Children of Loss 58

Chapter 58

Shifting contently under the softest sheets that he had ever felt, Nico stirred from his fantastic slumber. The boy stretched his arms up in the air, causing the sheets to fall down and expose his bare torso. Smiling to himself, Nico placed a hand underneath his head.

A little over a week had passed since they settled into the Berlin hotel, and things were great. A few of the American Lost Kids were still making some rooming adjustments, but they all seemed happy. And Nico did not have a care in the world, at least for the next two months of his summer vacation. Speaking of which...

Nico rolled over and blinked at Percy. The young man was still fast asleep, curled up on his side. A single hand was tucked under Percy's cheek, while some of his hair had fallen over the young man's eyes. He seemed at peace. He was also completely nude, a reminder of the last thing they did before falling asleep last night.

Nico's eyes wandered down to scan over the young man's covered body. The comforter had ended up at the foot of the bed at some point at the night, which only left the sheets to cover them. The way they fell over Percy's body was somehow fascinating to Nico, as he found it hard to tear his gaze away from his lover's form.

Reluctantly, Nico pushed himself up to get a look at the alarm clock. Humming lightly, Nico shifted closer to Percy, pressing their bodies together. Percy just grunted in his sleep and buried his nose into Nico's messy hair.

“I think it's time to wake up,” Nico said softly.

“Don't wanna,” came the muffled reply. Nico giggled and leaned back to look at Percy as he opened his eyes. There would never come a day where he would get tired of those sea-green eyes being the first and last thing Nico saw every single day. “How long have you been up?”

Nico pressed a quick kiss to Percy's lips. “Not long. Are you busy today?”

“Later, but I wanted to do something with you today before that happened.” Percy smiled as Nico arched a brow. “How do you feel about horses?”

Nico wrinkled his nose. “They smell and they don't like me.”

Chuckling, Percy rolled onto his back, giving Nico a very appreciated view of his torso. “You'll be fine. You can ride with me on my horse until you're more comfortable.”

“You have a horse?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, it was a sixteenth birthday present from Gaea,” he yawned. “There are some stables about a mile or two behind the hotel, just off the grounds.” One of his hands curled around Nico, bringing the boy closer to him. “So, care to join me?”

Clicking his tongue, Nico pondered over the offer for a moment. “I suppose I could tag along, on one condition.”

Percy chuckled. “And what's that?”

“There's like two things I wanted to talk to you about later, and I'd like for you to actually listen to what I have to say without just dismissing my ideas.”

Blinking for a moment, Percy eventually nodded. As he sat up, he ruffled his black hair. “Of course, I promise.” He arched a brow. “Do you want to at least tell me what it's about?”

“Later,” Nico replied as he got out of bed. As he stretched, Nico let out a yelp as a firm grasp yanked him backwards. Nico laughed as Percy kissed along his naked back. “Percy, I need a shower.”

“Yeah, but I couldn't help myself.”

After a very long, long shower, Percy drove them down to where he said the stables would be. It made Nico smile, because Percy currently reminded him of an excited kid on Christmas morning. And to top it all off, he had not let go of Nico's hand since they left the mansion.

The stables included a fairly large field with a wooden fence around it. A few horses were already running around or being walked by trainers. Percy, however, headed straight for the building on the side. A little to Nico's surprise, Silena was out there as well, grooming one of the many horses that were kept there. Putting the brush in her other hand, the Lost Girl smiled and waved at them.

“Grooming the horses for us, Silena?” Percy asked with a smile.

Silena smiled and ran her fingers down a few strands of her newly dyed brown hair. Out of nowhere, a few days into getting to Berlin, the Lost Girl had decided that she wanted to change her look a little. “Well, Charlie stays busy fixing up your plane all day, so I needed something to occupy my time when I'm not working.” She hummed lightly and brushed the horse's mane. “They are also very beautiful creatures. I always wanted one of my own, but I didn't exactly live in an area where I could have one.”

“I was actually going to ask Hazel to help take care of the horses, but she ended up going to China.” Percy scratched at his cheek. “I actually got her a horse. Maybe I'll see if Frank will let me ship it over to her.”

Percy wrapped an arm around Nico and nodded over to a particular black horse. Nico waved to Silena before following the young man over to the horse. This one had to be Percy's horse. It could have been a lucky guess, or perhaps it was the golden name plate over the stall.

Nico arched an eyebrow at the horse's name. “Blackjack?”

Percy let out a chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I might have lost a bet while drunk after getting the horse for my sixteenth birthday.” He rubbed the horse's snout gently with a lazy smile. “I was not very good at blackjack back then, and Kronos thought it would be a funny reminder. Ah, this was also after winning the clothes off my back from me. Gaea made him give those back, though, but he did make me name the horse.” Percy gave a shrug. “Doesn't bother me, I've come to like the name, and Blackjack is an awesome horse.”

The horse took one look at Nico and snorted, causing Nico to jump a little. “Ah, I really don't think this is a good idea.”

“Nonsense,” Percy replied, already opening the gate. “You'll be fine. I'll be right there the whole time.”

After he got a saddle on Blackjack, Percy led the horse outside. He fed it a sugar cube as he waited for Nico to get on, but the boy did not budge. Animals had just never been a real fan of Nico, and he did not think that was just magically going to change.

Seeing Nico's nervousness, Percy leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to the boy's cheek. “I promise that you'll be fine. I'll be right here if anything goes wrong.” Another kiss, this time to the lips. “I wouldn't put you on Blackjack, if I didn't think you'd be perfectly safe.”

As a light blush crept onto Nico's cheeks, the boy took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, okay.” The second he got one foot into the saddle, he stopped and turned back to look at Percy. “You promise you'll be right beside me?”

Chuckling, Percy waved a portion of the reigns that he was holding. “I'll be leading Blackjack the entire time. All you have to do is hold on.” He helped Nico get on the rest of the way, completely taking the opportunity to feel up Nico's ass in doing so. “And, when you're comfortable with that, I'll climb on and we can go for a real ride.”

It was not really that bad, if Nico were being honest with himself. It took him quite a while to release the reigns from his death grip and relax, but at least he got there. The horse stayed calm the whole time, obediently following Percy wherever the young man went.

“See? Not so bad, right?”

Nico let out a sigh. “I suppose not.”

Percy turned and smiled. “Do you want your own?”

“No,” Nico quickly replied, which made Percy laugh. “Um, I think I'll just stick with riding yours.”

Percy grinned wickedly. “You rode mine quite a lot last night.”

If Nico wasn't afraid he would fall, he might have hit Percy. “Pervert,” Nico muttered. Percy just chuckled as he came to a stop. In one swift motion, Percy jumped up behind Nico and slid his arms under each of Nico's arms to take the reigns. “Not too fast, okay?”

Percy kissed Nico's temple. “I promise that everything will be okay.”

That wasn't really what Nico asked, but he didn't have time to say anything before Blackjack took off in a gallop. He would vehemently deny it later, but Nico let out a very humiliating shriek, which Percy just laughed at. If they weren't going so fast, Nico would have elbowed him right in the stomach. He could always withhold sex from the young man later...

Okay, so that probably wasn't a very realistic option.

As it turned out, Nico didn't even make it half an hour on that threat. Well, now Nico could at least check have sex outdoors off his list of things to do. But Percy did have to get back to work, which meant that Nico would have to entertain himself for the rest of the day.

Several of the others ended up going to the pool, so Nico decided to tag along. There was definitely a weight that seemed to be lifted off many of the old American Lost Kids. He just wondered if things were going well with Apollo. The blond had still not returned from Florida, which had Leo a little anxious. But the Latino boy had been kept plenty busy around the hotel. Upon arriving, Percy let the guy go to work as the hotel's handyman. It made Nico a little nervous, seeing the manic look in Leo's eyes whenever he tinkered with something.

It did not take long after the group got to the pool that Travis, Connor, and Eros teamed up to trip Luke into falling into the pool. To be fair, though, if Luke hadn't been watching Eros try to stretch seductively, he would have noticed Travis bent over behind him, or noticed Connor running up to shove him. Either way, the blond ended up submerged.

There had definitely been an increase in pranks and overall mischief in the hotel after the twins' arrival, and their quick bonding with the French Lost Boy. They had received quite a few stern looks from Athena, at least three on a weekly basis.

Tagging along with Eros today was Cecil and Lou. Luke had ended up dragging Will to the pool, which meant that Eros was probably trying to set up Will with Cecil. And it did not take very long at all for that suspicion to be confirmed, as Luke shoved Will over to where Eros was sitting with his friends. Eros looked up with a wicked grin as Luke plopped down on the lounge chair that the brunet was occupying. Will kind of shuffled awkwardly as Eros scooted back against Luke, who let out a grunt.

“Will!” Eros exclaimed. He motioned to the two next to him. “This is Lou and Cecil. I think you will get along splendidly with them.” He cleared his throat and grinned at Cecil. “Et Cecil est celui qui aime les blonds donc amuse-toi bien.”

Cecil rolled his eyes before standing up. Smiling, he shook Will's hand. “Nice to meet you. Sorry we haven't met already, but I hope you're settling in.”

“Don't let him get you into trouble,” Lou added, shoving Cecil to the side to shake Will's hand as well.

Cecil pouted. “I'm so wounded, woman.”

Will smiled at Cecil, rubbing at the back of his neck. Nico smiled when he noticed a small blush creeping onto the blond's cheeks. Well, maybe there was some hope there after all.

Nico sat down by the edge of the pool. “Where's Jason, Will?”

The two blonds had ended up rooming together upon their arrival in Berlin. Will gave a shrug. “He's looking over some colleges. He says he will probably take a year off, though.” Will chuckled. “He's been piling up dictionaries from different languages to study up on the languages of the schools he's been looking at.”

Nico pulled his legs up to his chest and chewed on his lip. He really was not looking forward to that talk he needed to have with Percy. It was not going to go well, not at all. Not after everything that had happened. Percy was probably going to get upset with what Nico wanted, but they needed to talk about it.

On a different note, a better one, Luke looked a lot less stressed and maybe a little less agitated than he normally was. Perhaps it was his fresh start. Maybe it was Eros's presence. But it could have also been his recent lack of responsibilities. Upon arriving, he and Reyna had stayed locked in the Lost Girl's room for almost two hours. And when they emerged, Luke had informed the American Lost Kids that he was no longer going to be a “sibling”. Well, he had definitely phrased it in a standard Luke fashion.

“I don't want to be cleaning up after your messes, or listen to your whining anymore. So go bother Reyna with your problems,” the blond had informed them all.

So Reyna was now the, sort of, ambassador for the Lost Kids that came from America, since their group was still kind of the outsiders of the Berlin hotel. There had definitely been an influx of people at Reyna's door after the twins started causing havoc.

When it came time for dinner, Percy and Nico stayed in the mansion. They didn't sit at the dining table, which was massive, even in the huge dining room. They instead ate in a small room between there and the kitchen, at a small table with candles. It was that last part which had confirmed Nico's suspicion that Percy had convinced Gaea to give them some privacy, even though the house was already big enough to have plenty of privacy in.

Sadly, Percy was not that much of a cook, to put it lightly, so they had their meal delivered by servers from one of the three restaurants that the Berlin hotel housed. Even during his spring break, Nico had not gotten to see everything in the hotel, so he was still encountering new things that the resort had. Juniper and Eros had not been kidding when they said it was double, if not even triple, the size of the hotel in Los Angeles. But it was also the very first of the Lotus Hotels, and was where Gaea dumped most of the money she had acquired when she started her business. The place had just sprouted up from there, Gaea had told him as they toured the grounds the day after moving.

Nico found himself a little nervous, sitting across from Percy. The setting was just very intimate, and Percy stared at him a lot. With very intense gazes. And, well, it took a lot of willpower not to throw Percy on the table and have sex right there.

But the servers were still in the kitchen, so that was kind of out of the question.

Percy had been nice enough to close the doors, to give them a little privacy, though. It had to be done, after he got up to ask for their meals and two of the women scurried away from the doors. Apparently, as the Lost Kids had eventually told him, even the normal staff of the hotel wanted to see Percy spend time with his...whatever they were. Luckily, this wasn't America, so the media had been pretty vacant from in front of the hotel, but they did have the occasional guest take their picture when they were spotted together around the hotel or if they went out in public together.

It was just a little frustrating, because people called Nico Percy's boyfriend a lot, but he wasn't quite sure that was what they were. Perhaps that was something else they should talk about. It just made Nico a little anxious, like maybe he was expendable or maybe Percy wasn't fully invested in them.

Nico was brought back to their dinner when Percy cleared his throat. “Uh, sorry,” Nico apologized. He blushed when Percy chuckled at him. “I guess I'm just a little distracted.”

Percy sipped on his wine, his eyes still intently locked on Nico. It made the boy squirm in his seat. It was just something about those eyes, like they could burn you. Maybe it was just the candlelight that made them even more appealing than they already were.

“Do you want to tell me what's on your mind? You said you had some things you wanted to talk to me about.”

“I just...” Okay, this was harder than it should have been. “Can we talk about something else first? Maybe... Where were you born?”

Percy smiled a little and shook his head. “Whenever you're ready then.” He let out a sigh and sat his glass back on the table. “I was born in New York City, actually. So, I guess that can help you understand why I pretty much went unnoticed on the streets. Hard for the foster system to find a kid in a place that big. Winters were also very cold. There was this one nice lady... She used to buy me a hot chocolate whenever she saw me.” Percy's face scrunched up. “Strange, though, I can't even remember her face now. I'll probably never even know what happened to her, but she was always very kind to me and my mother, when she was alive.” He smiled and took another sip of wine. “What about yourself?”

Nico let out a heavy sigh. “Sadly, in America. My mother got pregnant with me back in Italy, but... Well, my father and mother's side of the family had a huge falling out.” He scrunched his lips. “I didn't actually get to meet my grandparents until I was eight, I think. Even then, they had nothing good to say about my father.”

There was a grunt from Percy's side of the table. “Smart people.”

“It did not go over well at all when I asked to see them more often,” Nico mumbled around his own glass of wine. “My mother just... I don't know. Maybe he abused her without me or Bianca knowing. She was just always so...passive. She stayed quiet a lot, especially as I got older. She used to smile so much, but then it just kind of dwindled down to the occasional smile whenever we wanted to show her something.”

“You said he used to abuse you, even before he found out you were gay?”

Nico gave a small nod. “I just never really was the son he wanted, I guess. And he was just always so angry. It started out with small things, stuff that is more common with disciplining kids. Like a belt.” The boy rubbed at his arm. “I don't know, it just kind of escalated over the years. I had to stay home a few times from school, because I was just covered in so many bruises. I tried, for a very long time, to try and be the son he wanted. I tried to be better. I thought that maybe it would make him stop, but nothing ever worked.

“There was some really bad times,” Nico continued with a shaky breath. “I was around thirteen, and I had forgotten to turn the stove off one night. I had just wanted some SpaghettiOs.” Nico let out a small laugh. He rubbed nervously at his wrist. “He, uh...” Nico blinked his eyes as some tears started to form. He could practically feel the heat on his wrist again. “He tried to press my wrist to one of the metal rings after it got hot. Bianca came in just as it touched and she screamed. He hit me so hard before she could get me that I fell to the floor. It hurt for a long time after that, but it wasn't bad enough to leave a mark or anything.”

Nico chewed on his lip, falling silent for a brief moment. Why couldn't he stop crying? When had he really started? They just wouldn't stop, and his mouth wouldn't stop pouring out more words.

“He made me sit at the dinner table once and made me watch as everyone else ate after I got a C on one of my report cards. Well, watch him eat anyways. Bianca and my mother would not humor him in his punishment.” Nico cleared his throat, wiping at his eyes. “But Bianca snuck me some leftovers after he went to bed, at least. And there was another time that I tried to tell one of my mother's friends about what was going on, but she liked my father. When she went back and told him what I said, thinking it was funny that my father would ever think about abusing one of his children, he made me sleep outside in the rain. You know, since I didn't like living under his roof. I was never really sure what was worse, actually being on the streets, or being back home with my father. If you ever really wanted to know why I was so happy to take your offer the night we met, now you know.”

Percy just kind of gawked at him, his food and drink long forgotten. His mouth hung slightly open as he stared across the table at Nico with wide eyes. He didn't even move.

Nico chuckled and wiped at his eyes. “Oh god, I don't even know where all that came from,” he added quickly. “I'm sorry for bringing down the dinner. I've never even told anyone half of that. Bianca... She's the only one who really knows everything. I didn't mean to unload on you like that, I'm sorry.”

Percy's eyebrows knitted together. He got up and moved over to wipe the rest of the tears from Nico's eyes. “Hey,” he said softly, “look at me.” Nico pressed his lips together and obeyed. “I'm glad you felt you could share that with me. I had no idea.”

“I don't really talk about my own problems.”

“You should have talked to someone.” Percy got down on his knees and kissed Nico's hands. “I guess I know why you actually survived everything now.” He gave a warm smile. “You're a lot tougher than people give you credit for. I mean, I know that after seeing you walk through the fire, so to speak. But now I know why.” He got up and led Nico away from the table.

“Where are we going?”

Percy just smiled. “You'll see.”

They ended up at the small pool behind the mansion. It was very beautiful, especially at night with all the lights. The entire thing was made out of stones and had plants growing around most of the pool. Three braziers illuminated the whole thing. There was even an elevated level of the pool, where several tropical plants grew, which added a small waterfall that Percy often liked to get underneath and relax.

Percy sat them down at the edge of the pool. And, as usual since they moved and when he wasn't busy, Percy was already barefoot. Nico was as well, but only because he had been lounging around by the time Percy got back from his day. After dipping their feet in, Percy leaned over and kissed Nico's cheek.

“I wish you had told me sooner,” Percy confessed quietly.

“You probably would have killed my father without even asking.”

Percy grunted in response, which only confirmed Nico's accusation. “Maybe things could have been different for you then.”

“So I could have gone back home and then have my mother die in an accident?” Nico arched a brow. “Bianca could have never kept custody of me, she had no way of supporting us. Plus I'd never be here with you, if that had happened.”

Percy's sea-green eyes flickered over him, illuminated by one of the nearby fires. It made Nico's stomach do a flip. “Maybe, but I then I wouldn't be so attached now. So maybe it wouldn't have been so bad.”

Nico frowned at that comment. “You'd rather it be that way?”

Letting out a sigh, Percy's face softened. “I didn't say that. I care for you a lot, but I still feel like your life could have been better without me in it. You wouldn't have had to do the things that you did.”

“I chose to do those things,” Nico reminded him. “You never forced me to do it.” The boy tilted his head slightly to the side. “Somehow, I get the feeling that, if you didn't think I could have handled it, you wouldn't have made me do it. Or maybe I'm wrong and you would have.”

Percy let out a small laugh. “Well, you probably could have asked me to quit after I came back from Berlin after that month away, and I probably would have let you.” He licked his lips, his eyes wandering along the surface of the water. “You're probably right, though. I did want you out of that life in the first place.” Without looking at Nico, the young man took the pale boy's hand. “So, do you want to tell me what's bothering you yet?”

Nico let out a long sigh. Best to get it over with, right? “Well, maybe we could talk about the one that will make you less angry?” He chuckled lightly.

Percy shot him a look that already let Nico know that he was not pleased. Still, Percy gave a nod. It couldn't go that bad, right? If Percy really cared about Nico, he wouldn't toss him aside or whatever for saying something that Percy didn't like. And Percy was a reasonable person...most of the time.

“Well,” Nico continued, “you know that Athena is looking to retire.” Percy just arched a brow at him. “I just thought I could offer a suggestion.”

Percy leaned back on his palms. “I'm listening.”

“What about Grover?” Nico didn't even let Percy try to interrupt him. “He did run Kronos's branch while Kronos was overseeing things in North America, right? I'd say he's qualified. And he still has time to get the necessary training before Athena retires.” Nico cleared his throat. “Not to mention that he could be here, where Juniper is.”

A smile crept across Percy's face. “I suppose they would both be happy about that.” Percy tapped a finger to his lips. “Well, Grover and I were very good friends when I was living here in Berlin. And you are right, he is qualified to run a hotel.” The young man hummed for a few seconds before he continued. “I'll run it by Kronos and Grover, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind.” He smiled and leaned over to kiss Nico's forehead. “I don't know why you were so nervous, I actually like the idea.”

“It's sort of the other part that I was nervous about.” Nico shrugged. “I mean, I just wasn't sure if you'd consider my opinion worthy of taking into consideration, since I have no experience in running things.”

“You're smart, Nico. Not to mention that I'd be a horrible boyfriend if I didn't take your opinion into consideration.”

“Right,” Nico said slowly. Well, here goes nothing, he thought. “I was thinking about school, actually...”

Percy smiled at him. “Did you decide on a different major?”

Nico had already told Percy that he wanted to study psychology, so he could take Percy up on that job offer down the road. His major wasn't the issue exactly. It was more about where he was going to school.

“No, not exactly.” Nico pressed his lips together for a second to collect his thoughts. “I was kind of hoping that you would let me go back to America for school.”

It was almost amazing to watch how Percy's eyes changed from a calm ocean to a violent storm. “Absolutely not! You got abducted and almost died. I do not want you so far away. They speak English in Europe and I think you'd be happier with the education system.”

Nico let out a sigh. He was afraid of this. “But this is what I want. You told me several times in the past that I need to make my own decisions, choose my own path. This is what I want.” He pursed his lips as Percy huffed and glared down at the water. “I already filled out an application for the school I picked out. I got accepted. I might have had Rachel make a call for me, so they'd overlook how late I turned it in.” He bit down on his lip, trying to hide his smile. “I got accepted. And I could live with Bianca and Daedalus after our first year, since Freshmen have to live in dorms.”

Percy was dead silent. Well, Nico managed to ruin their night twice in under an hour. Great.

“I'll be careful, Percy. You can even have Ethan still tag along and watch after me, if it'll make you feel better. I really want this, Percy. Please?” He frowned, leaning forward to try and get Percy to look at him. “I'd be in the same amount of danger in America that I would be if I were in England. You'd still be unable to be there at a moment's notice. Something could happen to me just as easily in the amount of time it would take to fly to England.”

“You're not helping your case,” Percy mumbled. He sighed and finally looked at Nico, pouting like some wounded puppy. “I don't want anything to happen to you.” His shoulders slumped as he took Nico's hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss. “But I also don't want to control your life. I'm not that kind of boyfriend.”

“Thank you!” Nico exclaimed, smiling. He went to throw his arms around Percy, but froze. “Wait, did you say 'boyfriend'?”

Percy laughed and then nodded. “Actually twice tonight, but I don't think you noticed.”

Nico blinked. “You never asked me out. I-I wasn't sure if we were actually...”

The young man just shrugged. “I thought it was just implied. But, if it would make you feel better...” Percy cleared his throat and squeezed Nico's hand. “Do you want to go out with me and be my boyfriend?”

Nico's face lit up like a tomato. Even after everything that had happened in these last few months, hearing those words made him blush. He just never really thought it would happen. Nico found it very hard to deliver a proper response when he realized he was keeping Percy waiting, so he just nodded.

Percy smiled and kissed Nico briefly. Letting out a sigh, he leaned back on his palms and kicked the water. “I just want what's best for you, Nico. You realize this will make seeing each other hard, right?”

Nico nodded with a frown. “I know,” he whispered. “I just...don't want to be arm candy or a trophy boyfriend. And I know I could still get my education your way, but I just need my own path. I want to do this without any help.” Nico narrowed his eyes. “So no bribing my school or professors. Or threatening them.”

Percy smiled. “I am confident that you don't need my help.”

“It'll only be four years. Or three, if I take some summer courses.” Nico smiled when Percy groaned. The young man really had become attached, hadn't he? “Online courses, don't worry. But we'll still see each other. And when it's all said and done, I can say that I accomplished this on my own. Nobody could say you just handed me a job here.”

Percy rubbed at his jaw. “You still need to take some bartending lessons, so you'll know how to mix drinks,” he muttered. Nico could tell he still wasn't happy about this. “Just...stay out of trouble and you can have my blessing. Not that you need it, of course. I am glad you came and talked to me about it, though. You're right, we need to be open with each other.”

The brown-eyed boy nodded. “We'll be okay? Three or four years can be a long time.”

Smiling, Percy leaned over and kissed Nico's temple. “I'd never dream of cheating on you, if that's what you're worried about. I am content to have my needs taken care of when we visit each other. But, just so you know, you will be spending breaks between semesters here. That goes for spring break and things like that as well.” He grinned over at Nico, watching the boy from the corner of his eye. “Not negotiable.”

Nico smiled and wrapped his arms around Percy, pecking him on the lips. “You have yourself a deal, Mr. Jackson.”

“Why are we doing this again?” Luke sighed for the fifth time the next day.

Nico turned to glare at the blond. “Eros's birthday is coming up, and you need to be a good boyfriend and get him a present.”

Luke smirked and leaned against the glass window that Nico was looking inside of. “He already gets my dick, I think that's a good enough gift.” Nico had to snort at that. “And we aren't dating, so get that word out of your head.”

“Uh-huh.” Nico was already paying him less attention. Luke could deny it all he wanted, but the raven haired boy knew that Luke would agree to date the brunet at the snap of Eros's fingers. “But while you're in your denial, can you at least try to pick out something?” He sighed when Luke rolled his eyes. “Besides, it would probably make him want to have sex or give you head, if you got him something thoughtful.”

That got the blond to perk up. “A gift you say?” He rubbed his chin. “Well, he does like clothes.”

How hopeless could this guy be? Nico let out a sigh. “Try something that you might not try to rip off him later.” The boy arched a brow. “But clothing isn't a bad start. There's a fashion show coming up, or so I heard him talking about with a few of the Lost Girls. Why don't you try to get him tickets...and maybe go with him...like on a date. Maybe include a nice dinner.”

“I am not some sap,” Luke grumbled.

“I won't tell if you won't,” Nico chuckled. Sticking out his tongue, Nico grabbed Luke's shirt sleeve and dragged the blond down the sidewalk.

Luke let out a sigh as he let himself be led down the street by the shorter boy. “Do you even know where you're going? If you get us lost...” The blond frowned as he glanced around. “This street is practically deserted.”

“Fine,” Nico sighed. “I'll see about finding some directions to wherever the fashion show is being held.” The boy hummed lightly. “Maybe someone at a clothing store would know.”

As they rounded a corner, Nico ran directly into someone's chest. Stumbling a bit, Nico looked up to apologize. Yet no words came out of his mouth. It was like his mouth went completely dry at who he stared at, completely ignoring the cold object pressed to his chest.

“Callahan,” Nico hissed, his face deathly pale. The very man that he had stormed out on in the private rooms back in Los Angeles was there in Berlin, standing directly in front of him. Nico swallowed a lump in his throat and slowly looked down to find out what the cold source was. Nico felt his stomach drop. A gun with a silencer on it was pressed firmly against the center of Nico's chest. “Please,” Nico whispered, “don't.”

Everything just happened so fast after that, almost like a blur.

Nico was jerked backwards and shoved off to the side, where he hit the back of his head on some glass on an abandoned store window. His eyes snapped open in panic at the sound of a low, muffled thud.

Luke slowly looked down at himself, blood quickly soaking the front of his shirt. His mouth fumbled a few times, stunned, as he covered the wound with his hand. Nico blinked, in a daze, and tried to scramble over to the blond. He might have screamed, but the ringing in his ears made it completely non-existent. Luke crumpled to his knees before he fell on his side. There was a fear in those blue eyes, one that Nico had never seen before.

While the hand over his wound squeezed the now red shirt, his other moved down to his pocket and tried to pull something out. Nico quickly rolled Luke onto his back, but he didn't even have time to look Luke over before he was yanked up by the scruff of his neck. Reaching out, Luke grabbed onto Nico's wrist, clamping his hand down. Nico's eyes widened a little as he felt something cold and metal in his hand.

“You fucking bitch, you think you can just run off like that?” Mr. Callahan hissed in Nico's ear. “You think you can make a fool of me like that, just because you're Percy's little bitch?” The gun clicked in the man's other hand. “Now you can die, just like your friend here.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Nico flipped the blade of the jackknife in his hand and turned to thrust it into the man's chest, just below the ribs. Twisting the blade, Nico caused the man to drop his gun, which Nico caught in his other hand. He didn't even think, Nico just pulled the trigger and a bullet shot Mr. Callahan through the throat.

As the man fell to the ground, choking on his own blood, Nico fell to the ground in a daze. Everything was spinning, he felt sick. Nico could feel the bile rising in his throat. He just shot and killed a man. His hands shook as he tried to look at them, but they were so very blurred.

As Nico tried and failed to calm his breathing, he moved back over to Luke's side. The blond gave him a single nod. “You did...what you...had to do,” Luke said, probably more calmly than Nico had ever heard him. But his breathing, it was dwindling. Those blue eyes began to droop, causing Nico to panic even more.

“Luke, hold on,” Nico began to sob as he fumbled to get his phone out of his pocket. He cursed as he dropped it. While he dialed 112—which was the very first number that Percy had him learn for emergencies when they moved—Nico screamed as loud as he could for assistance. “Help! Please, anyone, help me! My friend's been shot!”

As a few shop doors opened and people began to see what the commotion was, an emergency operator picked up. The problem was, Nico did not understand German yet.

“I don't know what you are saying, ma'am, but my friend has been shot and I need an ambulance as fast as possible.”

There was a brief pause and then, in a thick German accent, “May I have your location, sir?”

Nico did his best to direct the woman to their location. Finally, a woman came up and took the phone from him. Nico looked up, startled, as the woman spoke in German to the emergency operator. Nico couldn't breathe. The world spun around him as he clutched frantically at his hair.

“I'm so sorry,” Nico sobbed, turning his attention back to Luke. “Oh god, this is all my fault. If I hadn't been such a little brat and just done my job, this wouldn't have happened.”

Luke looked so pale. His blood had started to pool around him, which made Nico even more nauseous. “Stop being such a baby,” Luke tried to laugh, only making himself wince. Licking his lips, he grabbed Nico by the hem of his shirt. “Look, I just...” He winced again as some more blood poured out. “God that fucking hurts.” Growling, Luke tightened his grip on the brown-eyed boy's shirt. “Look, stop feeling so fucking sorry for yourself every time something goes poorly.” His voice sounded quieter, just above a whisper. “I... Shit... You weren't all that annoying, most of the time. I meant what I said before, you reminded me of Octavian. I didn't want anything to happen to you, you know? I thought I could be a good brother again. Because, despite all the jabs and names, I do care about you, twerp.” Luke shook his head, which looked like it took a lot of effort. “Nico. You were a good friend and brother, Nico.”

Tears swelled in Nico's eyes as he buried his face into Luke's shoulder. The blond had never addressed him by name before. Why did it have to be now that it finally happened? Not under these circumstances. And he didn't want it to be the last time he heard it. Luke couldn't die, not now. He was finally happy.

Nico pulled back when he didn't feel Luke's chest move anymore. He wiped frantically at his eyes to get a look at the blond. Luke was pale and unmoving, his arms limp at his side. Blue eyes grew dull before slowly closing, Luke's head lolling to the side.

“No,” Nico whispered. “No! Luke!”