ended up driving through some older buildings, some that might have even been vacant. The city wasn't as packed and condensed here it seemed, as Nico could see several blocks around them in some directions. And, to Nico's surprise, Luke pulled up to one and stopped. Nico blinked a few times as the other Lost Boy pulled off his helmet and climbed off the motorcycle, after smacking Nico's hands away from him.

“Um, where are we?” Nico asked as he slowly got off the motorcycle. Frowning, the boy removed the helmet. The building they were standing in front of looked like it hadn't been used in a few years. All the lights were off, and some even had the windows knocked out. Luke didn't answer, though, instead walking up to the door and kicking it open.

Nico just stood there for a moment, looking between the door and the street. He wasn't sure if they should just leave their mode of transportation just sitting around, but Luke didn't seem too concerned, so perhaps Nico didn't need to be either. Slowly putting the helmet down, Nico followed quietly after the blond.

The building appeared to be an old apartment building. He found a door open on the second floor and poked his head inside. There was absolutely nothing in the place of interest, save for a dirty mattress that had been stuffed in one of the small closets in the corner. Nico ran a hand through his hair, his eyes finally coming to rest on the blond that had his back to Nico, currently too busy looking out the window to even notice Nico standing there.

One of the windows had been broken. On the floor, close to the closet with the bed, was some old and nearly destroyed magazines and newspapers. Moving closer, Nico kicked at a black spot in front of the closet. It was like a fire had once burned there a long time ago, used so many times that it had left a spot behind that wouldn't come out. And then it hit him, a cold chill running down his spine.

This was where Luke stayed during his time on the streets.

That was the mattress that Luke had probably slept on, and the magazines and newspapers had probably been his attempt to keep warm at night. Nico swallowed a heavy lump in his throat as he returned his eyes to Luke's back. The blond was still being quiet, and was still not looking at Nico.

Nico let out a short breath. “How long...did you have to, you know, stay here?”

Luke turned his head, like he had just realized Nico was still there. “A little over a year and a half,” the older Lost Boy muttered. He let out a breath and fully turned his body to face Nico. “Took most of the money I had just to get out here.” Without warning, the blond moved forward. Nico stumbled back, until he tripped and fell on the old mattress. Luke pinned him down with a frown. “I want to hate you...so bad. I want to hate everything that you are, everything that you represent...everything that I lost.” The blond shook his head. “But I can't get myself to do anything to you without consent. I can't hate you, and I can't bring myself to harm you either.” Sitting back on his haunches, Luke sent his fist into the wall above Nico's head. “I want to hate myself, for feeling so...so weak. I can't even bring myself to do anything to you without consent.”

Nico stared up at the young man with wide eyes. “Consent for what?”

“You're a problem for me,” Luke hissed. Nico swallowed a lump in his throat when he felt one of Luke's hands slide underneath his shirt. “I want—no, I can feel that I want you, but when I look at you, all I see is him.”

Nico felt paralyzed beneath the older Lost Boy. The blond's touch was like fire across his stomach. “I-I thought you didn't like me like that?”

“I don't,” the blond growled. His icy gaze was piercing and full of lust as he slid Nico's shirt up higher. Nico gasped as the blond pressed his knees against Nico's crotch and moved in to bite Nico's neck. Luke moved a hand to lift Nico's hips and reach around to grope the boy's ass. When Nico attempted to lean up, Luke pinned his arms above his head with a growl.

“Luke,” Nico gasped.

To be honest, it was kind of hot, having the blond on top of him like that, with his hand pinning Nico's arms above his head and attacking his neck. And then there was Luke's other hand, which was roaming from his ass, all the way around to the brown-eyed boy's crotch, where it just sort of hovered for a moment. Rolling his hips, Luke elicited a moan from Nico's mouth.

But, just as rapidly as it had begun, it ended. Luke pulled away, and refused to meet Nico's eyes. Nico's breathing was heavy as the boy sat up, his hair disheveled. He looked down in surprise to find that his jeans were partially undone.

“Wh-why did you stop?” Nico panted.

Luke scooted against the wall opposite Nico, pulling his legs up to his chest. “Well, there's my problem, now isn't it? I can't bring myself to touch you, because you remind me of him.”

That was completely understandable, Nico thought sarcastically. Luke made no sense with what he had just said. Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “You just said you don't like me.”

Luke gave him a dark look. “I don't. This isn't some romance thing, twerp. I can't bring myself to have feelings for you because of how you are. So, here I am, finding myself stuck with a desire to have my way with you, but being unable to do anything about it.”

Nico opened his mouth, only to blow out a breath. “I really don't understand what you are saying. If you don't like me, why do you want to have your way with me so badly?”

“Because I want to like you,” Luke ground out. He clenched his fists and looked away. “If things were different, if you were different, perhaps I wouldn't feel so conflicted with touching you. I feel like I'd be breaking the one thing I once tried to protect at home.” When the blond looked back, he looked so different. There was no anger in his blue eyes, only the shattered youth that he truly was. “I failed once, I didn't want to fail a second time. It's why I made the deal with Percy, it's why I tried to prevent Apollo's stunt. I don't want to lose my brother again.”

Nico honestly did not know what to say. Some if it was beginning to make sense, but a lot was still uncertain to him. “Luke,” Nico whispered.

“Shut up.” Luke let his shoulders slump. “You know, I wasn't always such an asshole, but now I just don't care. I turned out to be a lousy brother in the end, and I failed in my duty as one. I was a lot happier back then. Not because I had a good mother or father, but because I had Octavian.” Nico watched as the blond chewed on his lip, his eyes staring off to the side. “He smiled a lot more back then. And he always looked for the good in people, even our mother. I never understood it.” The blond shook his head. “I stopped loving my mother at a young age, but Octavian, he just kept telling me that she wasn't as bad as I made her out to be.

“It made me happy, just seeing him be happy. I never understood how someone could be so cheerful, especially since he argued so much with our mother. Our parents...they were both in politics. Father was rarely home. A senator. He is in the Republican party, but our mother...she's on a whole different level,” Luke continued. He picked at his jeans with a dull look in his eyes. “She is basically one of the faces for the Tea Party, and a member of the House of Representatives. She had just gotten in that role right before everything happened.” The blond let out a sigh, briefly glancing up to gauge Nico's reaction to things. “She was a bitch,” Luke whispered, a frown now marring his face.

“I don't understand how that could make you hate your own mother,” Nico whispered. He debated moving closer, but a glare from Luke made him reconsider.

“Because, she let all of her beliefs come before her son's own needs. Her job came first.” The blond practically spat it out with venom, his eyes practically glowing in the low lighting. “As you might imagine, she despised homosexuality and gay marriage.” A faint chuckle escaped Luke's lips as he ran a hand through his hair. “It's funny, I was the favored son back then. She didn't know...about me. Our mother clashed, nearly on a daily basis, with Octavian. He never meant anything by it, just trying to change her opinions, but she severely objected to most of what he had to say. She couldn't—wouldn't see his points.” The blond's knuckles were white as they gripped his pants. “Father gave her permission to force Octavian into sports and more 'manly' activities. Because, well, she didn't want her son to turn out gay.

“I helped him out when I could, made up excuses for why he couldn't attend practice. Octavian just preferred his books to anything sport related. I played sports back then, but I was happy with him doing what made him happy.” Luke shook his head. “Even through all of that, he still smiled and seemed to like our mother. He just couldn't see her as a bad person, didn't want to accept the mental abuse she was putting on him.”

Nico pursed his lips. He had been there, with his own father, at one point in time. “What changed?”

The older Lost Boy let out a sigh. “One day, she came home in a rage. I was not home at this point, so I only know what Octavian told me later. Apparently, someone had seen her son kissing another boy earlier that day, and they had told our mother. Naturally, she assumes it was Octavian. Octavian has never been physically imposing, he was actually quite a bit shorter back then. Around your height.” The blond looked up with sad eyes. “I should have been there, but I wasn't. She cornered him in the kitchen, and yelled at him to confess his sin. I made it home while she was still yelling, and I quickly ran to the kitchen. He was curled up in the corner, crying, so I jerked her away and yelled at her to leave him alone.” The blond looked down again. “She demanded Octavian confess his sins to the Lord, or he would be no son of hers. I didn't understand what they were arguing about, until Octavian cried out that he hadn't done anything with another guy.” At this point, Luke shut his eyes and tightened his grip on his pants. “It was my fault it was happening,” he whispered.

“Luke,” Nico whispered. “It wasn't your fault, you didn't know what would happen. And your mother shouldn't have gotten mad at either of you for something that isn't wrong.”

“She didn't see it that way,” Luke growled. His eyes blazed with anger when he met Nico's gaze. “She was so crazy, so consumed with her religion, that she actually pulled a knife on her youngest son.”

Oh, Nico thought. No. He had the horrible feeling that he knew where this was going. Just looking at Luke's face, Nico knew.

Luke was shaking by this point. He was angry, far angrier that Nico could ever really recall seeing him. “She called him an abomination! Her own son!” The blond Lost Boy slowly reached up, touching at his pale scar. “I jumped in between them. I was scared that she was going to do more than just try to scare him into admitting something he hadn't done. So...I confessed. It was me, I told her. I had kissed the boy. My boyfriend at the time.” Luke chewed on his lip, looking away again, but continued to cover his scar from Nico's gaze. “I told her I was bisexual. She started...she started wailing, her arm flying wildly out in front of her.”

Nico felt a lump in his throat, doing his best to fight back some tears. This was Luke. The Luke he had always known to be an asshole since his arrival at the hotel. The same Luke, who was now telling him that it was his very own mother, the woman that had given birth to him, that had given him that scar. Luke, who had just been trying to be a good brother at the time. It was stories like his, Hazel, and Ethan's that Nico thought hurt the most to hear, because their parents had done awful things to them.

“And, well, she caught me right here,” Luke continued, rubbing at the long, pale scar on his face. “She started yelling, telling me that she wanted me to get out of her sight. And I just sort of stood there for a while, stunned. Perhaps it was hearing her say that, or the fact that she had actually done that, but I hadn't felt the pain of the knife cutting me. It wasn't until I felt the blood dripping down my arm that I reached up and noticed.” Luke swallowed a lump in his throat and clutched at his head. “Octavian tried to clean it for me, but I just shoved him away out of anger. I left the room, ran up and got a few clothes and some cash, and left the house. Smashed my phone against the side of the house before getting into my car.”

It was really hard, by this point, for Nico to hold back his tears. Luke could be an asshole, he had always known him to be one, but Luke had also proven himself to be a very good friend. Sure he wasn't soft and emotional like some of the Lost Kids were when he needed them to be, but Luke was always there when Nico needed him most. He had watched out for Nico, even when the youngest Lost Boy hadn't known it. He knew deep down that Luke and Octavian had a rough past, that was why they never wanted to talk about it, but he had never really connected the dots to how Luke had ended up getting the scar.

Nico swallowed the lump in his throat. “I-I'm sorry,” he whispered.

“For what?” Luke looked up with a dull look. “Not like you did it.” Nico bit down on his lip to fight back a sob. “Don't cry for me, kid, I'm not worth the tears. I'm not worth anyone's emotions.” He let out a dry chuckle and ran his hand through his hair again. “I'm just a broken little kid, stuck this way for all eternity. Never going to be like I once was, never going to able to be fixed. Incapable of loving anyone.”

“I don't believe that,” Nico whispered.

Luke chuckled again. “Yeah, well, shows how much you know.”

Nico hated hearing Luke talk this way about himself. He might not have been in love with Luke, but he still did believe that he loved the blond. Like a brother, because that was what he was. If Apollo was the brother he had always wanted, Nico liked to think that Luke would have been the brother that he probably deserved. Luke, like the rest of the Lost Kids, was family, and family didn't deserve to be treated like this. Family shouldn't hurt family.

And here, in this new light, Nico felt he saw the Lost Kids for just what they really were. Sure he had revelations about them before, but this one felt more real, more personal. It was just like Luke said, they were bound to be these broken children, possibly for the rest of their lives. And, as Luke stared back at him, Nico's heart hurt because he could see the scared little boy that Luke once was hurting and struggling to hold himself together. And, right then and there, the first tear slid down Nico's cheek.

Nico ducked his head, rubbing at his eyes. Luke scoffed. “Come on, kid, I thought you were tougher than this by now.” But, to Nico's surprise, he felt a movement beside him on the mattress. Looking up, he found the blond sitting next to him, his head lowered and his eyes hidden behind his bangs. “You remind me of him,” Luke whispered. “When I saw you the day you bumped into me outside of Percy's office, I thought, for a moment, that you were him.”

Nico wiped at his face. “You mean Octavian, don't you?”

Luke gave a short nod. “Back when he was happier. I see him every time I look into your eyes. I just see his smiling face looking up at me. And, well, I can't ever go through with doing anything with you because of that.”

“But you have sex with Octavian, don't you?”

Luke looked slightly in pain, cringing. “That's a...long story. It wasn't like that when he first got here. He's different now, and he was the one that made the advance on me.” Luke let out a sigh, running his fingers through his soft, blond hair. “It was just a comfort thing back when he first got here. I let him sleep in my bed every now and then, so that he wouldn't feel alone. However, one night, he just sort of rolled over and put his head on my chest. Not a big deal, right? Yeah, well, when I look over at him, he leans in and kisses me. I ask what he's doing, and he just says that it's normal for us as Lost Kids now. I don't know really what came over me that night, but I let it go further. It still happens, on rare occasions, that we do have sex. I don't know, he's still my brother, but it doesn't bother me anymore. It's not anything romantic, though. I have no desire to 'be' with my brother. But sex is sex.”

“That's very confusing,” Nico mumbled.

“No shit.” Luke sighed and leaned back on his palms. “Look, Octavian and I are sort of just in between the Graces and the Stolls. We don't love each other in that way, but we don't find it sickening to have sex with each other. And, like I said, it's not very often that we do.” The blond fell back on the mattress with a groan. “I feel so fucked up when I think about this, I hate it. Sometimes, when I initiate it, I just want to be a good brother, trying to make up for not being there for him when he needed me.”

Nico pursed his lips. “Why didn't you take him with you?”

Luke flung his hands in the air. “I don't know! I was stupid! I was being dumb and not thinking clearly!” He grunted and fell back on the mattress again, letting out a lout cry of frustration. “I just thought that, since he didn't come to me and say he wanted to go with me, that he wanted to stay at home.” Luke closed his eyes, his entire body slumping. “Maybe I was just angry and thought that, if he liked our mother so much, that he could just stay there with her,” the blond whispered. “I fucked up, and it's my fault that he ended up the way he did. Maybe...maybe he could have still been his normal, happy self if I had taken him with me. And then, sometimes, I wonder if he would have starved if I had taken him with me.”

Nico reached over and squeezed the blond's arm. “It's okay, Luke.”

The blond let out a heavy breath. “It's not, but I've come to accept that I screwed up as an older brother.” He finally looked at Nico again, his eyes no longer carrying their usual fire or anger. “You just remind me so much of him when he was younger.”

Nico bit down on his lip. “Why does this bother Octavian?”

“I think that's a topic better suited for you and Octavian. Just tell him that you know about what happened the day I left home,” Luke whispered, climbing to his feet. Nico watched as the blond dragged his feet towards the broken window. “I never lied when I said I didn't like you romantically, because I don't. Too many old memories seem to be there whenever I look at you. Because of that, you and I could never work out. I can never have more than just physical feelings towards you. I don't love, I can't. Not anymore. I have no desire to 'get you', as mini-blondie puts it whenever he gets mad at me.”

“Wait.” Nico shot to his feet. “That's why you two are fighting?” Nico practically growled. Luke arched a brow at him. “I'm going to fucking kill him.”

Luke rolled his eyes with a smirk. “There you are, brat, I thought you might have regressed on me.” His lips tilted up into its normal, usually irritating, smirk. “Octavian just has some issues to work through. He feels like a shadow now. He's worried that I'm trying to replace him with you.”

“I don't want that,” Nico whispered, shaking his head.

“Good,” Luke scoffed, “because I'm not trying to.” His head fell back with a sigh. Looking back at Nico, he motioned around the old building. “So, what do you think of my awesome home on the streets?”

Nico arched a brow at the blond. “Why did you bring me out here anyways?”

The blond shrugged. “Just wanted to see the place again.” His head quickly looked around the small room. “Not much has changed, but it looks like some people got some of the clothes I had gathered over my time here. That's good, I suppose.”

“Luke,” Nico said softly. The blond turned back to him and blinked. “I'm sorry, for everything that you had to go through. You didn't deserve to be put through that.”

Luke's brow furrowed as he stood there for a moment, just staring at Nico. “Thanks,” he mumbled, his expression softening just a little. He closed his eyes, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. “I just...wanted a second chance. I thought I could make up for being such a shitty brother when it came down to it.”

Nico slowly made his way over to Luke, where he attempted to hug the blond. But his eyes widened as his ass roughly hit the floor when Luke shoved him back.

“What do you think you're doing?” The blond asked, a tone of annoyance in his voice. “What have I said about touching, cuddling, or anything like that, brat?”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “You are the moodiest person I think I've ever met,” he growled.

Luke smirked and nodded towards the door. “Come on, twerp, we'll get something to eat before going back. No sense of going back until we can assume Kronos will be safely on the top floor.” He grinned as they walked out of the old apartment. “Just hide in your room and don't open the door for anyone when you get back, maybe he won't attempt to break down the door.”

Nico shook his head. “I really find myself appreciating Percy in a whole new light now that I've experienced management under Kronos.”

“Well,” Luke said as he climbed onto his motorcycle and lifted his helmet, “I'll give him one thing. He's efficient with business and keeping everyone in line. Doesn't mean it's the best way to go about it, though.”

Nico slowly climbed on behind Luke, looking down at the helmet that was now in his hands. “Luke?”

“Hmm?”

“If I didn't remind you of your brother, would things were different between us?”

Instead of answering, Luke cranked the motorcycle. Nico let out a sigh and put on his helmet before wrapping his arms around Luke's waist and letting himself be carried off into the night.

When they got back, it was half past ten. They quickly boarded the elevator. Nico glanced up at Luke every now and then, though the blond seemed to ignore him. It was not until halfway up that Luke spoke. “Come see me tomorrow, we need to get you more adjusted to this temporary job. You know, unless Percy doesn't come back, then it's either a full-time job, or you get the fuck out of this place.”

Nico let out a long sigh. “Yeah, okay,” he whispered.

When the doors opened, they were greeted by the last person they wanted to see. Kronos stood there, smiling quite calmly at them. He had his hands laced in front of him, a friendly smile if ever there was one plastered on his face. “There you both are, I was getting worried.”

Luke pushed Nico behind him. “I took him out, so blame me, not him.”

Kronos blinked innocently. “Blame?” The young man placed a hand on his chest. “Of course you're not in trouble, Luke. What would ever make you think that?” The way he smiled during all of this made Nico feel extremely uncomfortable. “I completely understand, everyone needs some time to relax every now and then. And, if there's one thing I enjoy, it's offering people some relaxation.” The man let out a breath before smiling down at Nico. “Nico, I'm going to need you to come with me, it seems I need your help with something in the office.”

Nico gulped and glanced up at Luke, who was glaring at Kronos. The manager smiled at the blond, who kept his mouth shut. Kronos slipped his hands into his pockets and boarded the elevator, grabbing Nico's arm to prevent him from leaving and pushing Luke out. Once the doors were closed, a dull and emotionless look overtook the young man's face.

The floor that normally belonged to Percy seemed less welcoming to Nico now that the green-eyed young man was gone. He bit on his lip as he followed behind the dark haired manager in front of him. Kronos was being too quiet now. There was no one in the front part of the office, but Nico could see that the lights were on in Percy's old office. The one that Kronos was now calling his own.

When the door was opened before him, Nico found Zethes and Cal sitting on the couch, with their father, Boreas, sitting in one of the chairs in front of Kronos's desk. Ethan and Clarisse were there as well, standing silently behind the large, wooden desk. Boreas drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair, while Cal and Zethes looked absolutely bored. It seemed clear that they did not fully understand what this place was.

Kronos calmly sat down at the desk, his smile once again plastered to his face. He motioned for Nico to take a seat and the two bullies looked up to glare at him. Nico had to bite back a smile as he caught sight of the missing tooth in Zethes's mouth. This only made the platinum blond bully glare at him more.

Kronos reached into the desk and pulled out a thing of cigars. “Care for one?” He asked, politely offering it to Boreas. Nico recognized them as a gift from Atlas.

Boreas smiled and nodded, accepting the offered cigar. “Thank you,” he replied. Kronos's wicked smile only turned more frightening as he leaned forward to light the cigar for the man. How did they not seem concerned about their lives? “Now then, I believe this young lad owes my boys at least an apology. He broke Zethes's nose and knocked out a tooth. And, let's face it, the boy doesn't have much else going for him.”

“Dad!” Zethes whined.

Boreas sighed and motioned for Zethes to be silent. Kronos just looked on in amusement. Nico did not like this, not one bit. “I completely understand,” Kronos sympathized. “Nico was very...violent with your boys.” His eyes grew dark as he sat back in his chair, his smile slipping away. “But, as I hear it, your boys have repetitively harassed my employee here.”

“What's a kid even do at a hotel?” Cal mumbled. Boreas snapped his fingers to shut him up, still not clearly seeing how fucked he probably was.

“How about I propose a deal?” Kronos laced his hands together in front of his face.

The bullies' father arched a brow. “I'm listening.”

“How about...I break a bone on your boys' bodies for each bruise they ever think about leaving on one of my employees again.” Nico sank in his chair as the young man's eyes practically turned to slits. “I have a business to run here, Boreas, and I prefer to have as few hindrances as possible. Do you not find things suitable when you come here? Are you displeased with the service?”

Now Boreas seemed to understand. The cigar slowly began to droop in his mouth. “I-”

“Furthermore, I feel that your comfy life in that big house of yours could easily be changed if my mother wished it.” Kronos sneered at the man. “I do not wish for Percy to return to his hotel, only to find that his,” Kronos gave Nico a look of detestation, “things are damaged.”

At the snap of Kronos's fingers, Ethan and Clarisse walked over and they each grabbed a hand of Cal and Zethes. When the two struggled, they found guns pointed at their heads. Boreas had gone pale, slightly out of his chair, but unwilling to chance moving in to save his sons. Cal and Zethes, with wide eyes, let the two security workers take their hands. This only led to Clarisse and Ethan bending their fingers back to excruciatingly painful positions. Nico covered his mouth as the two screamed, cringing as he heard a bone or two crack.

Kronos put back on his friendly smiled. “Do I make myself clear?”

Boreas quickly nodded his head. “Y-yes, of course. They won't be any more trouble.”

“Good.” Kronos leaned back with a content sigh, snapping his fingers. Clarisse and Ethan released the boys, who rubbed their hands. Nico gulped and looked back to Kronos. “I trust that you can see yourselves out.” The man nodded and got up, motioning for his kids to go to the door. As they were about to leave, Kronos stopped them. “And, Boreas?” The man gulped and turned to face the manager. “I do trust that I won't have the pleasure of enjoying your company in this office again. If I do, I might just decide to break all of their bones at once. I hear the roof is pretty good for helping with that.”

Boreas quickly shut the door and Nico sank in his chair, turning to face the demon in front of him. Kronos smiled back at him. “I'm...sorry,” Nico whispered.

Kronos stood up and walked around the desk. He leaned down and patted Nico on the cheek. “My dear sweet Nico, what could you possibly have to be sorry about? I know that you would only ever be on your best behavior with me.” His lips turned up. “As for them...well, I just love bringing family together when they are having issues.”

The way Kronos said that made Nico's face pale. He covered his mouth as the manager squeezed his shoulder and left the office. Nico couldn't move. He just sat there, frozen. What had he unleashed upon himself?