Children of Loss 17

Chapter 17

Nico let the warm water pour down on his head, letting out a long sigh. He had been standing in the shower, playing with his bangs, for the past five minutes. He had already finished up his shower routine, but his mind had just started to wander. He had figured that yesterday's events would have tempered his hormones, but that wish had died when he woke with an erection. Even when Percy was being mean, Nico still fantasized about the green-eyed manager. How was that fair?

It wasn't Nico's fault that, even when he was being mean, Percy was still hot. Although, that had probably been the contributing factor to Nico's dream about angry sex. He supposed it was a good thing that he probably wasn't going to be seeing Percy for the next few days, though. Perhaps it would help him get his thoughts straightened out.

He had had such a hard time going to sleep last night. Even after he had gotten back to his room, he had just ended up bored. He hadn't been able to go to sleep. Apparently, punching Apollo's face and then hitting a punching bag had woken him up. And then there were the Lost Kids altogether. What was their deal? They were doing nothing but confusing him, and it wasn't helping Nico's head.

Letting out a groan, Nico shut the water off. He stepped out of his glass shower and grabbed his towel, drying his hair before wrapping it around his waist. He needed to get ready to meet Clarisse and Ethan, and he had already wasted enough time.

He was really grateful for them right now. If Clarisse hadn't offered, Nico would have been stuck in his room all day with nothing to do. Nico walked back into his bedroom and picked up his phone, noticing he had one new message. Apparently, Clarisse wanted him to meet them down in the lobby, as they were helping Leo with something.

Throwing some clothes on, Nico grabbed his phone and key card, and headed out the door. He slipped his phone into his pocket as he headed down the hall. He felt a little uneasy when he was out in the halls, now. He wasn't sure if he wanted to run into any of the Lost Kids just yet. After all, last night's encounter hadn't gone so well. But that had mainly been because of Apollo.

As he was nearing the elevator, there was a whistle from Luke and Octavian's opened door. Nico frowned before turning back around and leaning into the room. Luke paused his game and leaned back on his couch, resting his hands behind his head.

“Well, looks like someone decided to show his face today,” Luke said, smirking at Nico.

“What do you want, Luke?” Nico grumbled.

Luke arched an eyebrow. He huffed and stood up, but didn't approach Nico. “I just wanted to say that you didn't do too bad of a job last night.”

Nico narrowed his eyes at Luke. What was he playing at? “What's that supposed to mean?”

Luke smirked and walked around his coffee table. “It seems you're not the only one being taken off the job for the time being,” Luke replied. “Percy's not letting Apollo go back to work until his cheek and neck have healed.”

“And you're happy about this?” Nico asked in disbelief.

Luke shrugged. “I thought it was amusing. But then again, I also thought your near disaster on stage was amusing.”

The look on Luke's face was making Nico shift uncomfortably. He reminded Nico somewhat of his two bullies at school, except better looking and probably more intelligent. He just seemed to enjoy watching other people suffer. Maybe that's why he apparently did so well in the kink rooms.

Luke slammed a hand onto the doorframe next to Nico's head. He smirked down at Nico, watching as the black haired boy's eyes widened. Percy and Luke had to be the two people at this hotel that could easily get under Nico's skin, though in different ways. Percy knew what buttons to push to make Nico blush and what would make him happy or upset. Luke knew how to frustrate and arouse him. Luke enjoyed tormenting him. It almost reminded Nico of how Bianca would pick at him from time to time.

Nico pushed on Luke's chest, only managing to make himself stumble backwards. “What's your deal anyways?” Nico grumbled, looking away from Luke's eyes with a frown.

Luke shrugged. “Need to find some entertainment somehow.”

“Do I really bother you so much?” Nico whispered.

Luke rubbed the back of his head, staring blankly at Nico. “Like Thalia said, you're a weird mirror for us to look at. But then again, I did try and tell you this.”

“I know.” Nico sighed and looked back up at Luke.

Luke studied him intently for a moment, his lips tilting down into a frown. Nico wondered what horrible thought Luke was imagining while looking at him. Was that all they saw when they looked at him? He didn't understand them anymore, and it didn't feel fair.

“Thank you for being honest with me, though,” Nico said, offering Luke a smile. Would it hurt to try and be nice to them? If Nico did get to stay here, they would be a constant in Nico's life. Perhaps, with time, they wouldn't see him so horribly.

Luke only continued to frown at Nico, though. Nico let out a sigh, his smile faltering. He supposed it was too much to hope for. Honestly, he didn't even know if he was ready to forgive them at the moment. He just knew it would be better if they could all manage to get along. And for some reason, he couldn't really see any of the Lost Kids trying to apologize. But maybe their way of doing that was by acting like nothing ever happened. Nico groaned as his head began to hurt. All of this was doing nothing but give him a headache.

“Well, I don't try and bullshit people when there's an issue,” Luke finally mumbled. He turned around and walked back to the couch, sitting down with a sigh. He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his short blond locks.

“You couldn't have told me what the problem was?”

Luke smirked, his eyes still closed. “What fun would that have been? It was much better to watch you fall.”

“Has anyone ever told you that you're an ass?”

Luke chuckled. “On occasion.” He shrugged. “It's not my fault I get bored easily.”

Nico rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Whatever, I've got stuff to do,” Nico mumbled. He turned and began walking out the door.

“Hey!” Luke called after him. Nico turned back around with a frown. Luke had a frown on his face. “Don't try that stunt from last night again. And I'm not telling you that for Apollo's sake. We said keep your hands clean, and that meant with each other as well. If customers had been in the restaurant, Percy wouldn't have let you gotten away with your little revenge stunt.”

Nico narrowed his eyes. “What's it matter to you? I'm sure you would all be happier if I got kicked out of here.”

Luke's eyes darkened and he snarled at Nico. “Fine, go get your ass thrown out! Do whatever the fuck you want, kid,” he growled, slumping back on the couch and going back to his game.

Nico stumbled back in surprise. He pursed his lips and walked out of the room, making haste to the elevator. What had that been about? “I swear, they're so fucking confusing,” Nico muttered under his breath as he watched the floor numbers descend.

Clarisse, Ethan, and Leo were already in the lobby when Nico arrived. They fell silent as Nico approached them, Leo smiling and waving at the pale boy. “Hey there, Nico,” Leo greeted him.

“Hey,” Nico mumbled. He sat down next to Leo, turning to the small Latino boy. “So, I heard about Apollo.”

Clarisse and Ethan snickered under their breath. Leo pursed his lips to hide a grin. “Yeah, Percy had him sit out for a few days,” Leo replied.

Nico nodded. “So, how is he going to manage business if he is short two stri-”

Leo clamped a hand over Nico's mouth. “Don't talk about the top floor down here,” he hissed at Nico. Clarisse and Ethan had covered their faces with their palms. Leo looked around, frowning at a woman holding her child. He smiled at her and waved until the woman walked off. He turned back to Nico with a frown. “Dude, there are actually people here that don't do business on the top two floors. We. Do. Not. Talk. About. It. Here. Understand?”

Nico nodded his head slowly. Leo sighed and removed his hand from Nico's mouth. “Sorry,” he whispered. He guessed he hadn't thought about it. It did make sense now that Leo mentioned it. He also felt stupid now. He really should have known this. It should have been common sense.

“Not everyone that goes to the bar does business at the top floor, just as some people at the top floor may not go to the bar. But there are people who are just here having a nice family vacation, and Percy would prefer it if they did not know about what went on upstairs.”

Nico nodded again, his face turning red. He had almost let that slip. What would have happened if he had? Would Percy go through with kicking him out?

He didn't have too long to think on it, as Clarisse stood up and placed her hands behind her head. “Come on, kid. We'll go take you to do something fun,” the girl said with a wicked grin.

“Where are you going to take him?” Leo asked.

“None of your business.”

Leo frowned. “Remember what's happening soon,” he mumbled.

Nico tilted his head to the side. “What's happening?” Nico asked.

“Oh, we have some new arrivals.”

Nico blinked. “As in new Lost Kids?”

Leo nodded. “Percy had some shipped from other branches. Well, they have different terms for different places, but they'll be Lost Kids now. You'll have to meet them. They'll already know the others, so you'll still be the odd man out,” Leo answered with a grin.

Nico frowned. “Great,” he mumbled. Just what he needed, more people to betray him.

“Yeah, Rachel went to the airport to wait for their flight.”

Ethan waved a hand dismissively. “We remember all of that. We were there when Percy told us,” the Asian mumbled. He smirked at Nico and yanked the smaller boy up. He slung an arm around Nico and led the pale boy away, Clarisse on his other side.

They stepped onto an elevator and Clarisse pulled out her card. Nico watched as she slid it into the slot and hit the button to the third basement level. Nico tilted his head to the side. He had been wondering what the two floors below the parking garage were.

“What's this floor?” Nico asked, pointing his finger at the button to the second basement level, only to have it slapped away by Clarisse.

“Something you don't need to worry about,” the girl hissed.

Ethan chuckled. “Aw, just tell him. It's not like there's any harm in it. He knows plenty already,” Ethan reasoned.

Clarisse eyed her co-worker for a moment before grumbling. “Fine.” She looked down at Nico. “That would be the kink floor that the others probably told you about. Like I said, you don't need to worry about it.”

Nico frowned at the button. He was a little curious to see what the floor looked like. He was just hesitant to actually set foot there. He had gotten a sneak peak of it in the monitor room, and perhaps that was the most he needed to see of it. He figured the entire floor was full of leather, chains, and sex toys, not some things he felt comfortable being around.

The elevator door opened, revealing a small hallway with a set of doors at the end. Nico followed the two security workers into the hall, where Ethan slid his card into a slot by the door. The doors swung open and Nico's eyes widened.

There was an entire shooting range beneath the hotel. A few targets lined the far wall, while a table sat closer to Nico and the others. In front of the table were a few small booths with some spare targets. On the ceiling, there was a conveyer belt, for what Nico assumed was for people to replace targets. Another table and shelf sat a few feet behind the table. Nico walked over and looked around at the contents. There were earplugs and headphones on some of the shelves. On the table were a few black briefcases, which had electronic combinations on them.

Nico walked down a few steps, noticing a sliding glass wall in front of some of the shelves. He peered inside to find a various assortment of guns. They had brought him to a shooting range? Why would they need to spend their time here? The better question was why was there a shooting range down here at all?

“You spend your days shooting?” Nico deadpanned.

The two smirked at him. “Gives us something fun to do,” Ethan replied.

Nico eyed the two of them carefully. Leo and Rachel's words were now starting to bother him. He supposed he shouldn't find it odd that someone would enjoy shooting at a target fun, but the way they spoke about it, plus the looks on their faces, made Nico concerned. Their job was to keep the peace upstairs, right? He had never even seen them carry a gun.

“So, customers come down here to test out their merchandise, or something?” Nico asked hesitantly.

Clarisse smirked, sending a shiver down Nico's spine. “Nope,” was her only reply.

A door behind Nico opened, startling the boy. He turned around to find a short Latina woman carrying a small black box. She had curly black hair and a pair of bright brown eyes. She had on an old Rolling Stones t-shirt and some tattered jeans with a few grease stains.

She blinked at them in mild surprise before smiling and continuing on into the room. She sat the box down on the table and wiped her hands together. “Well, what can I do for you today? She asked in a Hispanic accent.

Ethan smiled, so surprisingly genuinely that it didn't creep Nico out. “We were just showing Nico here the floor, Esperanza,” he told her.

Esperanza nodded and turned to look at Nico. She wiped her hands on the back of her jeans and held her hand out for him. “You must be the Lost Boy that Leo was telling me about.”

Nico turned his head to look at the other two in confusion. “Esperanza is Leo's mother,” Clarisse explained.

Nico's eyes widened at the woman. He had figured that all of the Lost Kids were cut off and abandoned from their families. But here was Leo's mother in front of him. “It's nice to meet you, ma'am,” Nico said with a smile.

“Oh, please, call me Esperanza. None of that formality mierda.”

Nico arched an eyebrow. “That means shit, dude,” Ethan chuckled. Nico's eyes widened as he nodded his head.

“Anyways, we wanted to do some shooting,” Clarisse said. “Thought we might let Nico try firing one.”

“I-I am?” Nico asked nervously. He had little to no gun experience. He shot guns in video games all the time, but the extent of his real life experience with them consisted of the pistol his father owned and some thugs he would sometimes run into on the street. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was with this idea.

Ethan shrugged. “You should be fine,” he said, waving a hand through the air.

Should be? Nico's eyes widened. He could end up shooting himself in the foot! He felt like this was going to be another bad experience for him. Were they going to set him up to make a fool of himself too?

Esperanza shrugged. “Should be fine. Just make sure all of the protocols are seen to,” the Latina woman instructed.

The two security workers nodded and led Nico over to one of the booths. Clarisse walked over to the table and shelves and began to look through the contents. Nico turned back to Ethan. “So, what does Leo's mom do around here?” Nico asked out of curiosity.

Ethan glanced over at the woman. “She's the handyman around here, or handywoman, in her case,” he chuckled. “She fixes our cars, oversees to some hotel maintenance, deals with this floor, and a few other things.”

Clarisse returned to the booth and tossed three headphones onto the small table in the booth. She had a plastic bin in her right arm, which she sat down on the table behind the booth. Ethan smirked and walked over and pulled out a pistol. Clarisse pulled out her own pistol and returned to the booth. She grunted and handed Nico a pair of headphones, which he immediately put on. One of the few things he did know about guns were that they were loud.

He took a step back and glanced over at Esperanza, who smiled warmly at him. Nico turned back to the booths. Ethan and Clarisse had set up in their own separate booths, having put their own headphones on. They checked the clip of their guns before cocking it. Nico pressed his hands to the side of his headphones as they both raised their guns.

Even behind the headphones, the noise was a little too loud for Nico's taste. He found himself frowning at nothing in particular. Nico released a sound of awe as he looked at their targets, both perfect bullseyes. His eyes widened and he clamped his hands back over his headphones as the two fired again. Couldn't they give him some kind of warning?

The two continued firing a few rounds with enthusiasm. Nico had to admit, they were pretty good shots. He supposed he should be more impressed with Ethan; though he only had one good eye, the young man was a very good shot. Nico yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt a pair of hands rest on his shoulders.

The room quieted when Ethan and Clarisse heard Nico, both turning around with frowns. Nico turned his head to find Percy standing behind him. “What are you doing?” Percy mumbled.

“I-they brought me down here for something to do,” Nico stuttered, his cheeks darkening. Damn Percy for scaring him like that, in a shooting range of all places.

Percy raised an eyebrow at his two security workers. “Is that so? Funny, I don't remember hearing anything about this.”

Ethan and Clarisse smirked at Percy, who grinned back at them. “We thought he could use something fun to do,” Clarisse said.

“Perhaps let him try shooting one,” Ethan added.

Percy frowned. He eyed Nico briefly before finally shrugging his shoulders. “I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything,” Percy finally consented. “Just make sure he knows what he's doing.” Nico stared up at Percy, who was now fiddling with the cuffs of his black button-up shirt. Percy grinned, without looking at Nico, and ruffled his hair.

Percy nodded his head over towards the booth, and Nico hesitantly walked over. He wasn't sure he liked this idea, but Percy was there supervising. So how bad could it be? Ethan walked over and went through the bin that Clarisse had picked out. He picked out a beretta and held it out for Percy to look at. Percy scrunched his lips up and nodded.

Ethan grinned at Nico as he placed the gun in Nico's smaller hands. Nico frowned as Ethan let go, the gun immediately weighing his hand down. He already disliked the feel of it. It felt cold and made Nico's skin feel clammy.

He turned a frown on Percy, who smiled back at him. “If you don't want to shoot it, you don't have to,” he told Nico.

Nico pouted at him. Maybe just one shot. He let Ethan run through a few gun safety and shooting tips, making sure to pay attention to every word. The last thing he wanted to do was mess up with this thing.

After Ethan was done, the Asian stepped back, leaving Nico alone in the booth. Nico pursed his lips as he raised the gun towards the target. He scrunched up his face in preparation for the oncoming gunshot. He felt a hand rest on his hip and looked up to find Percy behind him.

Percy's eyes were blank as he helped Nico aim, making sure to fix the way Nico was holding the gun. “Make sure to look down the barrel, and don't shut your eyes,” Percy whispered.

The tall manager took a few steps back and took a pair of headphones from Clarisse. After that, Percy slipped his hands into his pockets and turned his attention back on Nico. Nico exhaled slowly and took aim again. He frowned to himself as he moved his finger to the trigger, hesitantly pulling the trigger.

A searing pain coursed through Nico's hand as he winced and fell back onto his ass, his body shaking. He heard the others laughing. He frowned and looked up to see Percy laughing down at him. His frown turned into a pout as his eyes turned sad. Percy's laughter died down to a chuckle as he kneeled down in front of Nico.

“Not so bad now wa-” Percy cut himself off as he looked Nico over. Nico winced as Percy pried the gun out of his hand. His eyes turned to panic as he noticed the cut on the webbing of his hand, blood already running down his palm. Percy lifted Nico's hand up for inspection with a sigh.

“Shit. I'm sorry, Nico, I forgot to mention that part,” Ethan apologized.

“I-It's fine,” Nico replied, his ears still ringing.

Esperanza appeared at Percy's side, offering him some rubbing alcohol and a bandaid. Percy thanked her and opened the bottle of alcohol. Nico whined as Percy went about cleaning his wound. “Don't whine, or I'll take you up to Will and let him do this,” Percy mumbled, silencing Nico with a harsh stare. Nico narrowed his eyes at the young man, but chose to not make any more noises.

“You'll be fine, kid. It's just a little nick. A few more practice shots and you'll be fine,” Clarisse said, patting Nico's shoulder.

Nico frowned up at Percy. Percy flicked his eyes up to Nico's before returning to the brown-eyed boy's hand, a frown on his face. “I think that's enough for him.”

Clarisse grumbled, but didn't say anything further. Percy finally put the bandaid on and helped Nico stand up. Percy sighed and rested his hand on Nico's head. Nico's face contorted back into pain as he looked down at his hand. He tried moving his fingers, finding that it hurt when he pressed his thumb and index finger.

Percy rolled his eyes and pushed on the back of Nico's head, guiding him towards the door. “Let's wrap it up here. I need all of you up in the lobby,” Percy instructed. “Can you clean this up for us, Esperanza?”

“Of course, sir,” Leo's mother replied, already placing the guns back into the bin.

“Great. The two new arrivals should be here by now, so let's get upstairs.”

Nico trailed behind Percy as they walked back to the elevator. Clarisse and Ethan were mumbling something behind Nico, but he wasn't paying them much attention. Nico clutched his hand, wishing that the pain would go away. He wanted to ask how long it was going to hurt, but after what Percy had said, he felt like he was being a child. He would probably just make his situation worse if he complained further.

Percy didn't even look at him as they rode up in the elevator. It was starting to make Nico's head spin at the mixed signals he was getting from the green-eyed young man. Perhaps he should just be blunt and ask Percy. Did Percy like him? Did Percy hate him? Was Percy even capable of an emotion like love? Sure he was sometimes affectionate with Nico and the other Lost Kids, but he had his boundaries that the others knew not to press.

If Percy would just act one way, it would make Nico's life so much easier. But instead, Percy constantly changed his moods. Perhaps Percy's eyes were fitting for him, because he reminded Nico of the sea. What was Percy's true nature? He was raised in this environment, so for all Nico knew, he could just be wearing a really good mask and be putting on one hell of an act. Leo had said Percy knew about Nico's crush. What if Percy was just manipulating his actions through flirtation? He said everything was Nico's choice, but that didn't mean Percy couldn't give Nico a shove in the direction he wanted Nico to go.

Nico was abruptly pulled from his train of thought as Clarisse shoved him out of the elevator. Nico frowned at the tall girl, who paid him no attention. Rachel was standing in the middle of the lobby with two girls.

One of them was a tall Asian girl. Her black hair was long and done in ringlets. She had warm brown eyes that reminded Nico of a deer. She was beautiful, and her perfume reminded Nico of Christmas. One feature Nico didn't really like about her was that she had a lot of jewelry on. The majority of her fingers had various rings on them, she had several bracelets and bangles, she had several earrings, and a golden necklace. He also felt she was wearing too much makeup. Nico felt she was trying too hard to be pretty when she already was. Still, she seemed friendly enough.

The other girl was fairly short, probably coming up to Nico's eyes. She was very petite, and Nico feared for her safety in this job. She looked so fragile. She had wispy amber colored hair that fell just below her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of green, like leaves in the middle of summer. Unlike the other girl, this one didn't try wearing a lot of makeup or jewelry. The girl did wear a lot of green, though, and Nico guessed it was probably her favorite color.

Percy was the first to greet them, raising each of their hands up to his lips. “Drew, Juniper,” he addressed them respectively, bringing a blush to each of their cheeks. Nico scowled at all three of them. They had only been here a few seconds, and Percy had already enchanted them.

Well, Leo had said that the other Lost Kids already knew these two, so Percy probably did as well. The Asian girl snapped her fingers at Clarisse and Ethan. “I'd like my things carried up to my room now,” she commanded, her Japanese accent coming in fairly strong. Perhaps Nico had been wrong about that warm thing.

Clarisse and Ethan scowled and grumbled at her as they carted off the girls' things. Percy cleared his throat and beckoned Nico closer. The two girls raised their eyebrows at him. “I don't believe you've met Nico yet. He's a relatively new addition here. Nico, this is Drew and Juniper,” he introduced each of them respectively.

“Aw. He's adorable,” Juniper sighed, raising her hands to her face. She also spoke with an accent, hers being British. Nico just blinked at her. He wasn't going to get drawn in by their sweetness, he had learned where that got him with these people.

Drew looked him up and down and shrugged. Yep, appearances were definitely deceiving, Nico thought. “I've seen better,” Drew said distastefully. Nico scowled at her, but she had already pulled out a compact and was busy applying makeup.

Percy slid his hands into his pockets with a smirk. “Drew here is from one of our Beijing branch.”

Drew flipped her hair. “But I'm a native of Japan.” She closed her compact and smiled at Percy. “Frank sends his regards, and wished me to ask you about that request.” Nico tilted his head to the side. Was Frank the Percy of that area of the world?

Percy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, the whole reason I asked for new girls was because I needed to balance things out since Nico arrived. So, I don't think I can really release Hazel into his care.”

Drew shrugged. “That's fine by me. I'm sure he'll bring it up at the next branch meeting, though.”

Percy nodded. “I figured he would.”

“Wait,” Nico interjected. “If you're trying to balance the numbers, why did you get two girls?”

Percy blinked at him with a blank expression, his lips falling into a straight line. He then cleared his throat and turned to Juniper. “Juniper here is from our European branch. As you might have guessed, she's from England. Though, business gets tricky in Europe and Asia,” he continued, avoiding Nico's question. “But she answers to Gaea's branch in Germany, which is run by Athena.”

Nico nodded his head, wishing Percy would lose that blank expression on his face. Nico needed to learn what not to say so he wouldn't get him in a mood like this. Why couldn't Percy just look at him like he did the other night? Why couldn't Percy touch him like he did the other night? Why was Nico still being restricted? Was that part of his punishment? It felt cruel, like, dangling something in front of his face and then snatching it away.

“Anyways,” Percy continued, drawing Nico away from his thoughts, “would you mind showing the girls up to their room, Nico?”

Nico frowned at him. Didn't Percy say he wasn't supposed to be working until further notice? Was this the notice? He doubted it. Not enough days had passed to really torture him. Nico finally nodded. “Um, sure, I guess,” he mumbled.

Percy smiled, making Nico's heart beat faster. At least he was back into his normal mood. “Great. Well, I have to go take care of some business. So, I will see you two girls tonight.”

Nico frowned again as Percy walked away, patting Nico on the head. He wanted to find the nearest object and toss it at the back of Percy's head. He was afraid he was regressing, and that Percy was beginning to treat him like a child. Why did the two new girls get to see Percy later and he didn't? No, he was still being punished.

“Well? Let's go,” Drew griped. Nico huffed and headed towards the elevators, the girls stepping in behind him. He slid his card into the slot and pushed the button to their floor. Nico crossed his arms over his chest and stood in the corner of the elevator, sulking to himself.

“So, Nico, where are you working tonight?” Juniper asked.

“I'm not,” mumbled Nico.

Juniper tilted her head to the side. “Why not?”

“I messed up and Percy's punishment for me was to take me off work until further notice.”

Drew snorted. She inspected her nails with a devilish grin. “I'm loving my time here already,” she cackled.

Juniper smiled. “Don't mind her,” the girl said, smiling at Nico.

Nico studied the amber haired girl for a moment. She seemed nice, and Nico wanted to befriend her, but he was just too hesitant right now. The events of Friday night were still fresh in his mind. Drew on the other-hand reminded Nico of a more sadistic Luke. Nico wasn't too sure how Drew was going to fit in with the other girls, none of them caked on their makeup like this girl. But Percy had picked her, so she probably did get along with the others.

That didn't seem very fair to Nico. How was it fair that some girl like this could be liked by the Lost Kids and he couldn't? The Lost Kids usually came off as nice people, when they weren't plotting on stabbing someone in the back.

The elevator came to a stop, opening up to reveal Thalia and Piper. Nico tensed up, hesitant to leave the elevator now, but knowing he had to if he didn't want to be trapped inside with them. “Hey, Nico,” Thalia greeted him, patting him on the back on his way out.

“Hey,” Nico mumbled back.

Piper and Drew were staring at each other, both with frowns on their faces. Perhaps not all of them would get along with the girl after all. “I'm so glad you decided to transfer here, Drew,” Piper managed to get out, though she looked pained with the words.

Drew just sneered at Piper, flipped her hair, and walked off down the girls' hall. They definitely did not get along. At least Piper had made an attempt to be nice to Nico.

Piper sighed and rolled her eyes. She turned to Nico and smiled. “Watch out for that one, Nico,” she mumbled, entering the elevator with Thalia.

“Hope you're not getting too bored down here, Nico,” said Thalia as the door began to close.

“Don't be a stranger. Feel free to drop by one of our rooms.”

Nico stared at the closed elevator doors in confusion. He was going to get a migraine soon, he just knew it. What was their deal? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Nico turned around to face Juniper.

Juniper smiled at him as they walked down the hall. Drew was wandering around, trying to slide her card into the doors. “It's the one on the right at the end of the hall,” Nico told her.

Drew huffed and stomped towards the door. She slid her card in and marched inside. Juniper shook her head and turned back to Nico. “Well, thank you for showing us to our room, Nico,” Juniper said.

Nico nodded. “I just feel bad for you, having to share a room with her.”

Juniper laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. “She's not always so bad.”

“I'll just have to see for myself. I mean, she can't be worse than what I already have to deal with.”

Juniper tilted her head to the side. “Is something wrong?”

Nico contemplated telling her, but shook his head. He just met her, and she was probably already friends with the others. It would just be better if he kept it to himself. “It's just this place is still taking some getting used to,” Nico replied, which was partly the truth.

Juniper nodded. “I suppose it does. Well, I need to get ready for tonight. I suppose I'll see you later.”

Nico nodded and smiled. “I'll see you around, Juniper.”

He slipped his hands into his pockets as he walked back towards his room. He slowed down as he passed Luke's room. The door was closed, and Nico couldn't tell if anyone was inside or not. Nico sighed and continued down the hall.

As he was slipping his card into his door, Apollo and Will's door opened. Will emerged from inside, cracking his neck as the door closed. He stopped walking when he noticed Nico, blinking at the pale boy. The blond's usual warm smile spread across his face as he began walking once again.

“Hey, Nico,” the blond greeted him.

Nico nodded back at him.

“So, if you end up getting too bored in there, you could always borrow something from one of us to entertain yourself with. I have my own game system, if you want to borrow that.”

Nico pursed his lips. If he said yes, he would have to face Apollo, and Nico wasn't ready for another encounter with the blond Adonis. “Um, maybe later. I need to catch up on some homework before school tomorrow. Besides, I can actually get a decent night's sleep now,” Nico chuckled.

Will nodded with a smile. “Alright. If you change your mind, let me know.”

 Nico opened his door and watched Will walk down the hall. He shook his head as he stepped into his suite. Was he ever going to understand them? It seemed very doubtful. Did they like him or not? Just like Percy, they were sending him mixed messages.

Children of Loss 16

Chapter 16

Nico nuzzled further into his pillow, basking in how perfect if felt under his head. His eyes drifted open for a brief second before closing again. Something finally dawned on him, though, bringing a frown to his lips. There was no source of warmth behind him, as there had been when he had fallen asleep. He blinked his eyes open and rolled over, finding the bed empty. He glanced around the room, wondering where Percy had gone.

He finally took in his surroundings, not having paid attention to it the previous night. He rubbed his neck as he set up, the covers falling from his torso. A TV, the same size as the one in Percy's living room, sat on top of a dresser, directly across from the bed. A black nightstand sat on the side of the bed that Percy had slept on, an alarm clock sitting on top of it. Two sliding doors sat near the dresser, leading to what Nico assumed was Percy's closet.

Percy's bed was Queen sized, covered in a black comforter with white sheets. Black pillows covered the head of the bed. Two lamps jutted out from the wall on both sides of the bed with speakers right below them. On Nico's side of the room, there was another dresser with a mirror. Two picture frames sat on it.

Nico crawled off the bed to inspect the photos. One was of all of the Lost Kids; Leo, Rachel, Clarisse, and Ethan included. Nico frowned. He wondered if Percy would replace it with one that included him in the group. The second picture was of two people that Nico didn't recognize, a woman and a young man. The young man looked to be about Percy's age. He had curly black hair and hazel eyes that almost looked golden. His skin was pale like Nico's. He made Nico a little uneasy with the grin on his face.

The woman was beautiful. She was perfectly tan, and looked to wear little makeup, if any. She had long straight black hair and green eyes that reminded Nico of grass. Her smile, unlike the young man, made Nico feel warm. There was still a presence about her that Nico couldn't quite place. Looking at her eyes and face, it sort of reminded him of how Percy looked when he was masking his emotions. There was a mix of warmth and hardness in her eyes. He wasn't sure about the young man, but Nico was going to guess this was Gaea.

He pursed his lips and stepped away from the photos. He walked over and grabbed his underwear, slipping his the fabric back on. He found the rest of his clothes strewn about the room, and he quickly pulled them back onto his body. Fixing his messy hair, he decided to go looking for Percy.

It didn't take long. He found Percy in the kitchen, sipping at a cup of coffee. He was dressed in the same clothes he had leant Nico on his first night there, a dark blue shirt and a pair of black track shorts. Percy was already staring at him when he walked through the doorway. The gaze made Nico fidget under the stare, as he could not decipher what Percy was thinking.

“Morning,” Percy mumbled groggily, taking another sip.

“Morning,” Nico mumbled, rubbing his arm.

Percy stepped aside and gestured to his kitchen. “Feel free to help yourself to some breakfast.”

Nico chewed on his lip as he stepped around the island and went for a bag of bagels. He pulled one out and nibbled on it, glancing at Percy from time to time. Percy leaned on the island and watched Nico in silence, only making Nico fidget more.

“How are you feeling?” Percy asked.

Nico brushed some of his hair behind his ear. “Better. Thanks.”

Percy smiled. “It was my pleasure.” He watched Nico over his mug as he took another sip.

“So, does this mean I can be treated like the others?”

“No.”

Nico blinked. “No?” He asked.

Percy sighed. “Look, Nico, while last night was fun, don't expect it to happen on a regular basis.”

Nico furrowed his eyebrows. “Why not?”

“I'm not trying to corrupt you, Nico. That's why I drew the line where I did.”

Nico frowned and looked down. He had thought he had made progress with Percy, but Percy was pushing him away again. He had thought Percy was actually starting to care about him. But he was back where he started.

“I know what you want, Nico,” Percy whispered, “and I can't give it to you. If that's what you thought last night was, it wasn't.”

Nico covered his mouth. His heart was starting to hurt. He drew his lips into a thin line. “I know you can't give me what I want,” Nico whispered.

Percy let out a deep sigh. “I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong idea.”

Nico shook his head, biting down on his lip.

“Nico, I'm not trying to hurt you,” said Percy.

Nico nodded. “I know. It's just the way things are around here.”

Percy sat his mug down and rested his hands on the island. He stared at Nico for a few minutes before speaking. “Are you going to be ok?”

Nico nodded his head slowly. He wasn't really sure if he was being honest, but he knew it was the response he needed to give. If he said no, Percy would think he was incapable of handling life at the Lotus. “I just thought I was different,” Nico whispered.

Percy tilted his head to the side. “You are different.”

“I don't mean from the Lost Kids. I mean with you.”

Percy frowned. He scratched his head. His eyes flickered to Nico, narrowing lightly. “Why would you think that?” Percy asked, picking his mug back up.

Nico stared off to the side for a moment, unsure if what he was about to say was a good idea. He rubbed at his arm as he looked back at Percy, wanting the green-eyed young man's reaction. “You...You got aroused with me the other night, and I heard you had perfect control over your body. I-I saw you adjusting yourself when you got off of me.”

Percy smirked as he raised the mug up to his lips. “Is that so?” He shrugged.

Nico's heart was now pounding in his chest. His eyes were nearing the point of tears. He knew he saw what he did. Nico suddenly had the urge to run. He wanted away from Percy at the moment. He felt like he was about to cry, and he didn't want Percy to see it this time.

“I-I need to go get ready for work,” Nico whispered sadly. He made his way into the living room, and Percy followed him.

“That reminds me, I need to talk to you about that,” Percy stated, his voice coming out empty of all emotion. Nico slowly turned back around, already wishing he hadn't. Percy's face was the same as his tone of voice, emotionless. “You're going to work your shift this afternoon, but your punishment starts after that.”

“W-What's my punishment?”

Percy's eyes seemed to turn cold, and it was taking every inch of Nico's willpower not to start shaking. “When you finish your shift, you will not be working tonight. In fact, you will not be working until further notice. I'm going to have Leo cut off your card access. You will not be able to reach the bar or the top floor. You will not be able to return to this floor once you leave. You will be losing access to the pool, Circe's Spa, the gym, the game room, and any similar places within the hotel. In fact, the only place you'll have access to is your room and the kitchen. You can leave the hotel if you wish, but you will have to find your own ride.”

Nico had broken as Percy spoke. He just couldn't help it. Percy's words were like knives cutting into him. His eyes looked broken and he had started to shake. Percy just stood there in front of him with his hands in his pockets. Nico nodded his head slowly. He turned back around and opened the door, just as the first tear fell down his cheek.

He managed to get into his suite and get himself to the bathroom, where he promptly threw up into the toilet. His body heaved and lurched as he sat hunched over the porcelain bowl. He leaned back and sat against the tub, pulling his legs to his chest and burying his face.

Nico tried to calm himself down during his elevator ride up to the bar. He was starting to hyperventilate, which he did not need to be doing during work. Did that even matter, though? What was going to happen to him? Why was Percy punishing him like this? His fears had been getting the best of him since he had gotten back to his suite, and he couldn't turn his brain off.

He had started biting his nails, a habit that he hadn't done since he was in the seventh grade. When he caught himself, he shook his hand and clenched it at his side. As frustrated as he was with this place at the moment, he had an appearance to maintain.

Nico's heart rate went up as he exited the elevator into the bar. The twins and Reyna were already tending to the few customers that were already there. Nico felt tears already threatening to resurface. He didn't want to see them right now. They hated him, no matter what Percy had said. Percy was in with them, of course he would say that. They were all the same. He was alone in this place.

“Hey, Nico!” the twins exclaimed cheerfully as he passed them.

Nico stopped in his tracks and blinked. What was that? Where was the animosity from last night? He hadn't been expecting this reaction.

“H-Hi,” Nico replied.

They both grinned at him with their usual Cheshire smiles. They looked so normal and casual. Well, as normal as they could get. Did they know about his punishment? Was that why they were happy? “Hey, don't sweat it about last night. I'm sure you'll get it next time,” said Travis.

They walked off and Nico slowly walked over to the bar. He wasn't really sure what was going on. Chiron gave Nico his usual warm smile. Reyna was the only one not smiling, but then again, that was normal for her.

“You look a little rough, Nico. Did you sleep ok last night?” The dark haired girl asked.

“I, uh, slept alright,” Nico replied, more than a little confused.

The twins came by and dropped off their orders. “You should have had some coffee. You do look a little tired,” Connor agreed with Reyna.

“Ok, what's going on?” Nico asked.

The twins blinked at him. “What do you mean?” They asked, slinging their hands behind their heads.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Reyna asked, arching an eyebrow.

Nico shook his head in disbelief. What game were they playing? Chiron frowned. “I think you should all get to work,” the man said.

The twins' smile returned and they walked off towards the tables. Reyna just shrugged at Nico and followed off after them. Nico looked at Chiron. “What's going on with them?” Nico asked.

Chiron pursed his lips. “You should go get started on a few tables,” he said with a smile.

Nico frowned and looked at the ground as he walked off, not caring that his feet were dragging. What was going on? He didn't understand any of this anymore. He felt like he should be in Wonderland as opposed to a place that was the equivalent to Neverland.

After about an hour had passed, Nico's mind was racing all over the place. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do during his time off. He wasn't sure why Percy had chosen this punishment. Nico could handle waiting tables, so why had he removed Nico from work altogether? Were all of the Lost Kids going to be acting like this, like nothing had happened? Where was that going to get them? What was their angle?

Nico bit back a groan. He had to stop thinking like that. He was starting to sound paranoid, and he didn't like it. He just couldn't help it. His heart wouldn't stop pounding in his chest. His skin felt cold and he couldn't manage keeping his eyes under control. They looked broken, like shattered glass.

Nico gasped as he tripped, his empty tray flying out of his hand. Travis grabbed him and Connor caught the tray. The smaller twin grinned and handed it back to him. “There you go, Nico,” Connor chuckled.

“You seem distracted, Nico,” Travis stated, tilting his head to the side. They really did remind Nico of a cat sometimes, it was a little scary.

“I'm...fine. I'm fine,” Nico tried assuring them, but his words didn't sound believable. What was wrong with him? He was starting to lose it. He knew he didn't imagine what had happened last night, though.

The twins frowned at him and rubbed the back of their heads. Travis shrugged and elbowed his brother before they both walked off once again. Nico's head was starting to hurt, and he was feeling a little dizzy.

He just wanted to go back to his room and curl up in his bed. He just wanted to be alone, and it wasn't helping how a few of the customers would do their usual discreet once over of Nico's body. He wanted to be away from all of this, but at the same time, he didn't. He was going to be isolated until Percy decided otherwise. This was really starting to frighten him.

He wiped his eyes as he approached another table. He was doing his best to keep from crying, but it was getting harder by the minute. “Good af-afternoon, ma'am. Is there something I can get for you?” Nico asked, trying to be seductive, but failing miserably. He just couldn't do it. His mind was too focused on what Percy had said.

The woman frowned at him. “A new waiter, if you're going to be crying on me the entire time,” she sighed.

Connor came up and patted Nico on the back. “Sorry, he's just having an off day,” the brunet apologized. He yanked Nico off to the side. “Why don't you go talk to Chiron? Clock out early. You're not focused today.”

Nico nodded. He would have normally argued, but he knew Connor was right. His mind was too out of it at the moment. He dragged himself towards the bar. “Chiron, is it ok if I clock out early?” Nico asked in a whisper.

Chiron sat down a glass he was cleaning and looked Nico over. He gave a sympathetic smile and held out his hand. “It's fine by me. Go get some rest, Nico,” he said soothingly.

Nico nodded and handed over his apron. He slowly signed himself out and made his way back to the elevator. Getting in, he glanced at the bar one last time, not knowing when he would see it again. The twins waved at him, while Reyna simply nodded. The elevator door closed and Nico fell back against the wall.

He felt so incompetent. He knew this part of the job like it was the back of his hand. It was so frustrating for him to mess up like this. All this was going to do was encourage Percy to reconsider having Nico working for him at all.

Nico soon found himself back in his suite, where he promptly curled up on his couch. He pulled his knees up to his chest and fell over onto his side, a deep frown set in place on his lips. What was going to happen to him now? He was alone. He only really saw the others at work.

But he doubted the Lost Kids would really want to spend time with him. All of that had to be an act, right? They weren't going to come see him. Would Percy even come and check on him? He liked to think the green-eyed manager would still be concerned about him. But there were enough security cameras in various places of the hotel that if Nico did go get food, leave the hotel, or something like that, Percy would probably know he was fine.

Why was this happening to him, though? He knew he wasn't supposed to make a mistake on stage, but it wasn't his fault that Apollo had thrown him under the bus. It wasn't his fault. So, why was he being punished? And the way Percy had looked at him. Did he not care about Nico?

Nico began to shake as new tears started to fall from his eyes. What if Percy didn't let him work again? What would he do then? Was Percy going to get rid of him? Was he going to end up back on the streets? Nico's blood ran cold at that thought. What if that was it? What if Percy didn't think Nico could handle this place anymore and he was going to toss Nico out?

And what was he supposed to do for school? Was he supposed to get a taxi now? He didn't know. Percy had just said if he wanted to go somewhere outside the hotel, he had to find his own ride. But did that extend to Nico getting to school?

He was alone. He was alone, and no one was going to save him. Percy had said it himself that he was not a knight in shining armor. He wouldn't be coming to Nico's rescue. Where was the warm Percy that Nico had developed feelings for? Where was the Percy that had been taking care of him? He wanted that Percy back, not this cold emotionless one.

Nico just didn't understand why he couldn't be happy? Why couldn't there be a happy ending? He had thought he had found a better life when he had gotten here, but then he started to question it when he found out what it was. Now, he just didn't know anymore. Sure it wasn't the abusive home that he had lived in, but this felt so traumatic to him. Everything was crumbling, and Nico just wanted to keep it held together.

Nico wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he was becoming vaguely aware of his stomach growling. He just didn't feel like moving, though. He didn't even want to reach into his pocket to check the time. He just wanted to lay there. What was the point? He didn't have anything to do. He didn't have anywhere to go. He didn't even have anyone to spend time with. All the people he had been spending time with had stabbed him in the back.

Nico just kept staring at his TV, which he hadn't even bothered to turn on. He would blink from time to time, but other than that, he remained unmoving. He kept hoping that his door would open and that Percy would be in the doorway, and that everything would be fine. Hell, he would even settle for one of the Lost Kids.

A full day hadn't even gone by, and he was already feeling utterly alone. He had been counting on Percy after last night, and the young man had abandoned him as well. He thought Percy would have tried to be there for him, considering Nico had no one else to turn to after the Lost Kids made their feelings clear. But had they? What was their deal? They had seemed fine earlier. Did they hate him or not? Why couldn't they just be honest and upfront with him? At least Luke and Octavian seemed to do that.

But it had hurt so bad coming from Apollo. He had thought Apollo was his friend. He had considered the blond his best friend since his arrival. He had taken care of Nico. And just a few nights before, he had tried to have sex with Nico. Now Nico was finding out that that had just been a game to corrupt him. A game that Percy had allowed simply because he wanted Nico to make his own choices. Part of Nico wanted to be furious with Percy for allowing the others to do this to him, but the rational part of his brain told him that was stupid. Percy was giving him responsibility. He was allowing Nico to show him that Nico was mature and capable of making the right decisions.

Nico finally blinked and ran a hand across his face. He sat himself up and pulled his phone out. It was a little after six. He should probably go get something to eat. He worried that he might not be able to keep it down, though. He felt horrible. His eyes and face hurt. He felt so cold. His shoulders were tense, and the rest of his body felt sore. He could also feel a headache coming on.

Nico sighed and stood up, nearly falling over. He stumbled back to the bathroom where he splashed cold water on his face. He brushed his messy hair so that he wouldn't look like exactly like he felt. He sighed again and shook his head. His face still looked horrible. His eyes were red and his face looked even more pale than usual.

With one final glance at his reflection, Nico turned off the bathroom light and made his way out of his suite. He boarded the elevator and hit the button to the lobby. He figured he could have called for room service, but he just wanted an excuse to leave his suite at this point. He was going to be cooped up there for however long this lasted, and he would just have to leave it when he could. It was like a prison now. A very nice prison, but a prison nevertheless.

The elevator finally came to a stop and Nico wrapped his arms around himself as he made his way through the lobby to the restaurant. The hostess greeted him with a smile as he passed her. He could only nod in return. He just couldn't manage a smile on his face right now, he knew that much.

He had been determined to just get to the kitchen and place an order, but as he made his way to the back of the restaurant, he spotted Leo and Rachel sitting in the corner of the room. They had both already spotted him and were waving him over. Nico glanced back at the kitchen for a moment, debating on his choice. He sighed and walked towards the two secretaries. He needed a friend right now, and maybe, just maybe, they could be it.

“Hey, Nico,” Rachel greeted him as he approached the table.

“Hey,” Nico mumbled with a small wave.

“Do you want to sit down?” Leo asked, gesturing to the chair next to him.

Nico nodded and sat down with the two of them. Rachel handed him a menu with a smile. “So, how are you holding up?” Rachel asked.

“I don't know anymore,” Nico confessed. He rested his face in his palms. “Why is Percy doing this?”

Leo pursed his lips and rubbed Nico's back. “He can't play favorites, Nico. This is just how he is. Gaea put him in charge because his methods are effective. He gets things done while being good with both us and the customers,” Leo explained.

They fell silent as the waitress came up to their table and took their orders. Nico kept his meal simple. He just didn't think his stomach could handle a big meal at the moment. All he could think about at the moment was if he would still be here tomorrow. And he really didn't know what part scared him worse, being ripped away from this home, or never being able to see Percy again.

“Don't take it personally with us, dude. We were just following orders,” Leo said once the waitress was gone.

“I know,” Nico whispered. “I'm not mad at you. But the others...”

Rachel sighed. “We told you they were complicated. We're all family when it comes to outside entities, but when it comes to each other...” she trailed off.

“It gets competitive and personal,” Leo finished for her.

“What am I supposed to do?” Nico asked, his hands starting to shake again.

Leo glanced at Rachel. “Well, if we're free, you're welcome to hang out with us. But we are usually working.”

Nico nodded sadly. “It's okay,” he mumbled.

“We would let you come and sit with us in the office, but Percy already told us it wasn't allowed,” Rachel informed him.

Nico shook his head. “It's fine, really.”

The waitress returned with their drinks and Nico took a small sip. He found he had a hard time swallowing, and worried if he would even be able to get his meal down. He felt so broken and defeated. He didn't even know where he was going to end up. Nico glanced between Leo and Rachel. Maybe they could be of some help to him. After all, they had said they were similar to him. They were supposed to be untainted like him.

“Can I ask you two something?” The raven haired boy asked.

“Shoot,” Leo replied with a grin.

“Have the others ever done anything like this to you? I mean, you said you both were like me, so I just figured they might have done something similar.”

Rachel and Leo shared a look. “Well, Nico, perhaps 'we are like you' wasn't the right phrase to use,” Rachel mumbled around her glass of water.

Nico cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“We're not like the others, but we're not like you so much either,” answered Leo.

“But that's why Percy didn't put you to work in the top floor, right? Because you aren't tainted like the other Lost Kids.”

Rachel cleared her throat. “But we're not innocent like you are either, Nico,” she explained.

“We had our own rough past, but we didn't turn out quite like the others,” Leo continued.

“Perhaps because we were always the way we are now.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Nico asked.

Rachel frowned and looked at Leo. Leo sighed and scratched his head. “We...have always been aware of the way the world is, Nico. We just didn't turn out to be jaded like the others,” the Latino boy explained. He was silent for a moment before continuing. “We had our rough lives, but we always sort of expected the things that came at us.”

“My father is someone that probably would do or has done business here, Nico. He's not a nice person, and growing up in that environment, I got to see what kind of place the world really was,” Rachel added.

“But then why wouldn't Percy just stick you both up on the stage?” Nico asked. “You both look like you could work up there.”

They both smiled at him. “Thanks,” Rachel mumbled with a faint blush.

Leo chuckled. “We might have been worldly, but we still weren't as bad as they are when we arrived. Plus, it helped that we were smart with business and technology,” Leo answered Nico.

“But in turn, it drove a barrier between us and them.”

Leo nodded. “Clarisse and Ethan get treated somewhat similarly, but not as bad.”

“Why is that?” Nico asked with a frown. That didn't seem very fair. Why would they discriminate to a degree like that?

“Because, Clarisse and Ethan are more like the other Lost Kids than we are,” Rachel replied, taking another sip of her drink. “They were put in their positions because they can handle other people when the need arises.”

“You mean with violence?”

They both nodded. “It's something we can agree with the others about,” Leo mumbled. “They turned out a shade darker than the rest of us.”

“The other Lost Kids are just complicated and traumatized. Ethan and Clarisse, well, they are something else,” Rachel said, a tinge of something in her voice. Nico couldn't quite place it, but it made him fidget in his seat.

Nico slumped on his couch, trying to find something appealing to watch. It was getting late, so he didn't have much more time before he would be going to bed. That was one advantage of not working. He would actually be able to go to bed at a decent hour. He was just so bored. Leo and Rachel had had to go to work, leaving Nico with no one to spend time with.

He debated texting Percy to see if he would be willing to come visit him, but he had decided against it. He wasn't sure what to expect from the manager at the moment. So, he figured his best option was to not go seeking him out. The problem was that left him with nothing to do. He had no one to hang out with or talk to. He was alone, and he knew this was what his life was going to be like for a while, if he remained here that was.

He now wished he had already purchased a game console. At least that would have given him something to do. He could be spending his time in isolation playing video games and watching DVDs. Instead, he was stuck staring at the TV. He figured he could wait until the morning, so he had just put that off. He also had thought about looking into purchasing a laptop.

Ever since he had arrived, he had been essentially cut off from the outside world. But he hadn't even thought about contacting any of his old friends until this moment. He felt a little bad about that. The thought of contacting his sister over Facebook had crossed his mind, but he had also decided against that. Even though he hated thinking about the blond at the moment, he now understood why Apollo didn't want to contact his sister.

How would he explain his situation to Bianca? What would she think of him? He wasn't sure if he could look her in the eye in his current situation. Nico figured she would be disappointed in him, trying to sell his body for money. It wasn't like him at all, and he knew that. So, in the end, Nico had chosen not to go down that road.

Nico blinked in confusion when there was a knock at his door. He stood up slowly and made his way to the door. He wasn't sure who it could be. All of the Lost Kids should have been working. Was it Percy? Had he actually been concerned about Nico's state?

To his surprise, Nico found Rachel standing outside his door, a smile on her face. “Good evening, Nico,” she greeted him.

“Hey, Rachel,” Nico mumbled. He glanced down the hall. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to head back down to the restaurant. Do you want to tag along?”

Nico tilted his head to the side. “Isn't it kind of late?”

Rachel grinned at him. “I thought we could go for some ice cream,” she told him.

Nico finally smiled. “That does sound appetizing.”

“Great!” Rachel grabbed Nico's arm and dragged him into the hall. Nico barely had time to grab his wallet from the stand beside the door. “I was just in the mood for something sweet, and figured you would like an excuse to get out of the room.”

Nico nodded with a smile. “Thanks, Rachel,” he mumbled.

“Anytime. Besides, some of us have to remind you that this is still a family.”

Nico rubbed the back of his head as they waited for the elevator. “Well, I'm not really sure what's up with the others right now. They are acting so normal, but after last night, I just don't want to believe them.”

Rachel nodded and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “Don't think about it too much,” she said as she boarded the elevator. “I don't think they actually hate you. Maybe this is their way of letting you know you are still one of them.”

“Maybe.”

Rachel slapped his back. “Cheer up, gloomy. I've never seen any of them hate one of our own.”

“But I still disgust them,” Nico reminded her.

Rachel shrugged. “They just have to work through it. It's not your fault, Nico. Don't change because of them. I don't think you want to do that, and I know Percy doesn't want you to do that.”

“But he's leaving it all up to my choice,” Nico mumbled.

Rachel smiled and stared back at the elevator door. Nico frowned at her. Did she know something? No, Nico had to tell himself, that probably wasn't it. He was probably just being paranoid again. Still, it looked like she had some interesting thoughts on the subject.

Nico followed Rachel out of the elevator once it opened at the lobby. The hostess was still standing at her podium when they arrived at the entrance to the restaurant. “Just coming for a midnight snack,” Rachel informed the woman. She nodded at them and they walked inside the restaurant.

Some of the waiters and waitresses were in the process of cleaning up. One of them spotted them and walked over when they sat down. “What can I get for you?” The waiter asked.

“Two banana splits,” Rachel said. She glanced at Nico. “Is that alright?” Nico nodded. “Yes, two banana splits.”

The waiter nodded and walked off to the kitchen. Nico sighed and relaxed in his chair. “Thanks again,” he said.

Rachel waved him off. “Don't worry about it. I wanted the company anyways.” She let out a sigh. “Usually, I come down here by myself. All of the others are usually working. The only option I usually can get is Clarisse or Ethan.”

“It must suck.”

Rachel nodded. “This place can be a lonely place sometimes. But that's why we try and stick together the best we can, even if we bicker.”

“Well, I'm not going to get my hopes up,” Nico mumbled.

Rachel frowned at him. “You shouldn't think like that.”

Nico stared down at the table. They sat in silence until their dessert arrived. Nico couldn't help but smile as he looked at it. It was a fairly large banana split. It had the usual three scoops of ice cream, but this one had a second layer on top of that. It was adorned with various condiments, two bananas, whip cream, and three cherries.

Nico moaned as he took his first bite. He definitely needed this. “So, what was that about your father earlier?” Nico asked after swallowing a mouthful of ice cream.

Rachel frowned as she picked at one of her cherries with her spoon. “He and I never saw eye to eye,” she began. “Like I said, he's the type of man that you might see doing business here. He always saw me as an embarrassment on the family name. I just didn't agree with some of the things he did. I was the stain on our family name, and my brother was his little golden boy.”

Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “What did you do?” Nico asked.

Rachel sighed. “It started out with simple bickering, but as I grew, I started protesting his corporation. I started taking action. I would donate money to charities that didn't like my father. I eventually became an activist. I-I tried giving them some dirt on my father, but my brother caught me. When my father found out, as you can imagine, he was not pleased.”

Nico frowned, suddenly finding his ice cream harder to swallow. It was also starting to taste a little foul in his mouth. “What happened?”

Rachel's face fell. She wiped her mouth with a napkin. “He disowned me. Kicked me out without a second thought. Well, I had been preparing for such a thing. I had prepared an emergency bag and stocked it with a little money.” She bit on her lip for a few seconds before continuing. “I made my way all the way from New York to here. My money...my money eventually ran out, and I ended up on the streets.”

“And Percy found you?” Nico whispered.

Rachel nodded. “He did, eventually. I had been doing a street job, trying to make a little money. I think he had been shopping with Annabeth. Anyways, they both came across me as I was getting ready to leave. Percy sort of deduced what my situation was and approached me. On the way back to the hotel, he figured out I was good with business, and offered me a position as his secretary. As you can imagine, I immediately made a bad impression with Annabeth.”

“So, you were raised in a similar lifestyle?”

Rachel tapped her lips. “I wouldn't say similar, but I knew what kind of man my father was. I knew how things worked. I wasn't blind to the nature of the world like you and the rest of the Lost Kids probably were before ending up on the streets.” She smiled. “Because of that, Percy saw a different use for me.”

Nico nodded, taking another bite of his dessert. “I'm sorry.”

Rachel shrugged. “Don't be,” she replied. “I didn't really care for my father. I was glad to be away from him.” She took another bite of her own banana split. “Do you have any siblings?”

Nico nodded. “A sister.”

“Did you two get along?”

Nico nodded again. “We did. I mean, we bickered, but I figure most siblings do that. But she protected me the best she could against our father. I think father hesitated a little with her trying to do that. I don't think he felt as comfortable hitting a girl.” Nico stared down at his melting ice cream. “I was always thankful for her. I don't think I could have made it without her. It might sound a little weird, but I think that's a reason I'm drawn to Percy. I mean, I didn't have a thing for my sister, but-”

“I got what you meant, Nico,” Rachel chuckled. She nodded in understanding. “It's a little sweet. But as I know Leo has told you, I don't think you are barking up the right tree.”

“Percy told me that too,” Nico mumbled.

“They're right. Percy is protective, that is true. He just isn't in any position to give you what you want, even if he wanted to.”

Nico nodded and went back to eating his banana split. His shoulders slumped a little. He perked up, though when he heard talking. Rachel turned to look at the restaurant entrance as Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, Piper, Luke, and Apollo entered the restaurant. Nico felt a mixture of emotions hit him when he laid eyes on the blond.

Part of him wanted to cry because the blond had betrayed him. Part of him wanted to run from the restaurant, not wanting to be in Apollo's presence. Part of him wanted to curl up in a ball. But most of him felt angry. His hands clenched on the table, drawing a concerned look from Rachel.

Annabeth noticed them first, her eyes widening. She stopped in her tracks, drawing attention from Percy. He frowned and followed her line of vision, landing on Nico. He raised an eyebrow, but made no further acknowledgment. Apollo, however, froze on the spot, his shoulders tensing.

Percy just shrugged and changed direction to their table. Nico was gritting his teeth by this point, shooting a death glare at Apollo. Clarisse was grinning as she sat down next to Rachel. She leaned over and whispered something to the red headed girl, causing Rachel to frown. Luke eyed Nico as he sat down next to Clarisse, fully aware of the tension in the air. Nico's eyes flickered to Luke for a second. Don't, Luke mouthed. Nico frowned and turned his attention back to the other blond. He growled, and before he put more thought into it, he jumped out of his chair.

He tackled Apollo to the ground, surprising him. Apollo's eyes widened as they hit the floor. Nico let out another growl and punched Apollo square in his jaw. His only thought at the moment was to ruin the blond's perfect face. Annabeth had gasped when it happened, and she was now yelling at their side with Piper. The two of them were trying to tug on Nico's shoulders, but he just shrugged them off. Percy just shrugged and sat down calmly in the chair next to the one Nico had just jumped out of.

Rachel stared at the manager with wide eyes, confused at how he could just sit there so calmly when Apollo was getting punched. Nico landed another hit to Apollo's jaw, planting his legs on top of Apollo's arms. He wanted this, and he wasn't going to be denied his revenge.

“You asshole!” Nico yelled.

Luke jumped out of his chair and ran over to them. He tried pulling Apollo out from under Nico, but to no avail. He went to try to yank Nico off, but the raven haired boy grabbed onto Apollo's shirt. He kicked Luke in the knee and landed back on the blond, whose cheek was already red.

“Nico, wait!” Apollo tried, but Nico wasn't about to listen. Apollo cried out in pain as another blow was landed on his cheek.

Nico was suddenly pulled off of Apollo. Nico swiped at Apollo as he was pulled up, scratching his neck and getting a grasp on his shirt. As he was yanked away, the shirt was ripped, Nico smirking as part of the blue material remained in his hand. He began flailing as he was held off the ground by Clarisse. Annabeth and Luke quickly helped Apollo up as Nico was slowly dragged towards the exit. Apollo frowned at him as he rubbed his jaw.

“Just let him cool off for a little while, Clarisse,” Percy called after them.

Clarisse waved over her shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I got it, boss,” she grumbled back.

“Let me go,” Nico growled as she dragged him into the lobby.

“Not until you cool off.” She brought them to the elevator where she shoved him in. She glared at him, daring him to try and run back as she hit the button to the second floor.

“Where are we going?”

“You need something to take your aggression out on.”

Nico frowned at her as the elevator came to a stop. She grabbed his arm and led him towards the gym. Instead of stopping at the room the Lost Boys had been using with him to practice lessons, she went two door down. She slid her card in the slot and shoved Nico into the room.

Nico stared around in confusion as he looked at the various punching bags and gym equipment. “And this is going to help me, how?” Nico asked in frustration.

Clarisse smacked her forehead. “Hit something!” She waved her arm around the room. “Take your pick. Hell, if you want, I'll go print out a picture of Apollo's face and stick it on a punching bag for you.”

Clarisse rolled her eyes and guided him over to a punching bag. He turned and frowned at her. She only glared back at him. Sighing, Nico threw a punch at the bag.

Clarisse snorted. “That was quite manly of you there, kid,” she teased him.

Nico's frown deepened. “I'm sorry, I've never done something like this before.”

“Have you even been in a fight before?” Clarisse asked. Nico shook his head. “Damn, you really are innocent.” She scratched her forehead. “Alright, well, just hit the thing until you can cool off.” She rubbed her mouth and chuckled. “I got to admit, though, you did a nice number on Apollo.”

Nico blinked down at the blue cloth still clutched in his hand. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

“But I wouldn't suggest doing it again. Percy doesn't really tolerate physical violence amongst the Lost Kids.”

Nico nodded. “Sorry. I just couldn't help it.”

Clarisse shrugged as Nico took another experimental swing at the punching bag. “Don't worry about it. Personally, I thought it was amusing.”

Nico smirked. “It felt good,” he admitted.

“I'm sure it did. You looked pretty upset last night. Though, you kind of were acting like a girl.”

“Shut up,” Nico mumbled.

Clarisse chuckled. “I bet you felt real good trying to break his face.”

“I just feel used. They wanted to have sex with me, but I meant nothing to them.”

Clarisse shrugged. “Sex means nothing to them,” she replied. “It's just normal for them.”

Nico groaned as he hit the bag again. “Is it too much to ask for some happiness, though? Or romance?”

Clarisse rolled her eyes and swiped her thumb across her lips. “Like I said, girl,” she grumbled. Nico glared at her. “With this place, you just have to find your own happiness.”

Nico sighed. He supposed that was true. He reared his arm back and punched the bag again. His hand was starting to feel a little sore, but he didn't care. It was starting to make him feel a little better. Nico ran a hand through his now messy black locks and turned to face Clarisse.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

Clarissed raised a brow. “For what?”

“Bringing me here. It helped.”

Clarisse crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe I can make a man out of you yet.”

Nico chuckled. “And thanks for last night.”

Clarisse waved him off. “I don't like being around those guys either.”

“What do you and Ethan do all day anyways? I usually don't see you.”

 Clarisse smirked. “I'll tell you what, kid, I'll come get you tomorrow, and you can hang with me and Ethan.” She scratched the back of her neck. “You know, since I figure you don't have anything else to do.”