Children of Loss 54

Chapter 54

It did not get much easier at school for Nico as the week continued. On the bright side, it was finally Friday, which meant that Nico could stay out of the public eye for two full days. He probably should have just gone straight home after school, but Bianca and Daedalus had convinced him to go down to the beach with them. Naturally, Jason had volunteered to come along, since he was actually Nico's ride back to the hotel.

While the others had gotten into the ocean to swim, Nico remained on the shore and worked on a sandcastle. One thing was for certain, Nico didn't see himself becoming an architect anytime soon. The boy smiled a little when he noticed Bianca waving at him happily.

He had almost finished the northeast tower of his castle when Jason sat down across from him. “You going to join us?” The blond asked, running a hand through his short blond hair. “Unless you're finally trying to get some color in your skin.”

Narrowing his eyes, Nico tossed a handful of wet sand at the blond's bare chest. “Never heard you complain about how pale I am.”

“It does suit you, I suppose.” Jason grinned and adjusted some sunglasses across his face. Apparently, the blond had also gotten himself some glasses while Nico had been away, though he only wore them at school or when they weren't working. Will had claimed it was due to some possible abuse from Zeus, though it eventually came to light that Jason had once had an accident involving a brick. Nico felt it best not to question it. “Anyways, you coming in?”

Nico lightly shook his head. “I think I'll pass. Water and I never really got along, at least not the ocean. Give me a pool any day.” Letting out a breath, the brown-eyed boy went back to scooping up some wet sand for his castle. Nico let out a grunt as Jason placed his sunglasses on top of Nico's head.

As Jason got up to return to the others, Nico looked over his shoulder with a frown. He chewed his lip for a moment as his eyes scanned over the beach. The Lost Boy had a very strange feeling, like someone was watching him. But from what he could see, nobody was paying him any attention. A small group of girls waved awkwardly at him, but it was probably because he had been staring. Shaking his head, Nico dumped a pile of sand down for his southwest tower.

“Is Percy Jackson's adorable squeeze having a secret fling?”

Nico looked up as a bright light flashed in his face. What the hell? A second flash went off, which Nico was lucky enough to prepare himself for. With his hand over his eyes, the Lost Boy was able to make out a pair of black sneakers in the sand.

“Is this trouble in paradise?” The same female voice asked as another flash went off.

Nico reached out to smack the camera away, but his hand just swept through the air. “Can you stop taking my picture, or at least chill with the flashes?” He mumbled, quickly lowering Jason's shades onto his eyes.

The woman looked relatively young, her frizzy black hair pulled into pigtails. A thick pair of glasses rested across her nose, which she quickly pushed up her nose. But it was kind of the crazed look in her eyes that worried Nico the most.

“Who are you?” Nico grumbled. With a huff, he reached behind him and grabbed his shirt.

“Keto George,” she beamed, looking proud. Nico just gave her a dull look as he slid on his shirt. The woman needed to get out of his personal space. She was literally just a few inches from him, her left foot touching the edge of his castle. “And you are Nico di Angelo, the boy that is dating Perseus Jackson himself.”

Nico smacked the woman's shoe with a plastic shovel he had been using. “If you ruin my sandcastle...” He forced himself not to growl when she merely took another picture of him. “You know, I could always call Percy and have him confiscate that camera.”

“Interfering with the public's right to information.” Another picture. Nico was seriously getting irritated. Not only would she not leave him alone, but she would not back away from him. “So, does Percy know about your other man?”

“Um, Jason works at the hotel, so I'd assume that Percy knows who he is.” Nico blinked. “I'm not seeing Jason, so get that out of your head.”

Keto had a very annoying smirk appear on her face. “Oh! A secret romance! This will sell quite a few copies.”

He really wanted to smash that camera, but Percy had told Nico to behave himself around the press. “Sure, if you want to lie.” Nico began to chew on his lip as his brain ran through ways for him to politely make this woman go away.

Thankfully, he didn't have to come up with anything. “Hey!” Jason barked as he made his way over to them from the ocean. “Is this reporter bothering you, Nico?”

“A secret romance right under Percy's nose. How scandalous!” With a manic smile, Keto snapped a few pictures of Jason's wet and half naked body. “This could make the front page!”

While Nico and Jason had to behave, Bianca was under no such instructions. Before Nico even realized that his sister had left the ocean, Bianca had snatched the camera out of Keto's hands and tossed it over to Daedalus. “Leave my brother alone, right now!” She yelled. “He is not doing anything wrong, we are just trying to enjoy our afternoon. Now leave!”

Keto huffed and held out her hand. “Only once that kid over there hands me my camera,” she said, motioning to Daedalus.

“If you don't leave,” Daedalus took a few steps back, extending his arm over the waves, “I'll just drop it.”

“But-” Keto pursed her lips together. “That camera costed me a lot of money!”

Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't use it to harass people.”

With a final huff, Keto spun around on her heel and marched off. “This isn't over!” She yelled. “I will have my story!” Her exit was ruined after a few steps, when she tripped in the sand and ate a mouthful of the stuff. She tossed a glare over her shoulders as Jason, Daedalus, and Bianca burst out laughing. Nico remained quiet, his lips pressed in a firm line until the woman was out of sight.

“I want to go home,” he announced.

“But-” Bianca started, but cut herself off when Daedalus rested a hand on her shoulder. “Okay.” With a small nod, the dark haired girl worked on packing their stuff up with the help of her boyfriend.

Jason plopped down next to Nico. “You okay?”

“I will be,” Nico mumbled. He looked up at the blond. “Just take me back to the hotel.”

Jason gave a small nod. He wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulder once they were both on their feet. “Hey, I'm going to go ahead and take Nico back, if that's okay with you two.”

“Yeah, of course,” Daedalus answered.

Bianca gave Nico a big hug before he left with Jason. This was never going to end, was it? At least not until they moved to Germany. Nico could deal with the press in Europe, they were nice. But all of this would just happen again when Nico came to visit his sister, or Percy had business here.

Once they were back at the hotel, Nico went straight up to Percy's office. He wasn't sure if Percy could be affectionate with him at the moment, but the Lost Boy just felt that the young man could at least ease his nerves. But his nerves only got worse when the door opened and out walked Annabeth.

“Enjoy another day of getting swarmed by press?” Came a snippy greeting from the blonde.

Nico felt his eye twitch. “Did you enjoy picking up your application?” His hands balled into fists. “Oh wait, you can't get one, because you're going to be stuck here.”

Annabeth's eyes flashed dangerously at the pale boy. “Actually, I just had sex with Percy. You know, your boyfriend. His desk is very durable, by the way.”

Nico's eyes grew very dark, though he refused to fully look at the Lost Girl. “Enjoy it while you can, because you won't be getting it much longer.” Nico spun around when he saw Annabeth about to snap back at him. “Go ahead, say something. I can always just go in there and tell Percy that I don't want to go through the remainder of my days as a Lost Kid and for him to stop conducting his business like that with the rest of you. You know, because he already told me I could ask that of him back in Germany. Which was amazing, by the way, as we had a lot of sex. Sex that Percy came to me for, and I didn't even have to ask him, like you do.” His eyes were practically black as he glared at the blonde in front of him. “So, keep talking, let's see how that goes for you. I am not in the mood for you right now.”

Annabeth never even got to try and respond. The door opened behind Nico and Hazel poked her head out. “Is everything okay out here?” She asked.

“Just fine,” Annabeth replied, her face already back to a neutral mask. “Nico here is just having a bad day.”

Hazel glanced at Nico, who smiled a little. “Yeah, a reporter showed up at the beach and got in my face.”

“I'm sorry.” Hazel reached out and squeezed his shoulder, a huge grin on her face. With much excitement, the Lost Girl held up a piece of paper. “I got my application. Asia, here I come!”

“Congratulations, Hazel,” Nico beamed, giving the girl a warm hug. She rubbed his back and headed for the elevator, leaving Nico alone with Annabeth. Nico's eyes grew dark as they fell back upon the blonde. “I look forward to this being over. Maybe then we can put all of this behind us.”

“Maybe.” A blonde eyebrow shot up. “However, keep in mind that Athena is retiring. Perhaps I'll see about getting transferred to take her position.” She casually waved her hand. “Octavian could just have this position.”

The two separated without another word. Annabeth headed down the hall to the elevator, while Nico went into Percy's office. Leo looked up at him as the door slammed shut behind him. “Have a bad day?” The Latino boy asked as he shuffled some more applications on his desk.

“You could say that,” Nico sighed. He rubbed at his temple. It was noticeable that several forms had been taken, since only enough for each of the Lost Kids at the hotel had been printed. Not that many, but Nico could estimate that around five or six forms were gone. “Is Percy available for a minute?”

“Um, yeah, I believe so.” Leo got up and walked over to Percy's door. Knocking, Leo poked his head inside. “Nico's here to see you.”

“Send him in,” came Percy's calm voice.

Leo pulled his head out with a grin. “You heard your man.”

Nico rolled his eyes as he stepped into Percy's office. “Hey,” he greeted as he caught sight of the young man behind the desk. Percy's hair was a little messy , either from a long day or from what he had just done with Annabeth. “How are you?”

A smile touched at Percy's lips. “A little tired, but I'll survive.” He leaned back in his chair, his eyebrow shooting up when Nico let out a sigh. “Everything okay?”

“A reporter harassed me at the beach, no big deal.” Nico trailed his fingertips along Percy's desk as he walked around to the other side. He blinked at the piece of paper in front of the green-eyed young man. “What's that?”

“Oh.” Percy picked up the paper and shrugged. “It's just the guest list for the conference in a few weeks. I need to look it over and make sure everything is in order.” Turning his chair slightly towards Nico, Percy let the paper fall back onto his desk. “What happened with the reporter?”

Nico shrugged as he sat down on the edge of Percy's desk. “Bianca took her camera and made her leave.” He held up a hand when Percy opened his mouth. “I was on my best behavior.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck when he got a disbelieving look from the young man. “I mean, for the most part I was. She was a little crazy, and I don't think she's giving up.”

With a grin, Percy slid his hand underneath Nico's shirt and traced his fingers along the boy's stomach. “Would it make you feel better if you stayed with me tonight?”

“Are you asking?”

“Maybe.” Percy pulled Nico's hand closer and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Sorry I've been busy this week.”

“Partially with some of the others.”

Percy rolled his eyes. “If you would rather stay in your room...”

Nico groaned pitifully and slid into Percy's lap, letting his body relax against the young man's chest. With a sigh, he buried his face into the crook of Percy's shoulder. “Don't be mean, I've had a bad day. Your bed would definitely improve my current mood.”

Getting completely wasted sounded really amazing to Nico at the moment. It probably didn't help that Ethan and Reyna both had something to drink while they ate dinner. But, since Nico was still underage, he wasn't allowed to drink outside of the upper floors. Stupid Percy and his stupid rules. A little alcohol wouldn't hurt anything.

It was stupid, but Nico couldn't get over what Annabeth had said to him. He had been right, the blonde was going to try and get Athena's position. Perhaps it was stupid to worry. After all, it was possible that Percy wouldn't allow it, since Annabeth just got his old position. Maybe he'd see her as ungrateful. Still, the two of them had been friends for over two years.

What Nico really needed was to plug the hole in the dam, so to speak. He needed to find someone that he could get Percy to replace Athena with, someone that was anyone but Annabeth. Perhaps he should start with Octavian.

“You're staring at my drink like you want to have sex with it,” Ethan mumbled as he tossed the bottle back.

Reyna arched her eyebrow at Nico as she cut up her food. “Are you okay, Nico?”

“I'll let you know in another month.” Nico groaned and propped his chin up with his palm. As much as he hated leaving some people he cared about behind, the boy could not wait to move to Germany. Sure he wouldn't be able to understand a lot of the people half the time, but at least things would be different there. “So, have either of you decided about moving?”

While Ethan shrugged, Reyna wiped at her mouth. “I think I will. I think moving to Europe could be a good experience. And, if I don't like it, I suppose I could just come back,” the Lost Girl stated. She skewered a carrot with her fork. “If not, I'll figure something out.”

Several hours later, when performances were over, Nico found himself in one of the back rooms. The man that had purchased time with him was far from Nico's type. Not only was the man slightly older than his father, he looked rather creepy, like someone his mother would have told him to stay away from. Of course, most of the people that visited the top floor of the Lotus could classify under that same category. At least he still had a full head of hair, but he was much larger than Nico in terms of muscular stature. If the man tried to lay on top of Nico, the Lost Boy was certain he'd come out as a pancake.

On a brighter note, the man had wanted to drink and had offered Nico some wine. While Nico was still wary from his last experience with the stuff, he gladly accepted the dark liquid. It just would have been better if the man didn't stare at him like some creep the entire time Nico drank from the wine glass.

He didn't get to finish.

Apparently, the man got impatient with Nico's slow drinking. He got up and snatched the glass out of Nico's hand, while working on his zipper with the other hand. Nico was forced onto his knees by the strange man by his hair. After opening his eyes from wincing, Nico found himself facing the man's arousal. As with most cases, the man wasn't that impressive, at least not compared to the other Lost Boys or Percy. Especially Luke.

“Now suck it and earn your money,” the man commanded, shoving Nico's face into his crotch.

It was a lot more aggressive than Nico was used to, at least since Kronos left the hotel and Nico was not required to work the kink rooms. He still had some bad memories involving a particular Russian Amazon woman.

Nico was jerked out of his thoughts and squeaked, due to the fact that the fucking asshole of a client had pinched and twisted his right nipple. “Does that feel good?” The man asked. “You like that, don't you?”

He really did not. “Yeah, it feels great,” Nico lied through his teeth, while using his hand to reach up and stroke the man's shaft. Whatever it took to please this man and get him off. Because, really, Nico knew by now that most of the male clients did not last very long.

Very roughly, Nico was yanked up and forced to bend over the bed, while the man jerked down the shorts on the Lost Boy's slender waist. Without warning, the man took a firm grip of Nico's ass and squeezed. But did not stop there. Nico was forced to shut his eyes and wince when the man shoved a dry finger into his ass.

Right now, Nico really wished people didn't like his butt so much. Because this was not enjoyable, not in the least. But it wasn't really about his enjoyment, now was it? No, this was about the client, who Nico really wished would hurry the fuck up.

Though, given what happened next, Nico would have preferred the guy kept molesting his ass. The man was very rough when he got Nico to give him head. While Nico was just trying to do his thing, the guy pressed on the back of Nico's head and pushed it all the way down. He did not let Nico pull back for a while, until Nico was practically choking and tears began to form in his eyes.

And the client kept a firm grip on Nico's hair when the Lost Boy finally got to pull back. All Nico wanted was to knock that stupid confident smirk off the man's face. “You want more?” The stranger had the audacity to ask.

Nico breathed heavily, his dark eyes all but glaring up at the man in irritation. For a brief moment, he debated taking a page out of Ethan's book and fighting back. He did not like people like this, people who tried to control other people and make them feel like less than what they were. Because, unless the other person truly consented that was all it really was. Unfortunately, due to his current profession, Nico didn't really have the option of not giving permission.

Well, he did, but he was only supposed to use it if things got too bad. And it mustn't have been too bad, or someone watching from the monitor room would have busted in by now and yanked the man away from Nico.

However, just when Nico thought it had been bad enough, the asshole had the audacity to yank his hair until Nico had to open his mouth from pain and then spat into the Lost Boy's mouth. For a few seconds, Nico could only see red. He really wanted to get up and punch the guy right in the jaw. This was not okay.

Nico wasn't allowed to think over the situation much further. The client jerked on his hair and forced Nico back onto his erection. “That the best you can do?” The man asked harshly. “Do you not want to get paid? Now suck it like you mean it, or I'll go get one of the others to do it for you.”

Before he could think, Nico had gotten to his feet and was pulling up his shorts. “Yeah, maybe you should.” With anger in his eyes, Nico slipped on his shirt and headed for the door.

“Get back here, we aren't done yet!”

“Yeah, we are,” Nico mumbled and slammed the door.

Before Nico had even reached the end of the hall, the security room opened. Leo came out with wide eyes. “Nico, what are you doing, man?”

Nico shoved his hands into his pockets. “I'm done.”

The door behind Nico was flung open and out came the asshole, who was now fully dressed. “Is this the kind of service your boss offers around here? His whore thinks he's something special because of his publicity?”

Nico must have looked very angry, because Leo didn't even open his mouth. The Latino quietly stepped back as Nico turned to glare at the asshole. He was probably already in trouble, so what would be the harm in getting in a little more?

However, as Nico raised his fist, his arm was grabbed and yanked backwards. Brown eyes blinked in surprise as Nico was met with Percy. The young man's dark green eyes stared down at him with a little irritation and just a hint of amusement.

“Is this the kind of service you offer around here?” The man asked, pointing to Nico, who was behind Percy.

Percy let out a sigh and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. “You know, I might tolerate that kind of talk from Gaea's more important clients, but let's be real here, Mr. Callahan, your business is not crucial to the Lotus. And since I'm, technically, in charge now, I don't have to put up with it.” He arched an eyebrow at the look of fury on Nico's client's face. “I believe I also told you to keep it fairly simple if you want to reserve a room up here.”

“I paid for some time with that little bitch, and I-”

“Do not speak that way about my employees,” Percy growled, quickly shutting up the man. “Now, get out of my sight before I have security toss you off of my balcony.”

While he didn't argue further, Mr. Callahan mumbled under his breath as he walked past Percy and left. Nico's breath hitched as Percy slowly turned to face him. Without uttering a word, Percy motioned over his shoulder and Leo quickly made himself scarce.

Percy blinked once down at the boy in front of him. “Do you want to keep doing this?” He asked, but continued before Nico could offer a response. “Because, quite frankly, I can't put up with this behavior if you do.”

Taking in a deep breath, Nico looked down at his feet. “I don't know.”

Nodding, Percy reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here.” He shoved his access card into Nico's hands. “Go wait in my suite until I'm done. We'll talk more once I'm there.”

Nico slowly nodded and brushed his bangs out of his face. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he headed for the door.

“Go take a shower, try to clear your head.” Percy was still watching him when Nico turned around. “Personally, I am not mad at you for acting out with the client, but you also have to understand that things like this don't need to happen while Gaea and I transition me to ownership of the entire hotel chain.”

When Nico got back to Percy's suit, he debated making himself throw up to get the man's spit out of his mouth. Instead, Nico got a soda out of the fridge and downed half of it in one gulp. Even though Nico had stood up to the man, Mr. Callahan had made Nico feel rather worthless. Who treated people like that? Most of Nico's clients at least tended to be polite to him when they were in the backrooms.

After a few minutes, Nico stripped himself of his clothes and went to the bathroom. Before he got into the shower, the Lost Boy brushed his teeth. Since he had been staying with Percy on and off since they got back from Germany, the brown-eyed boy had bought himself a second toothbrush that he kept in Percy's room for the nights they slept together.

Nico spat several times into the sink, making the extra effort to try and scrub his tongue the best he could. He felt a little sick and disgusted with himself. It wasn't due to what he had done, but the way the client had treated him.

After he was satisfied with his clean mouth, Nico turned on the shower and stepped into it. He ran his hands through his hair as the water fell over his body. Letting out a long breath, Nico massaged his shoulder. Did he want to quit and put all of this behind him? Would it make him look weak? Well, he knew Percy would allow it, but what would that mean for Percy? Would Percy then not hold up his half of their agreement. That was definitely not something Nico wanted, not when he was so close to having their exclusive relationship.

It would only be for a few more weeks, right?

And it wasn't like he would likely get another client like that. Nico could put up with the average client for a little while longer. Perhaps it had just been the stress that had gotten to him.

Nico had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Percy wrapped his arms around the raven haired boy's waist. Chuckling to himself, Percy pressed a kiss to Nico's shoulder. Nico relaxed against Percy's body, humming lightly.

It was a lot different than the first time Nico had set foot into this shower. That night seemed like a distant memory, in a completely different life. He had been so scared and nervous that night, completely oblivious as to what really went on in this hotel. They were also a lot more physical now, compared to how Percy had professionally treated Nico on the night they first met.

Turning Nico around, Percy cupped the boy's face and leaned in for a searing kiss. Nico moaned a little as his back was pressed against the shower wall. With one hand on Percy's shoulder, Nico's other hand traced the muscles of the young man's chest.

Nico was the first to get out of the shower, while Percy actually worked on scrubbing himself off a little. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Nico headed for the bedroom, where he grabbed a fresh, comfortable shirt from Percy's closet. Nico frowned a little as the shirt practically hung off of his left shoulder. He had just sat down on the bed, when a dripping wet Percy entered the room.

Smiling, Percy toweled his hair as he got back into his underwear. He didn't even bother putting on a shirt, simply sat down behind Nico on the bed. Nico pressed his lips together and turned to face the young man, uncertain of the conversation that was about to be had.

“So?” Was the only thing Percy said.

Nico let out a breath. “I'm sorry I did that, it won't happen again.”

Percy shrugged, massaging his neck with one arm. “Well, to be honest, Mr. Callahan had originally requested you for down in the kink rooms, but was informed that you don't work down there.” Reaching out, Percy adjusted the shirt on Nico's shoulders. “So, to be fair, I should have known what was going to happen when he said he was fine going to the backrooms with you. He's done this three times in the past, so I apologize for letting it happen.”

“You know, you don't have to talk so professionally to me when it's just the two of us.”

A smirk crossed Percy's lips as he leaned down and kissed Nico on the shoulder. “Would you rather I have gotten angry?” He let out a sigh. “I just need to know what you're going to do.”

Nico pressed his lips together, his brow knitted together. “Can I think on it?” The Lost Boy fell onto the sheets with a groan. “I'm not in trouble?”

Percy ran his fingers under the shirt that Nico had borrowed, tracing his fingers along the boy's stomach. “I doubt it. Gaea will probably just ask what happened, and I'll explain the situation. It'll be fine.” With a mischievous grin, Percy smacked Nico's stomach. “Come on and get to bed.”

Grumbling with a glare, Nico did as he was told. He let out a long sigh as Percy got up to turn off the lights. As Percy settled in next to the Lost Boy, all Nico could think about was how their move to Germany could not get there fast enough.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Will asked as he shut the door.

Nico rubbed at his face as he sat down on the blond's bed. This was not really a talk that he wanted to have, but it was definitely one the two needed to get out. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Will had to know the truth of this somewhere inside of him. Unless he truly did not realize the feelings that he was displacing on Nico.

“It's about me and you,” Nico finally said gently. He looked up through his bangs, pressing his lips together. “You remember when we went to see that movie a while back?”

Will reached up to scratch at his cheek. “Yeah, of course. What about it?”

It would be fine, Nico reassured himself. “You didn't realize it, but you called me Mitchell.” Judging by the surprise that crossed Will's face, it was clear that the blond really did not notice what he had said. “It's fine, really, but it got me thinking about the possibility that you might be transferring your feelings for Mitchell onto me.”

Will's fumbled for a moment, unsure of what to say. “I'm not- I just...” Sitting down next to Nico on the bed, Will ran a hand through his hair. “I know I haven't gotten over him, but that doesn't mean I didn't have an attraction to you.”

Nico smiled and patted the blond's leg. “I know, and I like you, too. But I think it's just a small crush. And I think, for you part, your displaced feelings are making you think that you have more feelings for me than you do.”

Falling back on his bed, Will let out a sigh. “I'm sorry. Maybe you're right.” A smile touched at his lips for a few seconds. “And, I mean, I think we all figured you'd end up with Percy. Nobody really had a chance once things worked out between you two.”

It stung to hear that, but Nico knew it was true. It was always going to be true. At least until the day Percy started to act like Kronos, then Nico's feelings might change. It hurt a little to be in this place in his life. Admittedly, there were several Lost Boys that Nico would have dated if things were different between him and Percy. And it hurt to have to have this talk with the ones like Will, who was a very sweet guy that Nico knew that he could also be happy with.

But first Will would have to move on from his lost love, if he ever hoped to find happiness with someone else again.

“Are you okay?” Nico asked after a long silence.

Will didn't move from where he lay on the bed. “Yeah, I'll be okay.” His blue eyes flickered over to Nico. “We all said you were different, but I don't think any of us actually ever imagined that you'd actually achieve your goal of being with Percy. Especially in a committed relationship with him.” The blond Lost Boy's smile crept back onto his face as his eyes slowly closed. “I remember that movie night forever ago, up in Percy's suite, and I never imagined something like this would happen. Percy had never shown any interest in any of us.”

“Well it wasn't exactly a dream come true in the beginning.”

“At least Percy took interest in you. Some of us barely got a few words with him during the week, yet he usually sought you out nearly every day. Not only that, but he didn't want you in our line of work. It might have frustrated you, but he didn't try to have sex with you.”

The corner of Nico's lips tilted up into a smirk. “So, are you going to be coming with us to Germany?”

“I don't know just yet,” Will sighed. He jumped up and picked up a piece of a paper from his nightstand, handing it to Nico. It was the form for being transferred. “I did go ahead and pick the application up. It would be good for me, I think.” Will slowly blew out a breath. “I think it would be good for me to get away from everything here, mainly my past. My parents, the orphanage, Mitchell... Just everything.”

“I'm sure you'll make new friends in Germany, should you come.” Nico smiled and handed Will the form back. “Plus, you'll have me and some of the others there.”

A few hours after his talk with Will, Nico got to eat dinner with Percy, Zoë, and the Stolls. It was all going great, until the twins decided to hand Percy a small gift bag. Percy arched an eyebrow as he shuffled some of the paper around inside, reaching for the gift at the bottom. His brow furrowed when something metal rattled inside.

“What the hell?” Percy mumbled as he pulled out a small plastic ball and metal chain. He placed the gift on the table, where Zoë picked it up and inspected it for any inscriptions that might be on the ball. “Why did you guys give me this?”

“Well,” Connor began.

“Because, you're chained down to Nico now,” Travis finished

The twins chuckled loudly, drawing a few stares from the people in the restaurant. Connor grinned and winked at Nico. “He's your ball and chain, Percy.”

Percy rolled his eyes and shoved the gift back into the bag. “I shudder to think what Germany will be like when you two move there.”

Nico perked up. “You two are moving?”

“Of course,” Travis snorted.

Connor stuck out his tongue. “Do you think we'd pass up the opportunity to terrorize all of Europe?” He shrugged. “Plus, maybe we'll miss you and Percy. But mostly the first part.”

Resting her chin on her palm, Zoë let out a sigh. “At least things will be quieter around here.”

It was kind of a bummer to hear that, but Nico realized that he couldn't expect everyone to make the move. At least it seemed like the ones he was closer with would be moving. His brow furrowed. But if the rumors were true, and Thalia was seeing Zoë now, would the other Lost Girl stay here as well?

When it came time to go to work, Percy rode up the elevator up with Nico, who was working the bar tonight. As the elevator was nearing its stop, Percy tilted Nico's chin up and pressed their lips together. Nico let out a moan into Percy's mouth as he was leaned backwards. Fumbling around blindly, Nico managed to grab the railing in the elevator for support.

Percy pulled back just as the doors opened, grinning. “Have fun at work tonight.”

Nico was very certain that his eyes were clouded with lust. He really wanted to grab Percy by the collar and pull him back in for another kiss, which Percy seemed to catch on to. Chuckling lightly, Percy pressed the button to close the doors. Wasting no time, Nico grabbed Percy's shirt and crashed their lips together. And, feeling a little bold, Nico pressed his palm to Percy's crotch.

The young man groaned into their kiss and this time it was Nico that pulled away with a smirk. “You have fun, too.”

Percy chuckled and shook his head. “There are times I miss your innocent angel side.”

“We could take the night off and go back to your room.”

“We could,” Percy hummed, “but I really don't need to.” He pressed a brief kiss to Nico's lips and released the button on the elevator. As the doors opened again, Percy pushed Nico gently out of the elevator. “But I wouldn't mind if you came by my suite after work. Just come upstairs after you get off.”

Nico nodded and tossed a wave over his shoulder as the elevator doors slowly shut. Releasing a breath, the Lost Boy walked over towards the bar to clock-in. He couldn't help but smile. As annoying as things could be with the publicity and the job, things with Percy were better than Nico could have expected. Percy was opening up and letting Nico closer to him.

Everything was fairly quiet at work, until a guy at the bar spoke to Nico. “You're the kid on the covers of all those magazines, aren't ya?” He asked, swaying a little in his seat. Nico's eyes flickered down to the half empty glass in his hand. “Working so hard while dating a billionaire.”

“Um, thank you?” Nico wiped down the surface of the bar, his brow furrowed. “I think you've had enough to drink, though.”

The man reached out, surprising Nico by grabbing the boy's arm and spilling a little of his drink. “He must worry about your safety a lot.” The stranger nodded lightly. “I'd imagine so. With Percy being who he is, and you're close to him...”

Nico managed to yank his arm free. “Um, I don't really know what you mean. Percy doesn't need to worry about me, not that it is any of your business.”

“I'm willing to bet that quite a lot of people would do anything to get some leverage over your Percy.” The man nodded, raising his glass to take a drink, only to discover it to be empty. “Can you give me a refill, boy?”

Chiron stepped in before Nico had the chance to even touch the glass. Instead of refilling it, the tall man set it aside and gave the man across the bar a firm look. “Do not harass my employees, sir. Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.”

The man looked applaud. “On what grounds?”

Chiron waved over to Chris to get his attention. “Because you are threatening my employee here.”

Chris got the man to his feet, who stumbled in an attempt to get free of the brunet's grip. “I was just making an observation is all, meant no harm.” He dusted himself off and narrowed his drunken eyes at Chris. “I'm perfectly capable of showing myself out, thank you very much, ma'am.”

Chris just blinked and raised a brow as the man stumbled out. “He really did have too much to drink,” he assessed before going back to his table.

Nico was still a little shaken up when it came time to get off work. Chiron didn't make him wait around while they closed up the bar, instead sending the boy upstairs to meet up with Percy. However, he had barely gotten off the elevator when he froze in place.

Apollo and Robert were standing in the hallway. Robert made to advance closer to the curly haired blond, but Apollo raised a hand to put distance between the two of them. “Don't touch me,” the blond Lost Boy whispered.

“You could at least think about it!” Robert shouted. “After what I just did, it's the least you could do for me.”

Apollo's eyes widened a little, shocked. “I never said I wouldn't.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Just let me think, okay?” He motioned towards the elevator. “Just go. Please?”

For a few seconds, it didn't look like Robert was going to leave, but then the blond leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Apollo's cheek. “Let me know when you make a decision,” Robert whispered as he pulled back.

If it hadn't been so quiet, Nico wouldn't have been able to hear half of the conversation. Apollo took in a deep breath as Robert walked towards the elevator, which was still occupied by Nico. Robert came to a complete stop when he noticed the brown-eyed boy standing there. But he didn't say anything, just gave a small nod to the Lost Boy as they passed each other.

Nico turned to watch the elevator close, slowly backing towards Apollo. His brow furrowed once the doors had shut. Whipping his head around, Nico turned his full attention to the curly haired Lost Boy in front of him. “What was that about?”

Apollo didn't respond. He stood there, chewing on his lip. His eyes darted around for a few seconds before they snapped onto the raven haired boy in front of him. “Hey, Nico,” Apollo said softly. “It was nothing.”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “It didn't seem like nothing.”

Inhaling deeply, Apollo ran a hand through his hair. He nodded without saying a word. As he leaned back against the wall, Nico caught sight of the look in the blond's eyes. Panic. What had happened? Finally, Apollo cleared his throat and looked at Nico.

“Robert left his wife.”