Children of Loss 41

Chapter 41

The next morning, Nico was rudely woken up when a hand came down and smacked him in the face. Startled, Nico shot up. He was confused, until he remembered he was not alone in bed. Nico turned his head and glared at the sleeping face of Jason, who was mumbling in his sleep. Nico rolled his eyes and laid back down, only for the hand that had grabbed him to pull him up against the blond next to him.

Since they were suspended for a few days, the two didn't have to be up early, but Kronos had also sentenced them to cleaning up the top floor during those days. On the bright side, though, Nico was going to be able to do some studying for some tests he already had coming up.

Nico closed his eyes as he rested his head on his roommate's chest. It had been fairly common for them to sleep in the same bed after the first night that they had, at least once a week. But, so far, nothing physical had gone on between them during those nights. He blew out a breath and cracked an eye open to look up at the blond's sleeping face.

The did need to get up soon, even if they weren't going to school. Or, at least, Nico did. Jason pretty much had the day off, save for cleaning and work later that night. Nico, on the other hand, had to clean, see Octavian, see Luke, try and sort out something to do during lunch and dinner—since the majority of the Lost Kids were no longer speaking to each other—and then finally go to work. Better to get started, he supposed.

Prying himself from the blond's grip, Nico sat up and stretched. The bed shifted behind him and he heard Jason let out a loud yawn. Turning his head, Nico found that his roommate was stretching from where he lay on the bed. “Morning,” the blond mumbled groggily.

“Morning,” Nico mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. On instinct, Nico's eyes roamed down when Jason stood up and stretched again. Jason really did have a nice body. Ever since their talk about them, Nico found himself wondering what it would be like to be with Jason. But that was just pointless thinking. They were both right that they would not work out, not in their current state. But, after Percy's departure, Nico had once or twice considered running away, possibly with Jason.

It had also been the only time he had thought about it. He felt bad, thinking like that with Percy barely having been gone but two weeks. The way Nico looked at it, Jason was what could have been, but was too far gone for anything to come of it.

Jason turned around and blinked at him, noticing the way Nico was staring at him. “Would you prefer I lose my underwear?”

Nico narrowed his eyes and got off the bed. “No!” He frowned and bent over to pick up the clothes he had worn last night. “Well...maybe.” Jason chuckled. He stretched again, giving Nico a lovely view of his lean torso. And there Nico found something that drew his attention, something not very sexy at all. “Jason, what's that?”

Jason simply looked down at the red cut on his hip and shrugged. “I was just feeling stressed,” the blond mumbled.

The pale Lost Boy shook his head as he deposited his clothes into his closet. “You don't need to cut yourself to relieve that.”

“Yeah, well,” Jason began, “that's sort of what I had Percy for.” Nico looked at him curiously. “That's why Percy and I had been having sex. Partly to get me comfortable with it again, and partly to help me relieve stress.” The blond rubbed the back of his neck. “And, well, he's not here right now.”

“Oh.” Nico pursed his lips and frowned. “Um, well, if you need help...”

Jason let out another chuckle. Nico scowled at him. “You're actually offering to have sex with me? I told you it wouldn't be long.” The blond grinned when Nico grew red. “Although, I did call it that it wouldn't be a month before you sucked my dick.”

“Shut up,” Nico mumbled, digging in his closet for some fresh clothes. “I mean, we've already messed around, and I just...sort of feel more comfortable doing it with you than the others.”

Jason blinked and sat down on the bed. “Really? Not even with Luke or Will? I mean, I've seen the way you and Will are around each other-”

“No.” Nico frowned and exited his closet with his clothing selection. “I don't know, I got betrayed by them when I first started stripping, and I guess that has stuck with me a little bit.”

“So, why me?”

“You're not after sex.” Nico sat down beside his roommate and brushed some of his hair out of his face. “You don't really go around trying to get into anyone's pants. And, well, I don't even think I've seen you have sex with any of the others.”

“Once or twice,” Jason mumbled. “Percy asked me to try. I did, and I didn't feel very comfortable with it.”

Nico let out a breath before nodding. “So,” he began, motioning to the door, “shower?”

A sly grin crept onto the blond's lips. “Well now, that is quite the proposition. It's funny, since you were embarrassed the first time I walked in on you while you were showering.” He chuckled when Nico glared at him. The blond stretched and got up. “What about Percy, though?”

Nico looked down at his lap. “I don't know. Just...after something Kronos said-”

“You shouldn't listen to him.”

The youngest Lost Boy shook his head. “I know, but it still bothered me. And, to be honest, we're not even sure if Percy is coming back. None of us have even heard from him since he left.” He frowned and looked up. “But, even if he does, what's it really matter? Percy was trying to get me to sleep with the others anyways, wanting me to get more comfortable. Why would he object? It's like he said before: We're not dating.”

Jason scratched at his cheek, silently staring down at Nico for a moment. “Nico, you're sort of worrying me lately. First the fight, nearly killing Zethes, and now you're saying these things. Don't get me wrong, you might be the only one around here that I'd consider having sex with aside from Percy...I mean, outside of business.” He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “I just want to make sure you're okay.”

“I'm fine,” Nico mumbled, though he refused to meet his roommate's gaze.

Jason decided to take pity on Nico by letting the topic drop. That was also not the only thing he dropped. Nico's eyes quickly dropped to Jason's ass when the blond turned around and let his underwear drop to the floor. Nico's mouth hung open a little as he stared at the bubble butt of Jason Grace, at least until the blond headed for the door.

“Coming?” Jason called out to him.

Nico shook his head rapidly, clearing his head. Without saying anything, Nico just nodded and took off after the blond, stumbling out of his own underwear on the way.

Nico soon found himself pinned up against the shower wall, the hot water pelting their naked bodies. Nico had to wonder what it looked like from the outside of the shower, with his ass pressed up against the glass. However, they weren't really doing anything sexual.

Yes, Jason had him up against the wall, and Jason was pressed against his body, but the blond was innocently washing Nico's body with his hand and a cloth. Well, perhaps not so innocently, all things considered. Nico let his head fall back against the glass with a moan, letting Jason massage his shoulders.

The cloth fell to the floor as Jason turned him around and continued to rub the brown-eyed boy's shoulders. Another moan came out when Jason pressed his lips to Nico's back. He slowly worked his way down, running his tongue along Nico's wet back, all the way down his spine. Nico's breath hitched when Jason reached a hand up to squeeze the younger Lost Boy's ass.

Nico let out a gasp when Jason's tongue slid against his entrance. Nico turned around and Jason pinned him to the shower floor, their lengths now pressed together. Nico clung to Jason's back as the blond thrust against his body.

Unfortunately, Jason ended it there. Nico pushed himself up on his elbows, breathing raggedly. “Why did you stop?” The raven-haired Lost Boy asked.

Jason smirked and pushed his wet hair out of his face. “Just making sure you think this through.” He let out a breath and stepped out of the shower. Nico's eyes raked down the blond's back, watching as water droplets trailed down the Lost Boy's spine. “Think it over and make sure you are really okay with this.” He smiled and winked down at the flustered Lost Boy. “I'll see you upstairs after a while.”

Nico collapsed on the shower floor with a groan, not even caring that the water was practically spraying him in the face. “Jerk!” He yelled out.

Not a second later, Jason poked his head back into the bathroom. “If it'll make you feel better, I'll sleep naked tonight.”

That only made Nico groan. That did not help his current situation, now did it? But Nico got to his feet and turned off the water. That was just cruel, he thought to himself. But Jason did have a point. Nico's problems usually came from not thinking things through, which was something he needed to work on. Getting out of the shower, Nico grabbed his towel and used it to dry his hair as he made his way back to his room.

As soon as the door opened and he stepped out into the hall, Nico received a whistle from the direction of Jason's room. Nico spun around and flipped off a grinning Jason before going to his room. Closing the door, Nico sat down on the edge of the bed and dried off his body. He slowly got dressed, but decided to lay there for a moment. He wasn't sure what to do with himself at the moment. It was still early, so about half of the Lost Kids were gone to college for the day, and three of the few left would be upstairs for the lunch shift soon.

As it turned out, Nico was left bored until Jason dragged him upstairs to get their punishment out of the way for the day. “I suppose it's better to get it over with early,” Jason mumbled as they mopped the floor.

Their jobs were to sweep and mop the stage and floors where the customers sat, make sure all the glasses were clean for Dionysus to use that night, make sure the tables were organized and had an even amount of chairs, scrub down all of the tables and then dry them off, and make sure that the dividing wall had been taken away. The last one had seemed strange, since it wasn't a big weekend, or even the weekend, for that matter. But, nevertheless, the two Lost Boys made sure it was done.

“I'm sorry about getting you into trouble,” Nico mumbled as they finished wiping down the tables, their last objective for the day.

Jason let out a sigh, his eyes roaming over to the clock. It was nearing noon, which was good, because Nico was starving. “It's okay,” the blond finally replied. “I mean, that's what friends are for, right?” He shook his head with a smile. “Besides, you're lucky I was there or Cal would have kicked your ass.”

“Yeah,” Nico muttered.

“Never been in many fights, to be honest.” The brown-eyed boy looked up at Jason in surprise. The blond just grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, don't care much for them. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll fight if I have to, but I don't go looking for them. In fact, I could probably count my total number of fights on one hand.”

Nico let out a chuckle. “I can count mine with one finger.” He frowned and bit his lip. “Well, two, if you count the time I punched Apollo.”

“Heard about that.” Jason grinned. He leaned forward to scrub the other side of the table he was working on. “You know, I got in a fight with my father once...that didn't go well.” Nico cocked his head to the side. Jason fidgeted. “He, um...was sort of undressing someone I didn't want him touching.” The blond's blue eyes grew dull as they stared down at the table. “Got sent to the hospital when he hit me and my head hit a brick wall behind me.”

Nico chewed on his lip. “You were close to another employee that worked for your father?”

Jason let out a breath. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Before she ran away and left me there.”

Nico was stunned. It had immediately hit Nico that Jason had been referring to Thalia. Zeus had sexually abused Thalia? He frowned. Perhaps it made sense from a few past conversations he had with the girl a while back. The very few times she had ever spoken of her father. It must have been hard, Nico thought as he watched his roommate, getting molested by your older brother, while having to watch your sister getting treated the same way by your father.

As the two of them were finishing up, Travis and Connor showed up and collected the two younger Lost Boys, dragging them down the game room on the second floor. When Nico asked what they were doing down there, Travis simply said that there was a huge fight going on upstairs between Calypso, Piper, and Drew. Apparently, all of the Lost Kids, save for the three fighting, had abandoned the floor due to the noise. Connor said something about glass breaking.

After an hour of playing, Travis went and picked them up some lunch from the restaurant downstairs. It was kind of nice and relaxing, getting to eat while they tried to beat each other at the arcade games. Though, Nico had to drag Connor away when the brunet made a kid cry after beating him at one of the games for the fifth time in a row. And since it was still early in the day, and not many kids were off vacationing with their families right now, they mostly had the room to themselves.

Which turned out not to be such a good thing when Travis pantsed Nico while he was playing Connor at a dancing game. “That was cheating,” Nico mumbled as he shimmied his hips back into his jeans.

“Aw, have a little fun, Neeks,” Travis grinned.

“Yeah, at least he didn't take your underwear, too,” Connor added.

Travis tapped a finger to his lips. “Very tempting, now that you mention it.”

This continued until Nico decided it was time for him to go see Luke and Octavian. After bidding the twins and Jason farewell, Nico exited the hotel's arcade and pulled his phone out. He began to call Luke, when he looked up and found the very blond he was looking for standing against the edge of the balcony. However, the strange part was that Octavian was with Luke, even though the two were fighting.

They were being very quiet, and neither had seemed to notice Nico standing there yet. Octavian had his lips tightly pursed, while Luke's knuckles were white from where they were squeezing the railing. Whatever was down stairs clearly was not making them happy. A little curious, Nico moved closer and peered over the edge.

Kronos was standing in the middle of the lobby with a woman, who had several men in suits surrounding her. Her blonde hair had a few white streaks in it and was done up in a messy perm. She wore a very nice pantsuit, though. She had small, green eyes, reminding Nico of a mouse or rat. Her smile was that of the standard politician, clearly fake. She reminded Nico a lot of a scarecrow from how thin she was, and her laugh was very unpleasant to his ears.

Nico's brow furrowed as he looked to the two blonds next to him. Was it just him, or did the woman's face look a lot like theirs? She had the same high cheek bones that Octavian had, and her blond hair was the same color of Luke's. Luke even had a similar nose to her, and roughly the same height.

Realization soon dawned on the brown-eyed boy's face.

Because it was their mother.

If it wasn't clear enough, the way the two looked at her was good enough confirmation for Nico that he was right about who she was. Luke sneered down at the woman, who didn't seem to notice them standing above her.

“I was so thrilled when I was informed I got a reservation here,” the woman admitted to Kronos. “I've tried to stay here when I come to Los Angeles on business, but the normal manager usually informs me that they were booked.” She shook her head with a sigh. “I think it only made me want to stay here more, knowing that a hotel as large as this one is capable of being filled.” She smiled at Kronos again. “I've heard nothing but good things about the place.”

Kronos just smiled back at her, though his was far more convincing of being friendly than hers was. Honestly, if Nico was not an employee here, he probably would have thought Kronos to be a saint. “Well, I am so pleased that we could finally have you here.” Mrs. Castellan held her hand out, and Kronos slowly reached out to shake it. “Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.” Drawing his hand away, the manager rubbed his fingers together, like he was trying to get something off of them. “And feel free to look around the hotel.” He grinned. “Let me know if you find any...concerns around the premises.”

The woman placed a hand on her chest with a smile. “Thank you so much.”

How could she buy Kronos's bullshit? Nico wanted to bang his head against the railing, but Luke reached out and stopped him by pressing a hand against Nico's forehead. Nico paled as Kronos bid her farewell and headed for the stairs. The stairs, not the elevator, like most people would normally do.

As feared, Kronos appeared beside them a few seconds later. He placed his hands on the railing and stared down at Mrs. Castellan with the Lost Boys. Nico noted that he wiped his hand very fiercely with a handkerchief from his pocket.

Kronos smirks after a while, leaning in to Luke's ear and hissed, “Perhaps now you'll learn not to go around making rude gestures at people, eh?” Luke didn't even bother looking at him. Nico bit down on his lip. This was bad. He had never seen Luke so unwilling to rise up to an argument. Smirking to himself, Kronos pulled back and continued to wipe his hand. “You should be thankful, really, that I'm not making either of you have to actually tend to that bitch's needs while she's here.”

Nico stood there, waiting patiently for Luke to make one of his usual retorts, but it never came. Kronos smirked when he saw this. Pocketing his handkerchief, Kronos glanced down at Nico. Nico paled as the manager's lips tilted up into a sinister smile before walking off.

This was not good.

Octavian ended up having to drag both of them up to their suite. Nico sat down on the edge of Octavian's bed, while Octavian yelled at Luke from the older blond's room. But he never heard Luke argue back. When Octavian returned, there was a heavy frown marring his face.

For about five minutes, the room was silent. Nico just sat there, while Octavian paced back and forth, chewing on his thumbnail. Everything was falling apart, Nico could feel it. Kronos didn't care if the Lost Kids fought or tore each other apart, not like Percy did. Kronos just cared that they showed up to work and did their job.

Taking in a deep breath, the slender blond turned towards Nico. “I trust you're not dense enough to not know who that was?”

“Your mother.”

Octavian gave a short nod. “May Castellan, our mother,” he ground out, like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to sue me for stealing money from her when I left home.” He let out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair, and sat down next to the other Lost Boy. “Luke...told you about what happened the day he left, didn't he?”

Nico gave a small nod.

Octavian nodded as well. “I could tell. He looked a little upset when he got back, so I could only assume he had gotten into another fight or he had finally had the talk with you.” Octavian no longer looked at Nico, instead staring at the wall. “I guess you can blame me for that, as I did not feel that you needed to know about what happened.”

Honestly, that didn't bother Nico to know that. It was understandable. “It's fine,” he mumbled. “He only told me about how he left. Never really talked about his time on the street, or how he met Percy.” He glanced over at the blond, even though Octavian wasn't looking at him. “And he didn't feel like it was his place to tell me what happened with you.”

Octavian let out a breath, pressing a hand to his face. “Fuck,” the blond hissed. “She's going to be here a while, I just know it.” With a curious look from Nico, Octavian shook his head. “She would usually stay away for a week or so when she went on trips. At least I won't have to worry about running into her upstairs. And I suppose Rachel and Leo will make sure we don't bump into her anywhere else.”

To Nico, it looked like Octavian was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He was not sure he had ever seen the blond so on edge. “Luke's cooling off, so I suppose I'll cover a few a few things before you go to him.” The blond shifted on the bed. “I will say that you've improved, and I'm impressed you're not tripping over your words while talking to the customers. Just don't go fainting on them anymore.”

“I didn't!”

Octavian arched a brow. “Yeah, well, don't go taking drugs either.” Nico shot the blond a dark look. “Just saying.” Chewing on his lip, Octavian glanced over at Nico. “I-” His brow furrowed. “Look, I don't like talking about this, so let's not try bringing it up after today.”

“Okay?” Nico wasn't really sure, but it seemed like Octavian wanted to confess something to him.

Drawing his legs up to his chest, Octavian faced partially away from Nico. “I stayed at home for nearly a year after Luke left. I guess part of me didn't want to just leave her alone. Dad still was rarely home, even with Luke running away. The worst part? Mother said she didn't even want him to come home, not if he was going to be a 'faggot'. I told her once that she shouldn't call him that, ended up getting slapped for it.” The blond's head fell back, his eyes lightly closed. “Since Luke was gone and Dad was always gone, she got to dictate everything in my life. She was very adamant that I toughen up and start acting more like a 'real man'.

“I was nearly forbidden from spending time with any of my female friends. My mother said that if I wanted to spend time with a girl, I should date her. So, she pretty much required that I spend time with only guys.” The blond chuckled coldly and shook his head. “Funny, right? You're afraid your son might turn out gay, so send him to be alone with a guy or two. In all honesty, I had no real interest in guys or girls.”

Nico arched a brow. “At all?”

“Not really,” Octavian mumbled. “I was more career oriented.” He shrugged. “But if I ever complained about any of it, I got hit with a belt, which sometimes included the metal part. I usually was just wanting to stay home and read, but my mother always got angry that I was not doing more 'guy things'.”

Nico shifted on the bed, sitting cross-legged. “So, what finally got you to leave?”

The blond's cold blue eyes flickered up to him. “We ended up getting into an argument one night. I told her that I just wasn't interested in anything she tried to force me. I tried telling her that it wasn't that I was gay, it was just that I wanted to focus on school. She didn't believe me, and I ended up getting several bruises that night.”

Nico could relate to that.

Octavian pushed his back against his headboard. “So, while she was sleeping, I snuck into her study and opened her safe, using a few tricks I picked up from Luke.” He grinned. “Stole a couple hundred dollars before leaving with some of my things. I might have also stolen her car.”

Nico chuckled at that. “Now I can see why she might be upset with you.”

Octavian just shrugged, smirking. “Yeah, well, she's a bitch.” He let out a breath and pulled his legs up to his chest again. “I wanted to find Luke, but I had no idea where he was. I hoped he had come out here, since he always wanted to see Hollywood, but mother would never take us.” The blond began to chew on his lip. “Well, one night, while I was sleeping in a motel room, something woke me up. I ended up finding a gun pointed at my head.”

Nico's eyes went wide. “What?” He practically yelled. When Octavian glared, the boy covered his mouth. “Sorry,” he whispered. The brown-eyed boy frowned. “Did he shoot you?”

“Well, obviously he didn't kill me,” the blond mumbled sarcastically. Reaching up, Octavian rubbed his face. “He ended up taking everything I had, including the keys to the car. And, so, that began my voyage of catching a ride in the back of trucks and trains on my way out here. Glamorous, right?”

“I'd just say that you're lucky that guy didn't shoot you,” Nico mumbled.

The blond shrugged. He was very casual about it. “Not a big deal, it was just money. But, I suppose it would have made getting out here easier, and I could have had a nice place to stay for a little while after getting here. But, instead, I stayed on the streets.” Octavian made a face. “Though, those train cars were pretty dirty.”

It didn't have to be asked, but Nico still felt that he should. “But you never found Luke, did you?” If stories matched up, the answer would be no.

Sure enough, Octavian shook his head. “Not until I got brought here.” The blond chewed on one of his nails. “He was actually the first thing I saw when I woke up here. Percy told me he had stayed by my side the entire time I was passed out, and didn't want to even believe I was actually there.” Octavian pursed his lips. “But that was later, and I spent several months on the streets before I was fortunate enough for Percy to find me. I ended up getting to Los Angeles and found myself lost. I knew how big the city was, but I had still hoped that I would be able to find Luke somewhere. It was a dumb hope, but it was all I really had. My very first night in the city was probably the most memorable.”

Maybe this was good. Nico figured that, maybe, something good had happened for the blond Lost Boy that night. Memorable was good, right?

“I got raped.”

Not so good then.

Octavian ran a hand through his fine locks of hair. “I ended up running into this couple, who seemed to take pity on me. I was pretty thin already, so I suppose I looked pretty pathetic with some dirt added onto my face.” Those icy blue eyes of his glanced up at Nico, who had his lips tightly pursed and gripping his jeans tightly. “The woman seemed nice, but the guy got on my nerves. His laugh was obnoxious, a real sleazeball. But, you know, when you haven't eaten in several days, you begin to see anyone offering you food and a place to sleep as a god among mortals. In all honesty, I was being stupid and not thinking.”

“No,” Nico interrupted. “You're not stupid for trying to survive. I think everyone can attest to how desperate you can get out there. Don't blame yourself for what they did to you.”

Nico got a smirk in return. “You sound like my brother.” He chuckled and let out a sigh. “After we got back to their place, the guy made a comment about the fact that my clothes were 'too nice'.” Those blue eyes grew dull. “They didn't even let me finish eating before they had taped my mouth and hands. I ended up on some dirty mattress. There was some blood on it, so I can only assume I was not the first person off the first victim they had ensnared.”

Nico just sat there, letting Octavian think. There were some stories that he wasn't sure he would ever get over. This was one of them. Perhaps he truly was lucky, mainly to never have encountered these people that had found Octavian.

The blond chewed on his lip, staring absentmindedly into space. “That was my first time. I lost my virginity to some creepy couple, but I'm just thankful that I didn't catch anything from either of them.” A dark look appeared deep within Octavian's blue eyes. “At the same time, too. He penetrated me, while she slid herself onto me.” The blond looked away. “It made me sick, and I got hit because I couldn't get hard for them. She dug her nails into my skin, which took quite some time to heal.”

“How did you...get away?” Nico asked softly.

Octavian let out a breath. “It's not like they kept me. After they were done, they left me in a gutter, bloody and beaten. I tried to go to the hospital, but...well, I didn't have any money. And the free clinic I tried said my clothes were too nice to be some kid living on the streets.” He let out a dry chuckle, his crazed eyes looking up at Nico. “And, just my luck, the gutter I had been tossed in had water in it. I had been unconscious when they tossed me, so there was no telling how long I had actually been laying in that water. Needless to say, I didn't bother trying to go do a rape kit.”

Nico rubbed his arm, suddenly feeling cold. He couldn't help but feel a little responsible for Luke and Octavian's current plight. Not what happened to them before he had arrived at the hotel, but for the fact that their mother was there. If Percy had never left, she wouldn't have been allowed in the hotel. And Nico still blamed himself for Kronos being there in the first place. It was his fault that Kronos was torturing all of them and that the Lost Kids were now tearing themselves apart.

Nico wiped at his face, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to cry. “Why do you even want to go into politics then, if you dislike your parents so much?” He whispered.

Octavian let out a long breath before opening his mouth. “Because, at one point in time, I wanted to prove that not all politicians were corrupt, and that some actually did try to help people.” He looked down, shaking his head. “It was stupid, I was stupid.” A small laugh escaped from the blond's lips. “It was just a dream, and I'm in no shape be looking at a political position.”

Nico's brow furrowed. He debated reaching out for the blond, but remembered what had happened when he tried to hug Luke. “I think you could, if you set your mind to it.”

The blond snorted. “Oh yes, I can see it now. Headlines: Senator leaves life of prostitution behind him.” He rolled his eyes. “Great campaign marketing right there.”

“Percy could cover it up.”

“Because that's not like every other politician,” Octavian mumbled.

Well, he had Nico there.

Letting out a sigh, Octavian got off the bed. “Enough about me, we need to work on you. It is extremely pertinent that you master handling clients. You have been doing fine, and you might could have pulled more info from that snob of a college kid, if you hadn't passed out.”

“Not helping,” Nico mumbled.

The blond shrugged. “Oh well. Perhaps next time you will think about things before you do something stupid.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Now then, always remember to try and find out their importance first. Then you can start molding your inquiries to fit them better.” He grinned at Nico. “What do you know, something you might be good at.”

Nico frowned. “What's that?”

“Pestering people with questions.”

Nico's shoulders slumped. “Jerk.”

“But you need to also make sure you are watching out for knives to the back.” The blond ruffled his hair. “Since everyone is fighting, it might do you well to check and see if anyone is out to stab you in the back. Since, you know, this is your fault.”

Nico pursed his lips and stared down at his lap. Octavian was right, it was his fault. It was all his fault. He should have just listened and backed off of Percy. Maybe then none of this would have happened. Maybe if he had never come here. Maybe if he had died on the streets instead. Nico wiped at his eyes as a tear slid down his cheek.

“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “You're right, it is all my fault. It's my fault everyone is fighting, and that Percy is not here.” Octavian arched a brow at him. “I'm sorry. Everyone's right to blame me. I was too stupid to listen to everyone, and now Percy is gone. I'm so stupid. I'm not smart, like everyone seems to think. It's my fault. I-”

The full force of Octavian's palm made contact with Nico's cheek. Brown eyes widened as the youngest Lost Boy gawked up at the frowning blond in front of him. Slowly, Nico reached up to caress his red cheek. It stung, a lot.

Octavian stared down at him heatedly. “Stop whining like some teenaged girl, who just got broken up with after two weeks.” The blond huffed and shook his head. “Stop apologizing. Fucking hell, grow some balls, because I sure as hell know you're tougher than that if you nearly broke some dude's neck at school. And defying Kronos by running off with my brother? I know you're not this weak, so start acting like you need to. Stop being scared of yourself.”

Nico just blinked in astonishment. He was still having a hard time wrapping his brain around the fact that he had just been slapped. He wanted to be angry about what Octavian was saying, if it weren't all true.

Shaking his head, Octavian glared down at him. “It was you that said that people make mistakes, and that is what makes them human.” He poked the pale boy's forehead. “That was you that said that, wasn't it? Or am I mistaken?”

Nico blinked, his eyes drifting down to his lap. He stared at his hands, searching them for an answer he knew wasn't there. He was scared. Nico was scared that he was going to turn out like Luke or Apollo. Perhaps Octavian or Jason. The list could go on. But mostly, when he had his hands wrapped around Zethes's throat, he had been scared of turning into Percy or Kronos. He could have killed Zethes, it would have been easy with just a snap of his hands. And that though had terrified him.

Before Nico could answer Octavian, the door swung open. Luke stood in the doorway, glancing between his brother and Nico. Octavian narrowed his eyes. “What do you want?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “I need to have some time with him.” He rubbed the back of his neck as Nico slowly got up. “Seeing as how we don't know when Percy will be back, he could find himself back in the kink rooms. And if last time is anything to go by, I need to work with him some more.”

“Yeah,” Octavian mumbled. He leered at Nico, who sheepishly looked away. He was right about Nico, and that was what stung the most.

Nico was weak.

Luke looked at him curiously once they were safely in his room. “What were you two talking about?” The blond inquired.

“Nothing.” Nico shook his head.

The blond continued to stare for a while after that, but Nico refused to meet his gaze. When he saw that he wasn't going to get an answer, Luke let out a sigh. “Fine, whatever, kid.” Slowly, a grin crept onto Luke's lips and Nico narrowed his eyes. What was he up to? Without warning, Luke lunged forward and cuffed Nico to the bed.

Nico let out a sigh, blowing at his bangs. “Really? This again?”

Luke shrugged. Nico's expression slowly turned to surprise as the blond lifted his shirt over his head. And, if that wasn't enough, Luke ripped Nico's shirt in half down the middle.

“Hey!” Nico whined. “I liked that shirt!”

“Tough,” Luke grumbled as he crawled between Nico's legs, spreading them apart. A sly grin was on the blond's lips as he raked his nails down Nico's torso, drawing a hiss from the brown-eyed boy's lips. “Suck it up, you baby, you're going to have to get used to this down there.”

Oh, Nico thought, it was going to be that kind of lesson. His cheeks grew a little red as Luke undid his pants. He couldn't lie and say that he had never wanted something like this to happen, but it did not make it any less awkward. His first time having sex with Luke...and it was going to be because Luke wanted to make him more comfortable with his new line of work. Nico was not sure how he felt about that. But it was not like he could really object, seeing as how his hands were bound above his head.

Once Luke had them both down to their underwear, the blond just sort of hovered over Nico, his fingers looped into the top of the boy's boxers. Nico quirked a brow as he watched Luke just sit there, frowning in silence. Oh. That was right, Luke wouldn't do anything without his permission. Well, he supposed that did leave him in a position of power then.

Nico bent his legs and wrapped them around Luke. The blond looked up, his brow furrowed. “It's fine,” Nico whispered.

Luke looked at him for a moment before he gave a nod. Slowly, the blond pulled Nico's underwear off and tossed the discarded fabric over his shoulder. Nico immediately shut his eyes as Luke attacked his clavicle with fairly harsh bites. Not that Nico was complaining. It was rough, but it felt good. Really good.

Nico's head fell back against the pillow, allowing Luke better access to his neck. During all of this, Luke slid out of his own boxer-briefs and lifted Nico's legs up slightly. Nico let out a moan and wrapped his legs around Luke's waist. It got a little more rough when Luke reached up and forcefully turned Nico's head to the side, delivering a harsh bite to the boy's neck. And when he leaned in to press their lips together, Luke tugged roughly on Nico's bottom lip.

The boy moaned and strained to wrap his arms around the blond, but remembered that he was still cuffed to the bed. Luke pulled back with a grin, and Nico could feel the blond's member pressing against him. It sort of intimidated him with what was about to happen, considering that Luke was above average size and probably would have been the largest he had yet to have inside of him.

Luke slid down Nico's body, biting and sucking along the boy's torso. Nico let out a yelp as the blond delivered a sharp bite to his side. Though, his breath hitched when Luke sucked on a spot on his upper thigh.

Without saying anything, Luke reached up and unlocked one of Nico's arms from the bed. Yanking the boy up, Luke positioned Nico onto his knees before latching the handcuff onto the one that was bound to Nico's other hand. Nico let out a gasp when Luke took a firm grip of his hair and jerked his head back, crashing their lips together.

Nico gasped into Luke's mouth when he felt Luke probe his entrance. When Luke had applied lube to his fingers, Nico had no idea. But, nevertheless, the youngest Lost Boy moaned into Luke's mouth as two fingers slid into him. It was different from his time with Percy, mainly due to the lack of gentleness he was receiving from the blond behind him.

When Nico slid backwards onto Luke's fingers, the blond grinned into their kiss and pulled back, tugging Nico's lip as he did. Shortly after that, Nico felt something much bigger than two fingers press against his entrance. His head dropped, attempting to reach the pillow, but was unable to. Luke bit his shoulder, drawing a gasp from the boy. Nico's eyes grew hazy. It hurt a lot more than his first time with Percy, or really any sexual encounter than Nico had experienced yet. While Percy was a little above average down there, Luke was still bigger and was not as gentle. It hurt, but Nico supposed that was part of the lesson.

Customers weren't going to be gentle down in those rooms.

While Percy had taken his time slowly inserting himself into Nico, Luke had wasted no time pushing himself in to the hilt. Nico wrenched his eyes shut from the pain. His ass felt like it was on fire, or like he was being split in half.

“Don't be such a girl,” Luke growled into his ear. “They aren't going to go easy on you down there. Toughen up.”

Nico just grit his teeth, unable to form a sentence at the moment. Luke did take a little pity on him by not slamming in and out of the boy straight off the bat. Nico's mouth fell open as inch by inch, Luke slid out of him before going back in. Maybe he should have never let this happen. Why did he have to have such a bad habit of getting himself into situations that he wasn't ready for?

Luke delivered a sharp bite to Nico's shoulder before pulling back and gripping the boy's shoulders with his hands. Nico could already feel the sweat forming on his body, and a few of his bangs were already sticking to his forehead. It was at this time that Luke delivered the first hard thrust into him. Nico's mouth fell open in a silent cry. It did hurt, but it had also felt good. He would give Luke one thing: the guy was good at finding a prostate.

Luke's fingers were tightly gripped to Nico's pale shoulders, using them to pull Nico back onto his manhood. He kind of wanted to see Luke's face, but their current position did not allow for it. He could, however, hear the blond let out a few grunts.

The headboard had started to hit the wall by this point, which probably meant that Octavian probably knew what they were doing in Luke's room. Not that it seemed to bother Luke at the moment. The blond just shifted his grip down to Nico's thin waist and slammed himself into Nico. The brown-eyed boy, for his part, had a hard time seeing anything. His vision was slightly blurred. It no longer hurt by this point, but he felt an overwhelming amount of pleasure coursing through his body. He took back what he said earlier, Luke was amazing at hitting the prostate.

Letting out a growl, Luke reached up and dug his fingers into Nico's dark locks of hair. Nico hissed as his head was yanked back and Luke smashed their lips together. There was a sharp pain at the back of his head where Luke was still tugging on his hair. All the while, Luke slid himself in and out of Nico. But they were pressed up against each other now, and Nico could feel how much Luke was sweating. He could feel Luke's stomach muscles tighten against his back, and it only made Nico moan into the blond's mouth.

Using his other hand, Luke gripped Nico's neck and pulled back from their kiss. His normally icy blue eyes were filled with heavy lust and Nico moaned as he felt Luke's hand around his neck. In normal situations, Nico would have been a little more concerned by the fact that someone could have easily broken his neck in this position, but it was kind of hot.

Luke removed his hand from Nico's neck and slid it around the raven-haired boy's stomach, his other hand still gripping Nico's hair. Nico wanted to let his head drop, but Luke's grip prevented him from doing so. Luke growled into his ear and picked up his pace, if that was even possible. Nico could feel his legs start to give out on him, and began to slowly slide down.

Luke bit down on Nico's shoulder and unfastened the cuff that was bound the the headboard. Nico's hands, still chained together, were placed behind his back, where Luke kept them hooked. Nico whined, knowing that he was going to be unable to touch himself. Luke just growled and positioned the boy into his lap. The blond now sat on his haunches, Nico's back still facing him.

Every time Nico's body tried to collapse, Luke would just tug on the handcuffs and force Nico to straighten his body. Using his other hand, Luke worked Nico up and down on his erection. “Move,” Luke growled into the boy's ear.

Nico felt breathless as he worked himself up and down on Luke, who was still thrusting into him. Eventually, Nico's head fell back onto Luke's shoulder. The blond just leaned in and bit down on Nico's neck. Luke's arms wrapped around him, letting go of the handcuffs. Nico moaned as he felt Luke's tongue slid across his sweaty skin.

Luke wrapped a hand around Nico's member and worked on bringing the boy to his release. By this point, Nico was not even able of opening his eyes. He felt drained, and he knew that he would need a nap before going to work. And a shower.

Nico's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt himself nearing climax. Luke's mouth worked around his neck and shoulder, going back and forth between biting, sucking, and licking. Nico's skin felt on fire and the sweat was making it hard for Luke to keep a grip on Nico's body. Finally, Nico opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Luke slowed down as Nico released himself into the blond's hand.

Nico's body fell limp and Luke let him fall onto the bed. He felt Luke reach out and unfasten Nico's hands from the cuffs. Managing to roll his body over, Nico looked up with hazy eyes as Luke reached his hand up and licked some of Nico's see off his hand with a smirk.

It was hard for Nico move, as his body felt like jello. Yanking off his condom, Luke straddled himself over Nico. Nico slowly opened his eyes, finding the blond's erection in his face. He opened his mouth to ask what Luke was doing, but Luke tossed his head back and shot his semen across Nico's face. The youngest Lost Boy lay there for a second, slightly stunned that he had just been hit in the face with Luke's cum. His tongue ran across his lips to get some of it that had partially gotten in his mouth.

Luke blew out a breath and climbed off of Nico, padding over to his closet and coming back with a towel. He tossed it at Nico, who picked it up and wiped Luke's semen off of him. While he was busy doing that, Luke collapsed next to him and placed his hands behind his head.

Nico narrowed his eyes at the smug look on the blond's face. “You can wipe that smirk off your face,” he mumbled.

“And you can go,” Luke grinned. “That will be all for the day. I'm starving and I need a shower, so show yourself out.”

Nico rolled his eyes and tossed the used towel at the blond's face. “You're so full of bullshit right now. I'm not stupid enough to believe you'd think it was just some notch to put on your headboard.”

The blond let out a grunt as he dropped the towel onto the floor. “No, but it's something I can rub in mini-blondie's face.”

Nico made a face as he smelled himself. He smelled like sweat and sex. He reeked. “I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't. I really don't need all the other guys knocking on my door for their turn with me.” His nose wrinkled as he lowered his arm. “I need a shower, but I'll see you at work.” Luke grunted at him as Nico got dressed. The boy frowned as he watched the blond slide under the sheets. “Luke?”

“What, brat?”

Nico slid his shirt over his head. “Thanks,” he mumbled. Luke furrowed his brow. “For talking to me and helping me out. I know it's probably hard on you.”

Luke narrowed his eyes and rolled onto his side, facing away from Nico. “Don't let the door hit you on the way out, twerp.”

Shaking his head with a smile, Nico slid out of Luke's room and made his way to the door. Once in the hall, he stopped at the sound of yelling.

“Let me in, dammit!” Beckendorf yelled, standing in Clarisse's face.

Clarisse just puffed out her chest and knocked the Lost Boy back. “Why don't you make me?” She huffed.

Ethan was standing in the doorway of his and Leo's suite, watching the fight play out in silence. Beckendorf grabbed Clarisse's shirt, but got knocked back again. Nico edged further into the hall, closer to where Ethan was. “Shouldn't we stop them?” He whispered.

Ethan shrugged. “Not my problem, not getting involved.”

The two down the hall glared at each other, but it was clear that Clarisse was not about to budge from the door. Seeing this, Beckendorf's nostrils flared. Clenching his fist, he sent it flying into the wall near the Lost Girl's head. That did nothing more than make Clarisse arch a brow. There was no sign of fear in her eyes as she stepped back and slammed the door in the Lost Boy's face.

Beckendorf banged on the door for a while before he gave up and boarded the first elevator that arrived at their floor. Ethan just shook his head, his arms crossed. “I honestly just wish Percy would come back so we could get some peace and quiet around here. I can't even manage to take a nap without someone yelling up here.”

“Why is Clarisse being so defensive of Silena anyways?”

The Asian gave a lazy shrug. “Silena was the first person to really talk to Clarisse when she arrived, and they hit it off pretty well. Not sure what happened besides that, but the two have always been close.” He sighed. “But Beckendorf should know better. Clarisse doesn't respond well to threats or demands. She never took well to the concept of authority.” He smirked. “She's not even scared of Percy, she just listens to him out of respect. Kronos...well, he's too unpredictable not to be intimidated by.”

Nico arched a brow. “And you?”

“Better to not paint a target on my back,” Ethan mumbled. “I just try to stay out of his way and keep my head down, as you should as well.”

Nico glanced down to Silena and Clarisse's room. “Why does she have such a poor reception to authority?” He glanced back to Ethan. “Problem at home? School?”

“Home,” was all the reply Nico got. The older Lost Boy rubbed his neck, looking Nico up and down. “You smell like sex.” Slowly, the boy grinned. “I see Luke finally had his way with you.”

Nico's cheeks lit up. “I don't know what you're talking about,” the boy mumbled.

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Nico. None of my business anyways.” He chuckled as he stepped back into his room. “But I'd get a shower before any of the others notice.” Nico nodded and Ethan shut the door.

After a long nap and a warm shower, Nico ended up at work for the night. He was just thankful that he was performing and not waiting tables, as he had already spotted Robert, who he felt it best to steer clear of. However, Apollo did end up taking his ex-boyfriend's table. Nico wasn't sure what had happened, but Apollo seemed less hostile towards the other blond.

Perhaps it was none of his business, but it did not sit well with Nico. Robert had tossed Apollo aside like trash. Regardless of if the blond had gotten Percy to find Apollo and taken him in, Robert was still a jerk in Nico's book.

As far as he could tell, their music selection was set to be loud all night long, which made it very hard to hear anything, even backstage. Quite often, he would have to yell for anyone to hear him, unless they were directly in front of him.

But after one performance, Nico decided to go find something to drink. The number had left him drained, and he was still recovering from his time with Luke earlier that day. Nico winced as he rubbed his lower back. After he woke up from his nap, he stood up and discovered this sharp pain and nearly fell back onto his bed. Having to move around so much definitely was not helping him.

On his way to the bar room, Will waved over to him with his usual adorable smile. Nico scrunched his lips as he stared at the blond. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to talk to Will just yet, so he glared at the blond. Will blinked in mild surprise.

And, right before Nico pushed into the bar room, Will reached him and jerked the boy around to face him. The blond looked sad, and normally Nico probably would have melted seeing the blond pout, but this was different. He did not belong to Will, he did not belong to anyone!

“Um,” Will began, scratching his cheek, “did I do something wrong?” It was such an innocent question, and Will's appearance only reminded Nico of a small child that was asking their parent for a cookie.

It didn't soften Nico's resolve, though. “You know what you did,” the brown-eyed boy hissed and jerked his arm away before storming into the bar room, letting the door hit the blond in the face.

As usual, Nico got the normal passive torment from Dionysus. “Well now, someone seems grouchy this evening.” He continued to smile as Nico glared at him. “On, no, please, don't get upset with me, Nico. I wouldn't you to go and break my neck. What would our beloved Percy think then?”

The Lost Boy sighed and opened the small refrigerator they kept in the room. “I wouldn't kill you, even if it is tempting.” The boy gave the man a dull look. “I'd be too afraid you'd haunt me for the rest of my life.”

“Your sarcasm is always so refreshing.” The man gave the boy his trademark creepy smile, like he knew something Nico didn't. “Isn't it just wonderful that you got off the hook for skipping work last night? Luke was so brave, taking all the punishment like that.” The man sat down with a smirk. “I mean, taking the punishment of enduring his mother for several days, just so you could not have to endure whatever sick, twisted torture Kronos could come up with. It's almost...poetic. Such a shame that Octavian gets punished as well.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Don't even act like you feel bad.”

“Why, Nico, of course I am capable of feeling remorse.” He shook his head with a sigh. “I just feel so awful that you took some of those drugs I supplied to your dear client. Such a shame, really.”

“Always a pleasure talking to you,” Nico muttered as he exited the room.

It seemed like Nico wasn't going to get a break either. Halfway back to the backstage area, Nico was pulled to the side by Persephone. The woman smiled at him as she touched his hair. “Oh, you look so cute tonight, Nico,” she practically sang to him.

Nico looked down at himself. His attire was primarily black, with lots of tears in the fabric to expose a lot of his skin. He also had some black paint on his face for his next performance. He just rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you.”

She smiled and reached up to touch her cheeks. “I would so request some personal time with you later tonight, but my new friend is with me tonight.” She cleared her throat. “And, well, he's a very nice man. But I thought he might enjoy seeing one of the shows. Though, to be honest, I was surprised Kronos let me bring him so easily.”

Nico slowly nodded his head, keeping his smile on. “Well, enjoy your night with your friend.” He motioned over his shoulder. “I've got to get ready for the next performance, but if you change your mind about later, let Leo or Rachel know.”

He fought the urge to cringe as he walked away. While he still was not keen on the idea of having sex with women so freely, much less suggesting it, he knew it was what he had to do. And considering how much he might have pissed Kronos off with everything that had happened the day before, Nico needed to do the best he could at his job right now.

Nico chanced a glance over to where Robert sat. Apollo wasn't there currently, but Nico wanted to keep an eye on the blond. He just didn't understand how Apollo could practically go running back into Robert's arms. It wasn't like Robert was just going to sweep him away and they'd live happily ever after.

He nearly yelped when Thalia grabbed him. “Nico, there you are.” She looked over her shoulder somewhere. “Look, you need to get...”

Nico leaned in. The music had started up again, making it impossible to hear what the Lost Girl was saying. She looked concerned, so the boy just nodded his head. “Okay!” He yelled, hoping that she had heard him. She still clung to his hand, but Nico just laughed and went on his way.

When Nico looked back over to Robert's table, he found Leo standing there. Neither of them looked happy. Changing course, Nico made his way over. Leo looked like he might be on the verge of slapping the man, but he never did. Instead, he practically spat something in Robert's face before he spun around and walked off.

Nico came to a stop near Robert's table. The blond smiled up at him. “Well, you don't look as agitated as everyone else around here. I'll take that as a good sign.”

Nico's eyes followed where Leo went. “What was that about?” He yelled over the music.

The blond just shook his head. “Couldn't say, childish stuff probably.” He dropped some cash on the table before getting up. “Tell Apollo that I'm sorry I couldn't stay, perhaps next time.” He winked as he moved past Nico. “Or perhaps you and I can work something out.”

Nico frowned and spun around to glare at the man's back. He was a jerk. Not just a jerk, a sleazeball. Apollo deserved better than this guy. Nico's dark eyes flickered over to where Apollo was staring between him and Robert curiously. The blond tilted his head to the side, silently asking what had just happened. Nico just shrugged.

The next performance was, technically, Nico's performance, though he had talked several of the others into performing with him. He felt it fit better, as did Apollo. So, Nico found himself in the middle of the stage, waiting for the music and lights to turn on, with several of the others surrounding him.

The instrumental opening to Simon Curtis's “Pit of Vipers” began to play the the Lost Kids on stage slowly began to weave their arms around like a snake. The lights were kept relatively dark, save for a red light over them. The way Nico had to move made him feel like some rag doll or puppet, if he were being honest with himself. He had to jerk his body a lot at certain intervals, sort of like the Oracle in the 300 movie.

The Lost Kids around him put their hands on Nico, slowly sliding them across the boy's body. Apollo had set up cans of paint near the edges of the stage, so when they had all dipped their hands in paint before the song had started. Different colors of paint was left behind wherever they touched the youngest Lost Boy.

It was odd, though, because he noticed Apollo trying to flag him down. The blond was mouthing something and pointing off to the side, but Nico was unable to find anything strange. The floor was too dark to see any of the people at the tables anyways.

Eventually, Butch blocked Nico's view of the blond. Some of the fabric was torn from Nico's body. Nico was lifted up by Butch, and then the others reached up to pass the boy along in the air. During all of this, Nico made sure to move his arms and legs in the air like a snake slithering along the ground. His eyes widened a little when Luke nearly dropped him.

When he was put down, Luke tried to say something to him, but it was far too loud to make out what it was. However, while it was dark on the floor, Nico did notice a man standing up at one of the tables. He heard a woman yell something, and it sounded very strangely like Persephone. Nico frowned and stopped moving when he thought he heard his name being yelled, followed by a loud cry of “What?”

The boy's brown eyes widened as the dark figure that had been standing up made its way towards the stage, very quickly, Nico might add. The other Lost Kids had stopped moving by this point, and Butch and Luke moved to the edge of the stage to block the man from attempting to climb up to them. However, this put the man just barely in enough light for Nico to recognize who it was. The blood drained from his face, a chill ran across every inch of his body.

It was his father.

Apollo had moved forward with Thalia to drag the man back and prevented him from getting on the stage. Luke and Butch had jumped off the stage to help restrain the furious man. His father was angry, far angrier than the night Nico had came out to him. His teeth were clenched as he glared heatedly up at Nico.

The girls on stage sort of surrounded Nico, acting as a partial shield as Clarisse and Ethan came running in. Kronos appeared on stage and announced that everything was under control as Hades was dragged off. But when the manager turned to look at Nico, the boy knew that he had not gotten off of a punishment. While Kronos sneered at him, there was a look of absolute pleasure in his eyes, and Nico knew that this was why he had approved Persephone's guest so easily.

Speaking of the woman, she looked devastated. Nico quickly jumped off of the stage, and she immediately grabbed his wrist. “That was your father?” She cried out to him.

“Um.” Nico chewed on his lips. “It's a long story, but sort of, yeah.”

The woman's face paled as she fell back against her chair. Without saying anything further, she lifted the drink she had to her lips and downed the entire glass. But, before Nico could say anything else, Kronos grabbed by the scruff of his neck and dragged him after his father.

Nico's heart was pounding in his chest as they neared the elevator. His father was on his knees, his hands bound behind his back. But as soon as he noticed Nico, his eyes were renewed with hatred. Nico felt sick as he was pushed inside. Kronos pulled out his card and slid it into the slot. Instead of pushing the button to the lobby or his office, though, Kronos hit the button to the roof.

“So this is what my son has become,” Hades began. He spat at Nico's feet. “A whore. Just look at you, covered in all that paint and barely wearing anything.” Nico wrapped his arms around himself. “You look disgusting.”

The doors opened, and Clarisse and Ethan dragged the man onto his feet. After they had Hades walking on the roof, Kronos stepped away from the wall he had been leaning against. He smiled at Nico as he fiddled with a ring on his finger. It was very similar to the one Percy wore, though his had a gold stone in it.

Nico slowly stepped out of the elevator, the air instantly making him feel dizzy. Hades was still yelling at him.

“You're a whore! A sick whore. What is this place anyways?” He asked, jerking his head between the two Lost Kids holding him. He sneered at Nico as he caught sight of the boy again. “You should have just died on the streets, would have been more respectable than this.”

It stung, hearing his father say these things. He had heard some rough things from his father the night he had yet, but nothing this extreme. He wrapped his arms around himself. “You're the one that tossed me out,” he mumbled.

Hades growled. “You show up to your mother's funeral a whore,” the man spat out. Kronos seemed to be entertained, twisting the ring on his finger. “You disrespectful, abomination of a son.” He spat at Nico's feet again. “How many people have you let violate you?”

Kronos nodded towards the side of the building. Nico's heart skipped a beat. No, Kronos wouldn't do that, would he? He watched in horror as Ethan wrapped some rope around Hades's leg. Clarisse smirked as she twisted a crank and lifted the man off the ground.

But all sympathy was thrown over the edge by what Hades said next. “If only your mother could see you now, you whore.”

Something snapped in Nico right then. Rearing his hand back, he sent his fist flying into his father's jaw. The man dangled there, just barely at level with Nico's face, and blinked in surprise. Nico's dark gaze pierced the man. “You're the reason I ended up here, you tossed me out on the streets! And how dare you even speak to me about my mother, when you're off fucking the woman that was married to the man that hit Mom!”

Hades's eyes flashed with anger. “You disgusting, little-” Something dawned on his father's face as he furrowed his brow. “Who told you that she was married to the man that hit your mother?”

Nico pursed his lips. Oh no, he thought. What if his father found out Bianca knew Nico was here? What if he told her what Nico was? He swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Answer me!” Hades yelled. “Nico di-”

He never finished that sentence. Nico looked up to find Kronos pointing a gun directly at his father's face. “Your voice is starting to annoy me,” the young man hissed.

Nico had never seen his father afraid of anything, but a gun pointed at his face quickly shut him up. He was very quiet, silently watching the gun as he spun back and forth in the air. Clarisse shifted the small harness that was tied to Hades, dangling the man over the edge of the building.

Kronos lightly waved the gun in the man's face. “Mr. di Angelo, I don't particularly care for my business to be interrupted in such a manner. Your son belongs to the hotel now, and I expect our clients to not break anything that is in the hotel.” He tilted his head to the side. “I could care less what you feel like calling your son, just don't interrupt one of his performances. It's bad for business.”

With his lips tilted up into a disturbing smirk, Kronos pulled a knife out of his pocket. Nico's eyes went wide as he flipped the blade out. But, instead of jabbing it into Hades, Kronos offered it to Nico. The Lost Boy looked down at it like it might burn him if he touched it. When Kronos saw this, he shoved the blade in Nico's hand with a scowl.

“Here's your options, Nico,” Kronos said in an icy voice. “You're going to use that knife. You're either going to stab your father or cut the rope that is holding him up.” Nico looked up at the young man with surprise. Kronos's lips tilted back up into a grin. “Pick.”

Nico looked down at the knife again. He briefly looked to his father, who was glaring at him. The gun was still pointed at him, so it was not like Hades was about to say anything harsh to him again. Gulping, Nico shook his head. “I...can't.”

“Can't isn't an option.” Kronos pulled the gun away from Hades's face and slipped it back into its holster. He slowly walked behind Nico. “Just do it,” he whispered in Nico's ear like a snake. He gripped Nico's face and forced the boy to look at his father. “Just look at him, so vulnerable. He's done nothing but torment you, and think about how little he must have cared about your poor mother. You're just going to forgive him? It would just be so easy to cut that rope.”

Nico found it hard to breathe as he looked between his father and the knife. His father was an asshole, but he didn't deserve to die, Nico reminded himself. If he died, who would take care of Bianca? He didn't want her to end up at the hotel as well. Nico didn't want that for her, she deserved so much better.

She could always live with Daedalus, a dark voice in the back of Nico's mind reminded him. Minerva would take care of her. She didn't need their poor excuse for a father.

Nico's nearly black eyes flickered up to his father's face in a cold stare. His ears picked up on the noise of the straining rope and he glanced at it. It strained against his father's weight. Just a small cut would be all that was needed to send his father to the ground below. Just one.

“Do it,” Kronos hissed into Nico's ear.

Nico shut his eyes. “Shut up!” He yelled. His fist tightened around the hilt of the knife. When he looked at his father again, Nico saw the fear that was there. Good, Nico thought, let him be afraid. He looked back to the rope.

“Do it,” Kronos said, more loudly than the last. “Just one cut, that's all it would take. Do it, Nico. You know you want to. This is what you wanted. Think about all the suffering he has caused you. He never cared about your mother or you. He probably doesn't even care about your sister.” The manager gripped Nico's shoulder. “You're only giving him what he deserves.”

Nico was unable to breath. He shut his eyes tight and clenched the knife tight in his hand. Letting out a yell, the boy swung his arm out towards his father's leg.

Hades let out a howl of pain as the dagger was embedded into his leg. Nico glared in anger at his father, twisting the knife roughly. He gritted his teeth as he slowly pulled the blade down half an inch. “Stay out of my life,” he growled at the man.

Kronos smirked and snapped his fingers. Clarisse swung Hades's body back over the roof and lowered him, where Ethan untied the man. Kronos inspected his nails. “I trust that you can see yourself out peacefully,” he said to Hades. When the man began to limp away, the manager turned his attention to Clarisse and Ethan. “See him out, won't you?” The took a few steps before Kronos added, “And make sure he takes the stairs.”

Nico still held the knife in his hand. He gave it a dull look before dropping it to the ground. He felt numb. He wasn't exactly angry anymore, but he didn't really feel scared about what he had just done. His dull eyes blinked at the bloody blade on the rooftop.

Kronos reached out and ran his fingers underneath Nico's chin. With a grin, he tilted the boy's face up. “That's better.” Leaning in, the manager's smile fell away. “If your father ever becomes a problem for me again, I'll make you put that knife in his heart.”

Nico smacked the young man's hand away. “Leave me alone. I didn't need your help.”

Kronos's dull eyes burned into Nico. “You think I was helping you?” He chuckled coldly. “My dear Nico, I don't help people. You think I cared about those bullies? They can call you whatever name they want, as long as you are presentable to work.” He nodded to where Hades had gone. “And your father? That man is insufferable. I don't understand why you didn't just run away before he tossed you out. He doesn't belong here.” He gripped Nico's jaw roughly. “But if he ever causes a problem for me again, I expect you to kill him. People should deal with their own problems, not rely on someone else to do it for them.” Sneering at Nico, Kronos hit him with the back of his hand. “If you haven't learned your lesson from this, feel free to let me know. Do your job, or get back on the streets.”

Nico glared up at Kronos, wiping at his lip. “Maybe I should let Percy decide that.” Nico pressed his thumb to his lip before pulling it back. Blood. “You're only here temporarily, Percy is still in charge here. And maybe I should just tell him how you've been treating all of us. I don't think he'd appreciate you letting my father or Mrs. Castellan come to the hotel.” Nico smirked when Kronos turned his back to him. “Or what about what you just made me do?” Nico shook his head. “Or maybe even forcing us all into the kink rooms.”

There was a heavy silence between the two of them. Nico's chest was still heaving as he stared at the manager's back. But all of his resolve crumbled when he heard Kronos laugh. The young man turned around, laughing. It was so cold, so heartless. It sent shivers down Nico's spine.

“You could do that, sure.” Kronos stepped closer to Nico and pulled out a thumb drive from his pocket. “But I could also send Percy this footage from the night you took those drugs. I feel like he would be very interested to see it.” Nico's face paled. “It would be so...unfortunate if Percy were to get it, don't you think?” He stared down at Nico like a snake about to strike its prey. “How disappointed would Percy be that his favorite toy broke one of his rules?” His icy smile returned as he leaned in towards Nico. “Go ahead, tell him. See if it works out in your favor.”

Kronos's laughter filled the night sky in a way that caused Nico to cringe. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe as Kronos turned around and walked off, leaving him alone on the roof.