Children of Loss 45

  The next morning, Nico was pulled from his deep sleep when the bathroom door hit against the wall. The raven-haired boy groaned and rolled onto his stomach. He cracked an eye open when he realized the warmth from last night was gone.

As predicted, the bed was empty. Nico supposed that was to be expected, considering his roommate was around the bathroom. Letting out a yawn, Nico stumbled out of bed. He opened his door and scratched his head. A cabinet in the kitchen closed. Grumbling to himself, Nico headed in that direction.

Jason was dressed solely in a towel when Nico found him. The blond's hair was soaking wet, signaling his roommate's recent shower. When the blue-eyed Lost Boy turned around, he smiled when he found Nico there. “Morning.”

“Morning,” Nico grumbled, taking a seat at the kitchen island.

Nico's dark eyes drifted down to where Jason's towel barely held at his hips. On top of that, there was a droplet of water that slowly made its way down Jason's appealing stomach. Running his hand through his hair, Nico let out a sigh. “So, what time did you wake up?”

Jason shrugged. “Maybe thirty minutes ago?”

“And you didn't wake me up?”

The blond blinked at him. “Um, no?” Jason replied. “It's not like you have to work today.”

Nico rubbed his temples. Even though he hadn't drank at all last night, the boy felt like he was suffering from a hangover. “Well, thanks for stopping by last night.” He shook his head. “Last night was just sort of rough for-” Nico stopped when he noticed the confused look on his roommate's face. “What?”

“I didn't come by your room last night,” the blond admitted.

Nico's brow furrowed. “Um, yes, you did.” He motioned to his room. “You came in my room and curled up behind me.” Jason just shook his head. “Dude, I felt your warmth. I mean, it was warmer than usual, but I felt you.”

Again, Jason shook his head. “Nico, I just got back to the suite before I took my shower. I crashed in Thalia's room last night. I wanted to talk to her. I guess what you said last week sort of sank in, thought I'd make amends with her.” The blond motioned towards the door. “You can ask her yourself.”

Nico rubbed at his arm, suddenly getting a chill. If it wasn't Jason, then who was it? “So, um, who else can get in here? Leo and Rachel?”

His roommate shrugged. “Well, there's also Kronos.”

“Yeah, saying that doesn't make me feel any better,” the raven-haired boy groaned. Those were the only three that had key access to suites of the Lost Kids. Frankly, Nico seriously hoped it was either Rachel or Leo. Because the son of the devil did not sound like the most appeasing cuddle buddy.

Opening his mouth, Nico was interrupted by the sound of his cellphone. His brow furrowed as he scanned over a text from Rachel. Apparently, he was needed upstairs. Had he done something wrong?

“I'll be right back,” Nico mumbled as he went to his room.

Slipping into some loose clothing, Nico grabbed his wallet and headed for the front door. He felt very uneasy on the ride up to the manager's floor. If it was Kronos that wanted him, Nico would rather not be going, but he figured he had little choice. But their last conversation had not gone very pleasantly. Perhaps Kronos wanted to skin him alive.

Nico rolled his shoulders as he stepped off the elevator and immediately froze.

His brow furrowed as he watched people drag things around. A hotel cart wheeled some suitcases out of the room Kronos had been inhabiting during his stay. The sound of a steam cleaner could be heard from within the room. What was going on?

“Hi, Nico.”

Every fiber of Nico's being froze, his blood running cold. He knew that voice. But to hear it in person again was like music. Nico was too afraid to turn around, too afraid that he might not really be there. Taking in a deep breath, Nico pursed his lips and slowly turned around.

And there he was.

Percy Jackson himself, dressed in casual pair of jeans and a light blue shirt. The jerk even had a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. The guy didn't look professional at all, more like he had just gotten back from a vacation. But there he was, smiling at Nico with his hands in his pockets.

As Nico took a few steps forward, Percy's smile brightened. “Did you miss me?”

Without warning, Nico slapped Percy across the face. To say the young man looked surprised was an understatement. The young man rubbed his jaw as he gawked at Nico. The Lost Boy clenched his teeth, his fists tight by his sides.

“That's the first thing you say to me, really?” Nico growled.

Percy chuckled, still rubbing his jaw. “Well, I guess Rachel was right, you have grown some balls.” When Nico attempted to hit him again, Percy caught his wrist with a smile. “Striking your boss can get you fired, you know.” Briefly, those green eyes scanned Nico over. “You're not wearing the jacket I gave you.”

Nico jerked his arm away. “I just woke up.” Frowning, Nico rubbed his wrist. “Seriously, you couldn't even give us a notice that you were coming back? When did you even get in?”

“Last night.” Percy grinned and tilted his head to the side. “Well, you know, I dropped by last night, but you seemed pretty tired. So, I let you sleep.” The jerk actually had the audacity to stick his tongue out at Nico. “So, Jason's been sleeping in your bed?”

Nico's cheeks turned pink. “Shut up!” His entire face slowly turned red as he realized what Percy had just said. It had been Percy in his room last night? It had been Percy that cuddled with him? “Um, I-I'm glad you're back.”

Percy smiled and ducked his head, attempting to catch Nico's gaze as the boy hid his eyes behind his bangs. “Good, I was starting to worry.” His lips tilted down and he forced Nico to look up. “Are you okay, though?”

Did he know what happened? Nico gulped. Attempting his best smile, Nico nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He cleared his throat. “How was your trip?”

“It was good.” Percy obviously wasn't convinced. The way he kept looking at Nico gave it away. “I'll have to talk about it later. There's actually some things that I need to let everyone know.” The smile was gone from Percy's lips, a dark look in his eyes. But he was no longer looking at Nico. Nico spun around to find Kronos standing a few feet away. “All packed?”

Kronos's lips tilted up. “Almost. I suppose I'll be glad to be getting back to my own hotel.” While he kept smiling, the way Kronos looked at Nico sent shivers up the boy's spine. “I see you two are getting reacquainted.”

Percy nodded. The young man's lips tilted back up, slowly stepping around Nico to place his hand on Kronos's shoulder. But he didn't speak to Kronos. “Nico,” the green-eyed young man began, turning to look at the boy, “you can go back to your suite. We can talk later.”

Nico quickly nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He cleared his throat. “Of course.”

But Percy stopped him before the boy could get back on the elevator. “Come back in an hour, knock on my door.”

Taking in a breath, Nico nodded again and pushed the button to his floor. His shoulders relaxed when the doors closed. On the way down, though, Nico started to laugh. It was over. The nightmare that was Kronos was finally over. Percy was back and the hotel could finally go back to normal.

When the elevator opened, Nico found Luke and Octavian standing there. The younger brother quirked a brow at him. “What has you in such a good mood?”

“Percy's back!” Nico exclaimed.

A flood of relief could be seen in both blonds' stunned eyes. Luke pulled him aside. “You're serious? You saw him?”

Nico nodded. “He's upstairs. Looks like Kronos is going to leave today, too.”

Luke let out a sigh as Annabeth and Piper came up behind them. “What's up, guys?” Piper asked.

Nico had heard Luke laugh before, but it was usually done to mock someone. This was strange. The blond's lips tilted up as joyous laughter spilled out of his mouth. The girls looked at the guy like he'd grown a second head.

Octavian smirked and shook his head. “Percy's back.”

“Yes!” Piper held up her hands. Octavian let out a yelp as the girl wrapped her arms around him and lifted him off the ground in a giant hug.

After a moment, Nico noted that Annabeth was watching him. When she noticed this, she smiled and nodded. “I suppose we should let the others know.”

“We should have a party!” Piper suggested, dragging Annabeth into the elevator. Luke chuckled and stepped in after them, Octavian following in last. Nico smiled and waved at them before going down the hall to his suite.

As per the young man's request, Nico showed back up at Percy's room an hour later. After knocking, Nico stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to watch the last of Kronos's things get taken out of the suite. Relief washed over Nico as he watched the scene. It was over, Kronos was finally leaving.

Well, this feeling was washed away quickly when Percy's door opened and he found both Percy and Kronos standing there. The spawn of the devil narrowed his eyes at Nico, though he quietly brushed past the boy. Percy smiled and tossed Kronos a wave.

“I'll see you here shortly,” the green-eyed young man said.

Kronos kept staring at Nico. “Of course. I'll see you in the lobby.”

Nico really wasn't sure which was worse from Kronos: the clearly angry side or the eerily calm one. Either way, Nico shivered as Kronos walked away. Percy smiled at the boy and motioned for Nico to come inside. Gladly accepting the invitation, the Lost Boy stepped around Percy and entered the suite. It had been a while since he had seen the room, which had been unoccupied during Percy's absence. Everything was exactly as Nico remembered it.

Percy walked back to his bedroom, fiddling with the cuffs of his dress shirt. While Percy did look good in it, the shirt merely reminded Nico that Percy was back to his business routine. He kind of liked seeing Percy so relaxed. Nico sat down on Percy's bed, while the young man dug around in his sock drawer.

“So,” Nico began.

Turning his head slightly to look at the boy, Percy smirked. “So,” he repeated. His eyebrow shot up. “I see you put on the jacket.”

Nico shrugged, smiling a little as he looked down at himself. The jacket was slightly big on him, but it didn't bother him at all. “Thank you for it, though.”

“It was just a present.” Percy ran his hand through Nico's hair before sitting down on the bed and putting his socks on. “I thought you might like it. But, as an added bonus for me, I get to look at you in it.”

The Lost Boy's cheeks lit up. “I, um...” He had to mentally slap himself. Nico had almost forgotten how easily Percy could charm someone. “Did you even stay the whole night, or did you leave when you realized I was going to sleep.”

“I stayed,” Percy admitted. He shrugged and stood up, walking over to one of his suitcases. Nico frowned as the young man pulled something out and slipped it into his pocket. “If you weren't so lazy this morning, you could have discovered that yourself. I woke up when I heard Jason come in, then I decided to head upstairs to make sure everything was in order.”

“How am I lazy if you only woke up ten minutes before me?” Nico flailed his arms with a huff. Percy smirked, moving closer. Nico narrowed his eyes, unsure of what the young man was up to. “So, Gaea let you come back?”

“Something like that.”

Nico arched a brow as Percy knelt on the bed, one of his legs in between Nico's. The brown-eyed boy leaned back a little. “Um, so, she doesn't think I'm an issue anymore? Did you tell her that there's no reason to be concerned?”

A spark flickered in Percy's eyes as the young man pinned Nico to the bed. The boy gulped when he felt Percy's knee press against his crotch. “Apparently, there are some that are concerned that you are a problem for me, that you are making me weak, Nico. Some want me to eliminate this problem.”

Something sharp and cold pressed against Nico's neck. Unsure of when they got there, Percy had a hand to the boy's throat, and in his hand was a very sharp knife. A cold, dark look filled the young man's eyes as he stared down at Nico.

Letting out a sigh, Percy sat back and frowned. The knife fell onto the bed. “The problem is that I couldn't go through with something like that, even if I wanted to.”

“I thought you were completely loyal?” Nico flinched. He told himself to shut up, not wanting to push his luck.

“To Gaea,” Percy chuckled. He sighed and placed his hands on either side of Nico's head. “She didn't ask me to do it. But, then again, I'm not sure if I could, even if she did.” The young man scrunched his lips. “Maybe when we first met, but not now.”

Nico rolled his head to the side. “You just want me to leave,” he whispered.

The green-eyed manager let out a heavy sigh. “You say that like it's a bad thing. Yes, I gave you that money to try to convince you to leave. I wanted you to graduate this whole time, yes. I won't deny that. But I also did it because I thought it was what was best for you. Even if you did decide to stay, I would still pay for your education.” He brushed some of Nico's hair from the boy's face. “Stop depressing yourself.”

In all honesty, Nico probably should have just smiled and nodded, but apparently he had developed into a masochist. “Is it true that you were going to bring my father to the basement and pretty much torture him?” Frowning, Nico pushed the young man off of him. “I thought I told you to just leave it alone?”

Percy's face was unreadable. “Well, I didn't, now did I?”

Groaning, Nico grasped at his hair. “That's not the point.” He sighed and sat down in front of Percy. “I just...would rather not have my father involved in my life, in any form.”

“Fair enough.” Percy gave a slight nod. “But, just so you know, I didn't ask for him to come upstairs. I never intended for him to find out what you do. When I found out he was talking to Persephone, I made a note to Leo and Rachel to instantly decline her request, should she ever ask to bring him to the hotel.”

There was a moment of silence, where neither of the two said anything. Nico didn't even meet Percy's gaze. It wasn't until Percy got off the bed that Nico finally looked up at him. “Did you know about the things that were going on here? I mean, if you even know now.”

Percy kept his back to Nico. With a sigh, the young man picked up his phone from his nightstand and slipped it into his pocket. “I had my suspicions.”

“And you were fine with it?”

Finally, Percy turned around with a slight frown. Frustration slowly became apparent on the young man's face. “It's not like I wanted to leave, you know. I didn't really have a choice, but I also knew that Kronos wouldn't do any real harm to you.” He shook his head, rubbing his jaw. “But don't worry, everyone that doesn't want to work the kink rooms is no longer required.” His eyes flickered down to where the boy sat on his bed, as if to say: that goes especially for you.

Nico was happy that Percy was back, he really was, but he also felt disappointed. He had expected Percy to come back and the two of them be happy. That was what the note was about, wasn't it? But here Percy was, and he hadn't even brought the note up. Should Nico ask about it?

He never got the chance, though.

Percy let out a sigh. “For the record, I'm not mad at you.”

Nico's brow furrowed. “About what?”

The young man gave him a serious look. “The drugs, Nico. I'm not stupid.”

“He told you?” Nico muttered.

“No.” Percy shook his head. “Nico, I'm not going to get mad at you over an accident. I am not unreasonable.” He sighed again and tilted the boy's chin up. “It really doesn't bother me, you had no idea what the stuff was.” His lips tilted up. “And, for the record, it was Luke.” Narrowing his eyes, he pointed at Nico. “Don't tell him that I told you.”

Slowly, Nico nodded. At least that was something off his chest, and it felt like a relief. Nico had been seriously debating if he should tell Percy when the young man got back, but was too nervous. “Thank you,” he whispered.

The green-eyed young man opened his bedroom door, but stopped and turned around when Nico stood up from the bed. “There is one more thing we need to talk about.” Nico couldn't help but smile, hoping that it was about the note. But the frown that set in on Percy's face couldn't disagree more. “You are to stay away from Kronos from this day forward, do you hear me? Do not go near my brother, under any circumstance.”

“I-”

Percy held up his hand, a dark look in his eyes. “I'm not finished talking.” Nico pursed his lips and nodded. “Starting from this point, when we go down to the lobby, do not speak to him. You are not to be alone with him, ever. The only time you can speak with him is when you have other people around you. Do I make myself clear?”

Gulping, Nico nodded his head. Fear was clear in the boy's eyes as he gawked up at Percy. The young man rarely spoke to him with such force, it scared Nico a little. But why was Percy getting mad at him? Kronos was the jerk that had been torturing everyone. So why was it that Nico got the heat for it?

“Okay,” Nico finally whispered.

Well then, Nico thought to himself as he followed the young man out of the suite, this was not how he imagined Percy's return to go.

In the elevator, Percy kept stealing glances at Nico. Not that Nico wasn't doing the same, he was just having a hard time accepting that Percy was actually there. Finally, the green-eyed young man tilted his head to the side and tapped a finger to his lip. “Did you change something about yourself?” He narrowed his eyes. “You just...look different. Are you okay?”

Pressing his lips together, Nico gave a small nod. “Well, I'm better now.” That made Percy smile a little. “It's really good to have you back.”

“I bet.”

“But I'm fine, I promise.”

Percy arched a brow. “You're better at lying, but not that good.” He smirked at the pout Nico gave him. “Keep in mind that I'm a professional liar, I know how to spot lies.”

Nico just shook his head. “You know, when you say things like that, you make it hard for others to trust you,” the boy sighed. Percy winked and wagged his eyebrows. Still as childish as ever, Nico thought to himself. “So, did anything exciting happen in Germany? I heard there was a new Lost Boy.”

“Yep.” Percy smiled a little. “He's fitting in fairly well, not really any problems at all. Apparently, he used to do go-go dancer before he ended up on the streets.”

Nico let out a small grunt of acknowledgment. “So, is that it?” He couldn't help but fish for information, since he barely got to talk to Percy in the past month. “Nothing important?”

“Not really,” Percy replied, his lips tilting down.

“Really?” Nico asked, unconvinced.

“Yeah.” Green eyes flickered away as the elevator opened. “It's not important, so drop it.”

Nico's brow furrowed as he followed after the manager. What was that about? Clearly, Percy was lying himself. But what could have happened? However, Nico was pulled from his thoughts as Percy pressed a hand to his chest. Blinking, Nico looked up to find a frown marring the young man's features. Percy blinked and pointed over to where the other Lost Kids were standing. Nico let out a sigh and trudged over to them, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his aviator jacket.

The second Kronos spotted him, the young man rolled his eyes at Nico. He clearly knew where Nico had gotten the jacket. But then Kronos just looked away and smiled at Percy. Nico let out a sigh, narrowing his eyes. That was not really the reaction he had hoped for. It was the day Kronos was leaving, when Nico had Percy back. Kronos would be leaving, which meant that he couldn't torture Nico. And while it probably was stupid, Nico was feeling a little brave.

Yes, Nico wanted to rub this fact in Kronos's face. He wanted to gloat a little that Percy was back and that he had held out in the end. But did he get anything? No! Just that stupid eye roll. It was like the fact that Nico was wearing Percy's jacket didn't bother Kronos at all.

But even still, all Kronos seemed to think of Nico as was an ant or some toy that belonged to Percy. However, Nico was pulled from all of this when he overheard something Kronos said to Percy.

“I guess I'll see you next month.”

“That's the plan,” Percy sighed. He smiled and hugged Kronos, which made Nico roll his eyes. How could Percy even be friends with someone like Kronos? Even if the guy's mother had saved Percy's life and been Percy's real friend. Details.

When Kronos went to leave, his eyes flickered over to Nico a final time with that annoying smirk of his. That smirk that he always gave when he felt like he had won something. He must have been so satisfied with himself, and Nico was just letting him pull his strings. Everything was just a game to the guy. The fact remained: Nico was just as messed up as Kronos kept saying. As much as Nico hated to admit this, it was the truth. Percy even noticed it straight off the bat.

Was he even any different than the others now? Was he just another soul that wound up trapped in the hotel, bound to wander its halls for the rest of time? Was it even possible to save himself at this point? Letting out a small sigh, Nico's eyes roamed over to where Percy stood. Maybe. But what was he even trying to accomplish for anymore? At least, for now, it was good to have a little light back in the hotel.

Percy walked Kronos out to the the limo that had been arranged to drive him to the airport. The second the young man came back into the hotel, however, he was swarmed. Percy quickly held his hands up in front of him to act as a shield as the guy was surrounded on all sides.

Since Nico had already gotten time with Percy, he let the others suffocate him. It was nice to see the others smile again. Relief was apparent in all of their eyes as they overloaded Percy with their unending amount of questions. However, it was Annabeth that noticed something about Percy first.

“Are you okay?” The blonde asked. Nico tilted his head to the side. She was right. Percy had a small frown on his face, and it seemed like he wasn't entirely there. Was he thinking about something? “Is everything okay?”

Nico went still when Percy's eyes flickered over to him. The young man's brow furrowed, like he was considering something mentally. “It's nothing.” Percy finally smiled, letting out a breath. “For the first time in a while, I think everything is fine.”

Travis let a small grin creep onto his face as he nudged their manager. “Something happen in Germany?”

The look in Percy's sea-green eyes was very distant, like he was somewhere else. Had something happened? But then the young man let out a sigh and smiled. A fake smile that he made no effort to mask. “Well, I can only hope that things turn out to be good.” He frowned when Annabeth opened her mouth. “I'll talk about it when I'm ready.”

“Yes, Percy,” the group all mumbled.

To Nico, though, it was just nice to hear Percy's name again. It was nice to have him back. Whatever Percy had to say could wait, as far as Nico was concerned. He just wanted to enjoy having the young man back. It was like a weight had been taken off his chest, like he wasn't on the verge of a panic attack anymore.

Unfortunately, the group didn't get to see much more of Percy the rest of the day. It wasn't until he came to the top floor during performance hours that Nico got to see him again. Although, Nico didn't get his table. Not that he could have, since the boy was on stage for the night.

And it was highly unlikely that Nico would be going to the backrooms tonight, since Thalia had caught him before work and told him that her, Apollo, Luke, and Annabeth were going to talk to Percy about letting Nico join the “big siblings” after work.

As Nico was about to go on, Will caught him on the way to the stage. “Good luck,” the blond mumbled.

It caught Nico a little off-guard. Will seemed unhappy and had barely spoken to Nico since Percy's return. “You okay?”

Will turned around and blinked, a little surprised. “I'm fine. I just...never mind.” The blond sighed. “It's not important.”

It didn't take much for Nico to realize why the blond seemed depressed. Yes, it was nice that Percy was back, even for Will, but he had also made the deal with Nico. And now Will probably wanted to see what Nico would say, probably dreading the answer.

But Nico wasn't entirely sure himself. Yes, Percy had been what he had wanted this whole time, and it was beyond amazing to have him back. But nothing seemed to change between them. After the note, Nico had hoped... Well, he had hoped for something different. But all he had really gotten was threats from Percy to stay away from Kronos. Not very romantic.

At the same time, though, there was something that still bothered Nico about Will. It wasn't the blond himself, just something felt off about them being more than friends. He really needed to figure out what was bothering him about the situation.

Nico let out a sigh as Will walked over to the couch and sat down. The raven-haired boy took his place on the stage moments before the music started. All of his problems and concerns had to be put on hold for the moment.

Clearing his head, Nico slowly rolled his head in a circular motion and raised his arms above his head as Goldfrapp's “Ooh La La” began to play. His hands slowly worked his way down his body, until the lyrics started and Nico jumped and spread his legs. Every time the words “switch me on” and “turn me on” appeared, Nico stopped what he was doing and made sure to shoot his legs apart, trying to do his best at a seductive expression.

He turned his back to the audience and bent over slightly, running his hands up his leg. From there, he jumped up and shot his legs apart again, this time sticking his finger into his mouth. Leaning back, the boy rolled his stomach and caressed his inner thighs.

As the song continued, Nico found himself on his side, sticking his leg into the air. The boy actually managed to raise it up enough and grab it with one of his hands. He was sure the audience enjoyed a nice view of his crotch and ass. Sliding to the edge of the stage, Nico allowed a woman near the edge to rip the silk pants he had on off of his body. Tossing her a wink, Nico jumped up and began to sway along to the music again. Rolling his shoulders, Nico managed to slide the vest he wore off of him.

Towards the end, when the part with “switch me on” appeared, Nico turned around during his jump and placed both of his hands on his ass. The boy swayed his hips around sensually, hooking his thumbs into the top of the fabric that clung to his body ever so tightly.

Sitting down on the stage, Nico bent his knees and spread his legs towards the audience. He slowly ran his hands from his feet up to his thighs. Groping his crotch, Nico let out a moan. Not that the crowd could hear it, but they could tell from his face what he had done. And, just as the song came to an end, rolled his speedo down ever so slightly, exposing just a hint of his ass to the audience as the song ended.

He tossed the crowd a wink as he made his way off the stage, pleased with the torture he probably instilled upon some of them. And, as a bonus, Nico wouldn't be going to the backrooms tonight because of what he had just done. It was a win-win situation. Well, for Nico anyways.

An hour later, Nico found himself sitting at a table with Thalia, Annabeth, Luke, and Apollo. Most of the others had already gone or were with a customer. Leo and Rachel were the only others upstairs, save for Percy and Dionysus. The newly returned manager was talking quite animatedly with Dionysus on the other side of the room, though it didn't seem to be anything bad. From the few things Nico could make out, Percy was just running through business transactions with the man, and Dionysus just nodded his head and answered when it was required of him. Nico tapped his fingers against the table's surface as he watched the two.

“So, is it true that Dionysus was supposed to be the manager before Percy?”

The other four looked over at him with confused expressions. Annabeth tilted her head to the side. “Where did you hear that?” She asked.

Nico casually shrugged. “Just something Dionysus said.”

Thalia chuckled a little. “Well, I'm sure he wanted to, but that information was wrong.” The girl placed her hands behind her head. “Sure, from what I've heard, the guy wanted to be manager, but Gaea never considered him.”

Annabeth nodded her head lightly. “She's right. When I got here, Dionysus was bickering with the old manager, mainly because Gaea had just informed the hotel that Percy would be transferred here. And I think everyone knew what was going to happen, so Dionysus just got upset.”

Apollo twisted one of his curls around his fingers. “Wasn't Gaea going to promote him, but then he ruined his chances for anything?”

“Yeah,” Annabeth muttered. She let out a sigh. “Long story, long before my time.” The Lost Girl shrugged at Nico. “He's bitter at Percy, but he only has himself to blame.”

Luke was the only quiet one at the table. When Nico looked over at him, the blond was trying to balance a water bottle on its side, using only his index finger. The blond let out a sigh, his blue eyes trained on Percy. It must have been a huge relief to have Percy back, Nico could understand that. It probably meant a lot to Luke. Nico also had to wonder what might have happened while Kronos was here. Luke wasn't one to talk about his problems, and Nico had to wonder if Kronos had said things to the guy when they were alone.

It was what Kronos had done to Nico, so it only made sense that the same had happened to Luke. The others had said that Luke was basically a toy for Kronos to play with, so Nico doubted that nothing had happened. So, seeing Percy again probably meant that a huge weight had been lifted from Luke. The most obvious was the fact that his and Octavian's mother could no longer visit the hotel.

When Luke noticed him staring, however, the blond got an annoyed look in his eyes. “What are you staring at, twerp?”

The raven-haired boy let out a sigh. “Nothing. But are you okay?”

“Of course,” Luke mumbled. “Worry about yourself.” His eyes flickered back over to Percy. “Just be glad Percy came back to save your sorry ass, sunshine. You got off easy from those kink rooms. The crazy amazon lady was probably the least of what you could have experienced.”

“Well, it's not like you weren't preparing me for it.” Nico stuck out his tongue.

Luke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because I totally showed you how things really were. If you thought what we did was rough and kinky, you are heavily misinformed about what goes on in those rooms.” The corners of the blond's lips tilted up. “But I'd be glad to show you.”

Rolling his eyes, Nico smirked. “I think I'll take a pass. What we did was about as far as I'd like to go.”

“Noted for later then.” Luke grinned and leaned back in the booth.

The group all fell quiet when Percy cleared his throat. When had he gotten to their table? Nico's ears turned pink. Had Percy heard what him and Luke had just been talking about? As if he could read the boy's mind, Percy arched a brow at him. Shit, Nico thought.

Unaware of Nico's mental turmoil, Apollo leaned forward on the table with a grin. “So, about what we discussed earlier. I just think that we've been underestimating this one,” the blond said, pointing his finger in Nico's direction. “I think he's finally gotten the hang of things around here.”

“Not everything,” Luke mumbled to himself. Everyone looked at the blond funny, but Luke just waved it off.

“It doesn't bother me,” Thalia spoke up.

“Same,” Annabeth added. She nudged Luke.

Luke let out a grunt, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I suppose the kid managed to keep things in order while you were away.”

Percy smiled a little before glancing over at Nico. He scrunched his lips, like he was considering Nico. “Well, I suppose that's a decision for you guys. If you feel that he deserves it, I'm fine with it. It's never really been my decision to make.” The young man gave a casual shrug. “I'm not the one that gave you the titles you have, may I remind you.”

“Um, but I'm sort of the youngest, so how does that work for me?” Nico asked.

Percy smiled at him. “It's just a title, Nico, it doesn't really mean anything. It's not like you're getting a raise or promotion.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “All this means is that the others will come to you with their problems, and it's your job to help sort things out.” He smirked at the other four. “Usually behind my back, but I don't mind. That's what you're there for, to make my life easier. Basically, you want the others to come to you with their problems, instead of running to me. Although, if you find yourself in over your head, feel free to come talk to me.”

“Thanks,” Nico muttered. He smiled a little.

Percy reached out, like he was going to touch Nico's head, but stopped and dropped his hand back at his side. “I just wanted to say that I am impressed. It did surprise me a little when I heard you managed to talk the others into putting their disagreements aside for the time being.” The young man slipped his hands into his pockets. “I suppose it says something about the others listening to you. Perhaps they feel like they can trust you.”

Nico glanced at the other four. Thalia smirked at him and gave him a thumbs up. “We'll take him then!” The short girl exclaimed.

Percy gave a nod. “Good. Well then, if you'll all excuse me, I'm pretty exhausted from getting back into the swing of things today.”

“They got you lazy while you were in Germany, didn't they?” Annabeth teased.

Percy frowned at her before he smirked and rolled his eyes. “Goodnight, guys.” With a small wave, Percy headed for the stairs. With a small frown, Nico watched the young man go until Percy was out of sight. Luke practically shoved Nico out of the booth to allow himself to get up. Apollo chuckled and tossed Nico a wave, following after Luke.

Thalia stopped and clapped Nico on the back. “Welcome to the club, buddy.”

“Yeah,” Nico muttered. “Thanks.”

Smiling again, Thalia took her leave. Annabeth slowly rose from the booth, her eyes not really looking anywhere particular. “So, I guess everything can finally go back to the way it was.” The blonde let out a breath, slipping her hands into her pockets. “Percy seems refreshed, even if there is something clearly bothering him.”

“Yeah.” Nico rubbed his arm lightly. He pursed his lips, considering what he was about to say. “You remember when you used to give me advice on him?” Annabeth gave a small nod. “I don't suppose I could ask your opinion on something else, could I?”

Her grey eyes inspected him carefully. “Sure, I suppose. What's bothering you?” She pulled out a chair and sat down at the nearest table.

Nico pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table. “Um, you remember the jacket I wore today?”

“Yeah?”

“Um, well, Percy gave it to me. It belonged to his grandfather.” Nico let out a breath. “Anyways, he gave me a note with it, and ended it with a vague message. He said he realized something, but never said what it was about. Not even since he got back has he brought it up. I thought it might have been...” Nico blushed a little, “that maybe Percy liked me.”

Annabeth's face was unreadable. “So, what's your concern?”

“I just...thought that maybe things would be different when Percy got back.” Nico frowned a little. “I thought he'd treat me different. I mean, if I'm correct.”

“I think that's the key factor in this situation.”

Nico let out a groan. “I know. I guess I'm stupid for getting worked up over something that might not be anything.” The boy began to chew on his lip. “But, I mean, it sure sounded like he was trying to tell me that he liked me.”

For a long while, the room was quiet. Annabeth stared at the table, her eyes shifting back and forth. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Okay, let's say that he is trying to admit his feelings. Percy's not really...the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to romantic feelings and conveying them to others. The guy barely realizes when someone likes him.” She shook her head. “He didn't even catch on that Apollo liked him until I sat him down and explained the situation.

“My point is that you're going to have to probably take matters into your own hands. Lay out the cards for him. Let Percy know that this is frustrating you, he's pretty reasonable.” Annabeth reached over and squeezed Nico's hand. “I'm sure you can think of something.”

Nico let out a breath. “I'm not really sure.” He scrunched his lips. “Any suggestions.”

Annabeth smiled over at him before standing up. “Well, there's always your performances, and I think I know just the song.”