
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/1764405.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Percy_Jackson_and_the_Olympians_-_Rick_Riordan, The_Heroes_of_Olympus_-
      Rick_Riordan
  Relationship:
      Nico_di_Angelo/Percy_Jackson, Nico_di_Angelo_&_Luke_Castellan, Jason
      Grace/Percy_Jackson, Nico_di_Angelo/Will_Solace, Connor_Stoll/Travis
      Stoll, Silena_Beauregard/Charles_Beckendorf, Annabeth_Chase/Percy
      Jackson, Luke_Castellan/Eros
  Character:
      Nico_di_Angelo, Percy_Jackson, Apollo_(Percy_Jackson), Luke_Castellan,
      Annabeth_Chase, Jason_Grace, Will_Solace, Travis_Stoll, Connor_Stoll,
      Thalia_Grace, Cupid_(Percy_Jackson)
  Additional Tags:
      Romance, Sexual_Content, Angst, Friendship, Loss_of_Innocence, Slow_Build
  Series:
      Part 1 of Children_of_Loss_Saga
  Stats:
      Published: 2014-06-10 Completed: 2015-08-06 Chapters: 60/60 Words: 580123
****** Children of Loss ******
by SonofHades
Summary
     The Lotus Hotel, paradise for the right price. Nico collapses in
     front of the Lotus Hotel and is taken in by the manager, Percy. But
     is this really paradise?
***** Every End Must Have a Beginning *****
Chapter 1
Three months. That was how long Nico had been out on the streets after his
family kicked him out. His father hadn't about to tolerate a “queer” living
under his roof. The man had never been loving, anyways. The bruises that had
faded were proof of that. His stomach growled for what seemed like the
hundredth time in the past hour. Nico hadn't eaten anything in almost a week.
His body was shaking from his lack of sleep, just wanting to collapse wherever
he might lie. Most nights he sat in dark alleyways, crying and flinching
anytime a noise was heard nearby.
He would have rather been miserable lying to his family than being out here
alone. Other homeless people were not friendly. He couldn't go to them, asking
for food or shelter. He stayed away from them at all costs, to prevent being
rolled for the clothes on his back.
The streets of L.A. were now his home. How was he supposed to survive in such a
place? Gangs, rapists, drug dealers, the possibilities of getting killed were
endless. Did his parents care so little for him that they had no problem
tossing him out into this place? Nico felt the tears building up in his eyes
again. Why was he fighting the inevitable? If he just curled up and died this
would all be over. He could probably find some broken glass in a dumpster.
Nico bumped into someone roughly. In his weakened state it caused him to fall
to the ground, landing in a pile of trash bags. The man that had bumped into
him grumbled at Nico, brushed his shirt off, and kept walking. The tears
started to fall from Nico's face as he lay in the pile of trash. Why was this
happening to him? What had he ever done to deserve this? He was a good kid. He
had made good grades in school. He had stopped going after being kicked out.
What would be the point in going? Nico was never one to get in trouble. His
sister, Bianca, often teased him about how innocent he was. He hadn't even had
sex yet, and he was nearing seventeen. So, why had fate deemed it necessary for
him to suffer like this?
Sniffling, Nico pulled himself out of the pile of garbage. He stumbled, nearly
falling into a streetlight. He looked around at his surroundings. He appeared
to be in the high-class part of the city. Maybe he could get lucky and find
some leftovers behind a restaurant. Rich people wasted food, right? Nico could
only hope they did.
Trying to will his tears away, Nico continued down the sidewalk. He wasn't
really familiar with this part of the city, so he wasn't sure where he could go
looking for food. He doubted he could find a generous restaurant employee or
manager willing to give him a free meal. Not in this city. As Nico was making
his way across a street, a taxi sharply turned the corner, Nico dove out of the
way, but was splashed by some water as the car drove by. He shook his head,
trying to shake the murky water out of his hair. It wasn't like it was going to
worsen his appearance. He was already covered in dirt. He hadn't bathed in
days. The only chance he got was finding some random source of water and simply
drenching himself. He missed his warm shower. He sighed and continued on his
way down the busy streets.
As he reached the heart of the rich district, he took notice of a tall hotel
building. He estimated it to be around seventy or eighty floors. He wandered
closer to the bright building, looking in one of the windows. The room he was
looking at was a restaurant, a very nice one. It could be no less than five
stars. The people were eating lobster and steak as they carried on in their
conversations. It made Nico's mouth water. He forced himself to look away,
knowing he couldn't have it. He glanced up at the hotel sign. The Lotus Hotel.
His legs screamed in pain as he tried to walk again. His body was so tired.
Just curl up and die, he thought again. It would be easier, and his parents
wouldn't miss him. Nobody would. He collapsed against the wall of the hotel,
slowly sliding down it until he sat on the ground. He pulled his knees up to
his chest and began to cry again. He buried his head into his knees so people
wouldn't see him cry. He heard a door swing open, but didn't look up. He looked
underneath his arms at the person that walked out, only seeing up to the
stranger's knees.
“No, everything is going fine.” It was a guy. “Yes, he dropped the package off
a few hours ago. I'll ship it over to you if you want.” The guy sighed. “No, it
wasn't like that.” Another pause. “No. He tried grabbing her ass while she was
on stage. There was no negotiation with me.” He paused again. “Yeah,
I...informed him as to the instability of his company's stocks .”
Nico scolded himself for picking this spot to collapse. He didn't want someone
to see him like this. People passing by were different, this was someone up
close. Something about the boy's voice pulled Nico in, though. He wanted to
look up and see who was talking, but didn't want to chance him making eye
contact. He would rather the stranger just ignore him and go back inside.
Nico figured he should get up. Try to get away unnoticed. When he moved to
stand his head began to spin and he collapsed on to the pavement. His cheek was
now throbbing, but he didn't care. He just wanted to lay there. His eyes became
heavy and he let them fall shut.
Nico let out a groan as he blinked and found the figure leaning over him. He
felt a warm hand brush his bangs out of his face. “Are you ok?” he heard the
voice from a moment ago ask.
The door opened again and Nico could make out a smaller figure come out and
approach the previous stranger. “Percy, Luke was asking for you. What are you
doing out here?”
“Talking to the boss.” Nico felt arms reach under him. “Can you get the door
for me, Leo?”
The smaller figure stood back up and moved over the door. Strong arms wrapped
around Nico and pulled him up to the stranger's, who's name must be Percy,
chest. “Sure, boss, but what are you doing with him?”
Nico groaned again, blinking up at this Percy. His face was lifted, so Nico
couldn't really make out many features, other than dark hair. “Taking care of
him. He looks like he needs food and a place to sleep.”
“But-”
“No buts. You act like this is something uncommon around here.”
Nico made out the figure of Leo. He was around the same height as Nico. He was
of some Hispanic origin. His eyes were peering up at Percy. Percy made his way
into the hotel and Nico had to screw his eyes shut from the bright lights above
him. Nico heard an elevator ding open and figured they had stepped inside of
it. He unconsciously shifted closer to the warm chest that he was being pressed
against. Nico blinked his eyes open for a moment. They were in an elevator. Leo
looked over at him, giving him a friendly smile. “He's conscious.” Nico looked
up at his rescuer. Percy glanced down at him. Nico's eyes began to shut again.
The last things he saw were warm green eyes staring down at him.
-----------------------------------------------
Nico blinked a few times, allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright room. He
was in some kind of fancy suite. His nose immediately caught scent of something
cooking. He glanced down at the sofa he was laying on. Everything in this place
was nicer than anything his family had back home. He heard a plate clatter
against a surface. Out of curiosity, Nico pulled himself off the couch and
shuffled through the doorway, lurching towards the smell of food. He found
himself in the kitchen. A few loafs of bread sat on a small plate. There was a
pot of what was probably soup on the stove. Standing in front of an opened
fridge was the tall boy that pulled him off the streets.
He had his back turned and was digging inside of the fridge for something. He
finally pulled back, a bottle of water in his hand. He turned back around and
immediately noticed Nico in the doorway. “You're awake,” the boy said, sitting
the bottle on the counter next to the bread. He watched Nico curiously as the
small boy stood there, staring at the stack of bread. “It's for you.” Nico's
eyes snapped up to the tall boy in front of him.
“Wh-What?” Nico choked out, his voice irritated from the lack of use.
The black haired boy turned around and pulled the pot off the stove, pouring
its contents into a bowl. He grabbed the bowl and sat it beside the bread and
water. “Eat.” He gestured at the food in front of him. Nico was going to say
no, but his stomach protested. The boy gave him a sympathetic smile and
gestured at the food again. Nico silently shuffled on to a stool and pulled the
food over to him. He picked up a piece of bread first, slipping it into his
mouth. He moaned as it slid down his throat. The other boy silently watched him
with interest as Nico ate. “So, what's your name?”
Nico glanced up at him as he swallowed a spoonful of soup. “Nico.” He took a
swig of water, pulling his eyes away from the other's stare. Percy's gaze was
piercing, and and the way his eyes watched him made Nico feel uncomfortable.
“Th-Thank you for all of this.”
The boy waved it off. “Don't mention it. It isn't an uncommon occurrence around
here.” Nico went back to chewing on some bread. “I'm Percy by the way.”
“T-Thank you, Percy. I guess I'll be on my way after I finish eating.”
Percy looked at him curiously. “Why?”
What did he mean why? “Because, I-I don't want to be a burden.”
Percy smiled at him, chin supported on his palm. “You are welcome to stay. I
don't really feel right tossing you back on the street.” His gaze traveled up
and down Nico. “How would you like a job? You'll get a free place to live.”
Nico nearly choked on his food. This guy he just met was going to offer him a
place to live and a job? “I-But you just met me.”
Percy shrugged. “Like I said, it isn't an uncommon occurrence around here. Most
of the people that work here came from where you were. Now, how old are you,
Nico?”
“Sixteen.”
Percy nodded. He mumbled something under his breath. “Well, I suppose I can put
you in the bar. How do you feel about being a busboy?”
Nico's eyes widened. He nodded his head eagerly. “Yes! That's fine. I'll do
whatever you want!”
A sly smile spread over Percy's lips and Nico noticed him bite down on his
bottom lip for a brief second. “I'm sure,” Percy said with a wink. “Now, finish
eating and we'll get you cleaned up. You can stay here tonight, and I'll find
you a place to stay in the morning.”
Nico nodded. He went back to working on his soup as Percy stepped out of the
room. He heard Percy move around in another room. When he was done he went in
search of the taller male. He found Percy setting some clothes on the sink in a
very large bathroom. The centerpiece of the room was a large square Jacuzzi
styled bathtub with two shower heads and a variety of dials coming out of the
walls that stood over the tub. Percy looked over his shoulder at Nico and
motioned for the boy to come in. Nico rubbed his arm as he walked forward,
clearly uncomfortable. He hadn't really had any social interaction since he had
gotten kicked out, and it felt odd to him now.
He came into the bathroom and stood in front of Percy. He now noticed how tall
the boy was. He had to be around six foot three. Nico barely came up to the
boy's shoulders. He smiled down at Nico before lifting the boy's shirt over his
head. Nico turned red as his shirt was tossed to the floor. He squeaked as he
felt Percy's hands on the button of his pants. He tried to pull the hand off,
but Percy swatted Nico's hand away. “Relax. I'm not going to rape you. Your
body is still exhausted, though. You probably aren't going to be comfortable
with it, but I'm going to stay in here to make sure you get cleaned up. I don't
want you passing out while you are in the tub.” Nico gulped as he stared up
into Percy's eyes.
Percy finally got his pants off, pulling each of Nico's legs up and tossing the
jeans next to Nico's shirt. When he moved for Nico's boxers Nico instinctively
clutched them. Percy let out a chuckle. “I-I can do this myself.”
Percy moved his hands back, holding them up defensively. “Fine, but I'm still
going to watch and make sure you get yourself cleaned up.”
Nico nodded his consent. Percy stepped around Nico and stood in the doorway.
Self-consciously, Nico slid his boxers off, feeling Percy's gaze on him. When
he moved to turn on the water Percy stopped him. He adjusted the water to what
he felt was appropriate and stepped back once again. Nico slowly lowered one
leg into the water, flinching a little at the warmth.
As he slid the rest of his body in, he let out a long sigh. He could already
see the dirt coming off of him and dirtying the water. A rag was lowered in
front of his face. “Thanks,” Nico mumbled as he took the rag from Percy. There
was a long silence as Nico went about cleaning his body. “Why are you doing
this? You don't even know me.”
Percy had an unreadable look on his face as he stared into Nico's eyes. “I
don't have to know you to know what you have gone through.” The two went back
to silence after that. When Nico set his rag down, Percy stepped forward to
drain the tub. Nico's eyes widened as the boy slid his shirt off.
“Wh-Wha-What are you doing?”
Percy reached down and pulled Nico up into a standing position. He reached out
and turned on the shower head. Nico flinched as the water hit his skin. He
hated being this exposed in front of someone he had just met, but Percy was at
least being nice enough to keep his eyes averted from his lower body. “You need
to wash your hair and finish getting off any dirt off your body.” Percy handed
Nico some shampoo.
The entire time Nico washed his hair, Percy kept a calloused hand resting on
his back. After he was done, Percy leaned Nico's head forward to wash the
shampoo out himself. After that he shut off the water and stepped out, handing
Nico a large towel. Nico sighed into it as he pressed it against his face. He
heard Percy chuckle. He raised the towel to his hair and quickly dried it the
best he could. After that he quickly wrapped the towel around his waist,
finally glad to be covered once again. “Thanks again,” Nico said politely.
Percy gave him a lopsided smile. “I laid you some clothes here. You can borrow
some more of mine in the morning. I'll have Leo go get you some stuff to hold
you over for a few days until you can support yourself here.”
“Thanks,” Nico replied, brushing his black hair out of his face. Percy nodded,
turned around, and walked out of the bathroom. Nico sighed in relief. Percy
made him uncomfortable. He was a stranger sure, but his eyes were just so
seductive. Nico didn't even think Percy was trying, he just radiated sex
appeal. He was definitely the most attractive guy that Nico had ever laid eyes
on.
Nico picked up the clothes that Percy had laid out on the sink. A dark blue
shirt, a pair of blue boxers, and some black track shorts. Nico removed the
towel from around his waist. He grabbed the pair of boxers and had just slipped
them on when Percy returned. He smiled at Nico before reaching down and picking
up Nico's clothes. “I'll wash these for you. If you want to keep them,” Percy
said, looking at Nico.
Nico shrugged. “I guess. So, I don't have to burden you for clothes.”
Percy looked back down at the clothes. “Well, they are pretty torn. I think I'd
prefer you wearing mine. I'll just toss them.” Nico nodded and Percy left
again, clothes in hand. Nico slipped the rest of the clothes on and went to
find Percy again. He felt like a lost puppy.
He nearly bumped in to Percy as he made his way down the hall and back into the
kitchen. Percy smiled down at him, causing him to blush. Damn him and his sex
appeal. Percy held the water out to him. Nico took it and mumbled his thanks.
Percy grinned wider at Nico's shyness.
Percy moved into the living room as Nico followed closely behind. He sat down
on the couch, patting it for Nico to sit. As Nico sat down beside him, Percy
flipped his TV on. It was bigger than all the TVs in Nico's parents house
combined. It had to be at least fifty inches. Percy silently flipped through
the channels trying to find something to watch. “You'll have to work on your
shyness,” he said while keeping his eyes on the TV. “You'll be dealing with a
lot of people up in the bar.”
“Ok,” Nico mumbled. “What do you do around here?”
Percy hummed to himself. “I...sort of run things around here. I manage
everything at this hotel, as well as some of the other branches.”
“How many are there?”
Percy laughed. “Well, they are all over the world, but I am in charge of the
ones here in North America.” Nico gaped at him. The person in charge of this
place had taken him in? “I found a lot of the workers here like I found you.”
“You just take them in off the street? What if they robbed you?”
Percy eyed him funny, trying to hide a smile. “Are you going to rob me?” Nico
shook his head, and Percy burst out laughing. “I was kidding. No, I don't worry
about that. My boss, she kind of has a way with people to make sure they know
to behave. She's cool, though. You'll love her. She is the one who started the
hotel chain. She is the only person I have to answer to, which is cool. She
visits, from time to time, but her main facility is in Germany.” Nico nodded,
trying to fight a yawn. Percy smiled and patted his leg. “I'll let you get some
sleep,” he said, turning off the TV.
He walked out of the room and came back soon after with a blanket and a pillow.
He handed them to Nico and went into the kitchen to turn off the light. “Thanks
again, Percy. This means a lot.”
Percy gave him a sad smile. “Don't thank me just yet, kid.” With that he turned
off the light and went back into his bedroom. Nico just lay there in the
darkness for a while. What did that mean, “yet”? Nico didn't have long to dwell
on it, as he felt his eyes grow heavy and he quickly drifted off into a deep
sleep.
---------------------------------
Nico was startled awake by the sound of the door closing. He sat up and rubbed
his eyes. He stretched, allowing his bones to pop. He swung his legs over the
side of the couch. He heard a loud clang come from in the kitchen and decided
to go check it out. The short boy from the night before stood in the kitchen,
currently flipping pancakes. “Morning,” he said cheerfully.
“Morning,” Nico mumbled back. He shuffled to the stool he had sat on last night
and watched the boy work. “Are you Leo?”
The boy flashed a bright smile. “Yep, that's me. Percy told me to get you some
breakfast.”
“Was that him leaving?” Nico asked, gesturing towards the front door. Leo
nodded. He sat the pan with the pancake on it back on the stove. He pulled off
another pan with some bacon on it. He scooped them off and placed them on a
plate, sliding it towards Nico.
“Percy told me to tell you to eat that slowly, least you wish to throw that
back up. Your stomach is gonna take some time to get used to eating again.”
Nico nodded. He picked up a piece and broke off a small piece into his mouth.
“So, what is it you do around here?”
“I'm Percy's secretary. I run errands and answer some calls for him. Deal with
emails for the hotel. Basically, I just make his job as easy as possible. I'll
drop you off with your new boss after you eat and get cleaned up. Percy said he
left you a change of clothes in the bathroom.”
Leo picked the pancake pan back up, gave it one more flip, and scooped the food
out to put on Nico's plate. He slid some syrup over for the boy to use. “My
boss?” Nico asked, mouth full of bacon. “Percy isn't my boss?”
“Well, yes and no. He's the boss of everyone around here, but he has people
running parts of the hotel. You will be working with Chiron, the bartender.
He's really nice. You'll like him.” Nico nodded.
“So, Percy does this a lot? Take in people from the streets.”
Leo gave a nod. “Yeah, most of the young people around here, which are most of
the people you'll be working with.”
“Why does he do it?” Nico asked, cutting a small piece of his pancake.
Leo fumbled with the spatula. “I-I don't know if I should talk about it. Long
story.”
“Oh.” Leo cleaned up the kitchen while Nico finished eating. He took Nico's
plate when he was finished, and Nico got up to go get a shower. Sure enough
there was a change of clothes sitting on the sink when he arrived.
He showered as quickly as possible without exerting himself too much. He looked
at himself in the mirror when he stepped out. His body had suffered from those
three months on the streets. His ribs had begun to show, and there were dark
circles around his eyes. He looked so frail. He got dressed so he wouldn't have
to look at his body.
The clothes were obviously too big for him. The shirt was probably one of
Percy's old shirts, because it was only slightly big on him. The pants,
however, were threatening to fall off his waist. He walked back into the living
room and found Leo on the couch watching TV. “I need a belt,” Nico stated. Leo
looked over at him and hopped off the couch.
“I think I can find you one. Wait right here.” He disappeared down the hall and
into Percy's bedroom. Nico was curious as to what it looked like, given the
extravagant look of the rest of the place. Leo emerged moments later with a
black belt. “Here you go.” Nico took the belt, sliding it through the loops of
the pants. “I actually brought you something from my room.” Leo walked over to
the front door and pulled a pair of shoes from the floor. “I didn't think you'd
be able to wear Percy's shoes, so I brought you some of mine.”
“Thanks,” Nico said with a smile. “Is everyone nice around here?”
Leo rubbed the back of his head. “Everyone except the Castellan brothers.
You'll meet them eventually. For now, try and stick to me and Chiron. Apollo is
really nice too, if you can find him.”
“What about Percy?”
“You'll probably have the hardest time seeing him.” Leo gave Nico a look. “You
don't...have a crush on him, do you?”
Nico felt his cheeks heat up. “N-No! He just saved me, that's all.”
Leo gave him a cheeky grin. “If you say so. I'll just say be careful if you do
have one.” Leo cleared his throat. “Anyways, I should get you down to Chiron. I
have to get going so I can do some shopping for you.” Nico nodded and the two
made their way out of the suite. They made their way down the hall towards the
elevators. Leo pressed the button when they arrived. “If you do need to find
Percy, or myself when I'm working, you'll find us here. Percy lives and works
on this floor.”
The elevator dinged and opened. They walked in and Leo slipped his keycard into
the slot below the long list of buttons before hitting the button to the floor
above them, the sixty-ninth floor. They stepped out of the elevator and into
the bar. The bar itself ran the entire length of the far wall. Behind it were
shelves covered in every type of alcohol in existence. There were expensive
looking wooden tables all around the room, with chairs placed on top of them.
In the two corners not being taken up by the bar were lounging areas with the
same type of couches that were in Percy's living room. A few pictures hung
around the walls for decoration. Five TVs sat around on the walls. Three on the
outer walls and two behind the bar.
A tall man with a small beard stood behind the bar, scrubbing a glass. He
looked up and smiled warmly at Leo and Nico as they approached. “I take it this
is my new charge?” the man asked.
“Yep, he's all yours Chiron.” Leo pulled out his phone to check the time.
“Well, I need to get going.” He patted Nico on the shoulder and headed back to
the elevator. “Take care of him, Chiron.”
Chiron chuckled and looked back at Nico. The man had a warm face. He had deep
brown eyes that reminded Nico of a warm fire. His brown hair was well groomed.
He was tall, taller than Percy. Probably around six foot five. If he didn't
appear to be so warm natured Nico would have been intimidated looking up at
him. He also had a small scruffy beard. All in all, Nico would have to say the
man came across as a father figure. He already liked the man better than his
own father, and this guy hadn't even spoken to him directly yet.
“Well then, shall we get you to work?” Chiron said, placing the glass back on
to the bar. “More will be coming up to get to work soon. I just need to give
you the run down before everything starts up around here.” He placed his hands
on the bar and smiled at Nico. “Now then, things will be very busy around here
at night. You will work into the late hours of the morning, so expect to get
off no earlier than three or four.” Nico let out a groan. “Welcome to the night
life, child.” Chiron gave a chuckle.
“What kind of people can I expect? This place looks like it would be
expensive.”
“That it is. However, that means you'll find yourself with a nice paycheck. As
for customers, we get all kinds of men and women. Businessmen, politicians,
actors, musicians, you name it and we probably cater to them. Now, as I said,
you won't be working alone. We are pretty busy at night, so there will be a few
people running around with you. They, uh, change from night to night, depending
on the schedules Percy gives them.” Chiron clapped his hands together. “Now
then, let us get you to work. I need you to start setting those chairs down. We
will start seeing customers around lunch, so hop to it.” Nico nodded quickly
and set off to work.
***** A New Kind of Family *****
Chapter 2
It was around ten when the elevator dinged again. Nico looked up as he placed
the last chair on the floor. A girl and two guys exited the elevator. The boys
looked completely identical, the only difference being one being a mere inch
taller. They had curly brown hair that hung down into their blue eyes. They
wore identical mischievous smiles. If they had been on the streets, Nico would
have guessed that they were pickpockets. The girl had shoulder length brown
hair. She was dark skinned, possibly of Native American descent. She was a head
shorter than the two boys next to her. Her eyes were a deep hazel like color,
Nico wasn't sure if her eyes were brown or green. They were very pretty,
though.
The twins said something and made the girl laugh as they set their things down
at the bar. The shorter twin nudged his brother, having noticed Nico. The
taller one looked down and the shorter one jutted his chin out in Nico's
direction. Now all eyes were on Nico, making him fidget under all the
attention. Chiron came to his rescue by clearing his throat. “It's about time
you all got here. Now, as you can see, we have a new person on staff. I'd like
all three of you to welcome Nico.” Nico gave a small wave at them.
The three of them made their way over to Nico. The girl's smile was warm and
friendly, while the two boys still sported crooked grins. “Hello, Neeks, I'm
Travis,” the taller twin said. He held his hand out and Nico shook it. “So,
your Percy's new adoptee, eh? He sure knows how to pick 'em.”
The girl rolled her eyes, elbowing Travis in the ribs. “Don't mind him, Nico,
the two of them are nothing but trouble. I'm Piper,” Nico smiled at her and
shook her hand.
“We take offense to that, Pipes,” the shorter twin said. Piper tossed him a
glare, but he didn't seem bothered by it. “Don't listen to her. We're awesome.
The name's Connor, by the way.” Nico shook his hand as well and went back to
fidgeting with his shirt.
“So, is he...?” Piper asked curiously, looking back at Chiron.
The man shook his head. “No. Percy told me he will be at the bar only.”
The twins grinned wickedly at Nico. “Lucky dog. You must have really drawn
Percy's attention,” Connor stated.
Piper rolled her eyes again. “That doesn't have to be the case. So, how old are
you, Nico?”
“Sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in a few months.”
“See. There's your explanation.”
The twins simultaneously placed their hands behind their heads. “Whatever you
say, Piper,” they said at the same time. It creeped Nico out.
“You've gotten to know one another, now, it is high time you got to work,”
Chiron interrupted, wiping down the bar. “The customers will be getting here
soon.” The three newcomers nodded and scurried off around the bar. “Here,
Nico.” Chiron held out a black apron for Nico to take. Nico tied it around his
waist. There was a pen and pad in one of the pockets. “Now, I need you to go
set up the board at the entrance so that it displays tonight's drink specials.”
Nico nodded and scurried off.
As it approached noon the first customer arrived. He was a middle-aged man with
thinning black hair and a scruffy beard. He was a little on the pudgy side. He
took his place at one of the tables. Nico looked nervously at the man, unsure
of who was supposed to go take care of him. Piper saved him and walked up to
the man, smiling warmly at him. She wrote down the man's order and walked off
to the bar, tossing a wink at Nico on her way.
The elevator dinged again and a few more people scattered themselves about the
bar. Nico sighed, grabbed his pad and went over to one of the tables. His table
consisted of two women, probably in their early thirties. Both of them were
dressed in expensive business suits. “Hello, my name is Nico, and I will be
your waiter today,” Nico said with a bright smile, willing himself to sound
friendly to these strangers. The two of them looked up from their menus to
stare at Nico, making him uncomfortable. He didn't like the way they stared at
him. It wasn't rude or anything, there was just something unspoken in their
eyes that made him uncomfortable.
The woman on the right, a blonde, looked back at her menu. “Yes, I'll have a
number five, a water, and a margarita.” Nico nodded, scribbling down the
woman's order.
The woman on the left, a brunette, stared at Nico a little longer. “You're new
here?”
“Yes, ma'am,” Nico answered politely.
She nodded her head in approval. “I'll have a Cesar salad with dressing on the
side and a diet coke.”
“Will there be anything else?” Nico asked. The women shook their heads and Nico
walked back to the bar. He typed the order in to the computer like Chiron had
showed him. It sent the order down to the kitchen where the staff would deliver
the order up to the bar. He jumped slightly at the sound of music. He turned to
find Connor adjusting the sound system.
“Jumpy much?” Connor chuckled. Nico shrugged. “Yeah, well, you better get used
to the noise. It'll be pretty loud tonight.” He finally seemed to be satisfied
with it and backed off the system. “Though, it doesn't compare to the noise
level upstairs.”
Nico eyed him out of the corner of his eye as he prepared the women's drinks.
“What's on the top floor?”
Connor grinned at Nico, looking like the Cheshire cat. “Nothing you need to
worry about.”
Time slowly drifted by and it neared Nico's break time. He would get a few
hours off until he had to report back for the night shift. Something he had
noticed was some of his three co-workers' customers were very generous with
their tips.
Leo showed up to collect Nico at four. He signed out and quickly followed the
boy back to the elevator. “So, how was your first shift?” Leo asked once they
were inside.
“Not too bad.”
“Night shift is always more hectic. Let me see who you'll be on shift with
tonight.” Leo pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. “Hmm. You are on
duty with Reyna, Octavian, Thalia, and Apollo tonight.”
“Any tips?”
Leo slid his phone back in his pocket as they exited on to the sixty-seventh
floor. “Yeah, Apollo and Thalia will be your go to people. Thalia is a tough
girl, and nobody really messes with her. She's friendly, though. Apollo is like
the big brother around here. Reyna isn't so bad, but she can come off as a
little cold. I'd suggest staying away from Octavian. He's one of the Castellan
brothers I mentioned.” Nico nodded his understanding. They came in front of a
door and Leo slid a keycard into the slot. He opened the door and handed the
card to Nico. “Welcome to your new home.”
Nico looked around the place. It wasn't as nice as Percy's, but it still was
better than his parents' house. He had a flatscreen opposite the couch. There
was a nice kitchen over to the right. In the back were three doors. “Do I share
this with anyone?”
Leo shook his head. “Nope, it is all yours. Well, for now anyways. You're lucky
enough to be the odd man out. Until we get another boy, you'll be here by
yourself. You can pick whichever bedroom you like, and the middle door over
there is the bathroom.” Nico made his way to the first door on the left. He
opened it to find a really nice bedroom. The bed was king sized with five
pillows on it. There was another TV in this room as well, but it was a few
inches smaller than the one in the other room. There was an opened door leading
into a walk-in closet, it had a full length mirror on the inside of the door.
In a corner a box caught his eye. He picked it up and put it on the bed. He
opened it to find an assortment of clothes and toiletries. “That should get you
by for a while. You can go shopping on your own when you get your first
paycheck.”
Nico smiled as he fell back on his new bed. It was like a cloud. He sighed
contently. Maybe suffering on the streets had been worth it after all. This was
heaven. Something did bring him down from his high, though. He looked over at
Leo. “Leo?”
The boy looked up from his phone at the dark headed boy. “Hmm?”
“What's on the top floor?”
“Oh. It's nothing important. Don't worry about it. You'll never have to go up
there.”
Nico frowned. Why were people being evasive about this question? “So, what is
there to do around here?”
“You have access to everything the hotel has to offer. Most of the stuff is on
the lower levels. The pool, the game room, spa, and much more. You can even go
to the kitchen and request whatever you want. As one of Percy's finds, you have
pretty much unrestricted access to things around here. There are a few obvious
exceptions like the top floor and Percy's office. You can only go to Percy's
office with an appointment, which you can make through me.”
Nico nodded. “So, I'm free to do what I want until I go back at six?”
“Yep. So, make yourself at home and just make sure you get back to the bar on
time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to Percy.” Leo tossed him a
final smile before leaving the room. Nico heard the front door shut and let out
a loud sigh. He stood back up and figured he might as well unpack his new
things.
-----------------------------------------------
The sun had started to sink below the horizon. Nico watched it from his place
at the window. The view of the city was so amazing from up here. Nico couldn't
help smiling to himself. He checked the time, he had ten minutes. He figured he
should get up to the bar and get ready.
He closed the door to his new place behind him and got back in the elevator. He
inserted his keycard and when he went for the button his finger lingered over
the button to floor seventy, but he shook his head and hit sixty-nine. When the
doors opened again Nico found the bar much more crowded. Connor had been right
about it being louder at night. With all the new people and the music playing
it was almost deafening. Piper and the twins were still running around, serving
the customers. He made his way through the crowded area to the bar. He signed
in and tied his apron back around him.
“Back for round two?” Chiron asked next to him, a smile on his face.
Nico nodded. Piper sighed, coming to stand next to Nico. He moved aside so she
could sign out. “Wish me luck tonight, Chiron,” she said.
Chiron chuckled, pouring a drink for someone. “You don't need luck, girl. All
of you have natural talent.” The twins came over and peered upside down at the
computer to sign out.
“Have fun tonight, Nico. Don't miss us too much,” Travis said.
“I'll try my best,” Nico mumbled back sarcastically.
Connor laughed. “I like him already.”
Two girls came through the crowd and came behind the bar. Nico guessed they
were two of his co-workers. The taller of the two had long black hair with tan
skin. She had piercing dark eyes, which slightly reminded Nico of Percy's eyes,
but weren't as warm. There was a small tattoo on her right wrist. It looked to
be a crossed sword and torch. She wore a very serious expression on her face as
she signed in, not paying Nico any attention as he stared at her.
The shorter of the two, however, had her gazed locked on the new boy. She had
shoulder length black hair, which was spiked out at the tips all around her
head. She had electric blue eyes that pierced through Nico as she watched him.
Her attire set her apart from any of the others Nico had seen. She was dressed
in punk clothing, tight fitting black shirt, loose jeans, and combat boots. She
had a few freckles scattered across her face and a tiny nose ring in her right
nostril.
“Who's the new kid?” the shorter girl asked. The taller one finally looked over
at him, looking as if she hadn't even noticed him there before.
“He's Percy's new boy toy,” Travis said with a sly smirk. This earned him an
elbow to the ribs from Piper.
“Percy found him last night. He's our new family member,” Piper stated. “Bar
only.” The two new girls nodded an understanding, something that Nico wondered
at. Why was it important to know he only worked in the bar?
The punk girl held her hand out to Nico. “The name is Thalia.” Nico shook her
hand with a small smile. There was something about the girl that he liked.
The taller one extended her hand next, and Nico took it and shook it. She had a
firm grip. “Reyna.”
“Well, sorry to run, but the three of us have to get to the night shift,” Piper
informed them. The two girls nodded at them and Nico gave them a small wave as
they exited to the elevator.
Nico walked out from behind the bar and headed over to a table that two men had
just sat at. “Hello, I'm Nico and I'll be your server this evening.” The two
men nodded at him and gave Nico their drink orders. Nico looked up from his pad
as the elevator dinged again. A tall blond made his way through the crowd and
behind the bar. The boy was skinny, but with the looks of a runner. His blond
hair hung down into his crazed looking blue eyes. He had a bored expression
plastered on his face. His pale skin stood out in the dark lighting. Something
about his appearance made Nico feel uneasy.
Nico walked over to Chiron and gave the man the new drink orders. “Nico, this
is Octavian,” Chiron said, gesturing to the blond tying an apron around his
waist. The blond didn't say anything, just nodded his head in Nico's general
direction, not even looking at the new boy. He took his pad and went out into
the crowd to start taking orders. “Don't mind him. He and his brother aren't
the friendliest.”
“So I've heard,” Nico mumbled back. Chiron handed him the two drinks and Nico
took them back over to the table. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the
man on his right lean over to check out his back side. Nico fought the urge to
place his hands over his butt to cover it. The man made a face of approval and
pulled a five out of his wallet and slipped it to Nico. He stared at it for a
moment before slipping it into his apron and walking off.
When Nico returned to the bar with another order, another tall blond sat at the
bar chatting with Chiron. Nico thought he was a customer at first, until he saw
the apron around his waist. He was close to Percy's height, probably around six
foot two. He had gorgeous cerulean eyes that shined like a sapphire gleaming in
the sun. His smile was breathtaking and his teeth were pure white. He had sun
kissed skin and a swimmer build. His curly blond hair sat perfectly on the top
of his head.
“Well, who's this cutie?” the new guy asked, taking notice of Nico.
“Ah, this is our newest addition. Nico, this is Apollo,” Chiron said, gesturing
between the two of them. Apollo tossed Nico a bright smile and held his hand
out. Nico shook his hand, but before he could pull it away Apollo pulled it up
and kissed his hand with a wink.
“Percy sure knows how to pick them.”
Nico blushed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thanks,” he mumbled, making
Apollo's grin grow. He took the drinks Chiron handed him and went back into the
crowd of people.
Around midnight, Percy came into the bar. He sat down at the bar in front of
Chiron. Nico headed over to give Chiron another order, but stopped a few paces
away when he heard Apollo talking to Percy. “So, Percy, how about we talk about
getting me some more time in the big boys' club.”
Percy let out a sigh. “You know I don't like to talk about that outside of my
office or upstairs. Your time slots are fine. Why the complaints?”
Apollo shrugged. “One can never have too much time. School is expensive, you
know. Then there is that car I was talking to you about.”
Percy chuckled at him. “Fine. I'll put you down for tomorrow night. You can
come by my floor after you get off and we'll figure something out.” Apollo
winked at him and walked off. Nico let out a breath and walked up to the bar.
Percy smiled at him when he noticed him. “Hey, Nico, you enjoying your new
life?”
Nico gave Percy a nod. “Yeah. Thank you so much.”
“Don't mention it,” Percy said, taking a drink from whatever Chiron had given
him. Chiron handed Nico a new set of drinks and Nico picked them up. Percy gave
him a wink as Nico walked off. Nico was blushing as he was walking and not
paying attention to what he was doing. He clumsily tripped over his own feet
and fell to the ground, drinks flying everywhere. A nearby man got drenched and
started yelling at Nico.
“I'm so sorry!” Nico exclaimed, quickly standing up and trying to clean up his
mess.
“Why don't you watch what you are do-” the man started, but trailed off as he
looked over Nico's shoulder. Nico was shocked at first, but looked over his
shoulder to find Percy glaring at the man. The man gulped and sat back down.
“It's fine. Don't worry about it.” Nico fumbled to pick up the broken glass. He
managed to cut himself trying to pick up one piece. Someone's hand reached down
to pick up the remaining pieces.
Nico looked up to see Thalia crouched down in front of him. “Don't sweat it,
Nico. We all messed up on our first day here.” She chuckled. “This probably
won't be your last slip up. It takes a lot of practice.”
Nico nodded at her. “Thanks,” he said as she sat the last pieces of glass on
his now empty tray. “Any advice?” They stood back up and she walked with him
back to the bar so he could dump the broken glasses.
“Keep your tables memorized. Keep your nose out of the customers' business.
Your job is to make them all happy, so put on a pretty face and give them what
they want.” She gave him a once over. “You're cute, so you can try working your
looks to get better tips. It's all about playing the game right. Do it right,
and you make some big bucks.” Nico nodded again as he dropped the broken glass
in the trash.
Chiron already had remade the drinks when Nico was done dumping the shards.
“Don't sweat it, Nico. You'll get the hang of it,” Percy said. Nico ducked his
head to hide the blush, but Percy seemed to notice it and smiled brightly at
him. Percy placed some bills on the counter and stood up. “I gotta get back to
work. You'll take care of him for me, won't you Chiron?” Chiron smiled and
nodded a single time, busy pouring some more liquor. Percy winked at Nico and
walked off.
“My my, aren't you the boss's new favorite play thing.” Nico looked up to find
Octavian scowling at him. “So, you must have a pretty good ass if he's giving
you so much attention.” A loud thud came from behind him and Octavian screwed
his face up in pain. Apollo was standing behind the other blond, a dark glare
in place on his face.
“Leave the kid alone. Now, how about you take your dirty mouth off of Percy's
dick and get your ass back to work, or is it too abused for you to manage
walking?” Octavian's nostrils flared and he mumbled something under his breath.
However, he didn't say anything else to Nico and walked off. “Don't let him
bother you, kid. You should meet his brother. Octavian is rainbows and sunshine
compared to Luke.”
Nico placed some drinks and food on his tray while watching Apollo talk.
“Thanks. So I've heard everyone refer to this as a family. Are all of you
close?”
Apollo gave a nod. “Yeah, we all came from similar situations. So, we sort of
bonded. We would even stick our necks out for Luke and Octavian, as hard as
that may be to believe. Everyone looks out for each other here.” He stared off
blankly at nothing in particular with a short pause. “You sort of have to, in
order to make it through things.”
Nico picked the tray up, almost tipping it over, but Apollo grabbed it and
steadied it. “What do you mean? Everything seems so nice here.”
Apollo gave him a small smile. “Ah, the life of a newbie.” He patted Nico on
the shoulder. “Don't lose that innocence, kid.” Without another word he turned
and walked over to a table full of women, who laughed flirtatiously at Apollo
as he joined them. Nico forced himself to look away and make his way back to
the crowd of tables and people. He stopped for a moment, trying to remember
which table had given the order. His eyes came across Reyna, who pointed to her
right. Nico looked over to find it was the table he was looking for. He mouthed
a thank you to her, which she shrugged off.
Nico set the drinks down and placed the plate down in front of a heavy set
woman. “Actually, I'm the one that ordered that,” the man across from her said.
Nico felt his cheeks burn at his mess up.
“Sorry about that,” Nico replied, correcting his mistake.
-------------------------------------------------------
The last customer finally boarded the elevator and the doors shut. Thalia let
her head fall on to the wooden bar and groaned loudly, Reyna patted her on the
back. Chiron was busy counting out the money as the younger workers stood
around on the outside of the bar. “So, how was your first day, Nico?” Apollo
asked, turning to look at Nico with his chin propped up by his palm.
“Rough. Is it always busy like this?” All of them nodded. Nico groaned, letting
his head fall back.
“This is nothing,” Octavian scoffed. Thalia shot him a look, which Nico thought
looked like a warning. “What? I didn't say anything. I'm just saying that this
isn't the hard job.” Apollo raised a half-finished drink to his lips and took a
long quaff.
“Amen to that,” the other blond stated. He raised his glass. “To the jobs that
pay the bills.” He had a sly smile on his face. The others smiled at him and
started laughing. Nico just stood there in confusion.
Chiron eventually dismissed them and they all boarded the elevator. Nico stared
at the button for the seventieth floor as Reyna hit the button for the sixty-
seventh floor. “So do you guys work during the day?” Nico asked as they rode
down.
“On weekends. That or we catch up on sleep,” Thalia said, leaning against the
wall of the elevator. “Most of us actually go to college.” Nico made a face and
they all laughed.
“What? You thought because we all were on the streets that we were uneducated?
No. Percy encourages us to go to school and get an education, letting us study
whatever we want,” Reyna said.
“I-I didn't mean it to sound like that,” Nico said quietly.
“It's cool, dude,” Apollo said, slinging an arm over Nico's shoulder. “Not all
of us choose to go, but most of us do. The ones that don't will usually work
with you during the weekdays.” He paused, looking Nico over. “How old are you
anyways?”
“Sixteen.”
“Then, Percy is going to pretty much force you into school,” Reyna stated. It
kind of came to a shock to Nico. He had thought his education was over, but
now, on top of all this wonderful stuff, he was going to get to stay in school.
The door dinged open and they all stepped out. The girls bid them farewell as
they went down the hall opposite from the boys'.
“So, I'm expected to stay in school?”
The two blonds looked over at him. “How long were you on the streets?” Apollo
asked. “Most of us don't say we get to 'stay in school'. Most of us were out on
the streets for a very long time before Percy found us.”
“Some never even went to school at all,” Octavian added.
“I was on the streets for around three months,” Nico replied.
“It sucks, for whatever reason you were out there. People just don't understand
what living out on the streets is really like. Especially in a city like this,”
Apollo said, with a hint of bitterness in his voice. “Well, then yes, Percy
will make sure you stay in school. He'll enroll you in one nearby, more than
likely. That way you can have the full new life experience.” Octavian stopped
at his door and the two bid him goodnight as he entered his room. Nico caught
sight of someone inside, but the door shut before he could get a look at the
boy.
They made their way down the hall and stopped at Nico's door. “Well, this is my
room,” Nico said.
“I'll be sure to keep it memorized,” Apollo said with a smile. “If you need me,
I am down the hall on the right.” Nico nodded and opened his door. Apollo waved
at him as he shut the door. Nico let out a long sigh as he fell back against
the door. It really had been a long day. He groaned as he looked over at the
clock. It was nearing five in the morning.
He shed his clothes as he made his way to his new bedroom. He would clean them
up later to give back to Percy. Right now he just wanted to sleep. He plopped
down face first on his bed and sighed contently at the perfect feel of it. He
rolled over to the box that Leo had given him. He pulled out a toothbrush and
toothpaste from inside of it.
He dragged himself off the bed and out into the hall. He stepped into the
bathroom for the first time. It was heaven sent. The sink had a porcelain top
to it and dark wooden cabinets below it. There was a vanity mirror above it. On
the other side of the bathroom was a shower with see through glass walls. There
was a large bathtub next to it. It wasn't like Percy's bathroom, but it would
certainly do. He ran his toothbrush under the faucet and brushed at his teeth
as he looked around the beautifully sculpted room.
He came back into his bedroom and turned off the lights. He climbed into bed
and pulled the covers over him. It was even better laying underneath them. They
were so perfectly soft. He usually didn't sleep with so many pillows, but each
of them were so different and yet so perfect that he couldn't bring himself to
take any off. He sighed a final time as he quickly drifted off into a well
earned sleep.
***** Into Neverland *****
Chapter 3
Nico was woken by some loud knocking coming from the front door. He groaned and
dragged himself out of bed, not even bothering to put on more clothes. He
yawned as he opened the door to find Apollo standing there in a tight red shirt
and some black swim trunks. He gave Nico a quick once over before returning his
gaze to Nico's eyes. “Aren't you adorable in the morning?” Nico tossed him a
death glare. “And a morning person, too.”
Nico yawned again. “What do you want?”
“Some of us were going to go down to the pool. You're welcome to join us. It
would give you a chance to meet some more of us.”
Nico nodded. “Yeah. Just let me change and get cleaned up a little bit.”
Apollo tossed him a smile. “Alright, dude. I'll see you down there.” With that
the blond jogged off down the hall. Nico shut the door again and headed for the
bathroom to get a quick shower. Nico didn't see a point in spending much time
in it, since he was just going to need another one after swimming.
After he was done, he went back into his bedroom. He faintly recalled seeing a
pair of swim trunks in that pile of clothes Leo had given him. After digging in
his drawers, he was victorious in finding them. They were completely green,
except for a white logo of the Lotus Hotel printed on the bottom of the right
leg. He quickly slipped them on, grabbed a towel from the bathroom, and headed
out the door.
When he got in the elevator, his eyes immediately landed on the seventieth
floor button. It was like the button was taunting him. A quick peek wouldn't
hurt, right? He slipped the card Leo had given him into the slot and his finger
pressed the button before he could change his mind. The elevator came to a stop
a moment later. The doors slid open to a dimly lit hallway. Nico inched out
slowly. There were small podiums on the left and right corners where the hall
split into two wings. He heard footsteps closing in.
He thought about returning to the elevator, but before he could even turn
around, two people had come around the corner from the right wing. The first
one he took notice of was a very tall girl, who made Nico think of an amazon
warrior. She wasn't frail looking, like most girls. This girl could probably
take a tough football player in a fight. She had her long brown hair tied in a
ponytail. Her brown eyes reminded Nico of a wild animal.
Next to her stood a slightly shorter guy. He had jet black glossy hair. He was
pretty thin, but there were hints of muscles beneath his loose shirt. One of
his eyes was dark brown, while the other was covered by a black eyepatch. He
was definitely of Japanese descent.
They both narrowed their eye at him. “What are you doing up here?” the girl
asked, sounding angry. “No admittance until business hours.”
The boy nudged her. “No. I think he's one of Percy's.” The girl looked him
over. “The one he was talking about, the one he found the other night.”
The girl seemed to ease up. “Oh, yeah.” She crossed her arms. “You aren't
supposed to be up here at all, then. Percy's orders.” Nico stared at her in
confusion. Why wasn't he allowed up here? The girl turned back to the boy next
to her. “Go fetch Percy.” The boy nodded and ran off. Nico gulped as the girl
just stared blankly at him. He was going to be in trouble. Percy had been
generous and had taken him in, he had even provided Nico with a job, and Nico
just had to go and get into trouble. Would Percy kick him out? No, Percy didn't
seem like the type.
He heard quiet mumbling coming back down the hall and soon the boy with the
eyepatch came back around the corner with Percy in tow. Percy's gaze
immediately landed on Nico, his eyes clearly upset at him. “What are you doing
up here?” Percy asked rather harshly.
“I-I'm sorry. I just got curious,” Nico stuttered. Percy's eyes didn't soften.
He just huffed and walked forward. He grabbed Nico's arm and dragged him back
into the elevator. Without even asking where Nico was going, Percy hit the
button to the ground floor. Nico looked up at Percy in shame. Percy wasn't
looking at him, his eyes bore into the elevator door. “I'm sorry.”
“How did you get up there anyways?”
Nico pulled out the keycard. “Leo gave me a spare until I got my real one.”
Percy let out a low growl. Nico had the feeling that Leo was in trouble.
“Don't go up there again, Nico.” Percy's voice was still harsh. Nico didn't
think it was that big of a deal. Why was he so angry? Percy glanced over at
him, his eyes softening when he saw Nico's hurt expression. “Sorry for getting
upset. You just don't need to be up there. I'm doing you a favor by keeping you
out of there.”
Nico looked up at him, confused. “Why?”
“Just drop it, ok? Go enjoy your day off.” The doors finally opened and Percy
pushed against Nico's back to tell him to get out. “Have fun with the others,
I'll probably see you tonight.” Nico nodded, trying to offer a smile. Percy
gave him a small wave as the door closed.
He made his way through the hotel until he found the entrance to the pool. It
was an indoor pool, but the entire room was made of glass so that the sun could
still shine into it, allowing people to tan if they chose. Since it was still
early there weren't that many people there. It looked to be primarily the
people that worked there. He spotted Apollo, who was busy laughing as he gave a
playful lap dance to an unamused Thalia. He waved over at Nico when he noticed
him, beckoning him over.
“Hey, Nico. What took so long?” the blond asked, getting off the scowling black
haired girl.
“I-I got a little sidetracked,” Nico replied. Which was half true.
Nico looked around at the boys and girls who littered the pool. Apollo was in
front, shirt now off. Nico realized he couldn't look too long or he might start
drooling. The blond's body was beautifully sculpted. His eyes seemed to sparkle
in the sunlight. Thalia picked up a book she must have been reading before
Apollo had assaulted her. She wore a small blue two piece that barely covered
anything.
The twins were laying by the edge of the pool. Connor's head lay on the edge of
Travis's stomach. They had sunshades on, so Nico couldn't tell if they were
awake or asleep. However, that was the extent of people that Nico recognized.
Apollo seemed to remember that Nico didn't know anyone there. “Hey, everyone!”
Apollo yelled. Heads all looked over in their direction. “Come say hey to the
new kid!” People started climbing out of the pool or off of lounging chairs.
A tall boy of African descent was the first to reach them, immediately reaching
his hand out and grabbing Nico's to shake. He was very tall, maybe an inch
taller than Percy. He was very muscular too and his grip was strong. His hand
completely enveloped Nico's. He had a crew cut and friendly brown eyes. His
stomach was a chiseled eight pack. “The name's Charles. This here is my
girlfriend, Silena.” He gestured towards a shorter girl next to him.
She had long black hair which hung nearly to her waist. She had stunning
crystal blue eyes. She was extremely beautiful, and while Nico didn't really go
for girls, he had to admit she was gorgeous. She could have easily been a model
if she had wanted to. She smiled and held out her hand to shake. Nico returned
her smile, blushing slightly, and shook her hand as well.
“Looks like we have a new Lost Boy,” she said playfully. Apollo and Charles
chuckled, but Nico didn't get it.
A girl around Nico's height walked up to them gracefully. She had long, silky
black hair. She had a perfect tan complexion with flawless skin. Her eyes were
pure black and she had a slightly upturned nose. Something about her made Nico
think she looked like a princess. Her voice was a soothing melody as it played
in Nico's ears. “He looks a little innocent to be a Lost Boy.” This made Nico
shake his head out of his daze. He didn't understand the terminology. She held
her hand out and Nico shook it. Her skin was soft like silk. “Zoë.”
The twins had come over and sat down on the chairs on Thalia's left. They gave
simultaneous waves to Nico. “Now then, let's get back to swimming,” Apollo
said, picking Nico up bridal style and jumping into the pool. Nico scowled and
splashed the blond when they broke the surface. Nico quickly turned away from a
splash caused by Charles jumping into the pool. Silena and Zoë sat on the edge
of the pool with their feet soaking in the water. The both of them would flip
their hair over their shoulder from time to time. From what Nico could hear,
they were talking about fashion.
Charles was attempting to wrestle Apollo, but the blond just kicked away and
floated to the edge of the pool, out of reach. Nico couldn't help but smile as
he watched his new family. He turned when he heard a shriek. The twins had
picked Thalia up and were carrying her to the edge of the pool. Her screeching
was silenced when she fell beneath the water. She emerged with a scowl, handing
her sunglasses to Silena. The twins were rolling with laughter. They grinned at
each other and jumped into the pool, splashing everyone.
---------------------------------------------------------
 
After a few hours of swimming, things started to wind down. Charles and Silena
had left half an hour ago, and now the rest of them were relaxing in the chairs
by the pool. Something Nico had noticed during their time at the pool was that
some of the other guests kept staring at them. Some of the guests even winked
at the other kids as they passed them by. None of them seemed to mind, as they
just waved and winked back.
A tall red haired girl made her way into the room and came over to them. She
had frizzy hair and piercing green eyes. Her face was littered with freckles,
and she kept tucking her hair behind her ear. She was carrying one of those
detachable tablet laptops. She picked up the towel at Nico's feet and tossed it
at him. “Sorry to cut the fun short, but I need Nico for a while,” the girl
said.
“Aww. Come on, Rachel, we were enjoying the day off,” Connor whined.
“Sorry. Percy's orders.” Nico felt the blood drain from his face. Was he in
trouble for earlier? He stood up and slid his shirt on. She took off walking
towards the exit and he quickly followed her, tossing a final wave at his new
friends. They boarded the elevator and Rachel slid her card into the slot and
then hit the sixty-eighth floor button. The elevator began its long trek
upwards. Rachel dug out a card from her pocket and handed it to Nico. “Here.
This is your new keycard.” Nico took the card from her. “I'll need the other
one.” She held her hand out and Nico reluctantly handed it over to her. He knew
his new card wouldn't give him the same access, so there would be no more
attempts at sneaking into the top floor. The red haired girl then offered her
hand and gave Nico's a shake. “I'm Rachel, by the way.”
“Nico.”
She smiled. “I know.”
“So, where are we going?”
“Percy wanted to see you about some stuff you need to know.”
Nico's face fell. He was in trouble. The elevator finally came to a stop and
the two exited. Instead of going right, to Percy's apartment, they went left.
They came to a door, which Rachel opened. Nico walked in first and found an
office like area. There were two desks on opposite sides of the room, Leo sat
at one. He offered Nico a small smile when the boy came in. Nico mouthed an
apology to him.
Rachel proceeded into the room and knocked on the back door. He heard Percy's
voice from the other side telling them to enter. Rachel held the door open for
Nico, and the boy hesitantly walked in, the door closing behind him.
Percy sat behind a large wooden desk, his eyes were busily roaming a computer
screen. There were two chairs in front of the desk. There was also a long couch
to the right of the room, underneath a window. Percy looked away from his
computer and motioned for him to sit down. Nico did slowly, trying not to look
at Percy once he was finally seated.
“You aren't in trouble, Nico,” Percy said firmly.
Nico glanced up at him. The older boy had no emotion on his face and it was
impossible for Nico to read. “Then why did you call for me?”
Percy leaned back in his chair. “I needed to run over a few things with you. I
talked to Apollo, he said he had already told you that you would be going back
to school.” Nico nodded. “You will, starting tomorrow.” He slid some paperwork
across his desk to Nico. “There is everything you need to know. It's a nice
school, I think you'll like it. You are fortunate, unlike many of those here,
to not have been out on the streets for too long. A lot of them were out there
for years, or some their whole lives.”
“So, I go to school during the day and work at night?”
Percy nodded. “I'll see about you getting off a little earlier on school
nights, but you'll still be working late. Probably around two in the morning.”
Percy pulled a phone out of the top drawer on his desk. “Here, I had Rachel
pick this up for you.”
Nico picked up the new looking smartphone and gaped at Percy. “You got me a
phone?” he exclaimed.
Percy let a small smile spread across his lips. “Yeah. I mean, you'll need a
way to get in touch with one of us. I already put in everyone's numbers.
Enjoy.”
Nico gleamed down at his new phone. “T-Thank you!”
Percy just shrugged. “Don't worry about it. Now, I trust you got your new
card?” Nico nodded. “That will get you most places like your room, the kitchen,
the pool, to the bar, and this floor.” His expression grew serious. “As I said
earlier, I don't want to find you back on the top floor. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Nico squeaked out. It made Percy smile again.
“Don't call me 'sir'. I'm only four years older than you, Nico.”
Nico's eyes widened a bit. “You're only twenty?” Sure he knew Percy was young,
but not that young. He was running the North American branch office of an
international hotel chain!
Percy cocked his head to the side. “Do I look old?” Nico shook his head
furiously. Percy smirked and stood up. He came around his desk and sat on the
front of it, leaning down towards Nico. “Here I thought you found me
attractive, Nico,” he almost purred into Nico's ear. Nico blushed furiously,
trying to scramble as far back in his chair as he could. Percy just laughed at
him. “You are free to go.”
Nico didn't have to be told twice, he gathered up the papers and his phone, and
headed out the door. He whisked past Leo and Rachel and out of the office. He
slammed into someone as soon as he was out the door. “Watch it!” the other
person yelled at him. Nico peered up at the other boy. He was around six foot
one with tan skin. He had short-cropped sandy blond hair and sharp blue eyes.
They reminded Nico of Octavian's eyes. Even though his face was currently
scowling, Nico admitted he was attractive. The only disturbing feature on him
was a long scar that ran from his right eye down to his chin.
“S-Sorry,” Nico fumbled as he stood up. The blond just grunted and pushed past
him, going into the office. Nico gulped and headed for the elevator. That must
have been Octavian's brother, Luke. Nico entered the elevator and hit sixty-
seven. The door opened a moment later on his floor and the slightly frightened
boy headed for his room. He spotted Apollo just as the blond entered his own
room. The door to the tall boy's room clicked shut. Nico thought about going
down to hang out with him, but decided he should get a shower before work.
---------------------------------------------------
Nico stepped out into the once again loud bar. Chiron greeted him as he came
behind the bar to clock in. Zoë came up to the bar and placed her tray down,
nodding in Nico's direction, but not saying anything to him. “I hate
politicians,” she said plainly as Chiron looked over the drink order she gave
him.
“Don't let them hear you say that,” he mumbled back to her.
“Can I have a shot? That fat drunk over there keeps trying to feel me up,” she
said, pointing inconspicuously over her shoulder. Chiron slid a shot glass
across the bar and poured her a drink of some clear liquid, which she tossed
back. She made a face upon setting it back down, gave him her thanks, and took
the drinks he had laid on her tray.
“Chiron?” Nico piped up.
“Hmm?” Chiron asked, cleaning a glass.
“How old are most of the kids around here? I saw Percy drinking last night, but
he's only twenty.”
Chiron smiled softly. “Most of them are between eighteen and twenty. Only a
small few are over. Luke is the oldest, at twenty-three. Charles is twenty-two,
and Apollo is twenty-one.” He set the glass down next to a few others. “I'm
sorry to say, lad, but the innocent world that you may have thought existed is
a lie. Especially here.” He had a sad look on his face as he spoke. “Don't let
this paradise fool you. The people who pay to come here may see it as one, but
those of us who live here don't see feel the same way.”
“Why?”
Chiron didn't answer. He just pursed his lips and gave Nico some drinks and a
table number to take them to. Nico huffed as he walked off with the tray of
drinks. Everyone was so evasive about stuff. Chiron seemed to feel sorry for
the kids here, but all of them seemed happy. He spotted one of the twins in the
corner lounge. He seemed to be flirting with some business woman dressed in a
suit. He smiled flirtatiously at the woman and winked at her before walking
off, a sway in his step. “Hey, Neeks!” Nico could tell it was Connor now that
he was closer. “What did the boss man want with you earlier?”
Nico shrugged. “Just giving me my new phone and paperwork for school. I have to
start tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah? Bummer.”
“Do you and Travis not go to college?”
“Nah. We just work around here.” The blond from earlier brushed past Nico,
bumping his shoulder roughly against Nico's. “I see you met Luke.”
“Is he always this cheerful?”
Connor chuckled. “Don't mind Luke. He takes some warming up to. Well, I'm not
really sure when he warms up, because, none of us really have gotten there
yet.”
“I thought you were all a family?”
Connor sat his empty tray down at the bar and handed a new order to Chiron. “Oh
we are. He's just the brother that none of us asked for,” Connor said with a
smile. “You'll get used to him.”
“How many people are in this 'family'?” Nico asked, making air quotes.
“Well, Chiron would be like our favorite uncle that everyone goes to for words
of wisdom.” The man in question chuckled at the brunet's analogy. “This could
be Neverland...wait would that make you Captain Hook?” Connor asked looking at
Chiron, who rolled his eyes. “Anyways, Percy would be Peter Pan and we can be
the Lost Boys.”
“Is that why you call each other that?”
Connor nodded. “Yeah, it's a running joke around here. Anyways, to answer your
question, there're about twenty of us. That includes Leo and Rachel, who you
already met, and Clarisse and Ethan, who work security. All of us pulled off
the streets.”
“And what is Gaea in this analogy?” Chiron asked, eyes twinkling with
amusement.
Connor seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Wendy?”
“I'm not sure Wendy pulled Peter off the streets in the actual story,” Chiron
stated with a chuckle.
“Wait, Percy lived on the streets too?” Nico asked.
“Hmm. Maybe we should drop this conversation,” Connor said hesitantly. “Percy
doesn't like to talk about his past.” He picked up his tray and walked off.
As the night went on, it remained uneventful. It was almost as miserable for
Nico as the previous night. He managed not to drop a tray tonight, though. He
did however mix up tables three times, get orders wrong five times, and got a
customer annoyed with him. Apparently, Thalia hadn't been kidding when she said
to keep his nose out of their business. He had frozen up when he heard the man
say something he could have sworn sounded like arms dealing. The man had
instantly noticed Nico staring at him and had gotten angry. Unfortunately,
Percy wasn't here to save his butt like he had the night before. When he had
returned to the bar Luke had been smirking at him for his mistake.
As he came back from a short break, Chiron directed him to a table where a
middle-aged man sat by himself. He pulled out his pen and headed over.
“Senator.” He looked over his shoulder to see Zoë standing behind him. “Good
luck,” she said with an encouraging smile. Nico tried not to shudder from the
way she said it.
“Hi there, my name is Nico and I will be your server today,” Nico said with a
smile. The man looked up at him, immediately giving Nico a once over. His eyes
lit up and came back to rest on Nico's face.
“New here? I don't believe I've seen you before.”
“Yes, sir,” Nico replied, trying to sound cheerful. He didn't like the way this
guy looked at him.
“I may have found a new reason to come back,” was the man's reply. Which
definitely made Nico feel uncomfortable. “I'll have a vodka martini with an
olive.” Nico nodded and scribbled down the request. When Nico was about to walk
off the man spoke again. “Tell Percy that I will wish to set up an appointment
in the future.” Nico nodded in confusion and walked off. This place was just
weird.
Nico walked over to the bar and slid the order across to Chiron. “I think I
just got hit on,” Nico said. All of the others looked over at him.
“Really?” Chiron asked, a hint of something in his voice.
“The higher up they are, they more disrespectful of the rules they are,” Zoë
said dryly.
“He also said something about setting up an appointment with Percy, but I
didn't really understand that part.”
Connor pursed his lips and Zoë frowned. Chiron glared over at the man's table.
“What are you all worried about?” Luke asked, unamused. “It's not like Percy is
going to allow it.” He glared over at Nico. “Someone seems to be the boss's
favorite.”
“What?” Nico asked.
“Nothing,” Chiron replied, tossing a warning look at Luke, who shrugged and
walked off. “Percy will deal with him, don't worry about him.” Nico nodded. He
picked up the man's drink and walked back towards his table, only to find Percy
now sitting with him. While he looked calm, his jaw was clenched as he listened
to the man. Percy rubbed his temple. Nico slowly moved towards them so he could
hear.
“I told you before, Senator Johnson, that I don't discuss those things here.
Now, if you would like to discuss it upstairs, that would be fine. Though, I'm
not sure if your request is of a...suitable nature. Now, if that will be all?”
Senator Johnson didn't say anything else, so Percy rose from his chair and
headed over to the bar. His eyes landed on Nico for a brief second as he passed
the younger boy.
Nico sat the drink down in front of the senator and the man thanked him,
handing him a five. Nice tip, Nico thought, looking the bill over. When Nico
had returned to the bar, Percy was sitting in the same spot he had been last
night. He gave Nico a smile as the boy went behind the bar. “You look tired,”
Nico stated, looking Percy over.
“Rough night,” Percy mumbled, taking a sip from his glass. Luke came up and sat
down next to Percy, who grunted at the blond. “What do you want, Luke?”
“I just wanted to see if I could come by and discuss my hours a little tonight?
I could use a few more, I think.”
Percy held up his hand to make sure the boy didn't keep talking. “I'm really
not in the mood to talk about it tonight. Besides, last I checked, you get as
many hours as Annabeth. I think that's fair.”
Luke leaned in closer to Percy. Nico felt a surge of jealousy run through him.
“Can't I at least come talk about it?” Luke asked with a wicked smile. He let
his hand rest on Percy's thigh.
“Tomorrow. Now get back to your job.”
Percy let his head fall on to the wooden surface. He held his glass out and
Chiron refilled it. Nico fidgeted with his shirt. “A-Am I supposed to be
negotiating hours with you?” Nico asked quietly.
Percy looked up at him with wide eyes. “No!” Percy practically yelled. Chiron
raised an eyebrow at him and Percy sat up straight. “I mean, no. Don't worry
about it. I have you taken care of.” Things were just so confusing around here.
Everyone else seemed to want to talk to Percy about their hours, but Nico
wasn't expected to? Maybe it was because he was new. Nico nodded and walked off
with another order of drinks. He barely managed to catch the next thing Percy
said to Chiron. “He is going to be the death of me.” He heard Chiron let out a
chuckle.
 
Not much else happened the rest of the night. Everything went on as normal.
Percy had left after about thirty minutes without saying anything else to
anyone. Chiron finally dismissed Nico at two and Nico unfastened his apron and
headed for the elevator. He was about to hit the button to his floor when he
saw a man in his thirties heading for the elevator. Nico held the door open for
him, but when the man saw Nico he stopped. “That's ok, you go ahead. I, uh,
need to wait on a friend of mine,” the man said. Nico arched an eyebrow and hit
the button. He yawned and stretched as he waited for the elevator to come to a
halt. He exited on to his floor, which was dead silent. Everybody must be
working. He couldn't see any lights on under doors.
He slid his card in and went into his place. He found a note on the counter of
the kitchen.
Hey, Nico,
Percy told me to go grocery shopping for you. I didn't really know what you
liked so I just picked up a few things. So, if you get hungry, and don't want
to order from the kitchen, you have food stocked here.
-Leo
P.S. Sorry about giving you that card. I guess I wasn't thinking.
Nico sighed as he wadded up the note and tossed it in the trash. He looked in
his fridge, and sure enough, there was an assortment of things inside it. He
reached in and grabbed a bottle of water before retreating to his bedroom. He
plopped down on his bed and flipped the TV on. He smiled to himself as he
flipped through the guide and found one of his favorite shows, The Walking
Dead. He opened his water and took a swig. He figured it wouldn't hurt to watch
a little TV before bed.
---------------------------------------------
Nico shot up at the sound of an alarm. Apparently, Leo also took the liberty of
setting his alarm clock. He scowled at the contraption, contemplating tossing
it against the wall. He hit the button to turn it off and dragged himself out
of bed. He supposed it was a good thing, since he had forgotten to set one, and
he didn't want to be late on his first day at his new school.
When he stepped out of the shower, he heard his phone going off. He reached
over and looked at the caller ID. It read Apollo's name. He slid his finger
across the screen to unlock it, and brought it to his ear. “Hello?” he asked,
wrapping a towel around his waist.
“Hey, buddy. Do you want a ride to school? I was going to leave soon, and
figured you might like a ride.”
“Um. Sure.”
“Great. Now, open your door so I don't have to stand around in the hall.” Nico
rolled his eyes as he hung up. He made his way to the front door and opened it
for the blond. Today he was dressed in a red polo and a pair of dark jeans.
“Well, I think I can get used to our morning encounters, Nico,” Apollo said,
looking at Nico's wet form.
“Do you flirt with everyone?” Nico asked, walking towards his bathroom.
Apollo chuckled. “Need to make those big bucks somehow. I only mean it for the
cuties.” Nico could practically see Apollo's grin as he stood in the bathroom.
“Don't take too long. I need to have you to school by eight.”
“Ok,” Nico called back to him, pulling his pants on.
He emerged a few minutes later with a dark blue t-shirt with a drawing of an
owl printed on it. “Ready?” Apollo asked, gesturing to the door. Nico nodded,
grabbing the new backpack that Leo had left him. He made sure to get his
schedule from the folder Percy had given him yesterday and made his way out the
door with Apollo.
Apollo hit the basement button and they made their long descent down to the
parking garage. “You work last night?” Nico asked after a moment of silence.
“Yeah,” Apollo replied with a yawn. He did look tired. He probably hadn't
gotten much sleep last night. Nico wondered how they all managed to work so
late and get up to go to classes. They probably went for later classes.
Nico figured he might as well ask. “So, do all of you get up this early for
college? I mean, you guys work really late. I figure it would be brutal to do
this every weekday.”
“I only get up this early on Mondays and Wednesdays. So, I'll give you rides on
those days. I think Charles has an early class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So,
maybe you can get a ride with him tomorrow.”
“What has you up so early? What do you study?”
“Well, I am at a school of the arts. I study dance and music.”
“What kind?”
Apollo smiled at Nico. “I study ballet and hip-hop for dancing. Then I have
piano and singing for music.”
“That sounds cool.”
“Yeah, I love it. My-My dad didn't really approve of a lot of it. When I sat
down and talked to him about it after I graduated high school he kicked me out.
Well, it might have also had to do with me telling him I was gay,” Apollo said
with a dry chuckle. This made Nico frown. “Don't worry about me, dude.
Everything turned out fine.” The elevator came to a stop and they made their
way through the parking garage. Apollo came to a stop in front of a red
Maserati Spyder. Apollo smiled over at Nico's shocked expression. “What did you
think we all drove junkers?”
“I-I just didn't think the job would pay this well,” Nico said, getting into
the car.
“Well, the rest of us make more, but don't sweat it. You'll still make a good
bit.” Apollo cranked the car and backed out. He didn't even bother to obey the
speed limit as they zoomed down the streets. It made Nico a little nervous. He
only stopped clenching his seat when the found too much traffic and had to slow
down.
“So, do you miss anything about your old life?” Nico asked as they went under a
green light.
“My sister. She meant a lot to me. We picked on each other a lot, but now that
I don't get to see her, I really miss her. We were twins and really close,”
Apollo said with a sad smile.
“What was her name?”
Apollo popped a piece of gum in his mouth. “Artemis. She was beautiful, just
like her name. I had to play the jealous brother many times over the years.”
The smile drifted off his face as he finished.
“Can't you find her?”
Apollo looked over at him. “Well, I kind of grew up in Florida. So, no, I
haven't really been able to. I mean, I really don't know where to start. I
guess I could ask Percy to track her down for me. I-I just don't know if I
would want her to see me now.”
“Why not?” Nico asked, cocking his head to the side. Apollo made a point not to
look at him.
“Oh, look, we're at your new school.” Nico looked out his window and sure
enough they were pulling up to a large high school. Apollo pulled up to a curb
and stopped the car. “Well, good luck with your first day.” Apollo gave him a
smile. Nico picked up his backpack and got out of the car. He waved at Apollo
as the blond drove off. He let out a long sigh as he turned to look at his new
school. It was probably twice the size of his old one, and much nicer. This one
had to get a lot of funding. He slowly made his way up the sidewalk into the
main building. He was already ready to get this day over with.
***** My Knight in Shining Armor *****
Chapter 4
Nico slid into the passenger seat when Apollo pulled up to the curb. The blond
had changed clothes, and he now wore a sleeveless white shirt and some green
track shorts that showed off his long smooth legs. “Have a good day?” Apollo
asked as they pulled back on to the street. Nico just shrugged, looking out the
window. His day had been rough, to say the least. He was the new kid. He hadn't
made any friends. In fact he had done the opposite. Apparently, one of the kids
had deemed him bullyable material. He had gotten shoved into the lockers twice.
He also didn't like having to come in and have to catch up on so much work. Why
couldn't Percy just let him stay out of school?
Apollo seemed to notice his sour mood and patted his leg. “How do we find out
who we're on shift with?” Nico mumbled, still looking out the window.
Apollo frowned at him. “Leo should have set you up with a hotel email. You
should have gotten an email letting you know. Check your phone.” Nico slipped
his phone out of his pocket and went through his phone until he found his
email.
“Travis, Charles, and two others that I don't know.”
“What are their names?”
“Calypso and Annabeth.”
“Ah,” was all that Apollo said. Nico gave him a look. “What? There's not much
to say about them. They're cool. Calypso is kind of quiet. She's a real sweet
girl. Annabeth is...well, Annabeth is just Annabeth. She's smart girl,” he said
as he turned a corner, “and she is one of the few people Luke will get along
with. She was also one of Percy's first adoptees. When he got put in charge he
didn't really have any of us. Myself, Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia were the first
ones he found. Took us all off the streets and put us to work.”
“When are you going to be at the bar again?” Nico asked, finally looking at the
blond.
Apollo shrugged. “Don't know. I'm sure I'll be back soon. Possibly tomorrow or
the next day.”
“You work tonight?”
“Yeah,” Apollo said, not taking his eyes off the road.
“Where at?”
“The hotel, duh.” Apollo grinned over at Nico.
“Ha ha, very funny. Seriously, where at?”
Apollo reached over and picked up some sunglasses, slipping them over his eyes.
“So, what happened at school today?” Nico pouted at Apollo's obvious topic
change.
“Horrible. Why do I have to go?”
“You can elect not to go to college after you graduate high school, but you do
need to graduate. So, what happened?”
Nico sank back into his seat, crossing his arms. “I don't want to talk about
it.” Apollo chuckled at him.
They pulled into the hotel's garage and Nico hopped out when Apollo parked. He
grabbed his backpack and followed after the tall blond as he headed to the
elevator. They boarded the elevator and Apollo slipped in his card before
hitting the button to their floor. “So, I don't think I've asked, but how do
you like it here so far?”
Nico looked up at him. Apollo slipped off his shades and clipped them to the
top of his shirt. His deep blue eyes peered down at Nico as he waited for the
dark haired boy's answer. “I love it. I like it better than my old life
actually. Percy is really awesome to take people in like that.”
Apollo grinned down at him. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“So, what does he do all day? Just sit in his office?”
Apollo mumbled something under his breath, but Nico failed to make it out.
Seeing Nico's confused look, Apollo cleared his throat. “For the most part.
He'll roam the hotel on occasion. He likes going to the pool if he has free
time. And, as you've seen, he'll go to the bar at night.”
“So, I don't really understand this hours discussion thing. I heard you and
Luke ask to talk to Percy about your hours, but Percy said I shouldn't worry
about it.”
Apollo started choking and then burst out laughing. Nico frowned at the boy's
amusement. “He said that? Well then, that is interesting. I don't think you'll
ever have to worry about your time slots, Nico,” Apollo said with a wink. Nico
was about to question him, but the door opened and the blond stepped out onto
their floor. Apollo passed Nico's door. He turned and walked backwards to his
own room. “Don't hurt your pretty little head over it, Nico. It isn't a bad
thing. If anything, you should be thankful.” Nico opened his mouth to question
him once again, but the boy slipped his card in the door and closed it behind
him.
Nico frowned at the spot where the boy had stood a second ago. He slid his card
in his own door and stepped inside. He headed over to the fridge and grabbed a
bottle of water. He had slowly begun to regain his normal appetite, but he had
still been eating small, soft things. He would give it a few more days before
returning to his normal eating habits.
He plopped down on the couch to watch some TV. He had a few hours before work.
He would need to find something to eat before then. Maybe he would call the
kitchen and have something delivered, which was what he had done for the past
few meals. Like everything else in this hotel, the food was like a slice of
paradise.
There was a knock at the door and Nico groaned as he stood back up. He walked
over to the door and opened it. He looked up to find Percy's warm eyes staring
down at him. He stepped aside to allow the tall boy entrance. Percy walked into
the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools, facing Nico. “I just wanted to
come by real quick to see how your first day at school went.”
Nico sighed and sat back down on the couch, his head hitting the seat cushion.
“Can't I just work around here all day?” He heard Percy laugh. It had become a
sweet music to his ears. He wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him to crush
on his boss, but he couldn't help it. He felt the couch shift and saw that
Percy had moved from the stool. He sat back up, but regretted it instantly. He
found his face extremely close to Percy's. He had to shift away from Percy
slightly.
“It couldn't be that bad, could it? What was the problem? I can call and see if
I can fix it.”
Nico looked down at his feet. “No, that's alright. You've already done so much
for me. I feel bad asking for anything else.” He looked back over at Percy
again, who had seemed to have shifted closer to him.
“You can ask me for anything you like,” Percy whispered to him. Nico flushed
bright red at the sound of his voice. Percy's eyes sparkled. Nico felt himself
unconsciously leaning closer to him. Suddenly, Percy cleared his throat and
stood up. Nico let out a silent groan of frustration. “What was the problem,
anyway?” Well there certainly was a new problem, Nico thought.
“It's nothing. I promise. Just being the new kid.” Percy nodded in
understanding. “You going to be at the bar tonight?”
Percy looked away. “Uh, No, I've got a lot of work to do tonight.” Nico's face
dropped at that. “So, you'll get your first paycheck this week. You should ask
one of the boys or girls to take you to get some clothes, or something. I gave
you a bit of a bonus to help you out in getting started.”
“Thanks,” Nico said, a smile returning to his face. Percy was being too nice.
It wasn't helping Nico's crush, though. Percy nodded and headed back towards
the door.
“Well, like I said, I just wanted to come and check on you. If you are having
an issue at school, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll take care of it for you.”
Nico nodded, standing back up. He walked over to the door where Percy was now
standing.
Percy opened the door and looked back at Nico. “Percy?” Percy stopped closing
the door. Nico moved closer to him. “Thank you again,” Nico said, wrapping his
arms around Percy's neck in a hug. Percy stiffened initially, but slowly
wrapped his arms around the small boy's waist.
“Don't mention it, Nico,” Percy whispered back. He took a step back, tossed
Nico a final smile, and closed the door. Nico sighed and walked back over to
the couch, which he fell face first onto. There was a downside to this
paradise, and its name was Percy. He was the one thing that Nico could probably
never have.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Nico walked hurriedly into the bar and over to the counter. He had passed out
on the couch and had almost had been late for work. Chiron tossed him a knowing
look as the boy hurried behind the bar and tied his apron around his waist.
Travis was sat at the bar with a girl beside him. The girl was very beautiful,
and naturally so. Nico could tell she had little to no makeup on. She had long
caramel colored hair with two fairytale like curls hanging on either side of
her face. Even over the smell of food and alcohol, Nico could detect her
cinnamon shampoo. Her green eyes shined like two emeralds in the low lighting.
In her hair was a silver flower, Nico assumed it was fake.
Travis saw Nico staring at the girl. “Hey, Neeks. This is Calypso. Calypso,
this is our newest member.” Calypso gave him a warm smile, she held her hand
out and Nico shook her hand. The two of them were currently eating, and Nico
assumed they hadn't had time to eat either. “You want half?” Nico blinked and
looked back at Travis. He must have noticed the longing look Nico was giving
his food. He had a piece of his sandwich held out for Nico to take.
“I-uh-I don't know. Don't you want it?”
“Nah, that's alright. You look hungry, and I need to get started on my shift.”
Nico nodded and took Travis's spot after the boy stood up. He chewed off a bite
of the sandwich, letting it fall into his empty stomach. “So, you're new here?”
Calypso asked. Her voice was rich like chocolate. Nico nodded, not wanting to
talk with his mouth full. “The others have been talking about you the past few
days. I think we all know of your presence. Though, I'm betting you still
haven't met all of us.”
Nico swallowed his food. “I think I've met most of you. Some I didn't get
introduced to.”
Calypso chuckled. “Yes, we heard about your little run in on the top floor.
That was Clarisse and Ethan. They work security around here.”
Nico felt his face heat up. “So, word definitely gets around in this place.”
Calypso nodded, a warm smile still in place. Calypso finished eating her food
and went to pick up her plate. Nico's eyes flickered down to her arm. She was
wearing a long sleeve shirt, but the sleeve had slipped up higher, revealing
the skin on her upper arm. A bruise had formed on the girl's arm. She noticed
him staring and slid the fabric down. “What happened?”
“N-Nothing. It was nothing. Just some stupid drunk guy. It was taken care of,
so don't worry about it.” She gave him another smile before walking off.
He felt someone pat him on the back. He looked up to see Charles smiling down
at him. “Hey there, Nico. How you doing tonight?” the muscular man asked.
“Better now. I actually enjoy this more than school.” Charles tossed him a
smile, walked behind the counter, and grabbed an apron. “So, do you go to
school, Charles?”
“Beckendorf.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “What?”
“That's my last name. Everyone calls me Beckendorf,” Beckendorf said with a
grin. “Yeah, I'm going to college. I'm studying mechanics.”
Nico stood up and was about to take his plate to where Calypso had dropped
hers, but almost bumped into someone. The first things he noticed were her
stormy grey eyes. He felt like she was studying him. She had long, curly blonde
hair. She was an inch or two taller than Nico. She had perfectly tanned skin,
and Nico decided she was very pretty. “New kid,” was the girl's only statement.
She looked him up and down, taking him in fully. Her eyes snapped back up to
meet Nico's. “Annabeth.”
“Nico,” was Nico's response.
She gave him a knowing smile. “I know. I've heard about you.”
“Yeah, Calypso said that the others have been talking about me.”
“Yes, but that's not who told me about you.”
Nico watched her walk behind the bar. “Who told you about me then?” She just
smiled at him again and walked off into the mass of tables. Nico huffed and
took out his pad. He walked over to a nearby table, getting drinks for a woman
who looked like a librarian and her overweight husband.
True to his word, Percy hadn't shown up yet. It made Nico frown a little. He
kept glancing over to the elevator anytime it opened. Nico was getting better
about things, though. His mistakes were kept to a minimal tonight. Maybe he was
getting the hang of it.
Around ten, Nico got to go on break. He pushed past a set of doors and entered
their small break room. He plopped down onto a chair. Travis looked at him
upside down on the couch. The twins' Cheshire cat grin seemed to be their
normal face setting. Travis's leg even swung in the air like a cat's tail.
“Getting the hang of things?” Travis asked.
“Yeah. It just took me a few days of making a fool of myself.”
Travis grinned wider at him. “That's alright. We all messed up when we first
got here.”
“Tell me about you and Connor.”
Travis's smile turned into a small frown. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, what was it like for you two before Percy found you?”
“Well, we were orphans growing up. We got moved from home to home a lot.
Families didn't keep us too long. I'm not sure if it was our mischievous
attitudes or if it was just hard to support two kids. We got put in some bad
places sometimes. There was a druggie, an abusive mother, a couple that
probably only took us for the tax benefits, and finally there was the single
dad that tried selling us for money.”
“Wh-Why would someone do that?” Nico gasped.
Travis raised his eyebrow at him. “Are you really surprised at what people
would do? What did you get kicked out for?”
“Being gay,” Nico whispered.
Travis nodded. “Like I said, are you really surprised? The world sucks. Now
things aren't so bad. We make tons of money and are well taken care of. We
probably make more money than some of those families will ever see in their
lifetime. Don't feel bad for myself or Connor.”
Nico nodded slowly. “How did Percy find you?”
Travis chuckled. “Funny story, that. Well, we made the mistake of trying to
pick his pocket. We had no idea the guy had lived on the streets when he was
younger. It was like he knew all the tricks in the book. My brother and I were
really good little thieves, but he caught us. Didn't try to take his wallet
back. Even offered for us to keep the money he had in it. However, he offered
us a job that could ensure that we stayed off the street and wouldn't have to
go hungry again. The wallet or a job? That was our choice. We didn't even have
to think twice about it. It didn't matter what the job was, we just wanted off
of that street.”
Annabeth came through the doors and hit Travis's shoe. He looked up at her as
she sat next to him on the couch. “Break time is over for you,” she said
looking at Travis. Travis sighed and flipped his legs over the top of the
couch. He flipped himself into a standing position, gave Nico a final grin, and
walked out the door. Annabeth's eyes immediately darted to Nico. “So, how come
Percy only has you working the bar? I think you would pull in some big bucks
upstairs.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand some of the things they
said sometimes. It was like they spoke a language all their own, or maybe it
was a code. “Well, anytime any of the others bring it up, I get the feeling
that it is because I'm sixteen. Though, I'm not sure what that has to do with
anything. I mean I'm working in a bar. I thought you had to be eighteen to even
do that.”
“You do look rather young.” Annabeth shrugged. “A lot of us drink and most of
us are underage. You'll find that the rules from the outside world don't apply
in here. Actually, let me rephrase that, the world that you thought existed
doesn't apply here. I'm sure some of the others said it, but life isn't all
sugar and rainbows, Nico. As you learned in your time on the streets, people
suck. The world is a broken place where illegal things happen and nothing is
done about it.”
“How come the police don't come here and shut things down? I mean, like, the
underage drinking, and stuff. I'm pretty sure I heard something about arms
dealing from a customer.”
Annabeth gave him another smile. “Didn't anyone tell you to keep your nose out
of the customers' business?”
Nico sighed. “Yeah, Thalia did.”
“Yes, the customers are used to being able to talk about whatever they want.
They don't like us sticking our noses into their business. We are there to look
pretty and make them happy. The reason the police don't get involved is simple.
One that may shock you, but simple. It's mainly because they get paid. Our
owner, Gaea, isn't someone most people want to get in the way of. The police
chief gets a nice fat check, and they stay away, unless Percy wants them here.
The other reason is because nobody talks about what goes on here. What happens
here and what goes on around here never leave this building. If someone talks,
Percy finds out, and Percy will make sure that person doesn't come back.”
Nico was shocked. These people got away with who knows what here. Yet, it was
just normal? “Ho-Wh-I-.” Nico didn't know what to say.
“Most of us are surprised by the nature of things when we arrive. You'll get
used to it. Remember what I said, though, and don't talk about it to anyone.
Don't even talk about it with the other employees. Only the Lost Kids talk
about it. You are an adoptee, but Percy hasn't thrown you in as a Lost Boy. I
know that sounds rough, but you aren't a member of the 'secret society'.” She
let a soft smile play on her face. “I don't mean to sound cruel, or anything.
I'm just being realistic. It would be best if you didn't even let on that you
knew what was going on here.”
“I don't know what's going on here. It seems like a meeting place for crime
lords. There's an entire floor that I'm forbidden to set foot on. This place is
just so confusing. Yet, I'm happy to be here. I'd rather be here then back on
the streets.”
Annabeth's lips thinned. “Just be thankful that you are only working the bar,
then.”
Nico looked up at her. “Apollo said you were one of the first ones here.”
Annabeth nodded. “Yes, I was the first. Actually, what most people don't know
is that I was here before Percy took over. He was working just like the rest of
us when I arrived.” Her gaze seemed to become distant. “He wasn't...as nice as
he is now. He lived on the streets for a long time before Gaea found him. I
think it took a lot of work from Gaea to turn him into the charmer that he is
today. I've never told anyone else that, and I would appreciate it if you
didn't tell anyone.”
“I promise that I won't,” Nico assured her. She nodded her head, seemingly lost
in thought.
“Well, I think we need to get back to work.” She stood up and extended her hand
to help Nico stand up. “I think you'll do fine around here.”
---------------------------------------------------
Nico was let off at one, which he was most thankful for. He had almost fallen
asleep twice at school earlier. He didn't want to have a repeat of that. He
wasted no time in shedding his apron and heading for the elevator.
He smiled at Thalia as he saw the girl on the elevator. She, however, seemed
nervous about having the boy on board. She was standing next to a man that
looked to be in his thirties. He had on a pair of glasses and his hair was
gelled back. She gave Nico a nervous smile as he boarded. He hit the button to
his floor and the elevator started to descend.
Nico looked over at Thalia. She was wearing a camo jacket and a pair of loose
black pants. As she felt Nico's gaze on her, she tightened her grip on the
front of the jacket. Nico frowned at her. He didn't think about it too much,
though. He was starting to get used to the oddness around here.
The elevator came to a stop and he stepped out, but Thalia didn't. He looked
back at her as the door began to shut again. She just gave him a small wave. He
stared at the elevator a moment, not understanding what had just happened. He
shrugged and headed down his hallway.
A door at the end of the hall opened and Percy stepped out. He ran a hand
through his hair as the door swung shut. He opened his eyes and noticed Nico
staring at him. He threw on one of his famous smiles and headed over towards
Nico. Nico smiled at him as he opened his door. “Are you about to go to bed?”
Percy asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“I think I can stay up for a while, if you wanted to hang out,” Nico replied
with a grin. Percy nodded and the two walked into Nico's suite. Percy sat down
on Nico's couch and motioned for Nico to join him. Nico scooped up the remote
and flipped the TV on. Nico turned around to face Percy, whose eyes shot up to
his face. Was Percy checking out his ass? “What would you like to watch?”
Percy shrugged. “I'm fine with anything. Just enjoying some down time before I
had to get to bed.” Nico flipped through the channels until he found something
suitable. He decided to turn the volume down so they could talk.
“So, why were you in that room? I thought you said you had to work late?” Nico
asked, looking curious.
Percy cleared his throat. “Oh, that was business. Just discussing business with
one of the boys.”
“You do some late night business discussions then. It's one in the morning.”
Percy chuckled nervously. “Yeah, well I have to make time for everything. So,
Nico, tell me about yourself. What got you on the street anyways?”
Nico started fidgeting with his hands. “W-Well I told my dad that I was gay. It
didn't go over very well and he told me to get out. I just didn't understand
how he could do that over something so small,” Nico whispered, pulling his legs
up to his chest.
Percy was frowning at him. Did Percy not like gay guys either? He didn't seem
like the homophobic type. His face seemed to soften when he saw Nico's anxious
expression. “I'm sorry, Nico. You didn't deserve that.” He patted Nico's leg.
“So, what was life like before you got kicked out?”
“Well, I didn't get along very well with my dad. My mom is a nice woman, but
she didn't stand up for us when dad was angry with us. She was just too quiet
natured. Bianca was the only one that really took care of me. She tried to
shield me from everything she could. The night I left, I heard her yelling at
dad for what he was doing. I just hope she didn't get hit for it.”
“Did he ever hit you?” Percy asked, clenching his jaw.
Nico nodded. “A few times. The night it all happened he left a few bruises on
my arm and my cheek.” Nico looked over at Percy. The boy had a dark expression
on his face, and Nico thought it almost looked murderous. “I guess I'm glad to
be here, because, it's also an improvement over my old life as well.”
Percy seemed to snap out of his anger and looked down. “Don't say that, Nico.”
“Why not? Everything seems so great around here. Why does everyone keep saying
things like that?”
“You-” Percy sighed. “Never mind. It's not that important. I'll make sure you
don't have it hard like that again.” Percy leaned back against the couch. “Now,
let's watch this movie.” Nico leaned back into the couch and the two of them
settled in to watch the movie Nico had chosen. Nico did take notice of Percy's
arm falling over the couch behind his back. He tried to hide the smile that
formed on his lips.
***** The Siren's Call *****
Chapter 5
Nico woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He groaned and silenced it. He
sat up in bed and stretched. The rest of the week had flown by rather quickly
for Nico and, thankfully, it was Friday. Nico dragged himself out of bed and
made his way into the bathroom. He looked at his chest in the mirror. His
appetite was almost back to normal now, but it would be a few more weeks before
he probably noticed a change in his physical appearance. He wiped at his face
as a tear fell down his cheek.
He got out of the shower and started to dry off. He cocked his head at the
sound of knocking. He hadn't made plans for anyone to take him to school today,
which may have been a mistake. He didn't know how he was going to get there. He
slipped his pants on and grabbed his shirt as he made his way to the door. He
cracked it open to find Percy on the other side. “Good morning, Nico,” Percy
said cheerfully.
Nico smiled at him, slipping his shirt over his head. He caught Percy's eyes
flickering up to his face as the material fell over his head. Had he been
looking at his torso? He was probably just checking if his condition had
improved. “Morning,” Nico replied, heading back to the bathroom. Percy followed
after him.
“I thought I'd give you a lift to school.” Nico smiled at him in the mirror. “I
have some business I have to take care of around town, so I figured I could
give you a ride.” Nico nodded while brushing his teeth. “Oh, a few of the
others are probably going to go do something tomorrow, if you want to join them
I'll give you the day off.”
Nico spun around to look at Percy. “Wha-But I am supposed to work.”
Percy shrugged. “Don't worry about it. I'll get you covered. Go enjoy yourself.
Talk to Thalia or Apollo, they are usually the ones who organize the plans.”
Percy reached into his back pocket and pulled out a check and a debit card. “I
almost forgot. You can cash this and go shopping today if you want. I wanted to
give you your first paycheck personally.” Percy beamed at Nico as the boy took
it.
Nico's eyes widened at the numbers on the check. “Holy shit, Percy!”
“Like I said, I gave you a little extra to help you get started. I had Leo set
you up a standard account at a bank that's closely connected to Gaea. You can
go deposit that there. I'll have whoever picks you up after school take you by
the place. Then you can just use the card to buy whatever it is you want to
buy.” Nico flung his arms around Percy's neck. The taller boy blinked down at
Nico, slowly wrapping his arms around the smaller one.
“Thank you so much, Percy. This really means a lot. You've done a lot for me.”
“Really, don't worry about it. Now, hurry up. We need to get on the road.” Nico
followed Percy out of his suite and down the hall to the elevator. It was a
rather quiet trip down, but it didn't bother Nico. He had enjoyed Percy's
company over the past week, though he hadn't gotten to see the green-eyed boy
very much, and yet Percy seemed to make time to visit with him.
They exited into the garage, and Percy pulled a set of keys out of his pocket.
“Wow,” Nico said when they arrived at a shiny blue car. “I don't think I've
seen one like this before, I mean I don't know much about cars, but I don't
think I've even seen a commercial for this.”
Percy chuckled as the two got into the car. “That's because it's not on the
market yet. I know a guy, and he gave me this baby early. Pretty cool, right?”
Nico nodded, rubbing his hand on the dashboard. Percy grabbed some papers and
opened the glove compartment, sliding the documents inside. Something briefly
caught Nico's eyes as Percy had the compartment open. Something metallic shone
inside. Percy noticed Nico trying to get a better look inside and shut the
compartment. He cranked the car without a word and the two set off out of the
garage.
--------------------------------------------
“Good afternoon, Nico,” Thalia greeted him as Nico slid into the passenger
seat. “Ready to go cash your first paycheck?” Nico nodded. “I wanted to do some
shopping, if you don't mind tagging along. Percy said you might want to get
some new clothes.”
“Yeah, that would be great.” Nico tossed his backpack in the backseat. “Percy
said you guys might be going out tomorrow?”
Thalia fooled around with the stereo, trying to find some good music. “Yeah, we
try to take some time to do something fun on days we get off. I think Apollo
wanted to go to the beach. You want to tag along?”
“Sure. It sounds like fun. Is the whole group going?” There were still a few
Lost Kids that Nico hadn't met yet, and he was getting curious about them.
“No, some of us have to stay back and work. I think Will is going to be going.
You haven't met him yet have you?” Nico shook his head. “He's kind of like
Apollo. They even kind of look alike.” The car came to a stop. Nico opened the
door and looked up at the bank in front of them. It was several stories tall,
more than likely a bank that catered to special clients. Nico held the door
open for Thalia as they went in, earning a smile from the girl.
Thalia led them into the building's lobby. Nico let his gaze rise up to look at
the chandeliers that hung above them. He could see several floors above them. A
few people stood around the edges, apparently carrying on conversations. Thalia
tugged on his arm, drawing Nico's attention back to the ground floor. There was
a short line of people in front of the teller windows. However, Thalia didn't
wait, passing the people in line and going up to the first window that had just
opened. Nico apologized as he followed after her, trying not to stare up at the
glares he got. Thalia put an arm around his shoulders as he came up to her.
“Hey there, Lacy. I need to make a deposit and Nico here needs to make his
first deposit,” Thalia said. She slid her paycheck under the window to the
blonde girl behind the counter. Lacy typed in some numbers into her computer
and pulled out a slip of paper. She filled it out and slid it back to Thalia.
“There you go, Thals. Now, let's get your friend all set up.” Thalia pushed
Nico up to the window. “Leo called earlier and had your account set up, Nico.
If you'll just hand me your paycheck, I can finish the process for you.” Nico
pulled out the piece of paper and slid it to her. She repeated the same process
she had with Thalia. She pulled out a card after she was done and wrote down
some numbers on it. She slid the deposit slip and the card back across to Nico.
“Alright, you're all finished. I wrote your account number on the card, so be
sure you keep up with it, so you don't forget your account number. You can
check your account balance online using your account information to log in on
our website.” She gave them both a smile. “Alright. You are both ready to go.
Have a nice day.” Thalia gave the girl a wave and dragged Nico out of the
building.
“Alright, let's go shopping!” Thalia announced, jumping back into the car.
“We don't have to wait a while for it to deposit?” Nico asked.
“Nope. They clear our checks as soon as they get deposited. We don't have to
worry about it.”
The two of them rode to the mall, where they spent some time looking around
stores. Thalia had Nico pick out anything that caught his eye, and made him try
all of it on. While Nico was in the middle of changing when Thalia stuck her
head into Nico's dressing room. He yelped and covered his bare torso. Thalia
laughed at him. “What's the matter, Nico?”
“I'm not really used to people seeing me undressed.” Thalia arched her eyebrow.
“Don't worry about it. All of the Lost Kids have seen each other naked. It's
nothing I haven't seen before. It's not like you have anything to worry about,
Nico. You are pretty attractive.”
Nico lowered his shirt, exposing his chest. “Yeah, but I lost a lot of weight
while on the streets. It's really depressing to see myself like this.”
“It wasn't your fault, Nico. The rest of us looked similar to you when we were
on the streets.” Thalia's eyes looked Nico's torso over. She exhaled after she
was done. “I've seen worse. You'll have your old figure back within a few
weeks' time. Talk to one of the guys. They can take you to the gym with them,
if you want.” Nico nodded and Thalia exited the dressing room.
Nico emerged a few moments later, dressed in one of the outfits that she had
picked out for him. “Well?”
Thalia's eyes brightened. “You look hot, Nico!” She fiddled with his black
hair. “Remind me to take you down to get some better shampoo. We need to get
your hair back to life. We'll make you sexy.”
“Why do my looks matter?”
“Better tips? You'll find you'll get more attention from the customers if you
look good. Besides, it might help you get the attention of...a certain green-
eyed guy.” Nico's cheeks darkened. “You might want to hide it a little more if
you are going to act all embarrassed. Just be careful,” she said, stepping back
from Nico. He gave her an odd look. “Percy doesn't usually take an interest
with any of his employees, or anyone, for that matter.” Nico bit his lip to
keep from frowning. Thalia gave him a sympathetic smile. “Let's get you this
and anything else you want to buy.” Nico nodded and went back into the dressing
room.
After they were done with clothes, they went down to the other end of the mall
to find Nico some shampoo. Thalia shoved a few bottles at him. Nico looked each
of them over, trying to decide which he liked best. He decided on one and he
purchased it.
 
Thalia pulled into a parking space and the two emerged from her car. They
pulled their bags from the backseat and headed to the elevator. Nico raised an
eyebrow when Thalia hit the lobby button. “Apollo is going to be off work soon.
I wanna catch him before he gets off,” Thalia said, noticing Nico's questioning
look.
“What's he doing?” Nico asked as the elevator came to a stop. Nico followed
Thalia out of the elevator and over to the hotel restaurant.
“Entertaining people.” Thalia gave a wave to a plump brown headed woman behind
the podium. Nico's ears picked up on the piano playing. They turned a small
corner and Nico spotted Apollo sitting behind a grand piano. He had his eyes on
the keys as his fingers ran across them. Thalia pulled out a chair and sat at a
table up close. Nico followed her lead and sat down with her. The two of them
put their bags on the floor. Nico recognized the melody instantly. He listened
to the intro play so beautifully.
Finally Apollo started to singing. His voice was beautiful as he sang the
soulful song that Nico loved so much.
“I heard that you're settled down
That you found a girl and you're married now.
I heard that your dreams came true.
Guess she gave you things I didn't give to you.”
The room was quiet as Apollo played, everyone captivated by his voice, which
was full of emotion.
“Old friend, why are you so shy?
Ain't like you to hold back or hide from the light.
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I had hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.”
Apollo had closed his eyes as he let his fingers play from memory. Nico felt so
drawn in by the hypnotic sound of Apollo's voice. It was like he was driving
his emotions into the song and everyone around him felt the boy's pain. Nico
glanced away and saw a few women wiping their eyes.
“You know how the time flies
Only yesterday was the time of our lives
We were born and raised
In a summer haze
Bound by the surprise of our glory days
I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited
But I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it.
I'd hoped you'd see my face and that you'd be reminded
That for me it isn't over.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.
Nothing compares
No worries or cares
Regrets and mistakes
They are memories made.
Who would have known how bittersweet this would taste?
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.
Never mind, I'll find someone like you
I wish nothing but the best for you too
Don't forget me, I beg
I remember you said,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead,
Sometimes it lasts in love but sometimes it hurts instead.”
Apollo let out a breath as he opened his eyes. Everyone in the room started
clapping. Nico even found himself clapping. Apollo locked eyes with Nico and
gave him a wink. He stood up and bowed before walking over to Thalia and Nico.
“Well hello there. What do I owe the pleasure of two such lovely people?”
Apollo said with a smile.
Thalia rolled her eyes. “You done?” she asked. Apollo nodded. “Alright. You
mind giving us a hand? We went shopping.”
“I see that,” Apollo chuckled. He picked up two bags and the three of them
walked out of the restaurant. “Oh, what's this?” Nico turned to look at him.
His eyes widened as he saw some of the underwear Thalia had made him buy. “My,
my, Nico. You'll have to model these for me sometime.” Nico blushed. Thalia and
Apollo shared a laugh. Apollo dropped the fabric back in the bag and the three
boarded the elevator.
“We still on for the beach tomorrow, boo?” Thalia asked.
“Of course. I need to work on my tan. So do you, you're looking pale.” Apollo
poked at Thalia's arm. His eyes glanced over to Nico. “Both of you.”
“I'm always pale,” Nico mumbled. Nico glanced at Apollo for a moment. “You have
a really beautiful voice.”
Apollo beamed at him. “Well thank you. I aim to please.”
“Don't feed his ego, Nico. He already gets enough of that,” Thalia interjected.
Apollo feigned hurt. “Your words cut me deep, beautiful maiden.” Thalia rolled
her eyes, giving Apollo a shove. Apollo only grinned at her. Nico had really
started to notice over the past week that the others really were truly close.
They seemed so comfortable with each other that Nico couldn't help but wonder
if he would ever really be a part of their tight circle.
“That song sounded like it had meaning to you,” Nico stated, killing the
laughter. Thalia cleared her throat as Apollo stared down at Nico.
“I suppose it does. A story for another time? It would only ruin the cheerful
atmosphere.” Nico nodded. “Right now, we need to get ready for work.” The trio
exited the elevator. “You two go drop your stuff off, and I will see you two in
a few at the bar.”
--------------------------------------------
The night had went by without much excitement. Nico exited the elevator into
the garage, where the group had agreed to meet. He spotted everyone standing
around Thalia and Apollo's cars. Apollo waved Nico over when he saw the boy.
Everyone was already dressed in their beach attire. Thalia sat on the back of
her car, currently talking with Piper. Calypso, Beckendorf, and Silena were
nearby in their own conversation. Nico's eyes fell on a boy by Apollo's side.
Judging by his looks, he was Will. Thalia was right, they did look alike. They
had the same color blond hair, except Will's was straight and hung down into
his eyes. He had the same color blue eyes as Apollo. He was a few inches
shorter than Apollo, probably around six feet. They even had the same color
tanned skin. If Nico didn't know they weren't related, he wouldn't be able to
tell. He looked like a younger version of Apollo.
“Nico, this is Will,” Apollo said, motioning to the boy next to him. Will
pushed off the back of Apollo's car and shook Nico's hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Will said with a smile. Damn, they even had the same bright
smile. Nico smiled back at him and moved to stand on Apollo's other side.
“Alright,” Thalia said, clapping her hands. “We'll take my and Apollo's cars
and divide evenly. Piper, Beckendorf, and Silena can ride with me. The rest of
you losers can haul up in Apollo's car.” Apollo just rolled his eyes and pulled
his keys out. They all piled into the cars and were soon on the road.
Nico sat in the back with Calypso, while the two blonds sat up front. The way
the two interacted, you would guess they were brothers. Will kept trying to
change the music, and Apollo would keep swatting his hand away. Calypso smiled
at their antics. “So, how did you find yourself at the hotel?” Nico asked her,
deciding he wanted to get to know the others better.
Calypso pursed her lips, she didn't look happy to answer. “I moved out here
after high school, trying to chase my dreams. I had wanted to try modeling, but
that didn't work out for me. Long story short, Percy found me and...alleviated
a problem I had. He asked me if I had a place to stay, and when I told him no
he brought me back to the Lotus.”
“You didn't make it as a model? You're so pretty, though. They must have been
blind.”
Calypso smiled at Nico. “Thank you. I've gotten over it. I'm happy with my life
now, I guess.” Nico looked out the window as the car stopped. They had arrived
at the beach. He opened the door and followed the group across the sand. Thalia
stopped and tossed her stuff down, claiming it as their spot. Apollo and Will
wasted no time in stripping their shirts. Like Apollo, Will had the surfer
body. He noticed something while looking them over, though. None of them had
any traces of body hair. All of the guys' legs and underarms were completely
barren of hair. Thalia tossed them some sun tan lotion and the blonds went
about rubbing it on each other. When they were done, Apollo tossed the bottle
to Nico.
Nico fidgeted a little, uncomfortable at having to be shirtless in front of
them once again. “You have nothing to be shy about, Nico,” Silena said in a
soothing voice. “All of our bodies were pretty bad when we first arrived, don't
be ashamed. You'll be back to normal soon.”
“That reminds me,” Thalia said, tapping Apollo with her foot. “I don't suppose
any of you boys would help him out and take him to the gym, would you?”
Beckendorf pat Nico on the back. “Sure. The next time we go we'll hit you up,
Nico. I'm sure the Stolls or Will could make a good workout buddy for you.”
“Stolls?” Nico asked.
“Oh, I guess no one told you their last name. Travis and Connor, the Stoll
twins,” Piper said, she had sat down on a towel. Nico nodded.
“Are all of you so conscious with your looks? Working out and eating properly?”
Nico asked. He had noticed that most of the time the kids ate pretty healthy
and now he learned they exercised too.
“Like I said, Nico, it's all about making those big bucks. Customers are more
willing to tip if they think you are sexy,” Thalia said with a wink.
Nico nodded. He lowered his hands to the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over
his head. Everyone smiled at him. “See, now that wasn't so bad, was it?” Apollo
said, taking the sun screen from Nico and rubbing it on his back. “You do need
this, though. Your skin is very pale, don't want you burning. That wouldn't
draw you much attention.”
Beckendorf pulled out a volleyball from Silena's bag. “How about a rematch,
Apollo?”
Apollo grinned at him. “I think I'd be willing to whip your ass again, big
man.”
“Then it's a good thing we have even numbers,” Calypso added, going to stand
with Apollo and Will. It looked like they were forming teams. “Come on, Nico,
you can be on our team.”
Nico had surprisingly enjoyed the game. They had come out victorious, but he
knew it was mostly because of Apollo and Will. The two of them just looked like
naturals at everything beach related. Nico had accidentally gotten distracted
on a few occasions during the game by staring at their bodies. After the game
ended, the group headed into the water. Nico was currently seated on Apollo's
shoulders as he faced off against Silena on Beckendorf's shoulders. Nico yelped
when Beckendorf tripped Apollo and the two tumbled into the water. Apollo
laughed as they emerged from the water, splashing at Beckendorf.
Things quieted down after that. Most of the group left the water and laid out
in the sun. Nico stayed out with Apollo in the water, he had wanted to catch
the boy alone so he could ask about that song. “Apollo?” Nico asked.
“Hmm?” Apollo asked, shaking his hair. “What's up, Nico?”
“Can I ask about that song you sang? What's it mean to you?”
Apollo's eyes shifted to the water. Nico saw pain flash through his eyes.
“Well, when I came out to my father, it wasn't completely about school. I was
stupid and did it mostly because of a guy I was seeing at the time. He was a
few years older than me, just finishing college. Well, when my dad kicked me
out, I just moved in with him. The problem was he had gotten a job offer here
in California.” Apollo wiped a hand across his face. “I was stupid and moved
with him.” Nico gave Apollo a sympathetic look. “I lived with him for a while
out here, but things got awkward. He kind of was trying to go into politics, so
having me around wouldn't have been good for his image.”
“He kicked you out on the streets?” Nico asked, shock written on his face.
“You can't tell me you are shocked to learn things like this? I know you've
heard some of the others' backstories. We all had bad things happen to us in
our pasts. Like we've told you before, the world isn't as nice a place as you
think it is. You do what you have to survive, and don't look back on it with
regret.”
“Did you ever see him again?”
Apollo's eyes seemed to be distant, looking off at the sunset. “Once. After I
got the job at the Lotus, he showed up. He had gotten married.”
“What did he want?”
“What everyone coming to the Lotus wants. A piece of paradise.” Nico looked at
him in confusion. Apollo didn't say anything else, though. Nico knew he was
done with the conversation. It was sad, all of their stories were. He wondered
what Percy's backstory was. Annabeth had said he had not been as nice back when
she had first met him, something bad must have happened to him too. He would
have to ask Percy about it sometime.
***** The Choices We Make *****
Chapter 6
Nico looked at himself in the mirror. A group of the Lost Kids had gathered
behind him. They were all inspecting the state of his body. Three weeks had
passed since the other Lost Boys had started helping him work out, and Nico's
body had finally started to look normal again. They were all currently up in
the gym, getting some exercise before work. “See, all you needed was a good
diet and the right exercise,” Apollo said, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder.
“Gonna get those big tips now,” the Stolls said, slapping Nico's stomach.
Apollo had set him up with a diet and exercise plan that he had stuck to for
the past three weeks. He had gotten Will and the twins to be Nico's workout
partners. The girls had done a good job in making sure Nico ate healthy and
stuck to Apollo's diet plan.
Annabeth pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of Nico. “Percy wanted an
update on his progress,” she said, sending a text message.
“I bet he did,” Travis said with a grin. Annabeth just rolled her eyes. Apollo
handed Nico his shirt and the boy slipped it on over his head.
Piper clapped her hands together, bringing everyone's attention to her.
“Alright, gang, we should head out. We need to be cleaned up for work tonight,”
she informed them. The group gathered their things and boarded the elevator. It
was weird for Nico, after four weeks of living with them, there were still a
few of the group that he hadn't met yet. He knew it was a large hotel, but how
could he go so long without running into the others?
Percy had been spending more time with Nico, much to his enjoyment. He was
really enjoying Percy's visits. He still hadn't asked Percy about his past,
though. Part of him was nervous asking about it. He didn't want Percy to pull
away from him.
There was a drawback from spending so much time with Percy, though. Luke and
Octavian seemed to grow more irritated with him every passing day. They always
referred to him as Percy's favorite. Nico did notice a few of the others show
small signs of resentment as well. Nothing major, just annoyed stares whenever
Percy was in the room with Nico. Apollo and Thalia had assured him it wasn't
anything to worry about, but that it was just that Percy treated him
differently.
Nico wasn't sure what they meant by that. He had to work every night, and often
had day shifts added on during the weekends. He felt worked to the bone,
especially with school work to go along with all of it. He didn't see Percy
treating him any different. The only thing that seemed different was that Nico
didn't seem to have to negotiate hours like the others did. He hadn't thought
much about the top floor lately. He had been so busy that his mind was kept
occupied.
The group exited the elevator onto their floor, the girls heading off down
their hallway. He bid the others farewell as he entered his suite. He flopped
down on his couch to relax for a few minutes before he had to get cleaned up.
He flipped on the TV and searched for something to watch.
When it was getting close to an hour until he had to be at work, he shut off
the TV and headed for the bathroom. He slipped himself out of his clothes and
turned on the shower. He slipped inside the glass shower and started rinsing
himself off. This time, he actually let his eyes look down at his body. It was
such a relief to him to not look so grotesque anymore. There was even the
tiniest bit of muscle starting to show. Nico let his head fall back on the
shower wall, letting the water wash over him.
Looking at the terrible shape his body was in had been so hard on him. He
couldn't recall a single day where he didn't cry looking at his naked form.
While he was thankful for Percy pulling him off the streets, he couldn't help
resenting his father for putting him through all of that. If it hadn't been for
Percy, he probably would have died out there.
Nico shut the water off and grabbed a towel. He dried himself off and grabbed
his toothbrush. Brushing at his teeth, he inspected his face in the mirror. The
dark circles under his eyes had finally vanished. Several of the Lost Kids had
even started complementing him on his features. Things like his soft black
hair, and almost matching dark brown eyes. His skin still was pale, since he
had told Apollo he couldn't tan. Percy had complemented him on his improved
appearance as well, saying that Nico's eyes were one of his favorite features.
Nico noticed his cheeks darken in the mirror at the memory.
He left the bathroom and headed for his bedroom. He set about pulling out some
clothes to go to work in. He slipped into his pants and slid the shirt over his
head. He shut his bedroom door behind him as he made his way back into the
kitchen. He should probably eat something before going to work. He had some
leftover pasta from lunch earlier, he figured that would work.
After he finished eating, Nico left his suite and headed for the elevator. Will
was standing by the elevator when he arrived. He gave Nico a smile as the dark
haired boy approached. “You working the bar tonight?” Nico asked.
“Yep, you headed up there too?” Will replied as they both stepped on the
elevator.
“Yeah.”
Will nodded and slid his card into the slot before hitting the button for the
bar. A few moments later they stepped out into the bar. Nico had gotten used to
the noise by now, it seemed so normal to him now. They headed over to the bar
and signed in. Chiron tossed them their aprons after they were finished.
Thalia walked over, handing Chiron some empty glasses. “I'm so glad the two of
you could join us,” she joked. Will rolled his eyes at her as he put on his
apron. Nico glanced over at the elevator when it opened, letting Reyna off of
it. One thing Nico had noticed was that Reyna liked to keep to herself for the
most part. There were only a few of the others that she would really be seen
hanging around during free time. She wore her normal emotionless expression as
she signed in quickly and headed onto the floor. Nico pulled his pad and pen
out before following her lead.
 
The hours seemed to creep by at a snail's pace for Nico. He had had one
customer tonight that just seemed like he was purposefully trying to give Nico
a hard time. Nico was relieved when he finally got to go on break. He plopped
down onto the couch in the break room, letting out a long sigh. Reyna came in a
few moments after him and went over to the small fridge they had in there. She
pulled out a bottle of water and sat down in the chair next to the couch. She
seemed content in the silence, Nico observed. She was one of the few people
that seemed to be a little bitter at Nico for how Percy treated him.
Nico bit his lip as he stared at her. He wanted to get to know all of the Lost
Children, even the ones that intimidated him. “Reyna, can I ask you something?”
he asked quietly.
She glanced over at him, taking another drink of water. “Sure, kid, what's up?”
“Well, I was just wondering what your story was? Everyone else seems to have a
tragic story about how they got here, and I was just curious what happened to
you.”
“Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”
Nico pouted at her. “I just wanted to get to know you better.”
She held out her wrist, exposing her tattoo to Nico. “I got this from my old
life. I ran away from home when I was around your age. I was dating this guy,
at the time, and he was involved in a gang. Well, he told me if I wanted to be
with him, I had to join them. So, the stupid young me decided to do it. They
branded me with this and let me be in their 'family'. I use the word very
loosely. It wasn't anything like we are here.” She began rubbing her marked
wrist softly. “After I ran away, I moved into their crib and stayed there. I
did drugs for a short while in my time there, so trust me when I say you
shouldn't try any of it.”
“How did you get from there to here?”
Reyna's eyes darkened, her mouth set into a firm line. “That bastard cheated on
me, only I didn't know it right away. Percy showed up one day, furious at my
boyfriend for not paying something.” She paused for a moment. “I'll leave out
all the boring details, but he told me that my asshole of a boyfriend had
cheated on me. I wanted to kill him so badly, but...never mind. Anyways, Percy
pulled me out of there and brought me back here.”
“Do you know how Percy found out that your boyfriend cheated on you?”
“I do,” Reyna replied, taking another drink of water. Nico waited for an
elaboration, but it never came. Reyna just went back to sitting in silence,
occasionally taking a sip of water. Nico tilted his head to look back at the
ceiling. He figured it was best to just leave her be. He had gotten to know her
just a little bit better, and that's what he had wanted. Yet another tragic
story was laid out before him.
He was thankful that it was the weekend, school today had been exhausting. He
had his first major test since his return to the educational system, and he was
hoping he still managed to keep his good grades. Sighing, Nico pulled himself
off of the couch to get back to work.
Percy hadn't shown up tonight, which made Nico frown to himself. Most nights
the green eyed boy came to the bar for a few minutes. There were the rare
nights that he wouldn't show up at all, though. Nico supposed this was one of
those nights.
Finally, they were released from their duties, once the last of the customers
had left. They all boarded the elevator and headed down to their floor. “Any
plans for tomorrow, Thals?” Will asked, popping his back.
“I'm not sure yet. I'll let you know,” the black haired girl replied
“How about something relaxing? I could use a good day of relaxation,” Reyna
added.
“Amen to that,” said Will. The elevator doors opened and they headed out onto
their floor. The girls bid them goodnight before heading down the hall. Will
waved at Nico as he passed Nico's door. Nico watched him head down the hall and
stop in front of Apollo's room.
“You live with Apollo?” Nico asked.
The blond looked back at Nico and nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“I needed to ask him something about the diet plan he gave me. Do you think
he's in yet?”
Will shrugged. “I don't know. You're welcome to come in and see. You can wait
for him if he's not.” Nico nodded and walked over to where Will stood. The
blond inserted his card and pushed the door open. “Oh god!” Will yelled, trying
to shut the door.
It had been too late, though. Nico's eyes had immediately landed on Percy and
Apollo on the couch together. They were completely naked and currently in the
middle of sex. They both froze when the door opened. “Shit,” he heard Percy
mumble, already pulling out of Apollo. Percy grabbed for his pants, throwing
them on as fast as he could. Apollo sat there, a shocked expression on his
face. His mouth kept opening and closing, unable to find any words to say.
Nico felt tears burning in his eyes. “Shit, I'm sorry guys. I didn't know,”
Will said. Nico started to back up. Will tried to make a grab for him, but he
jerked his arm away.
“Nico, wait. You don't understand,” Percy said, jogging towards the door. Nico
didn't wait, though. He bolted to his door. Percy pushed past Will into the
hall. “Nico, please listen to me.” Nico fumbled for his keycard. His hands were
shaking so bad that he almost dropped it. Percy had come to stand right next to
him. He refused to look at Percy, though. He didn't trust himself to not waver
from the boy's eyes. He wiped at his face as he slid his card into the door.
Apollo came out into the hall, having put on some pants. Nico heard some doors
open down the hall, other Lost Children looking outside to see what the
commotion was. “Nico, please listen. You really don't understand,” Apollo
pleaded.
“Leave me alone!” Nico yelled. He opened his door and slammed it behind him,
refusing to let any of them into his suite. He bolted the door so that Percy
couldn't use his master key to get himself in. He didn't want to see him now.
Nico went over to the couch and curled up on it, letting his tears fall.
There came a frantic knock at the door. “Nico, please open the door. Let me
talk to you. I can explain,” Percy's voice came from the other side. Nico
didn't budge, though. Any other time he would have jumped in a heartbeat to let
Percy in his room, but not tonight. His phone started going off, he pulled it
out to see Apollo's name on the caller ID. He threw his phone to the floor so
he didn't have to look at the name on the screen.
He heard running in the hall and soon another voice was heard outside. “What
the hell is going on?” came Thalia's raised voice. There was hushed talking on
the other side, Nico could no longer make it out. Then there was knocking
again. “Nico? It's Thalia. Can I come in to talk?”
“No! Everyone just leave me alone!” Nico yelled, refusing to move from the
couch. There was more hushed talking. Nico heard a few footsteps and a door
closing.
“Nico, I'm going to get everyone to leave you alone, but I want to come talk to
you in the morning.” Nico didn't care. He didn't want to talk to them. He
rubbed at his face as he dragged himself off of the couch. His stomach felt
sick and his head was spinning. His phone went off again, this time it was a
text message. He wasn't sure if it would be wise to look at it, but against his
better judgment he picked it up. It was a message from Percy.
Nico, I'm sorry you had to see that. It's really not what it looks like. I
really want to explain it to you. I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Nico bit his lip, debating typing a reply. He shook his head, placing his phone
on the kitchen counter. He went to the fridge and grabbed bottle of water. He
headed back to his room, placing his drink on his nightstand. He collapsed on
his bed, letting out a single sob into the comforter. He didn't even bother
undressing. He just curled up on his bed and cried himself to sleep.
-------------------------------
Nico stood in his shower, letting the water beat down on him. He was stupid.
Stupid for ever getting his hopes up that he might have the slightest chance
with Percy. Why did he try to fool himself? How could Apollo betray him like
that, though? Surely Apollo knew that Nico had a crush on their boss. The blond
acted like he knew of the crush. Yet he still did this to Nico.
He didn't feel betrayed by Percy. He couldn't. No, he felt something else for
the green-eyed manager. He was hurt. Percy had hurt him. Nico didn't own him,
though. They weren't dating. Percy had every right to go and have sex with
whoever he wanted to. Nico had no claim to him. It didn't change how much it
hurt, though. He wanted to be with Percy. In his entire life, he had never
wanted something like this. He had never wanted something so badly. Now Percy
truly was out of his grasp. How could Nico ever hope to compete with Apollo?
Apollo was gorgeous.
He wiped at his eyes and shut off the water. Stepping out, he grabbed a towel
and slowly dried himself off. He didn't want to go anywhere today. He didn't
want to run the risk of running into either Percy or Apollo. He couldn't face
either of them. He wrapped the towel around his waist and left the bathroom. He
needed to check his phone. Hopefully, fate would be on his side and he wouldn't
have Apollo on shift with him tonight.
Picking up his phone, he ignored all of his missed calls and texts. He opened
his daily email from Leo, inspecting his coworkers. “Fuck,” he mumbled. He had
no such luck. There was Apollo's name clear as day in the email. He would have
to force himself to ignore Apollo. There was no way he wouldn't crumble to
pieces if they actually spoke. He would probably have the urge to punch Apollo
in his perfect face.
A new call came in, it was Thalia. Nico sighed and decided to talk to the girl.
“Hello?” he asked quietly.
“Nico! Finally! We were beginning to think you died in there,” came the girl's
reply.
“No, I'm...fine.”
“You don't have to lie to me, Nico. Look, this place isn't paradise. We call it
an illusion for a reason. This place majorly bites, especially when you first
get here. Trust me. I remember when I first started here. I hated it. You're
going to hate it for a while too.”
“You're not going to tell me to hear them out, are you?”
Thalia chuckled through the phone. “No. I know you probably hate both of them
right now. If I were in your position, I wouldn't want to talk to them either.
I just wanted to invite you out to take your mind off of things.”
“Apollo won't be there?” Nico asked, biting his lip.
“Nope. I haven't even told him about this. Annabeth and I were going to go down
to the spa. I wanted to know if you wanted to go? It might help you take your
mind off things.”
Nico ran a hand through his drying hair. “I-I guess. Yeah.”
He could practically see Thalia smile through the phone. “Great! I'll be over
in ten. Be ready to go by then.” Nico hung up the phone and went back to the
bathroom to get ready.
After brushing his teeth, he went to his bedroom and found something
comfortable to wear. He didn't feel like dressing up too much. He would come
back before work and change clothes. There was a knock at the door. Nico went
and peered through the hole. Sure enough, it was Thalia. He opened the door and
let her in. “Hey,” he mumbled quietly.
“Shit, Nico. You look like hell,” the girl said, raising his face to look at
her. “Did you cry all night?” Nico nodded. “I'm sorry. I-I did try to warn you.
Percy's not someone you want to develop actual feelings for.”
“I know. I was being stupid.”
“You weren't being stupid. A lot of people fall for Percy when they first get
here. You're not the first, and you probably won't be the last.” Nico nodded,
wiping at his nose. “You ready to go?” Nico nodded again. Thalia led him out
the door and down the hall to the elevator.
Waiting at the elevator was Annabeth. “You got him out of his room after all I
see,” the blonde mused. Nico didn't say anything, just standing there in
silence, staring at the floor. Annabeth raised an eyebrow at him. “Wow, he
really is shaken up. He actually walked in on them?”
Thalia sighed. “Yes, because Will wasn't using his head, and the two of them
were idiots and used the couch.”
“They do this a lot?” Nico asked.
Neither of the girls seemed to want to answer. They boarded the elevator and
hit the ground floor button. “You got some waking up to do, Nico,” Annabeth
stated plainly. “We told you before, this place isn't sugar and rainbows.”
“I just...never mind. I was just being stupid. I let myself believe I had a
chance with him. I thought he might actually like me back,” Nico whispered. The
girls shared a look, refusing to comment on the subject.
“I told you, Percy doesn't take an interest in us,” Thalia said, putting her
arm around Nico.
“You shouldn't be mad at Apollo either,” added Annabeth. “It was just
business.”
“Business?” Nico asked, looking up at the blonde girl.
Thalia shot her a look. “Relax, Percy will probably fill him in a little once
Nico cools off.” Annabeth faced Nico once again. “That is the answer to your
question on how we discuss hours with Percy.” Nico cocked his head to the side.
Annabeth sighed. “Apollo was trying to get more hours...upstairs, and to do
that you are required to...prove to Percy that you are deserving of the hours.”
“By letting him fuck you?”
“Like I said, not as nice of a place as you might think.” The elevator opened
and the three exited it. Nico followed the two girls around the corner towards
the pool. They turned another corner, now heading away from the pool. They came
to two open glass doors. Circe's Spa was written on a sign above the door.
Inside a tall woman stood behind a desk. Her piercing green eyes were currently
busy looking through a magazine. She had long dark hair, eloquently braided
with gold thread. She was a thin woman, currently adorned by a long silky black
dress. A small stuffed guinea pig lay on her desk next to her computer. She
glanced away from her magazine to look at the three new arrivals. She smiled
and walked around the desk to usher them farther into the room. “Ah, Annabeth
and Thalia, I was wondering when you were going to return to me,” the woman
said. Her eyes fell upon Nico. Her lips turned down into a frown upon
inspecting him. “And who is this?”
“Oh, this is Nico. He's sort of new here,” Annabeth replied.
“Nico, this is Circe, the spa manager,” Thalia stated. She turned her attention
to Circe. “Do you think you could squeeze the three of us in? We could use a
spa day. Especially Nico, he had a rough night last night.”
Circe tapped her cheek. She walked over to her desk and ran through her time
schedule. “I suppose I could squeeze the three of you in, but only since the
two of you are my favorite customers,” Circe said, pointing to the girls. They
smiled and dragged Nico towards the back.
They were ushered into separate rooms to get out of their clothes and into some
robes they were provided with. After that, they were led into a large room with
some tables set up in the middle. Nico's cheeks started burning when the girl's
started to remove their robes. They had their backs to him, so he didn't see
anything and, luckily, they had their underwear still on.
Nico slipped his robe off of his shoulders and climbed onto the table. The door
opened again, Circe and two other girls came inside. One of the girls came over
to Nico's table to get started on his massage. He felt his cheeks flush when
the girl commented on his soft skin. Apparently, it was softer than a lot of
the girls she massaged.
As the massage team was busy with their job, the girls decided to see how Nico
was doing. “Are you at least feeling less depressed than you were last night,”
Thalia asked, voice full of concern.
“I don't know,” Nico replied. “I'm not really sure how I'm supposed to be
feeling. It's not like he cheated on me. I know he has every right to do as he
pleases.”
“It happens,” Annabeth added in.
“A lot?”
“Whenever we want better time slots, yes.”
Nico frowned. “You mean you've both had sex with him too?”
Thalia cleared her throat. “I tried to warn you, Nico,” she said softly. “It's
not paradise here. It's what we have to do.”
“Have to? Can't you just get by with the hours he gives you? Percy seems like a
fair person.”
“Try telling that to some of the others,” Annabeth replied. “It's a harsh world
we live in here, Nico. You have to understand that. Not to be cruel, but to
survive here, you have to throw out almost everything you thought you knew
about the world. It doesn't work the way a lot of people think it does.”
“What Annabeth is trying to say,” Thalia said sternly, “is that Percy isn't
someone you need to go after. You are where you are, and you should be happy
there. You don't want to be where we are. You don't want to have to do what we
have to do. Percy did you a favor by keeping you in the bar.”
Nico's face grew dark. He was tired of everyone telling him that. They treated
him like a child. “Fair that he'll have his way with you and not with me?” Nico
sat up, startling the girl massaging him. She tried to get him to lie back
down, but Nico wouldn't do it. “I'm tired of being treated like a child around
here. Am I so repulsive to Percy that he doesn't want to touch me like the rest
of you? What the fuck is so important about upstairs anyways?” Nico began
yelling, Thalia and Annabeth stared at him in shock. Circe and both of her
girls had stopped doing their job. Everyone was staring at him, but he didn't
care. He huffed and jumped off the bed, marching back to the changing room.
He slipped his clothes back on and opened the door. Thalia was there waiting
for him. “Nico, wait. Please don't get mad at us,” she pleaded. He wasn't going
to listen. He pushed past her and sprinted for the exit. Her voice slowly began
fading behind him, until he was approaching the elevator.
He slipped his card into its slot and hit the button to his floor, fighting
back more tears as they threatened to surface. He exited the elevator, brushing
past the Stolls, who were waiting to board. “Nico? Shit, he's still upset,”
Travis said. Nico heard them trying to follow him. He quickened his pace and
slid his card into its slot. He slammed the door behind him, refusing to hear
what either of them had to say. He didn't want to talk to any of them. They
were all the same. If it hadn't been Apollo it would have been one of the
others.
---------------------------------
Nico silently clocked in, one arm wrapped around himself. He was aware of his
coworkers' eyes on him. They all wanted to try and say something, but none of
them would make the first move. Everyone except Luke, that is. The asshole
seemed so happy with what had happened. Apollo kept trying to give him the
puppy-dog eyes, but Nico refused to look at him. He felt a hand on his
shoulder. He only looked at the person because he knew it was Chiron. Chiron
was the only person Nico couldn't bring himself to be mad at right now. He
doubted the bartender did the same things that the rest of them did. “Are you
alright, Nico?” he asked gently. “I can request you get the night off, if you
prefer.”
“No, that's ok. I'll be fine,” Nico whispered back. Chiron squeezed his
shoulder and went back to work. Nico sighed and headed over to his first table.
He tried to look happy for the customers, but he was sure that he failed
miserably. Piper reached out for him when he headed back with the orders, but
she pulled her hand back when she saw he wasn't going to stop for her.
“Nico,” he heard Apollo whisper behind him. He turned around and fixed the
blond with an emotionless stare. Nico wanted to get across to the traitor that
he was dead to him now. Apollo bit his lip, looking down at the floor. “I'm
really sorry, Nico. You weren't meant to see that.”
Nico just stared at him for a few seconds longer, and then brushed past him to
take the drinks to the table he had just come from. Their group effort was just
making Nico angrier. Their unity and sense of family was grating on his nerves.
How could they defend this? How could each of them do this? They knew that each
of the others had sex with Percy, but none of it seemed to bother them.
A few hours later, Percy came into the bar. Nico was heading back to the bar
when Percy grabbed Nico's arm and spun Nico to face him. “Can I help you?” Nico
asked, his voice drained of all emotion. It made Percy's eyes flash with hurt
for a brief moment.
“Can we talk? You really don't understand,” Percy stated.
“What's not to understand? The others want better hours so you get them to fuck
you to earn them.” Percy's jaw tightened. His eyes flashed with anger for a
brief second. He took a breath to calm himself.
“Look, I just don't want you to be mad at me. You weren't supposed to see
that.”
“I'm sure I would have found out eventually. If it wasn't Apollo I'm sure I
would have found out about one of the other one's you fuck around with.” Nico
yanked his arm free of Percy's grasp, walking back to the bar. Percy followed
after him. “What I don't understand is why I'm exempt from this? Do I repulse
you, or something?”
He heard Percy groan behind him. “Why would you even think that? Because I
choose to keep your innocence intact?” Percy asked, voice becoming harsher as
he spoke. “Excuse me for wanting to keep you out of that lifestyle. I thought I
was doing you a favor.”
Nico huffed and walked into the break room. He heard Percy groan in frustration
right before the door shut. Thankfully, Percy didn't follow him back there.
However, Nico wasn't alone in the room. Silena smiled at him as he came to sit
down in the chair next to the couch. Could he not get away from them? Could he
not have a single moment to himself?
There was a long, awkward silence between the two. Nico figured she knew he was
irritated at all of them. She finally cleared her throat and spoke up. “I know
you probably don't want to talk about it, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry
you had to see that.”
“Why?” Nico asked harshly.
“Because, I'm with Charlie, and I don't like having to do what I have to do. I
can understand what you're going through. You like him, Percy that is. It was
hard seeing him with Apollo, especially considering what they were doing. You
probably hate us right now, I wouldn't blame you if you did, but trust me when
I say you really don't know the whole story.”
“How can I when all of you keep me in the dark?”
Silena frowned. “It might be better if you didn't know what the reality of
things around here is. I think Percy and Apollo would both rather you hate them
for what you saw, than to have you suffer like the rest of us.”
“Suffer? You all seem happy to me, how can you say you're suffering?”
Silena's face became solemn. “What you see is a charade, every one of us wears
a mask to hide how damaged and fucked up we really are.” She stood up and
headed for the door, turning around to face Nico before leaving. “And that's
only for the customers and to get by. What you saw is normal for us here, and
we act like it's no big deal because it's not. If you want to live here, you
better start realizing you aren't in your little bubble of a world anymore.”
With that she pushed through the door and walked back into the busy bar.
Nico frowned at the door, pulling his legs up to his chest. The fake walls of
this place were starting to crumble around him. Why couldn't he go back to it
being the perfect place he thought it was? He wiped at his eyes as he felt
tears starting to surface.
Nico looked up as the door opened once again. Luke rolled his eyes at the sight
of Nico. “Is crying your only setting?” he said with annoyance as he laid down
on the couch.
“Leave me alone,” Nico mumbled.
“Aww, is the poor baby realizing that perfect Percy isn't the golden angel you
thought he was?” Luke chuckled dryly at him. “You haven't even hit the tip of
the iceberg yet, kid. You better start carrying around a box of tissues. The
Percy you thought you knew doesn't exist. As your time goes on here, you're
just going to fall farther and farther down the rabbit hole, until you finally
shed light on how fucked up Percy and the rest of us really are.”
Nico's cheeks stung as he wiped at his eyes once again. He couldn't get himself
to stop crying anymore. “Shut up.”
“He must really find you unattractive if he won't fuck you like everyone else.”
Nico began sobbing into his arm. “Did you really think you were his favorite?
You wouldn't even last one night upstairs. You're too weak. You're just a child
in his eyes, and that's why he stuck you down here. Because he knew you
couldn't handle life up there.”
“Fuck you!”
“No thanks, Percy already fills that need.” The door swung open again and
Chiron stepped inside, with Percy, Silena, Piper, and Apollo following close
behind.
“What is going on back here?” Chiron asked. “Why was there yelling?” Chiron
glanced at Nico. “And why is he crying?” Chiron glared down at Luke, who just
shrugged.
“Can't you go one night without being an ass, Luke?” Piper asked, walking over
to Nico. She tried wrapping an arm around him, but he shoved her off. She
frowned at him, but stepped back.
“I want you to take me upstairs,” Nico mumbled.
“What?” Percy asked, stepping farther in the room.
“I said, I want to go upstairs. I'm not a kid, and I'm tired of being treated
like one! You said I don't understand? Well show me, explain it to me. I'm
tired of being clueless about things around here!” Nico yelled. “All of you are
in on this big secret, and none of you will let me know what's going on. Take
me upstairs, I'm tired of all of this bullshit.”
“Nico, don't-” Chiron started, but Luke interrupted him.
“No, let him go upstairs. Let him see this place for what it really is. He
thinks he's all grown up, so let him go prove it.”
“Luke,” Percy said warningly. He stepped closer to where Nico stood. “Nico, you
don't know what you're asking. Please reconsider this.”
Nico shook his head furiously. “No! I want you to take me upstairs. I want to
know what the big fucking deal is about it. I want to be like the others, I'm
not a fucking kid, and I'm going to prove it.”
Percy sighed heavily. “Alright. I'll have Leo give you tomorrow night off. I'll
come get you around ten, be ready by then.” He turned around and headed back
towards the door. He stopped right before walking out, not looking back. “Don't
say I didn't try.”
Nico looked around the room. Everyone was looking at him with sadness, except
Luke. Luke had a cocky grin plastered on his face. Seeing it only made Nico
more determined to wipe it off his face tomorrow night. “Nico, please listen to
Percy,” Piper began. “You don't know what you're asking for.”
“I've made up my mind,” Nico said, walking out of the break room.
-----------------------------
Nico sat on his couch, silently watching the clock. It was nearly ten. His
nerves were at an all new high. He didn't really know what to expect tonight,
but he knew he had to show them that he wasn't a kid. He had had a lot of
trouble sleeping last night. The anticipation of this moment was killing him.
He had wanted to know what was on the top floor since he had gotten here, and
he finally was getting what he wanted. Why did Percy seem so sad over this,
though? Shouldn't he be happy that Nico was trying to be grownup?
A knock at the door startled him out of his thoughts. He jumped off of the
couch and walked over to the door. He found Percy standing in the doorway, a
serious look on his face. His eyes made Nico uncomfortable, that wasn't
something uncommon, but now it was for a different reason. Percy looked at him
like he betrayed Percy. Percy's dark black hair fell down into his face,
casting shadows across Percy's facial features. He had on a dark blue button up
shirt and a pair of dark pants.
“Ready?” Percy asked with a sigh. Nico nodded. “Are you sure you want to do
this?”
“Yes,” came Nico's quiet reply. Percy gestured down the hall and Nico shut the
door behind him. They walked down towards the elevator and waited for it to
arrive. Nico glanced up at Percy, but the taller boy refused to look down at
him.
They boarded the elevator and Percy slipped his card into the slot. He slammed
his fist on the seventieth floor button and they began to ascend. Nico's heart
started beating faster and his palms started to sweat. Maybe he should have
backed out. No, then Luke would just give him more hell. Nico had something to
prove. Nico let out a breath as he stared at the metal doors of the elevator.
Percy glanced down at him finally. He didn't say anything, just watched Nico
for a few seconds until the elevator doors opened.
The lights in the hall were dimmer than on the other floors, the only source of
light came from small lights that lined the floor along the walls. The two
people from Nico's last trip here stood at the two podiums. Two lines of people
stood in front of both of them, slipping money to the boy and girl and walking
down one of the two hallways. Percy walked out and Nico decided to follow. The
girl and boy both looked up at Percy as he approached. “He's with me,
Clarisse,” Percy said, addressing the tall girl. Percy dragged Nico over to the
boy's booth and the boy pulled out a stamp. Nico held out his hand and the
Asian kid placed his stamp on Nico's hand. “Thanks, Ethan.”
Percy grabbed Nico's arm and the two headed off down the hall to the right.
Nico could feel his heart speeding up even more. He was afraid it was going to
burst from his chest at this point. They came to a small set of stairs. Nico
could hear music blaring from up the stairs.
Percy grabbed Nico's hand when he noticed the boy wasn't following him. He led
Nico upstairs. The first things Nico noticed as they ascended the steps were
the flashing lights. The music became louder, becoming distinguishable as Ellie
Goulding's “Lights”. They finally came to the top and stepped onto the floor of
the room. Nico's jaw almost dropped.
There were tables set up all over the room, with many men and women sitting
around at all of them. Nico's eyes fell upon some of the Lost Boys as they
walked around the room. The only clothing they wore were bow ties around their
necks and speedos to cover their lower extremities. Nico's eyes finally fell on
the stage on the other side of the room.
He unconsciously licked his lips at the sight of the three boys on stage.
Apollo and the Stoll twins were all on stage, in nothing but small black
speedos. Apollo was currently letting his hand slowly slide down his chest,
letting his thumb hook into the top of his speedo. All three of them were
slowly moving their bodies along with the music that was blasting from the
speakers.
Connor ended up crawling on the floor with his back arched, he crawled over to
his brother. Connor wrapped one of his arms around his brother's waist, while
the other slipped into Travis's inner thigh. Connor laid his head against
Travis's hip as Travis slid his hand along his torso.
Apollo had spun around and had bent over, earning quite a few whistles from the
crowd. He turned his head and winked at his audience as he rose back up,
letting his hands trail up his legs. His hands traveled up until they rested on
his butt. He grabbed the fabric and slowly slipped the speedo down, revealing
the top of his ass to everyone.
“Welcome to Neverland,” Percy said, bringing Nico out of his trance.
“The top floor is a strip club?” Nico said over the loud music.
“Only for only those who can afford it. This is why the others make more than
you.” Nico looked back over at the stage. Apollo caught Nico's eye and he
noticed the blond frown for a brief second.
“Well, look who made it to the big boys' club,” Luke said, walking up to Percy
and Nico. He was dressed like the other waiters up here, only in a bow tie and
speedo. Nico looked up at Percy. Percy's green eyes were intently watching
Nico. He almost looked like he was pleading, Nico wasn't sure for what
response, though.
Nico honestly didn't know what to feel right now. He just found out that all of
these people he had come to know were strippers. To be a part of this, Nico
would have to become one too. This was what they had all been warning him
about, but now he didn't know if he could actually say no anymore. He had come
this far, it didn't seem like turning back was an option. Could he do it? He
had never seen anything like this. He was just that innocent kid like his
sister had said he was. Nico looked over and saw Luke smirking at Nico, like he
had already won. In that moment, Nico's decision was made for him.
“I want to do it.”
***** Down the Rabbit Hole *****
Chapter 7
“You what?” Luke asked, eyes bulging. Nico looked back up at Percy, who was
refusing to meet Nico's gaze. He had a frown firmly set in place and his eyes
had become cold. He pointed his thumb over his shoulder, signaling Luke to get
back to work. Luke gave Nico a final look of shock before walking off with his
tray of drinks.
“Are you sure?” Percy asked. His tone was unreadable. His eyes fell back upon
Nico. Nico thought they almost looked like they were begging him to reconsider.
Nico nodded his head and Percy sighed. Percy held up his hands. “Alright, don't
say I didn't warn you.” Percy walked over to a table and took a seat. Nico
followed after him, sliding into a chair next to Percy. “I suggest you take
notes.”
Nico's gaze travelled back up to the stage. Apollo and the twins were finishing
up their performance. They had pulled a woman onto the stage with her chair,
and Apollo was currently straddling her. Nico looked back at Percy, who was
watching him intently. “Why did you keep me out of here then? Do I not have
what it takes?” Nico asked.
Percy shook his head. “No, that's not it at all. I just didn't think you could
handle it.”
Nico frowned. “Why not?”
Percy gave him a small smile. “You're sort of innocent, Nico.” Nico's frown
grew. “I don't mean it in a bad way. It's cute.” Nico perked up. Percy looked
back at the stage. “I'm sure you could use your innocence to get some
customers, but there's more to this place than getting naked for some cash.”
Will walked up to their table. He glanced over at Nico and raised an eyebrow.
“Want anything to drink, Percy?” Will asked, looking back at Percy.
“Yeah, get me a bottle of everclear and a shot glass.” Will had been looking
down at his pad, but his head snapped up to look at Percy when he ordered. Will
visibly gulped and took a step back. Will looked over at Nico. “He's not having
alcohol.” Will nodded and walked off.
“Did you used to do this?” Nico asked. He watched as Apollo and the Stolls
bowed before walking backstage.
“Yes, but that was several years ago. I don't do it anymore.”
“Why not?”
Percy arched an eyebrow at Nico. “Disappointed?” Nico blushed and shook his
head furiously. “I have an image to maintain now. I can't go around taking off
my clothes for all of these people.”
Will came back and sat a bottle and a shot glass on the table. “Let me know if
you need anything else,” Will said with a smile before walking back off. Nico
looked back to the stage when the clapping got louder again. A buff guy walked
on the stage. His head was shaved and he had brown eyes. On each of his biceps
were rainbows, circling around his arm. Like all of the other Lost Kids, he
didn't have any body hair.
“Who's that? I haven't met him yet,” Nico asked over the music. Percy poured
himself a shot and tossed it back.
“That's Butch, I'll introduce you to him later. Don't be intimidated when you
meet him, he's not a bad guy at all,” Percy replied, pouring himself another
shot.
“So, you and Apollo-”
Percy held up a hand. “Just business.”
“You never take an interest in any of the people you bring in here?”
Percy studied him for a moment. Percy took another shot before replying. “I've
never had any interest in any of the one's I brought up here and put to work.”
Percy poured himself another shot.
“Shouldn't you slow down?” Nico asked, glancing at the bottle.
Percy shrugged. “The stuff doesn't bother me. Besides, I need something to
clear my head right now.”
“Why?”
Percy fiddled with the bottle for a moment. “I just do.”
Nico bit his lip. Had he done something wrong? Shouldn't Percy be happy he was
willing to do this? He was trying to show Percy he was mature. “So, you have
sex with all of them for business?”
Percy huffed. “If you don't like this life, I can always put you back down at
the ba-”
“No! I didn't mean it like that! I was just curious as to why you do it.”
Percy took another shot. “Well, our group around here probably views sex
differently than you do. It's just something fun. The Lost Kids have sex with
each other if they want to, but it's business with me.”
Nico let that sink in for a moment before replying. It seemed a little odd to
him, but at the same time didn't shock him that much. He knew they were very
close, and it wasn’t surprising to learn they had all messed around. “Because
they want better hours up here?”
Percy nodded. “It's all a game of seduction up here, and they try and show me
they deserve to be up here. I start off giving them all the same amount of
hours. They work to persuade me they should get more hours, those that don't
end up working, end up suffering. So, I guess it's sort of a game to them.”
“That doesn't bother you?” Nico asked with a frown. He didn't really like the
idea of all of the friends he had been making having sex with Percy.
Percy shrugged. “I'm indifferent about it. It's not anything special with them,
so why should it matter?” He leaned closer to Nico. “Maybe if I felt something
it would be different,” he whispered in Nico's ear. Nico felt his pulse
quicken. His pupils dilated and he felt himself harden between his legs. Percy
just smirked to himself and took another drink, fully aware of what he had done
to Nico.
“S-So what happens now?” Nico stuttered.
“You'll start your training tomorrow.”
“Training?”
Percy snorted. “Yes, Nico. I don't think you possess the...art of seduction
quite yet.”
“Who's going to teach me?”
Percy took another shot. “I'll have the boys work with you as a group for a lot
of it, and I'll give you a more...private lesson after that.” Nico gulped at
the emphasis put on the end of his statement. “Don't worry, Nico, I don't
bite...much.”
“So, I'm going to be taught to dance on stage while taking off my clothes?”
“Well, that's part of it. This is all about knowing how to work your body to
get what you want: money. You have to know how to move just right. You'll have
to learn the right things to say.”
“How long before I'm up on that stage?” Nico asked.
Nico noticed Percy frown before taking another shot. “Whenever I feel that you
are ready.” After Butch's performance had ended, Percy stood up and nodded over
to a door by the stage. “Come on, I'll show you around backstage.”
Percy led him across the floor and they headed towards a door beside the stage.
Percy pushed it open and guided Nico into the door. They found the boy's that
were performing that night lounging around backstage. The twins had taken up a
couch, with Connor leaning back against Travis. Nico covered his eyes as he
spotted Apollo. The blond was currently naked, in the process of putting on a
jockstrap.
“Nico!” the twins cried in unison. All the other boys stopped what they were
doing to look in Percy and Nico's direction. Apollo slid on his jockstrap and
headed over to the duo. The rest of the boys followed his lead and walked over.
Nico glanced over at Butch, who was staring down at him with a curious look.
“Nico, this is Butch,” Percy said, gesturing between them. Nico flinched a
little when he felt Percy's hand rest on his lower back.
Butch held out his hand and Nico shook it. His hand was almost as big as
Beckendorf's. It engulfed Nico's hand. Butch definitely had a firm grip, and he
could probably crush Nico's hand if he wanted to. “I finally get to meet the
new kid,” Butch said, letting a smile spread across his face.
Nico glanced over at Apollo, who looked like a kicked puppy. Nico felt torn. On
one hand, he was still mad at Apollo for having sex with Percy. On the other
hand, he knew it was something Apollo had to do for his job. “I see you have no
shame in hiding your body, Apollo,” Nico said with a smirk.
Apollo grinned at him, visibly brightening. “Well, it's not like everyone here
hasn't seen me naked already anyways. So, what's the harm in hiding it?” Apollo
said. Nico wasn't sure how serious he was being with that, after talking about
it with Percy, it didn't seem improbable that all of the Lost Kids had seen
each other naked.
“So, Nico, what do you think?” Travis asked.
“He's your new co-worker,” Percy said.
“Awesome!” Connor said happily. Apollo glanced over at Percy, and Nico noticed
a slight frown briefly appear on Apollo's face. Percy just shrugged back at the
blond.
“Training starts with him tomorrow, I expect all of you to be in the gym
tomorrow afternoon. Make sure the others know to be there as well.”
“Roger, boss,” Connor said with a mock salute. Percy just rolled his eyes. “So,
Nico, have you been enjoying the show?”
“Uh...well it's not what I pictured was up here. Though, it does explain a lot.
I think it's interesting, to say the least,” Nico replied. He glanced up at
Percy. “So, I'll be making the same as them now?”
The Stolls and Butch started laughing. “He's going to be-” Travis said while
laughing, but Percy cut him off.
“No,” Percy said. “He's just going to start working the stage. Nothing else.”
“Is there more to this?” Nico asked curiously.
Percy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I'll tell you later. Right now,
I just want you getting a look at your new job.”
“What else is there to look at?”
“I'm going to take you to see the girls in a little bit.”
“Are they down that other hall?”
Percy nodded. “Yep, we'll go see them soon. Just get situated here.” Percy
pointed at the Lost Boys surrounding them. “Keep an eye on him for a moment. I
need to go see Leo about some business.”
“We'll take good care of him, Percy,” the Stolls said with a grin. They wrapped
their arms around Nico's shoulders as Percy walked off. He looked back to give
them a pointed look, but they didn't seem bothered by it. They led Nico over to
the couch and made him sit down.
“You two need to go finish getting ready,” Apollo mumbled. The twins groaned
but walked off. Apollo plopped down on the couch next to Nico, who shifted
uncomfortably. He was fully aware that Apollo was still only in a jockstrap.
Apollo grinned at Nico and leaned in closer, placing his arm behind Nico.
“Nico, you seem uncomfortable. This isn't distracting for you, is it?” Nico
shivered as Apollo spoke. Apollo leaned back, looking proud of himself.
“Is everyone around here such a tease?”
Apollo shrugged. “It's what we're good at. Why not use our strengths to our
advantage? You'll find that people are pretty easy to manipulate when you're
naked in their bed.”
“Wh-What?” Nico asked in confusion. Apollo's eyes widened and he covered his
mouth.
“You didn't hear that.”
“Why are you in their beds?”
Apollo sighed. “I really didn't mean to let that slip.” He ran a hand through
his blond locks. “Oh well, Percy was going to tell you later anyways. We do
more than strip. For the right price, customers can get some...private time
with us.”
“You have sex with those people?” Nico asked in shock.
Apollo nodded. “A very expensive price, but yes, we do that sometimes.”
Nico thought back to his conversation with Apollo at the beach. “That's what
your ex came here for, wasn't it?”
Apollo sighed and nodded. “Well, he didn't come here looking for me, but when
he saw me, he paid Percy and had me go to his room. I hated him for it, but it
was part of the job. I could have told Percy, but I didn't want to make a big
deal out of it.” Apollo glanced over at Nico. “I'm sorry about the other night.
You weren't supposed to see that.”
Nico shrugged. “It's okay.”
Apollo bit his lip. “You like him, don't you?” Nico sat there for a moment in
silence. He nodded his head once to answer Apollo. Apollo sighed. “I'm sorry,
Nico, but it'll be something you'll have to deal with around here. Even if you
are lucky enough to draw Percy's interest, you'll never have him exclusively.”
“I know,” Nico whispered. The twins returned from their performance and headed
over to get something to drink. Apollo stood up and grinned down at Nico.
“Well, I'm on next. Wish me luck.”
Nico tossed him a small smile. “Good luck.” Nico's cheeks darkened as his eyes
traveled down to Apollo's exposed rear.
“Having fun?” Nico jumped at the sound of Percy's voice in his ear. He looked
up to see Percy grinning down at him. Percy's eyes traveled over to where
Apollo was walking out on stage. “Admiring Apollo's backside?”
“N-No,” Nico stuttered.
Percy leaned in closer, just inches from Nico's face. “I'll give you something
better to look at tomorrow.” Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times,
unable to find any words to respond to that. Percy laughed and pulled Nico off
the couch. “Come on, I'm going to take you over to see the girls.”
Nico followed after Percy as he headed out the door. He followed Percy across
the room and down the stairs. They traveled past Ethan and Clarisse, heading
down the opposite hall. They traveled up another set of stairs and came into a
similar room to the boys' side. The lights on the stage were off, only
revealing the shadowy figures of girls on stage.
Percy pulled Nico over to a booth and they slid into it. Piper headed over to
their booth, but Percy waved her off. Nico looked back at the stage as he heard
snapping. One girl stood in the center of the others, who were all lying on the
floor. The girls lying down all had an arm raised in the air and were snapping
their fingers. The lights finally came on the stage, revealing Annabeth
standing in the center of the girls. She was dressed in a black corset and
white fishnet stockings, her hair had been curled to look even more like a
princess.
The song Welcome to Burlesque started to play from the speakers. Annabeth let
her hand play with the edges of her corset, as the girls on the floor sat up.
Nico could make out Silena, Thalia, Calypso, and another girl that he didn't
recognize. Percy leaned over to whisper in Nico's ear. “That's Hazel.” The girl
was dark skinned, doubtlessly of African descent. She had long, curly golden-
brown hair that fell around her shoulders. Her eyes looked like they were made
of gold. She looked to be around Nico's height, maybe an inch shorter.
Annabeth guided her hand down towards Thalia, and seemed to pull the black
haired girl up with an invisible thread. The girls all stood up and started
swaying their hips with the slow music. They all stood around Annabeth, placing
a hand on the girl. At the words “Give it to the band” they all stomped their
foot in unison.
Nico was mesmerized by their movements. He could definitely see the
entertainment in this. The girls all turned around and shook their butts as
Annabeth raised a finger to her lips. Hazel walked up to Annabeth and bent over
in front of her. A few words were changed in the song to fit better. They took
out the triplets line and changed it to these girls, and the name Georgia to
Silena. All the girls took a step forward and made a come hither motion.
Annabeth grabbed her breasts as all the girls struck a pose for a brief moment.
The girls all crouched down around Annabeth and thrust their lower bodies
forward at just the right moments. Each of them lined up along the stage as
Annabeth walked behind them. Nico gaped as he watched Silena stick her leg
straight up in the air. Annabeth grabbed it and stood next to the girl. They
all struck a final pose as the song came to an end, clapping sounded throughout
the room.
Percy pulled Nico's attention back to him by waving a hand in front of his
face. “Are you sure you're gay?” he said jokingly.
“Yes, I'm sure!” Nico cried, cheeks darkening. “I've just never seen anything
like this before.”
Percy shrugged. “You get used to it. Do you want to head backstage, or watch
more?”
Nico shrugged. “It's up to you.”
Percy nodded and stood up. “We'll head backstage. It's getting close to closing
time, and I have something else to show you after this.” Nico stood up and
followed after Percy as he headed for the backstage door. Nico found himself in
a similar room to the one on the boy's side. The girls were all sitting around
at mirrors, fixing their make-up. As they walked past, Percy slapped Thalia on
her butt. “Get a move on girls.”
The girls all looked their way at the sound of Percy's voice. “Nico!” they all
cried in unison. They abandoned their mirrors and scurried over to the two
boys. Annabeth strolled over to them and arched an eyebrow at Percy, who
huffed. Hazel tugged on Nico's shirt, drawing his attention to her.
“Hi, Nico, I don't think we've had the pleasure of meeting yet, I'm Hazel,” the
curly haired girl said.
Nico smiled at her and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you,” Nico replied.
Annabeth shifted her eyes away from Percy and looked at Nico. “So, Nico, I take
it you will finally be joining the Lost Kids?” the blonde asked.
Nico nodded his head. “Yeah, I guess so. That was pretty awesome out there.”
Thalia smirked and flicked a hand through her hair. “That's ‘cause we are good
at what we do.”
“You didn't have a problem with it?” Annabeth asked, raising a brow.
Nico shrugged. “No? Why would I?”
“Because we are strippers?”
“But you didn't take your clothes off.”
“For that number, next one, we show them what we're working with,” Thalia said,
lifting her breasts. Nico's face darkened, causing the girls to giggle at him.
“Alright, whoever is up next needs to get a move on,” Percy said. Annabeth and
Thalia walked back to their mirrors to finish getting ready.
“So, when is he going to go on stage, Percy?” Calypso asked.
Percy crossed his arms and shrugged. Nico looked up at him curiously. Percy was
acting strange. He didn't seem happy. “Don't know. He'll start training when he
gets back from school tomorrow. The boys are going to work with him all week.
I'll give him a week or two, I suppose, and see how he does.”
Silena pinched Nico's cheek playfully. He scowled and knocked her hand away,
making the girls smile at him. “He's so cute, I'm sure he'll bring in some big
bucks,” Hazel stated.
Percy looked down at Nico, catching the way the smaller boy was looking at him.
Percy sighed and uncrossed his arms. “Alright, all of you get back to work. I'm
going to take him to the security room for the rest of the night,” Percy said.
The girls winked at Nico before they cackled and walked off.
Percy walked off. Nico followed him to a black door in the back. Percy pushed
through it and the two walked down a dark hallway. “What's back here?” Nico
asked in a hushed voice.
“This is where the kids get their real money,” Percy replied. They walked down
the dark hallway until they reached another door. Percy pulled out his keycard
and slid it through a slot. He reached down and opened the door, gesturing for
Nico to go in. Nico complied and walked inside. Percy closed the door behind
them and sat down in a chair. Percy clicked on some buttons and the TV screens
lit up. Nico sat down in a chair next to Percy and looked at the screens.
They were showing a bunch of rooms. Each of them had a bed in it. Some had
weirder things inside them, like whips and gags hanging on the wall. Each of
the beds had sets of handcuffs on the headboard and footboard. Each of the
rooms also had a chair placed in the corner of the room. Nico really didn't
understand what he was looking at. Percy had reclined back in his chair and
propped his feet up on the control panel.
Nico's eyes instantly shifted to one of the screens as the door opened. Apollo
strutted into the room, in his jockstrap, and plopped down on the bed. A man
followed in behind him and shut the door. A red light appeared at the bottom of
the screen as soon as they entered. Apollo motioned for the man to come sit on
the bed with him. As soon as the man was seated, Apollo straddled him and
started attacking the man's neck.
Nico looked away to look at Percy in question. “What is this?” Nico asked.
“The Lost Kids don't just strip. For the right price, you can get some private
time with them,” Percy replied. He reached over and picked up a remote. He
clicked a button on it to mute the volume on the TVs.
“Why is there a security camera in there?”
“Well, one reason is to make sure my employees aren't mistreated. Another
reason is to collect information.”
“Information?”
“Yeah, these are important people. My boss values the price of information.”
Percy looked back at the screen. “Watch.”
Nico looked back at the screen. Apollo had removed the man's clothing already.
The man lay back on the bed while Apollo still straddled him. The man's hands
were firmly in place on Apollo's round ass. Apollo leaned in closer to whisper
in the man's ear. The man shrugged back and said something to Apollo. “What are
they doing?”
“Apollo and the others have a job to do in there, besides giving them a good
time. Their job is to extract important information from the client. It helps
us keep leverage on the people that come here to do business.” Percy kept his
eyes trained on the screen. “You'll find this is a very rough business. You do
what you can to keep everyone else in line.”
“Am I going to be doing this?” Nico asked, gesturing to the monitor.
Percy's lips formed a thin line. “No. You are just going to go on that stage
and do what you saw out there.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “Why am I being treated different?”
Percy glanced over at him for a brief second before returning his eyes to the
screen. “You are underage for one thing.”
“I didn't think something like that would bother you. Is that the only reason?”
Percy chuckled. “You know, maybe you got what it takes for this stuff after
all. You're not going into one of those rooms, though.” Percy looked at Nico as
the smaller boy frowned at him. “Why are you complaining? I'm keeping you from
selling your body for money. I didn't have a choice like that. I'm giving you
one. I expected you would be more appreciative of that gesture.”
“I-I am. It's not that I'm ungrateful. I just...” Nico trailed off.
“You just what?” Percy asked, leaning closer to Nico.
Nico shook his head. “Nothing.” He looked back at the monitor, but quickly
looked away. Apollo and that man were already in the middle of sex.
“I really don't get you sometimes, Nico.”
“Why is that?”
“I figured you'd be freaking out the moment you found out this was a strip
club, but then you said you wanted to do it too.”
“So? I'm not a little kid.”
Percy chuckled. “You're pretty much as innocent as they come, Nico.” Nico
pouted at him. “Don't take offense, I didn't mean it in a bad way.”
“Do you see me as a kid?” Percy didn't respond. “Well?”
Percy sighed and ruffled his own hair.
Nico frowned but decided to let it go. “Can I get to know more about you?”
Percy glanced at him from the corner of his eye, clearly hesitant. “I suppose.”
“How did you end up on the streets?”
Percy frowned at him. “Who told you I was on the streets?”
Nico's eyes widened at the fear of having gotten someone in trouble. “I-No one.
I-I didn't mean to get anyone in trouble. I-I was just curious.”
Percy studied him for a moment before opening his mouth to talk. “My mother
died when I was really little. I didn't even know who my dad was back then. I
didn't learn what had happened until after Gaea took me in. He had walked out
on my mom when she was pregnant with me. She tried to take care of us the best
she could, but she just couldn't make it one day. The little money she managed
to pull in all went to feeding me. She starved herself to take care of me. The
foster system came to take me in after that, but I ran away after the first
home they sent me to.”
“How old were you?”
“I was about seven. It seems like so long ago. If Gaea hadn't pulled my birth
certificate I wouldn't even have remembered how old I was. I just lost track of
time while on the streets. All I knew was when it was day and when it was
night. I knew when it changed seasons, but everything just kind of ran together
in my mind. Keeping track of how old I was didn't seem important. All I cared
about was survival.”
Nico unconsciously scooted his chair closer to Percy. “How did Gaea find you?”
“I think I was around fourteen when she found me. She just stumbled across me
on the streets; a starving, savage kid that probably would have killed her for
the clothes on her back, which would have sold for a lot. I didn't, because I
was sick. It was the middle of winter and I had come down with a bad case of
the flu. She didn't even tell one of her bodyguards to pick me up, she did it
herself. Didn't even hesitate, just picked me right up and sat me in her limo.
Carried me to the hospital and had me taken care of. She faked some paperwork
and made it appear like I was her son.”
“She did that for you?”
Percy nodded. “After I was released, she brought me back here, which was the
first hotel she had set up in America. She told me she wanted me to stick with
her, that if I did, I could go places. She said I wouldn't have to live on the
streets anymore, and that I would end up looking down on all of the people who
refused to feed me or give me shelter. That I would be able to- uh, you know
what? Let's not go into that.” Percy gave him a smile.
“What else do you have to hide? You've already shown me all of this, why keep
being mysterious?”
Percy grinned at him. “Well, I think there's something sexy about the air of
mystery, wouldn't you agree, Nico?” Percy said, leaning very close to Nico.
“I–I–Uh–I–”
Percy grinned and sat back in his chair. Nico's gaze traveled back to the
monitors. Two of the other rooms had become occupied. Thalia had entered one
room and Calypso had entered another. Thalia's room was one of the rooms with
whips in them. She had changed into some tight leather outfit and was currently
holding the whip from the wall in her hand. She cracked the whip and pointed at
the bed. The man in her room cringed, but made his way over to the bed.
Nico looked back at Percy to take his mind off of what was happening. “You used
to do all of this?”
Percy nodded, watching the monitors. “Yeah, up until Gaea left me in charge
here. Now I don't have to.”
“But you still have to have sex with the Lost Kids.”
Percy shrugged, glancing at Nico. “Why does that bother you?”
Nico's face darkened. “N-No reason.” Percy smiled and rubbed his chin.
“Like I said, I'm indifferent about it. I don't go hunting them down to fuck.
If they didn't come to me, I wouldn't do it at all.” Nico yawned, causing Percy
to look away from the screens. “Tired?” Nico nodded. “Alright, let's get you to
bed.” Percy clicked the monitors off, but Nico noticed the red lights stayed
on. Percy noticed Nico still looking at the monitors. “The red lights mean the
room is being recorded.”
“To make sure you get the information that is shared in the room?” Nico asked.
Percy nodded. Nico walked past Percy, out the door. Percy shut the door behind
them and they walked back down the hall. They made their way back to the
elevator in silence. Nico shifted uncomfortably in the elevator. Percy walked
Nico to his door. Nico pulled his keycard out and slid it into his door,
opening it slowly. He stood in his doorway to look at Percy, who leaned against
the doorframe.
“Make sure you remember to get to the gym as soon as you're back from school,”
Percy said, looking at Nico. “You'll train from the time you get back until
it's time for work every day.”
Nico nodded. He gave Percy a small wave. “Goodnight.” Percy smiled back at him
and pushed off the doorframe. Nico watched as he walked down the hallway,
sliding his hands into his back pockets. Nico shut the door and headed straight
for his bathroom to get ready for bed.
***** The Training Begins *****
Chapter 8
Nico fidgeted at his desk as he watched the time tick by. He was finally
getting to join the ranks of the Lost Kids. His training would start today, and
Nico found himself oddly nervous. He figured this basically meant that the boys
would be standing in front of him the entire time in very little clothing. Then
there was the “private lesson” from Percy. Nico really didn't know what to
think about that. Why did he need a private lesson? Why was Percy going to be
the one giving it? Nico's mind had so many questions running through it.
He was ready for school to be let out so that he could get on with everything.
Nico scowled at the clock as he felt a piece of paper hit the back of his head.
He turned around in his seat to glare at his bully, who he had learned was
named Cal.
“What?” Cal asked with an annoying grin on his face. Nico just rolled his eyes
and turned back around. He didn't feel like putting up it. Nico placed his chin
on his palm, supporting his head. Maybe he should take Percy up on that offer
to fix his problem. Nico growled under his breath when he felt another piece of
paper hit the back of his head.
Three o'clock finally rolled around, releasing Nico from his day of school. He
walked to his locker and put away the books he didn't need. Closing his locker,
he made his way outside. Nico walked out the front door and immediately hit the
pavement. Cal and his brother, Zethes, laughed at him. Nico glared at them as
he pulled himself up. He spotted Apollo's red car in the parking lot. Deciding
just to walk away, Nico headed towards the car.
Not going to leave Nico be, Zethes and Cal followed after him. “Where you
going, homo?” Cal jeered at him.
“Wait, don't get too close, Cal. You might catch the gay,” Zethes added with a
smirk.
Nico kept walking, though. He didn't feel like putting up with them anymore
today. He was just ready to get back to the Lotus. He heard Cal growl behind
him. Cal grabbed Nico's shoulder and spun him around. “Where the fuck do you
think you're going, faggot? You pay attention when I talk to you.”
Nico heard a car door slam very loudly behind him. A firm arm yanked him out of
Cal's grasp. Apollo stepped in front of Nico, letting his height tower over the
two bullies. “Do we have a problem here?” Apollo asked hatefully. Nico peered
around Apollo's form to stare at Zethes and Cal. The two were glaring up at the
blond, but weren't making a move. “If you are done with my friend here, I
believe I'll get him home.”
Zethes tapped Cal's shoulder and the two spun around and walked off. Apollo
stood his ground in front of Nico until the two were far enough out of sight.
Apollo spun around and tugged on Nico's arm, dragging him towards the car. Nico
climbed in as Apollo started the car and floored it out of the parking lot.
“Why haven't you said anything about being bullied?” Apollo asked harshly,
placing his sunglasses over his eyes.
“It's nothing I can't handle,” Nico shot back. “I'm big enough to take care of
myself.”
“Clearly. Is that why you were letting them push you around? You better be glad
I was the one picking you up. If it had been Percy, he would have broken their
arms.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Because he doesn't like people harming us.” An awkward silence fell over the
two after that. Nico leaned his head against the window. Part of him couldn't
help but still feel jealous of the fact that Apollo had had sex with Percy. The
rational part of his brain tried reminding him that it was part of the blond's
job. In the end, it really didn't matter, though. Percy would never be his. As
the others had said, Percy never let himself get attached to anyone.
Nico was feeling anxious about all of this. He had never done anything like
this before. Percy had been the first person to see him naked since he was a
little baby. He felt nervous about having to expose himself on stage. No. He
didn't have to do this, he had chose it. Why, though?
Was it Luke's cocky attitude? Did he want to be part of the “family” that the
Lost Kids had? He wasn't being peer pressured, though. He could never blame any
of the others for pushing him. All of them had warned him. They had all tried
to ward him away the best they could, but he hadn't listened. Nico knew he
probably could have said no and everything would have gone back to normal.
There was just some part of him wanted to do it. Percy.
He wanted to prove himself to Percy. He wanted to show the young man that he
was not a little kid. He wanted Percy to at least treat him like the others.
Nico felt his cheeks heat up at the thought. Even though it wouldn't be a
special first time, Nico kind of wanted Percy to have sex with him like he did
with the others.
Nico retracted his head from the window at the sound of thunder. He looked up
at the stormy clouds forming in the sky. “Excited to start your lessons?”
Apollo asked as they pulled into the parking garage.
Nico looked over at him and shrugged. “I guess. I've never done anything like
this before. I'm kind of nervous about exposing my body.”
Apollo parked the car, turned it off, and turned to face Nico. “You'll get used
to it. Don't worry. You're probably not going to get touched very much if
you're just getting on stage. Count yourself lucky in that regard.”
“Percy showed me the security room last night.” Nico wasn't sure why he blurted
that out. His cheeks darkened when Apollo raised an eyebrow at him.
A smirk formed across Apollo's lips. “Did you enjoy the show?” Putting some
distance between him and Apollo, Nico got out of the car, heading for the
elevator. Apollo got out and chased after him. “I'm only teasing,” Apollo said
once they were in the elevator. “Let that be your first lesson today. You'll
need to learn how to talk like the rest of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everything out of your mouth, pretty much, needs to be flirtatious.” Apollo
hit the button to their floor and they began to ascend. “It's not as easy as it
looks, but once you get the hang of it, you'll do it without thinking about it.
But you can always act like yourself when you're just around the rest of us,
like on our off days.”
“I'm not going to be getting a lap dance, am I?”
Apollo chuckled and leaned into Nico. “Only if you want one,” he said with a
wink. Apollo tugged on a lock of his hair. “I think you'll have fun today.”
“No orgies,” Nico mumbled as they exited the elevator. Apollo chuckled and
followed Nico to his suite. Once inside, Nico dropped his stuff off. “Do I need
to wear anything in particular?”
“Loose clothing I guess. You can dress like you do when we go workout. Speaking
of which, I need to run and change.”
Nico waved as the blond walked back out the door. Nico headed for his bedroom,
searching for some clean workout clothes. Finding a pair of black track shorts
and a red shirt, Nico began changing clothes.
After he was done, Nico grabbed his phone and card before exiting his room. He
walked out into the hallway just as Apollo and Will exited their room. Will's
hair was wet, as he had probably just exited the shower. Nico learned to stop
questioning the Lost Kids' sleeping habits weeks ago. Given their late hours,
they got as much sleep as they could. Will gave Nico a small wave as the three
headed back towards the elevator. “Hey there, Nico,” Will said with a yawn.
The three of them boarded the elevator and Will hit the button to their desired
destination. Will stretched and popped his back as they waited. Nico couldn't
help but let his eyes wander over to Will's exposed stomach as his shirt rode
up. It was sort of unfair how perfect all of their bodies were. That wasn't to
say that Nico's body was anything to be ashamed of. It was nice to finally be
able to look at himself in the mirror.
“So, Nico, how are you feeling about getting on stage?” Will asked, trying to
break the silence.
“A little nervous. I'm not really used to all of this stuff,” Nico answered,
blushing lightly.
Apollo and Will looked at each for a moment. “Nico, are you a virgin?” Apollo
asked bluntly.
Nico's face lit up like a tomato. “Yes,” he mumbled under his breath, but the
two blonds still heard him.
“That's so cute!” Will said. “Too bad you aren't working the back rooms. The
price for virginity is pretty high.” If it was possible, Nico turned a darker
shade of red.
“I'm going to guess you know jack shit about seduction,” Apollo said.
Nico buried his face in his hands. “I just never found the right person,” Nico
mumbled into his hands. “My mom and sister kind of drilled it into my head that
I should wait.”
“Why?” the two blonds said in unison.
“Sex is fun,” Will added. “It's a nice stress reliever.”
The elevator door opened before Nico could reply and the three headed down to
the private part of the gym the Lost Kids used. When they arrived they found
the rest of the Lost Boys lined up against the nearest wall. They all were
fidgeting nervously as they watched something in fear. Nico turned his head to
find Percy pacing on the other side of the room. He was on the phone with
someone and was clearly not pleased. His jaw was firmly set and his eyes blazed
with anger. He was speaking what Nico thought sounded like German, which made
him sound even angrier.
Apollo pressed a hand to Nico's back, pushing the boy into the room. Apollo
shut the door behind them and the three new arrivals went over to stand quietly
with the others. “What's up?” Apollo whispered to Beckendorf.
“Gaea called. She's not happy about something,” Beckendorf answered, keeping
his eyes on Percy's fuming form.
With a huff, Percy bid the woman goodbye and hung up the phone. He rubbed a
hand across his mouth. Leo stood a few feet away from Percy, stepping up to the
angry black haired boy once he placed the phone in his pocket. “What was that
about?” Leo asked.
“It seems we have a problem. Gaea just informed me that Zeus has set up a
similar business a few blocks away. It doesn't quite have the sophistication of
the Lotus, but it still is a thorn in our side,” Percy replied, cracking his
neck. “I'm going to have to deal with that fucking bastard if he doesn't get
the hint. I swear, he's like a damn cockroach.”
“I'll get upstairs and see what I can find.”
Percy nodded. Leo spun on his heel and jogged out of the room. Percy paced for
a few more moments as the room stayed silent. Percy finally sighed and looked
up at the group of boys. “I need to go take care of this. I want you guys to
get Nico started while I'm gone. I'll be back later to check in on things.” All
of the Lost Boys nodded their head as Percy walked towards the door. Nico
blinked as he looked around at them. It was amazing that one boy could strike
fear into each one of them, especially given the fact that Butch and Beckendorf
were bigger than Percy, both in musculature stature and height.
Apollo cleared his throat and stepped forward. He clapped his hands so
everyone's attention was on him. “So, let's get started,” Apollo said. Will
walked over and got a chair, placing it in the center of the room. Apollo
gestured for Nico to sit down. Nico hesitantly made his way over and sat down
in the offered chair. “Don't be scared, Nico. We're not going to hurt you.
Plus, clothes will be staying on for this...well possibly anyways.”
Travis walked over to a speaker. He picked up an iPod off of the top of it. He
hit play and the room was filled with music. The Lost Boys all scattered around
the room, forming a jumbled circle.
“Alright, where shall we begin?” Apollo pondered, stepping behind Nico's chair.
Nico could still see Apollo in the mirror that lined the wall in front of him,
though. He leaned down to place his head a few inches above Nico's shoulder.
“All of those people that you will see out there are here for one purpose. They
want to see you. You're fulfilling their wildest fantasies.”
“You're the husband they never had,” Octavian added, coming up to Nico's other
side.
“You are the dream boat guy that never came along,” Travis said from Apollo's
other side.
Luke came to stand in front of Nico. He leaned down and pressed his palms to
Nico's legs. “You're the one night stand that they get to have with you any
night, on stage, whenever they want,” Luke added. Nico gulped as he looked
around at the four guys surrounding him. He had to become like them. He had to
do this so he could prove he wasn't a child.
“You'll need an angle,” Will said, leaning on Luke's shoulder. “Well, I guess
the innocent type fits the best. You'll be a natural.” All the Lost Boys
chuckled. Nico frowned at their amusement.
“Well, what's each of your angles?” Nico asked. All of the boys lined up in
front of Nico.
“We are a little bit of everything. It's good to have diversity when it comes
to the variety of customers. That way you can have whatever they want. All they
need to do is pick one of us from the group,” Apollo said, leaning on
Octavian's shoulder. “Of course, you could go with the hot blonds.” Apollo
gestured to himself, Will, Octavian, and Luke.
“There's also the brothers,” Luke said, pointing at himself and Octavian.
“Or the twins,” the Stolls said.
“I like to think of myself as that dream boat guy,” Apollo said with a grin.
“But I give off the beach vibe. I'm also the musician of the group and I
incorporate that into some of my performances.”
Octavian ran a hand through his hair, giving Nico a seductive look. “You could
always have me and have your brain stimulated before I fuck your brains out,”
Octavian said with a wink, “or you could fuck my brains out. I also work in the
kink room.”
“What's that?” Nico asked, cocking his head to the side.
All of the boys grinned. “Well, some of the customers just like a...more
interesting touch.”
“If you were in the security room, you saw the rooms with whips and stuff,
yes?” Apollo asked. Nico nodded. “That's what he does.”
“Some of us specialize in that. It's quite fun,” Octavian said with a wide
grin. “I do very well with a lot of politicians.”
“Like my brother, I work in the kink department too,” Luke said. “Everyone
loves the bad boy, especially one with a scar.” Luke strolled up to Nico. He
leaned down, coming mere inches from Nico's face. He grabbed some of Nico's
hair and pulled Nico's head back. “I'm also quite good at domination.”
Butch and Beckendorf walked forward. Luke spun around and walked back to the
line. “If you like the muscular type, look no farther,” Beckendorf said with a
grin.
“We get a lot of clients that like to be dominated,” Butch added. “We get a lot
of requests to fuck people up against walls. I work down in the kink room as
well.”
The twins grinned as Beckendorf and Butch walked back to the line. They held
hands as they walked out towards Nico. Travis wrapped an arm around Connor's
waist as Connor wrapped his arms around Travis's neck. “You'd be surprised at
what people like. We're pretty good at threesomes,” Travis said, winking at
Nico. “We both work down in the kink room too.”
Connor nuzzled his brother's neck. “People also think it's hot when we have sex
together,” Connor said, grinning at Nico. “So we bump up our brotherly love
while we are working around the hotel.” The two detached themselves from each
other and made their way back to the line of Lost Boys.
Will stepped forward. He placed a finger below Nico's chin, tilting Nico's head
up to look him in the eyes. “Other than you, I'm the youngest of the group.
People like the twinks,” Will said, leaning in very close to Nico. “You'll find
out really fast that most of the customers like the young look.” Will dropped
his finger and stepped back from Nico. “Like Apollo, I give off the beach boy
vibe, with a slight hint of the 'All American boy' look.”
The boys scattered around the room once again. “He also needs to learn how to
talk,” Apollo said, running a hand through his hair.
“That's not so hard,” Connor stated. He looked down at Nico. “You just remember
that everything you say needs to be seductive. You can say whatever the fuck
you want when it's just around us or at school, but you have to watch what you
say around here.”
“Every word out of your mouth needs to be enticing,” Travis added.
“You need to mesmerize them not only with your words, but with your eyes,” said
Luke. “You need to make sure they are paying attention to you.”
“Learn to move your body just right,” Will said, sitting down on the floor.
“Every move that your body makes needs to draw the eye.”
“You have to walk with an air of confidence,” Beckendorf stated, patting Nico
on the back.
“Always keep eye contact,” suggested Butch.
“They need to be the one squirming in their seat, not you,” Travis stated,
pulling Connor into his lap.
“You need to be arousing,” Apollo said with a wink. “You need to be able to
stimulate them with your eyes and your mind. Even the sound of your voice needs
to be alluring.”
“Don't think that they own you, though. If they ever lay a finger on you, they
will find themselves in deep shit,” Connor said with a crooked grin.
“You are the one that initiates contact, not them,” Luke said, pointing a
finger at Nico. “The only time they are allowed to touch one of us first is in
the private rooms.”
“The only time they are allowed to touch you on the floor is when they slip you
money,” Octavian added, leaning against the wall.
“That reminds me,” Apollo said, snapping his fingers. “We'll need to take him
to get some accessories and shit.”
“What?” Nico asked. He didn't like the sound of that.
“Things like speedos, special outfits, et cetera.”
“Don't look so scared, Neeks,” Connor said. “It'll be fun. We can have bonding
time while we get to look at you in various articles of skimpy clothing.”
Nico's cheeks lit up.
The door to the room opened and Percy stepped inside. He looked to have calmed
down from earlier. All of boys seemed to relax upon realizing that. “How's it
going?” Percy asked, leaning against the wall next to the door.
“He'll be a natural in no time!” Travis exclaimed with a grin.
Percy rolled his eyes. “What did you cover?” he asked, addressing Apollo.
Apollo blew his lips. “The basics,” the blond answered. “We covered our
specialties, how he should speak, the way he should walk, and we're going to
make plans to go get him outfitted.”
Percy nodded. “Alright. I suppose that'll be good for today. All of you can go
get ready for work.” All of the boys picked themselves up and headed towards
the door. Percy pressed a hand to Nico's chest as the boy made his way to the
door. Percy leaned in to whisper in Nico's ear. “Where do you think you're
going? I told you I was going to give you a private lesson.” Nico felt his face
heat up. Percy pushed Nico back down in his chair.
“Wh-What kind of private lesson?” Nico stuttered.
Percy grinned down at him. “I'm going to teach you how to apply what they told
you.” Percy's fingers reached to the hem of his shirt, pulling the fabric up
and over his head. Nico's eyes became saucers as he stared at Percy's flawless
body. Percy's torso was perfect. It was lean and toned in just the right way.
His tanned skin didn't have a blemish on it. “Now then, I believe you should
already be able to pick up on the proper way to talk. All you had to do was pay
attention to the way we usually speak. I don't strip anymore, but I still talk
like them when in public. You'd be surprised at how cooperative people can be
when you can work seduction properly.”
“Can you give me an example anyways?”
Percy flipped his hair out of his eyes. He leaned down, close to Nico's ear.
“What kind of example would you like, Nico?” Percy whispered seductively. Nico
shivered at the feel of Percy's breath on his neck. Percy snapped his fingers.
“That reminds me. You need to learn how to interact properly. You will only
touch the customers very rarely. You need to learn how to seduce them without
touching them.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “I'm lost.”
Percy took one of his hands and trailed it up Nico's arm, not letting it touch
the skin. Nico convulsed as he felt Percy's fingers brush over the hairs on his
arm. He could feel Percy's warmth on him. Nico's eyes flickered up to Percy's
exposed chest. His skin looked so amazing. Nico wanted to reach up and touch
it. Unconsciously, Nico's hand rose and started reaching out for Percy. Percy
slapped his hand away. He grasped the hair on the back of Nico's head and
pulled Nico's head back, exposing Nico's neck. Percy straddled Nico's waist,
without sitting in the boy's lap. He leaned in close, letting his lips graze
the soft skin of Nico's neck. Nico felt his body heating up. Percy blew against
his skin, making Nico shiver.
Nico looked up into Percy's eyes as the taller boy pulled away. Nico let out a
quiet moan at the look in Percy's eyes. He felt himself leaning forward while
Percy leaned forward. Percy pressed him back against the chair as he finally
sat down on Nico's lap. He held Nico's arms against the the sides of the chair.
Percy continued to lean in, bringing his lips mere inches from Nico's lips.
Nico's eyes had closed of their own accord. Nico could feel his heart pounding
against his chest, which was rising and falling heavily. Right before making
contact, Percy leaned back, face returning to normal. “Were you taking notes?”
he said with a grin.
Nico groaned, letting his head fall back. Percy stood back up and circled Nico.
“That was totally unfair,” Nico mumbled. Percy just smiled at him and ruffled
his hair.
“You need to learn to do that.” Percy finally came to a stop in front of Nico
again. “It'll get easier over time. You just need to get the hang of it.” Percy
reached a hand out and helped Nico stand up. “You should also start trying to
walk properly. I want to see you start to strut and shake your ass.” Percy
winked at him. “If eyes don't stare at your ass as you walk away, you're doing
it wrong. Oh, and never crouch down to pick something up again, bend over.”
Percy looked up at the clock. “Alright, I think that'll be all for today. I'll
let you go get changed.”
Nico gave Percy a smile. “Thanks again,” Nico said walking towards the door. He
stopped when Percy spoke again.
“One more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“Don't lose that innocence of yours in all of this,” Percy said, offering him a
smile.
----------------------------------------------
Nico sat at the table with Hazel, Zoë, Octavian, and Thalia. Hazel was finally
going to be working in the bar with Nico, which made him happy. He wanted to
get to know her and Butch better since he just recently met them. The group was
currently eating a dinner, making small talk from time to time. “So, how was he
today, Octavian?” Thalia said around a bite of food.
Octavian glanced up at Nico momentarily. “He's alright. All he had to do was
sit and listen today,” the blond responded.
“I'm sure he's a fast learner,” Hazel said with a smile.
“I am impressed he has taken it all so well,” Zoë said. “I figured being so
innocent, he would have freaked out.”
“I'm not a kid,” Nico said with a pout.
“Yeah, that doesn't help your case, Nico,” Thalia joked. “You should start
practicing on customers tonight. At least work on how you walk and talk.”
“Try practicing walking in your suite,” Zoë suggested.
“Work on your facial expressions in front of a mirror,” Octavian said, taking a
bite of his food.
“Facial expressions?” Nico asked.
“Yes,” Thalia said. “You need to look at them just right, as I'm sure the boys
told you.” Nico nodded. “Everything about your face has to be just right.”
“You need to learn to seduce someone with just a glance,” Hazel added.
“So, how does it feel to be a Lost Boy?”
“Is he one yet?” Octavian commented. “Let's wait until we see him on stage
first.” He glanced over at Nico. “No offense.”
“None taken, I guess,” Nico mumbled.
“Don't worry, Nico. You're assured a spot. You just got to get on that stage
and shake your ass,” Thalia said with a wink.
“Well, we need to be getting to work,” Zoë stated. Her, Octavian, and Thalia
stood up and bid Hazel and Nico goodbye. Nico looked over at Hazel, who smiled
back at him. Nico liked her already, she kind of reminded him of Bianca.
“So what's your story, Hazel?” Nico asked, taking a drink.
Hazel set her napkin on the table, finished eating her food. “Well, I grew up
in New Orleans with my mom,” Hazel answered.
“You're a long way from home.”
Hazel nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. “My mom, she wasn't that nice of a
person. Selling her own body for money was one thing, but then she started
selling mine. I was just a kid when she started doing that, only twelve. I felt
sick with myself most nights. I threw up after every time it happened. I felt
so disgusted with myself. I grew to hate my mother. I didn't understand how a
mother could do that to their own child.”
“I'm so sorry,” Nico whispered.
Hazel shrugged. “She ended up moving us to a pretty bad neighborhood. Those sex
offender websites don't always come in handy. I'll just say that we had a very
extensive client list built from our neighbors.”
“That's so horrible.”
“It's in the past. I managed to get some money while my mom was gone one day.
After that, I high tailed it out of there. Hitchhiked my way all the way out
here. Spent a year on the streets before Percy found me. I was more than eager
enough to take the job. Considering my past, it wasn't anything new for me to
do.”
Nico finished eating his food, needing to hurry and get to work. The two stood
up and walked out of the hotel's restaurant. They boarded the elevator and Nico
hit the button for the bar. “Hopefully I can get used to all of this like the
rest of you.”
“I'm sure you will. You have all of us to help you learn. We're a family here,
Nico. We look out for each other.” Nico let a smile spread across his face at
Hazel's comforting words. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here. He had a new
family to help take care of him.
***** The Way You'd Play with Me like a Child *****
Chapter 9
Nico slid his books into his locker, thankful that school was over. He zipped
up his backpack and slung it back over his shoulder. He pushed the door open to
go outside. He slid his headphones in his ears and pulled out his phone. He
scrolled through the new music that Apollo had given him, finding a song he had
yet to listen to.
Nico yelped when someone yanked on his backpack. He fell to the ground, only to
find Cal and Zethes laughing above him. “Looks like your boyfriend isn't around
to protect you today,” Cal remarked, cracking his knuckles.
“He's not my boyfriend,” Nico muttered, picking himself off of the pavement.
“Makes little difference to us,” remarked Zethes. Everyone turned their head at
the sound of a throat being cleared.
Annabeth stood a few feet away, sliding her sunglasses on top of her head. Her
eyes were wide and near to tears. She ran over to Nico and pulled him into a
hug. “Nico, what's happening?” she asked innocently. She looked over at Nico's
assailants. “You aren't hurting my sweet Nico, are you?”
Cal and Zethes were both ogling Annabeth. Cal licked his lips. “Uh. What's he
to you?” Cal asked, scratching his head.
“He's my boyfriend,” Annabeth stated. Nico's eyes widened when she leaned in
and planted a kiss on his lips. She pulled back with a smile. “You won't hurt
him, will you? I'm sure if you were nice to Nico I could see if any of my
friends would want to spend some time with you.” Annabeth winked at them. Cal
and Zethes gulped.
Zethes rubbed the back of his head and kicked the pavement. “Oh, we were just
messing around,” said Zethes.
Annabeth smiled even brighter at them. “Well, I need to take Nico along now. I
need some alone time with him before his parents get home.” Annabeth wrapped
one of Nico's arms around her waist and started walking.
“Lucky dog,” Nico heard Cal mutter as they walked off.
Once they were in the car, Nico looked at Annabeth. “What was that for?” he
asked.
“Apollo informed us that you were having bully problems,” she stated.
“That doesn't explain all that.” Nico flailed his arms as Annabeth pulled out
of the parking lot.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I helped your reputation. You can thank me later.”
“Do you guys have any shame in using seduction on people?”
“None,” Annabeth replied.
Nico let out a long sigh. “Thanks, I guess.”
Annabeth shrugged. “I'm sure it won't permanently fix things, but it'll give
you a break from those brutes.”
“I'm just glad I'll be getting to relax tonight. No work for me tonight,” Nico
stated happily as he leaned back in his seat.
“Yeah, a lot of the kids have tonight off. You won't be getting a weekend break
this time.” Nico frowned. “We have a busy weekend scheduled ahead of us. Percy
usually gives the people a night off during the week if they are working on the
busy weekend.”
“So, we are going to go do something?”
“I think Percy was planning something for tonight, actually.” Nico nodded. “I,
however, will not be joining you.”
“Work?” Annabeth nodded. “Can I ask you something, Annabeth?”
Annabeth looked over at Nico briefly. “Sure, what's up?”
“You worked at the Lotus before Percy became manager, right?” asked Nico.
“Yeah, Gaea brought me in about five months before Percy got promoted. Why?”
“How old was Percy when he got promoted?”
Annabeth was silent for a moment. Nico figured she didn't like this line of
questioning. “He had just turned eighteen when he became manager. It was a
birthday present from Gaea.”
“How old were you when you started?”
Annabeth looked at Nico from the corner of her eye. “Why do you ask?”
Nico shrugged. “I figure you are around Percy's age. I was just curious at how
old you were when you started.”
Annabeth let out a puff of air. “I'm twenty, just like Percy. So before you
ask, yes I was underage when I started. Most of the others were seventeen when
they started. A few of them were a little older and legal.”
“How did you end up in this life?”
“No.”
“No? No what?”
“We're not talking about this,” Annabeth replied, pulling into the garage. “I
don't really like talking about it.” She parked the car and they both got out.
Nico frowned at her as they got into the elevator, but she chose to ignore him.
They rode up to their floor in silence. Once the elevator stopped, Annabeth
looked at Nico. “Good luck in training. Oh, and try not to freak out too much.”
Nico was about to question her, but she walked off, tossing a wave over her
shoulder.
Nico sighed and made his way down to his suite. Sliding his card into the slot,
he opened his door and stepped inside. He sat his backpack down on the couch
and went to his bedroom to change. He opted for a loose black shirt and grey
track shorts. Grabbing his phone and card, Nico headed back to the elevator.
Upon arrival at the gym, Nico found all the Lost Boys already waiting for him.
“Good afternoon, Nico,” they all said cheerfully. Nico stared at each of them
with curiosity. They were up to something. They each had wide grins plastered
on their face.
“What?” Nico asked, closing the door behind him.
“Guess what you get to learn today?” Connor asked, laying his arm across Nico's
shoulders. Nico shrugged.
“You're going to learn how to strip!” Travis exclaimed.
“Already? Can't we do a little bit more lecturing on it?” Nico asked, looking
nervous.
Apollo shook his head, pulling Nico away from Connor. “Nope. There's no better
way to learn than by doing. Don't worry, we won't drool over your half naked
body too much. No promises on groping, though,” Apollo said with a wink.
“That's so thoughtful of you,” Nico mumbled. Apollo just grinned back at him
and slapped Nico on the ass to send him on his way. Nico frowned, rubbing his
butt, and went to stand in front of the large mirror.
Will was leaning against the mirror, grinning at Nico. Apparently they all
found this very amusing. “Don't worry, Nico, we'll be stripping with you,” Will
informed him.
“Why?”
“You can use it as a distraction,” Octavian said. He sat in a corner, currently
engrossed in a book. “Besides, it'll help you learn.”
“How will that help?”
“Just watch the way we move,” Luke whispered in Nico's ear, causing him to
shudder.
Apollo rolled his eyes and came to stand next to Nico. “Now then, this isn't
very hard. You just need to move your body just right. Make sure you are slow
about taking your clothes off,” Apollo informed him. “Alright, let's get
started.” All of the guys stood around Nico. Some music started and Nico
watched as their hands slid across their bodies.
“You need to be seductive in your movements. Lure them in,” said Travis. Nico
bit his lip and let his hand travel down to the hem of his shirt. He jumped
when he felt two pairs of hands on his hips.
“You need to move your hips while you strip,” Luke told him. He and Apollo
guided Nico's hips to the rhythm of the music until Nico had it under control.
“Good. Now lose the shirt.” Nico let out a silent breath before returning his
hands to the hem of his shirt. He made sure to keep his hips moving while he
slid it slowly up his torso. His eyes drifted over to some of the others as
they were doing the same. They each had a wide array of body types. They ranged
from Beckendorf's muscular stature, to Apollo's lean body, and finally to
Connor's thin physique.
Each of their bodies was mesmerizing. He got so distracted that he stopped
lifting his shirt. Will nudged him, bringing him back to reality, a blush now
adorning his cheeks. Nico finally lifted the shirt over his head, letting it
fall to the ground. The music picked up and the Lost Boys quickened their
movements. Nico tried mimicking their movements, letting his hand move across
his chest like some of the others.
He blushed when he felt his own ass. He figured it was the appropriate move
considering others were doing it. “To the ground,” Apollo ordered. Everyone got
down on the ground. Their hands rested below them, supporting them up, while
their legs were extended out. Nico blushed as he was made to do several pelvic
thrusts. He did stop moving when the boys stepped it up a notch. They slid a
few inches forward and slapped the ground with their hands. They spun around
and stood back up. It was interesting watching them. It seemed more than just
taking off your clothes, it was a well-planned performance.
Nico picked up following the others when they started moving their hips again.
His hand traveled to his pants when the others started playing with their
hemline. Watching the different ways to take off pants was interesting to Nico.
Some got back on the ground, while others stayed standing. Apollo lay on his
back as he slid his shorts slowly lower down his legs. When they were below his
knees, Apollo yanked them off while managing to jump back to his feet. Butch
took a different approach. He simply ripped the fabric off, revealing the
underwear underneath.
They all stopped moving when they noticed Nico watching them. They stood still
with grins plastered on their faces. Octavian pointed down at Nico's shorts.
Nico groaned. They were going to watch him take his off. Licking his lips, Nico
returned his hands to the loose fabric that was his shorts. While continuing to
move his hips, Nico lowered the fabric off of his hips. He thought back to some
of the things they told him yesterday and bent over to lower them the rest of
the way. This earned him some whistles and claps from the boys behind him. He
stepped out of his shorts and turned around to face the Lost Boys, now
regretting wearing boxer-briefs.
“Aw, Nico, don't be so shy. We've all seen each other naked,” Will said with a
wink. He looked down Nico's body. “Besides, you've got nothing to be ashamed
of.”
“Down, Will,” Apollo laughed. “Remember what we were told.” Nico cocked his
head to the side.
“You can calm down, dude. We're not gonna make you take those off,” Beckendorf
stated, pointing at Nico's underwear. Nico nodded and let out a breath.
“You just need to learn to be comfortable with your body.”
“So, we're all gonna stay like this,” Travis said, slinging an arm around his
brother's waist. They weren't going to make this easy on him.
“You're going to have to learn to be comfortable with not only your body, but
other people's bodies as well,” Luke said, crossing his arms over his lean
torso. Nico had to look elsewhere to keep from lowering his gaze on each of
them. The fact that they all wore tight underwear really was not helping
things.
“Don't be shy. You can look, Nico,” Apollo whispered in Nico's ear. Nico
jumped, not having noticed the blond approach him. Nico slowly let his eyes
wander down to look at each of their covered lower extremities. Some of them
definitely looked to be pretty well endowed. Nico blushed when some of them
turned around to show off their backsides to Nico, Connor even bent over for
him. “Come now, Nico, there's nothing to be afraid of. We'll even let you
touch.” Nico's eyes dilated from the seductive tone in Apollo's voice.
He licked his lips and stared down at Apollo's crotch. Apollo grinned when Nico
let his hand wander out towards his crotch. Nico's hand hovered over the
clothed area for a few seconds, debating if this was a good idea. He jumped at
the sound of someone clearing his throat.
Percy stood in the doorway, an eyebrow raised at Nico. “I see the lesson is
going well,” Percy mused. Apollo just grinned and put his hands behind his
head. Percy sighed and motioned for the door. “That will be all for today.”
Nico watched as the Lost Boys got dressed and headed out the door. He reached
down and was about to pick up his shorts when Percy grabbed his wrist. “Time
for your private lesson.” Percy grinned. “You can leave those off.”
Nico blushed when Percy yanked his shirt over his head. “An-Annabeth said you
were planning something for tonight?” Nico asked, eyeing Percy's navel.
Percy tossed his shirt aside and looked back at Nico, who immediately covered
his crotch. Percy rolled his eyes and moved Nico's hands away. “Yeah, I was
going to have a movie night in my room. You want to come?” Nico nodded. “Good.
I'll save you a seat.” Percy winked at him, causing Nico to blush again. “Now
then, your body seems to be developing nicely. I think I'll do an assessment,
to know how to play you off to the customers.”
Nico's blush spread down to his neck as Percy looked him over. Percy moved
Nico's black hair out of his eyes, a small smile spread across his face. “I
thought I wasn't working the back rooms?”
Percy chuckled, letting Nico's bangs fall back into place. “You aren't, but
usually everyone has a theme. Will was right, the innocent look works for you.”
Percy slid his hands across Nico's shoulders and down his torso. “You have very
soft skin.”
“T-Thanks,” Nico stuttered as Percy's hands reached his stomach.
“You have nice features. Dark looks, pale skin, innocent, and nice lips.” Percy
brushed his thumb across Nico's lips. “Body type, good.” Percy ran his hands
down Nico's sides. “Ass.” Percy's hands traveled behind Nico and groped his
butt. Nico gasped and fell into Percy, letting his hands rest on Percy's bare
torso. “Very nice.” Nico blushed as he felt Percy's firm chest, letting his
hand slide down it a few inches.
Nico shuddered when Percy gave his ass a squeeze. He bit his lip to keep
himself from moaning. “Percy,” Nico whispered into Percy's chest.
Percy let his hands travel beneath the fabric of Nico's underwear. “You see,
this is how you need to be when you perform. You don't need to be shy about
your body. I want you to be comfortable with things like this.” Nico went to
wrap his arms around Percy, but Percy knocked them away. He stepped back from
Nico, causing the smaller boy to groan. “Problem?”
“Obviously,” Nico mumbled. Percy chuckled.
“Do I need to give you a moment so you can take care of that?” Percy raised an
eyebrow while looking down at Nico's current problem.
“Maybe if you weren't such a tease.”
Percy grinned back at him. “But it's what we are good at here. You're going to
have to do the same thing, Nico. You need to turn people on and leave them
hanging.”
Nico strolled up to Percy and placed his hands on Percy's chest. He decided to
try playing at Percy's own game. “Or you could help me out with my problem,”
Nico whispered.
Percy chuckled and removed Nico's hands from his chest. “Nice try. Not bad,
I'll give you that.”
Nico groaned, letting his head fall back. “So not fair. You have sex with the
others, why not with me?”
Percy's eyes darkened. He pushed Nico up against the wall, lifting Nico off the
ground and wrapping Nico's legs around his waist. Percy used one of his hands
to tug the back of Nico's underwear down and grab his ass. “Is this what you
want?” Percy growled into Nico's throat, biting down softly on his shoulder.
Nico arched his back, letting out a loud moan. Nico nodded his head. Percy
pulled his head back to stare into Nico's eyes for a moment. He tightened his
jaw and dropped Nico back to the ground. “Why are you so eager?” Percy asked.
“What?” Nico blinked at Percy as the black haired young man went to retrieve
his shirt.
“You wanted to be a stripper when I offered to let you remain in the bar. Now,
you want me to fuck you. And when I came in a moment ago, you were about to
grab Apollo's dick.” Percy slid his shirt back on. He ran a hand through his
hair and looked back at Nico. “I told you to hang on to your innocence, yet
look at what you're doing.”
Nico chewed on his lip as Percy stared at him, waiting for an answer. “I-
I thought-never mind.” Percy sighed and placed a hand on the wall beside Nico's
head.
“Nico, I know the others told you I don't get involved with anyone. How would
that be fair to them with the life I live? Everything else is just business.
You're innocent, Nico. That's why I kept you out of the strip club. You're the
only one to come in here that wasn't already damaged by the world. Can you
blame me for wanting to protect that innocence? I had hoped that I could get
you by for two years and you'd head out on your own, without getting involved
in all of this.” Percy sighed. “Never happens, though. Once you're a Lost Kid,
you never leave.” Percy gave Nico a long stare before pushing off the wall and
walking out the door, leaving Nico standing there in confusion and shock.
--------------------------------------------
Nico knocked on Percy's door. He could hear some laughter coming from inside.
He was hoping this wasn't going to be an orgy. He really wasn't sure if that
would be up their alley or not anymore. Percy answered the door, giving Nico a
small smile. Nico moved past Percy, looking around at the room. Luke sat on the
right side of the couch, looking bored. On the far left side of the couch was
Will. Butch, Piper, and Thalia stood around the island in the kitchen, pouring
some drinks. Percy's balcony door was open, Zoë and Travis stood outside having
their own conversation.
Percy pressed on Nico's lower back, ushering him into the kitchen. Butch,
Piper, and Thalia all greeted Nico. “Want something to drink?” Thalia asked,
holding a red cup out to Nico.
Percy took the cup before Nico could grab it. “He's not drinking,” Percy
replied. Nico frowned at Percy, who chose to ignore him and take a sip of
alcohol.
“Here, Nico, you can have one of these,” Piper said with a smile. She held out
a finger sandwich for Nico to take. He smiled at her and took the sandwich,
raising it to his mouth to take a bite.
“So, what are we watching?” Nico asked after he finished the sandwich.
“The Woman in Black,” Percy replied, watching Nico with interest. Nico made a
small groaning noise, which earned him a grin from everyone in the room.
“Horror really isn't my thing.”
Percy leaned in so that only Nico could hear him. “Don't worry, you'll be
sitting next to me.” Nico licked his lips as Percy pulled away. He glanced over
at the other three, who attempted to look distracted, but had large grins on
their faces.
“How about some help with these?” asked Thalia, gesturing to the drinks they
had poured. They all picked up two cups and headed back into the living room.
“Movie time!” Zoë and Travis came inside and plopped down on a chair, Zoë
sprawled out across Travis's lap. Luke grinned at Percy as the green eyed boy
sat down beside him. His happiness was short lived however when Nico sat down
on Percy's other side, changing his grin into a frown.
“Oh, Nico, Apollo wanted me to tell you that we are going to go shopping
instead of having lessons tomorrow,” Will informed Nico.
“Shopping?” Nico asked.
“You need to get outfitted, remember?” Nico nodded.
“You're also working upstairs all weekend,” said Percy while he was setting up
the movie.
“Already?”
Percy rolled his eyes, still looking at the TV. “Serving drinks, and stuff.
I'll wait another week before I put you on stage.” Percy skipped the
commercials and went to the main menu of the DVD. “It'll do you some good
getting started on a busy weekend.” Percy leaned forward. “Everyone ready?”
When nobody said anything, Percy hit the play button. He leaned back on the
couch again. Butch turned off the lights, casting them into darkness. Thalia
came back into the room, having gone to make some popcorn. She plopped down in
front of the couch between Luke's legs. Luke leaned forward and scooped a
handful of popcorn, earning a scowl from Thalia.
Nico was already nervous by the time the first scene was finished, having
watched the girls jump out the window. He let himself ease closer to Percy, who
was too distracted with the alcohol and movie to notice. Nico jumped during the
part of the movie where Daniel Radcliffe’s character inspected the house. He
nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt an arm slide across his shoulders.
He looked over at Percy, whose eyes were still on the TV. Percy pulled Nico
against him, letting the boy rest his head on Percy's shoulder.
Percy kept his arm wrapped around Nico, every now and then looking to see how
Nico was doing. Nico didn't seem to be as scared now. He didn't feel scared
with that arm around him. He smiled to himself when he felt Percy's hand move
up to play with his hair. Percy kept shifting between playing with Nico's hair
and playing with his ear. It made Nico happy. Maybe there was hope yet.
Nico's happiness was short lived, however, when Luke rested his hand on Percy's
leg. Percy blinked and looked over at Luke. Luke leaned in and Percy leaned
towards him. Luke whispered something in Percy's ear. Percy whispered something
back to Luke with a small smile. Nico frowned as Percy's arm removed itself
from around him. Percy's attention had shifted to Luke, now wrapping an arm
around the blond. Nico pouted to himself.
He heard chuckling beside him. He looked over to see Will smiling at him. Will
leaned in to whisper in Nico's ear. “Don't be jealous. Percy cuddles with
everyone.” Nico sighed and frowned. “If it makes you feel any better, you kept
his attention through half the movie. That's a new record.”
Nico leaned in closer so he could talk to Will. “So, Percy will do this with
the rest of you?” he asked. Will nodded. “Is there anything he won't do with
all of you?”
Will frowned. “You make it sound so hurtful, Nico. You're gonna have to get
over that crush. Percy just doesn't have relationships with us. This is going
to sound like I'm rubbing it in your face, but I'm not. Percy's really good in
bed. I mean, yes, we do it to get better hours, but sex with Percy is a little
addictive.”
“You're right, that does sound like you're rubbing it in my face.” Will
chuckled. “So why are you telling me this?”
“I feel like it might help you understand some of us. Sex is business, but it
is also something fun to do. I was straight before I came here, but now I'm bi.
Though, you kind of have to be for this business.” Will nodded at Luke. “Luke
feels threatened by you.”
“Why?”
Will shrugged. “I don't know. Something's...never mind. I shouldn't say. Luke
just likes sex with Percy. Think of it like the animal kingdom, you're
threatening his territory.”
“But I thought Percy didn't date his employees?”
“He doesn't,” replied Will. “You're different, Nico. You're not like the rest
of us.”
“What do you mean? I'm going to be a Lost Boy. I'm going to strip.”
Will smiled at Nico. “But you're not like us.” Will's smile dropped. He stared
off to the side while speaking. “We're complicated. You'll learn soon enough
how tainted we are. We hate the people that come here, they make us sick. Yet,
we have to put on a pretty smile and make them happy. Each and every one of us
has something unique about us when it comes to the people of this world.”
“Like what?”
Will just smiled and patted him on the leg. “You'll learn soon enough. Now
then, you're welcome to cuddle with me,” Will said with a wink. Nico rolled his
eyes and leaned back towards Will. Nico thought he saw Percy turn his head just
a little to look at them for a brief second before turning his attention back
to the movie. Will wrapped his arms around Nico as the smaller boy leaned
against his torso.
Nico figured he should get used to life like this, being cozy with the other
Lost Kids. He looked around at the rest of them, and everyone was cuddled up
with one of the others. He guessed it really didn't matter to them who it was
with, they just enjoyed each other's company. They were all alike, and they
bonded through that.
Luke, Silena, and Will's words kept playing in his head. Luke had told him that
he would keep falling down this hole until he saw them for what they really
were. Will had just told him that they hated the people that came here, stating
that they were tainted. Silena had told him that they all wore masks to hide
how they really felt. This was all a masquerade to them. They wore masks so
people couldn't hurt them. Was that it? Were they protecting themselves from
people?
Percy's words to him earlier came to mind. “Once a Lost Kid, you never leave.”
What was that about? Did they not leave? Why would they want to stay here
forever? Nico admitted that the sense of family was comforting, and all of the
Lost Kids were a lot of fun, but why stay?
Before Nico knew it, the movie had ended. Everyone complained as Butch turned
the lights back on. Nico pulled himself out of Will's embrace, stretching his
arms above his head. “Everyone enjoy the movie?” Percy asked, stretching as
well. Nico's eyes drifted to the tiny bit of stomach that had become exposed.
“Yeah, it was awesome!” Thalia exclaimed. The others nodded their agreement.
“I guess we can call it an early night?” Butch asked, cleaning up the empty
cups.
Percy nodded. “Yeah, go get some rest,” he said with a lazy smile.
Everyone started heading out the door. Percy stood by the door and said
goodnight to each of them. Nico sat on the couch, seeing if he could get some
time with Percy. Luke didn't seem to want to give Nico what he wanted, though.
“I could stay, if you wanted,” Luke said seductively, running his fingers down
Percy's chest.
Percy smiled and rolled his eyes. “Not tonight. I'm pretty tired. You should
get some rest.” Luke pouted, but headed out the door after shooting Nico a
dirty look. Percy shut the door behind Luke, chuckling softly. “Crazy night.”
Nico nodded. “You should be getting to bed too.”
Nico bit his lip. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Percy plopped back onto the couch, resting an arm on Nico's leg. “What's up?”
“What did you mean earlier when you said the Lost Kids never leave?”
Percy frowned. He stared blankly at his hand on Nico's leg, which was rubbing
circles across Nico's leg with his thumb. “Don't worry about it, ok?” He
offered Nico a smile.
“You can't tell me? I thought you wanted me to be different?”
“I did, and I do. I have faith that you'll manage this on your own.”
“You said I should keep my innocence. How am I supposed to do that while doing
all of this?”
Percy smiled at Nico. “I'm not the one who made you get involved in all of
this, that was your choice. You just made it harder on yourself.” Percy leaned
his head on the couch, bringing his face closer to Nico. He let out a sigh. “It
won't be easy. If you can manage coming out of this with even a shred of
innocence, I'll be happy. The difference between you and the others is that you
don't hate the world. You aren't jaded like the rest of us. You're happy. Don't
lose that while you're here.”
Nico nodded and gave Percy a small smile. “I promise I'll work on that.”
“Good,” Percy said with a smile. Nico stared at Percy in silence for a moment.
He let his hand travel across the back of the couch to play with Percy's hair.
Percy eyed him funny for a moment, but soon relaxed, letting his eyes close.
Nico thought he'd be daring. He leaned in closer to Percy until he felt Percy's
breath on his face. When Nico was only a few inches from Percy's lips, Percy
opened his eyes. He pulled back until he was sat flush against the arm of the
couch. “You should go get some sleep.”
Nico sighed. “Can you just tell me why you do this with me?”
“I'm not doing anything with you.”
“That's what I mean. Why them, but not me?” Nico tried scooting closer to
Percy, but Percy held out an arm to block him from getting closer.
“Maybe I don't want you,” whispered Percy.
Nico bit his lip. “Then why do you act like you do sometimes? I feel like you
lead me on, and then you just pull away.”
Percy refused to look at him, keeping his eyes on the floor. “I'm done talking
about this, Nico.” He stood up, walked over to the door and opened it. “Go.”
Nico gave Percy a hurt look, which he refused to meet. Nico slowly made his way
out the door. He looked back at Percy one last time before heading down the
hall. He heard Percy let out a long sigh, and barely managed to catch the last
thing Percy said before he shut his door. “It's for his own good.”
Nico wiped at his eyes as he slid his card into the elevator slot and hit the
button to his floor. Why was Percy being like this? When the elevator door
opened again, he was surprised to find the Lost Kids from the movie running
around in the hall. A pillow flew out of Thalia's hand, hitting Nico in the
face. “Nico, there you are!” Piper exclaimed. “Come join the war!”
“What's going on?” Nico asked, holding the pillow in his hands.
“We thought we'd have some more fun,” Travis said with a smile. “The others
won't be down until really late, and they'll just want to go to bed, so we
thought we would run amuck while they are away.”
Nico just blinked at them and maneuvered past them, letting the pillow fall to
the floor. He heard loud noises coming from the first room on the left on the
boys' hall. The door was wide open. He poked his head inside to find Luke and
Will sitting on the couch playing a video game. “Hey, Nico,” Will called,
glancing over at the new arrival.
“Hey,” Nico mumbled back.
“You don't last very long in bed, do you?” remarked Luke. Will elbowed Luke
while keeping his eyes on the TV.
“We didn't have sex.”
Luke shrugged. “Not surprising.”
“What is everyone doing?”
“Just having a little fun before bed.” Luke picked up another controller from
the floor. “You want in?”
Nico walked farther into the room. He glanced over at the TV. The characters on
the screen shooting aliens while dressed in heavy armor. “This looks like
Halo.”
“Halo 4 to be exact,” Will stated.
Nico's eyes widened at the screen. “But that doesn't come out until next
month!”
Luke and Will shrugged. “Percy has connections,” Luke said simply. “So do you
want to play, or not?” He waved the controller in the air. Nico jumped over and
grabbed it, sitting between the two on the couch. Luke exited them out of the
campaign so that Nico could start it from the beginning. Nico customized his
Spartan really fast, and the trio set forth into the game.
“So, you excited about going shopping tomorrow, Nico?” Will asked after a
while.
“That depends on if you will all be in the dressing room with me or not,” Nico
shot back.
“Aww. Don't take the fun out of it. A massive orgy in the dressing room, now
that would be interesting.”
“None of you have any shame.”
“Makes things more interesting.”
Nico played with Luke and Will for a few more hours. He finally looked at his
phone and realized it was nearing midnight. “Shit, I need to get some sleep,”
said Nico, setting his controller down.
Will grinned at him. “Wow. That might be the first time I've heard you cuss.”
“No, he does, when he's whining like a girl,” replied Luke, propping his feet
on the table.
“I do not whine like a girl,” Nico said with a glare.
“Sure. Anyways, hurry up and go. I think Will and I need to have some privacy,
unless you want to stay and watch.”
“Or join,” Will said with a wink. Nico blushed and shook his head. “Alright.
Night, Nico.”
Nico waved as he made his way out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
They really did have sex with each other. The others had moved their
roughhousing down to the girls' hall. Nico watched them while he slid his key
into the door and opened it. He sighed and closed the door behind him. Well, at
least he was getting a few extra hours of sleep.
***** Every Time I Close My Eyes, It's like a Dark Paradise *****
Nico stood in the parking lot at school, waiting to see who would be coming to
get him today. It would be so nice when he could get his own car, so he would
not have to rely on people to get him to and from school anymore. Part of him
was dreading the end of school, because it meant he would be going shopping
with the boys, and they would probably be making him as uncomfortable as
possible.
A silver Jaguar pulled up the curb in front of him. Nico raised an eyebrow,
opening the door, and sliding inside. “Hey there, Nico,” Rachel greeted him,
fixing her hair in the mirror. “Ready to go?”
“If you use the word loosely,” Nico mumbled back.
“That's the spirit.” Nico smiled and looked back out the window. Out of
everyone, Nico had not seen much of Rachel or Leo since he had started working
the bar.
“Rachel?”
Rachel kept her eyes on the road. “Hmm?”
“How come I don't ever really see you and Leo spending time with the other Lost
Kids?”
Rachel clicked her tongue. “Complicated. Leo and I don't have to take our
clothes off to make good money, and I think the others are a little resentful
of that.”
Nico frowned to himself. “That doesn't seem very fair.” Rachel just shrugged.
“Would they have treated me the same if I didn't get Percy to put me on the top
floor?”
Rachel sighed. “Annabeth's right, you do ask a lot of questions. Look, Nico,
the others are just complicated. We're all a family, but as you have taken
notice of, the others are a lot closer. Try not to think too much on it.”
Nico huffed and pulled out his phone, glancing over his list of co-workers for
tonight. He pocketed his phone and looked over at Rachel. “I'm supposed to go
shopping with the guys today, how is that going to happen?” Nico asked.
“I'm taking you back to the hotel. I think that they have a hotel van to take
you shopping. Percy wanted me to come get you, opposed to having a bunch of
wild guys coming to pick you up.”
“Thanks for that.”
Rachel chuckled. “You're not like them,” she mused.
Nico cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“You're...normal. You don't try to be something you're not.”
“Will said something similar last night.”
“Then they have already noticed the difference between you and them.”
“And?”
“Nothing.” Rachel pulled into the parking garage and parked the car. She
unbuckled her seatbelt and sat and looked at Nico for a minute. “It's nothing
you need to worry about, Nico, just don't let them bother you. It's nothing you
did, just know that.”
Nico looked at her funny, but before he could ask what she meant, Rachel got
out of the car and headed for the elevator. She pulled a phone out of her
pocket and started writing a text. She gave Nico a silent smile once they
boarded the elevator.
They stopped at the main floor. Nico instantly spotted the Lost Boys grouped up
in the middle of the lobby. Rachel tossed Nico a wave as he started walking out
of the elevator. Before he got off, Rachel grabbed his backpack and took it
from Nico's shoulders. “I'll drop this off in your room for you,” Rachel said
with a smile. Nico nodded and waved at her.
Nico made his way over the Lost Boys, who were listening to the twins say
something funny. “There he is!” Beckendorf exclaimed, pulling Nico into their
circle.
“Ready to go?” Apollo asked.
“As ready as I'll ever be,” Nico muttered. The guys all smiled at him. “No
molesting me.”
“Take all the fun out of it, why don't cha,” Connor said with a pout.
“Relax, Nico, there will be no molestation, unless you count light groping,”
Will joked. “We will be inspecting everything you try on.” Nico groaned.
“We're wasting time,” Luke stated, checking his phone. “Percy wants him back a
few hours before his shift starts.”
“To the van!” the twins exclaimed, grabbing Nico and dragging him out the door.
“Help me,” Nico whispered to lady behind the desk as they made their way past
her. Apollo and Will just smiled and waved at her, assuring her that Nico was
fine. Butch held the sliding door open as the twins dragged Nico into the van.
The ride was relatively normal. They chose to talk about normal everyday stuff
for the most part. Only a few times would any of the guys say something to Nico
about stripping. Beckendorf finally pulled the van up to a small shop and the
guys all piled out. Not giving Nico any chance of escaping, the twins once
again grabbed Nico's arms and dragged him inside.
A thin blonde woman stood behind the counter. She had long golden hair, a large
chest, and flawless skin. Her green eyes sparkled as she smiled at the boys.
“Hey there, boys,” the woman said in a silky smooth voice. “What can I do for
you today?”
Apollo walked up to the counter and placed his elbow on the surface, propping
himself up on his palm. “We got a new guy with us today, Aphrodite. Think you
could help us hook him up?” Apollo asked her.
Her eyes flickered to Nico, lighting up as she took notice of him. “Oh my, he's
a cutie. Where did Percy find this one?”
“On the streets, the same as the rest of us,” Luke grumbled. Aphrodite rolled
her eyes at him and sauntered out from behind the counter. She walked over to
the door and changed the sign to closed.
“Feel free to take as much time as you need. I'll take a look around in the
back and see what I can pull from back there.” She snapped her well-manicured
fingers at Butch and Beckendorf. “How about you two big strong men come and
help me move some boxes around?” Butch and Beckendorf nodded and followed off
after the blonde woman as she disappeared into the back room.
“So what is this place?” Nico asked, picking up a pink feathered boa and eyeing
it funny.
“This is Aphrodite's Boutique,” Octavian said, sifting through one of the
racks.
“Percy has her on the pay roll to help us with our wardrobe,” Travis explained.
“So when we come here, we get the place to ourselves,” Connor added. “So, feel
free to look around for anything you like.”
“Yes, 'cause this place screams my style,” Nico deadpanned.
Nico poked around the place for a while, not really finding anything he wanted
to try on. The guys, however, had found plenty of stuff for Nico to try,
choosing to dump everything they liked into one of the dressing rooms. When it
had enough stuff placed into it, Will shoved Nico inside, closing the door
behind him. Nico sighed to himself. He stood there for a moment, eyeing the
pile of various clothing and objects the Lost Boys had picked out for him. He
heard the others still moving around outside, obviously still looking for
things for Nico to try on.
Nico hesitantly picked up the speedo on top of the pile. There was a knock at
the door, which made Nico jump. “If you don't start trying the stuff on, I'll
come in there and supervise,” Apollo warned.
“I've got it,” Nico complained, pulling his shirt over his head. He slipped his
jeans off after that, not wanting to take his boxers off just yet. He sifted
through the pile again, trying to find something appealing. He found several
speedos, figuring he would need several of those, judging from the attire he
saw on the top floor the other night. He picked out a few before he decided to
show a pair off to the guys. If he didn't, they would probably come in after
him. Quickly discarding his underwear, he slipped the speedo on. He slowly
opened the door, finding the Lost Boys staring at him with wide smiles. The
twins wolf whistled at him, earning them a glare from Nico.
“Don't be shy, Nico. Your body is sexy,” Connor assured him.
“Turn around,” Luke commanded, doing a circle motion with his index finger.
Awkwardly, Nico spun around in place, until Travis grabbed his hips to make him
stop. Nico groaned as the boys took their time critiquing the way his ass
looked in the speedo.
“Get those,” Apollo told him, “and any other pairs of speedos that you like.
Keep in mind you'll need a few, so take that into account.” Nico nodded and
quickly vanished back into the dressing room. A schoolboy uniform and a man
thong were tossed over the door.
“Oh hell no!” Nico shouted, dropping the thong on the ground.
“You have no choice on that one,” Octavian called back. Nico glared at the
door, sliding the speedo off of him. He slipped his underwear back on, not
wanting to be naked for too long. He created a pile on a chair in the corner.
He dropped the black speedo and man thong on it before returning to the pile.
He sifted through the speedos he had come across earlier, tossing a few
different colored ones at the chair. He picked the uniform off of the floor and
decided to try it on.
Nico once again emerged from the dressing room with an annoyed look on his
face. “Damn,” Apollo mumbled, eyeing Nico over. “I approve.”
“I'll second that,” Luke said, staring at Nico's ass while he had his back to
him, a wicked grin on his face. “He can be in one of my numbers.”
“I don't like where this is going,” said a disturbed Nico.
“These really fit your ass nicely, Nico,” Travis said, grabbing Nico's butt,
which caused Nico to jump.
“I'm going to go change now.”
“You're getting that!” Apollo called after him.
“Yeah, yeah.” Nico pulled the uniform off, tossing it at the chair and looking
for something else to try on.
“I found a few things,” Nico heard Aphrodite say, having come back from the
back room. Nico groaned as a box was slid under the door. He peeled back the
lid to see what was inside.
“I am not dressing as a bunny!”
“It'll be adorable.”
“No.” Nico kicked the box to the side, opting not to try it on.
“Fine, be a spoil sport. I found you the perfect attire for Halloween, though.”
Nico poked his head out of the door. “Halloween?”
“We do a special show on Halloween,” Octavian explained.
“So you'll need a costume,” Butch continued.
Nico sighed. “Alright, I'll look at it in a minute,” Nico agreed. He sighed in
relief when he spotted a simple pair of black pants in the pile. He picked them
up and slid them on, quickly noticing the velcro on the side of the legs. No
question what that is for, Nico thought. He picked up a bow tie and quickly
tied it around his neck. He stepped back outside, doing a quick model for the
guys. They all smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Nico grumbled and stepped back
inside.
“Do you want me to fetch him some Christmas attire while you're here?”
Aphrodite asked. Nico sighed and let his head hit the wall. He heard Apollo
chuckle.
“No that's alright, we'll bring him back when it gets closer,” Apollo told her.
Nico stripped the pants off and untied the bow tie. He dropped them on the
growing pile on the chair. He went back over to the other pile and tried to
find anything else he liked. A caveman outfit, a Robin costume, cowboy chaps, a
cowboy hat, a loincloth, and a sailor outfit soon joined the pile on the chair.
Nico decided to toss a few more speedos into the pile for good measure. He
threw his clothes back on and exited the dressing room. “I think I'm done,”
Nico said. “Everything I want is in the chair.”
Apollo nodded and went to retrieve said objects. He returned a few seconds
later and dumped all the objects into a box. Luke tossed in a pair of handcuffs
and a leash with a studded collar. The twins threw in some oil, a fedora hat,
and a trench coat. Will threw in several lollipops, a few which were oversized.
Aphrodite smiled and handed Nico another box. “This will be perfect for your
Halloween costume. It just fits you so well,” she said with a wink. Nico
chuckled nervously and peered inside the box. He stared up at her in confusion.
“You have no choice but to try it on.”
“But-” Nico started, looking at Apollo.
“No buts, Nico,” Apollo said, shaking his head.
“Except yours in that costume,” Will said with a wink.
Nico groaned and made his way back into the dressing room. He opened the box
and pulled the pieces out of the box. He removed his clothing once again so
that he could get this costume on. He slid the fabric over his head, letting it
fall gracefully over his body. He grabbed a piece of rope and tied it around
his waist, admiring himself in the mirror. He picked up and placed the final
pieces where they needed to go before taking a final look at the finished
costume. He smiled to himself as he stared at his reflection. It really wasn't
that bad, he thought to himself. He slowly opened the door, the guys' jaws
dropping upon seeing him. Aphrodite squealed behind the counter. “Adorable!”
she exclaimed.
 
Percy called about an hour later. Apollo smiled, turning away from Nico and the
others, and picked up the phone, putting it on speaker phone. “Hey, boss, how's
it going?” Apollo asked cheerfully.
“I was calling to see how things were going,” Percy's voice came from the
phone.
“Everything's fine, nothing to-”
Nico broke away from the twins and made a mad dash for the phone. “Percy, help
me!” Nico yelled. The twins tackled him, and clamped hands over his mouth.
“Is that Nico?” Percy asked.
“Nico? No,” Apollo lied, shooting Nico a look. Nico kicked around helplessly as
Will and Octavian tried to fit him into another outfit.
“What's going on?” Percy asked exasperatedly.
“Just getting him decked out.”
Nico broke away again, crawling across the floor with the pants to his
policeman uniform around his ankles. He grabbed the phone from Apollo, falling
back to the floor. “Percy!” Nico yelled.
“Hi, Nico,” Percy said cheerfully.
Luke and Apollo grabbed Nico's legs and dragged him back towards the dressing
room. “Help me, Percy. They won't stop molesting me.”
“Okay, have fun.” Nico gaped at the phone as Percy hung up. Apollo grinned and
plucked the phone from Nico's hands.
“Now then, get that uniform on. We need to be getting back,” Apollo commanded.
Nico sighed and let his shoulders slump. “It's the last one, I promise.” Nico
nodded and stood up, pulling the pants up to his waist. Butch tossed him the
shirt, which he quickly slid on, buttoning it up. Travis placed the hat on his
head. They all took a step back to admire Nico, all of them nodding in
approval.
“Alright, I think we're done,” Beckendorf told Aphrodite. “Time to ring him
up.”
Aphrodite smiled and scanned all of pieces of clothing, costumes, and objects
for them. Nico fished his debit card out of his wallet and handed it to the
blonde woman. After she was done, she handed Nico the bags and they were on
their way out the door.
Nico sighed in relief as he sat down in the van. “That wasn't so bad, now was
it, Nico?” Connor asked, a wicked grin in place.
Nico groaned and slumped down in his seat. “I feel violated,” replied Nico. The
guys all laughed at him.
“You'll do just fine, kid,” Butch said from the passenger seat.
They rode back in silence. Apollo broke out in song once, which made Nico
smile. The blond really did have a nice singing voice. Nico's eyes traveled
from Apollo, in the seat in front of him, to Luke and Octavian, sitting beside
the other blond. Luke had his head slightly turned towards Octavian, listening
to his brother talk about the book he was reading. Nico smiled. It was nice to
see the Lost Kids like this, when they were being themselves and had their
guard down.
Perhaps Luke's ass-like personality, was just his own mask. He seemed to let it
slip when they were alone, especially when his brother was around. Octavian was
the one person that Nico had never seen Luke be a jackass to. Maybe Luke was a
big softie underneath all of that bitterness. Luke caught Nico staring at him
and flipped Nico off. Or maybe he was just a jackass.
Beckendorf parked the van and the boys all piled out. Percy was waiting for
them in the lobby, looking at his phone when the Lost Boys entered. “You're
late,” he informed them.
Apollo frowned. “Only by fifteen minutes,” the blond replied.
“Go get ready for work,” Percy ordered. Without question, the boys left Percy
and Nico alone in the middle of the lobby. Percy turned his gaze on Nico,
eyeing the bags in his hands. “Have fun?”
Nico glared at Percy. “You heard me over the phone, and you let them have their
way with me,” Nico huffed.
Percy chuckled and took the bags from Nico's hands. “Relax, I'd have said
something if I knew they were really doing something to you.” Percy poked
through the bag. Nico watched as Percy's eyes lit up and a smile spread across
his face. “Nice choices. Now then, are you ready for your lesson?”
“Always.”
“Good.” Nico followed Percy into the elevator and the two rode up to the floor
above them. They walked down to the gym, where Percy closed the door behind
him. He sat Nico's bags down beside the door and pulled a chair into the middle
of the room. “Sit.” Nico did as he was told, watching Percy pace around for a
moment. “This will be out last private lesson.”
Nico frowned. “Oh.”
Percy grinned at Nico. “Don't look so happy about it. You'll just be busy
tomorrow, we won't have time.”
“Busy with what?” Nico asked.
“Well, the boys are going to run over some last minute things with you, and
then the girls are going to take you down to the spa.” Percy's grin grew. “I
hope you don't mind a wax.”
“What are they going to do to me?” Nico asked in horror.
Percy chuckled and walked behind Nico, placing his hands around Nico's shoulder
and resting his head on top of his arm. “Circe just needs to get rid of your
body hair, and some other stuff to prepare you for Friday night.” Percy's hands
trailed down Nico's chest until he got to Nico's lap, then he slid them back
up, trailing his fingers along Nico's cheeks. “Now then, I think it's time we
begin.”
“Anything specific on the agenda for today?”
“Just touching up on a few things, and we'll go from there.” Percy grabbed the
back of the chair and spun Nico around, facing him away from the mirror.
“What did you do that for?”
“So you can't see my reflection.” Nico was about to open his mouth to respond,
but he shuddered when he felt Percy's hand ghost over his shirt. “Touch can be
very important, but you need to learn to do it just right. Too direct a touch
can be boring, a light touch has a much more...intimate effect. Nico let his
eyes close as he felt Percy's fingers trail across his neck. The hand then
stopped touching him. Nico tried turning around to look at Percy, but Percy
held Nico's face forward. “No peeking.”
Nico shivered at the feel of Percy's breath of the back of his neck. He let his
body relax as he felt Percy's caress return to his chest. One moment Percy's
hand would ghost over Nico's hand, the next it would be on his thigh, and then
it would running up under Nico's shirt.
“However,” Percy started, placing Nico's legs on top of his shoulders,
“sometimes a more physical approach is desired.” Nico moaned as Percy pressed
himself against Nico's bottom. Percy smiled above Nico. “Sometimes, you'll have
to be dominant.” Nico nodded slowly, mesmerized by Percy's close proximity.
Percy's hand slid up Nico's shirt, pinching his nipples. Nico couldn't help
himself, he rolled his hips against Percy. Percy's hands immediately latched on
to Nico's hips. “Don't do that,” Percy growled.
“Why? I know you want to. I want to. What's the problem?” Nico panted.
Percy stepped back, letting Nico's legs drop from his shoulders. “Because I
said no.” Percy straightened himself out before speaking again. “I'll try and
give you a few more lessons next week. I want you to be able to do everything
the guys and I have shown you before next Friday, understood?”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled, finally closing his legs and sitting up in his chair.
Percy blew out a heavy breath. “Anything else?”
Percy smirked, finally looking at Nico. “That depends; can you control your
hormones?”
Nico huffed and crossed his arms. “It's not like you're making this easy.”
“I'm just showing you how to do a good job on the top floor.”
“By giving me private lessons where you make things heated and then pull back.”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “Would you prefer I not give you private lessons?”
“N-No, that's not what I meant. It's just frustrating.”
Percy crouched down in front of Nico, resting his arms on Nico's legs. “I'm
just trying to help you out, Nico.”
Nico stared down at his lap. “I-I'm sorry.”
Percy cocked his head to the side. “For what?”
“For making this complicated? For reading the signals wrong.”
Percy smiled and patted Nico's leg. “Don't worry about it, Nico. Besides, who
said I don't enjoy the attention?” Percy winked at Nico, who flushed red.
“You're cute when you're embarrassed.” Percy stood back up and took a few steps
away from Nico. “I think we'll call it here for today, though. How about you go
drop your stuff off and you can go to dinner with me?”
Nico smiled. “I'd like that.”
 
--------------------------------------------------
Nico smiled at Percy as he spotted the black haired young man waiting for him
outside the hotel's restaurant. Percy grinned back and led Nico inside. Nico
had to bite back a frown when they sat down with Butch, Piper, and the twins.
Percy did a fist bump with Butch and looked over his menu. Nico glanced over at
the twins, who wore smiles and were giving Nico a thumbs up. Nico looked at
them questioningly before looking at his own menu.
After they had all ordered, they all started falling into various
conversations. “So, how is Nico doing?” Piper asked after a while.
“I think he'll do great next weekend,” Connor remarked.
“He'll do pretty well this weekend while he's serving drinks,” Travis added.
“We got him all decked out today.”
“And those private lessons?” Piper asked with a smirk.
“Good,” Percy replied, taking a sip of his drink, but not looking at her. Piper
frowned at the lack of detail. “Don't forget to remind the girls I listed
earlier to take Nico to his appointment with Circe.”
“I remember,” Piper grumbled.
Their food eventually arrived and the table began eating. Nico didn't get much
of Percy's attention during the meal, Percy focusing on Butch. If Nico didn't
know any better, he would say they were old friends. Percy seemed eager to talk
to Butch, mostly about sports, which Nico had a hard time following. Nico
caught Piper giving him a sad smile as she watched him watch Percy. Was it
really that obvious? Was it really that hopeless? Nico didn't know anymore.
Percy was so confusing.
When they finished eating, the group stayed at the table to talk for a bit
longer. Everyone seemed eager to have Percy's attention, as he drifted from one
conversation to the next. While Nico did not seem to get any time to talk to
Percy, Percy did lay his hand across Nico's knee under the table. It made Nico
smile to himself, yet hurt his head at the same time. An hour ago, Percy was
telling him he shouldn't be trying anything with Percy, but now here Percy was
being touchy with him.
Percy eventually had to bid them farewell, as he had to go get ready for the
busy night ahead. “And so the long weekend approaches,” Travis muttered, eyeing
some of the guests. Nico had noticed that the hotel seemed to be getting packed
over the past two days. He guessed that meant that most of these people would
be up on the top two floors.
“At least we get a bigger paycheck when they happen,” Piper reminded him.
“True.” Travis leaned back in his chair. “You going to be ready, Neeks?”
“I hope so,” Nico replied.
“You'll do fine, dude,” Butch assured him. “I mean, you've got Percy as your
private tutor.”
“Yeah, none of us got lessons from him,” Connor added.
“Yes, but none of us were as innocent as Nico,” Piper chimed in. She stared at
Nico for a moment and made a face like she had something bad in her mouth. Nico
frowned at her. She noticed his reaction and took a drink of water. “Bad
aftertaste I guess.” Nico continued to frown, unconvinced. What was that about?
“What's so great about getting private lessons?” Nico asked, turning his
attention away from Piper.
“Dude, Percy was like the best back when he worked our jobs,” answered Connor.
“At least that's what Annabeth says.”
“Speaking of jobs, we should get going,” Travis reminded them, standing up.
---------------------------------------
Nico walked nervously around the bar. The other night had been so awkward for
him, and tonight was no different. Now, knowing what went on upstairs and what
the place really was, Nico could not help looking at everything differently. He
felt like all of the customers looked at him like a piece of meat, waiting to
pounce on it. He even looked at his co-workers differently, knowing it was all
just an act.
Nico carried a tray full of empty glasses back to the bar. He sat the tray
down, letting Chiron unload the glasses. “Does this ever get easier? I just
can't help looking at this place differently,” Nico confessed.
“You get used to it,” Calypso assured him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Try
not to let it get to you.”
“Nico, you have nothing to worry about down here. All of the customers have
been explicitly instructed by Percy that they are not allowed to touch any of
you anywhere outside of the top floor,” Chiron assured him.
“Or the kink room,” Luke added, dropping off a drink ordered. “Whining again?”
Nico huffed. “No. This is just different for me,” Nico shot back.
“I told you that you wouldn't be able to handle it. Maybe you should have
listened to Percy.”
“I didn't say I couldn't handle it.”
Annabeth came up and smacked Luke on the back of his head. “Play nice,” she
warned the blond.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Luke said with a grin, earning him a glare from Annabeth.
“Can't you say anything nice to him?” Calypso asked with a frown.
“Like that thing you said about him last night?” Calypso went pale. Luke just
rolled his eyes and glanced over at Nico. “I've been plenty nice to him in
sessions.”
“That's enough out of all of you,” Chiron warned them. “Now, get back to work,
and start acting like the family you're supposed to be.”
“Yes, sir,” they all mumbled, walking off, leaving Nico alone at the bar with
Chiron.
Chiron picked up one of the glasses and started cleaning it. He glanced up at
Nico to notice his frown. “Everything alright, child?” Nico nodded his head.
“Don't let them get to you. It's not your fault.”
“That's what Rachel said, but I don't understand what it means,” Nico replied.
Chiron sighed, setting the cleaned glass down. “The Lost Kids are complicated,
Nico, in ways that will take you some time to understand. You have an effect on
them, just ride it out, and they will all come around.”
“They are confusing. They've been so friendly, with the exception of Luke, and
sometimes Octavian, but today it's like they dislike me.”
“They don't dislike you, Nico,” Chiron assured him. “Not even Luke dislikes
you. They are just dealing with some things.”
“Like what?”
Chiron shook his head. “It's not my place to talk about.” Nico frowned, but
nodded his head. He picked up a new set of drinks and headed back to the crowd
of tables.
Nico sighed in relief when his break finally rolled around. He walked into the
break room to find Annabeth and Luke already occupying it. Annabeth had her
legs across Luke's lap. Luke was listening to Annabeth talk as he twirled a
piece of her hair around his finger. Annabeth stopped talking when she noticed
Nico in the doorway. “I think I better be getting back to work,” she said,
rising from the couch. She gave Nico an unreadable look as she brushed past
him, stopping in the doorway. “Behave yourself,” she warned Luke.
Luke rolled his eyes and waved for her to leave. Nico walked over to the fridge
and grabbed a bottle of water. He walked over and sat down in the chair. Nico
fidgeted with his water bottle, fully aware of Luke's eyes on him. He didn't
want to start another argument at the moment, so he tried to ignore the blond.
“What's your problem with me?” Nico finally blurted out, regretting it the
moment the words left his mouth.
Luke just smirked at him at first, leaning back against the couch and resting
his arms across the back of it. “Just that. You. You're my problem,” he replied
with a cocky smirk.
“But I didn't do anything to you. Have I done something wrong?”
“No, and that's the problem.” Nico huffed. Luke's smirk finally dropped, his
face becoming serious. “You're nothing like us.”
“What's that even mean?”
“If you have to ask, you'll never know. Who says that I'm the only one that has
a problem with you? You should thank me for at least being blunt with you about
my feelings, opposed to the others trying to make you feel like family while
they try to make you feel like an outcast at the same time.”
“They don't make me feel like an outcast,” Nico argued.
“Not yet, but they will.”
“Just tell me what your problem is with me.”
“No,” Luke said defiantly.
“Then how am I supposed to do anything about it?”
Luke shrugged. “Not my problem,” he sneered at Nico. “Figure it out for
yourself. I'll just be here, enjoying the show as you get your feelings hurt.
And not just by the other Lost Kids, Percy too, and that will be the best
part.”
***** Making Over the New Kid *****
Thalia ushered Nico into the gym, smiling at the Lost Boys. “He's all yours,
boys. Just make sure he's down for his appointment on time,” Thalia called
before she shut the door. Nico's shoulders slumped as he made his way to the
center of the room. Apollo came up behind him and ushered him to the center of
the boys, who were all standing in front of the mirror.
Apollo gave Nico's shoulders a squeeze before taking his place next to Nico.
“Alright, Nico, this will be your final lesson before you work upstairs
tomorrow. We'll all be too busy preparing and everything tomorrow to have a
lesson, so we need to cover more on your behavior today,” the blond informed
him.
“After that, we'll cover more on stripping, since you have to be perfect before
next weekend,” Luke added. Nico nodded his head. Luke rubbed at his face with a
sigh. “Alright, we've covered the basics with you, today we need for you to
show us what you've learned.”
“Show us talking, walking, and any of the techniques we talked about,” Travis
listed off on his fingers.
“Ok. How do you want me to show you?” Nico asked.
They all grinned at him. “You get to practice on us, of course,” Will said,
slinging his arm around Nico's shoulder.
Nico groaned, causing the others to chuckle at him. “Do I have to? It feels
embarrassing.”
“Now, Nico, if you can't do it on us, how do we know you can accomplish this
with the customers?” Octavian said.
Nico sighed and nodded his head. All of the guys pulled up a chair and they
each sat down in front of Nico. Nico glared at them, but they just grinned back
at him. They weren't going to make this easy on him, they never did. “What do
you want me to start with?” Nico mumbled.
“We'll start with something easy, and less torturous for you,” Butch stated.
“Show us how to walk.”
Nico nodded and took a deep breath. This was so humiliating. He tried to think
back on everything they had said about walking in his head. He nodded to
himself and started his walk.
“Move your hips a little more,” Apollo said, holding his chin. Nico nodded at
him.
“Too much,” Will stated. Nico groaned and took another deep breath.
He straightened his shoulders and added a small sway to his step. He kept his
hands to his sides, only swinging them lightly as he moved. He glanced over at
Apollo to see if he was doing ok. Apollo tapped a finger to his lips, but
didn't say anything. Nico exhaled slowly and kept moving.
Luke tossed a pen onto the floor in front of Nico. “Pick it up,” he ordered.
Nico nodded and slowly bent over, facing his butt towards the guys. He reached
down and plucked the pen off of the floor. He stopped and looked to back to
them. “Very good,” Apollo stated with a smile.
Octavian sat forward in his chair. “Now comes the fun part. You need to show us
how to talk, on each of us,” the blond ordered.
“Feel free to use contact,” Connor added.
“But not too much,” Travis finished.
Nico nodded and decided to just go down the line. He stepped up to Will first,
who had a huge grin on his face. Nico scowled at him before he began. He
lightly placed his hand on Will's arm before he addressed him. “Is there
anything else I can get for you?” Nico asked, trying to sound sexy, but it came
out more awkward.
Will cracked up, and buried his face in his hands. “Oh god, Nico. You have to
try harder than that,” Will said during his fit of laughter.
“I'm not used to this,” Nico whined.
“It's ok, Nico. You'll get it. That's why we're practicing,” Apollo said
soothingly. “Try again.”
Nico took a long breath and straightened himself back out. Will calmed down and
sat back in his chair again. Nico once again touched his arm. “I don't suppose
there's anything else I can get you, is there?” Nico asked, bringing a finger
up to his lips.
Will nodded his head and clapped. “Much better,” he said, smacking Nico on the
ass as Nico went to the next Lost Boy.
Nico stepped up to Butch, who sat solemn in front of him. At least he was
trying to ease the pain for Nico. Nico sat down in Butch's lap, but the taller
boy pushed him off. “Don't ever do that,” Butch told him. “Too much touching.
You need just the right amount.”
Nico nodded and started again. He walked behind Butch and trailed a finger
along his shoulders before coming to stand in front of him again. “Well, hello
there, big boy-” Nico started, but Butch cut him off with a fit of laughter.
“No, no big boy. Cutie, or something like that if you are going to use
nicknames.”
“So what would be something more appropriate?” Nico asked, rubbing his arm.
Beckendorf hummed. “Try stud. That one is more appropriate,” Beckendorf
suggested.
Nico nodded and began again. He stepped behind Butch and trailed his fingers
along his back again. He came back to the front of Butch and smiled
suggestively at him. “Hey there, stud, I'm Nico, and I'll be your server
tonight.”
Butch nodded. “Good job,” he said with a smile.
Nico moved on to Beckendorf. He pondered it over for a moment, trying to figure
something original to say. “Don't take too much time,” Octavian interjected.
“You need to come up with your lines on the spot.”
Nico sighed and went for it, letting his instincts work for him. He moved his
bangs out of his eyes and smiled down at Beckendorf. Beckendorf nodded and
smiled, letting him know that he was doing fine. “I'm Nico, and I'll be taking
care of you tonight,” Nico whispered seductively, bending over to be at face
level with Beckendorf, “and if there is anything I can do for you, let me
know.” Nico finished with a wink, standing back up.
“Approved,” Beckendorf said with a thumbs up.
Nico moved on to Octavian, who smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.
Nico chewed on his lip as he tried to figure out the best approach for this
one. “Your taking too long again, don't think, just do,” Octavian reminded him.
Nico nodded and decided to dive right in again. He ran a hand along Octavian's
cheek and went back to play with his hair a little bit. “Now what brings you
here to a place like this?” Nico asked seductively, letting his hip fall to the
side.
“Good,” Octavian stated, pulling Nico's hand off of his face and dropping it.
Nico frowned at him, but Octavian had stopped looking at him. Nico moved on to
the next target, the twins. He wasn't sure if he should try them both together,
or separate. They had their usual Cheshire cat grins plastered onto their faces
as they watched him.
Nico sauntered around them, placing his arms along their backs. He ran his hand
up into the back of their hair. He bent over so that he could whisper in their
ears. “Having fun tonight boys? I'm sure you could always use some more fun.”
They leaned their heads back to look up at him with grins. “Good job!” they
exclaimed.
“But you don't have to try selling the 'merchandise',” Connor added with air
quotes.
“They know what they can purchase there,” Travis continued. “Try saying
something like, I'm sure you'd enjoy some of our other services.”
Nico nodded and moved on to Luke. Luke arched an eyebrow at him, waiting to see
what Nico would do. Nico took in a deep breath before he dove in. “Well aren't
you yummy?” Nico said, biting his lip. He ran his arm up Luke's arm as he
spoke.
Luke grinned and pulled Nico into his lap. Nico yelped. “Now, what do you do if
one of the customers tries to get handsy?” Luke asked, groping Nico's backside.
Nico squirmed in Luke's arms, but the blond refused to let him go. “I don't
know, you guys never covered it,” Nico whined.
Luke clicked his tongue and released Nico, but kept him on his lap. “Don't get
violent, that's the big rule.”
“Get attention to yourself,” Apollo added. “They aren't allowed to grab you
like Luke just did.”
“Get Percy or Luke's attention, or one of us,” Beckendorf stated.
“If you're not able to get yourself free that is,” Butch added. “If you can,
just get yourself free and go find someone.”
“Leo and Percy are usually wandering around on the floor, and you'll have co-
workers wandering around as well,” Octavian continued. “If you can't get free,
don't get violent, but draw attention to yourself.”
“Flail around if you have to,” Travis added. “Try whistling, or call the
closest person you can see over.”
“They know the rules, and they know to back down,” Will finished. “They should
even know not to try something like that, but sometimes, the new customers will
attempt stupid shit.”
“What happens when I get help?” Nico asked.
“Security is called. We have bouncers. That's what they are there for,” Butch
informed him. He pointed a finger and Nico warningly. “You keep your hands
clean.”
Nico nodded and pulled himself from Luke's lap. He stepped up to the final Lost
Boy, Apollo, who winked at Nico as he approached. “Last one, and then you're
done,” the blond informed him.
Nico bent over and ran his finger down Apollo's near perfect lips. He leaned in
closer so that their lips were a few inches apart. “Is there anything else you
would like this evening?” Nico whispered. Apollo grabbed Nico's head and
smashed their lips together. Nico's eyes widened and he started flailing his
arms around. Apollo finally released him and fell back into his chair,
laughing. “What was that for?”
Apollo shook his head, still chuckling. “Sorry, Nico. Couldn't help myself. You
did well,” Apollo said with a smirk. “Not bad on the kiss either.” Apollo
winked at him.
Nico scowled and straightened himself back up, a blush creeping onto his
cheeks. He had to admit, Apollo was a good kisser. He cleared his throat and
looked back at the blond. “Are we done?”
“Not quite yet,” Apollo replied, his big grin still in place. “We just need to
run over a few more points, nothing you'll need to act out with us, so you can
take a seat if you want.” He patted his lap, but Nico just glared at him. Nico
marched over to the wall and grabbed a chair, placing it in front of the guys.
Apollo pouted at him. “Fine, ruin all the fun.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Can we just move on?” he asked, rubbing his temple. He
locked eyes with Nico. “Don't forget to keep eye contact, and make sure you
keep your looks flirtatious.” Nico nodded at him.
“Try and say something flirtatious every time you have to go to a table, no
matter if it's greeting them, taking an order, or checking on them,” Will
added.
“Don't be shy, you need to draw attention to yourself,” spoke Travis.
“If they aren't looking at you, you're not doing your job,” Connor added.
“Is that all?” Nico asked after they got quiet.
Apollo let out a long puff of air. “I think that about covers it, just remember
everything we taught you and you'll be fine. I want you to practice talking and
walking before you go to bed tonight, and yes, someone will be dropping by for
you to practice on,” he said seriously.
“There is no room for mistakes up there, Nico,” Octavian continued, just as
serious. “You'll have to keep your body looking the way it does, and you'll
have to make sure to do everything just right. Percy does not tolerate mistakes
up there. No matter how much he favors you, he will force you to drop what you
are doing, and put you off the floor.”
Nico bit his lip as his heartbeat picked up. He couldn't mess up? It was his
first time! Why was there no room for error? He started hyperventilating.
Apollo and Will got out of their chairs and crouched down in front of Nico.
“Nico, calm down. You're going to do fine,” Apollo assured him, rubbing his
back gently.
“That's what we have been here to make sure of this past week,” Will added with
a warm smile.
“We're a family,” the twins said.
“We look out for each other,” Butch added.
“You'll be fine, and we'll make sure that you don't slip up. We have your
back,” Apollo said soothingly. Apollo pulled Nico to him and gave him a small
hug. “Trust us, you'll do fine.” Nico nodded, letting out a breath that he
hadn't realized he had been holding.
---------------------------------------------
Nico exited the elevator onto the bottom floor. He headed in the direction of
the spa, immediately spotting a few of the girls waiting for him. Thalia,
Piper, Silena, and Annabeth stood just outside the door, grinning maniacally at
Nico when they spotted him. “There he is,” Thalia said, grabbing Nico. “Ready
to have all that pesky body hair removed?”
“All of it?” Nico asked, fidgeting nervously.
“All of it,” Piper replied.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Don't worry, we won't be in the room while Circe
waxes you,” she informed him.
“So you don't have to worry about us looking at your man parts,” Silena teased.
“Alright, ladies, we need to get him started. He's already a few minutes behind
schedule,” Piper interjected, pushing Nico into the spa.
Circe was in the middle of reading a book when the kids entered. “Good
afternoon, Circe!” Thalia exclaimed happily, slamming her hands down on the
counter.
Circe's eyes widened and threw her book behind the counter. “Oh good, you're
finally here,” she said, voice cracking.
Thalia arched an eyebrow. “Were you reading what I think you were reading?”
Circe cleared her throat. “Of course not, don't be silly, child.” She stepped
out from behind the counter and placed a hand on Nico's back, pushing him
towards the back room. “Now then, we need to be getting started.”
The girls followed after them. “Percy will be down to inspect him around six,
just giving you a heads up,” Annabeth informed the woman. Circe nodded and
ushered Nico into one of the changing rooms.
Nico quickly disrobed, opting to leave his underwear on for now. He grabbed a
robe and slid it on, tying to rope around his waist. He opened the door and
stepped back out. The girls had all sat down in the room on the opposite side
of the hall. Nico frowned and walked inside. Circe pressed a hand against his
chest.
“They are going to wait here while I see to your waxing,” Circe informed him.
“If you'll please follow me.” Nico gave the girls a frightened look, which they
all responded to with a thumbs up before going back to their magazines. Nico
sighed, hanging his head, and following after Circe. Once Nico was inside the
room, Circe shut the door behind him. “If you'll please disrobe and lie down on
the table.” She gestured at the table.
She handed him a towel as he slid his robe off. He wrapped the small piece of
cloth around his waist and lay down on his back. Circe walked over to a
microwave and placed a container inside of it. She pressed a few buttons and
started the microwave. She went over to a drawer and pulled out a small wooden
spatula and some cloth strips. Nico was taking deep breaths while watching her,
not at all thrilled to be having his body hair ripped out.
She opened up a cabinet, humming to herself, and pulled out a pair of tweezers.
She sat the pair of tweezers next to the cloth and spatula. She opened another
cabinet and pulled out some powder. The microwave beeped and Circe walked over
to retrieve the melted wax. She sat all of her objects on a cart and wheeled it
over to the table Nico was on. She dipped the wooden spatula into the wax and
started to stir it.
“Have you ever had a wax before?” Circe asked. Nico shook his head. Circe
looked him over carefully. “You don't seem like you need much of one, you don't
have very much body hair.” She sat the wax down and grabbed Nico's chin,
tilting his head up. “Do you shave?”
Nico shook his head. “No, ma'am,” he mumbled.
Circe nodded. “That's good. That'll be one less place to wax for you.” She let
out a single laugh and Nico smiled a little. She ran a hand across Nico's
chest. “No obvious chest hair, but we'll cover it just to make sure.” She ran a
finger back and forth on Nico's arms. “Very sparse hairs on your arms. You
might turn out to be one of my favorite Lost Boys to work with.”
She hummed to herself as she picked up the powder and dusted some of it across
Nico's arms, chest, and legs. She placed the powder back on the cart and picked
up the wax and the spatula. She got some wax on the spatula and started to
apply it to Nico's right arm. She smoothed it out, making sure it covered all
of the skin there.
She picked up one of the cloth strips and placed it over Nico's arm. She
smoothed it out and looked at her watch. “We'll let that cool for a few
seconds,” she informed him. After she was satisfied with the time, she placed
her hand at the bottom of the strip. “This may sting a little bit.”
Nico scrunched up his eyes and bit his lip as Circe ripped the strip away.
“Ah!” Nico yelled, but covered his mouth with his free hand. Circe went back to
her humming, pressing her hands against Nico's newly waxed skin. She inspected
the arm for any stray hairs, but found none. She repeated the process to Nico's
left arm, and thankfully he didn't scream this time. She lifted Nico's arms and
did the same to Nico's underarms.
She wheeled the cart farther down the table and applied the wax to Nico's legs.
“The legs will take a few strips each, so this will be slightly more painful.”
Nico nodded as she applied the first strip to his left leg. He bit his lip
harshly when it was ripped away, doing his best not to scream. She grabbed the
tweezers and plucked a few strays hair from his leg. She repeated the process
several more times to his left leg before moving to the right leg.
When she was finally finished with his legs, she came back to Nico's upper
half. She applied some of the wax to Nico's pale chest, covering it with a few
strips. Nico yelped as the strips were ripped away. He sat up a little to look
down at himself. He still had his small treasure trail descending from his
navel, but that was the only piece of hair that he could see.
“Remove the towel,” she instructed. Nico nervously reached down and slipped the
towel off, exposing himself to Circe, but she was professional about it. She
walked over and pulled some shaving cream and a razor from a cabinet.
“I-I can do that myself,” Nico stuttered.
Circe smiled at him and sprayed some cream onto her hands. “Relax, boy, I just
am going to show you how to do this, and you'll be responsible for it from here
on out.”
“But-” Nico started, but Circe fixed him with a glare. Nico sighed and fidgeted
around on the table. Circe spread the cream over Nico's pelvic area. Nico's
face darkened severely as he lay there uncomfortably. Circe took the razor and
swiped it across Nico's skin, removing his pubic hair.
“Do keep this maintained, the Lost Kids don't have an inch of body hair,” she
told him. Nico nodded his head, not able to speak at the moment. He shut his
eyes, skin darkening more, as she placed the cream on his balls. He covered his
face with his hands as she shaved his genitals clean of all traces of hair.
Once she was done, she wiped all the remnants of the cream off with a towel.
She grabbed the wax again and applied it to Nico's pelvic area.
She placed strips along Nico's treasure trail and pelvic area. Nico whined,
still burying his face in his hands, as Circe ripped the strips away. Nico bit
his lip and his pelvis shot off the table from the pain. Circe chuckled and
tossed the last strip.
“All done with this side, now you need to roll over,” she commanded. Nico did
as she said and rolled onto his stomach. “Damn, you really are nearly hairless.
Naturally smooth.” Nico's cheeks lit up again, knowing she was referring to his
ass. He laid there and let her rip away the few places she still needed to get.
Finally, she chucked the last strip and pushed the cart away. “All done, your
eyebrows don't seem to need any waxing.”
Nico let out a sigh of relief and climbed off the table, grabbing his robe from
the floor. He slipped it on, opening up the front to stare at his reddened
chest. “Will this go away?” he asked.
“Your pale skin might make it last a little longer, but it should be gone
before you go into work tomorrow.” Circe opened the door and Nico headed back
to the girls. They all looked up at him as he entered the room.
All of the girls gave him a once over, nodding their heads in approval. “Much
better,” Annabeth commented.
“You're on your way to becoming one of us, Nico!” Thalia exclaimed, jumping up
and hugging Nico. Nico looked over her shoulder to see Silena giving him an odd
look. He sighed to himself, deciding to try and ignore it. Ever since he had
talked to Luke last night, he couldn't help but notice the negative reactions
they would give him from time to time.
“You're going to have to be responsible for scheduling waxings on your on,”
said Piper. Nico nodded and sat down in one of the chairs.
Circe came in with another cart. She grabbed a stool and sat down next to Nico.
“Now we need to see to your nails,” Circe said, grabbing Nico's right hand.
Nico watched as the woman went to work on each of his nails. When she was done,
she moved to Nico's other side, taking his left hand. Nico looked at his right
hand. His nails were cleaned and trimmed to near perfection.
Circe finished up with his hand and moved down to his feet. She hummed to
herself again as she gave him a pedicure. She placed Nico's feet into some
water, and let them soak for a few minutes. She stood up and went over to one
of her cabinets. She pulled out a small box and handed it to Nico. “Teeth
whitening?” Nico asked.
“You have to look perfect,” answered Annabeth.
Circe took Nico's left foot and pulled it out of the water. She sat it in her
lap and started to massage it. She trimmed and cleaned each of the nails before
dropping the foot back into the water. She picked up Nico's right foot,
repeating the process with it.
Just as Circe had finished up and Nico had stood up, Percy walked into the
room. He walked up to Circe and Nico. “Well?” he asked Circe.
“He didn't require that much work,” Circe responded. “Not very much body hair.
Annabeth told him he had to make his own appointments. We just finished up
seeing to his nails.”
Percy nodded and stepped in front of Nico. He placed his hands on Nico's
shoulders and pushed the robe off Nico's shoulders, where it fell around his
waist. Percy held Nico's face, tilting it upwards. “Good, you didn't do
anything to the face.”
“No, sir. He didn't have any facial hair.”
“I noticed that. I just meant that you didn't trim his hair, I like it like it
is.” She nodded. Percy ran his hands down Nico's arms, feeling the new hairless
soft skin. He held Nico back, looking at his chest. He blew out a long puff of
air. “Well, he doesn't have to worry about the reddened skin tonight, since
he'll be at the bar, and it should be gone by tomorrow, so I guess there's
nothing to worry about with that.” Nico peered up at Percy's face, wanting
Percy to just look at him, but Percy was being all business. He grabbed Nico's
hands and inspected them. “I have to say, you did an excellent job, Circe, as
always.”
“Oh, well, thank you, sir,” Circe said, covering a blush on her cheeks.
Percy's eyes finally drifted up to Nico's. He gave Nico a smile before lowering
his gaze again. He stepped back and placed a hand to his chin. “Alright,
everything seems good.” He spun around and faced the girls. “Would all of you
mind getting him back to his room? I need to go take care of something.”
“Of course, Percy,” Thalia said, slapping hands with Percy as he passed her on
the way out. She smiled at Nico. “Well, that went well. Alright, you heard him,
Nico, up to your room. You need to get changed and get something to eat before
work.”
-------------------------------------------------
“About time you showed up,” Travis grumbled as Nico clocked in.
Nico blinked at him in confusion. “I'm sorry, we lost track of time at dinner,”
explained Nico. Travis's expression bothered Nico. He had never really seen
either of the twins look serious, but Travis was clearly not happy with Nico at
the moment.
“Whatever,” Travis mumbled and walked off. Nico stared after him, very confused
by what just happened. It didn't seem like that big a deal. Luke's words from
the previous night kept playing in his mind. Were they really going to turn on
him? He didn't even know what he had done! He dropped his head onto his arms,
which were lying on the bar.
Chiron came up and patted him on the back. “Cheer up, my boy, they will ease up
eventually,” Chiron said soothingly.
“I just do not understand them. They said they were going to treat me like
family, but then they act like that,” Nico grumbled.
“I was under the impression that families bickered.” Nico peered up at Chiron
from the corner of his eye to see the man smiling. “They're closer to each
other, yes, but you'll get there. They just have some personal stuff to work
out.”
“Is it something I did?”
“No, my dear boy. You did nothing wrong, do not ever think that.”
“I wish one of them would just tell me what their problem was with me.”
“I am afraid that is something you will have to talk to them about,” Chiron
told him, grabbing a glass and filling it with some alcohol.
Nico nodded and walked out from behind the counter to go take some orders. This
would be his last night here for the next few nights. It felt a little weird.
He noticed a few heads turn his way as he walked through the crowded room. He
smiled a little to himself. He guessed the techniques were working, but this
was only the bar, tomorrow would be the real test.
Nico's break finally came, and he exhaustively dragged himself through the door
to the break room. Zoë sat gracefully in the chair, sipping at a bottle of
water. She watched Nico like a hawk as he made his way to the fridge to pull
out his own bottle of water. He fell onto the couch and cracked open his bottle
to take a drink. He looked up to see Zoë still staring at him. He really wished
he could figure out what their problem with him was.
“Adapting?” Zoë asked suddenly.
Nico blinked at her, taking him a few seconds to register that she had said
something. “Uh, yeah, I think so. Maybe getting by is a better way of putting
it,” he told her. She nodded in understanding. “Zoë, can I ask a little about
yourself? I feel like I don't really know you that well.”
She stared at him, emotionlessly, for a few seconds before responding. “What
would you like to know?”
“How did you end up here? I guess that's a good place to start.”
Zoë nodded. “My family kicked me out when I was about your age. It's a long
complicated story, but I'll give you a short version. My father was not a very
nice man. He was a very crooked businessman. I was dating this guy at the time,
whose father worked with my father, and my father did not approve of the
relationship. Well, one day, he swapped some files around and planted some
incriminating evidence in my boyfriend's father's office.”
“That's horrible,” Nico told her.
Zoë nodded her head absentmindedly. “My boyfriend's father was arrested,
leaving his family devastated. Well, I couldn't sit by and let all this happen,
so I showed my boyfriend some evidence to prove his father innocence, but would
incriminate my father. I didn't care, though. I gave it to him, letting him run
off and turn the tables on my father. My father was hauled off to prison, and
my sisters ended up hating me. They kicked me out and told me that I was no
longer part of the family.”
“Oh my god, how could they do that? How could-never mind, I guess I shouldn't
be surprised at this point. So, you just ran into Percy?” Nico asked.
“Not exactly. I sort of stole a lot of my dad's money before I left, so I
hopped on plane to Europe.”
“Why Europe?”
“Who doesn't want to see Europe?” she replied with a smile.
“True.”
“Anyways, I was fine there for about six months, but I ended up getting robbed
one day, losing all the money I had. I lost everything, and ended up on the
streets. I lived there for almost a year, until Gaea found me one day.”
“Gaea's the one that found you?” Nico asked in astonishment.
Zoë nodded. “She did, and I got put to work in her hotel, trust me when I say
that that hotel is even better than this one, and this is a very nice hotel,
only second to hers.”
“Does she work as that manager, like Percy does here?”
Zoë shook her head. “No, she just runs everything. She is over all the branch
managers, but she doesn't do what Percy does. She has a manager to handle her
hotel for her. Anyways, she took me in and I worked as I do now while I was
there. I worked there until a year ago, when Percy requested that I work here.
Gaea didn't have a problem with it, so she shipped me back here, and I started
working for Percy.”
“That's a wild story,” Nico said with a small smile.
“Well, we all have one,” she replied, letting her face return to an emotionless
mask. She stood up and stared at Nico for a few seconds before walking out of
the break room.
Nico sighed and lay down on the couch. He had sort of been hoping that there
would be a clue in their pasts that might could help him figure out their
problem with him, but nothing really stuck out to him. The only similar factor
in their stories was that Percy brought them all here at some point. There had
to be something he was missing, he just had to place his finger on it.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Nico and Travis bid Zoë and Hazel goodnight, as two walked down the hall. “You
ready for your last minute practice?” Travis asked, gesturing towards their
hall.
Nico sighed, letting his head drop. He had been hoping that they would all
forget, but he wasn't lucky enough for that. Nico heard a door open and close
and then Hazel and Zoë talking to someone. He turned to find Percy standing
outside of Piper and Rachel's room. Percy nodded at whatever the two girls were
saying to him. He smiled and shook his head, gesturing for the girls to get to
their rooms. He ran a hand through his hair and headed towards Nico and Travis.
“Hey, boss,” Travis said cheerfully.
Percy nodded back at him in return. “What are you two doing?” he asked.
“Apollo wanted me to run over Nico's lessons with him before he went to bed,
you know, since we won't have time tomorrow.”
“That's ok, I'll take care of it,” Percy told him, placing his hand on Nico's
back.
“But-”
“That'll be all, Travis.”
Travis pursed his lips and nodded his head. He glanced at Nico before heading
down their hall. Percy and Nico followed closely behind. Nico watched as Travis
reached the end of the hall and slid his card into his door. He turned to Nico
with a wink before heading into his suite.
Nico let out a breath and slid his own card into its slot. He stepped inside,
holding the door open for Percy. Percy walked in, pulling his phone out of his
pocket and sending a quick text message. When he finished he set his phone down
on the stand beside the door.
“So, what were you doing back there?” Nico asked. “I thought you were usually
up on the top floor.”
Percy smirked and walked over to the couch. “Had to take care of some
business,” he explained.
Nico pursed his lips and nodded. He figured it wasn't a good idea to press
further into the matter. “So, why the interest in my late night lesson?”
Percy's smirk grew. He leaned back on the couch and spread his arms across the
back. “Just trying to be helpful. I mean, if you would prefer someone else...”
Nico shook his head. “No, you're fine.”
“Just fine?” Percy inquired, arching a brow.
Nico's cheeks darkened. “You're doing it again,” Nico mumbled.
Percy chuckled. “Sorry, you're just fun to tease.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “So, what are we doing?”
“Well, what did Apollo want you to do?”
“Just talking and walking,” Nico told him.
Percy crossed his leg over his lap, gesturing at the floor in front of him.
“Then by all means, get started.”
Nico pouted at Percy. “You're enjoying this too much,” he mumbled.
“Well, I have yet to see what you can actually do. I've had to take the Lost
Boys' word for it. I want to know that you'll be ready.”
Nico nodded his head in understanding. “Well, I guess I'll start with walking.”
Percy nodded and tapped his foot in his lap. Nico fidgeted nervously for a
moment, uncomfortable about doing this in front of Percy. It was slightly
embarrassing. It was like in school when someone didn't want to embarrass
themselves in front of the person they had a crush on. What if Percy laughed at
him? Well, if things ended up like their usual lessons, Percy would turn it
sexual. Percy raised an eyebrow at him.
Nico let out a breath and nodded his head. He walked from the kitchen over to
his window, letting his arms swing lightly as he walked. He made sure to sway
his hips slightly as he moved. When he went to walk back, he glanced over at
Percy, who had his eyes on his hips. Percy's eyes flickered up to meet Nico's,
causing Nico's cheeks to heat up.
Percy smiled and stood up. “Not bad. I think you got the hang of it,” he said.
He stepped up to Nico and let his fingers play with the belt loops on Nico's
pants. “I'm impressed, you picked it up rather quickly. Perhaps there's hope
for you yet.” He smiled again, reaching up to grab Nico's chin. He turned
Nico's face slightly to look at Nico's cheek. “You know, considering your
angle, I actually don't mind that you blush. Or is that just for me?”
Nico shrugged, not knowing what to say. His breathing had picked up from
Percy's proximity. He could smell Percy. He smelled like the ocean, and it was
intoxicating. “Is-Is that all?” Nico asked, fidgeting nervously.
Percy chuckled. “You want me to leave?” He leaned in closer. “I'm hurt, Nico. I
thought you enjoyed,” Percy leaned into Nico's ear and whispered the last part,
“my company.” Nico's pupils dilated and his eyes became half-lidded. He rested
his hands against Percy's chest. Before he could stop it, a moan escaped Nico's
lips. Nico's eyes widened and he slapped a hand over his mouth. Percy stepped
back and chuckled. “Perhaps we should get back to work before I give you
something you'll need to take care of,” Percy said with a wink.
Nico rubbed his arm awkwardly. He watched Percy walk back over to the couch and
sit back down. “I guess I need to practice my talking now?”
Percy nodded. “Now that I think about it, what I just said sort of fits for
this.” Percy grinned at Nico and winked again.
“You're enjoying this way too much,” Nico grumbled, crossing his arms over his
chest.
Percy pursed his lips, trying to hide a grin. “I don't know what you're talking
about, Nico. I'm just making sure you are ready for tomorrow night.”
“By tormenting me.”
“All you have to do is talk, Nico.”
“Are you going to molest me like Luke and Apollo did during lessons today?”
Percy ran a hand along his chin. “What?”
“Well, Luke didn't really do anything, he just pulled me into his lap, but
Apollo attacked my face.”
“He kissed you?” Percy asked.
Nico nodded. “Just a brief one.”
Percy nodded his head. “I see.”
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “What?”
Percy shook his head. “Nothing. Let's get back on track,” he supplied.
Nico sighed and blew at his bangs. “What do you want me to do?”
Percy shrugged. “Just do to me what you did with the guys.”
Nico nodded and thought to himself for a moment. Percy's grin returned and he
pat the space on the couch next to him. Nico sighed and walked over to the
couch, sitting down beside Percy. “This is awkward,” Nico mumbled.
Percy raised a brow. “If you're having trouble, perhaps we should rethink-”
“No!” Nico exclaimed. “I can handle it.”
Percy nodded. “Well, then begin.”
Nico nodded and rubbed his hands together. He turned and faced Percy. This felt
so much harder with Percy. He just didn't want to embarrass himself. He didn't
know what to say. He could always let his emotions talk for him, but then he
might get off on how he wanted Percy to bend him over the couch at the moment.
How was he even supposed to address Percy? What word would fit in this? He was
panicking. This wasn't good. He didn't know what to do! Why did Percy have to
make him so nervous? Percy smiled at him. He placed a hand on Nico's leg.
“Relax, Nico. Just take a breath,” Percy said gently.
Nico nodded his head absentmindedly. He glanced at the floor for a few seconds
before coming up with something to say. “Well, hello there. My name is Nico and
it will be my pleasure to serve you tonight,” Nico said, leaning closer to
Percy. He reached up and pushed some of Percy's hair behind his ear, now
practically in Percy's lap. “If there's anything, and I do mean anything, I can
do for you, don't hesitate to let me know.”
Percy grabbed Nico's shoulders to keep him from leaning closer. He grinned and
leaned his face closer. “Careful, Nico,” Percy whispered.
“Well, I'd imagine we'd be careful. That's what condoms are for.”
Percy started laughing, pushing Nico off his lap. “Cute.” He pulled Nico's legs
up onto the couch, situating himself between Nico's legs. He leaned in,
pressing his hands on either side of Nico's head. “Careful what you say, Nico,
or you might end up in a situation you aren't ready for.”
Nico grabbed the hem of Percy's pants and pulled his hips closer. “But I am
ready for this,” he replied.
Percy rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I didn't mean with me. I mean,
careful what you say to the customers, or you might end up in a situation you
aren't ready for. Don't make suggestions that could imply that they can
purchase time with you. That would just be false advertisement.”
“Sorry,” Nico mumbled.
Percy shrugged and sat up, Nico's legs still around his hips. He reached down
and grabbed the hem of Nico's shirt, yanking it up and over Nico's head. Nico's
eyes widened, but didn't say anything. He wasn't about to chance saying
something that might make Percy stop. Percy's hands moved down to the button on
Nico's pants. He yanked Nico's pants down. Once they were around Nico's knees,
Percy pulled Nico's legs up and pulled the fabric the rest of the way off.
Nico's cheeks darkened as he lay there in front of Percy in nothing but his
boxer-briefs. Percy trailed his fingers across Nico's chest. “Good,” Percy
finally said, breaking the silence.
“Good? What is?”
“Your skin isn't red. I was afraid that with your pale skin, you might stay red
a little longer than the others do.”
Nico groaned, covering his face with his hands. That's why Percy wanted to
undress him? Percy chuckled, noticing Nico's reaction. “It's not funny, Percy,”
Nico grumbled.
Percy leaned down, hovering his face inches above Nico's. “Sure it is. You're
cute when you're frustrated. But you shouldn't be eager to toss your virginity
away so easily.”
“Apollo and Will told you?”
Percy nodded. “Are you really surprised? The Lost Kids report nearly everything
to me. It's part of their job.”
Nico crossed his arms over his chest, trying to cover himself up. “I just don't
understand why you treat me differently.”
“Because you are different,” Percy replied.
“Why is that all I get lately from you guys?”
“It's not something you should worry about,” Percy said, running a hand down
Nico's stomach. “What can I do to make it better?”
“Have sex with me?” Nico supplied.
Percy chuckled and shook his head. “Try again.”
Nico frowned. “A kiss?”
Percy shook his head again. “Not getting that either.” Nico frowned, letting
out a sigh. Percy rolled his eyes. “Here.” He grabbed Nico's head and turned it
to the side. He leaned down and pressed his mouth against Nico's neck. Nico was
about to question what he was doing when Percy bit down on his neck. Nico's
legs tightened around Percy's waist. He thrust his hips up against Percy as
Percy continued to nibble on his neck. He couldn't help but let out a moan, and
he could feel Percy grin against his skin when he did.
“Percy,” Nico moaned, wrapping his arms around Percy's back.
Percy pulled back, removing Nico's hands from his body. “How was that?”
“Good,” Nico panted. “More?”
Percy grinned, but shook his head. “Sorry, that's all you're going to get.”
Nico groaned. “That's just not fair. You're such a tease.” Percy squeezed
Nico's thighs before getting off the couch. He straightened himself out. Nico's
eyes traveled down to Percy's crotch as the black haired young man adjusted
himself.
Percy glanced back at Nico, who glanced up to meet his gaze. “Well, I suppose
we are done for tonight, so I'll be seeing you after school,” Percy stated.
Nico sighed and nodded his head. He stood up and walked with Percy to the door.
Percy opened the door and looked back at Nico. “Goodnight, Nico.”
“Night, Percy,” Nico replied, closing the door behind Percy as he walked off.
Nico groaned and leaned back against the door. He ran a hand through his hair.
He needed to be in bed. He had school in the morning and it was already three
in the morning. Hopefully he could get a nap in tomorrow after school. Nico
pushed off the door, heading towards his bedroom. Well, he was going to need to
take care of another problem before he got the rest he needed. “Damn you,
Percy,” Nico mumbled as he shut his bedroom door.
***** Speak the Devil's Name, and He Shall Appear *****
Nico groaned as he dragged himself out of bed. The banging on the door was
going to give him a headache. He flung the door open to glare at the offender.
Connor grinned back at him from the other side of the doorway. Nico groaned.
“How are all of you morning people?” Nico mumbled, running a hand through his
morning hair.
Connor pouted as he followed Nico into his suite. “We aren't, we just know how
to put on appearances,” he explained. “You should see Travis and I when we get
out of bed, it's like a zombie apocalypse started.”
Nico giggled. “Do you have to go bang on his door too?” He walked into his
bedroom, Connor following behind him. He went through his closet, picking out
clothes for the day.
Connor grinned. “No, all I have to do is roll over to see what he looks like in
the morning.”
Nico froze in place, his eyes having widened from the statement. “You sleep in
the same bed?” Nico asked.
Connor frowned, cocking his head to the side. “Yeah, so? My brother and I have
always been close, even before we came here. When you live on the streets
together, you get used to sharing the same sleeping space.”
Nico pursed his lip, casting his eyes downward. He hadn't thought of that. “You
were fortunate to have each other out there, though.”
Connor nodded. The twins were rarely ever serious, and it always made Nico
uneasy when they were. “You ready for tonight?” Connor asked, changing the
subject.
“I think so. What's going to be happening today?”
Connor clicked his tongue. “Getting everything organized upstairs.” He let out
a long sigh. “It'll be a last minute time period to get schedules changed, for
the rest of the weekend anyways, not tonight's schedule.”
Nico nodded. “What will all of you be doing? Besides...talking to Percy?”
Connor chuckled. “You are jealous,” he teased. Nico pouted. He gathered his
clothes and headed for the bathroom. Connor leaned against the doorframe and
continued talking. “The entire floor will be under maintenance, which basically
means it will be getting cleaned and used for last minute practice.”
“What do I need to do when I get back?”
“You'll have to ask Percy, who will be up on the top floor, so drop by.”
Nico nodded. “Alright, well, I need to get a shower, so you can wait outside,”
Nico said, shutting the door.
“But showers are more fun with company,” Connor whined through the door.
Nico rolled his eyes and slipped out of his underwear. He turned on the shower
and slipped inside, letting the hot water cascade across his body. He was
surprisingly calm, considering what he would be doing in a few hours. Well, he
was only going to have to walk around in a speedo. He would probably be more
nervous next week. Nico grabbed his shampoo and started to lather his hair.
After he was finished with his shower, Nico opened the glass door and grabbed a
towel. He toweled his hair first before wrapping the cloth around his waist. He
quickly brushed his teeth and reached for his clothes. He looked around in
confusion, cursing when he realized he forgot to get underwear.
He cracked the door open, peering outside to look for Connor. “Connor?” he
called out to try and get the brunet's attention.
Connor poked his head around the corner of the living room. “Yes?” he called
back with a grin.
“Can you go bring me some underwear?”
Connor's grin became impish. “Why don't you just come out and get them?”
“Because, I'm naked,” Nico huffed.
“All the more reason to come out,” Connor teased, leaning against the hallway.
Nico sighed and opened the door the rest of the way. He glared at Connor as he
walked past him to reach his bedroom. Before Nico knew what was going on,
Connor's fingers had slipped down to his towel and unfastened it from around
his waist. “Whoops,” Connor said innocently as the towel fell the ground.
Nico's hands flew down to cover his crotch, leaving his ass completely exposed.
Connor's eyes lit up as they roamed down to Nico's newly exposed flesh.
“Connor!” Nico yelled, making a dash for his bedroom.
Connor followed him inside, grinning like a mad man. Nico huffed as he opened
his drawer one handed, his other hand too busy covering himself. When he had
some boxers picked out, he shut the drawer, tossing Connor another glare as he
slipped his boxers on. He was surprised, however, to find Connor standing right
in front of him. Nico's eyes widened as Connor flung him on the bed. Nico
yelped as he landed on his soft mattress.
He looked up to find Connor crawling on top of him, once again reminding Nico
of a cat. “C-Connor, I need to get dressed. I need to get to school,” Nico
stuttered.
Connor pouted from his position above Nico. “But school's not as fun as what I
want to do.” Connor's grin returned as he pressed his hips down against Nico's.
Nico fought back a moan as Connor rolled his hips. Connor descended on Nico's
nipple, licking the piece of pink flesh. Nico arched his back, his eyes now
tightly shut. His legs unconsciously found their way around Connor's hips as
Connor bit lightly on his nipple. Connor raised Nico's hips, grabbing the
bottom of Nico's boxers with one of his hands. He slowly started pulling the
fabric down.
Nico's mind caught up with him, his eyes snapping open. His hand flew down to
the hem of his boxers, holding the fabric there. Connor pulled back from Nico's
chest with a pout. “I r-really need t-to get dressed,” Nico stuttered.
Connor sighed and climbed off of Nico. “Fine, but if you ever change your mind,
my brother and I would be glad to play with you.”
“I'm sure you would,” Nico grumbled as he adjusted himself in his boxers. He
made his way back to the bathroom so he could hurry getting dressed. He was
going to be late if he kept getting distracted.
The ride to school was fairly quiet. Connor kept the music on loud, and seemed
to be in a world of his own. Nico would watch him from time to time, intrigued
by his persona. The twins were probably the most unpredictable of the Lost
Kids. The others probably didn't even know what to expect from them. It was
moments like this that got Nico wondering what their real face was. Was it the
mischievous side, or was it this almost dark and serious expression that Nico
sometimes found on all of the Lost Kids. He wanted to believe it was the prior
one, but given their past, Nico doubted it was that one.
“You and your brother are confusing,” Nico blurted out before he could stop
himself.
Connor looked over at him and chuckled, his hand reaching over to turn down the
volume. “I like to use the words fun and interesting.”
“I just don't understand you.”
Connor raised an eyebrow, returning his vision to the road. “I thought Travis
told you about our history?”
“He did,” Nico started. “I just-you both remind me of imps, or something. You
seem like you are always up to something, and I don't think anyone can predict
what you two will do next.”
Connor hummed to himself, tapping the steering wheel. “I think that makes life
more interesting, doing the unexpected.”
“But is it all an act? A mask to protect yourself?”
Connor chuckled. “What, because we are a little messed up, we can't have fun?”
Connor's smirk lessened until it was barely noticeable. “We're all messed up,
Nico. You just have to find a way to cope with the stuff we deal with.” Nico
nodded. “The first thing you have to realize about this world is that people
suck. People only care about themselves. They are greedy bastards, nothing
more, nothing less. Every one of those people that come to the Lotus makes me
sick. All they want is a good time, and they don't care how much it costs. They
come in there demanding certain things be done to them, or they come in there
to do shady deals. It's all about money, that's what people care about. That's
what makes the world turn.”
Nico frowned as he watched Connor's face darken as he spoke. Connor's knuckles
were white as he gripped the steering wheel. He let out a long sigh and glanced
over at Nico from the corner of his eye before turning back to the road.
“That's what you're jaded about?”
Connor blinked. “What?” he asked in confusion.
“Will said-”
Connor cut him off. “Ah, you mean, what we hate about the world. Yes, I hate
greed. They all want for themselves. They could be helping the world, but
instead they throw their money away for sex and illegal trades. It makes me
sick, knowing that they could keep people off the streets, if they just used
their money for something better.” Connor turned his head to look at Nico for a
few seconds, a dark look in his eyes. “You better hurry, you don't want to be
late,” Connor whispered.
Nico blinked and looked out his window. They were at school. He had not even
realized they had arrived. He turned back to Connor and gave him a small smile,
grabbing his backpack from the floorboard. “Thanks again for the ride, Connor,”
Nico said as he got out.
“Don't mention it, Nico.” Nico shut his door and began walking towards his
school. He heard a window roll down behind him. “Good luck at school today,
sweetie! Make good choices!” Connor called after him. Nico groaned and covered
his face. That didn't take long for the twin to get back to his usual self.
--------------------------------------------
Nico knocked on the door to Percy's office. He had gotten a text while at
school to drop by and see Leo, so he had dropped his backpack off and came
straight to the office. He opened the door to find Leo and Rachel sitting at
their desks, busily typing away at their keyboards. They looked up and greeted
Nico, Leo rising from his desk.
“There you are. Percy said you'd be dropping by,” Leo said, holding his hand
out. “I need your card.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “My card?” he asked. “What for?”
“Leo needs to give you an upgrade so that you can reach the top floor on your
own,” answered Rachel.
Nico nodded and fished his card out of his wallet. Leo snatched the card from
him and sat back down at his desk. “This will only take a minute,” Leo mumbled.
“So, Nico, I haven't gotten to talk to you very much since you've been here.
How have you been?”
Nico sat on the corner of Leo's desk. “I've been doing ok,” he replied.
“Ready for tonight?” Rachel asked, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.
“As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.”
“I'm sure you'll be more nervous next weekend.”
Nico groaned. Leo chuckled. “Don't scare him, Rachel,” Leo said. He slid the
card through a machine next to the computer and handed the card back to Nico.
“There you go. You'll do fine, I'm sure.”
Nico smiled. “Thanks,” he replied. He slipped the card back into his wallet and
looked back at Leo. “So, I don't suppose either of you could help me figure
something out, could you?”
“What's up?” Leo asked, sliding his chair away from the computer.
“I'm just confused about the Lost Kids. They and Percy keep sending mixed
signals.”
Leo gave a long sigh and Rachel buried her head behind her computer. “Long
story,” Leo mumbled. “They're just complicated, Nico. They treat both of us the
same way, but that's because we don't do what they do.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“We don't get on the stage and get naked,” Rachel replied.
“Or have sex with customers,” Leo added.
“So, they hold it against you?” Nico asked.
They both nodded. “It's complicated, like I said,” Leo sighed. “We make about
the same as they do, while getting to keep our clothes on.”
“But that's because we do more work than they do,” Rachel continued.
“Yes, but they have the harder work.” Rachel raised an eyebrow at Leo. “What?
I'm just saying I can understand their concern.”
“How come the two of you don't do that?” Nico asked.
“Well, Leo was underage when he got here, not to mention, very smart,” Rachel
explained.
Leo shrugged. “I guess I was somewhat like you, Nico. I didn't really find
myself angry at the world, like the others do,” Leo said, giving Nico a sad
smile. “As for Rachel, she was smart and 'untainted' as well. The others
probably couldn't do our jobs, and Percy saw promise with us when it came to
this job. He needs people to help him run this branch of hotel chains.”
“He'd probably lose his mind if he didn't have help,” Rachel added.
Leo stood up, drumming his hands on his desk. “Well, I think you better get
upstairs. It's always interesting to look at on weekends like this.”
Nico nodded and said his goodbyes to Leo and Rachel. He walked back out the
door and to the elevator. He slid his card into the slot and hit the seventieth
floor button. He smirked to himself when the elevator started rising. It was
official, he was part of the Lost Kids.
The elevator opened to the split hallway, but there was no one currently at the
podiums. Nico shrugged and stepped out of the elevator, heading down the right
hall to the boys' side. He could already hear the music playing as he walked up
the stairs, as well as a few voices. He stood in the middle of the stairs for a
moment, trying to calm his nerves. It all felt real now. It was happening, he
was going to be displaying his body for people's enjoyment in a few hours. He
shook his hands and continued up the stairs, jaw dropping when he reached the
top.
The wall that would separate the boys' side from the girls' had been moved
away, displaying the full stage. The stage itself looked like something out of
Carnevale. There were two giant antique mirrors hanging from the ceiling
towards the back of the stage, one for each side. Four golden ropes descended
from the ceiling as well, two of which the twins were currently hanging from.
The wings of the stage were lined by fans made of feathers. Several masquerade
masks had been pinned onto the curtains.
“Wow,” Nico sighed. He jumped suddenly when he felt an arm around his
shoulders.
“Enjoying the view?” Apollo purred into his ear.
“I just like the theme.”
“It's pretty fun. We do this theme maybe twice a year. We'll have to get you a
costume for the next time around, I suppose.”
“It's just fun to look at this. I don't know, it just seems like a fantasy, or
something.”
“Our job is to entertain, Nico,” Apollo reminded him. “It doesn't mean we can't
have fun in the process, though. You'll see that we actually enjoy the time on
stage.”
“Why?” Nico asked, turning his head to look at Apollo.
“We just get to have fun on the stage. We aren't on our backs, having some old
man try and get it up, we can just let loose up there. Dancing is fun. I mean,
we are taking our clothes off, but there's just something fun in the
performances we give.” He smirked at Nico. “Pay attention tomorrow night during
my performance, and you'll see what I mean.”
Nico nodded and walked off, receiving a pat on the back from Apollo. He
searched the room for Percy, wanting to find something to do like Connor had
said. He found Percy in one of the booths with Annabeth and Luke, the girl
practically in Percy's lap. Nico sighed, deciding to go ahead and walk over.
He'd have to make sure not to look too directly at Percy right now. He knew he
couldn't have the green eyed young man, but it still stung to see others
throwing themselves at him.
When he reached the booth, Annabeth was in the middle of rubbing Percy's upper
thigh, while Percy had his right hand slung around Luke's shoulders. He looked
up when Nico reached them, giving Nico a smile. “Hey, Nico,” Percy greeted him.
Nico waved, fidgeting slightly. Percy noticed this and cleared his throat.
“Give me a moment,” he said, grabbing Annabeth's hand and placing it on the
table. Luke and Annabeth tossed Nico a glare, pulling their phones out while
Percy talked to Nico. “What can I do for you, Nico?”
“I was just wondering what I needed to be doing right now,” Nico asked.
“Hmm.” Percy tapped his finger on the table, looking around the room. “Just
watch the others practice for a moment. I want you to get a better idea of what
you'll be dealing with next weekend. After that, go help Silena and Piper
backstage, they are sorting through the wardrobes and could use some help.”
Nico nodded. He walked over to the stage, where Will sat on the edge. Will
smiled at Nico as the smaller boy approached. “Hey there,” Will greeted him.
“How was school?”
“The same as usual,” Nico sighed, climbing up onto the stage next to Will. “So,
I'm supposed to be watching you guys practice.”
“Ah, well, as you can see, Apollo's running through last minute changes to the
routines. They'll get started in a minute.”
Nico glanced over to where Apollo stood in front of the other Lost Kids,
gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “Apollo's in charge of the performances?”
Nico asked.
Will nodded. “Percy put him in charge of routines shortly after he arrived,
from what I hear anyways. Since he actually studies dance, he's the best suited
for it. I hear Percy used to do it until Apollo arrived, but he let Apollo
handle it after that. Percy's a busy guy, doesn't have a lot of time to teach
us dance moves.”
Nico nodded his head. He glanced back over to where Percy, Luke, and Annabeth
sat, a frown appearing on his face. Annabeth was actually in Percy's lap now,
grinding her hips down onto Percy. Luke had made himself busy with rubbing
Percy's chest, trying to keep Percy's attention on him. Nico let out a loud
sigh to which Will chuckled at.
“Still jealous I see,” he teased.
“I just don't get why he won't do any of that with me,” Nico mumbled.
Will arched an eyebrow. “Percy doesn't really do anything with us, it's a
matter of letting us do stuff to him. The only time he does anything is when
it's time for the actual sex. He doesn't go to any of us for it, we go to him.”
Nico blew out a long breath, still staring at Percy. Will nudged him and hopped
off the stage. Nico looked at him in confusion until he saw the Lost Kids were
getting ready to perform. He climbed off the stage and followed Will over to a
table. Apollo jumped off the stage and walked over to the table Nico and Will
were now occupying. The Lost Boys walked over to their side of the room,
sitting down on the stage to watch the girls perform.
Nico watched as the girls did their performance, shimmying their bodies,
slapping their asses, and bending over to show their clothed butts. “It's much
more exciting when it's the real thing,” Apollo whispered. “Wait until tonight
when they're in their costumes, it looks nothing short of amazing.”
“I'm sure,” Nico replied with a smile. Apollo leaned back in his chair and
slipped his arm behind Nico, pulling the boy's chair closer to him. As the song
finished, Apollo stood up. Nico clapped with Will and Apollo as the girls gave
a playful bow.
Thalia smirked at Nico when she saw him clapping. She reached for the hem of
her shirt and lifted it up. Nico's face darkened as he got an eyeful of her
see-through bra. The girls all giggled at him, while Will chuckled and pat him
on the back. “You better get used to seeing stuff like that, Nico. You'll be
seeing a lot more of it,” Will laughed.
“Good job, girls,” Percy said. Nico turned his head to the booth where Percy
sat. Annabeth was already standing up and Percy was sliding out himself. He
stood up and walked over to the front of the stage, where he started talking to
Apollo.
Nico frowned, his eyes trained on Percy's crotch. Will leaned over and waved a
hand in front of his face. “See something you like there, buddy?” he teased.
Nico's face felt burning hot. “I-I wasn't looking at...you know,” Nico
stuttered.
Will's eyes widened in amusement. “Looking for a bulge?”
Nico pouted. “Why would you think that?”
Will arched a brow. “Well, you were staring right at his crotch.” Will leaned
back in his chair, his eyes flickering to Percy for a brief second before they
returned to Nico. “You're not going to see anything, though.”
“Why do you say that?”
Will shrugged. “Percy has control over his body. The only time he really gets
hard is when it's time for sex. I guess it was all those years of practice just
gave him have total control.”
Nico's lips curled down into a frown, his eyebrows furrowing. That really
didn't make sense. “Are you sure?” Nico asked.
Will nodded his head, giving Nico an odd look. “I mean, Annabeth was
practically fucking him right over there, but as you can see, he's flaccid.”
“Interesting,” Nico mumbled.
Will's face contorted further in confusion. He started to open his mouth to say
something, but Percy suddenly appeared at their table. “Will, get to the stage,
you need to practice,” Percy ordered. Will nodded and hurried off to join the
others on the stage. Percy turned his gaze on Nico. He smirked and rested his
hand on the table. “So, did you enjoy that?”
Nico nodded. “Yeah, I can't wait to see the real thing tonight,” Nico replied.
Percy's smirk grew. He chuckled and winked at Nico. “I'm sure. Now, I need you
to get backstage and help Silena and Piper out. After that you can go get some
food. When you come back, wear some loose clothing, just make sure to have the
speedo on underneath the clothes.” He stood back up to his full height. “Go
backstage when you arrive, the twins will have something for you when you get
there.”
Nico nodded, standing up. His eyes raked over Percy's body once, still taking
in what Will had said. Nico looked back up to Percy's face, where Percy was
giving him an amused look. “Sorry,” Nico mumbled.
“Don't be sorry,” Percy chuckled. He snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, before I
forget, I need to talk to you about your schedule next week.”
“Okay.”
“Well, you'll still meet with the boys after school, but you'll have private
lessons with Apollo in place of lessons with me.”
Nico pouted. “Oh.”
Percy chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. “Cheer up, I'll probably drop in on
your lessons with him, just to make sure that you're getting the hang of
things.” He grabbed Nico's shoulders and guided him towards the backstage door.
“Now, off you go.”
--------------------------------------
Nico exited the elevator, Clarisse and Ethan were now at their booths. It would
be another ten minutes before customers got to come up, so they were currently
unoccupied. “Well, well, if it isn't the new kid. Finally made it up to the big
boys' club, eh?” Clarisse said, scribbling something down on a clipboard with a
smirk.
“I guess so,” Nico replied, walking past the booths.
Ethan chuckled. “Don't mind her, Nico. We're here to keep you guys taken care
of. So, if you have problems with the customers, we got you're back,” said
Ethan.
Nico gave him a small smile. “Thanks.” He hurried off down the hall, running up
the stairs. The room was cast into the darkness it had been in the last time
Nico had been up here during business hours. The wall was still open, so Nico
was assuming that the Lost Kids would be performing together this weekend.
He headed backstage, where he found six of the Lost Boys. A door close to the
one Percy had taken Nico down last time was opened this time. The boys looked
to be getting ready, Butch and Apollo already in their speedos. The twins,
Octavian, and Luke, were putting on costumes. The twins were dressed to look
like jesters. They had on white tights underneath some black puffy shorts.
Their shirts were white as well, with black designs elaborately embroidered
over the fronts and backs. Their heads were covered with black and white hats,
which had several pointy ends, each with its own bell. Their entire faces were
covered in masks, each sporting a different one. The one Nico assumed to be
Travis, due to the small variation in height, had a half sun on the left side
of his mask, while Connor's had a crescent moon on the opposite side of his
mask.
Luke's costume made him look like a Venetian noble from the pages of history on
his way to a party. His pants were black with golden embroidering down the
sides. On both of his hands he also wore black gloves. His shirt was blood red
with a black crease running vertically down the center. His arms had black silk
wrapped all the way down his arm and around his hands. Nico then noticed the
blond was completely barefoot, which he thought was a little odd, until he
noticed the same about all the boys in costumes. In his left hand was his mask,
it was only large enough to cover from above his eyes down to his nose. Below
each of the eye slots, there were gold designs hanging downwards.
Octavian had green tights on. There was a black belt wrapped around his waist
with a golden belt buckle. His hands were covered with white silk gloves that
extended up into a green coat he had on. The coat matched the pants, but it had
green and white feathers lining the opening. One difference with his ensemble
and the others' was that he did not have a shirt on, giving Nico a full display
of Octavian's torso. Nico couldn't recall ever seeing Octavian shirtless, but
he suddenly wished he had. He couldn't get a good look at it, but from what he
could see, Octavian was defined, not as much as Will or Apollo, but he had some
abs. Octavian's mask was white with green designs swirling across the sides and
top of the mask.
“Hey, Nico,” Butch greeted him as he approached.
“Well, look who's finally here,” voiced Luke. “Ready to start playing with the
big boys?”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “I'm sorry, I'm trying to take you seriously, but then
I look at what you're wearing,” Nico replied.
Everyone but Luke and Octavian cracked up, the twins rolling in a fit of
laughter. “Alright, Nico, you need your own mask,” Apollo chuckled.
“Percy said to see the Stolls,” Nico informed them.
“We have your mask right over here,” they said simultaneously. It still creeped
Nico out the way they did that.
They walked over to a mirror and retrieved a mask off the desk. They jogged
back over and handed the mask to Nico. The mask was like Luke's, in that it
only covered the same portion of Nico's face. It was white with a small circle
of blue tracing the left eye, while the right side of the mask was covered in
blue. The right side was designed so that the blue descended away from the eye,
until it reached the bottom of the mask, swirling inwards near the bottom. It
was beautiful, Nico thought.
“You need to hurry and get out of those clothes,” Octavian mumbled, slipping
his mask onto his face.
Nico looked down, uncomfortable with what he was going to have to do. He handed
his mask back to Connor while he slipped his shirt over his head, earning
whistles from the twins. Nico rolled his eyes and took the mask back from
Connor. He slipped the mask over his face, which oddly enough, made him smile.
It felt fun to be wearing it. Perhaps Apollo had been right about this part of
the job being fun. He walked over to the mirror where he fixed his hair, having
become messy when he pulled off his shirt. He slipped out of his pants and
shoes, picking them and his shirt up, and setting them in a pile with the other
boys' clothes.
“Now what?” Nico asked.
“Butch and I are about to head out onto the floor, so you can just follow us
when we go,” Apollo said.
“We need to show him where to drop off and pick up orders,” Butch reminded the
blond.
“Oh yeah, that's right, we haven't taken you by the other backroom. Well, it's
not really a backroom. It's just a small room out on the floor. Come on, we'll
show you.” With that, Apollo and Butch walked off, pushing the door open, and
the three of them emerged back into the main room. A few customers were
starting to come in, which meant Nico's night was about to begin. They headed
towards two doors which would normally have been split by the wall that was
currently gone. Butch pushed the door open for them, and Nico found himself in
a room similar to the break room in the bar. This one however, had a variety of
liquor bottles lining the back wall. Three large stacks of glasses sat on the
right corner of the back wall. There was a sink nearby, on the left wall, and a
refrigerator on the opposite side of that.
Hazel, Thalia, and Calypso sat on one of the two couches in the room, while a
man that Nico had never seen before sat in a chair in the corner of the room,
next to the small bar. Nico looked the man over, feeling an immediate sense of
uncertainty about the man. There was just something about the way he looked at
Nico, and the smile on his face, that made Nico feel uneasy.
He had a chubby face and a red nose, probably from alcohol consumption. His
hair was so black and styled with gel that it looked almost purple in the
lighting. His blue eyes were also horribly bloodshot. He was a little on the
chubby side, and wore a tiger-striped button-up shirt and black pants.
His eyes crinkled at the sight of Nico, making the young boy fidget. “Oh,
Apollo, who's this?” the man asked.
Nico glanced up at the blond next to him. Apollo's eyes had visually turned a
darker shade of blue and his jaw had tightened. “This is our new addition, his
name is Nico,” Apollo grunted. He turned his angry eyes upon Nico, nodding to
the man. “Nico, that's Dionysus, the...bartender up here.”
Nico looked back at the man, giving him a timid wave. The man smiled back at
him. Butch grunted and stepped in front of Nico, crossing his arms over his
chest. “Oh, Butch, must we act so uncivilized?” Dionysus asked in amusement,
pouring himself some alcohol.
Nico glanced at the girls on the couch, who seemed to be making a point not to
look at Dionysus. They were dressed similarity to the boys, being in bathing
suits. They also had masks, each of theirs placed in their laps. Thalia's
looked unique, it was nothing but silver-looking metal crafted into the most
beautiful designs. Instead of having something painted across it, there were
holes to form the mask's designs. It seemed like all the people working the
floor could only wear small masks, as her's also only covered a portion of her
face.
Hazel's mask was also silver, with what looked like diamonds embedded around
the eyes. The right side of the mask was what really drew Nico's attention. It
was shaped so that it would curve around and up the side of the wearer's face.
There was also a large black feather attached to the right side to complete its
look.
Calypso's mask reminded Nico of the Jack-of-Blades mask from Fable. The mask
was white for the most part, but had red, black, and gold, scattered across it
as well. Lines were drawn between the eyes, looking like string tied into
knots. Red spread across the top of the mask, right above the eyes and curving
around the outside of the eyes. On the right side of the mask, a black rose was
attached to it.
“Hey, Nico,” Hazel greeted him. Nico waved back.
“Are you ready for this?” Thalia asked.
“I think so,” Nico replied. He wasn't completely sure, considering his pulse
was racing pretty fast.
Finally, Apollo and Butch put their masks on, allowing Nico a chance to see
them. Apollo's had to be the most meaningful of the masks Nico had seen, a
music sheet drawn across it. Gold lined the border of the mask, and spread out,
covering some of the music sheet. The space over Apollo's nose was black with
the gold border around it, forming a perfect triangle. It was beautiful to look
at, and went well with Apollo's features. His eyes shined so perfectly through
the mask.
Butch's mask resembled flames. Nico couldn't quite decide on the design,
debating between an imp, goblin, or a representation of the Egyptian goddess
Bast. Pointed ears were on either side of the mask. A golden 'V' ran down the
center of the mask, right between the eyes. The eyes were also surrounded by
gold. The rest of the mask, however, was colored red. It was interesting to
look at, to say the least.
“Alright, we better get out there,” Calypso said, standing up. “Remember, Nico,
this works the same as the bar downstairs, but you need to pay even less
attention to their business.”
Nico nodded. He definitely knew better than to do that at this point in the
job. “Your mask has to stay on at all times while on the floor,” Hazel informed
him. He nodded his head again. Apollo pushed on Nico's lower back, ushering him
to the door with the others. Nico turned his head back to look at Dionysus as
he was going, receiving a crooked smile from the man.
The room had already filled while they had been in the bar room. Nico watched
as the others grabbed a pen and pad from a table by the door, Thalia tossing
him one for himself. Nico thanked her and began to walk off, but Apollo grabbed
his arm in a tight grip. Nico turned his head to look at the blond in
confusion, only to be met by a serious look on Apollo's face.
“I need to talk to you real quick,” Apollo said.
“What about?” Nico asked.
“I figured someone had told you about Dionysus, but I guess not. You need to
talk to Percy, tomorrow. Just don't take anything from Dionysus.” Nico looked
back towards the door, but Apollo grabbed his chin and forced him to look back
at him, a fierce look in his eyes. “I mean it, Nico. Nothing. If he offers you
something, don't take it. Do you understand?”
Nico nodded his head slowly, a little confused by what was happening. Apollo
hadn't even been this upset when he saw Nico was being bullied. “I promise I
won't.”
Apollo let out a long breath, releasing Nico's arm. “Good, just see Percy
tomorrow. It's time you learned the rules around here.”
“There are rules?” Nico asked, arching a brow.
“Not many,” Apollo chuckled, his face soon returning to its dark expression.
“You just need to hear this stuff from Percy. Just listen to my advice, ok? The
others will tell you the same thing. Be careful with that man.”
Nico nodded again. “Okay, I'll be careful.”
“Thank you,” Apollo sighed in relief. “Now that that is out of the way, let's
get to work.”
It was around the second table that Nico went to that he noticed a difference
in business up here, compared to business in the bar. For starters, a lot of
the customers did not look as friendly as the ones downstairs. He tried not to
overhear, really he did, but he just could not help it. By the sound of what
the two men at his table were talking about, Nico wasn't sure if they were
dealing in slavery or a prostitution ring. Either way, it made him feel
uncomfortable serving them, and even more uncomfortable when they looked up at
him.
Percy came in right before the show was going to start, and Nico saw the Lost
Kids all start to make their way over to him. Were they going to fight to the
death for the chance to be Percy's waiter, or something? He tried to make his
way over as well, but Thalia beat them all to him. Nico let out a long sigh as
the black haired girl smiled and leaned over Percy's small booth.
“You'll have to be quicker on your feet next time, Nico, if you want that job,”
Butch said, patting Nico on the back.
“Why is everyone fighting over him?” Nico asked.
Butch smirked. “It's just how we are. It's sort of a bloodbath up here. All of
us want to work up here because both the floor and the stage pay better.” Butch
leaned in closer to whisper to Nico. “It also allows Percy's server to have
more time to talk to him, in case they want to work on their hours.”
Nico nodded as Butch walked off. He stared back at where Thalia was still
flirting with Percy. He was going to get that position this weekend, if it was
the last thing he would do. The room suddenly fell quiet as the lights darkened
even further than it already was. Nico stood where he was, wanting to watch the
opening for tonight's show. He wanted to see how they would kick tonight off,
considering the theme.
Two spotlights turned on as the music began, focusing on the two ropes hanging
from the ceiling. Nico recognized the song as David Guetta's “Turn Me On”. As
the beats of the song began, Travis and Connor started descending, upside down,
from the ropes. They landed gracefully on the ground, crossing each other with
backflips. Once they finished the curtain in the back was opened, revealing the
stage to the audience. The Lost Kids were on stage, in their full costumes.
They stood frozen like statues until the line, “Make me come alive”, played in
the song.
Up on the stage with Luke, Octavian, and the twins were Silena, Piper, Reyna,
and Annabeth dressed just as extravagantly as the boys. Silena wore a golden
dress with black fur around the shoulders. Her mask was golden as well, taking
the form of a butterfly. Piper's outfit was pure white. The dress was large and
puffy, with silk and lace scattered across it. Her mask was similar to the one
Hazel wore, except hers was pure white, with a white feather on the side.
Reyna's was a matching outfit to the one Octavian wore, except hers was a
dress, obviously. It looked like she had an umbrella stuffed up under her dress
from the way it spread out. Her mask was green, but did not cover her left eye,
curving in a crescent shape around it. Annabeth's dress seemed to wrap around
her, completely black. There was some transparent purple silk wrapped around
her shoulders, that traveled up to her head. Her mask was white, with purple
designs drawn across it. A single purple teardrop was drawn right below the
left eye.
They carried an air of being marionettes as they began to move, dangling their
arms every time they moved. Luke started out by slouching forward, his arms
swinging in front of him. Silena's head fell off to the side to give a similar
effect. It was actually entertaining to watch them put on a performance with
this theme. Finally, they reached up and acted like they were tearing the
strings away. They approached the front of the stage, lining up in a row. The
twins stayed together, leaning against one another, while Octavian had an arm
wrapped around Reyna's waist, dipping her back a little. As the beat picked up,
they dropped to the ground, pounding the floor with their palms.
As they rose back up, they removed a piece of clothing. A belt, some silk,
hats, and an umbrella skirt were thrown to the side of the stage. They all
leaned forward, running their hands down their right or left leg, splitting
half each, and then slid it back up, caressing their upper thighs as they
ascended once again.
The girls popped their hips out and fell backwards, one of the guys catching
each of them. The girls reached up and ripped the shirts away from their
respective guys, giving the audience a nice view of each of the guys' torsos.
Dresses were then removed, leaving the girls in fishnet stockings and tight
corsets.
The girls fell into the guys' chests, raking their hands down the firm torsos.
The guys spun the girls around and they spread out a few inches. They stomped
their left and then right foot as the song hit two thumps during the song. When
the lyrics from earlier repeated, the guys ripped their pants off, now leaving
them in either speedos or man thongs. The only real thing now covering the
kids, were the masks and the underwear.
Silena and Connor got down on the ground, crawling across the stage. They laid
themselves on their sides, raising their legs up in the air. Nico's eyes
widened a little as he watched both of them stick their legs straight up. Luke
and Travis hovered over them, dropping down to the floor on top of them. They
ran a hand up Connor and Silena's legs, thrusting their hips down in time with
the music.
Nico felt his face heat up as he continued to watch the Lost Kids. He yelped
when he felt someone press up against his behind, turning around to find a
grinning Apollo. “Enjoying the show?” Apollo asked over the music.
“It's interesting, to say the least,” Nico replied.
Apollo chuckled. “Wait until tomorrow. I have a better opening planned.”
“Why not have it for tonight, since it's the actual opening night?”
“Because I want to be in the performance,” Apollo said with a wink. He hummed
to himself, still pressed against Nico's bum. “You know, Nico, you have a
really nice ass.”
Nico's face turned even redder, turning his face away from the blond. “Shut
up,” he mumbled.
“If you ever wanted to lose that virginity of yours, I'd be glad to help you
out,” Apollo whispered in his ears before chuckling and walking off.
Nico glared at the blond as he sauntered over to one of his tables, his eyes
falling down to Apollo's perfect butt, that the speedo very much complimented.
Nico sighed to himself. His attention returned to the stage as clapping erupted
in the room. The Lost Kids all stood frozen in place for a few seconds before
blowing kisses to the audience and walking backstage.
Nico got himself back to work as they prepared for the next performance. He
didn't need to get in trouble on his first night, and he knew that several eyes
would probably be on him to see how he did. Checking his suspicions, he glanced
over to Percy's booth, where sure enough, Percy's eyes were trained directly on
him. Percy smirked at him and raised his glass up at him. Nico blew at his
bangs and went to his next table.
Nico threw on a flirtatious smile as he came to the table. Two women sat at the
table, one black headed and the other a brunette. “Hello there, my name is
Nico. Is there anything I can get you very fine ladies to start off with?” he
asked, adding a wink for good measure.
The women did not act like the ones downstairs usually did, who were usually
more subtle when they eyed the workers. These women had no qualms about raking
their eyes up and down Nico's near naked body. “Well, aren't you...adorable,”
the brunette said, biting her lip.
Nico could already tell this job would be different from what he had been
accustomed to at the Lotus. He now knew why Percy had told him several times to
keep his innocence. It was probably going to be a challenge to keep it. Nico
quickly hid the frown that he could feel appearing on his face, replacing it
with the standard flirty smile.
Throughout the night, Nico became more and more aware of the behaviors of the
people up here. He was also aware of all the looks he was getting, most of them
coming across as predatory. He felt like a gazelle about to be taken down by a
lion.
The night finally came to an end at three in the morning. Nico collapsed into a
booth with Octavian, Apollo, Thalia, and Luke. His head landed on Apollo's
shoulder, completely exhausted. He let out a groaning noise as Apollo started
rubbing his back. The door to the break room opened and Percy came out with
Dionysus. The room seemed to grow eerily quiet as the Lost Kids watched the
two, a heavy tension in the air.
Dionysus slipped a wad of cash into Percy's hand and Percy mumbled something to
the chubby man. Percy's eyes narrowed at the man as he fished something out of
his back pocket and handed it to Dionysus. He pointed a finger at Dionysus and
said something else, not looking too happy about whatever they were discussing.
The two then glanced over at the booth, looking straight at Nico. Percy grabbed
Dionysus jaw roughly and turned Dionysus's chubby face to look back at his,
whispering something else to the man.
“What's going on?” Nico whispered.
Luke looked up from his phone, looking bored, and glanced over at the scene.
“They're just doing business,” the blond said, returning to his game.
“Don't worry about that stuff, Nico,” Thalia added, giving him a stern look.
Percy walked off from Dionysus and came up to their booth. He grabbed the glass
that Octavian was in the process of raising to his lips, and took a sip for
himself. “Yes, Percy, you can have that,” Octavian mumbled as Percy handed it
back to him.
Percy smirked. “Sorry, just needed something and didn't want to order something
new,” he apologized.
“Eh, don't sweat it.”
“You guys did great tonight.”
“Thanks, boss,” the twins sang in Percy's ears, suddenly appearing beside him.
They rested their heads on Percy's shoulders, lacing their fingers together
around his body.
Percy finally turned his attention to Nico. “I'm actually impressed, Nico. You
did well tonight. Let's hope you continue this streak for the remainder of the
weekend,” he said with a smile. He glanced at Apollo to speak to him. “Don't
forget, you need to work with him this coming week. I need him able to dance
like the rest of you by this time next week.”
Apollo nodded, giving Nico's shoulder a squeeze. “I'll work him extra hard,”
Apollo teased with a wink.
“What happens tomorrow?” Nico asked. It was the weekend, so he didn't know what
he could expect this time around.
“We'll be back up here after lunch, so come back up here after you eat and help
out,” Percy said, slapping his palm onto his fist. Percy's smile suddenly fell.
“And you'll need to come by my office as well. Do that first, then you can come
up here to work.”
Nico nodded. Tomorrow sounded like it would be another interesting day, but
then again, what day wasn't interesting at the Lotus?
***** Loving You Forever Can't Be Wrong *****
Nico stared over at his alarm clock. It was a little after ten, and Nico knew
he needed to be getting up. He groaned and ran his hand under the covers,
adjusting himself in his boxers. It was beginning to become a common occurrence
for him to dream of his boss as he had last night, and it was really becoming
frustrating. Why couldn't Percy just have sex with him? Maybe he should go to
one of the Lost Boys.
Nico sighed and swung his legs off the bed. He sat up and ran a hand through
his messy hair. While he did admit that the Lost Boys were very attractive, he
really wanted his first time to be with Percy. The problem was that Percy was
being extremely stubborn in helping him out with that.
Nico stepped out of his bedroom to fix some cereal. It was a little past
breakfast time, but he really didn't care. With these late nights, he took his
food and sleep whenever he could get them. He reached up into the cabinet and
pulled a bowl out. He grabbed his favorite box of cereal and a spoon, and
poured the cereal in the bowl.
His problem with Percy was growing, he knew that. Every single day, it seemed
like Nico's feelings kept growing. Being around Percy was beginning to be
intoxicating to Nico. He thrived on getting time with the green eyed young man.
Percy just wouldn't give in, and that confused Nico.
Percy would mess with every one of the Lost Kids, except him. Why was that? He
wanted to keep Nico innocent, and he felt this was for Nico's own good, but
why? Maybe he didn't find Nico sexually appealing. Perhaps Percy saw him more
like a brother. Nico scoffed. That couldn't be it. Apollo treated Nico like a
brother, but he still made it clear he wanted Nico in his bed.
Nico sighed as he plopped down on his couch with his bowl of cereal. Percy was,
and would probably remain, a mystery to Nico. He wouldn't explain himself to
Nico, so Nico would never know the answers to these questions. There was no way
he would get the answers out of the Lost Kids. He might be family now, but Nico
knew where their greater loyalty lay.
They were also a mystery to Nico. Whose side were they really on? Probably
their own. They acted like a close family for the most part, but when it came
to time on the top floor or with Percy, they were competitive with each other.
Was it a game, or was it for real? Did they stick together for the most part,
or would they sell each other out? Nico supposed only time would tell.
Nico reached for his phone, groaning at the time. He needed to get dressed and
go see Percy. He scarfed down the rest of his cereal and tossed the bowl in the
sink. He quickly got into the bathroom and turned on the shower. This was his
problem. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hurry so Percy wouldn't get upset with
him for being late, or if was just eager to see the black haired man.
Nico hurried through his shower, getting out and grabbing a towel. He walked
back to his room and started drying himself off. He opened his closet to
retrieve some clothing, noting his appearance in the mirror. It was still
strange looking at himself. It seemed like an eternity for him that he was on
the streets and starving to death. Now, he looked better than ever and actually
had to admit he looked attractive.
He dropped his towel, running his eyes over his pale skin, not finding a single
blemish. It was nice, looking at himself like this. When he first got here, he
couldn't even look at himself, and now it was just a relief to see his body
recovered. He let out a long sigh and retrieved some clothes for the day from
his closet. Nico made haste as he finished getting ready, and soon, he was
heading out the door.
Nico found Luke waiting at the elevator, the blond rolling his eyes when he
noticed Nico's approach. “Oh goodie, just who I wanted to see upon waking up,”
Luke mumbled.
“I'm sure you're not much fun to wake up to either,” Nico retorted.
Luke chuckled dryly. “Funny. I have plenty of people wanting my attention.”
“I can't imagine why, you're about as warm as Antarctica.”
Luke smirked and pinned Nico against the wall, Nico's hands being held above
his head. “People like being dominated, Nico. Don't forget that,” Luke purred
into Nico's ear, making the smaller boy squirm under Luke's intense gaze.
The elevator finally arrived and Luke released Nico, stepping onboard. He
tapped his foot, pressing the button to hold the door open. Nico blushed and
got inside. Luke hit the seventieth floor button, and Nico stepped forward to
hit the sixty-eight floor.
“On your way to see the boss?” Luke asked.
“He wanted me to come by. Apollo said something to him about Dionysus.”
Luke's shoulders tensed up at the mention of the chubby bartender's name, a
reaction that perplexed Nico. Luke didn't seem the type to be bothered by
anyone. “Stay away from him,” Luke mumbled, averting his eyes from Nico.
“What does he do?”
Luke just shook his head. “Apollo told you not to take anything he gave you?”
Luke growled. Nico nodded. “Good. Don't.”
The elevator opened to Percy's floor, but Nico stood and stared at Luke for a
moment. The blond eventually peered over at him, narrowing his eyes at Nico.
Nico bit his lip and walked out of the elevator, looking back at the blond as
the elevator doors closed. “That was...strange,” Nico mumbled, continuing on
his way to Percy's office. The only time Luke was actually decent to him was
during lessons, but he just acted like Apollo had the night before.
He opened the door to Percy's office, finding Leo behind his desk. “Hey, Nico,”
Leo greeted him.
“Hey,” Nico replied, glancing over at Rachel's desk. “Where's Rachel?”
“Out running some errands for Percy. So, what can I do for you?”
“Percy wanted me to come see him about the rules of this place.”
Leo nodded, chewing on his lip. He looked back at his computer and began
typing. “Yeah, I heard about last night.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “What exactly did you hear?”
“Nothing really.”
Nico sighed. “So, is Percy in his office?”
Leo nodded. “Yeah, he's in there,” Nico began moving for the door, “but he's
with Calypso right now.”
Nico froze, his hand reaching for the doorknob. “Oh,” he mumbled, his cheeks
heating up. He really didn't want to walk in on Percy with another Lost Kid.
“You can just take a seat,” Leo chuckled, gesturing to one of the chairs near
the entrance to the office. Nico nodded and walked over to sit down. “So, it
seems you weren't being honest with me when we first met.”
Nico looked up at Leo in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You told me that you didn't have a crush on Percy, but according to the
others, you do.”
Nico's cheeks darkened even more. “Does everyone know?”
Leo chuckled. “Yes, everyone knows, but don't worry about it. Having a crush on
Percy is a normal occurrence for most people when they first arrive, but
usually they get over it around now. Well, they still keep a physical
attraction, just not the...you know, I'm going to stop rambling now,” Leo
mumbled.
Nico smiled, hiding his eyes behind his bangs. “Even Percy knows?”
Leo smiled, returning to his typing. “Yes, even Percy.”
“So, how does he feel?”
“I can't answer that, Nico,” Leo groaned. “That's something for you and him to
talk about. Actually, I'm not even sure how he feels, none of us are. He's
being confusing right now.”
“What do you mean?”
Leo opened his mouth to reply, but Percy's door swung open, Calypso walking out
while adjusting her top. She caught Nico's eye and gave him a quick wink on her
way out. Percy appeared in the doorway, leaning his arm against the door frame.
“Did I get any messages?” Percy asked Leo.
Leo shook his head. “No, but Nico's here to see you,” Leo replied.
Percy looked over at Nico, smiling and nodding his head in the direction of his
office. Nico stood up and walked inside, Percy shutting the door behind them.
Nico stared over at the couch, which Nico could tell was what was used for
Percy and Calypso's 'business discussion', noting the imprints slowly
disappearing from the surface.
Nico's blush returned as he met Percy's eyes, sitting down quickly and quietly
in a chair in front of Percy's desk. Percy arched an eyebrow at him as he sat
down in his own chair. “Is there a problem, Nico?” Percy asked.
Nico shook his head. “N-No,” he stuttered.
“Really? Because you seem a little nervous.”
That's because he was nervous. Although, Nico wasn't sure if was because of
what had just happened in the office or because of his dream the night before.
“I'm fine.”
Percy looked at him skeptically. He sighed and leaned back in his chair,
propping his feet up on his desk. “Alright, I need to run over a few things
with you,” Percy began. “As you know, I don't really have many rules around
here, but there are some things you need to know. I need to cover smoking,
alcohol, sex, and drugs.”
“Ok?” Nico said hesitantly, not really sure why this needed to be said.
Percy rubbed his face. “Alright, I don't personally care if any of the Lost
Kids smoke, but it's pretty frowned on. I don't really approve of it, for the
health reasons, so I just say it's frowned upon.”
“Well, I don't really smoke.”
Percy smiled. “I know, I'm just saying. Next, we have sex. As you know, sex is
part of the business around here, but it is also something fun for the Lost
Kids to do with each other. It's also how they negotiate hours with me. So, I
don't care if you have sex, just use protection at all times. Just know that
this probably isn't the place you want to go picking a monogamous partner
from.”
“I know,” Nico mumbled, looking down at his lap.
“Just the way it is. As far as alcohol is concerned, I'll probably eventually
let you drink, just not now. The others use it as a coping mechanism, and I
don't think you need it yet. That's all it's really used for around here,
something to help nerves and ease pain. So, if I see that you might need some,
I'll allow it, but not until then,” Percy stated. “And in general, I don't
allow any of the Lost Kids to drink too much or drift into alcoholism.”
Nico nodded his head.
Percy's lips turned down into a frown. “Finally, there's my big rule. This is
really the only completely enforced rule around here. I do not, under any
circumstances, tolerate the use of drugs among the Lost Kids. Do I make myself
clear?”
“Y-Yes,” Nico replied.
Percy's face was almost frightening. He didn't appear angry, he was just so
serious looking that it gave Nico chills. His eyes were narrow and Nico
couldn't help but be reminded of a snake. “I mean it, Nico. Do not take drugs.
I do not allow it.”
“I won't take any, I swear. I promise not to let you down.”
Percy's face lightened, his body relaxed, and his smile returned to his face.
“I'll hold you to that,” he said, winking at Nico. “So, how was your experience
last night?”
“Different,” Nico confessed.
“It'll take some getting used to, but I think you can handle yourself up
there.”
Nico smiled, his cheeks once again darkening. Percy smiled at him. “Thanks,”
Nico mumbled. He chewed on his lip for a moment before speaking again. “Can I
ask about Dionysus?”
Percy's smile instantly fell, his face cast into a shadow. Nico gulped and sat
back in his chair, trying to put some distance between himself and Percy. “Just
try and keep your interactions with him to a minimal.”
Nico nodded his head quickly. Obviously, they weren't going to tell him
anything about the man, but Nico wasn't sure he actually wanted to go poking
around like he usually did. Every time the man's name came up, everyone got
really upset.
Percy sighed and stood up. He extended his hand out to Nico, but the boy was
hesitant to take it. Percy chuckled and grabbed Nico's hand. “I'm not going to
hurt you, Nico. I'm just trying to look out for you,” Percy explained. He
helped Nico up, the raven haired boy ending up very close to Percy's firm
chest. He glanced up to Percy's face, finding Percy's green eyes looking down
at him intently. He brushed Nico's bangs out of his face. “I think you're too
curious for your own good sometimes,” Percy whispered.
Nico bit his lip. “Everything's just confusing around here. I just want to
understand things.”
Percy nodded. “I know, and I'm sure you'll get all your answers eventually.” He
leaned in and whispered in Nico's ear. “Just be ready to accept the answers
when they are given to you.” He leaned back and smiled down at Nico. “Now, we
need to get upstairs, there's something waiting for you.”
Nico cocked his head to the side, staring up at Percy in confusion. Percy just
smiled at him and ruffled his hair, opening the door and walking out. Nico
huffed and followed after Percy, both of them waving at Leo as they passed.
When they reached the top, Nico found all of the Lost Kids, minus Hazel,
Octavian, and Silena, already present. Rachel stood in the center of them, a
large cupcake in her hands. “What-What's going on?” Nico asked.
“We wanted to welcome you to the family, Neeks!” the twins exclaimed. Nico
blinked at them for a moment, finally looking up at Percy.
“Well, last night was your initiation, and you passed with flying colors, so
you're officially a Lost Kid now,” Percy explained, pushing Nico forward.
Rachel smiled and handed Nico the cupcake, the letters 'LK' written in frosting
on top. Nico smiled at it. “Thanks,” he mumbled. His eyes widened as the group
descended on him, pulling him into a massive group hug. He groaned and squirmed
between them, trying to keep his cupcake intact. He jumped when he felt someone
pinch his ass, trying to glare at the culprit, but unable to spot anyone.
Nico yelped as a pair of arms wrapped around him, ripping him out of the
huddle. Percy chuckled down at him. He swiped a finger across the top of Nico's
cupcake and sucked it off his finger, winking at Nico. “Well, he can enjoy his
cupcake, all of you need to get to work,” Percy ordered.
The Lost Kids all grumbled and pouted as they made their way to the stage, Nico
following after Percy as the older male sat down at the booth that he sat at
last night. He slid in beside the green eyed manager, earning him a few scowls
from the others. Rachel joined them, handing Percy a few documents and
whispering to Percy about hotel business. Nico took a bite out of his cupcake,
keeping his eyes on Percy, watching Percy's dark hair fall into his eyes as he
looked down at the papers.
Some music started up and the Lost Kids started stretching. Percy grabbed
Nico's cupcake and took a bite out of it, earning himself a pout from Nico.
“Get your own,” Nico mumbled when the cupcake was handed back to him.
Percy chuckled. “Don't you want to share your food with me, Nico?” he asked
with a smirk. He scowled at Percy and returned his attention to the stage.
As the song picked up, the Lost Kids began moving their bodies in enticing
manners. His eyes lingered on Will's ass as the blond bent over to touch the
floor. He noticed Nico staring at him and slapped his ass, winking at Nico.
Nico averted his eyes, feeling his blush once again returning. They were all
out to get him, Nico decided.
“I expect you to be able to dance like they do by Friday,” Percy said, not
looking up from his paperwork.
“Exactly like they do?” Nico whispered.
Percy nodded, looking up when Nico groaned. “Calm down, Apollo is a really good
dance coach. You'll be fine. I'll even have him start with you tonight, if you
prefer.”
Nico nodded. “I'm not much of a dancer, so I'll probably need all the help I
can get,” Nico confessed.
Percy leaned towards Nico to whisper in his ear. “Don't worry. I'm sure you'll
be very appealing to watch.” Percy let out a puff of breath on Nico's neck and
flicked his tongue against Nico's earlobe. He pulled back with a chuckle,
noting Nico's red cheeks. “You're too easy to tease, Nico,” Percy said,
returning to his work.
“You're a cruel tease,” Nico mumbled.
Percy and Rachel shared a laugh. “Well, if Rachel weren't here and bombarding
me with work, perhaps I'd be more inclined to hear out your request,” Percy
joked
Rachel raised an eyebrow. “Ha. Hasn't stopped you before,” she scoffed.
Percy pouted at her. “So cruel, Rachel. That was just one time, and it wasn't
even my idea.”
“I'm not sure I want to hear this,” Nico interrupted them.
Percy smiled at him. “Suit yourself,” the black haired man said.
The hours passed by and Nico found himself in Apollo and Will's suite with
Apollo, Will, Reyna, Travis, and Hazel. They had opted for room service, since
the hotel was overly crowded for the weekend. It was also easier on them with
their tight schedules for the weekend, according to Reyna.
“So, has it sunk in yet, Nico?” Hazel asked before taking a bite of her salad.
“Um. Sort of, I guess. It's still a little surreal to me,” Nico confessed.
“You'll feel like that for a while,” Travis said.
Nico turned to Apollo, who sat beside him. “So, tonight's show is supposed to
be good?”
“Yes,” Apollo chuckled. “You should pay attention to the opening especially.”
“Did Percy talk to you about giving me an early lesson?” Nico asked, sticking
some pasta in his mouth. Apollo nodded his head, his mouth currently full of
food. “So, you want to start after we get off?”
Apollo grinned at him. “Oh, you won't be getting off until I'm done with you,”
he said seductively.
Nico started coughing, his cheeks tinged pink. “Aw. Leave the poor boy alone,”
Hazel said, smiling at Nico's embarrassment.
“Am I going to be around for this lesson? Because it sounds like something I
want to be a part of,” Will teased, winking at Nico. Nico chuckled nervously.
Apollo nudged Nico's shoulder. “We're only kidding, dude. We're not going to
rape you.”
“Unless you're into that sort of thing,” Will added.
Apollo rolled his eyes. “You're just fun to tease.”
“Glad I can be of amusement,” Nico mumbled.
Reyna sighed. “Stop torturing the poor boy, I'm starting to actually feel sorry
for him,” she complained. “Between all of you boys, I'm not sure how his face
ever has time to be pale.”
Travis wrapped an arm around Nico's leg, laying his head on Nico's thigh. “Aw,
but we can't help it, we've never had an innocent one come along,” Travis
whined.
“And everyone's so eager to break his innocence, it seems.”
“You said you wanted him to be more like us,” Will mumbled around his food.
Reyna shot him a hateful look and Nico just stared between the two. Will just
shrugged, not even looking up at Reyna from his food.
Hazel cleared her throat. “I think we better get going. We don't need to be
late,” she reminded them.
The trip up to the top floor was completely silent and awkward for Nico. They
came to the top floor, finding it currently deserted. Nico awkwardly followed
after the others as they made their way backstage to get changed. The rest of
the Lost Boys working up there tonight were already present, and nearly
finished with getting dressed. Nico was surprised to find Luke dressed in the
same costume he had on last night. Reyna and Hazel walked through an open door,
which Nico assumed led to the girls' dressing area.
“I thought he went on last night?” Nico asked Apollo.
Apollo raised his eyebrows at Nico, turning his head to look at Luke. “Oh,
yeah, that's how it works. Why do you think we get competitive with hours? It
gets pretty cut-throat when busy weekends are getting close, and those that put
in the extra effort usually end up with an extra night on stage,” Apollo
explained. “I'll be performing tomorrow night as well.”
Nico nodded, watching Travis as he undressed, Luke handing him his jester
costume. Apollo pulled his shirt over his head, fully drawing Nico's attention
to the blond's abs.
Apollo chuckled. “You're welcome to touch,” he said with a dazzling smile.
Nico glanced up at Apollo's face hesitantly. Apollo just rolled his eyes and
grabbed Nico's hand, placing it on his stomach. Nico bit his lip, trailing his
hand across blond's muscles. “You, uh, have a nice body,” Nico mumbled.
“Thanks,” Apollo chuckled, unbuttoning his pants. Nico pulled his hand away as
Apollo stood there in a speedo. “Aw, Nico, do I make you nervous?” Apollo
pouted and batted his eyelashes at Nico.
Nico huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”
Apollo smirked and walked over to grab his costume. “You should get out of
those clothes,” he said.
Nico nodded, slipping himself out of his clothes, but keeping his eyes on
Apollo as he got dressed. Apollo's costume was rather simple, compared to some
of the others. He had black transparent tights, that, when left in just that,
left little to the imagination. He slipped his shirt on, it too showing off his
body. It was made of black feathers and lace, which split halfway down his
chest, opening up to reveal his abs. He smirked at Nico once more before
slipping his mask from last night on.
“What are you supposed to be?” Nico asked.
Apollo smiled and handed Nico his mask. “You'll see. I have a performance with
Thalia. I think you'll like it.”
Beckendorf walked over, slipping his arm around Nico's shoulders. “I'm afraid
I'm gonna have to steal this one away from you, blondie,” Beckendorf chuckled.
Apollo nodded. “Take care of him tonight, man, and remember what I said,”
Apollo said.
Beckendorf nodded. “I know. I got this.”
Nico let himself be led by Beckendorf towards the door where Octavian was
waiting for them. “About time. I was staring to wonder if I was going to have
to get a mop to wipe up the drool from you ogling Apollo,” Octavian droned.
Nico huffed at the blond as they walked across the floor, some of the arriving
customers already looking them over. Nico glanced up to Beckendorf. “What was
that between you and Apollo?” Nico asked.
Beckendorf looked down at Nico with a warm smile. “Nothing, don't worry about
it,” Beckendorf assured him. Nico frowned at the muscular Lost Boy as they
stepped into the bar room. They had beat the girls there tonight, but Dionysus
was already in his chair, drinking some liquor.
“Ah, the new kid returns,” the chubby man called after Nico as he sat down on
the couch.
“He'll be here all weekend,” Beckendorf mumbled, taking a seat beside Nico,
placing himself between Nico and Dionysus.
“Well then, how fortunate for me.” The man began digging in his pocket. “Ah
yes, I don't suppose I could get you to deliver something for me, could I?”
Beckendorf snarled and Nico watched as Octavian's eyes narrowed at Dionysus.
“What did Percy tell you?” Beckendorf growled.
“It's just for a customer,” Dionysus said innocently, holding out a small clear
sealable bag, his fingers closed around its contents.
“And you know the rule,” Octavian scoffed. “You take care of it yourself.”
“But wouldn't it be better for business if a pretty little thing were
delivering it, compared to me?”
“Do it yourself, if you ask him again, I'll get Percy involved,” Beckendorf
warned.
“Fine, take my fun away,” Dionysus sighed.
The door opened, the Lost Girls entering the room. They instantly took in
Beckendorf and Octavian's stances and fell silent from whatever they were
talking about. “What's going on, baby?” Silena asked.
“This thing tried to get Nico to do his job for him,” Beckendorf barked.
“Your words are so hurtful, Charles,” Dionysus said with a frown.
Silena sat down in Beckendorf's lap, smiling at Nico. “Just tune him out,
that's what we do,” she whispered to him. Nico nodded.
Zoë sat down beside Nico, flicking her hair behind her shoulder. “Well, don't
get too comfortable, we have to go back out there soon,” Reyna reminded them.
“Good, the air in here is distasteful,” Octavian huffed.
“Do hurry back,” Dionysus called after them as they left.
Nico grabbed a pad and pencil, watching the others with curiosity. Why did they
all dislike Dionysus? Even Percy seemed to have a certain dislike for the man.
Why did Percy even have him around? Nico tried to gage the others' moods now
that they were away from the man, but now that they had put their masks on, it
was hard to tell without them looking at him.
Nico was in the middle of taking an order when Percy came in. Nico groaned
internally, looking back at the man whose order he was taking. The other Lost
Kids made their way over to Percy, and Nico knew there was no point in trying
tonight. That meant he would have to be prepared tomorrow night.
He smiled at his customer as he headed back to the bar room, noting a quick
change of course from Silena to follow him into the bar room. Last night, he
had been suspicious about the fact that the others kept showing up in the bar
room anytime Nico went back there, and this was just cementing his theory that
they didn't want him to be alone with the bartender.
He pushed the door open and walked to the back of the room, handing the chubby
bartender the piece of paper. Dionysus smiled at Nico and looked the order
over, his eyes flickering to the door when Silena came in. “Thank you, Nico,”
Dionysus said.
“Uh. Thanks?” Nico replied, eyebrows furrowing. “Just doing my job.”
“Oh, but you're doing such a good job at catching onto things, unlike our
Silena over there.” Nico looked over to the dark haired girl as she tensed up.
“In fact, several of the others had some struggles when they first arrived up
here.”
“That's enough, Dionysus,” Silena hissed.
Dionysus blinked at her. “What?”
Silena huffed and shoved her own order at the man. Dionysus smiled and went to
work on filling Nico's order. Nico wasn't sure what to do, with the two of them
so tense with each other, so he just stood there awkwardly rubbing his arm.
Dionysus slid the tray with Nico's order on it towards the dark haired boy with
a smile. Nico returned the smile with a nervous one of his own, brushing passed
Silena on his way out. As the door swung closed, Nico heard Silena begin to
snap at the man. Nico frowned at the closed door and continued on to his table,
trying to put what just happened out of his mind.
Upon delivering his order, the lights went off and Nico stopped to look at the
stage. The curtains opened, the two mirrors that had been hanging from the
ceiling last night, were now hanging on a large black wall that had been set up
on the stage. The lights on the stage lit up, becoming the only source of light
in the room. Nico chuckled as the music began playing The Naked and Famous's
“Young Blood”. The mirrors opened up and Travis and Piper came tumbling out.
Apollo, Luke, Thalia, Will, Annabeth, and Hazel began filing out of the
mirrors, reminding Nico of music box figurines as they twirled around on stage.
Nico locked onto Apollo, watching the young man rise on his feet and spin
around. The blond moved with such perfect grace that Nico could not help but
feel envious of. He was likely to trip and fall on his face when it came his
time to get up there. The boys and girls separated to the disparate wings of
the stage, Apollo and Thalia staying in the center, spinning gracefully. Thalia
was dressed to match Apollo, and Nico instantly picked up on the theme. Thalia
wore a black ballerina dress, one that did not really hide much of her lower
areas. It was covered in black feathers, just like Apollo's was. She wore a
black and silver crown on top of her head.
Nico smiled, wondering what song the two of them would perform later. Luke
grabbed Annabeth as the blonde began to do a backflip, helping her pull off the
move with precise grace. Travis spread his hands out in front of his face,
pushing his upper body forward, and tilting his head from side to side. Piper
and Hazel had umbrellas and were twirling them around before swinging them out
towards the audience.
Clothing began to fall away, revealing portion after portion of flesh to the
hungry customers. Will took a bow at the perfect moment in the song, sweeping
his right arm behind his back and into the air. More clothing soon fell away as
the song continued. Nico focused on Apollo again, as he and Thalia were moving
like the music box figurines he thought of when he looked at them. They must
have practiced this number a lot, because the two of them were moving in
perfect synch.
The song ended and the Lost Kids made their way off stage, clapping erupting
throughout the room. It was a really good opening, Nico thought, Apollo had
been right. He was also right in the fact that the performances did look fun.
Nico headed back to the bar room to drop some glasses off while placing another
order. To his surprise, he had managed to get into the room without being
followed. Dionysus didn't say much this time, taking the order from Nico with a
smile and twinkle in his eye.
“So, what did you mean earlier?” Nico voiced, glancing at the door.
“Oh, it was nothing,” Dionysus replied, filling the order while not looking at
Nico. “Just that Silena, Butch, Reyna, and Luke didn't do so well when they
first arrived.”
“Why not?”
Dionysus glanced at Nico from the corner of his eye, smiling to himself.
“Different reasons for all of them. Butch grew up on the streets, so he wasn't
much of a people person when he first arrived. Luke, on the other hand, was
angry when he and Octavian first got here, snapping at anyone that touched his
brother. Reyna was a similar case to Butch, not getting along well with the
customers.”
“And Silena?” Nico asked.
“My, my, you are just as curious as I heard you were,” Dionysus chuckled. “A
story for another time, perhaps?”
Nico sighed and nodded, taking the finished drinks from the red faced man. At
least he found something out, and he didn't have to try asking one of the Lost
Kids about it. It made sense he supposed. With what he knew, he could see Reyna
and Luke acting like that. He didn't know anything about Luke's past, but from
what he knew of Reyna's, everything fit. He was surprised to learn about Butch
growing up on the streets, though. He wondered if Percy and Butch had bonded
over that fact.
He wanted to ask Luke about his past, but given his past interactions with the
blond, he doubted Luke would be open to telling him. Silena was the mystery
from what he had just learned. Why had she had a rough time getting started
here? There was still so much Nico didn't know about the Lost Kids, but he also
knew it would take time for them to be willing to talk to him about it.
Walking over to his next table, he threw on a bright smile. “Good evening,
gentlemen,” Nico greeted the three men at his table, probably in their late
thirties, their eyes lighting up at the sight of Nico. “Is there anything I can
get for you this evening?”
One of the men, a blond, licked his lips and leaned back to stare at Nico's
ass. Nico smirked and spun around for the man, hooking his finger into the
waistline of his speedo and peeling it back an inch. The man wagged his
eyebrows and pulled his wallet out, handing Nico a five. “Make sure you keep
coming back like that,” the blond ordered.
Nico smiled and winked. The man next to the blond, a red headed man with faint
stubble on his chin, cleared his throat. “I'll take a gin and tonic,” the man
said and Nico nodded his head, scribbling down the order.
Nico turned to the third man, a brunet with traces of grey starting to appear
in his his curly hair. “Give me three shots of vodka, if you please,” he said,
staring down at Nico's smooth legs.
“And you, sir?” Nico asked, turning back to the blond.
“I'll have some Malt Scotch, and tell Dionysus to come out and bring my special
order. Tell him it's Barkman,” the blond said with a smile.
Nico nodded and headed off for the bar room, finding Octavian already in the
room. Octavian blinked at him while waiting for Dionysus to finish his order.
Nico walked over and slipped the slip of paper to Dionysus.
“Thank you, Nico,” Dionysus stated.
“Oh, Mr. Barkman is here and asked for his order,” Nico informed him, tilting
his head to the side. Dionysus glanced over at Nico with his usual smile before
glancing at Octavian, who was glaring at the chubby man.
Dionysus nodded. “Tell him I'll have it out to him in a bit.”
“What, no pressuring the boy?” Octavian scoffed.
“Octavian, I'm surprised at you. Why do all of you treat me so harshly? All I
try to do is help,” Dionysus frowned.
“Bullshit,” Octavian growled, his hand snapping up the drinks that Dionysus had
just finished for him. He didn't leave, though. He just stood there while
Dionysus started Nico's order, leering at the side of Dionysus's face.
“I'm not supposed to take his order to him?” Nico asked.
Dionysus grinned and handed Nico his tray of drinks. “Oh, that would be very
helpful, Nico,” Dionysus said, but Octavian cleared his throat, “but I can
handle it.”
“Watch yourself, Mr. D,” Octavian threatened before walking to the door and
waiting for Nico. Nico frowned at the bartender, feeling a little sorry for the
man. Why were they all treating him like this? He seemed so nice.
Nico turned around and walked towards Octavian, following him back onto the
floor. He went back to his table and handed out the three men's drinks. They
pulled their wallets out and waved money at Nico. Nico chuckled, trying to hide
his discomfort as he let them slip the bills into the waistband of his speedo.
Nico glanced over at Percy's table, where Octavian was tending to Percy. The
blond was telling Percy something and neither one of them looked happy about
it. Percy's eyes flickered to Nico for a brief second before returning to the
blond in front of him. He waved a hand in front of himself, letting Octavian
know he was done talking about the issue. Nico frowned as he watched Octavian
walk off, catching his eye for a split second.
Nico turned his attention back to the stage as the music began again. This
time, Apollo, Luke, and Will were on the stage, only in their speedos and
masks. He watched them strut around on stage and flex their muscles, turning
around and showing off their asses to the crowd.
“The blond trio,” Beckendorf chuckled. Nico turned his head to look at the tall
man. “Since we have a few blonds, the group changes from time to time to fit
Octavian into the group, but those three are usually the ones together.”
Nico watched their bodies move, unconsciously biting his lower lip. “So, there
are groups that perform together?” Nico asked, unable to look away from the
stage as Will groped himself.
“Yeah. Butch and myself, the brothers, the blonds, Piper and Silena, Zoë and
Thalia, plus Annabeth and Thalia usually perform together.” Nico licked his
lips as Apollo slapped his ass, a look of pure seduction on the blond's face.
“Then on big weekends, Apollo and Thalia, Luke and Annabeth, and Silena and I
will usually put on a performance.”
The song came to an end, the blond boys basking in the attention from the
crowd. Will met Nico's eye and gave him a wink. Nico blushed and turned back to
Beckendorf, giving the dark skinned man a smile before walking off.
The next performance must have been the one Apollo had said to watch, because
he and Thalia had made their way out onto the stage. Nico smiled at them as he
heard the music began to play. It sounded familiar to him. The two began to
move slowly, Apollo running his hand down Thalia's chest as she lay back in his
arm. Thalia's leg rose into the air and Apollo spun them around gracefully.
Nico eventually placed the song, “Perfection” from the movie Black Swan. Nico's
mind finally clicked on their attire. Thalia's was an exact replica to the one
Natalie Portman wore in the movie, while Apollo's was a male adaptation of the
costume.
Apollo released Thalia as she swayed away from Apollo, pulling her body to and
fro. Apollo came up to her and placed his hands on her hips, lifting her into
the air. Thalia wrapped a leg around Apollo's waist as he arched her body
towards the ground before lifting her back up. He threw her out, where she
began spinning with much force.
Apollo pulled off a ballon while Thalia was spinning. Thalia began to act the
part of a swan, flapping her arms through the air. It was really a mesmerizing
performance, and Nico could really tell why Apollo said he would enjoy the
blond's performances. Apollo was right. He did incorporate his dance lessons
into his stage time.
Thalia's dress was pulled away by Apollo, letting the lace and silk fall to the
floor as he dipped Thalia with the dark haired girl's arm around his neck. As
Apollo released her, she pulled Apollo's top off, revealing his delicious chest
to the crowd. Nico moaned to himself as he watched Thalia's nails rake down the
blond's abs.
The two began spinning, beginning with their arms above their heads and slowly
bringing them down to pull away another article of clothing. Thalia's top fell
to the ground, while Apollo's tights joined his shirt where it lay. As the
music turned light, the two slowed down, Thalia running at Apollo, and the
blond lifting her above his head, letting his hand slip up her thigh.
The crowd really seemed to enjoy the elegant performance, the two receiving a
standing ovation for their performance. Apollo and Thalia blew kisses to their
beloved customers before linking fingers and making their way backstage.
----------------------------------------------------
Nico found himself in a crowded elevator with the rest of the Lost Kids,
currently being pressed against both Luke and Piper. He finally was released
from his tight space when the elevator opened to their floor. The girls walked
down their hall, waving and yawning back at the boys as they went to their
respective rooms. Luke, Octavian, and Beckendorf were the first of the boys to
come to their rooms, the first two heading into the room on the left, while
Beckendorf went to his on the right. Will and Travis continued down the hall,
while Apollo stopped with Nico at his door.
“Ready to begin?” Apollo asked with a smirk.
“I guess,” Nico sighed. His body was exhausted, but he knew it would be better
for him to get an early lesson. He slid his card into the slot and the two
entered his suite. Apollo set his wallet and phone on the island in Nico's
kitchen before turning to Nico.
“Don't look so scared, Nico, this is an enjoyable process of learning to
dance.”
“That's what I'm afraid of,” Nico mumbled.
Apollo chuckled and slipped his arm around Nico's waist, guiding Nico further
into the living room. Apollo pushed Nico's coffee table out of the way so they
could have some room. “Alright, I'm just going to keep it brief tonight. I'm
sure you're tired, I know I am, and we both want to get to bed, though I'd be
willing to crash here, if you wanted.” Apollo winked at Nico.
Nico scowled at the blond, who just smiled back at him innocently. “Let's just
get started.”
“Fine,” Apollo pouted, “have it your way.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Well, I take it you have been watching the performances?”
Nico nodded. “Yes, and I get what you mean now about it being fun.”
Apollo smiled. “Good. Now, you've done a good job with interacting with
customers, but this is a bit different. This is all about using your body to
entice the people in the audience. You don't have the ability to speak, so it's
about your actions.” Nico nodded as Apollo popped his lips. “Would you prefer
to watch me, or just jump into me guiding you through techniques?”
“Can we start with you?” Nico asked.
Apollo smirked. “Wanna see me naked again, eh?”
Nico's cheeks heated up. “Shut up,” he mumbled.
Apollo retrieved his phone and scrolled through some music until he found a
suitable song. He sat the phone back down and began gyrating his body. “Just
watch how I move,” Apollo instructed. “You have to move perfectly.”
Nico nodded. He watched as the blond slid his hand down his clothed chest.
Apollo gripped the hem of his shirt and slowly pulled it up, keeping his hips
moving the entire time. Inch by inch of flesh was revealed to Nico's eyes, and
Nico found himself licking his lips. Apollo tossed his shirt at Nico once it
was off his head, smirking at the blushing black haired boy.
Apollo's hips were still gyrating as he stepped out of his sandals. He stepped
up to Nico and pushed the smaller boy down onto the couch. Nico gulped as he
stared up at the stripping blond, trying to bite back a moan.
Apollo's fingers gripped the button of his pants, letting his mouth fall open
with a moan as it came undone. Nico's breathing had increased, feeling his
heart pounding against his chest. Apollo slipped his pants down, thrusting his
hips out toward Nico. He grinned down at the nervous boy, running a hand
through Nico's hair.
Once the pants were off, Apollo went back to gyrating his hips. He turned
around and bent over, reaching up to slap his perfectly clad ass. A moan
slipped from Nico's lips and Apollo chuckled at him. He stood back up and
slipped his fingers underneath the fabric of his speedo, slowly lowering the
fabric to reveal the top portion of his ass to Nico.
“Alright, I think that's good,” Apollo said, smiling as he sat down beside
Nico.
Nico sat there for a moment, still in mild shock at the show he had just
received. “That-that was...hot-I mean good,” Nico stuttered, his face turning
red.
Apollo leaned in, pressing himself against Nico, bringing his face a few inches
away from Nico's. “Thank you, Nico,” Apollo moaned, bringing forth a moan from
Nico's lips. These lessons were going to be the death of him.
Apollo chuckled and pulled away. “Let me guess, you're a tease like Percy,”
Nico mumbled.
Apollo's eyes dilated as he leaned back towards Nico, bringing his lips just an
inch away from Nico's. “Just say the word and I'll gladly finish whatever I
start.”
Nico pulled away, finding himself panting rather heavily. “I-I don't know,” he
mumbled.
Apollo frowned. “If you're afraid I'll tell Percy, you can be assured it'll
just stay between us. That's something we don't report to Percy, our personal
sex lives. Though, odds are, he knows about them anyway.” Apollo sighed and
leaned back. “Just give it some thought. In the meantime, it's time for you to
get started.”
Nico nodded and stood up. Apollo got up and went for his phone, looking for a
song for Nico. “So, how does this work?” Nico asked.
“I'm going to be guiding you as you move. Think of it like riding a bike, when
the kid first starts, a parent is usually there to keep them from falling.
That's what I'll be doing for now.” He grinned at Nico. “I'll try to keep my
hands to myself as little as possible.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Lovely.”
The song that Apollo had selected began and Apollo stepped up to Nico, placing
his hands on Nico's waist. “Alright, an easy technique is to keep your hips
moving. Gyrate them, thrust them, sway them, whatever you can think of to draw
attention to them. You'd be surprised at how entertaining the hips are,” Apollo
instructed, guiding Nico's hips into a steady pace.
Nico felt his cheeks burn as he felt Apollo's breath on his neck. “I just feel
weird with the thought of taking off my clothes.”
“Well, you might have the wrong job,” Apollo chuckled.
“I mean in a seductive manner.”
Apollo nodded, grabbing Nico's hands. He had Nico grip his shirt and slowly
raised it up Nico's torso, taking one of Nico's hands and sliding it along
Nico's pale torso. The shirt came off and Nico let it fall to the floor,
letting his body be guided by Apollo's firm hands.
“Now, you'll have to get the hang of this, because no one is going to be on the
stage with you to help you through this,” Apollo reminded him.
“I know,” Nico whispered, letting Apollo guide his hands across his chest.
Apollo smirked and pinched Nico's nipple, eliciting a yelp from the smaller
boy.
“Whoops,” Apollo said innocently.
Nico elbowed Apollo in the stomach, but it didn't seem to effect the blond, as
he chuckled in Nico's ear. Apollo gripped Nico's hands again and guided them
down to his shoes, trying to slip them off with as much grace as possible.
“This is why we don't wear shoes on stage,” Apollo told him. “It makes the
process more complicated and clunky. So, don't wear shoes while we are
practicing.”
“Thanks.”
“That's what I'm here for.”
Nico let his hands be guided to the button on his pants, and then sliding his
pants to the ground. Apollo's hands tugged Nico's around to his butt, where
Nico's hands were made to feel up his clothed flesh. Apollo's fingers slipped
between Nico's. Nico's head fell to the side as he felt Apollo descend upon his
neck, placing light kisses upon the dark haired boy's pale flesh.
Nico felt his legs begin to shake, and if not for Apollo's grip around his
waist, he was sure he would have collapsed under the blond's touch. Apollo
turned Nico around and wrapped Nico's smaller hands around his neck, guiding
them towards the couch.
Nico moaned as Apollo continued to ravish his neck, feeling the blond's hands
slip beneath his speedo. One of Apollo's hands groped his ass as Apollo brought
his face above Nico's. Apollo descended upon Nico's lips, immediately sucking
on the lower one. Nico moaned as his legs were placed around Apollo's hips.
Apollo thrust his hips against Nico and Nico's head fell back, breaking the
kiss. Apollo slipped Nico out of his speedo, quickly making work of his own as
well. Nico licked his lips as he raked his eyes across Apollo's naked body,
taking in every inch of flawless skin.
Nico stared up into Apollo's lust filled eyes, trying to bite back a moan. His
brain was trying to catch up with what was going on, but then Apollo kept
kissing him, making his brain return to mush. Nico placed his hands on Apollo's
chest, feeling the tight muscles there. Apollo's hands had found their way to
Nico's hips, using them to pull Nico against him with each thrust.
“S-Stop,” Nico blurted out, his face burning hot and his breath ragged.
Apollo stopped moving and leaned back to blink at Nico. “You're-You're
serious?” he asked.
Nico nodded his head, trying to look away from Apollo's blue eyes.
Apollo sat back on his haunches, running a hand through his curly blond hair
with a sigh. “Nico, you are so confusing.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico mumbled.
Apollo slipped his legs out from under him and sat down on the couch. “It's
fine,” he sighed. “I just thought you wanted to do it. I mean, you certainly
seem ready to lose your virginity to Percy, but since he's not giving you any,
I thought I could...help.”
Nico sat up next to the blond, neither of them having made a move to get their
clothes back on. Nico brushed some of his hair behind his ear. “It's not your
fault. You're really attractive, don't get me wrong, I just don't know.”
“What's so special about Percy for you?” Apollo turned his head to look at
Nico, waiting for an answer.
“He saved me, for one thing. Maybe it's that he isn't having sex with me, makes
him more desirable. He's taken care of me since I got here.”
Apollo nodded with another sigh. “Well, we all feel like that when we first get
here. Well, except for the him not having sex with you part.”
“It's stupid, forget I said anything,” Nico mumbled.
Apollo smiled and rolled his eyes. He ruffled Nico's hair. “You're alright,
kid. I won't tell the boss what you said.”
“Thanks.”
“Now, we need to do a little more work before we go to bed,” Apollo said,
picking up his speedo and slipping it back on. He got up and handed Nico his
clothes, while he got his own back on. Nico slipped himself back into his
clothes, trying to keep his eyes averted from Apollo.
“I-I mean...I'm not saying I might not ever have sex with you, just not-”
“I got it, Nico,” Apollo chuckled. “Come find me when you're ready.”
Nico nodded, slipping his shirt back on. “So, what else do we need to do?”
Apollo sat back on the couch. “I just need to run over a few details with you,
things you need to remember.” Apollo ran a hand through his curls. “Keep your
body moving in a seductive manner at all times. I will spend time with you, or
with a group, running you through routines. Make sure to do things like wink at
the audience, they love shit like that.”
Nico rubbed his eyes, trying to stifle a yawn. “What else?” Nico asked.
“Well, you can feel free to talk to others about group routines. Some of the
other guys, and girls on big weekends, may want to partner with you, depending
on how you do. We'll be making another trip back to Aphrodite's shop in a few
weeks to get you some more costumes, including your Christmas one. You'll
occasionally do routines with an audience member, perhaps if it's someone's
birthday. So, you'll need to know how to give a lap dance.”
“Really?” Nico groaned.
“Don't worry, I'll teach you.” Apollo let out a long breath. “Just keep in mind
the dancing I'm going to be showing you, and you should be fine.”
Nico smiled at the blond. “Thanks, Apollo.”
Apollo frowned and looked off to the side. “Don't mention it, Nico,” he
mumbled. He rose to his feet and gave Nico a minute smile. “Well, I think we
both could use some sleep.” He walked over and retrieved his stuff. He stepped
over to the door, turning back to Nico. “I'll see you in the morning, kid.”
Nico nodded at him as his door was shut. He brushed his hair out of his face as
he stared off into space. He yawned and rose to his feet, his body finding its
way to his bedroom on its own.
***** The Calm Before the Storm *****
“So, how was the lesson with Apollo?” Will asked with a grin, Connor snickering
behind the blond. Nico groaned and buried his face in his hands. Did they have
to share everything? Will chuckled and sat down next to Nico on the couch,
slinging an arm around Piper on his other side. It was about time to start
another night, and the floor workers were all gathered in the bar room.
Surprisingly, Dionysus had been completely quiet. The only thing Nico really
noticed, though, was the way Annabeth would glare at Dionysus anytime the man
was about to speak.
“It was fine,” Nico mumbled into his palm.
“Really? Nothing revealing happened?” Hazel teased.
Nico sighed and let his head fall back on the couch. “I figured you would have
let him take you on the couch, with the way you ogle him,” added Piper with a
grin.
“Aw, we all know he really wants Percy,” Connor finished, sticking his tongue
out.
“I hate you all,” muttered Nico.
Connor pouted and sat down in Nico's lap, wrapping his arms around Nico's neck.
“Aw, Neeks, don't be like that. You love us, don't deny it.”
“I admit nothing.”
Will grinned and poked Nico in his side, making the raven haired boy squirm.
“But we love you, Nico,” Will said.
Nico sighed when they seemed to let it go, Connor remaining in his lap. He
stared over at Annabeth, the only one yet to speak. She was watching him like a
hawk about to take down a mouse. There was something calculating in her eyes,
Nico could see it. It made Nico squirm under her gaze, but she refused to ease
up.
“Well, let's get to work,” Piper announced, finally pulling Nico's attention
from Annabeth's eyes. Connor yanked Nico off the couch, slinging his arm around
Nico's neck as they walked out.
Nico moved out from Connor's arm and grabbed a pen and pad, not wanting to
waste time. He told himself he was going to get to wait Percy's table before
the weekend over, so he had to get it tonight. He casually made his way through
the room, quickly stopping at a table close to Percy's vacant booth.
He greeted the middle-aged woman with a bright smile and took her order. It
seemed luck was on his side, too, as Percy came into the room just as he was
finishing up. He sat down at his table, and before any of the other Lost Kids
had a chance at making a move towards him, Nico moved the few steps over to
Percy's booth.
“Someone played it smart tonight,” Percy chuckled.
“I don't know what you're talking about,” Nico said innocently. Percy chuckled
again and leaned back in his booth, resting his arm along the back. “Do you
want some everclear?”
Percy tilted his head to the side with a smile. “You remember what I had last
weekend?”
Nico nodded. “So?” Nico asked with uncertainty about his previous question.
Percy shook his head. “No, I only drink that when I'm upset.”
Nico blinked at him. “Well, why were you upset last week?”
Percy stared at Nico in silence for a moment. He clicked his tongue once before
opening his mouth to speak. “Just get me a Jager Bomb,” Percy told him.
Nico nodded. “Tired?”
“Just something to make sure I stay awake. You'll probably end up on coffee or
energy drinks eventually,” Percy said with a smile. “Especially if you make a
habit of falling asleep in class.”
“It was just two times,” Nico pouted.
“Still, don't make a habit of it.”
Nico nodded. “So, what perks do I get for being your waiter?” Nico asked,
biting his lip seductively.
Percy smirked. “Aw. They grow up so fast,” Percy chuckled. “Well, you can feel
free to talk to me when you drop by.”
“Do I get to spend extra time with you, like, sitting with you?”
Percy chuckled again, looking down at the table as he tapped his fingers on the
surface. “Well, I don't believe you saw any of the others getting to sit with
me. So, what does that tell you?” Percy asked, wagging his eyebrows a single
time. Nico sighed, resting his hands on the table to support himself. Percy ran
his eyes down Nico's body, curving around to Nico's jutting out backside. He
smiled upon returning his eyes to Nico. “You know, perhaps you should wear
those more often.”
“I could have them on your bedroom floor, if you prefer?” Nico suggested with a
sly smile.
Percy shook his head while chuckling. “You definitely seem to be getting the
hang of things.” He licked his lips. “Just remember what I said.”
Nico nodded and walked off, looking up to receive glares from the other Lost
Kids. That had gone about as well as he thought it would. He figured they
wouldn't be too happy with him, with it being a battle royale to get to Percy's
booth.
Nico pushed into the bar room and dropped off his two orders. Dionysus chuckled
at Nico. “Got to Percy's table, I take it?” Dionysus asked.
Nico smiled. “I did,” he confessed.
“Well, I'm sure that went over well with the others.”
Nico sighed. “I don't know what their problem with me is. They didn't really do
this until about a week ago.”
“Perhaps it would be because you are up here now?” Dionysus offered.
“Why would that matter?”
Dionysus began mixing Percy's drink, humming lightly to himself. “Because, you
are a problem for them, just as you are to Percy.”
Nico frowned at the chubby bartender. “What do you mean? I haven't done
anything.”
“Ah, well, there's your problem. You haven't done anything.”
Nico groaned. The man wasn't making sense. “Am I supposed to do something in
order to fit in?” he asked.
“Oh, you could. I'm sure their rude nature towards you would vanish in a
heartbeat.”
“I don't understand. Why does Percy feel the same? He-”
Dionysus cut him off. “Hasn't pushed you away? Hasn't seemed bothered by you?
Hasn't seemed distant or cold towards you?” Dionysus glanced at Nico. “No,
surely Percy would never be like that with you.”
Nico bit his lip. “How did you know he does that?” Nico asked.
“It's my business to know things, Nico.” He frowned at Nico. “Don't take it to
heart, Nico. I'm sure they would just feel horrible if they knew you were
getting upset by this. Perhaps they don't realize what they are doing.”
“If I just knew why they were acting like this, perhaps I could fix it.”
“I'm sure if you just let it go, it will fix itself,” Dionysus suggested.
Nico perked up slightly. “Really?”
Dionysus nodded and pushed the tray of drinks at Nico. “I'm very certain that
they will handle this on their own.”
“Thanks,” Nico said cheerfully. He smiled at the bartender and picked the tray
up. The door swung open in front of him, Hazel coming inside. She stared at
Nico for a brief second before walking again. She brushed against Nico's
shoulder, making him stumble a little. Nico caught himself, managing to steady
the drink, breathing a sigh of relief.
“Oops, I'm sorry, Nico, I wasn't paying attention,” Hazel apologized, a frown
gracing her lips.
“Uh, it's fine,” Nico mumbled. He glanced at Dionysus in confusion, but the man
just smiled cheerfully back at him. Nico sighed and exited the room. The show
had already begun, but he didn't really want to neglect his boss's order, so he
didn't look at the stage. He dropped off the woman's drink first. “There you
go, ma'am.”
“Thank you. I must say, I don't believe I've seen you up here before,” the
woman said, eyeing Nico's exposed chest.
“I'm sort of new,” Nico replied. “Well, if there's anything else, don't
hesitate to ask.” Nico winked at the woman and stepped over to Percy's table.
Leo had come in and taken a seat at some point while Nico was gone. He was
currently rambling to Percy about something on his phone when Nico arrived.
“Oh! Look who beat out the others tonight,” Leo teased.
Percy chuckled and took his drink from Nico. “Thanks, Nico,” spoke Percy. He
winked at Nico and lifted his drink to his lips.
“So, I don't think I've asked before, but do I have to discuss hours with you
now that I'm up here?” Nico asked.
Percy sat his drink down and cleared his throat. “I don't think you'll have to
worry about that quite yet. Besides, I still need to see you on the stage.”
“And then?”
“It's not that important. I'll take care of your schedule, don't worry.”
“Um. Ok?” Nico tilted his head to the side and looked at Leo. “So, do you want
anything?” he asked the Latino boy.
“Just a Red Bull for me, some of us actually have to be professional,” Leo
teased Percy.
“I have a high alcohol tolerance, thank you very much,” Percy grumbled, taking
another drink. Nico nodded and headed over to another table.
When Nico returned to the booth, a man was sitting down with Percy and Leo. He
perked up upon seeing Nico and Percy sighed. “Actually, can I change to him?”
the man asked, raking his eyes up and down Nico's pale body.
Nico fidgeted under the man's gaze. He looked at Percy, who was tapping his
fingers on the table. Nico glanced to Leo, who frowned at Nico. Nico opened his
mouth, but Leo shook his head.
Percy cleared his throat. “Well, I think you'd much rather spend some time with
one of the other boys,” Percy stated, a blank look on his face.
The man looked back at Nico and frowned. “I don't know, he looks very
appealing,” the man tried again.
Percy's eyes darkened. “I really don't think that's what you want. Oh, that
reminds me, how is your wife doing again?”
The man paled and cleared his throat. “Oh, perhaps you're right. He's much
too...pale for my liking.”
Percy smiled and nodded. He nudged Leo. “Take care of the man, will you?” Percy
instructed.
Leo nodded and ushered the man away from the booth. Nico frowned as he sat
Leo's drink on the table. “What was that about?” Nico voiced.
Percy shrugged and took another sip of his drink. “Just a business discussion.”
“But you denied him.”
Percy's face hardened as he glanced at Nico from the corner of his eye. “Are
you really complaining?” Percy growled.
“No, I didn't mean it like that,” Nico quickly amended.
Percy sighed and sat back in the booth. “It's just how things are handled here,
Nico. If I don't want to adhere to a client's request, I simply find a means to
deter him from it. Why do you think I have the Lost Kids pull dirt up on
people?”
Nico nodded. It made sense, he supposed. “And if they still keep trying?”
Percy stared at Nico, tilting his head slightly to the side. He tapped his
fingers in silence as he stared up at Nico. “Perhaps you should get back to
work,” Percy ordered.
Nico nodded. “Uh. Just let me know if you need anything else.”
Nico scurried away from Percy's booth. He shook his hands by his sides, trying
to calm himself down. That may have been one of the most intimidating
experiences he has had with Percy. Nico was right in his assessment yesterday,
Percy reminded him of a snake, venomous and deadly.
But, Percy didn't seem much of a violent type. He seemed to handle problems
through other means. So, perhaps there was nothing to worry about. He was
probably just overreacting. Still, Nico was starting to feel a little
intimidated by the young man.
 
-------------------------------------
Nico collapsed once he was inside Butch's car, exhausted after a late night and
long day at school. He let out a long groan and leaned his seat back as Butch
pulled away from the curb. Nico's head felt a little dizzy and his stomach did
not feel too good at the moment.
“Rough day?” Butch grunted.
“Yes,” Nico groaned. “I just want a nap.”
“Sorry, you got lessons.”
Nico groaned again. “How do you guys handle this all the time? I was doing ok
while at the bar, but the top floor is murder,” Nico whined.
Butch shrugged. “You get used to it. Try coffee, or something.”
“That's what Percy suggested.” Nico's eyes widened as Butch took an unexpected
sharp turn. “Wh-What are you doing?” Nico shrieked.
“Going to find you some coffee and energy drinks,” Butch chuckled.
Nico held onto his seatbelt with a death grip the rest of the trip to the
store. “I don't think I need it anymore today.”
Butch smirked and ruffled Nico's hair. “You need to learn to live a little,
kid,” Butch said as they got out.
“Living implies I'm alive,” Nico replied.
Once inside, Butch led Nico to the coffee and energy drinks. “Any preferences?”
Butch asked.
“Uh, I've never had any.”
Butch frowned and looked back at the shelves. With a shrug, he scooped a few of
each into his arms and headed to the register. Nico followed behind him, still
in mild shock from the driving and Butch's latest action.
“That's a lot,” Nico deadpanned.
“Yes, it's so you can decide what you like,” Butch chuckled.
Butch stepped aside and Nico paid the lady behind the register. Butch smiled
and winked at the girl, getting a faint blush from the girl's cheeks. He
grabbed the bags, and he and Nico headed back to the car. Butch cranked the car
and reached inside one of the bags, handing an iced coffee to Nico.
“Here, try this one,” Butch instructed. “You look like you're about to fall
over.”
“Thanks,” Nico mumbled, taking the lid off and taking a sip. His eyes lit up
and he drank some more. “This is delicious.”
“Well, we can put French vanilla down on your list.”
They pulled out from the store's parking lot and set off for the hotel, Nico
drinking some of his new found love. Taking a sip, he looked over at Butch.
“Can I, uh, ask you something?” Nico stuttered, fidgeting with his bottle.
Butch raised an eyebrow, but kept his eyes on the road. “Let me guess, you're
going to corner me into telling you about my past?” Butch asked.
Nico pouted. “I haven't cornered anyone.”
“No, but perhaps you shouldn't go asking,” mumbled Butch.
“I just want to get to know everyone better.”
“Well, shouldn't our present be what you're concerned with, not our past?”
Nico frowned. He opened his mouth, but closed it, taking another sip of coffee.
“Is there any harm with knowing the past?” He looked over at Butch. “I'd be
fine with sharing my past.”
“Well, we already have a vague idea on what happened. We usually all end up on
the streets with a horror story, but in this case, those you've already shared
a little with have spread it around.”
“Well, that doesn't seem fair,” Nico complained. Butch glanced briefly at Nico.
“How come you guys can share info about me, but it's different when I ask?”
Butch tilted his head off to the side in acknowledgment. “I guess you got a
point there, kid,” Butch agreed. “The others are right; you're too smart for
your own good.”
Nico smiled and sat back, taking another sip with a prideful smile. “So, what
about you?” Nico already knew Butch had been raised on the streets, but he also
knew that Butch probably wouldn't like the fact that Dionysus had given Nico a
glimpse into the young man's past.
Butch squeezed the steering wheel tightly in his grasp, the whites appearing in
his knuckles. He let out a long sigh as he continued to watch the road. He took
one hand off the wheel and rubbed a hand down his face before glancing at Nico.
“If you really don't want to talk about it-” Nico began, but Butch cut him off.
“I grew up on the streets, like Percy. My mother was a druggie, to put it
nicely. We lived in some run down houses while she got her fix. At the time, I
didn't really understand where she got the money. It wasn't until much later
that I could put the pieces together.” Butch licked his lips. “She wasn't much
of a mother, you know? She wasn't warm and loving like you expect a mother to
be. She just worried about getting her next dose.”
“What happened?” Nico whispered.
“I got a little older. I took care of myself, for the most part I had to learn
to defend myself. I had to resort to stealing, amongst other things, perhaps
things I'm not too proud of. But, you got to do what you got to do, right?”
Butch's eyebrows furrowed. “I don't know, somewhere in all of that, I just got
tired of having to take care of her. I just left one night while she was
asleep, hoping to get away from all of that.”
“I'm sorry.”
Butch shrugged. “It was shit. I always had to watch myself, even in the
abandoned houses. I freaked out every time I found a needle on the floor. I
suppose the fact that she had no regard for my well-being or safety made me
come to despise her a little,” Butch explained.
“How did you find Percy?”
“I lived on the streets, by myself, after that. If things had been different
for me, I'd like to believe that I would have felt guilty for the stuff I did
back then, but I was raised to survive, nothing more. I never even set foot in
a school. I picked up speech from my mother and other people. Usually, I just
grunted at people.” Butch was quiet for a few moments, until he saw Nico
looking at him with concern. “I ran into Percy one day by chance. It seemed I
had run into someone he wanted to collect money from. The problem was that I
had killed the guy for that money.”
Nico felt himself gulp unconsciously. It sent a chill down his spine to hear
that news. When he first arrived at the Lotus, it might have fazed him more,
but he was starting to come to terms with how tragic and messed up the Lost
Kids' pasts really were.
Butch chuckled. “Normally, I would have probably tried to kill him too, but
there was just something about the way Percy carried himself that day that told
me I'd be better off if I didn't try. He was completely alone out there in the
worst neighborhood in the city, but even back then, I think I knew better,”
Butch continued.
“What do you mean?” Nico tilted his head to the side. Percy was intimidating,
sure, but what Butch was saying felt weird to Nico.
Butch tapped his finger against the steering wheel as he threw the car into
park. “Percy isn't all he seems to be, Nico,” Butch mumbled. “Trust me on that
one.” Without another word, Butch got out of the car and headed to the
elevator.
Nico got out, grabbing his stuff, and followed after the muscular young man. He
frowned at Butch's back as they walked to the elevator in silence, wanting to
press the issue, but knowing better than to try. They rode up in an awkward
silence, or at least for Nico it was, Butch didn't seem bothered by it at all.
That was something slightly odd that Nico found about all of them, they all
recovered from bad moods rather quickly.
Butch remained at the elevator while Nico ran to his room to drop off his
stuff. Upon his return, he found Butch talking with Octavian and Will, both
Lost Boys sporting cheerful faces. Nico greeted them as they all boarded the
elevator to descend to the gym.
Nico cleared his throat. “So, Butch, you said you picked up speech from your
mother, but you seem to talk fine,” Nico blurted out.
All eyes drew to Nico as the black headed boy waited to hear Butch's answer.
“Pushed you into telling your past too, I see?” Octavian mumbled, leaning
against the wall of the elevator.
Butch shrugged. “No harm in it. He might as well hear it from the horse's
mouth, instead of somewhere else later,” Butch reasoned. He turned to Nico to
address the question the dark haired boy laid out for him. “After I got taken
in by Percy, he saw to it that I improved on my speech. Couldn't have me
running around grunting and sounding like a cavemen to the customers, now could
he?”
Nico nodded. Butch turned back around and stared at the door, but Nico kept
looking at the taller Lost Boy. It was nice of Percy. He made sure all of them
were taken care of upon their arrivals. The elevator door opened and the others
stepped out, but Nico's eyes took notice of one detail.
Octavian was limping. Nico felt his face heat up at the realization of what the
two blonds had probably been doing before they had come to the elevator. Nico
blinked and followed after the three other Lost Boys, his eyes occasionally
moving back to Octavian's lower half. He glanced at Will, looking the blond's
body over. Will was attractive. Nico would probably say he was the second most
attractive of the Lost Boys, Apollo being first, and not including Percy. Percy
definitely was the most attractive person in general at the hotel, and probably
the most attractive person Nico had ever seen in general.
As luck would have it, the green eyed god was in the room with the others when
Nico arrived. He had a bright smile on his face and his eyes were shining in
amusement. The other Lost Boys were laughing at something that Percy must have
just said before they entered, and Nico found himself wishing he knew what it
was. Percy took notice of them as the door closed behind Nico, his smile
remaining firmly in place.
“There you are. What took so long?” Percy asked Butch.
“We stopped off and got him some life energy,” Butch replied.
“A hyper Nico,” Travis began.
“Could be an interesting Nico,” Connor finished, both of them grinning at Nico.
Nico tossed them a scowl, walking towards Percy. Which probably wasn't the best
move, as he noticed the others shift in their moods. Percy's eyebrows rose at
them and he cleared his throat. “So, I need all of you to get this one in shape
for Friday,” Percy announced, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder. “Make me
proud, and all that.”
“We offer nothing but the best,” Travis purred, leaning his head on Percy's
shoulder.
Percy chuckled and ran a hand through the tall brunet's hair. “Oh, I'm well
aware of that, Travis,” Percy returned with a wink and a smooch in the brunet's
direction. “After that, Nico's to remain here for lessons with Apollo.” Percy
pointed a finger at the blond. “I need you to work out a routine for him by
Friday. That's what I want you working on him with during your private
lessons.”
Apollo nodded, grinning back at the black haired boss. “I'll work him extra
hard,” Apollo replied.
“Business,” Percy reminded him. “There's time for personal time later.
Although, remember what I said.”
“I remember. We've been playing fair.”
Percy sighed and rolled his eyes. “I know,” Percy droned, “that's why I worry.
Now then, Nico, you need to do everything they say, and give it your best.”
“You seem to be in a good mood,” Nico pointed out. Percy smiled.
“He's always gets in a good mood after a big weekend,” Octavian answered.
“More income,” Luke finished for his brother, smirking at Percy.
“And that means a raise for you,” Percy added. He patted Nico's cheek
playfully. “So, make me proud.” He grinned at the Lost Boys and made his way
out of the room, tossing them a wave over his shoulder.
“Alright, we need to get started,” Apollo announced once the door closed. He
grinned at the short pale boy. “We only have a few days to get this taken care
of, and you need to be a good dancer and stripper by the time Friday rolls
around.”
“Joy,” Nico mumbled.
“If you would prefer we told Percy you weren't up for it...” Beckendorf trailed
off, crossing his arms over his chest.
“I didn't say that,” Nico quickly amended. “I'm just sure this will be the most
pleasant experience during my time here to date.”
“That's the spirit, Neeks,” the twins chimed, wrapping their arms around Nico's
waist.
Nico looked at Apollo. “So, where do we begin?”
“Oh, so eager,” Will purred in Nico's ear, chuckling at the blush that spread
onto Nico's cheeks.
Apollo shook his head with a smile. “Anyways, we'll start simple, working with
what I showed you the other night. We'll just keep progressing over the days
until you are ready. I don't expect absolute perfection in five days, but I do
expect you to be able to get the job done by then,” the blond said.
“But Percy said-” Nico began, but Apollo cut him off.
“And I'm not Percy. He's strict with this stuff, you have to understand, but
that's how we work. Think of me like the good cop in this situation.” Apollo
chuckled. “You'll be fine. I don't expect you to be able to manage getting the
customers to drool over you during your first performance, but I need you to be
able to handle the performance.”
Nico nodded, slipping his shoes off. He smiled at the blond, getting himself a
smirk in return. “So, I won't get in trouble?”
Apollo smiled. “No, you'll be fine.” Apollo tapped his finger to his mouth and
glanced at Luke.
Luke rolled his eyes. “He's probably going to nag you about improving, but you
won't get in trouble. All he's going to care about is you doing your job,” Luke
jumped in.
“There's time for perfection later,” Butch added.
“How awkward is this going to be?” Nico asked, frowning at Apollo.
“This will be fun, Nico,” Octavian grinned.
Nico groaned and let himself be placed in front of the mirror by Beckendorf.
“So, we already gave you a little practice last week, and I gave you a quick
lesson the other night, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal,” Apollo stated.
“Just remember the things I told you.”
Travis started the music and swayed his hips as he made his way over to the
group, holding his arms over his head. When the song picked up, the other Lost
Boys started moving along with the music. Nico stood there for a moment to
watch them in the mirror, becoming mesmerized by their movements.
“You just have to go with the music, Nico,” Will chuckled.
“While keeping it sexual,” added Octavian.
Nico nodded, following along with the group as they ran their hand down their
chest, though, his came out a little awkward. Luke rolled his eyes and grabbed
Nico's hand, guiding it slowly down Nico's chest. “Move it slower and more
sensually,” Luke instructed. Nico nodded, unable to meet the intense blue eyes
staring at him.
He had realized that that was one of his problems. They could reduce him to a
blushing pile of mush just by uttering a few words and looking at him. How was
that even fair? It was frustrating, but Nico didn't know what to do.
Once he had the hang of it, Luke released his hand, letting the raven haired
boy do it himself. The Lost Boys swiped their hand around the back of their
head, messing their hair up a little in the process of the action. One by one,
they each reached for the hems of their shirts, slowly raising them up to
expose their torsos. Nico licked his lips, averting his eyes from the mirror in
order to keep himself from staring at the skin. He raised his own shirt over
his head and let it fall to the ground with the others.
The Lost Boys started to shake their hips when the song hit a series of quick
beats. Nico groaned in frustration, placing his head in his hands. “Calm down,
you'll get the hang of it. Just watch and try to imitate,” Butch assured him.
Nico sighed and nodded. He looked back at the mirror, watching as others. His
eyes seemed to linger on their hips, drawn in by the shaking movement they were
performing. It was an enticing movement, to say the least.
Nico got down on the ground with the rest of them, propping himself up on his
hands. He blushed as he rolled his hips as the others did, receiving many grins
from the other Lost Boys. Will in particular caught Nico's eye, the blond
wagging his eyebrows as he rolled on top of Nico, settling between the pale
boy's legs. He rolled his hips against Nico, making Nico's face heat up even
more.
He began to shift away, but Will grabbed him. “Just go with it, Nico,” Apollo
instructed. “You'll have to learn sooner or later.”
“Besides, we need to break this feeling of uncomfortableness you seem to have
with the rest of us pressing against you,” Luke mumbled.
Nico groaned, Will still smirking above him. “Relax, Nico. This stuff is
enjoyable, once you get comfortable with it,” the blond chuckled.
Nico blew out a breath as Will continued to move against him. He glanced at
Apollo from the corner of his eye. “How long do I have to do this?” he asked.
Apollo shrugged. “Until you break out of that shell of yours,” Apollo replied
with a grin.
Nico pouted and looked back at Will. “Am I that bad, Nico?” Will purred into
Nico's ear. Nico felt his cheeks blush once more and he shook his head. “Do you
like it?”
Nico bit his lip to keep a moan in, feeling Will's cock press against his ass.
Will chuckled at him, knowing he was driving the smaller boy insane. Nico
glared up at him and decided to try and turn the tables. He tightened his legs
around Will's waist and wrapped his arms around Will's neck, using it as
leverage to pull himself up against Will's thrusts.
The action caught Will off-guard at first, his eyes widening at Nico, but he
soon recovered, his smirk once again returning. “That's better,” he chuckled.
“Your job is to entice the audience through action,” Octavian pointed out. “Use
whatever you can at your disposal.”
“Your body is your greatest weapon in this profession,” Travis continued.
This awkward experience for Nico continued for about an hour before Apollo
dismissed the Lost Boys. He smiled at Nico as the others filed out of the room,
leaving them alone. Apollo ran a hand through his hair as he circled Nico. “Not
bad,” the blond stated. “We still have a lot of work, but not bad.”
“Thanks,” Nico mumbled, rubbing his arm.
“Now it's time for more one-on-one time, which means more touching.”
“Yay,” Nico droned.
Apollo chuckled and stepped up behind Nico. “You seemed to enjoy it the other
night,” he whispered in Nico's ear, causing Nico to shudder.
“So, what are we going to be doing during the private lessons?”
Apollo blew out a puff of air. “I'll just be giving you more attention. What we
just did was more for you to watch us. This is for me to work on you. So,
basically, I'm going to be watching you put the skills we've taught you to
work.”
Nico nodded, chewing on his bottom lip. “Ok.”
Apollo pat him on the back. “Don't look so nervous, Nico, I'm just trying to
help. I promise not to make it hard on you. I won't laugh, I swear,” Apollo
said seriously.
Nico took a deep breath and nodded at the blond. Apollo gave him a bright smile
in return, taking a seat a few feet away. “So, I just begin?” Nico asked.
“Whenever you're ready.”
Nico nodded again. He began by moving his hips and sliding his hands up his
thighs. “So, am I going to be able to do what you do?” Nico asked as he
continued to move.
“What do you mean?”
“You just perform differently than the others. You have an air of grace about
you.”
Apollo smiled. “That's just from my dance lessons.”
“Are you going to go professional?” Nico asked.
Apollo frowned and shook his head. “No, I don't really want to ruin my feet,”
he said, making himself put on a smile. “That's why I don't do the toe stands
very much. I try to keep it simple.”
Nico nodded, sliding his hand up his chest. “What about Thalia?”
“She takes a ballet class with me in order to perform with me on the big
weekends. It's something fun for us to do and bond over.” Apollo chuckled. “I
had to force her to take the courses with me originally. As you can probably
tell, she's not a girly girl. She's warmed up to it, though.”
“So, I won't be able to do that stuff?”
Apollo scrunched his lips. “Well, you could always take some classes, but I
don't know when you would have time. I could teach you a little, but it's a lot
of work. I'd suggest just sticking with basics. You need to find your own
style. Don't worry about trying to be like one of the rest of us,” Apollo
suggested.
Nico nodded, bending over, but keeping his vision on the blond in the chair.
From time to time, Apollo would stand up and walk over to Nico, correcting
something about his posture or a move the pale boy had just made. Nico would
nod and fix whatever it was the blond pointed out. Apollo smiled at him and
returned to his chair after each thing was fixed, waiting until he noticed
something else to repeat the process.
After about another hour of that, Apollo dismissed him. Nico frowned at the
blond as he slipped his shoes back on. The blond sat in the chair, staring off
into space, having become oblivious to Nico's presence after dismissing him.
Apollo ran a hand through his hair, resting it in his golden locks, and tilted
his head to look at Nico. “You should hurry, you need to eat before work,”
Apollo whispered.
Nico chewed on his lip and nodded, not certain what to say to the blond adonis.
He pushed the door open and headed back to the elevator, pulling out his phone
on the way. He called down to the kitchen to place an order for room service to
deliver for him and rode up to his room in utter silence.
Something felt weird all of a sudden, and Nico couldn't quite place it. Ever
since Friday, something had just seemed to begin to feel wrong. Apollo's
demeanor just then had especially concerned Nico. He was always cheerful. The
only time Nico had really seen him depressed had been their day at the beach,
when Nico had talked to him about his past.
He exited the elevator and made his way to his room, passing Butch and
Beckendorf's room on the way. The door was open and the two roommates stood in
the middle of their living room with the twins, all of them falling quiet at
the sight of the black headed boy. Nico made his way passed the doorway,
glancing down at the ground as he finished walking to his door.
Once inside, he sat back on the couch and turned the TV on. That was another
thing that had been bothering him since the weekend began. The Lost Kids were
being blunter in this sense of distaste for Nico. The glares, stares, and
hurtful words were there more often. Nico wasn't sure what he had done, but
obviously he had done something to offend them.
It was like they were watching and waiting for something. But what? Was Nico
supposed to do something? Some sort of initiation? Obviously he had missed the
memo if that were the case. It felt a little unfair that they acted like this
and wouldn't tell him what the problem was, or what they were waiting on. There
was not much he could do, though. He would just have to take Dionysus's advice
and let it sort itself out.
***** I'm Falling Deep into a Pit of Vipers *****
Nico moved along with the other Lost Boys as the music played. Friday had
finally rolled back around, and Nico was getting the hang of things. Apollo had
been working him into the ground trying to learn a specific routine for
tonight, and he was just relieved that he was actually managing to pull off the
moves.
He swept his hand up into his hair and around his head. He ran both of his
hands up into his dark locks, further messing his hair up and putting on a
seductive look. It felt so weird for him, but the others had said it was to be
expected at first. All that mattered was that he could keep up the appearance
of being comfortable with what he was doing.
Nico stepped to the left and slid his right leg along the floor, running his
hand up his thigh. He followed the Lost Boys' moves as they spun around and
groped their asses. He flicked his wrist and snapped his fingers like he was
instructed. He got down on the ground, like the others, and lifted his leg up
into the air. He was already out of his shirt and shorts at this point, only
leaving him in his boxer-briefs.
The door to the gym opened, revealing Percy. Nico couldn't help but admire his
attire. He was wearing a dark grey shirt which clung to his torso perfectly,
while his lower half was clad in a pair of tight black jeans that showed off
his ass. He raised an eyebrow at Nico's position and walked over to the music,
shutting it off. The Lost Boys all stopped moving and grinned at Percy. “I just
thought I'd come see how things were going,” said Percy.
Nico hadn't seen much of him this past week. He asked Thalia and Butch about
it, but they just said that Percy had his hands full with important business.
Nico had been given the rest of the week off from the top floor and had been
kept to the bar, which Nico had been a little thankful for. Being around that
environment had gotten a little suffocating for Nico, if he were being honest.
Apollo picked himself up. “Well, we were just finishing up,” the blond informed
their boss.
Percy nodded. “I just want to get a look at how he's doing.”
Apollo grinned and ran a hand up into his golden curls. “Fine by me, I have no
problem sharing.”
The rest of the Lost Boys got up and got their things together. Will went to
talk to Percy before he left, but he was whispering, so Nico was unable to hear
their conversation. Will grinned widely, though, and rested a hand on Percy's
chest. Percy smiled back and tilted his head to the side. He said something
back to Will, while running a hand through Will's short blond hair.
Nico moved over to where Apollo stood, so that he could hear the two talking,
while remaining inconspicuous. “So, tonight?” Will asked. “I really need to
discuss some business with you.”
Percy smiled back and gripped Will's hair, pulling him closer. “Not tonight,”
he whispered. “I just need to make sure everything goes smoothly.” Percy's eyes
darkened. “You know, in case something goes wrong.”
Will frowned and huffed. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Why would
anything go wrong? He's so perfect after all.”
Percy raised his eyebrows. “I always worry when it's someone's first
performance. Need I remind you of your first performance?”
Will grumbled and shook his head. He turned around and walked off, glaring at
Nico briefly before walking out the door. “Well, that went well,” Apollo said
cheerfully, placing his hands on Nico's shoulders.
“Drop it,” Percy ordered, tossing Apollo a harsh look.
Apollo inhaled sharply behind Nico and cleared his throat. “So, I suppose we'll
just get started.” He spun Nico around to face him. “Alright, Nico, let's show
the boss what you've learned,” the blond said with a wink.
Nico nodded and situated himself as Apollo walked over to put some music on.
Percy pulled up two chairs for himself and Apollo. He crossed his arms and sat
back to watch Nico. The raven haired boy shifted slightly under his gaze,
feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. He had gotten comfortable with the other
Lost Boys watching him, but Percy had yet to see him. It was like the night in
his room, where Percy had watched him walk and talk.
“Clothes back on,” Percy instructed, tossing Nico's shirt at him. “I need to
see the full thing.”
Nico nodded again and slipped his shirt over his head. He walked over to
retrieve his shorts from the other side of the room. He bent over and picked
them up before turning back around. Percy was leaning over and Apollo was
whispering something in his ear while they both smirked at Nico. Nico pouted
and grumbled to himself as he slipped his shorts back on to hide his butt.
Percy rested an elbow on Apollo's shoulder, resting his head on his fist.
“Well, Nico, let's see what you have learned this past week,” Percy chuckled.
Nico felt a little sick to his stomach at having to do this in front of Percy,
but he nodded and began the routine that Apollo had been drilling into his head
all week. Percy kept a blank and unreadable face throughout the entire
performance, unlike Apollo, who was smiling and giving him a thumbs up.
When he was finished, he rested his hands on his knees and panted. It had been
a long day of practice, and he just wanted a break and a nice hot shower. Percy
leaned over and whispered something to Apollo, a serious look on his face.
Apollo nodded, a grin creeping onto his features. Percy made a few gestures,
but ended up nodding. He stood up and glanced at Nico, tossing him a wink
before walking out the door.
Nico watched him walk out in confusion. He looked back at Apollo, tilting his
head to the side. Apollo stood up and clapped him on the back. “Good job, kid,”
Apollo began. “He said you need some more work, but that you should be fine for
tonight.”
“So, I'm clear?” Nico asked.
Apollo nodded. “You're clear.” He pushed Nico towards the door while Nico
picked up his clothes on the way. “Go get cleaned up and prepare yourself for
tonight.” A bright smile spread out across Apollo's face. “It should be a fun
night.”
Nico nodded, slipping his clothes on. “Is there anything I need to wear?”
Apollo nodded again. “Go see Octavian, have him help you get something
together.”
Nico smiled. “Alright. Thanks again, Apollo.”
Apollo placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “It's been a pleasure, Nico,” the
blond replied before walking out.
Nico sighed and bent down to tie his shoes. He was definitely starting to feel
nervous. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and he had barely eaten at
lunch. It seemed to only be getting worse as the day went along. Perhaps if he
just didn't focus on the crowd? Would that help?
He sat back on the floor and rested his left arm on his knees. Nico blew out a
long breath while running his other hand through his dark hair. Last weekend
was the easy part, he knew that. He knew this would be the real test.
Before he had come to the Lotus, no one had seen him naked since he was a
toddler. Percy had been the first. He smiled to himself. That night seemed like
so long ago now, but it had only been a little over a month. He had been in
such poor shape, and Percy had saved him from starvation and a life of
constantly being afraid. And Percy had at least been somewhat of a decent
gentlemen about not ogling his body while Nico was showering. Which slightly
surprised Nico, now that he knew what this place really was.
His body had been in such bad shape, and now, he was about to get paid to let
people stare at it. It was an interesting way to display how far he had come
since he first arrived here. He just had to keep his nerves down. He didn't
want to throw up on stage. Nico groaned. That wouldn't be attractive at all.
Picking himself up with a sigh, Nico walked out of the room, heading towards
the elevator. He had a little time before he had to be upstairs, and he still
had to eat. But first, Nico needed to see Octavian about something to wear.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the blond's number, frowning
when Octavian didn't pick up. He rode up to the Lost Kids' floor and headed for
Luke and Octavian's suite. He knocked on the door. There was a grunt on the
other side, followed by a few curses.
Luke flung the door open and glared down at Nico. “You got me killed,” he
grumbled.
Nico raised an eyebrow. “Sorry?”
Luke rubbed his head. “What do you want?”
“I need to see Octavian. Is he here?”
Luke grinned. “Yeah, he's in his room. Follow me,” Luke instructed, pulling
Nico inside. He shut the door behind them and led Nico to the first door in the
hallway. Without knocking, Luke threw the door open and Nico's face instantly
flushed.
Octavian was on his bed with Travis lying on top of him, both of them fully
naked. Travis was busy thrusting into Octavian, and Octavian had his nails
digging into the brunet's back. Nico made to step back, but Luke held him in
place. His face heated up more when he heard Octavian release a string of moans
as Travis picked up his pace.
Nico couldn't help but trail his gaze across both of their naked bodies. He
would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't thought about them being naked
before. Hell, he had probably thought about all of the Lost Boys naked. He was
a little bit more drawn to Travis's lean and naked form, though. He licked his
lips as he took in Travis's sweaty torso.
Luke cleared his throat, but the two on the bed didn't stop their actions. They
just looked at the door, Octavian raising an eyebrow. “What-What do you want?”
Octavian panted.
Luke shoved Nico forward a little. Nico's blush worsened as Travis and Octavian
both looked at him, Travis still thrusting into Octavian. “A-Apollo wanted me
to come see you about helping me get some o-outfits put together,” Nico
stuttered.
Travis gripped Octavian's hips and thrust harder. “Can't it wait? He's a little
busy right now,” the brunet growled.
Octavian shrugged. “Or feel free to join,” he added.
Travis slowed down and stared at Nico. Was he actually waiting for Nico to
answer that? “Or you can join me in my room,” Luke whispered in his ear.
Nico didn't know if his face could be any darker right now. He figured all the
blood in his body had made its way to his face. Travis shrugged and went back
to plowing into Octavian's ass. The blond threw his head back and released more
moans.
Nico stood there, unsure of what to do. He needed Octavian's help, but he
wasn't sure he wanted to wait right there for the blond to finish. “I-I'll just
wait in the living room,” Nico mumbled.
Travis shrugged. “Suit yourself. I'll have him out to you in a minute.”
“Or several,” Octavian panted.
Travis grinned and leaned down to kiss Octavian. Nico cleared his throat and
made his way out of the room, Luke shutting the door behind them. Luke laughed
as he followed Nico into the living room. He plopped down on the couch. “That
was more entertaining than I was expecting,” Luke chuckled.
“I'm so glad I could amuse you,” Nico mumbled as he sat down next to the blond.
Luke kept snickering, but handed Nico a controller.
-----------------------------------
“I object,” Nico voiced, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Aw, but you look so cute in the uniform,” Will teased him.
Octavian had spent nearly an hour helping Nico get some outfits ready for his
first night. Octavian had insisted on Nico wearing the schoolboy uniform, as it
fit his angle pretty well. Luke and Butch were off to the side, snickering
quietly to themselves as they watched Nico pout about his outfit.
The Lost Girls that were performing tonight had also stopped by to torment him
by pinching his cheeks. He had glared at them to the best of his ability, but
it had not deterred them, especially not Thalia. She had cackled and walked
off.
Luke chuckled and walked towards the stage, pinching Nico's cheek as well. Nico
huffed at the blond's retreating back, but he didn't seem to care. “So, how is
order determined?” Nico asked Will.
“Luke's going to go on first. He and Annabeth are sort of the more popular
ones, I guess you could say,” Will explained.
“Well, when it comes to sex,” Butch added.
Will nodded. “Yes, when it comes to sex. Apollo excels at the performance
aspect here on stage. So, they and Thalia could be considered your biggest
competition.”
“Why Thalia?” Nico asked.
“It breaks down into some complicated shit,” Butch began. “Apollo is better at
dancing, Annabeth is the most requested girl for private sessions, and Luke and
Thalia excel with their kinkiness.”
“But it all depends on what the customer really wants,” finished Will.
“Customers don't always want the same thing twice, and different people want
different things.”
Butch clapped Nico on the back. “But you don't have to worry about most of
that.”
Nico sat down on the couch as he listened to the music play for Luke's
performance. He would be going on after Will, who was going to perform when
Luke was finished. Will and Butch watched him silently, glancing at each other
before going about their tasks.
Nico's heart was beating heavily in his chest, and he was feeling a little cold
as he sat there. His palms were getting a little sweaty. He tried taking deep
breaths, but they didn't seem to help him any. He eyed the door, debating on
making a break for it, but that would not do him any good. He had come too far
to back out now. He figured Percy was looking at him as more of an adult now,
and he didn't want to reverse that.
As Luke's performance ended, the tall blond walked backstage with a grin on his
face. He glanced at Nico before looking over to Will, his smirk only growing.
That weird feeling that Nico had earlier in the week was starting to come back.
He was also afraid his dinner was about to come back up. He covered his mouth
and tried to slow his breathing.
Nico was getting a bad feeling about this. But everything would be alright,
wouldn't it? The others had assured him that it would be fine. They had worked
with him for the past two weeks after all. Everything should be fine. He knew
what to do.
Will had made his way out onto the stage when the music started. Nico's
heartbeat quickened. He was starting to find it hard to breathe. Everyone was
going to be staring at him. What if he messed up? What if he fell on his face?
Why was all of this just now coming to him? Why hadn't he thought about this
already?
Luke and Butch stared at him the entire time Will was performing. They glanced
at each other from time to time, frowning to themselves. Will came back sooner
that Nico would have liked, signaling that it was his time to go on.
The world around Nico was starting to spin. Nico was feeling extremely dizzy
and nauseous as Will walked over and helped him up. Will patted him on the back
as they walked towards the stage. Nico silently shook his head. “You'll be
fine, dude,” Will assured him with a wide grin.
Nico glanced down at his hands, which were visibly shaking. He heard the door
open and Thalia, Reyna, and Calypso walked towards them. “We just wanted to see
the show real quick,” voiced Thalia, but it came out as a muffled sound to
Nico.
He was having a hard time focusing on his surroundings, everything just kept
getting dizzier and dizzier for him. He was afraid he was going to collapse at
any moment. He glanced back at Will for help, but the blond just grinned at him
and shoved him forward when the music began.
Nico's eyes widened as he stumbled out onto the stage. His hands were shaking
at his sides as he stared out at the audience in absolute terror. He wasn't
ready for this.
The music was so muffled behind the ringing in his ears that he couldn't even
hear it. Everyone was just sitting there, waiting for him to do something. He
searched for Apollo on the floor, eventually finding the blond staring up at
him. Apollo didn't do anything, though. He just stood there, watching Nico with
interest.
Nico's eyes flew over to where Percy always set, not finding the sight any more
helpful than Apollo. Percy was sat in his booth, stone-faced as he watched
Nico. While it was dark on the floor, Nico could see that Percy did not look
happy. His eyes darted over to where Apollo stood.
Nico jumped when he felt two pairs of hands on him. He turned to see both Luke
and Butch on either side of him. Their faces were blank, so Nico couldn't tell
what they were thinking, but their hands moved across Nico's body. Nico glanced
back to Percy, who had relaxed back into his booth.
Luke grabbed Nico's chin and forced Nico to look at him. He grabbed the jacket
on Nico and slid it off Nico's shoulders, while Butch worked to get his belt
off. Butch cracked the belt. Luke yanked on Nico's tie and bent the black
haired boy over, allowing Butch a chance to smack his ass with it. Nico bit
back a yelp, feeling the sharp sting on his backside.
Slowly, Luke unfastened the buttons on Nico's shirt. He picked Nico up,
wrapping the shorter youth's legs around his waist. He pushed on Nico's chest,
urging him to lean back. Nico obeyed, pressing his hands against the stage to
support himself.
Luke leaned over and licked around Nico's stomach, eliciting a small moan from
his lips. Butch started to unbutton Nico's pants. Nico was eventually slid out
of them, he himself ending up with his back on the stage. Luke grabbed one of
his legs and rested it on his shoulder. He grabbed Nico's hair and yanked on
his dark locks as he thrust against him. Luke buried his face in the crook of
Nico's neck, on the side opposite the audience.
“You can thank us later,” he hissed in Nico's ear.
Luke pulled back and Nico stared up into his narrowed eyes with curiosity. They
were helping him? Luke was helping him? Butch grabbed Nico's hand and yanked
him up. He bent Nico over and ran his larger hand down Nico's smooth back.
It was a little awkward to be stripped by others, but at least he wasn't
completely humiliated in front of everyone. The song finally came to an end and
Luke and Butch made sure he took a bow. As he rose back up, he saw Percy walk
over to Apollo and whisper in his ear. Percy firmly pointed a finger towards
the ground and pushed Apollo towards the backstage door, following behind the
blond.
Luke tossed his clothes at him once the curtain was closed. He grunted at Nico
and walked towards the others, who were deadly quiet. Nico slipped back into
his shorts and headed backstage. Percy was there, arms crossed, staring at the
floor. He glanced up at Nico. Nico flinched at the ice in Percy's eyes.
Percy rubbed at his face. “Go,” Percy ordered, an air of finality in his words.
Without an argument, the Lost Girls scampered towards their door. Luke and
Butch stood off to the side, arms crossed as they stared at Percy. Will was
standing close to Nico. He was also staring at Percy, but he was biting his
lip. Apollo on the other hand, was refusing to meet Percy's gaze.
“I-” Apollo began, but Percy cut him off.
“Do you think I'm stupid?” Percy asked, his voice surprisingly calm. Apollo
briskly shook his head. Percy's eyes turned back to Nico. Nico gulped and
fidgeted quietly. “I want to see you after the show is done. Do you
understand?”
Nico nodded. He wasn't sure what was going on with Percy. He had looked upset
at his booth, but he was speaking so calmly right now. “Yes, sir,” Nico
whispered.
Percy sighed and looked back at Apollo. “I'll need to see you, too.”
“But-” Apollo tried.
“That wasn't a question,” Percy interrupted him, a small smile spreading across
his lips. “For now, I need you to get Travis off the floor and back here.
Understand?”
Apollo nodded. “Y-Yes, sir,” Apollo whispered.
“What about me?” Nico asked.
“You're not going back on tonight,” Percy replied. His words bit into Nico like
the very snake Nico had been comparing him to. Percy shook his head. “No, I
want you to take Travis's place on the floor for the rest of the night.”
Nico nodded. He bit his lip to hide his frown. Part of him wanted to cry, but
he knew this wasn't the time. Percy looked back to Apollo and blinked. Without
further instruction, Apollo hurried off to fetch Travis.
Percy gestured towards the door and Nico followed him out. Percy slipped a hand
into his pocket as they walked. It was slightly awkward for Nico. Percy was
refusing to look at him, let alone say anything. What was happening?
---------------------------------------
Nico stood with Apollo beside Percy's booth. A few of the Lost Kids were a
small distance away, gathered at a table. Percy was talking to Leo about a
customer as they got out of the booth. Leo nodded and walked off, heading past
Nico and Apollo. Leo caught Nico's eye and gave him a concerned look.
Percy sighed and crossed his arms, but didn't look at either Lost Boy in front
of him. “Leave,” Percy barked suddenly. The Lost Kids straightened and gathered
their things quickly. They made their way out in silence.
Percy paced around in front of the two remaining people in the room. He rubbed
at his face from time to time, but did not speak. He let out a long breath and
ran a hand through his hair. He finally looked at Apollo and Nico, glancing
between the two with a frown.
“Nico, would you care to explain what happened tonight?” Percy asked calmly,
once again surprising Nico. Nico blinked at him in slight shock, but Percy just
stared back at him in silence. There was nothing to read on him. His eyes and
face were completely blank but for a calm, almost placid, smile.
“I just froze,” Nico confessed. “I'm sorry.”
Percy nodded. “And why did you freeze?”
Nico tilted his head to the side. Wasn't it obvious? “I was nervous.”
Percy raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Why would you be nervous? Weren't you
told how to deal with your stage fright?” Percy asked. Nico shook his head,
opting to remain quiet. Percy hummed to himself with a nod. He let out a
chuckle.
Nico glanced over to Apollo. The blond was fidgeting to himself. He was
wringing his hands in front of him. His eyes were wide and darting all over the
place, almost as if they were searching for something. Nico frowned at him.
What was he nervous about? Nico had been the one to mess up.
Percy rubbed his chin as he turned to Apollo with a warm smile. Apollo visibly
paled under Percy's gaze. “So, you didn't teach him everything you were
supposed to?” Percy asked, but it was obviously rhetorical.
“I-” Apollo tried, but Percy's laughter cut him off.
Nico tilted his head to the side. Percy was being pretty calm and cheerful,
considering what had happened. He then glanced at Apollo. He was supposed to
have worked with Nico about this? Why hadn't he?
“Tell me, Apollo,” Percy began, still remaining calm, “did you think I wouldn't
look at you when he messed up? You should have known I would hold both of you
responsible for his failure.” Percy was being very cordial about the ordeal,
but his words were starting to bother Nico. Had Apollo done this on purpose? He
glanced up at the tall blond with a frown, but Apollo's eyes were still
glancing around the room.
“I-He-” Apollo began, but put his hands over his mouth. He looked like he was
on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He flinched when Percy reached into his
pocket and pulled out his phone. Percy sent off a quick text and slid the
device back into his pocket.
“You know, I'm actually a little surprised,” Percy continued. “I thought you
were going to be a better friend to him than this, but I suppose I was wrong.”
Nico's eyebrows knitted together as he listened to Percy talk. “You stabbed him
in the back and left him for the dogs, that's pretty harsh.”
Nico's eyes widened. Apollo had done this on purpose? He looked to the blond,
hoping he would deny it, but Apollo just silently stared down at the ground.
Apollo had wanted him to fail? Why? Why would he do that? Percy sighed and ran
a hand down his face. Nico could feel his eyes starting to burn as he stared at
the blond.
Percy nodded his head. He opened his mouth, but he opted to speak in a foreign
language. Nico wasn't quite sure what it was. It sounded like French, but he
couldn't be quite sure. Percy made a few gestures as he went back to pacing. He
smiled and chuckled at Apollo as he spoke, but Apollo only seemed to fidget
more. Percy smiled brightly as he stared down at the ground, saying something
else to Apollo. Percy shook his head, smile still in place, and said something
more quietly.
Letting out a long sigh, Percy looked back at Nico. “I need you to come by and
see me in my office,” Percy instructed with another smile. “Let's make it
Monday, shall we?”
Nico nodded, staring in confusion at Percy. Percy nodded back and dismissed
them. He sat back down at his booth with a sigh. He picked up his half-finished
glass and took a long drink. Nico followed silently behind Apollo.
They descended the steps, finding the Lost Kids at the base of the stairs. Nico
felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at each one of them. They were a
sea of emotions. Some of them glanced at the ground in shame, others looked
sadly at Apollo, and some even glared coldly at Nico.
“Well, you really are the boss's little pet,” Reyna grumbled.
“At least he fucks us, though,” Travis chuckled dryly.
“Y-you all knew?” Nico rasped out. His vision was beginning to blur from the
tears.
“Don't take it so personally, Nico,” Hazel began.
“We just wanted you to fail,” continued Calypso.
“Why?” Nico sobbed.
“So, you could be like us,” Will spat. “You're so fucking perfect that the boss
won't even touch you.”
Nico bit his lip and rubbed at his face. He glanced at Thalia, hoping for some
support, but the girl was too busy rubbing Apollo's back. She turned an icy
stare at Nico, shrugging. “You're innocent, Nico. You're not like us. Why do
you think all the Lost Boys have been trying to fuck you? Someone needs to make
you like us, since Percy won't,” she scoffed.
“Sort of like a game,” Will added.
Thalia nodded. “You're like this horrible image we have to look at each day. A
constant fucking reminder of what we lost and will never be able to get back.”
“And then you wanted to come up here, like you didn't even appreciate what
Percy was trying to do for you,” Piper snarled.
“We just decided to watch, hoping you would show some sign of becoming like us,
but no,” Apollo whispered. “Why are you so special?”
“You wanted me to-” Nico clasped a hand over his mouth, fighting back another
sob. They wanted him to be like them? They wanted him to hate people? They
wanted him to lose the thing Percy had told him to hold on to?
“Don't take it to heart, Nico,” Connor said. “It'll be easier for you once
you're like the rest of us.”
“You don't hate yourself as much this way,” Travis added. “Just like Leo and
Rachel, you don't have all these people violating your body. You're just so
fucking perfect and it makes us all sick.”
“It hurts to look at you, knowing you managed to do what we couldn't,” Thalia
whispered. “We have to feel disgusted with ourselves every time we look at
you.”
“None of us made it off the streets so lucky. How is it fair that you did?”
Will growled.
“In a way, we were trying to help you, Nico. Like the twins said, it's easier
once you're more like us,” Hazel mumbled, refusing to look at Nico. The others
all nodded.
“And besides, why do you think Percy won't touch you?” Octavian finally voiced,
having remained quiet until now.
Nico's eyes widened. “What do you mean?” Nico croaked out.
“Like with us, you're just like one of those carnival mirrors that Percy has to
look at. You are nothing more than a reminder of himself. You're disgusting to
him for that reason.”
Nico sobbed as he stepped down the rest of the stairs. He walked past the Lost
Kids, stopping in front of Butch and Luke, who had remained silent the entire
time. They were leaned against the wall, but had been staring at Nico the
entire time.
“Thank you for back there,” Nico mumbled, wiping his nose on his arm.
Luke grunted. “We only did it to help Percy,” Butch grumbled.
Nico blinked in shock at them. “Percy wouldn't have been happy if you had been
a disaster and ruined business for him,” Luke spat, glancing at Apollo.
“Apparently, Apollo didn't think about this.”
“We did, however, talk it over and made sure to get stage time tonight when we
found out what Apollo was going to do.”
“Just in case you did fuck up,” Luke sneered.
Nico's mouth opened a few times. He stared off to the side, not wanting to meet
either one of their eyes. He couldn't stop crying, and the tears were flowing
heavily down his cheeks. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. He felt two pairs
of hands on his shoulders and opened them to find Clarisse and Ethan guiding
him away.
They guided him onto the elevator without a single word and pressed the button
to Nico's floor. Nico whispered his thanks to them as he rubbed at his eyes.
The doors closed and he buried his face into his hands. He rode down the rest
of the way sobbing into his palms.
He had been so stupid. He had trusted them. He had trusted Apollo. Apollo. Why
did it seem like the blond always hurt him the most? First, he walked in on him
having sex with Percy. Now, he had been stabbed in the back by the blond.
And what the others had said, could that be true? Did they really feel that way
about him? Did he really disgust all of them? He even disgusted Percy? He
exited the elevator and made his way down the hall, still crying.
Well, that would explain a lot of Percy's actions, Nico thought to himself.
Nico banged his head on his door. He was so stupid. He had known something was
up. He saw the way Apollo acted on Monday, and Saturday before that. He had
been planning this all week. He had even gotten the other Lost Kids involved.
Nico slipped inside and yanked his costume off, suddenly feeling disgusted with
himself. He went to his bedroom and slid off his speedo. He couldn't stand to
be dressed like one of them right now. He found the boxer-briefs he had on
earlier and slid them back on. He got some sweat pants and a t-shirt, and
slipped them on over his naked form.
He dragged himself back to the living room where he collapsed on the couch. He
buried his face into the cushion and continued to sob there for a long time.
This wasn't his fault! They were acting like he was on some pedestal, and he
wasn't. He had just wanted to survive on the streets. Most of the time, he had
been starving because he was too small and frail to actually manage to steal
food from someone. He had to slink away from places that were occupied in order
to be able to make it through the night.
But from all of that, he hadn't come to hate the world. How was that his fault?
He hadn't had time to be angry, all he had felt was fear. Nico lurched and
leaned over the side of the couch. He felt like he was going to be sick. They
had tried to have sex with him, and it was just a game to them?
Suddenly, Nico felt alone again. He felt alone and afraid like he had when he
was on the streets. They had all turned on him. He had thought he could trust
them, but they had all turned on him. At least Luke and Octavian had always
been honest about their feelings toward Nico. The others had masked their
opinions. Did they really hate him? Did he really make them feel so bad about
themselves? He didn't mean to. He had never wanted to do that. He liked them,
all of them. He wanted them to be his family, but now, everything was
crumbling, just like Luke had said it would.
Luke had warned him about how twisted and messed up the Lost Kids really were,
and he had just brushed it off. But now, he saw they really were messed up.
They were dark, just like this hotel. That's exactly what they were like, the
hotel.
Getting up from the couch, Nico walked to the door. He wasn't quite sure where
he was going, he just knew he needed someone. But who could he go to? He wanted
Percy, but he doubted he could get to or find the green-eyed young man. Still,
he was the only person Nico could really think of. So, Nico opened the door
and, still sniffling, made his way down to the elevator.
He wasn't sure if the others were in their rooms, but at the moment, he didn't
really care. He just wanted someone to comfort him right now, and he knew he
couldn't rely on any of them. He pressed the elevator button and waited. He
pursed his lips tightly as he felt another wave of tears coming on.
The elevator doors opened, and Nico sobbed at the sight of him. He buried his
face in the lean torso, wrapping his arms around the owner's waist. A hand came
up to rest in his hair, while the other wrapped around his waist.
“Shh. You're ok, Nico,” Percy whispered to him. He pulled Nico further into his
chest and stepped back onto the elevator. “Come on.”
Nico remained silent as the elevator ascended. He continued to sob into Percy's
chest as Percy ran a hand through his hair. Percy let out a long sigh and
lifted him up, just like he did when he brought him into the hotel for the
first time. Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck, letting the taller young
man carry him towards his suite. Percy managed to reach a hand back for his
wallet and pulled it out, sliding the keycard out with his thumb.
Nico looked up at him when Percy carried him inside, blinking up at him with
uncertainty. Percy just smiled at him and let the door close behind him. He sat
Nico down on the couch and walked into the kitchen. Nico fidgeted on the couch
as he watched Percy move around inside the kitchen, already missing the other's
touch.
“What did they say to you exactly?” Percy sighed, returning to the living room
with two glasses and two bottles. One bottle was clearly a bottle of Coke, but
the other contained some amber liquid. Nico finally realized what it was and
his eyes widened. Percy sat down beside him and mixed the liquids together, but
not touching the glasses when he was done. He glanced at Nico, waiting for an
answer.
Nico rubbed his eyes, sniffling as he did so. “Th-They just said some things,”
Nico mumbled.
Percy frowned. “What sort of things?”
Nico pursed his lips.
Percy ran a hand across his mouth. “Nico, Clarisse and Ethan already told me
what happened. I just want to hear it from you,” he explained.
Nico chewed on his lip as he watched the drinks on the coffee table in front of
them. “They said I was this horrible thing they had to look at, because I have
something they lost,” Nico sobbed.
Percy sighed. He rubbed Nico's back. He reached with his free hand to pick up a
glass and took a sip. “I'm sorry they said that,” he whispered. “You just have
to understand, you aren't like them, but you shouldn't feel bad about it. I
like that about you, Nico, I really do. I want you to keep that innocence of
yours. I want you to remain untainted by the world.”
“Do they hate me?” Nico whispered.
Percy shook his head. “No, they don't hate you.” He took a deep breath. “It's
just like they said, you are a bad reminder for them of what they've lost.
They're not innocent anymore, Nico. They lost that on the streets, in some way
or the other. I don't know how you did it, but you managed to make it through
with yours.” Nico bit his lip. “I'm not saying you didn't have a hard time,
Nico. I'm sure you did, but for some reason, you were lucky.”
“I don't feel lucky right now.”
Percy smiled. “Well, you should.” He scooted the other glass of alcohol towards
Nico.
Nico frowned. “I thought you said-”
Percy sighed. “I know, but I'm going to let it be your choice. Do you want it?”
Percy asked.
Nico eyed it for a moment, contemplating his decision. While he did feel like
having some at the moment, he wasn't sure if he wanted to go down that road
just yet. Percy had said it was a method of coping, but it made Nico feel like
if he chose it, he had run out of other options. If he took it, he would feel
like he couldn't manage to deal with this stuff himself. So, he just shook his
head and smiled.
Percy smiled back and slid the drink back towards himself. “So, what else did
they say?” Percy asked, taking another drink.
“I feel like a snitch by telling you,” Nico mumbled.
Percy chuckled. “I'm not going to tell any of them, you have my word. I just
want to know for myself. I also know you could use someone to vent all of this
to, and I figured I could help. I was actually on my way to check on you, when
you caught me at the elevator.”
Nico nodded, glancing into Percy's green eyes. “They wanted me to be like them,
and the other Lost Boys were just playing games with me, trying to seduce me.”
Percy was silent for a while, swirling his drink around in his glass, eyeing
the liquid. “I know,” he finally whispered.
“You knew?” Nico was a little shocked by Percy's response. He had known, and he
hadn't done anything?
“Yes, but I had faith that you would make your own decisions and decide what
was best for yourself. I told them that they had to be fair about it, and if
you said no, to drop it.” Percy looked at Nico and chuckled. “Nico, if you're
expecting me to be your knight in shining armor, I don't think I'm quite it.
You're not a princess, you don't need saving. You're old enough to make your
own decisions. You just have to be able to live with any consequences of those
decisions.”
Nico looked down. He knew what Percy was saying was true, but it still would
have been nice if Percy had done more about it. Maybe he really didn't care
about Nico, at least not in the way Nico wanted him to.
“Continue,” said Percy. Nico looked at him, knitting his eyebrows. “I know
there's more, Nico. I want to hear all of it.”
Nico took in a deep breath before letting it out. He looked at Percy, who was
watching him intently. Did he really want to tell Percy about the other thing
they had said? “They, uh, they said that you were like them, disgusted by the
sight of me, and that's why you won't touch me.”
Percy leaned back against the couch, eyebrows furrowed. He sighed and ran a
hand through his hair. He rubbed his forehead as he sat in silence for a
moment, refusing to look at Nico. Nico felt like crying again. Was it really
true? Was that why Percy wouldn't touch him?
“I-is it true?” Nico asked, his voice cracking.
“Yes,” Percy whispered.
Nico nodded and he let his head drop, a few tears falling from his face. Percy
sat quietly beside him, unmoving as Nico cried. Nico felt sick with himself. He
disgusted the guy he liked.
“But,” Percy finally continued, “that's not why I won't touch you.”
Nico turned his head to look at Percy in surprise. He opened his mouth, but
Percy continued on.
“I don't touch you because I don't want to corrupt you. I'm afraid if I get
involved with you, in any way, that I will break you. I don't want you losing
your innocence, I told you that,” Percy whispered.
“I-”
“But it is hard for me to look at you sometimes,” Percy confessed.
“Why?”
“The same reason as the Lost Kids. You have something that I don't. You're
something that I can never be, something that I can never know. I was raised on
the streets, Nico. I'm far from innocent.” He turned to face Nico. “I'm also
not someone you want to get involved with. I've tried to push you away, but
you're so determined.” A smile found its way onto Percy's lips as he finished.
He glanced up at the clock and sighed. “Do you want to sleep here tonight?”
Nico's eyes widened at the question. Percy was going to let him sleep here?
With him? “You mean, in the same bed?”
“Yes, in the same bed,” Percy chuckled. He stood up and took the drinks into
the kitchen, depositing them into the sink. He walked back into the room and
looked at Nico. “Usually, at some point when each Lost Kid gets here, I let
them when they need comforting. I just figured you finally could use it. This
place has been hard on all of them when they first got here. I expected this
when you said you wanted to work upstairs.”
Nico's face fell a little. He had hoped that he was special, that it wasn't
common. “Oh,” Nico whispered.
Percy sighed, smiling at Nico. “Don't think of it like that. I know you need
someone to comfort you, though. But I don't let any of them sleep here whenever
they want to. It's just that I know this place is hard and, sometimes, they all
need someone to comfort them. That can apply to you too, if you want.”
Nico nodded. He glanced up to meet Percy's gaze. “I would like to sleep here,”
Nico finally told him.
Percy smiled again and extended his hand out to Nico. Nico pulled himself up
and let Percy lead him back to his bedroom, turning off the lights on the way.
Nico fidgeted in front of Percy's bed, as the green-eyed young man pulled his
shirt off.
Percy chuckled at him. “You can get into the bed and make yourself
comfortable,” Percy told him.
Nico nodded and climbed into the bed, letting out a small moan. He blushed as
Percy raised an eyebrow at him. He covered his face in shame. He couldn't help
it, the bed was so comfortable. He watched as Percy slid his pants off, staring
at the boxer clad ass as he bent over to pick the pants up and toss them in a
dirty clothes hamper. Nico's eyes dilated upon seeing Percy bent over. He had
yet to see Percy naked, but he was definitely the biggest turn on, even
clothed.
Percy stretched, giving Nico a good view of the front of his body. He smiled
down at the black haired boy and crawled into bed “A-Aren't you going to get
the lights?” Nico asked as Percy crawled on top of him.
Percy shrugged. “That depends, do you want to be able to see?”
“What?”
Percy sat back. “Unless you don't want to?”
Nico bit his lip. “Want to what?” Nico asked.
Percy sighed. “I'm going to give you something else to make a choice on, Nico.
As with everything else, this is completely up to you.”
Nico blinked at him. “I don't want you to tease me again.”
Percy leaned in and nipped at Nico's neck, placing a hand behind Nico's back.
“I'm not planning on pulling back this time,” Percy whispered into his ear.
Nico shuddered. Percy pulled back to look at Nico in the face. “Not all the
way, but I figured we could do something,” he explained.
Nico nodded his head, his eyes already hazed over. Percy chuckled and slipped
Nico out of his shirt. He laid Nico down and ran his hand down Nico's torso,
ghosting over the smooth skin. He held Nico's gaze as he slipped his fingers
under Nico's jogging pants and slipped them off. He descended on Nico's nipple,
licking and biting.
Percy gripped Nico's hip with one hand, while the other one lifted his lower
half off the bed. Nico was beginning to wonder what he was doing, until he felt
Percy press against him. He didn't move, he just sat there with Nico's ass
pressing against his crotch. Nico's head fell back and Percy took the
opportunity to suck on Nico's throat.
Nico closed his eyes as he felt Percy kiss across his body. He made his way
down to Nico's navel, dipping his tongue inside. He moved over to Nico's hip,
biting and sucking lightly at the skin there. Nico moaned and ran a hand down
into Percy's hair. Percy then moved lower, just below where Nico's boxer-briefs
ended, sucking there as well.
Nico tugged on Percy's face, trying to get him to come up to him. Percy inched
back up Nico's body until he was hovering over Nico's face. Nico sat up, and
Percy sat back. Nico leaned forward, inching his face closer to Percy. Percy
seemed to hesitate for a brief moment before crashing his lips against Nico's.
It started off innocent enough, but soon escalated into heated kisses. Nico
felt Percy slide his tongue across Nico's lips, asking for entrance. Nico
didn't hesitate with granting him access. Percy's tongue slid into his mouth,
sliding along Nico's own. Nico fell back down onto Percy's pillow, the kiss not
breaking.
Percy's hands ended up on Nico's hips, pulling their bodies closer. Percy's
tongue pulled out of his mouth, where Percy soon began sucking on Nico's lip.
Nico whined when Percy pulled away. Nico was panting as he watched Percy lick
his lips. He returned to Nico's sides, sucking on the skin just above the hips
once again. Nico gasped and writhed beneath him. Percy chuckled against his
skin, holding him in place.
“If you want me to stop, just let me know,” Percy whispered.
Nico's only reply was a moan. Was he crazy? Nico had wanted this for too long
to back out now. Percy hovered over Nico as he lowered Nico's underwear, gazing
down at Nico's naked form. He spread Nico's legs and kissed his way up Nico's
right thigh. He halted nearby Nico's crotch, placing a long kiss on the pale
boy's upper thigh. With a devilish grin, Percy bit and sucked at the skin
there. Nico immediately jerked off the mattress, letting out a loud gasp. His
leg squirmed, but Percy put a firm grip on it.
He continued to suck on that one place on Nico's upper thigh until Nico's head
was jerking on the pillow, moaning in ecstasy. Percy ran a hand up Nico's other
thigh. He settled on a spot and rubbed circles on it with his thumb.
Percy moved up to Nico's stomach where he kissed around Nico's navel. “Percy,”
Nico moaned.
Percy leaned back and chuckled. “Haven't you ever heard of foreplay, Nico?”
Nico groaned. He was horny now, and he wanted more. Percy grinned up at him as
he descended back to Nico's thigh, running a hand down Nico's chest. He went
back to sucking on that sensitive spot on Nico's upper thigh. This time,
however, he took a hold of Nico's hard dick and gave it a few jerks.
Percy moved his face a few inches to the left and sucked on the skin directly
next to Nico's cock. Nico's hips seemed to move on their own as they rolled
under Percy's administrations. Percy continued to suck on the skin there, while
one of his hands continued to slowly stroke Nico.
Nico was about to go insane from this foreplay. His mind kept telling him to
get Percy's mouth around his dick as soon as possible, but he couldn't seem to
move. Percy placed a firm grip around Nico's dick, standing it straight up. He
placed a final kiss to Nico's upper thigh before moving his head above Nico's
arousal. He glanced up at Nico, smirking upon seeing the hazy look in Nico's
eyes. He flicked his tongue out to swipe across the tip, teasing Nico with much
satisfaction.
Nico moved his hands down to lace his fingers into Percy's black hair. Percy
ran his tongue down the base of Nico's shaft, maintaining his eye contact the
entire time. He dipped his tongue between Nico's balls before licking back up
the shaft.
Percy swirled his tongue around the tip, chuckling at the moaning from Nico's
mouth. “Enjoying yourself, Nico?” Percy whispered.
“Uh-huh,” Nico panted.
Percy hummed to himself as he licked around Nico's cock. He gripped Nico's
balls and tugged on them while he continued to tease around the shaft. Nico
yanked on his hair, trying to get him to go further, but Percy just chuckled up
at him and continued his licking.
“Percy, please,” Nico said breathlessly, tightening his grip in Percy's hair.
Percy stared up at him silently for a moment, licking around the tip still.
With a flick of his tongue, Percy raised himself up slightly, hovering above
Nico's crotch. “Please what, Nico?” Percy whispered seductively.
Nico moaned and bucked his hips. “You know what.”
Percy smirked. “I want to hear you say it.”
Nico groaned and rested an arm over his eyes, hiding his eyes from Percy. “Suck
me, please?” Nico mumbled.
Percy hummed and licked the tip again. “I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that.”
“Please suck my dick, Percy!” Nico shouted. His cheeks darkened from his
outburst and he still refused to move his arm.
He let out a gasp when he felt Percy's warm mouth envelop his erection. He
moved his arm and stared down at Percy. His dark locks had fallen into his face
as he slowly descended down Nico's shaft. Nico moaned as Percy reached the
base. Percy locked gazes with Nico as he slid back up, sliding his tongue along
the base as he did.
Percy sucked on Nico's dick as Nico writhed beneath him. Sweat was starting to
build up on Nico's body as he let out a continuous string of moans. Was this
real? This is what he had wanted, and he was having a hard time wrapping his
head around the fact that this was really happening. But that could be blamed
on the fact that he was having a hard time forming any sort of coherent
thought. This was different from his time with Apollo. At least then he was
able to get a few words out, but Percy was reducing him to an incoherent mess.
Percy sucked on the head for a while, his cheeks having sunk in. He hummed as
he bobbed up and down on Nico's shaft. Nico bucked up into Percy's mouth,
trying to get more out of it. Percy eventually held his hips down, gripping
them tightly.
Nico propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Percy, still sucking
on his dick. He pulled on Percy's hair and pulled him off. Percy tilted his
head to the side as Nico made him sit back. He slid into Percy's lap and
wrapped his arms around Percy's neck.
Nico pecked Percy on the lips, and Percy smiled back at him. Percy leaned in
and nipped at Nico's bottom lip. Nico rolled his hips in Percy's lap, eliciting
a growl from Percy. They kissed for a few more seconds before Nico pulled back
for air.
Nico bit his lip. Percy tried to lay him back down on the bed, but Nico
wouldn't let him. He rocked his hips against Percy's lap. Percy took a deep
breath as his eyes darkened. Percy moaned and gripped Nico's hips, thrusting up
against Nico's ass.
Nico ran his hands down Percy's lean torso as Percy continued to thrust against
him. He was a little entranced by the exposed flesh in front of him. So close,
and he was finally able to really touch it. Nico buried his face into Percy's
neck and mumbled something.
Percy pulled back and looked at him in confusion. “What was that?” Percy asked.
“I said I want to suck your dick,” muttered Nico.
Percy smirked. “You don't have to do that.”
“But I want to.”
Percy lowered his gaze, his eyebrows furrowing. He was silent for around a
minute before looking back at Nico. “No,” he said with a voice of finality.
Nico blinked at him. “No?”
Percy nodded. “You're not sucking me off.”
Nico frowned. “Can I at least see you naked?”
Percy stared at him for a moment before nodding. He got off the bed and stood
in front of Nico. Nico slid his legs off the side of the bed and sat on the
edge, watching as Percy hooked his fingers under the hem of his black boxers.
Nico licked his lips as the fabric was slowly lowered from Percy's hips.
Percy's hardened length bounced out from behind the material and Nico had to
bite his lip to mask a moan. Percy was bigger than the average dick size, a
fact that Nico found himself liking very much. It was perfect, just like the
rest of him.
Percy stepped out of his boxers and brushed at his bangs. “Is that better?”
Percy chuckled.
Nico stared at it in fascination. Percy smirked and stepped forward. Nico
reached around to feel up Percy's ass. Percy smiled and turned around, giving
Nico a full view of his backside. Nico moaned. How could one guy look so
perfect? He didn't even have any tan lines. Percy turned back around, smile
still in place, and slid his fingers into Nico's dark locks.
A mischievous spark appeared in Percy's eyes as he pushed Nico back on the bed.
“Don't think we are done yet,” he chuckled. “I'm still going to take care of
you.”
Percy reached over to his nightstand and opened the drawer. Nico watched as
Percy retrieved a bottle of lube and dropped it on the bed. He hovered over
Nico for a moment before leaning down to kiss his way back down Nico's chest.
Percy lapped at Nico's navel again before returning to Nico's thigh. Sucking
rather harshly there, Percy returned to his earlier activity of sucking on
Nico's arousal.
Nico let his head fall back as he let himself enjoy Percy's administrations.
Somewhere in the back of Nico's mind, he heard the click of the bottle, but he
couldn't be bothered to pay too much attention to it. Percy's lips felt so
amazing around his erection.
Nico yelped and jerked his hips up when he felt a cold finger pressing against
his entrance. Percy sat up and chuckled at him. “Calm down,” said Percy.
“What was that?”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “I was going to finger you.”
Nico's cheeks blushed. “Oh, uh, sorry,” he mumbled.
Percy smirked and returned to sucking on Nico's cock. The finger once again
pressed against Nico's entrance, but this time Nico didn't jerk away. His face
did contort slightly from the uncomfortable feeling it was presenting him.
Percy pulled off of him and came up to nibble on his collarbone. “Relax,” he
whispered.
Nico took a deep breath and nodded. Percy's finger slid into him as the owner
returned to lick along Nico's shaft. It was still a little uncomfortable, but
Nico could handle it. He let out a long moan when he felt Percy's mouth go back
down on him at the same time that his fingers brushed against something inside
of Nico.
Nico's mouth fell open as Percy continued to press his finger against that spot
inside of him. His hands fell into the sheets, getting a firm grip on the
fabric. A second finger was added, and the feeling uncomfortable feeling
returned, but to a lesser degree.
Percy pressed directly against his prostate, dragging a loud moan from Nico's
lips. Nico's breathing became ragged as Percy increased his suction. Every now
and then, Percy would spread his two fingers apart and then go back to striking
Nico's prostate. Nico felt like he might pass out from all of this. His vision
was starting to blur, but his mouth was still working just fine, as he could
not stop moaning.
He gasped and dug a hand into Percy's hair, trying to tug him off, but Percy
swatted his hand away. Nico tried to open his mouth to warn Percy, but all that
came out was a moan. He propped himself up on his elbows as he looked down at
Percy. His head fell back when Percy kept his fingers against his prostate,
massaging it. Percy looked up at Nico and they held gazes as Nico reached his
climax. Nico saw white as he felt himself release into Percy's mouth before
collapsing on the bed.
Nico whimpered as Percy's fingers were removed from him. Percy got off the bed
and walked into his bathroom. Nico's eyes were starting to droop when Percy
returned. Percy smirked and flipped the light switch, casting them into shadow.
Nico felt Percy crawl into the bed beside him. He felt a hand settle onto his
waist and he was pulled against the warm body behind him. Nico's eyes opened
and closed a few times, trying to keep himself awake, but he was too spent. His
head relaxed against the pillow, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
***** Break His Pretty Face *****
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.”
***** The Shooting Incident *****
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.
***** Nico Makes a Friend *****
“Percy!” Nico cried out as he released himself on his shower wall. He panted
heavily as he stood under the hot water. As he had done frequently, of late,
Nico had once again woken up fully aroused. And once again, it was his boss
that was the star of his erotic dream. Nico shook his head and turned off the
water.
He had to get control of himself. Percy would never be his, and it was probably
time he got that through his head. Nico grabbed a towel and dried his hair. He
walked out the door, wanting to make himself some coffee. Since he lived alone,
he didn't really concern himself with closing his bathroom door anymore. He
stepped into the kitchen, pulling the towel off his head. Nico's breath hitched
as he jumped back against the wall behind him.
Standing in Nico's kitchen, with a smirk on his face and a cup of coffee in his
hand, was the very green-eyed boy he had just been thinking about. Nico's
entire face turned red as Percy's eyes drifted down his naked body. He quickly
wrapped the towel around his waist. Percy just continued to smirk as he raised
his coffee to his mouth.
“Good morning, Nico,” Percy greeted him. Nico looked him up and down, studying
him uneasily. Today he was dressed casually in a dark blue v-neck and black
pants.
“M-morning,” Nico stuttered. “I was, uh, just gonna make myself some coffee.”
“Here.”
Nico blinked at the coffee that was shoved in front of his face. He slowly
reached out and grabbed the cup himself, raising it to his lips. He let out a
satisfied moan as the warm liquid flowed into his mouth.
“So, did you have a nice shower?” Percy asked, stepping closer to Nico.
Nico nearly choked on the coffee, his cheeks darkening again. Had Percy
actually heard him cry out his name? Nico grabbed his towel with his free hand,
and held it tightly around his waist.
Percy's grin turned smug. “Nico, why are you embarrassed? It's not like I
haven't seen you naked,” he purred into Nico's ear, sending a shiver down
Nico's spine. With a satisfied grin, Percy pulled back, plucking his coffee out
of Nico's grasp.
Nico frowned. He straightened himself out and gave Percy a glare. “What's your
point?” Nico said defiantly. “Apparently you didn't like it.”
Percy chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee. “And who said that?”
Nico huffed. He wanted to strangle Percy at this point. Was this just a game to
Percy? Was his heart just something to be played with? “What are you doing in
here anyways?” Nico mumbled.
Percy smiled. “Well, I tried knocking, but you didn't answer, probably too busy
with your shower activities.” His eyes flashed in amusement when Nico's cheeks
heated up again. “So, I just let myself in.”
“Remind me to bolt my door,” Nico grumbled.
Percy placed his hand on the wall beside Nico's head, while using the one
holding his coffee to run his index finger along the inside of Nico's towel.
“But what's the fun in that? Maybe I like dropping in on you like this.”
“As long as you don't pull some Twilight shit and stare at me while I sleep.”
Percy chuckled. “I also needed to talk to you before I took you to school.”
Nico held up his hand to stop Percy. “Whoa, hold on a second. Who said you were
taking me to school?” Nico asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Percy's head tilted to the side. “If you prefer to walk...” Percy trailed off.
Nico slumped his shoulders. “Why are you so cruel?”
Percy ruffled Nico's drying hair. “It's one of my many,” Percy leaned in to
whisper in Nico's ear, “many talents.” Percy sat his coffee down as Nico walked
into the living room.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” Nico asked, just wanting to get to the
point of Percy's surprise visit.
“You have lessons with me for the rest of the week, immediately after school.”
Nico blinked, spinning around in surprise. He was even more surprised when his
towel fell off his thin waist. He yelped and went to reach down and grab it,
but Percy beat him to it. Percy smirked and slung the towel onto his shoulder.
Nico scowled and moved his hands down to cover his crotch.
“Lessons for what?” Nico asked, pursing his lips when he felt himself growing
hard. He couldn't help it. Being naked in front of Percy was a little arousing
for some reason.
Percy smirked and stepped closer to Nico. Nico's eyes widened when Percy slid
his hands behind him, and planted them on his ass. Nico tried so hard to glare
at the tall young man, but he had to put all his energy into not moaning. He
was going to strangle Percy. Mainly because he knew Percy was only doing this
to tease him.
“I need you to be over your stage fright by Friday.”
Nico blinked at him, his mind forgetting about the hands placed on his butt.
“Wait a minute. I'm working again?” He asked.
Percy cocked an eyebrow. “Yes? Why would you think otherwise?”
Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times. He sort of felt stupid. Percy's
hands moved up to his hips. “Sort of,” he mumbled. “I thought I might be
getting kicked out.”
Percy frowned and tilted his head to the side. “Why would you think that? Nico,
I wouldn't kick someone out onto the streets. Shouldn't you know me better than
that by now?”
Nico's face turned red, but for a different reason this time. He really should
have known that. He really had been stupid. “I just wasn't thinking. I got
scared when you said I wasn't going to be working until further notice, and it
didn't help that you restricted me from doing anything.”
Percy smiled and ran his hands up and down Nico's sides before removing them.
He chuckled, which made Nico frown. Percy cleared his throat. “Sorry. I didn't
mean to make you freak out like that,” he assured Nico. “I was never planning
on kicking you out. I just can't show favoritism. I mean, I know Apollo
sabotaged you, but I can't just go easy on you. You complain about how the Lost
Kids treat you sometimes, well, how do you think they would react to you
getting special treatment like that?”
Nico pursed his lips. He just felt like an idiot at this point. Percy had been
doing him a favor, and he had spent the past few days upset with the green-eyed
young man. And he had at least made some new friends out of the punishment.
Nico let out a sigh. Now that he thought about it, maybe he shouldn't have been
mad at Percy in the first place.
“Anyways,” Percy continued when Nico didn't say anything, “I'm going to be
working with you myself so that I know you are ready for Friday.”
Nico nodded. “Sorry.”
Percy tilted his head to the side. “For what?”
“I should have known you weren't going to kick me out.”
Percy shrugged. “Don't worry about. You got scared. Your mind fucks with you
pretty hard when you’re frightened.”
Nico nodded. “I guess that's true.” He glanced up at Percy. “What are you
scared of?”
Percy smiled down at Nico, but didn't say anything. What kind of answer was
that? Did he have something he didn't want to talk about? Or was it that he
didn't get scared of anything?
“I promised you that you wouldn't have to suffer like you did before, and I
meant that. I mean, I can't give you a perfect life, but I trust that you can
find your own happiness. And then maybe one day you will choose to leave and
pursue something.”
Nico frowned. “You want me to leave?”
Percy sighed and pulled out his phone. “Go get dressed, or you'll be late for
school,” he ordered.
Nico nodded and walked towards his room. It wasn't until he heard Percy chuckle
that he remembered that he didn't have his towel on. His cheeks tinged pink,
and his hands went behind him to shield his butt from Percy's eyes.
-----------------------------------
The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the school day for Nico. He made
his way through the halls towards the parking lot, dodging his way through the
crowds of people. Unfortunately, someone ended up bumping in to. He slid across
the floor, his books scattering in front of him. He groaned and got onto his
hands and knees to crawl over to them. As he was reaching for one of his books,
a hand grabbed it and picked it up. Nico blinked up at the boy in front of him,
who was already tasking himself with gathering Nico's fallen binders and books.
The boy was relatively tall, and looked to possibly be a year older than Nico.
He had light olive skin, like the sun couldn't decide if it wanted to tan him
or not. He had a few freckles splashed across his cheeks, and a friendly smile
on his face. He had wavy light brown hair, which was kept relatively short. His
dark grey eyes sat behind a pair of glasses, which had drifted slightly down
his nose. He looked relatively fit, but from the way he dressed, Nico wasn't
sure if he was a jock or a nerd. He wasn't really one to stereotype people, but
he just couldn't tell with this boy.
Nico stood up and took his books from the boy's hands. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
The boy smiled at him for a moment before frowning and tilting his head to the
side. “Do I know you from somewhere?” The guy asked out of nowhere. He pushed
his glasses up, the light reflecting in them, and studied Nico in silence.
Nico blinked and scratched the back of his head. “Uh, not that I'm aware of.
I'm Nico.” He stuck his hand out, offering it to the brunet.
The guy scrunched his lips, tapping his finger to them. Nico raised an eyebrow
at him. This guy really seemed to get lost in his thoughts. He finally blinked
and shook Nico's hand with a light chuckle. “Sorry about that. I have a
tendency to drift off sometimes. I'm Daedalus,” the boy finally said.
Nico nodded and smiled. “Well, thanks again for helping me pick my things up.”
Daedalus nodded. He studied Nico for a few seconds. “Are you sure we haven't
met? I’m certain I know you from somewhere.”
Nico shrugged. “I've been attending school here, so it's possible you've seen
me around.”
Daedalus grabbed his chin, his face returning to another thoughtful expression.
“Perhaps, but I don't think that is it.” He let out a sigh. “Oh well. If it
comes to me, I'll let you know.”
Nico nodded. He turned and watched the boy walk off, shaking his head at the
retreating brunet. That was odd. He didn't think he had ever laid eyes on that
boy before in his life. The boy was unique, so Nico figured he would have stuck
out to him. With a shrug, Nico headed for the parking lot once again.
He slid into Clarisse's car upon his arrival. The brunette didn't even bother
waiting for him to buckle up before she zoomed out of the parking lot, her
usual scowl on her face. Nico clutched at his seat as he quickly buckled his
seatbelt. He had to remember to request that Clarisse never pick him up from
school again.
“Good afternoon to you too, Clarisse,” he grumbled when he was done buckling
up. He sat back with a sigh.
“I had wanted to enjoy my afternoon off, but then I got asked to pick you up,”
she complained.
Nico rolled his eyes. “Well I'm sorry, but I don't have a car yet.”
He would need to start saving up for one. He had never expected his dad to buy
him one. Since Bianca was only a year older than him, he had been forced to
rely on her for rides to anywhere he wanted to go. He wasn't really sure what
his father intended to do the following year when Bianca was off at college,
and now, he would never find out.
Thinking about all of that made him a little depressed for Christmas, which was
right around the corner, followed by his birthday. He supposed he wasn't going
to be looking forward to those Christmas mornings of waking up to presents
under a tree. Not that he had ever gotten much anyways. Bianca and his mother
were really the only ones that contributed to making those days special for
him, out of his family anyways. He had been a disappointment to his father even
before coming out, and the man had definitely made that clear to Nico.
“So, we heard you're going to be back at work this weekend,” Clarisse voiced,
probably uncomfortable with the silence.
Nico nodded. “Yeah, Percy told me this morning.”
Clarisse nodded back, a frown on her face. “Lucky you.”
Nico frowned at her. What was her problem? “I guess, but I figure the others
will just go back to treating me how they did before.”
“I guess we'll find out,” she sighed.
The car fell silent after that, making Nico slightly uncomfortable. Leo and
Rachel were right it seemed, there was a divide amongst the Lost Kids, and Nico
was starting to see it better now. Something else that Nico found curious was
the girls' living arrangements. The divide was obvious amongst the boys, with
Leo and Ethan rooming together. However, Clarisse and Rachel did not room
together. Rachel shared a suite with Piper, while Clarisse shared one with
Silena. It was a small detail, but it still stuck out to him.
He figured Rachel was probably the best person to ask about that. Clarisse just
gave off an aggressive aura, and Nico wasn't sure how the girl would react to
being prodded about her life. Which probably meant that Nico wouldn't be
finding out the girl's past any time soon.
The car ride passed relatively quickly, but to Nico, it felt like an awkward
eternity. He was going to go out on a limb and guess that all of the Lost Kids,
including Percy, had these odd mood swings. Yesterday, Clarisse had been
relatively social with him, and today, it felt like she wanted to be far away
from him. Perhaps that whole issue the Lost Kids had with him wasn’t exclusive
to the ones that got on stage.
Clarisse got out of the car with a grunt. Nico sighed and followed after her.
Was he always going to have a problem with someone around the hotel? Were they
just going to rotate with him? Perhaps that was a benefit of being friends with
all of them now. If he had an issue with the security workers, he could just go
to the performers or the secretaries.
The two rode up the elevator together in silence. When the doors slid open, he
found Percy in the hall with Octavian and Luke, frowns on all faces. Clarisse
grunted and walked past the trio, noticing the looks on their faces, and
choosing to stay out of it. Percy sighed and flicked his eyes over to Nico,
silencing him with a look when he noticed the smaller boy about to open his
mouth.
“Again, don't you think this is a little childish?” Percy asked Octavian,
rubbing his temple.
“No, he's being a jerk,” Octavian huffed.
Luke sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. “And you're being a brat.
You're just being paranoid.”
“Bullshit!”
“Look, I don't want any more problems with all of you right now. I had enough
last weekend to last me several months. So, can we all try and get along for a
while?” Percy growled with an icy glare.
“And you wouldn't understand! It's bad enough that I feel like shit about
myself whenever I look at Nico, but now he's going to make it worse with this,”
Octavian argued.
“You're being ridiculous,” Luke sighed. He finally noticed Nico and narrowed
his eyes.
Octavian spun around and leered at Nico. Nico pursed his lips and fidgeted
where he stood. What was all of that about? Percy shook his head and waved his
hand off down the hall, signaling Nico to go.
“I have to deal with cleaning up the mess all of you caused last weekend, so if
you'll excuse me,” Percy announced.
“Whatever,” Octavian grunted, spinning around and heading for the elevator,
bumping his shoulder into Nico's in the process.
Nico frowned and rubbed his shoulder, looking between Luke and Percy. “What was
that about?” Nico asked once the elevator had shut.
“Nothing,” Luke mumbled.
“Just cool off for a little while,” Percy told him. “I'll text one of the
others to make sure Octavian does the same.” Percy's expression turned grim.
“As I said, I don't want any more conflict amongst all of you for the time
being. You all had your fun, now keep it civil. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Percy,” Luke grumbled.
Percy turned to Nico. “And if I see any more fighting, out of any of you, there
will be harsher punishments dealt. I don't give a damn what goes on in private,
but I will not tolerate any childish behavior in public.”
“Yes, sir,” Luke and Nico replied.
Percy clutched the back of Luke's hair and put his other arm around Luke's
waist. “And I want you and your brother to have made up by tomorrow. If you do,
perhaps I will lift the punishment I put on all of you.”
Luke swallowed, nodding his head. Percy's expression softened once again, a
smile creeping onto his lips. He nuzzled his cheek against the slightly shorter
blond's hair, holding Luke closer to his body. “Now get some rest. I have to
work with Nico,” Percy chuckled.
Luke nodded. His eyes flickered to Nico a final time, making Nico feel uneasy
under the blond's dark gaze. Percy cleared his throat and Luke grunted before
turning and walking to his room. Nico and Percy walked down the hall, Nico
pulling out his card and sliding it into his door slot. Percy pulled his phone
out and sent off a text before sliding the phone back into his pocket.
“What was all of that about?” Nico asked once they were inside.
Percy sighed. “Not your concern,” he replied.
Nico nodded his head. He had learned by now when to not press something. Around
here, it probably meant it was something he wouldn't like. “Well, what was that
about punishment? I don't recall getting an extra punishment.”
“Because it didn't apply to you,” Percy sighed.
“Well, what was it?”
Percy frowned at Nico for a few seconds before sitting down onto the couch with
a grunt. “Since last weekend was a group effort, I took away the Lost Kids'
method of negotiating hours,” Percy explained.
Nico furrowed his eyebrows. Was that why they were being nice to him? Was it
because they were trying to get that ability back? Percy rolled his eyes at
Nico and stood up to yank Nico down onto the couch, next to him.
“I'm not sure what is going on in that head of yours right now, but you think
too much,” Percy chuckled. “It doesn't seem to be helping you figure things
out, either.”
Nico frowned. That was sort of true. “It's just that the others have been oddly
nice to me lately, and I can't help but feel that your punishment is the reason
for it,” Nico mumbled.
“Well, from what Chiron told me, they started doing it Saturday afternoon, and
I didn't let them know about the punishment until later that night. So, I'm
going to assume that is not it.”
“Then why?”
Percy shrugged. “You'll have to find out on your own.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “You know, don't you?”
Percy smirked at him. “Perhaps.” He chuckled and stood up. “But we are wasting
time. I need to begin working with you on your stage fright.”
----------------------------------------------------
Nico squirmed under Percy on the couch. The green-eyed young man smirked down
at him as he settled between Nico's legs, lightly pressing his pelvis against
Nico's crotch. “Wh-what is the point of this again?” Nico asked as Percy pinned
his wrists to the arm of the couch.
“You have to get more comfortable with your body,” Percy whispered in his ear.
“Not to mention that on occasion, some of the other boys will be doing stuff
like this to you on stage.” Percy ran his free hand down Nico's bare torso,
letting his fingers ghost across Nico's soft skin. “And I don't need you
blushing at the smallest thing.” He bit down on Nico's collarbone, making the
pale boy gasp. “While it is cute and adorable when you blush, I need it toned
down slightly. A faint blush is fine, but your entire face sometimes turns red,
and I don't need that.”
Nico yelped as Percy sat up, tugging Nico into his lap to straddle his waist.
Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck. “So, you're going to work with me
like this until I can get more comfortable?” Nico asked, a smirk on his lips.
“I think I'll need extra help.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “Very funny.” He grabbed Nico's hips and thrusted up.
Nico's mouth fell open as he clung to Percy. “I don't think you're quite ready
to dive into that territory yet, Nico.”
“Why not?” Nico panted.
Percy's hand slid down Nico's body until they settled on his hips. “Let's not
get into that, shall we? I'm hoping you choose not to go down that road, Nico.
There's a lot that you don't understand, things that I'm actually trying to
shield you from, but you make it hard on me sometimes.”
Nico frowned at him. “Like what?”
Percy's eyes ran down Nico's body before returning to his brown eyes. “Like I
said, I can't give you special treatment. Don't put me in a situation that
neither of us want to see happen.”
Nico sighed. However, Percy pulled him out of his mopey state by squeezing his
ass. “You're such a jerk,” Nico grumbled.
Percy smirked. “Hey, I gave you what you wanted just the other day.”
“And you said it probably wouldn't happen again.”
Percy shrugged. “I did say probably, which implies that there is a chance that
it might.” He ran a hand through Nico's black hair. “We'll just have to see.
Maybe if you're not too naughty, I'll make an exception for Christmas.”
“Are you sure I shouldn't be naughty to get that present?” Nico asked smugly,
leaning in to kiss Percy.
Percy turned his head, Nico's lips landing on his jaw. “I only kiss during
sex,” Percy said, setting Nico off his lap.
Nico groaned, letting his head hit the arm of the chair. “You're such a tease.”
Percy shrugged. “If you prefer, I don't have to even consider doing that to you
again.”
Nico's eyes widened. “I-I didn't mean it.”
Percy chuckled and pulled out his phone. “Well, I think that is all for today,”
he sighed.
They both stood up, and Nico walked him over to the door, opening it for the
taller young man. They both were surprised to find Apollo standing outside, his
fist up to knock on the door. His eyes flickered between Percy and Nico, eyeing
Nico's bare torso.
Nico blinked as Percy slid his arm around Nico's waist. “What are you doing
here?” Percy asked.
Apollo frowned when Percy rested his cheek on Nico's head. Nico noticed the
blond's lip twitch. “I wanted to talk to Nico,” the blond mumbled.
“A civil conversation?” Percy slid his other arm around Nico's waist, pulling
the smaller boy back against his chest.
Apollo pursed his lips and inhaled sharply. Nico noticed the blond's eyes
darken. He felt a little lost at what was happening at the moment, but he
figured it was better if he stayed quiet.
“Of course,” Apollo ground out with a fake smile on his face. “So, what were
you two doing?”
Percy smiled, humming as he hugged Nico tighter. “I was just giving Nico a
lesson in stage fright.”
Apollo clicked his tongue, his eyes flashing venomously at Nico. “Sounds like
fun.” He paused to look back up at Percy, something unspoken traveling between
the two tall young men. “I mean, it sure looks like you two had fun.”
Percy's hands roamed Nico's torso. “It was very fun. Just like we had fun
Friday night, after he was done with work,” Percy said with a smirk.
Apollo's face paled. “You mean, you...and him?” Apollo said, his eyes wide in
surprise.
Percy shrugged. Nico tried to squirm away. He didn't like the uncomfortable
feeling that was coursing through the room at the moment. He really didn't want
to be involved with whatever was going on. But Percy pulled him back against
his chest, this time so that Nico was facing him.
Apollo's fists clenched. “I thought he wasn't being treated special?” Apollo
ground out between his teeth.
Percy's eyes became solemn. “It was just oral, and besides, you can just blame
yourself for it happening. He was only up in my room in the first place because
of what you and the others did,” Percy responded calmly. “I'm not going to give
him special treatment. As I said, if it were to really happen, I would not
treat him any differently than the rest of you.”
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. What were they talking about? He didn't like the
sound of it, whatever it was. Nico tried flailing his arms from within Percy's
grasp. “Hold on a second, can someone explain to me what you're both talking
about?” He asked.
Apollo blinked at Percy. “You haven't even told him what will happen to him?”
The blond deadpanned.
“Because I trust him to be smarter than to actually come to me and ask for it,”
Percy replied. He clicked his tongue, his eyes turning snake-like as they
stared at Apollo. “Although, with all of you roaming about, perhaps I should
warn him of the consequences.” Percy smiled coldly. “Oh wait, I think you all
ruined your chances at achieving your goal with your little stunt.”
Apollo's mouth fell open in shock. Nico blinked at the two of them. He felt
like he was missing something between them. He was more concerned with how they
were acting at the moment than what they were actually talking about.
“Well, I need to get going. I have to get some work done, and you two need to
talk.” He smirked and groped Nico's ass. “I'll see you later, Nico,” he said
seductively.
Percy patted Apollo's shoulder as he walked out the door. The blond just stood
there, shell shocked. Nico fidgeted in front of him, even though the blond's
eyes weren't necessarily on him. Whatever had just happened hadn't been
anything good, or at least that was how Nico felt.
“So, uh, you wanted to talk to me?” Nico asked, walking over and picking his
shirt off the ground. He was going to assume what had just happened was to
explain for his lack of wanting to punch the blond again. Perhaps it was
because they had known Percy longer, but it seemed like he had a strong effect
on them with his actions.
Apollo blinked and shook his head. “Uh, oh, yeah,” the blond replied. His cheek
still had a small trace of a bruise on it, and his neck was still healing from
the scratch Nico had given him, though it was much smaller than it had been on
Saturday night.
Nico eyed him cautiously. Just because he didn't have the current desire to
punch Apollo again, didn't mean he was going to go running back into the
blond's arms. “What about?”
Apollo rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, wanted to come by and apologize.”
He sighed. “I don't think that was the right way for you to find out how we
felt.”
Nico stared at him coldly. “No, it wasn't.”
Apollo nodded. “And I'm sorry about that.” When Nico didn't answer, Apollo took
a step closer. “So, are we cool?”
Nico shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “I don't know if I can forgive you.
Perhaps in the future I will, but for now, I'm still hurt by what you did. I
thought I could trust you. And now, I just feel used.”
Apollo sighed. “We handled it wrong. We wanted you to fit in with the rest of
us. We wanted to make it so that we didn't hate ourselves every time we looked
at you,” Apollo explained.
“So, you try having sex with me, and humiliating me?”
Apollo mumbled something under his breath.
Nico raised a brow. “What was that?” He asked.
“I don't really want to talk about it, Nico,” Apollo whispered, looking up at
Nico with sad eyes. “It's just that some of us don't let go of our feelings
while working here.”
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “I don't understand.”
Apollo shook his head, his curls flying about in the process. “It doesn't
matter. Some of us got jealous, myself included.” He pursed his lips and looked
Nico over. “That's really all you need to know for right now.”
Nico nodded, though he was still confused. “Alright.” He studied the blond for
a moment. “What exactly was that that you and Percy were talking about?”
Apollo pursed his lips. “Something that apparently Percy thinks he doesn't have
to worry about, but the rest of us feel it is inevitable,” the blond answered.
“Which is?”
“Becoming one of us completely.”
Nico arched a brow. “And how is that supposed to happen?” He asked.
Apollo shrugged. “That's for you and Percy to talk about.” His lips fell into a
frown and his eyes darkened. “You think you're not being treated differently,
but you are.”
“How so?”
Apollo let his head tilt to the side. “What was it Percy made clear when you
first got to join our ranks?” He smirked and snapped his fingers. “Oh yes, he
said you weren't going to sell your body.” The smile dropped from his face.
“Tell me, how exactly is he treating you like us?”
Nico pursed his lips, his eyes softening. He hadn't really thought about that.
He let his head fall with a sigh.
Apollo nodded his head. “That's what I thought. Don't say Percy never did
anything for you. And now you see why we weren't really happy about that. Does
it really seem fair that he actually allowed you to strip, but decided that you
couldn't be a prostitute?” Apollo smirked at him. “Doesn't really seem like
he's letting you make the choices, now does it?”
Nico's eyes looked broken. But Percy had said he was getting to make all of the
choices for himself. “Why is he doing it?” Nico asked.
Apollo shrugged. “That's sort of what we want to know. How do you think we're
supposed to feel when our boss, who has never shown an interest like this in
anyone, suddenly takes an interest in the new kid?”
Nico's eyes widened. Was that it? Did Percy have an interest in him? Did he
like Nico? Was he really getting special treatment because of it? It didn't
feel like it sometimes, and Percy had even made it clear that he couldn't give
Nico special treatment.
He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back at Apollo. “If that's true, then why
doesn't he actually have sex with me? Why doesn't he kiss me? You're probably
over-thinking all of this,” Nico reasoned.
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Are you really so blind? Percy doesn't want to touch
you because he sees you like we do, and he himself is tainted and corrupted. He
doesn't want all of that ‘infecting’ you. He wants you to stay all pure and
shit, since that seems to be what drew his attention in the first place.”
Apollo crossed his arms. “Tell me, when you two did have oral sex, did he let
you do anything to him?”
Nico opened his mouth several times. Why hadn't Percy let him do anything to
him? He quickly shook his head, casting his eyes to the floor.
Apollo shrugged. “That's what I figured,” he sighed. “He didn't want you to
because him doing something to you and you doing something to him are different
in his mind. You weren't the one doing the sexual act, he was.” He ran a hand
through his curly hair. “And you don't even have to negotiate hours. So, can
you begin to see why we might not be that happy with how he treats you?”
Nico chewed on his bottom lip. He was actually starting to see where they would
actually be irritated with him. “I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
“Don't worry about it. We'll work on being more civil with how we react to
stuff like that.” Apollo sighed and turned around to leave. He looked back at
Nico as he was about to close the door. “Again, I'm sorry. Maybe in the future,
you can forgive me.”
Nico pursed his lips. He wrapped his arms around himself. “I don't know,
Apollo. You all made me feel unwelcome, like you don't want me here,” he
mumbled.
Apollo's eyebrows furrowed as his frown increased. “Nico, no matter what you
think, you're always going to be a part of this family.”
Before Nico could say anything else, Apollo shut the door. Nico stared down at
the floor. Why did it seem like things were getting more complicated? Last
weekend he thought he had things figured out, but now he wasn't so sure.
-------------------------------------
Nico was relieved when the lunch bell rang. He had nearly overslept, and hadn't
had time to eat breakfast, so his stomach was hungry. He nearly shot out his
desk and into the hall. He smiled as he thought about the food that was soon
going to be in his stomach. He had let himself relax at school ever since
Annabeth had given him a shield from his bullies. So, that was why he didn't
see it coming when he was practically thrown into a locker.
He winced as he rubbed the back of his head, looking up at Cal and Zethes.
“What do you two want?” Nico grumbled as he climbed back onto his feet.
“We saw your new girlfriend,” Zethes chuckled. “Quite an improvement over the
blonde.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. What were they talking about? “What?” He
asked.
“The girl that picked you up yesterday,” Cal snorted. “She's quite the looker.”
Nico's eyes widened. Oh, that was it. They had seen him with Clarisse, and now
they wanted to go back to tormenting him. That was just great, just what he
needed to make his week better.
“She's not my girlfriend,” Nico tried defending himself.
“Yeah, right,” Zethes laughed, shoving Nico back into the lockers.
Nico scowled. “I'm not lying.”
Cal snorted. “You lied to us, faggot,” he sneered.
“That wasn't very nice,” Zethes added.
“Now we just feel stupid.”
“I don't see how that's my fault,” Nico interrupted him.
Cal glared at the pale boy. He grabbed Nico's collar and yanked him off the
ground. “Watch your mouth,” he growled.
Zethes shook his head. “We can't believe we fell for that. How could someone
like you get a girl that pretty? So, when we saw you yesterday with that girl,
we knew.”
“Well, we knew you had a boar for a girlfriend, or you were best friends with
some dyke.”
Nico clenched his fists at his sides. He didn't like that they were dragging
Clarisse into this. All three of them were surprised when they heard a throat
clear. Zethes and Cal turned to find Daedalus behind them with an eyebrow
quirked.
“Is there a problem here?” The brunet asked.
“Stay out of this, Daedalus,” Cal growled.
“Yeah, this doesn't concern you,” Zethes sneered.
Daedalus tilted his head to the side. “Well, actually, it does. You see, I was
just looking for Nico here. I had asked him to eat lunch with me, and it seems
you two are detaining him,” the brunet retorted. Nico sent him a thankful look.
Cal snorted. “You hang out with this loser?” The bully asked in disbelief.
“Well, if you are looking for a rep killer, be our guest.”
Daedalus blinked at them with a blank expression and pulled Nico away from
them. “And yet, he will probably amount to more in life than either of you two
ever could dream.”
Nico's eyes widened as he was yanked away from the two fuming bullies. He
couldn't believe Daedalus had actually said that. He frowned after a few
seconds of the shock wearing off. Was Daedalus popular?
“Thanks,” Nico mumbled.
Daedalus shrugged and let go of Nico's arm. “I'm not a fan of bullying,” he
replied.
Nico nodded. “Well, I think I need to get some lunch. Thanks again.”
Daedalus chuckled. “Well, you could actually eat lunch with me.”
Nico blinked in surprise. He hadn't really made friends with anyone at school
yet, so he had been eating alone every day. He quickly nodded. “That would be
great,” he said with a smile.
Daedalus nodded back, and the two walked into the cafeteria. They quickly went
through the lunch line, where Daedalus waited for Nico before he led the black
haired boy to an empty table. Nico frowned as they sat down. Hadn't Cal said
that Daedalus was popular? He quickly shrugged that thought off.
“So, did you ever figure out why I seem familiar?” Nico asked, trying to break
the ice.
Daedalus smiled as he took a sip of his drink. “Not quite yet, but I always
figure things out,” he replied.
Nico nodded as he took a bite of his burger. “So, are you a jock?”
Daedalus chuckled and nodded. “Sort of. I'm the captain of the basketball
team.”
Nico stared down at his tray, feeling uneasy all of a sudden. “Oh, that's
cool,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, but I'm also the president of the science club.”
Nico raised an eyebrow at the grey-eyed boy. “Seriously? Do you just try and
break stereotypes, or something?”
Daedalus snorted as he sat his drink down. “Something like that, I suppose. I'm
not a very big fan of stereotypes. Why should one be restricted from something
just because they like something else?”
Nico nodded. That made sense. It would explain why he hadn't felt uneasy around
the boy when they had met yesterday. He sighed as he picked at his mashed
potatoes. Maybe he had finally found a friend at this school. Though, he
doubted he would ever be able to have the boy over to hang out at the hotel. If
he did, he would have a lot of explaining to do about why he lived there
without parents, and then that would just lead into what Nico did for a job.
Lunch quickly went by, the two boys making some small talk from time to time.
Even when they were being quiet, it didn't appear like Daedalus was bothered by
their lack of talking. When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch, the two
boys walked through the hall, Nico just listening to the taller boy talk. Nico
quickly learned why he was the president of the science club, the boy had to
border on genius level.
The rest of the school day crept by, and Nico made himself as unnoticeable as
possible. Even when school finally ended, Nico did his best to blend with the
crowd as they walked outside. When he finally got to the parking lot, he was
relieved to see Octavian already there, waiting in his car.
He jumped in, finally letting out a breath. Octavian rolled his eyes at Nico
and cranked the car. Nico frowned at the blond as he pulled out of the parking
lot. It seemed like he just couldn't be at peace with all of the Lost Kids at
the same time.
“Did I do something wrong?” Nico blurted out.
Octavian glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “What would make you think
that?” He asked snidely.
“It's just that yesterday, you seemed like you were annoyed with me. And now
today you still seem annoyed with me. Is this about the same thing as last
weekend?”
“And what exactly happened last weekend?” Octavian asked innocently.
Nico frowned. “Cut the crap. I know all of that really happened. I don't know
why all of you are trying to act like it didn't.”
Octavian smirked. “What, you can't figure it out for yourself?”
“No, that's why I'm asking.”
Octavian shrugged, slipping some sunglasses onto his eyes. “Well, I don't
really feel like explaining it, so you can go fuck yourself.”
Nico glared at the blond. “And what was all of that in the hallway yesterday?”
Nico snapped.
“None of your business,” Octavian sneered.
“You were talking about me!”
“Only indirectly. But all of that was between me and my brother.”
“You're such an ass.”
“And you're a brat,” the blond retorted.
Nico huffed and turned to look out his window. He felt this was a little
unfair. The others never told him what their problem was. They just found some
way to make him miserable. Some family, Nico thought.
The rest of the car ride was spent in an awkward silence. Octavian had turned
on some music to near deafening levels. He was so thankful when they pulled
into the parking garage and he was able to get out. He felt like he was about
to punch another blond in the face.
He was surprised to find Leo in the parking garage, waiting on them. “Hey
there, Nico. How was school?” The Latino boy greeted him.
“Fine,” Nico mumbled. Octavian grunted and shoved past them to board the
elevator.
Leo raised an eyebrow at Nico as the two of them joined the blond. “So, Percy
wanted me to come bring you to his office.”
“What for?” Nico asked.
“He's a little busy at the moment, so you'll have to wait for him to finish.”
Nico nodded. They rode up in silence. Octavian didn't even bother to look at
either of them. Whatever had happened yesterday had apparently put him in a bad
mood. Even though the blond had said it didn't concern him, he couldn't help
but feel like it did.
The elevator stopped at the Lost Kids' floor first, letting Octavian off, who
didn't even bother acknowledging them as he left. “What's up his butt today?”
Leo asked as the doors slid shut.
Nico shrugged. “Beats me. He won't tell me anything,” he mumbled.
Leo sighed as the elevator arrived at Percy's floor. He gave Nico a sympathetic
smile as they headed towards the office. Upon stepping inside, Nico immediately
picked up on some shouting from Percy's office. The door was open, and Nico
could see a man standing up in front of Percy's desk, shouting at an irritated
looking Percy.
Percy's eyes flickered to Nico. He glanced to his side and nodded towards the
door. Rachel soon appeared in the doorway. She stepped outside and shut the
door behind her, her lips pursed.
“What's going on?” Nico asked as he sat down.
“One of Zeus's associates came to talk to Percy,” Leo answered.
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. “That guy that he was talking about a while back? The
club owner?”
Rachel nodded. “Yes, and he apparently thinks that Gaea and Percy are getting
in the way of his business,” the red headed girl responded, looking at Leo and
rolling her eyes.
Leo snorted as he sat down at his desk. “He's making it out like he was here
first,” the Latino chuckled.
“The guy isn't very bright either.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Why is that?” He asked.
Rachel sat down, raising a brow at Nico. “Because he’s in there threatening
Percy.”
Leo gave a low whistle. “Ouch. I mean, I figured Zeus wasn't very smart, but is
he really that stupid? I mean, he might as well insult Gaea to her face,” Leo
stated.
Rachel nodded. “I know. I can't wait to hear what she thinks about this.”
“You could call her,” Leo suggested, slinging his arms behind his head. Nico
perked up. Would he actually get to hear or see the infamous Gaea?
Rachel eyed Percy's door nervously. “Um, I think it would be better if we let
Percy tell her. Besides, if I called her, she would probably just turn around
and call Percy while he was talking with the guy.”
Leo nodded. “Good point,” he mumbled.
“What's going to happen?” Nico asked.
The two of them looked at each other and then at Nico. “Well,” Leo began.
Nico's eyes widened as he heard the man yell, followed by a loud thud. Percy's
shouting soon filled the air.
“He's going to make it clear not to mess with him,” Rachel whispered.
Percy's door flew open, and the man hobbled out, holding his nose, which looked
broken and was now gushing blood. Nico gulped as he watched the man walk out.
Percy came to the doorway and leaned against the frame as he watched the man
leave, his eyes snake-like.
When the door slammed shut, Percy's eyes immediately flashed back to their warm
sea green color. He threw on a smile for Nico and nodded to his office.
“Rachel, would you mind getting a paper towel to clean up this mess?” Percy
asked.
Rachel nodded and walked over to the counter beside Nico. She grabbed a roll of
paper towels and scampered into Percy's office, Nico following behind her. He
watched as she tore off some paper towels to wipe up some blood that had gotten
onto Percy's desk. Nico's eyes widened at the tall black haired young man. He
had figured Percy had punched the guy, but it looked more like he had slammed
the man's head onto his desk. He was beginning to see why the other Lost Kids
were so afraid of Percy.
-------------------------------------------------
Nico laughed as Daedalus talked about an accident in his science class at the
beginning of the year, which had seared some of Zethes's hair off his arm.
Thursday had finally rolled around, which meant Nico had one final day to
prepare for the weekend. Though, Percy had him scheduled to work the stage on
Saturday, which he claimed to be good for Nico, something about him getting to
meet an old friend of Percy's that was going to be staying Friday night at the
Lotus. He didn't know anything beyond that. Percy had just seemed relatively
happy with whoever the friend was visiting. He wasn't sure how to feel about
it, though. Should he be happy or jealous?
It just sounded stupid to feel jealous, though, when Percy wasn't his. He
wanted to feel excited and happy, because he was getting to meet someone from
Percy's younger years at the Lotus. He was going to assume that this person
knew Percy before any of the Lost Kids even did. He was a little curious at who
it was. Maybe it was the black haired boy in that photo Percy had.
Cal and Zethes were still giving him a hard time, and his ribs were now sore
from getting kicked by Cal. Piper had noticed him clutching his ribs when she
had picked him up yesterday, and had asked Nico to go to Percy about it. But
after Nico had seen what Percy had done to that man, Nico had said no and
begged her not to tell Percy. Cal and Zethes might have been jerks, but he
didn't want them to be beaten to an inch of their lives.
“So, you got any plans this weekend?” Daedalus asked.
“Oh, uh, just work,” Nico replied, wincing as soon as the words had left his
mouth. He shouldn't have divulged that. Now, Daedalus would probably ask where
he worked.
But to Nico's relief, the brunet just nodded. “That sucks, I guess.”
Nico nodded. “What about you?”
The taller boy smiled. “I've got a date.”
Nico nodded again. “You have a girlfriend?” He asked.
“Yeah. We just started seeing each other a few weeks ago.” Daedalus took a bite
of his roll. “What about you?”
“Oh, uh, I don't have anyone.”
Daedalus scrunched his lips. “That sucks, dude.”
Nico shrugged. “I'm working on it,” he mumbled. Again, he needed to watch what
he said. Although, it was partly true. He was trying to get Percy, but he also
knew he would probably never succeed.
“I'm sure it will work out,” the brunet said with a smile. “So, what's his
name?”
Nico nearly choked taking a sip of his drink. “Wh-What makes you think it's a
guy?” Nico asked nervously.
Daedalus smiled at him. “I sort of figured it out, Nico. And, I'm assuming it's
not me. So, what's his name?” Daedalus asked again.
Nico took a bite of food as he contemplated the best choice for this. Should he
divulge this information? He finally swallowed his food and spoke. “Percy.” He
glanced back down at his tray. He figured it wouldn't hurt anything. Chances
were that Daedalus and Percy would never meet, so what was the harm in it.
The jock nodded. “Well, I'm sure he will come around,” he tried assuring Nico.
Nico gave a lopsided smile. “Thanks,” he said sheepishly.
The rest of the school day slowly crept by for Nico. He knew what would come
when school let out, and he wanted to avoid those two bullies at all costs. And
it didn't help matters when Cal sat behind Nico in his last class.
When the bell finally did ring to signal the end of school, Nico shot out of
his desk and bolted out the door. He sprinted to his locker to quickly drop off
and pick books. After that, he fell into a crowd and made his way outside,
where he found Luke's car waiting him on the other side of some buses,
relatively out of the sight of the school building.
Nico made a break for it and ran away from the crowd of students. But,
unfortunately, it didn't matter. When he got to the other side of the buses, he
found Cal and Zethes waiting for him with smirks. “And where do you think
you're going?” Cal asked.
“I don't see your Frankenstein girlfriend anywhere today,” Zethes chuckled.
Nico's eyes flashed from them to Luke's car, weighing his chances of reaching
it. Luke was watching him from inside the car, his cheek resting on his fist.
He raised an eyebrow at Nico. Nico's shirt was grabbed by Cal, who shoved him
up against the bus.
“Don't ignore me, fag,” Cal snarled.
“I wish I could ignore your breath,” Nico replied, making a face of disgust.
Cal growled and pulled his fist back to punch Nico. Nico squeezed his eyes shut
in preparation of the blow, but it never came. He slowly opened his eye when he
heard Zethes yelp.
He blinked in surprise when he found Luke with his foot on Zethes's chest, and
his hand grabbing Cal's wrist. “Who the fuck are you?” Cal growled, yanking his
arm free of Luke's grasp.
“You his boyfriend?” Zethes grunted as he picked himself up.
Luke crossed his arms, taking a step in front of Nico. “I'm not. But so what if
I was? Do you have a problem with it?” Luke growled.
Cal narrowed his eyes. “Back off, dude,” he warned.
“Are these the two idiots I've been hearing about?” Luke asked Nico.
Nico blinked. He swallowed and nodded. Luke nodded his head, keeping his eyes
on Nico. In one swift motion, Luke drew his fist back and punched Cal in the
face. Nico and Zethes's eyes widened in utter shock. Cal collapsed onto his
back, clutching his now bloody nose, which looked broken.
Luke grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him towards the car. He opened his door and
shoved the raven haired boy inside. Nico's eyes were still wide when Luke got
into the car. He turned his head to look back at Cal and Zethes as they pulled
out of the parking lot, watching as Zethes freaked out over a panicked Cal.
“You-you hit him,” Nico voiced.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, I didn't think you noticed. I mean, you were
standing right there, I figured you didn't see,” Luke said sarcastically.
“But I thought we weren't supposed to use violence?”
Luke's eyebrow rose. “Why do you think I parked behind the buses? No one saw
anything.” He took his right hand off the wheel and flexed his fingers.
“This is exactly why I didn't want Piper to tell Percy.”
Luke shrugged. “You should have been more specific. I don't recall hearing that
you said anything about us not getting involved.”
“But why?” Nico asked.
Luke ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth as he looked at Nico. “Why
the fuck did I decide to pick you up?” Luke grumbled. “I don't want to be the
one to have this talk with you, kid.”
“What talk? And why not?”
“I hate mushy shit. I don't want you fucking crying on my shoulder, unless it
involves me actually fucking you.”
“You're such a romantic,” Nico mumbled, bringing a smirk to Luke's lips.
The blond shook his head, his smirk turning to a frown. “Look, go ask one of
the others. Let them tell you.” His eyes darted from side to side. “No, wait,
then they might tell you some fabricated story that I actually care about you.”
“Do you?”
Luke narrowed his eyes at Nico. He ran his sore hand through his short blond
hair. “Look, kid, even though we have our issues with you, you're still one of
us. You're still a Lost Kid. We bicker and fight with each other from time to
time, but we protect our own when it comes from an outside source.”
Nico stared at him curiously. That had not really been what he had been
expecting. Had he misjudged them? Or was this just another ploy to lure him
into a false sense of security?
Luke blew out a breath. “I get that you probably think we don't want you here,”
Luke continued, “but that's not true. We'd never wish someone back on the
streets. Sure, we can be cold and cruel, but we aren't heartless.” He looked
out his window, mumbling his next sentence under his breath. “Not even me.”
“So, what, you feel bad about what happened?” Nico asked, raising a brow.
Luke's face darkened. “I don't. I don't know about the others, but I know I
don't. You deserved it. You're too fucking perfect, and a fall was what you
needed.”
Nico's face fell. “Oh, I just thought that maybe that was why all of you were
trying to be nice to me and act like nothing was wrong,” he mumbled.
Luke snorted. “No, we were nice to you because it was our way of saying that
you were still family.”
“Well, Apollo came to apologize last night.”
Luke smirked. “Did he?” The blond shrugged. “I figured the jealous bastard
would end up tucking his tail between his legs and go running to apologize.”
Nico's head tilted to the side with a frown. “Jealous?” He asked curiously.
“What do you mean 'jealous'?”
Luke chuckled. “Oh, he didn't tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
Luke began laughing as he parked the car. He sighed as placed his hands behind
his headrest. “Do you remember what I said about falling until you saw how
messed up we really were?” Luke asked. Nico nodded his head. “Guess what?” Luke
got out of the car.
Nico got out as well and looked at the blond over the roof. “What?”
“You're falling again.”
***** She is Loco *****
Chapter Notes
     So, I believe this is the first time I've actually addressed my
     readers on here. I ramble in every single post I do on FF.net, but I
     just haven't really felt the need to do so on here. But I had to for
     this and the next chapter. But before I get on with that, I do want
     to announce that I will be uploading a few of my other stories over
     here after I've caught up with Children of Loss on this site. And if
     you're not aware, there are 38 total chapters currently written. That
     being said, I need to give a disclaimer for this chapter.
     Disclaimer: I do not own the characters borrowed in this chapter,
     they are from an anime called Jormungand.
     And if I had one regret so far with this fic, it might have been
     including them in this. But I'm too lazy to go back and take them
     out. Plus, they actually serve a purpose with how similar Jonah is to
     Nico in comparison to Koko being similar to Percy, if that makes any
     sense. Anyways, I've never really said that to anyone before, but now
     you guys know. Also, the title is a reference to a song from the
     anime.
Nico watched as Percy moved his body sinfully to help Nico work out a routine
for Saturday night. Why couldn't Percy still be allowed to perform like this?
Or at least for Nico. He was beginning to see why the others had said he used
to be the best. There was simply no flaw in his form. His body never shook, he
never slipped during a move, and his eyes held a constant look of lust. He
smirked at Nico when he finished, watching as Nico's eyes followed a trail of
sweat down his torso.
“You look happy.”
Nico's eyes widened as he was pulled out of yesterday’s memory. His face turned
red as he sat under Daedalus’s amused gaze. “Sorry. Did you say something?”
Nico mumbled, averting his eyes to the ground.
Daedalus chuckled. “I said that I hope you have a good weekend. Hopefully, you
don't get worked too hard,” the brunet said. Nico let out a long breath.
Daedalus made a noise and dug into his pocket to pull out his phone. “That
reminds me, we haven't exchanged numbers yet.”
Nico's eyebrows rose slightly as he dug his own phone out of his pocket. He and
Daedalus swapped phones, quickly exchanging numbers. The brunet smiled at him
as he handed Nico back his phone. “Thanks,” Nico mumbled.
Daedalus nodded. “I'll text you later. It'll come in handy if I ever want to
hang out with you.”
Nico smiled and nodded. He looked up at the sound of a car horn blowing. His
eyes soon landed on Zoë's black car. “Oh, it looks like my ride is here,” Nico
said, grabbing his backpack and standing up from the bench that he and Daedalus
were sitting on.
Daedalus gave a nod as he looked down at his phone, probably texting the
girlfriend that he had mentioned. Nico smiled to himself as he walked over to
Zoë's car. As he slid inside, she raised a brow at him. “Who was that?” The
raven haired girl asked.
Nico blinked and turned his head back to Daedalus for a second before glancing
back at the Lost Girl. “Him? He's just a friend I made at school. His name is
Daedalus.”
Zoë nodded. She stepped on the throttle, and the car pulled away from the
school. “So, how have things been? I haven't really seen you the past few
days.”
Nico blew out a breath. “The same, I guess. Although, I felt like a lot of you
didn't really want to see me after last weekend.”
Zoë pursed her lips. She glanced at Nico from the corner of her eye, giving the
steering wheel a squeeze in the process. “Don't take it to heart. It's
complicated, shorty.”
Nico smirked out the window. “We're the same height,” he chuckled.
He noticed Zoë glare at him in the window's reflection. “Anyways,” she sighed,
“as you've probably seen, we sort of feel bad for how it was handled. You're
supposed to be family, and we didn't really act like it.” The car fell into a
brief silence while Zoë stared intensely at the road. “You're just hard to be
around sometimes.”
“Sorry,” Nico whispered, his eyes falling to his lap.
The driver shook her head. “No, it's not your fault. It's just how you make us
feel, and how you remind us of what we used to be.” She let out a long sigh.
“And of what we can never get back.”
Nico nodded, but still kept his eyes in his lap. “I guess it was just a relief
to find out that you guys didn't hate me.”
Zoë gave a lopsided smirk. “Not yet we don't. Just watch yourself.” She winked
at Nico, who smiled back at her.
Nico opened and closed his mouth a few times. He had something he wanted to
ask, but he felt awkward by asking it. Zoë seemed to notice this, and she
raised her eyebrow at him. Nico bit down on his bottom lip, casting his eyes
forward.
“Can I ask why you guys were watching me? What were you expecting from me?” The
brown-eyed boy finally asked.
Zoë let out a sigh. She removed one hand from the wheel to grab her long black
hair and draped it over the front of her right shoulder. “Waiting to see if you
would end up like us. Or perhaps just waiting to see if you would force Percy's
hand in his agreement.”
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. Apollo had talked about something similar a few days
ago. What was it that he didn't know? And why hadn't Percy already told him
about this? Nico thought that Percy was going to let him make his own
decisions, but he couldn't be expected to do so if he didn't know what the
situation was. Percy had just said that it wasn't important, that he wouldn't
actually ask Percy for whatever it was, so there was no point in talking about
it.
“What was the agreement?” Nico asked, digging his fingers into his jeans.
Zoë blinked over at him. “Oh that's right. Apollo said Percy hadn't spoken to
you about it yet.”
“What is it?” Nico asked again, frowning at the black haired young woman.
Zoë let out a heavy sigh as she pulled into the hotel's garage. She found a
place to park and cut off the engine. She sat there for a few seconds, just
staring at the steering wheel, before she responded. “That, if you have sex
with him, or any of us, he will put you to work as a full-fledged Lost Kid.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What does that mean?” He asked, though he already had a
sinking suspicion of what it meant.
“He won't deny customers anymore when they...request your services.”
Nico swallowed hard as his head started to spin. Shouldn't this have been
something that he should have already been told? Why had Percy felt this wasn't
important? He knew the Lost Kids were trying to seduce Nico. He knew that Nico
had a crush on him. So, why had he neglected to talk to Nico about this?
“Are you alright?” Zoë asked, already out of the car and at Nico's side.
Nico nodded. “Yeah, it just took me by surprise.”
She frowned at him. “Don't be mad at him.”
He quickly shook his head, which did not help his stomach. “I'm not, well, not
really. It just would have been nice to know, that's all.”
Zoë pursed her lips as they walked to the elevator. Once they had boarded, she
pulled out her keycard and slid it into the slot. She quickly hit the button
for the sixty-seventh floor. “He would have told you if he felt he needed to,”
she assured him. “You said no to the Lost Boys, so Percy just didn't think you
needed to be aware of the issue.”
Nico nodded. It wasn't really what he had been expecting, but it explained
Percy and Apollo's conversation. “Where are you working tonight?” Nico asked,
wanting to change the subject.
“Working the stage,” she replied with a small smile. “I would say thankfully,
but I know some of our guests will be up there visiting.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Guests? But we always have guests.”
The raven haired girl smiled at him, patting him on the head. “Yes, but these
are some special guests of Percy's,” she replied. Nico's eyes widened. That was
right, that friend of Percy's was visiting tonight. “But I'm not sure I want to
be in the bar tonight, so it's all good.”
Nico raised a dark brow at the girl. “What are you talking about?”
The girl rubbed her mouth, glancing up at the floors as they ascended.
“Something's going down tonight, we all know it, but we just don't know what.”
“Wh-”
“Percy arranged the schedules to put Apollo at the bar tonight, and it just
didn't sit right. So, we're all wondering at what he's got planned,” Zoë
explained.
The elevator finally came to a stop. The Lost Girl placed her hand on Nico's
shoulder as she walked out. She glanced down the boys' hall, waving at someone.
Nico's eyebrows furrowed as he stepped out of the elevator. He turned down his
hall to find Percy leaning against his doorframe, his phone pressed to his ear.
His eyes were shining in amusement, and there was a wide smile on Percy's face.
It made Nico's stomach do a flip. He loved it when Percy smiled like that. It
wasn't a forced, fake, or knowing smile, it was genuine.
“Yes, I had Rachel pick them up about an hour ago. I was just about to go greet
her. I just needed to check in on Ni-” Percy's eyes finally landed on Nico, his
smile growing. “Yes, him. So, you can let Floyd know that his children are safe
in our care. I'll make sure that their stay here is pleasant.” He paused,
chuckling softly at something that was said on the phone. “No, you know I love
her.” Nico's heart stopped for a split second. “Yes, Gaea. No, I'm not going to
agree to it if she asks. No, I know she just lost R, but I know where I
belong.” Percy rolled his eyes in amusement. “Yes, I know. Now, go enjoy the
rest of your night.” Percy's smile slid off his face. “No, I still plan on
taking care of that. Alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow.”
Percy pulled the phone away from his ear, slipping it into his pocket. Nico
walked over to stand in front of him. “What was that all about?” He asked.
Percy shook his head. “Nothing. Don't worry about it.” He reached up and ran a
hand through his black hair. “The boss just wanted to make sure I'm taking care
of our special guests.” Nico nodded. “I just wanted to make sure you were
alright. I'll be busy until our guests leave on Sunday. So, I thought I'd check
in on you now, just in case I didn't get the chance to tomorrow.”
Nico let out a long breath. “As ready as I'll ever be, I guess.”
Percy's smile returned, once again making Nico's stomach do a flip. “Good. Oh
yes, and you'll be working my friends' table tonight. You haven't met either of
them yet, and I wanted you to get the chance.”
Nico quirked an eyebrow. “I thought there was only the one?” Nico asked.
Percy smiled. “Their father informed Gaea that he would be sending both of his
children to the expo this weekend.”
“Expo?”
Percy waved off the question. “I have faith that you'll figure it out on your
own. I don't get to see them much, so I'll probably be at the bar the entire
night.”
Percy's smile turned into a smirk as Nico's face lit up. “Oh, that's good. I'll
do my best then,” he assured his boss.
Percy nodded his head. Nico's eyes drifted over Percy's shoulder as he noticed
movement. Travis and Connor had silently exited their room, cans of silly
string in their hands. They raised a finger to their lips as they approached
from behind Percy.
Percy's smile slowly grew. He closed his eyes. “Don't even think about it,” he
said.
Travis and Connor pouted, letting the cans drop to their sides. “That's not
fair at all,” Connor whined.
“We will get the jump on you one day,” Travis added.
Percy chuckled and shook his head, letting the twins slide under his arms. “Do
try and behave, you two. And don't go destroying my hotel. I know it's almost
Halloween, but I don't want this place covered in silly string. So, please try
containing it to this floor,” Percy whispered into Connor's ear, making the
shorter twin shudder. Percy smirked and turned his head to speak into Travis's
ear, “And I look forward to the performance you two have planned for tomorrow
night.”
The twins grinned at each other before wrapping their arms tightly around
Percy, who rested his head on top of Connor's. “It would be better if you were
to join us,” they said seductively.
Percy smirked again, running his hand down to grab Travis's ass. “If you're
asking for some negotiation time, I have tomorrow night free after you two get
off.”
The twins smirked, untangling themselves from Percy. They laced their fingers
together and walked off down the hall to Thalia and Annabeth's room, where they
knocked on the door before they were let inside. Nico turned back to Percy with
a frown.
“I thought they were on punishment?” Nico asked.
Percy shrugged. “I lifted it. They've been on good behavior, so I figured it
was alright.”
Nico scrunched his lips. He pulled out his card and slid it into his door slot.
He pushed open his door and threw his backpack inside. He turned around to
stare at Percy from the doorway. “So, Zoë told me about your agreement with the
other Lost Kids,” Nico said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Percy raised a brow. He raised a hand to rub at his chin. “Really? Well, I was
actually going to talk to you about it, but I suppose she saved me the
trouble.” The green-eyed young man shrugged. “You don't look mad. I figured you
would at least be upset.”
Nico opened his mouth a few times before sighing, letting his arms drop back to
his side. “Well, I'm not exactly angry, but I'm not thrilled about it,” he
replied. “I'm upset you didn't already tell me, but I can understand what you
were trying to do.” Percy nodded at him. “I guess I should say thank you, but
I'm not sure that's entirely appropriate. I thought you said everything would
be my choice.”
Nico watched as Percy's eyes shifted to a darker shade of green. His face,
however, remained neutral. “You would have made the same choice. I just made it
for you. If you had objected to what I had done, you aren't the boy I think you
are, thus I wouldn't have done what I did,” Percy explained. Percy blew at his
bangs with a look of exasperation. “How do I explain this? I guess I just
wanted to protect you, or rather, what you represent.” Percy glanced down the
hall. “But, I had to make an agreement with the others, to make it fair. If I
hadn't, you would have been able just do as you please with no consequences.”
“Like having sex with you?” Nico asked quietly.
Percy stared down at Nico for a moment, his gaze nearly burning a hole through
the pale boy. “Yes.” Percy leaned on his arm against the doorframe, studying
Nico's face. “I suppose, since we're being honest, it's not that I didn't
particularly want to do it, it's just that I knew that it might be better if we
didn't. Things are complicated, Nico.” Percy's phone suddenly rang. Percy
blinked down at his pocket before pulling the device out, smiling at it when he
saw the name. “Well hello there. Yes, I missed you too.” Percy chuckled.
“Alright, I'll be right there. I just got a little distracted.” Percy hung up
the phone and smiled at Nico. “I have to get going, but I'll see you tonight.”
Nico nodded. “Alright, I'll see you then,” he said, waving at Percy as he
walked off.
He frowned as the door down the hall opened, and Luke and Octavian leaned
against their doorframe to watch as Percy walked by. Octavian smirked and
reached out to grope Percy's crotch, who just chuckled and shook his head. “Not
tonight,” Percy announced, causing the blond to frown.
Luke crossed his arms, tossing his eyes over to Nico, who was glaring at
Octavian. Octavian's smirk returned once Percy had boarded the elevator. The
younger blond also turned his eyes upon Nico, smirking in satisfaction at the
response he got. Luke frowned and whispered something to Octavian. The younger
brother narrowed his eyes up at Luke before returning inside their suite.
Luke arched an eyebrow at Nico. “Don't fall on your face tonight, kid,” Luke
said before starting to retreat into the room as well.
“I'm not a kid,” Nico grumbled.
Luke stopped to smirk at Nico before shutting the door. Nico narrowed his eyes
at the spot Luke had just been standing for a few moments before walking into
his own suite. He stopped in the middle of the room when he heard a door close
from within the suite.
He arched an eyebrow at Leo as he came around the corner. Leo stopped, his eyes
widening slightly at Nico. He quickly coughed and masked his surprise. “Hey
there, Nico,” the Latino boy greeted him.
“Um, Leo, what were you doing in the spare room?” He asked, tilting his head to
the side.
Leo glanced behind him. “Just looking it over, nothing to worry about.”
Nico gave Leo an odd look. What was this really about? “Um, I feel I have the
right to know why you came into my suite unannounced. Not to mention the fact
that you've apparently been back there for at least ten minutes.” He crossed
his arms.
Leo opened his mouth before closing it. He stared up at his forehead in
thought. “Percy just asked me to do a thorough inspection of it today.”
Nico's lips tilted down. “What for?” He inquired.
Leo lifted his hands in a shrug. “I plead the fifth?” Leo chuckled.
Nico rolled his eyes, stepping aside to allow the Latino to pass. Today was
certainly turning out to be interesting. He closed the door behind Leo,
pinching the bridge of his nose. He glanced over at the clock on the wall. He
needed to do a quick practice of his routines for tomorrow night before he ate
and got ready for work. He was actually eager to find out who Percy's guests
were.
------------------------------------------
“Aww. Does Nico have a boyfriend now?” Thalia teased him as they rode up in the
elevator. Nico stared blankly at the elevator door. He had his phone in his
hand, and was in the middle of trying to write a reply to Daedalus, but the
others had decided to take an interest in his new friend.
Calypso reached over and pinched his cheek. Will had his head resting on top of
Nico's, and Nico could feel the blond grinning as he stared at the boy's phone.
“Is he cute?” Silena asked, trying to pluck the phone out of Nico's hand.
The youngest Lost Boy fumbled with his phone, finally managing to slide it into
his pocket. He turned around to glare at the others, who all grinned back at
him. The only one who didn't seem to be enjoying torturing Nico was Apollo, who
stood off to the side. The blond looked a little lost in thought.
“Oh, we should have Percy look into this Daedalus kid,” Calypso suggested.
Thalia snapped her fingers and winked at the caramel haired girl. “I like the
way you think,” the black haired girl agreed. Apollo's lips finally tilted up
into a smirk as he cut his eyes toward the girl.
Nico's eyes widened. He began waving his hands wildly. “No! Don't do that!
Can't I just have a friend outside of the hotel?” He pleaded.
Will pouted at him. “Don't you love us, Nicky?” the blond teased him.
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Don't call me that. I'm not a girl.”
“Oh don't worry, Percy and Apollo both assured us of that,” Thalia cackled.
Apollo's smile widened as he slung an arm around Will's shoulders. “We're just
not enough for him it seems,” the blond joined in.
Silena shook her head. “Way to get around, Nico,” she said with a wink.
Nico continued to glare at them. “We're just friends. He's straight and has a
girlfriend,” he pointed out.
They all nodded their heads. “Doesn't seem to stop people, in our experience,”
Calypso retorted.
Nico rolled his eyes. The elevator finally opened, much to his relief. Apollo
and Calypso pushed past him, the blond ruffling his hair on the way out. Nico
let out a sigh and followed after them, receiving waves from Thalia, Silena,
and Will as the doors closed once again.
Nico groaned as he took in the crowded bar. Yet again, it seemed like it was a
busy weekend. So, why was it different than the last one? It didn't take him
long to spot Percy's friends' table, as several tables had been pushed together
to accommodate everyone.
Percy sat at the head of the table, a glass of alcohol already in hand. He was
dressed in a black dress shirt and black pants, with a dark blue tie hanging
from his neck. A silver ring sat on his right ring finger. It bore a dark blue
stone and an inscription, but Nico couldn't make it out. He was laughing at
something that had been said at the table, but it didn't make Nico's stomach do
a flip like earlier. This one made his stomach sink. It was a crooked smile,
matched equally matched by the gleam of mischievousness in his dark green eyes.
Nico let out a breath as he walked over to the bar to retrieve his apron.
Chiron handed it to him with a smile. “Ah, there you are, Nico,” the bartender
greeted him. “Percy's table needs tending to, if you would get started with
that.”
Nico nodded and turned back around to head over to it. He wrung his hands as he
crept closer to it, feeling slightly uneasy about some of the people at the
table. “I can't believe you bombed the Iraqi desert, just to deal with a single
woman,” Percy chuckled, downing what was left of his alcohol.
“If you remember, my sister doesn't know what the word overkill means,” a blond
man on Percy's left chuckled.
Nico finally took in the two blonds sitting on Percy's left and right. They
looked similar, and from what the man had just said, Nico was going to assume
they were siblings. The man was dressed in a dark grey suit with a red tie. He
sat very casually in his chair, waving his glass of alcohol in his hand. He had
platinum blond hair, that Nico would have probably mistaken it for a silvery
white. He had it styled to look tousled and spiky, parting it off to the right.
His eyes were a striking shade of icy blue that made Nico shift a little just
looking at them. Like Nico, he had flawlessly pale skin, though the man
radiated an intimidating aura of power.
The girl across from him, his sister, had long blonde hair that matched the
color of her brother's. She also had a pair of matching icy blue eyes and an
identical skin tone to that of her brother. Also like her brother, she made
Nico feel uneasy. She seemed warm enough, but her eyes and smile practically
screamed dangerous to Nico. She was dressed entirely the opposite of Percy. She
had on a white dress shirt and matching white skirt, with a light blue tie with
black stripes around her neck. Her posture was also entirely different from
that of her brother. She sat very properly, with her right leg crossed over her
left and her hands laced together in her lap.
Percy set down his glass and waved Nico over when he noticed the pale boy.
“This is my new Lost Kid,” he said, nearly pulling the raven haired boy into
his lap. The blonde girl lifted a glass of wine up to her lips and looked Nico
over, which made Nico even more uncomfortable. “Nico, I'd like you to meet two
of my oldest friends. These are Kasper and Koko Hekmatyar.”
Was it just Nico, or did the room fall silent at the mention of their names? He
glanced around to notice that most of the patrons were glancing over at them.
Nico blushed, trying to pull himself away from Percy. The blonde's lips tilted
up slightly.
“Could we get some more wine for my sister? I don't think she's had enough,”
Kasper asked, smiling charmingly at Nico.
“You just want me to embarrass myself in front of Percy!” Koko shot back,
pointing an accusing finger at her brother.
Kasper shrugged. “If you recall, he was the one who bought you your first two
glasses, not me.”
Percy grinned and rested his elbow on the table, dropping his chin onto his
palm. “Hey, I don't get to see you very much, and I wanted to enjoy your
inability to hold your alcohol,” he chuckled.
Koko waved her hand off in Percy's direction. “Whatever,” she replied. “Just
don't let Jonah drink.” She raised a finger and pointed down the table. Nico
followed her finger to a boy that sat a few chairs down on the other side of
the table.
The kid was short, and appeared to be several years younger than Nico. What was
a kid doing up in a place like this? His appearance was startling, though. He
had silvery white hair and a pair of red eyes that were set in a blank stare.
He had dark skin, though it was not as dark as the man a few chairs down. A
small scar ran diagonally underneath his left eye. His lips were set into a
thin line. He was not dressed nearly as nice as the others at the table,
wearing a dark grey sweatshirt and a pair of shorts. His posture was slouched,
and he had both of his hands tucked into his sweatshirt, while his eyes roamed
around the room.
Percy chuckled. “Yes, I remember your request,” the hotel manager replied. He
glanced down at a blond down at the other end of the table. “Oh, Lutz, some of
the girls asked if you were going to come up and visit.”
The blond looked down at Percy, a huge grin spreading across his face. He had
fair skin, but bore a small scar above his left eyebrow. He had short, spiky
light blond hair. His eyes were small and dark blue. Besides Kasper, Nico
decided that he was probably the most attractive guy at the table, not counting
Percy. Something about him reminded Nico of the Stoll twins.
“Of course, Perce. The guys and I were talking about seeing the girls the
entire plane ride over here,” Lutz replied, gesturing to the the guys around
him.
Percy's eyebrows rose as he looked back to Nico. “Oh yes, I forgot to introduce
you to everyone else.”
“And after all we've been through, Perseus,” a woman seated beside Kasper
joked. “I'm so hurt, especially after teaching you everything you know about
knives.”
Percy closed his eyes and smiled, running his fingertips through his hair.
“Sorry,” he apologized. “This is Chiquita, the head of Kasper's bodyguard
team.”
Chiquita was a thin woman, with pale skin. She had short black hair, with her
bangs parting over her left eye. Her calm eyes were a shade of dark green.
Unlike some of the others at the table, she radiated a sense of calmness. Her
lips were tilted up into a lazy smile as she watched Percy.
Percy cleared his throat. “Anyways, the rest of our guests are Lehm, who I've
known for as long as I have Koko and Kasper, Valmet, Mao, Tojo, Ugo, and
Wiley,” he said, gesturing to each of them when he said their name.”
Lehm was a mountain of a man. He looked to be taller than even Percy and
Beckendorf, and more muscular than both Butch and Beckendorf. He was relatively
tan, with short grey hair and a hint of stubble. Like Chiquita, who sat beside
him, he also radiated a calm demeanor. He also wore a constant toothy grin,
which helped ease Nico's nerves a little. He had a lighter in his right hand,
and was flicking it open and closed every few seconds.
When Nico's eyes landed on Valmet, he felt his cheeks darken. Now, while he was
gay, he couldn't help but feel awkward looking at the woman. Her breasts were
so big that she could probably put all of the Lost Girls to shame. Her skin
nearly matched Nico's. She also had black hair that hung down to her shoulders.
She also had a white eyepatch over her right eye. Her left eye was a striking
shade of hazel, which nearly passed for yellow.
Valmet seemed to notice Nico's embarrassed state and smirked. “See, I think
there's hope that Jonah will be interested in girls yet, Koko,” she commented,
only causing Nico's cheeks to darken further.
Jonah didn't seem to acknowledge the comment, though. And Nico himself didn't
particularly understand what the woman meant, besides that the kid was young
and was going to hit puberty soon. Percy and Koko, however, had faint frowns on
their faces. Nico cleared his throat and went down to the other end of the
table to begin to take drink orders from the rest of the group, though he was
conscious of how Percy and Koko's eyes were now studying him intently. As they
all began giving him their orders, Nico took a second to study the remainder of
the group.
Mao was clearly of some Asian descent, though Nico couldn't place the exact
location. He was relatively fit and tall, but managed to remain thin. He had
medium dark skin and short black hair. His eyes were the shade of tree bark.
Tojo was also of Asian descent, with shaggy black hair. He wore a pair of
glasses over his light brown eyes. Like Lehm and Chiquita, he was fairly calm
and relaxed. Though, he bore Percy's ability to give off an emotionless vibe.
Ugo reminded Nico of Butch from his appearance. He was relatively tan and
muscular. He was also very tall, even taller than Lehm. He spoke with an
Italian accent, which reminded Nico of his grandparents. He had a pair of beady
hazel eyes and a strong jawline.
Wiley reminded Nico a lot of Beckendorf. He was dark skinned of African
descent, though from the way he spoke, Nico assumed he was American. He had
black close-cropped hair with two identical streaks above each of his ears.
Like Tojo, he wore a pair of glasses. Five earrings sat in his ears; three
hoops in his left ear and two studs in his right one. He also had a pair of
warm brown eyes, though they tended to be hidden behind the reflection of his
glasses.
Nico finally walked away from the table to deliver the order that he had been
given. He groaned as he handed the slip of paper to Chiron. Why did he have to
be the only one waiting on that table? He shouldn't complain, though. It only
meant that he got more time with Percy.
He steadied the tray once it was filled with all of their drinks, and Nico
carried it back over to the table. “So, how do you know Percy?” Nico decided to
ask upon arrival at the table.
Koko blinked at him for a few seconds before her lips tilted up into a creepy
smile. “Our father is a close personal friend of Gaea's, so once Percy was
taken in by her, we were practically got raised together,” the girl answered.
She took her glass of wine from Nico and began drinking eagerly from it, her
cheeks beginning to flush.
“But Percy moved back here to America when he turned seventeen,” added Kasper,
“so we weren't able to get him onto our teams.”
Nico tilted his head, glancing over at Percy. “I thought you were always here,”
Nico mumbled.
Percy shook his head, swirling his drink around in his hand. He chuckled
lightly. “If I was raised by Gaea, shouldn't that have implied otherwise?” The
green-eyed young man pointed out. Nico blushed under Percy's stare, which did
not go unnoticed by Koko.
“No, Percy was raised in Germany after he was taken in by Gaea,” Kasper
continued.
“Thankfully, you didn't turn out like your brother,” mumbled Koko around her
glass.
Nico frowned at her. Percy rolled his eyes. “Kronos isn't that bad,” he said.
Nico was about to open his mouth when Percy looked back at him. “And before you
ask, Kronos isn't my biological brother. He's Gaea's actual son.”
Nico nodded. “So, why did you come back here?” Nico asked.
Percy took a swig of his alcohol, licking his lips once he was done. The action
managed to draw Nico's attention, and consequently, turn Nico's cheeks darker.
“Well, she's never admitted to it, but I think Gaea was setting me up to take
over this branch.”
Koko frowned at Percy, clutching his hand. “But she wouldn't let me have you,”
the girl whined. Percy just grinned back at her. “You know, Percy, I do have an
opening on my team, and my offer still stands.”
Nico felt his heart stop upon hearing the woman's words. So that's what Percy
meant earlier. Percy raised Koko's hand up to his lips and kissed it, and Nico
noticed Valmet's eye twitch. “As I've said the hundreds of other times that
you've asked me, my place is here, or wherever Gaea asks me to be.”
Koko let out a sigh. “Such dedication. It's a shame that I can't have it.” She
tapped her finger against the table for a moment. “So, I hear you are having
issues around here.”
Percy's lips thinned. He cleared his throat. “It's nothing to be concerned
with. I'll be taking care of it personally.” Koko and Percy shared a look,
something dangerous appearing in both of their eyes. He took a sip of his drink
before making a noise. “Oh, with the present that Lehm got me for my birthday
last year, actually.”
Lehm chuckled and held his glass out towards Percy before taking a drink. “Glad
you could find some use for it,” the man said.
Percy flashed a dangerous smirk. “Oh, I've found several uses for it since
then.” He looked over at Koko. “I told you I found out I had a half-brother,
right?” Koko nodded. “Yeah, well, he decided to come knocking at my door about
a year ago, demanding some money.”
Koko snorted and burst out laughing. Kasper's smirk turned devious, while
everyone else at the table had dangerous looks in their eyes. All except Jonah,
who kept his blank look.
Valmet pouted at Percy and jutted her chest out towards him. “What about my
present?” She asked.
“I keep it in the drawer beside my bed.” He raised his glass and clinked it
against Valmet's. “Came in handy, too, I might add,” he chuckled. Percy smirked
when he noticed that Nico was just standing there listening to them. “That will
be all for now. I'll wave you over if we need anything.”
Nico nodded and began walking off to another table, passing Valmet and Mao, who
were whispering to each other. “I'm not the only one who's noticing the
similarity here, am I?” The large breasted woman asked.
Mao shrugged. “I'm not sure I follow,” he whispered back.
Valmet discreetly pointed her finger towards Jonah. “Doesn't the new Lost Kid
remind you of someone we know?”
The man shrugged again. “They don't really look alike.”
Tojo sighed and leaned around behind Mao. “She means with Koko and Percy. And
yes, I see what you're talking about,” the man whispered.
Nico raised an eyebrow, trying his hardest not to look at them as he walked by.
He was about to reach a new table, when he heard something shatter. He looked
over to find Apollo wide eyed and frozen in place. He followed the blond's line
of sight to find a man sitting down close to where Nico stood. Nico frowned and
glanced back at the blond, who was now helping Calypso pick up the drinks he
had dropped.
The man looked vaguely familiar to Nico, somehow. He wanted to say he had seen
the man in the news before, but couldn't place why. He had neatly styled blond
hair. His eyes were green, but not as spectacular to look at as Percy's. He was
very handsome and fit. He was maybe an inch taller than Apollo. He wasn't
anywhere near as tan as the blond Lost Boy, though. His skin was fair,
somewhere between Nico and Apollo's skin.
Nico finally stepped up to the table he had been about to reach. He greeted the
brunette that sat at the table, though she didn't seem that interested in
talking to him. He didn't mind, though. His attention was focused on Apollo,
who seemed to be avoiding the mysterious blond like the plague. However, the
blond's attention was completely locked on Apollo's form, studying his every
move.
When neither Calypso or Apollo went to take the man's order, Nico let out a
sigh and headed over. Apollo froze when he saw Nico walking towards the man's
table. The man turned his head to look up at Nico's face briefly, but soon
trailed his gaze down Nico's body. Nico shifted his weight onto his other foot,
glancing around at his co-workers, who were staring at him intently. He looked
over to Percy, who was watching the situation with interest. Koko and Kasper
also seemed to be watching the situation, though Nico didn't know why they
would be interested. Hell, he didn't even know why Percy would be interested.
“Hello there, handsome,” Nico greeted him, biting down onto his lip like he had
been trained to do.
“You must be new. I don't think I've seen you around here before,” the man
replied.
Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I've been here about a month.”
The blond nodded. “May I inquire as to your name?”
Nico smiled brightly at the man, resting his hands on the table. “Nico.”
The man smiled charmingly back at him. “You can call me Robert, or Rob for
short,” the man said, leaning closer to Nico.
Nico found himself being yanked backwards, and soon found a tall blond standing
in front of him. Apollo glared down at the man. “What are you doing here?” He
hissed.
Robert grinned at him. “I was wondering when you were going to come over,
Apollo.”
Apollo narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nico, go take
care of another table.”
Nico was about to walk off, but Robert grabbed his wrist. “Now hold on, I think
I'd rather have him as my waiter.”
Apollo's eyes darkened so much that they were nearly black. “Why are you even
down here? You usually lurk around upstairs,” the blond Lost Boy hissed.
Robert shrugged. “I got wind that the Hekmatyar siblings were going to be in
town this weekend, and wanted to see if I could get a word with them. When I
got here, that secretary boy directed me down here.” Robert glanced over at
Nico. “And now I think I know why.”
Nico watched as Apollo fought to swallow. His lips were tightly pursed, and his
hands were visibly shaking at his side. His eyes flickered over to Percy for a
split second, who was watching them over the top of his alcohol glass. Percy's
eyes had turned a deep shade of green that chilled Nico to his core. He felt a
chill run over his body as he finally realized who this blond man was. And he
couldn't help but begin to wonder at how cruel Percy could actually be. A snake
wasn't the right analogy. Percy made a snake look like a harmless worm. Maybe
Nico should have compared him to a dragon.
“So, if that will be all, Apollo, I think I'd like to be left alone with my
real waiter now,” Robert said with a grin.
Apollo's eyes finally cracked. They lightened and took on a devastated look. He
took a step back, looking back at Percy, his mouth opening a few times. Nico
finally was beginning to understand what Apollo had meant the other day. He
still cared about Percy, and to be betrayed like that, had really hurt him.
What was Percy doing? Wasn't he supposed to be the loving boss that everyone
could turn to when they needed him? Was he going to punish and hurt Apollo to
the same degree that Apollo had hurt Nico?
Apollo walked off, only to be stopped by Calypso on his way into the break
room. The girl led him into the back room, hiding them from Nico's sight.
Percy, Koko, and Kasper all finally went back to their own conversations,
though Koko pulled Percy closer to whisper in his ear.
Nico cleared his throat. “So, what can I get you?” Nico asked.
Robert tapped his fingers against the table before looking up at Nico. “I take
it you've figured out who I am by this point?” The man asked.
Nico swallowed and nodded timidly. “Apollo might have mentioned you once or
twice.”
Robert nodded. “I'll have some Scotch.”
Nico nodded and quickly hurried off to the bar to drop off the order. Chiron
had his lips pursed the entire time, but his eyes kept glancing up at Robert on
occasion. “Be careful with that man, Nico,” the bartender instructed.
“Don't worry, I know who he is,” Nico assured him. “What does he do now?”
Chiron let out a sigh. “Well, I'm sure you've heard he's married.” Nico nodded.
“He's a congressman now. Apollo hates the man to his very core because of a lot
of his political stances.”
“Like what?”
“Well, he's anti-gay marriage.”
Nico frowned. “After his relationship with Apollo? Really?”
Chiron nodded. “Yes, you would be surprised at some of his leanings.” He nodded
over to Percy's table. “But Percy's friends over there don't mind him because
of his stance on international trade.”
Nico glanced over at the brother and sister before looking back at Chiron.
“What do they do exactly?” He asked.
Chiron picked up a bottle of Scotch and began pouring it into an empty glass.
“Their father is Floyd Hekmatyar, the head of HCLI, and one of the most
powerful men in the world. He's also one of our main owner's closest friends.”
Nico's eyebrows furrowed. He had heard of that company somewhere before.
“HCLI...I've heard that name before. What is it?”
Chiron let out a sigh, glancing over at the two Hekmatyars. “I suppose I can
give you the public details for them. They are a global company involved with
shipping, logistics,” Chiron lowered his voice, “and the arms trade. Floyd's
two children over there both became leaders of the company at young ages, and
fall second in the ladder of control over the company. Kasper heads Asian
division, while Koko heads the European and African divisions.”
“And she wanted to recruit Percy for her team?” Nico asked.
Chiron nodded. “When she got assigned to the European division, he was the
first person she went looking for, not counting Lehm, who was assigned to her
team by her father. Unfortunately for her, Percy had been moved back here to
America by Gaea. Though, I sometimes wonder if she suspected the girl's
actions, and had launched a preemptive strike to keep Koko from acquiring
Percy.”
“They seem close,” Nico pointed out, looking between Percy and Koko.
“They are,” Chiron agreed with a smile. “She visits when she can, and she often
vacationed in Germany when she was younger, so that she could spend time with
him.”
Nico nodded and took Robert's drink order. He headed back to the man's table
and dropped it off, but was thankfully saved by Percy, who waved him over. He
let out a sigh as he reached the table, mouthing a thank you to the green-eyed
manager. Percy smiled at him, melting away Nico's earlier uneasiness about the
young man.
“Do you guys want anything before you head up?” He asked Lutz.
The blond young man shook his head. “Nah, that's alright. We'll just get
something up there,” Lutz replied. He, Tojo, and Wiley stood up. Lutz grinned
at Jonah. “You want to go?”
Koko sat her wine glass down rather harshly. “You're not taking him up there to
stare at naked women!” She barked.
Lutz held his hands up defensively. “I was just joking, Princess.” Tojo and
Wiley chuckled as they slapped him on the back, leading the blond towards the
elevator.
Nico looked back at Percy and Koko, who were whispering to each other. He
frowned as he studied the two of them, finally taking a moment to take in the
similarities between the two. Their posture was very similar, and Percy tended
to be proper and relaxed while Koko appeared to be the same. As he had noticed
earlier, their clothing was opposite one another. But it now clicked in Nico's
brain that he usually saw Percy in the same four colors: black, white, dark
blue, and grey. Their eyes even held the same feel. They changed a lot, even in
the depth of their color, to reflect the mood of each of them.
Their eyes could be warm and friendly one moment, and then flash to a dangerous
look the next. Their smiles even had a similar feel to them. Like Percy's,
Koko's smile could make Nico feel relaxed and calm at times, but others it
would shake him to his core. They both definitely radiated a sense of power.
And it was also starting to become obvious to Nico that they both wore similar
masks to hide their true emotions. He could see why they would be best friends.
“So, I was in the Middle East a few weeks ago,” Kasper voiced, sitting his
drink onto the table.
Percy smirked. “Let me guess, you had a visit with Kronos?” Percy chuckled.
Koko stuck her tongue out and made a face of disgust. Kasper gave a charming
smile. “I did. He was looking forward to the Lotus meeting and getting to come
see you.”
Percy nodded. “Yeah, Gaea wanted to host it here this year.” He shrugged. “The
Lost Kids are eager to have her visit.”
Nico froze when he heard this. Gaea was going to be coming to their hotel in
the possibly near future? “D-do you want another refill?” Nico asked. He
cleared his throat, and tried to hide the fact that his cheeks had darkened.
One little piece of information and he couldn't even control his voice.
Percy smiled and handed Nico his empty glass. “That would be great. Thank you,
Nico,” he said, bringing a fresh blush to Nico's cheeks. Nico walked off,
quickly getting the drink refilled by Chiron. When Nico returned, Percy smiled
warmly at Nico again, resting a hand on Nico's waist.
Koko's lips tilted up into that creepy smile of hers. “He's adorable, Percy.
I'm sure he gets a lot of attention. He'll probably find himself scooped up by
someone,” she said, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on them as
she watched Percy.
Percy blinked at her before shrugging. “I suppose.”
Koko's smile dropped. She studied Percy for a moment, who stared blankly back
at her. She quirked a single perfect eyebrow at the green-eyed young man. “I'm
also glad to see that you seem relatively happy.” She glanced around the bar
with a sigh. “And there are so many lovely sights around the hotel.”
Percy raised his own eyebrow. “It's pretty much the same as the last time you
were here.”
Koko lifted her hands in a shrug. “I don't know about that. I think I found
some new interesting sights.”
Percy rolled his eyes, his hand dropping from Nico's waist. “I don't know what
you're talking about,” he sighed.
That smirk of hers returned. “Well, I thought I saw you staring at the sights a
lot tonight.”
Before Percy could open his mouth, the elevator door opened. Ethan dragged a
shouting man into the bar. Nico's eyes widened as he noticed blood on several
parts of the man's body. His nose was bleeding, he had a bullet wound in his
leg, and the fingers on his right hand had been bent into a sickening angle.
The room quieted down as Ethan slammed the man's head down onto the table
between Percy and Kasper.
Nico glanced around at everyone at the table, but found that they were all
still relaxed. Jonah had been the only one to even make a move, adjusting his
sweatshirt so the pocket now bulged oddly. Kasper sat back in his chair with an
amused look. Percy let out a sigh, resting his elbow on the table next to the
man's face.
“I found him trying to sneak into the hotel. Found a gun and two knives on
him,” Ethan reported.
Percy shook his head, chuckling lightly. “Why is it that this stuff seems to
follow you around?” He mumbled.
The brother and sister smirked at him. “It's a talent,” Kasper joked.
Nico stared at them in bewilderment. How could they be so calm when someone was
apparently trying to kill them? Nico glanced over his shoulder. Everyone in the
bar seemed to be glancing at their table, some being more discreet than others.
Some of them just rolled their eyes, while other shook their heads.
“What should I do with him?” Ethan growled, twisting the man's wrist.
Koko waved her hand absentmindedly. “Throw him off the roof,” she mumbled,
picking up her glass of wine to take a sip.
Percy gave her a lopsided smile. “I'd rather not have the news looking into a
death that occurred outside my hotel,” Percy chuckled.
“It's not like you don't have the police and district attorney under your
thumb,” Chiquita stated.
Percy shrugged. “I'd rather not get them involved. I'm going to have to write
them a check soon anyways.”
“Take him down to the shooting range and let me show you some of our
merchandise,” Kasper suggested.
Percy tapped his finger on the table's surface, apparently contemplating the
offer. “Well, I would like to have a look at those new guns before the expo
tomorrow, but I think I'll have to decline.”
“So, what do you want to do?” Ethan asked.
Percy stared down at the man for a moment. He looked back up at Ethan, his
eyebrows raising. He lifted his drink to his lips. When he was done taking his
drink, he rested his elbows on the table and held his drink between his hands.
He fiddled with the silver ring on his finger before sighing and sitting his
drink back onto the table.
Ethan nodded and grabbed the man by the back of his hair, jerking him off the
table. Nico raised an eyebrow. Percy let out another sigh, looking up at Nico.
“Would you mind cleaning this up?” He asked politely.
Nico nodded slowly, pulling out a cloth in his apron. He began wiping up the
blood that had gotten on the table, while staring at Percy in confusion. Kasper
rested his elbow on the table, dropping his chin into his palm. He let out a
long sigh. “You never let me have any fun,” he said.
Percy smirked and took another drink. “Sorry, but unlike you and your sister, I
prefer to be discreet,” he chuckled.
Koko stood up and pointed to the ceiling. “Alright, I'm getting bored. Let's go
find something else to do,” she announced. Before anyone could answer, she was
marching off towards the elevators. Valmet called after her before chasing
after the girl. Lehm chuckled and rose as well, followed by Jonah and Ugo.
“Well, you can go have fun with my sister, but I think I'm going to retire for
the night,” Kasper announced, rising as well. Chiquita let her lazy smile
spread across her face as she followed him towards the elevators.
Percy finished off his drink and stood as well. He ruffled Nico's hair before
resting his hand on the back of Nico's neck. “Like I said earlier, I'll
probably be busy tomorrow, and probably won't be able to see you. That will
also mean I won't be upstairs tomorrow night,” he said.
Nico frowned. That would mean Percy would miss his performances. “Oh,” Nico
mumbled. “Why is that?”
Percy shrugged. “Koko doesn't really go up there, so I'm just going to tag
along with her until she leaves.” Nico nodded with a frown. Percy smiled down
at him. “I just wanted to go ahead and wish you good luck, and, hopefully, this
time won't be as bad as the last.” He moved his hand to rest on Nico's cheek,
giving it a gentle pat. “But she'll leave on Sunday, so I'll be upstairs while
you work the floor.”
Nico nodded. Percy removed his hand from Nico's face and slid both of them into
his pockets. With a final smile, he turned around and walked off to join the
others at the elevators. Nico scrunched his lips as the blonde girl tossed her
arms around Percy's neck. He didn't find himself jealous of her, just nervous
that she could take Percy away forever. He had the sinking suspicion he hadn't
seen the last of the girl that practically mirrored Percy just yet.
***** Surrounded by Vipers *****
Chapter Notes
     Again I don't own Jormungand. Although, I found out they dubbed the
     anime. Koko sounds better in Japanese.
Nico frowned down at his phone for the tenth time since Percy's text had come
in half an hour ago. Apparently, his boss had something important he needed to
ask Nico, and wanted him to come up to his suite. So, Nico now stood on an
elevator as it rose to Percy's private floor. When the elevator finally came to
a stop, Nico stepped off and turned down the right hall.
He knocked on Percy's door and waited for the green-eyed young man to come to
the door. He slid his phone into his pocket as the door opened. He looked up
and his eyes widened at the sight before him.
Apollo stood in front of him, soaking wet and clad only in a black towel. The
blond had a second towel resting on his dripping wet curls as he stared down at
Nico. One of Apollo's eyebrows rose at him as he raised his hands to dry his
hair off.
“Um, Percy wanted to see me,” Nico said.
Apollo nodded. “He's still in the shower, but he should be about done,” he
replied.
Nico cleared his throat as he tore his eyes away from Apollo's dripping wet
chest and entered the suite. Apollo chuckled at him and shut the door behind
him. As if on cue, the sound of running water shut off. Apollo walked over to
Percy's couch and sat down, not even caring how much of his thigh he was
exposing.
Nico turned his head when he heard the bathroom door open, and he froze on the
spot. Percy walked out of the room completely naked. He did have a towel, but
it was currently in his hands and was being used to dry off his dripping body.
He blinked up at Nico when he noticed him standing there, and Nico's cheeks
heated up. Percy smirked at him and walked into the living room, not even
bothering to put the towel around his waist. “A-aren't you going to put that
on?” Nico asked.
Percy raised an eyebrow at him as he walked by Nico. “Why? Would you like me to
put it on?” He purred in Nico's ear.
Nico followed the tall young man's movements as he walked into the kitchen, his
eyes solely trained on Percy's perfect ass. “You, uh, wanted to talk to me?”
Percy opened his refrigerator and bent over, causing Nico's eyes to widen
further. “I did.”
“Oh, don't mind me, I'll just sit over here,” Apollo mumbled.
Percy chuckled as he pulled a bottle of water from his fridge. “Haven't had
your fill yet?”
“Does it matter? Everyone knows you'll just focus on Nico,” the blond said
bitterly.
Percy's eyes grew icy as he stared at Apollo from across the room. “Why don't
you wait in my room for a moment, Nico. It seems I have some business that
needs to be cleared up,” Percy ordered.
“But-” Nico began, but Percy cut him off.
“Now.”
Nico pursed his lips and tossed Apollo a final look before walking back to
Percy's room. He frowned as he entered the room and went to shut the door, but
kept it cracked. He peered out, managing to catch sight of Percy, who finally
decided to wrap his towel around his waist.
“What is your problem?” Percy hissed.
“The same problem we all have. You have it as well, so I don't know why you're
playing dumb,” Apollo snapped back, coming to stand close to Percy.
Percy's eyes flashed dangerously. “My dear Apollo, are you calling me dumb?”
Apollo swallowed and shook his head. “N-no.”
Percy smiled coldly at the blond and patted his cheek. “Good. I've known you
such a long time, and I'd hate to have our history be tossed away like that.”
He let out a sigh. “You were one of my first Lost Kids, so why are you getting
miffed by the new one?”
“You're not the same,” Apollo mumbled.
Percy frowned at the slightly shorter blond. “I don't think that's true.”
“You pay him so much attention. And don't think we haven't seen you watching
him. You look at him, a lot. You treat him differently. None of us had the
choice he did. You refuse to have sex with him, but I'm starting to wonder if
it's actually a bad thing that you won't.”
Percy's lips thinned and he crossed his arms over his bare chest. “I don't know
what you're talking about,” he said firmly. “None of you have acted like this
about a Lost Kid before, and I'm not sure I like it.”
“Like I said, you act different, too. Do you even know how you feel about him?
You know, we originally thought you were just as conflicted as us, but, now,
we're starting to wonder. I thought you didn't develop feelings for your
employees.”
Percy stared at Apollo for several long seconds before raising an eyebrow.
“Apollo, I've never been in love, and I don't expect to start now. I care about
all of you, Gaea, and a few others. I don't do the romantic thing. I believe
we've been over this, several times.”
Apollo shook his head. “Are you really going to lie to me? I thought you were
an honest person,” Apollo whispered.
Percy sighed. “I'm not lying. I think you're still upset about last night.”
Apollo's eyes instantly darkened. “I am, but that's different. You hurt me,
Percy. I know you had Robert come to the bar. I don't know how you managed it,
but you got him there.”
Percy shrugged. “If you want honesty, fine. Yes, I did have him show up last
night. I let it slip that Koko and Kasper were going to be at the Lotus,
knowing he would want to speak with them. Then, I just left it up to Leo to act
on his own sore spot to direct Robert to the bar.”
Apollo's eyes glistened as if he might start crying. “Did you really have to
punish me like that?” He whispered.
Percy wrapped his arms around Apollo's waist and pulled him closer. “I thought
I made up for it last night? Well, it's over, so you don't have to see him
again for a while.”
Apollo nodded while refusing to look up at Percy. “Okay,” he whispered. His
breath hitched as Percy slid his hand down the back of Apollo's towel, though
he made no move to catch it as it fell from his waist. “I, uh, need to go get
ready for work.”
Percy smirked and removed his hand. But before Apollo could move away, the
black haired young man leaned in and licked a droplet of water from Apollo's
neck. The blond shuddered and smirked up at Percy before pushing him away and
walking towards Percy's bedroom.
Nico's eyes widened as he shot away from the door and sat down on the bed. A
moment later, Apollo walked into the room. He glanced at Nico for a second
before walking over to his discarded clothing, which lay scattered across the
floor. Without any concern for Nico's presence, he bent over, giving Nico a
very good view of his ass.
Nico averted his eyes when he heard Percy clear his throat. The green-eyed
young man had himself propped up against the doorframe with his arms crossed
over his chest. “Enjoying the sights today, Nico?” He chuckled.
Nico scowled at him, though the effect was lost due to his red face. Apollo
chuckled at him as well as he slid himself into his jeans. He tossed his shirt
onto his shoulder and walked past Nico, ruffling his black hair along the way.
“Play nice,” the blond chuckled on his way out. He slid a perfectly manicured
hand down Percy's bare chest before disappearing out the door.
“Enjoy the show out there?” Percy asked, stepping into the room.
Nico swallowed as Percy unfastened the towel from around his waist. He bit down
on his lip as he watched Percy find some clothes in his closet. “I, uh, don't
know what you're talking about,” Nico replied.
Percy smirked and raised an eyebrow at him. “I know you were listening. You're
predictable, Nico. You're curious, so I knew you would want to listen in. But
it didn't bother me.”
Nico's breathing picked up as Percy walked over to him. He straddled Nico's
legs and grabbed the brown-eyed boy's pale hands. Nico watched with wide eyes
as the tall young man before him placed Nico's hands on his ass. Percy grabbed
his face and forced him to look up at him.
“But, I needed to talk to you,” Percy continued.
“W-what about?” Nico croaked out.
“So, you remember we have that expo today, right?”
Nico nodded. While he couldn't tear his eyes away from Percy's eyes, he was
very much enjoying his hand placement. He was also very aware of what was right
in front of his face, just along the edge of his peripheral vision.
“Well, we are a bit short staffed, so I thought some of the Lost Kids could
help out. And when I mentioned it to Koko and Kasper, they asked for you to
work it.”
Nico blinked up at him. “They did?” He asked curiously. “So, what do I need to
do?”
Percy smirked and pushed him back on the bed. He pinned Nico's arms above his
head and crawled on top of him. He spread Nico's legs apart and placed himself
in between them, pressing his pelvis against Nico's clothed ass.
Percy leaned down and licked Nico's earlobe. “I need you to do what the Lost
Kids do best, entertain the guests and gather information,” he whispered into
Nico's ear.
“Uh, what?”
Percy rolled his eyes. “Remember, the Lost Kids also have another job when they
are in those back rooms. They are there to entertain the guests, but they are
also getting information from the clients. Gaea values information, as do I.
And today in particular, I want to know all that I can.” Percy's eyes took on a
dangerous look. “Big things are happening, Nico, and I need to know what some
of those people are planning.”
Nico moaned when Percy thrust his hips into Nico's. “O-okay. Anything in
particular?”
Percy smirked down at him. “Just listen. However, make sure that you keep your
nose out of their business.” Percy's eyes became even more frightening as they
seemed to change to a deep emerald green. “Oh, and one more thing. I want to
make this very clear, Nico. Do not go poking into anything between Koko and
myself when we talk together, do you understand?”
Nico shakily nodded his head. “Yes, but-”
Percy shook his head. “No buts. You either get it or I won't let you in that
room.” He grabbed Nico's jaw and made sure the boy held his gaze. “Nico, I'm
being dead serious. Do not listen to anything that she and I talk about. I will
not protect you from the consequences if you do.”
Holding Nico's gaze, Percy climbed off the shaking boy. He grabbed a pair of
boxers and slid himself into them, while Nico continued to lay there on the bed
trying to process what had just happened. Percy glanced back down at him as he
slid a pair of black pants on.
“Are you scared of me now, Nico?” Percy asked as he picked up his shirt.
Nico's eyes locked onto Percy's. He blinked a few times at the Adonis in front
of him. Was he scared of Percy? He had seen how cold and cruel Percy could be.
He had also seen how intimidating and terrifying the young man could get. “No,”
Nico finally whispered, sitting up on the bed.
Percy's lips tilted down. “Really? And why is that?”
Nico pursed his lips as he glanced up at Percy's intimidating green eyes. “Be-
because I don't think you would ever hurt me, not physically anyways. You can
be cruel and hurtful, but like my punishment, I don't think you are always
doing it to hurt us.”
A faint smirk creeped onto Percy's lips. “You're smarter than I thought, Nico.”
He shrugged his shoulders before sliding himself into a dark blue button up
shirt. “Well, I do like to kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes.”
“But why Apollo's ex?” Nico asked. Percy tilted his head and frowned down at
him. “It's something I can't figure out. What was the purpose of hurting him
like that?”
Percy sighed and walked over to his closet and retrieved a black tie. “Apollo
still has some unresolved feelings for Robert. And they aren't going to get
resolved until he confronts his problem. So, while I was punishing him in a way
similar to how he hurt you, I also did him some good.”
Nico frowned. “I doubt he's going to thank you for it,” he mumbled.
Percy chuckled and tied the tie around his neck. “I wasn't expecting him to. I
don't tell them these things, and I expect you to keep it to yourself. They do
know that I care about them, and have their best interest at heart.” Percy held
out his hand and Nico placed his hand into Percy's palm. With a smile, Percy
pulled Nico off of his bed. “Now then, I believe you need to get changed and
get down to the expo.”
-----------------------------------------------
Nico pushed his way out of the Lotus's conference room, his empty tray pressed
tightly to his chest. “Busy crowd out there, eh, Nico?” Dionysus greeted him.
Nico smiled and nodded as he walked over to the chubby bartender. He quickly
listed off several drink orders, and Dionysus got busy. “So, this is an expo
for arms dealers? That's what I've gathered,” Nico asked.
Dionysus grinned at him while mixing one of the drinks. Nico stared at the man
for a few seconds, admiring the man's bright smile. For someone that could
sometimes creep him out, the man had a nice smile. Though, it somehow reminded
him of how some of the other Lost Kids would smile at him. “Smart boy. And you
would be right. Well, that and Kasper will be going over his big announcement
again...but that's more to rub it in their faces.”
Nico arched a brow. “What do you mean?”
“Ah, no, you wouldn't have seen his announcement in the Philippines. Well,
you'll get a watered down version today, don't worry.”
“Isn't he an arms dealer, though?” Nico asked.
Dionysus nodded as he got to work on the final drink. “Yes, they are. But
you'll see what I mean when he gets up to talk.”
Nico frowned and took his loaded tray from Dionysus. He pushed his way back out
the door and entered the crowded room once again. He moved around and started
handing out drinks, while doing his best to listen to the people around him.
He walked up to an Asian man dressed in military attire and an Arabic man
dressed in an expensive business suit. Nico glanced down at their name tags as
they took two drinks off of his tray. The Asian man had Wang written on his,
while the Arabic man had Ajam on his.
“So, our neighbors are purchasing some American SAMs in response. We'll have to
make due with some outdated equipment for now; cost efficiency and all that,”
Mr. Wang informed the other man.
“I could have some associates of mine have that shipment of theirs go missing,
for the right price,” Mr. Ajam responded.
Nico blinked at them for a brief second before averting his eyes and taking his
tray of drinks away from them. Sure he had dealt with hearing this stuff up in
the bar, but he felt a little more nervous knowing that he was in a room full
of arms dealers and foreign dignitaries.
“And they think we are unaware that they are planning on moving their troops
across our borders.” Nico stopped and eyed the man who was speaking's name tag.
“We've already readied a retaliation force to be waiting for them,” a Mr.
Diederich continued.
Nico bit down on his lip as he stared at the man. He finally tore his eyes away
when someone took one of the last drinks from his tray. He smiled warmly at the
woman before heading over to where he knew Percy was seated.
Sure enough, he found the green-eyed manager seated in a VIP lounge that only
he, Koko, and her bodyguard team occupied. Percy smiled at him as he
approached, and he held out his hand for a drink. Nico picked one off of his
tray just as he was swarmed by Lutz, Ugo, and Valmet, who took the other three
remaining drinks.
Nico handed Percy the drink and leaned in to whisper in his ear about the
things he had overheard. When he pulled back, Percy's eyes were closed. He had
a faint smirk on his lips as he took a sip of the alcohol. “Thank you, Nico,”
he said.
Nico's eyes widened slightly as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. “Percy,
he's so cute,” Koko whined in Nico's ear.
Percy smiled at Nico before waving the girl over to him. “Sit before you fall
over,” he chuckled as the girl sat down beside him. “Now, I know you came here
for something other than to hear your brother talk.”
Koko's lips tilted up into a crooked smile. “Percy, Percy, you know me too
well,” she replied, placing her hands in her lap.
Nico pursed his lips and turned his back on them. Something about what Percy
said earlier made him afraid to find out what would happen if he were caught
eavesdropping. So, he walked to the rope that cutting off the lounge from the
rest of the room.
“Does this have anything to do with that kidnapping you instigated,” Percy
asked, though his voice had lowered.
“Perhaps,” Koko replied nonchalantly. “I also wanted to see you.”
“And it's not to recruit me?”
Nico could practically see the smile that he knew was creeping onto Koko's
face. “No. I've come to accept you're more valuable to me where you're at. But
you promise to keep your word with Gaea?”
Nico turned his head so he could see the two of them out of the corner of his
eye. Percy gave a single nod. “I'll talk to her, don't worry. How's Dr. Miami
and her part coming along?”
There was something about the way the two of them looked at each other that
made Nico shudder. Their eyes were so dangerous and calculating, like if they
were playing chess, they would be able to stay five moves ahead of their
opponent.
“All is going well. Bookman is on to us. He stopped us at the airport,” Koko
said with another crooked smile.
Percy's lips formed a thin line. “Do you want me to find him some other
pressing issues to deal with?”
Koko's smile tilted until it formed a wide shaped 'V'. “No, that won't be
necessary. It's too late for him to stop what we've been planning.” Koko's eyes
closed and her lips thinned out. “I just worry about if Gaea will go along with
this.”
Percy smiled at his friend. “I said I'll talk to her. She'll listen to me,
don't worry. And I won't tell her until you get that final piece, which is why
I'm assuming you're really here in America.”
Koko smiled and nodded. “Yes, I'll be dealing with that after I leave here,”
she replied.
Nico looked away when Percy's eyes flickered over to him. He stared out at all
of the other guests in order to make himself look preoccupied. He let out a
quiet yelp when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. “What did I say about
eavesdropping on us,” Percy whispered into his ear.
Normally, it would have aroused Nico, but at the moment, all he could feel was
fear. “S-sorry. I didn't hear anything important, I promise. I don't even know
what you two were talking about,” he stuttered.
He felt Percy smile against his cheek. “Good. Now, feel free to watch Kasper's
speech,” the green-eyed manager whispered before pulling away from Nico.
Nico looked up at the ceiling as the lights dimmed. He pressed his empty tray
against his chest and stared at the stage when a spotlight turned on,
illuminating the podium on stage. Everyone in the room fell silent and turned
towards the stage as Kasper walked out onto the stage. He was dressed similar
to how he had been last night, but now wore a dark blue business suit with a
grey tie.
He tapped the microphone twice before flashing his brilliant smile at the room.
“Good afternoon to all of you arms dealers, mercenaries, and military
officials,” he began. He chuckled lightly as the room remained silent. Nico
looked around and found that Kasper was receiving several angry looks.
Not many people seemed to be amused by him. In fact, the only people he could
see smiling were the other Lost Kids working the expo, Percy, Koko, Chiquita,
and Koko's team. But none of that seemed to bother Kasper, whose smile never
faltered.
“Now, keep in mind that I am only the spokesperson for this. If you have any
questions, please refer to the pamphlets have been handed out, or call our
company directly,” the platinum blond man continued. Kasper cleared his throat
before setting his smile back on his face. “For any of you that missed our
previous announcement, let me reiterate what we are selling. The Hekmatyar
Global Grid is a civilian-run supply, resource management and, command and
communications package consisting of a global naval container shipping web
constructed by HCLI and one hundred twenty-five satellites supporting the
Global Position System. Since ancient times, armies have been like dogs leashed
to the chain of their supply lines.”
Nico felt himself swallow unintentionally. During his speech, Kasper's eyes had
shifted from looking happy to a look that matched Percy and Koko's eyes. His
eyes were cunning and cold, yet the smile never once fell from his lips. And
now, he was getting even more angry looks than he had before. The air in the
room practically radiated tension, yet it didn't seem to bother Kasper at all.
“Let's get rid of this uneconomy that results in either mountains of excess
supplies or hungry soldiers,” the man continued. “The Hekmatyar Global Grid
provides supplies and communications scaled to the conflict in question-just
what you need, just when you need it.” Kasper's icy blue eyes now added another
emotion to them. His eyes were challenging, as if daring someone to say
anything about what he was saying. “With Hek-GG, any army can improve their
chances of deployment abroad for cheap. Even if your country already has the
capability to deploy forces overseas, Hek-GG will greatly reduce your cost.
“We wish only to serve as pioneers for this new market born from privatizing
military infrastructure. Optimization. I must say that armies will never be
able to compete with civilians in matters of finance,” Kasper finally finished.
He stared out at the room in silence, his eyes chilling every bone in Nico's
body. The room remained quiet, though. “Thank you for your time.” Kasper gave a
wave to the audience before walking off the stage.
Nico just stood there, his jaw hanging open slightly. “Holy shit,” he whispered
under his breath. What kind of man had the balls to actually stand up in a room
full of arms dealers and tell them that they were about to become obsolete? And
it hadn't even bothered Kasper that the entire room could have probably killed
him. Not only that, but Chiquita was on the other side of the room from Kasper.
It was as if the blond wasn't bothered by life-threatening situations in the
least.
Nico glanced at Percy from the corner of his eye. If Kasper was a close friend
of Percy's, what did that say about Percy himself? Percy had never shown even a
glimpse of fear in the time that Nico had known him. He even housed and did
business with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. And to go one
step farther, whatever Koko was planning, she wanted Percy in on it. If the
girl wanted Percy and Gaea to go along with her plan, what did it say about how
dangerous and powerful Percy and Gaea were?
His eyes then traveled over to where the young boy on Koko's squad, Jonah, sat.
He sat on Koko's other side, his normal blank expression on his face. Nico
frowned down at him. He sort of felt sorry for the kid, having to be involved
with an arms dealer.
He put on a smile and walked over to him. “So, Jonah, can I get you something?”
He asked. He cleared his throat when Koko shot him a look. “Non-alcoholic of
course.” Koko relaxed and went back to her conversation with Percy.
Jonah's eerie red eyes tore away from Nico when Kasper walked into the lounge
area. “I'm fine,” the kid mumbled.
Nico nodded while glancing over at the blond man that sat down across from
Percy. “Alright, well, let me know if you need anything.” He scrunched his lips
as he returned his eyes to the kid. “What's a kid like you doing involved in
stuff like this?”
Jonah frowned as he looked back at Nico. Kasper chuckled. “Ah, I found young
Jonah here in the mountains where I was in the process of building a road.
Killed all of my men, that one did,” the man answered. Nico looked back at the
kid with surprise. “But he's proven to be a valuable asset to my sister's
team.”
Koko frowned at her brother. “You left out the part where you locked him in a
shipping container for several days,” she grumbled.
Lehm, who sat on Jonah's other side, patted the kid on his shoulder. “Don't
worry about this one, he can take care of himself,” the man chuckled.
Nico looked up from the kid in front of him when Leo came into the lounge area.
He cleared his throat and glanced at Percy. “A few people were waiting to talk
to you and the Hekmatyar siblings,” the Latino boy announced.
Percy smiled and stood up, extending his hand to help Koko to her feet. Nico
watched as Koko enveloped Jonah in her arms as they walked off, calling his
name playfully in his ear. It eased him to see the young woman like that. It
was as if his presence had a calming effect on the girl. Kasper stood up as
well, and turned to look at Nico again. He studied Nico for a moment before
flashing his smile and walking off after his sister and Percy. As he watched
the group go, he wondered if he would ever see them again. They definitely
brought out an interesting side of Percy.
------------------------------------------------------
Nico sat backstage with the twins and Octavian, though the later had yet to
acknowledge his presence. The twins were busy stretching themselves for their
performance, as they would be going on first. Octavian would go on after them,
and Nico would after he was finished. After that, they would do group numbers
and more solo routines to fill the entire night with entertainment for their
guests.
“Hey, you don't look so nervous tonight,” Travis said as the two brothers stood
up and slung their arms around each other's shoulders, their normal Cheshire
cat grins on their faces.
“Just got my mind elsewhere,” Nico mumbled. Which was true, he did. While he
probably wouldn't see either of the Hekmatyar siblings again, or not for a
while anyways, they had managed to leave an impact on his life, especially
Koko.
“Well, maybe you won't embarrass yourself tonight,” sneered Octavian. “But if
you do, don't expect me to jump to your rescue like my brother did.”
Nico frowned at him. “Good, I wouldn't want you to have to strain yourself on
my part.”
The twins grinned at them before winking at each other. “Well, you two play
nice,” Connor began.
“And, Nico,” Travis added. Nico quirked an eyebrow at him. “Feel free to watch
our performance.”
Nico tilted his head to the side and gave them an odd look as they turned
around and walked towards the stage. He frowned as the music began with a
thumping noise. What kind of song was this? It wasn't the Lost Kids' usual
dance music.
His eyes widened as the lyrics to Nine Inch Nails' “Closer” began playing. “Oh
dear god,” Nico whispered as he got up from the couch to go watch. What sort of
dancing were the twins going to do to this song?
He watched as Travis walked around Connor and bent him over, grabbing the
smaller twin's hair roughly. Travis slid his shirt off before sliding his
fingers under Connor's shirt and slipping it over the shorter brunet's head.
Travis spun Connor around and the younger twin jumped up to straddle his
brother's waist. Travis lowered them to the ground where he spread Connor's
legs as wide as they would go. Connor rolled his head back to wink and grin at
the audience playfully while his fingers worked to remove his brother's pants.
When Travis had rid his brother of his own pants, the older twin smirked and
began rolling his hips into his brother. Nico's mouth fell open as he watched
Travis descend to claim his brother's mouth with his own. Until he had met the
twins, he had never given the idea of incest, let alone twincest, any thought.
But now, watching the two of them, it was extremely hot.
Travis then pulled Connor into his lap, where the smaller of the two began
rolling his hips. Travis tossed his head back into a moan before smirking at
the audience. He dug his nails into his brother's back as Connor leaned down
and their lips met again.
And the crowd seemed to think so too, seeing how a lot of money was being
placed on the stage. Travis finally dragged Connor off the ground and pushed
him against the stripper pole. Connor jutted his ass out, and Travis hooked his
fingers into his brother's speedo, sliding it down to reveal his relatively tan
buttocks. If he ever did end up breaking that agreement Percy had made, he knew
the first two people he wanted to go to now that he had seen this. Well, the
first person would be Percy, so they would technically be the second.
Travis pressed himself against Connor's exposed ass and ground his brother into
the pole. Connor pushed his brother away so that he could turn around. Travis
moved back in and bit down on his brother's shoulder, while holstering Connor's
legs up around his waist. He proceeded to fake fuck his brother up against the
pole, while Connor used his feet to expose Travis's ass to the audience.
As Connor lowered himself back to the ground, he was forced to turn around by
Travis. The slightly taller twin yanked Connor's butt out towards him and
yanked the back of the speedo down again. He then proceeded to spank his
brother several times before leaning forward and licking down Connor's spine
until he reached his brother's ass. And then, to Nico's surprise, Travis spread
Connor's ass and dove his tongue in for a brief second just as the song ended.
When the twins returned they smirked at Nico, who still stood in place with his
jaw hanging open. “I take it you liked it?” Travis asked, trailing his finger
along the bottom of Nico's chin as they walked past.
“We'd be glad to put you in the middle sometime, Nico,” Connor purred in his
ear as he followed his brother to the couch.
Nico cleared his throat and turned around. “That was...interesting,” he said,
his voice cracking. He thought he had gotten used to some of their antics, but
somehow, that had just been really hot for him to watch. And in the back of his
mind, Nico found himself actually wanting to know what it was like to watch the
two of them have sex.
As Octavian made his way onto the stage, Nico began stretching, while watching
the twins out of the corner of his eye. Luckily for him, they had yet to put
their clothing back on. He slowly reached down to touch his toes, and ended up
receiving whistles from the twins. He tossed them a glare as he tried to go
back to his stretches.
He let out a yelp when Travis suddenly appeared behind him and smacked him on
the ass. “You know, Nico, you have a really nice ass,” the older twin pointed
out.
“Off limits,” Nico mumbled.
Both of the twins pouted at him. “Pity,” they chimed in unison.
All too soon, Octavian's performance was over. Nico stood at the edge of the
stage and took a few deep breaths. He just needed to remember not to focus
directly on the audience. Just tune them out and have fun, he kept telling
himself.
Ciara's “Promise” began playing and Nico made his way out on stage slowly.
Percy had said that a slow song would probably be better for his first try, so
he had gone with it. Well, technically it was his second try, but who was
counting? Nico pushed his nerves down as he slid his hands down his thighs,
while simultaneously biting down on his bottom lip. He made slow and precise
pops with his hips as the song went on.
He slowly got onto his hands and knees and crawled on the stage, arching his
back and butt with the beat of the music. He sat down on the stage and slapped
the floor before stretching his hand out to touch his left foot. He then
preceded to lift that leg up and lay on his side. The girls had, thankfully,
put a little stage makeup on him to lessen his blushing. And he was thankful
for this because he knew his face was turning red. Even with all the training,
actually doing such provocative things on stage still embarrassed him.
He got back to his feet and slowly slid the hem of his shirt up. Surprisingly,
the other Lost Boys that were working the floor had actually taken a moment to
watch him. More than likely, though, they were probably watching to report to
Percy about how Nico did. Nico's hair had apparently decided to love him
tonight, as it fell down into his face perfectly.
He finally pulled the shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. He kept
swaying and popping his hips as the music played on. Adding to the look his
hair gave him, he decided to pull out a few tricks the Lost Boys had given him
during their lessons. He shot the audience a look of lust and seduction, while
simultaneously biting on his lower lip.
The problem, that he knew would happen, finally came when he tried to get
himself out of his pants. He stumbled, but managed to catch himself before
actually falling on his face. And surprisingly, the Lost Boys had held their
breath. They really were confusing sometimes. They wanted him to mess up, but
they also apparently didn't want him to. He supposed it had to do with that
whole confusing “he bothers them, but he's still family” thing.
While he was finally standing there in his red speedo, he attempted to
seductively run his hands through his hair. He wasn't sure if it was sexy, but
it was too late to change it now. As the song began to come to an end, he moved
to the edge of the stage and laid himself down on his back. He used his elbows
to prop himself up as he rolled his hips.
At this point, a few people ended up coming towards the stage to give him some
money. He continued to roll his stomach and hips as several patrons slid some
dollar bills into the waistband of his speedo. Nico couldn't bring himself to
look any of them in the eye, though. It was taking all of his concentration
just to keep from shuddering and running off the stage as he felt them touch
his skin. He felt a little sick with himself at the moment, and he was
beginning to regret his decision to go down this path.
He breathed a sigh of relief when the song faded and the audience gave him a
round of applause. He threw them a fake smile and waved at them before walking
off the stage with his clothes. Once backstage, he hunched over and started
breathing heavily.
“Are you alright there, dude?” Connor asked.
“How do you guys stand those people touching you?” Nico said breathlessly.
Travis shrugged. “You get used to it,” he answered.
“More like you learn to put it in the back of your mind,” Octavian corrected
him. He eyed Nico with a frown. “We've all been there. You have to learn to
ignore them.”
Connor nodded. “It gets easier with time, Neeks. Don't sweat it, though,” the
younger twin assured him.
Nico let out a long breath and nodded. Maybe they were right. He hoped they
were anyways. Part of him didn't want to go back out of there, but part of him
didn't want to disappoint Percy. He also had the desire to be part of the Lost
Kids, be a part of their family. And all of that meant he had to do this.
-----------------------------------------------------
“I call cheats on that game,” Nico grumbled as he and several other Lost Kids
exited the laser tag arena in the hotel. “The twins ganged up on me.”
Travis and Connor smirked at him. They closed their eyes and crossed their arms
over their chests while wagging a finger at him. “Now, Nico,” they both began,
“there's no need to be a sore loser.”
Nico scowled at them. It also managed to weird him out, once again, with how
they could speak simultaneously like that. Luke chuckled and walked past Nico,
ruffling Nico's hair on the way. “Don't be mad because my team beat you, kid,”
he teased.
“You covered your sensor plates!” Thalia snapped, pointing an accusatory finger
at the blond.
Luke crossed his eyes to stare at the finger in front of his face before
smirking. “Tell it to your captain.”
“She did,” Apollo grumbled.
Luke shrugged. “All's fair in love and war,” he sighed. Apollo rolled his eyes.
Beckendorf smirked and clamped a hand down on Luke's shoulder. “We just
strategized better,” the muscular young man chuckled.
Thalia chuckled as she saw Juniper sit down and hang up her equipment. “Not to
mention we were handicapped. You didn't have to play, Juniper,” she said
teasingly.
Juniper smiled at the raven haired girl. “Sorry, I'm just not much for shooting
things,” she apologized.
Apollo waved her off. “No worries,” he reassured her.
Luke slung his arm around Apollo's neck. “Yeah, besides, this means he lost our
bet,” the blond practically growled into Apollo's ear.
“Fine, whatever, I'll come to your room later tonight,” the slightly taller
blond mumbled.
Luke smirked and leaned in closer. “Don't get butt-hurt, Apollo. Well, not yet
anyways.”
Apollo rolled his eyes and smacked Luke's arm off of his shoulder. Nico arched
an eyebrow as he watched the two blonds. He wasn't really that surprised that
bets among the Lost Kids involved sex at this point. Saturday night had ended
up going by sort of smoothly for Nico. Most of his routines had involved group
numbers, though they weren't as physical or graphic as the twins' opening
number.
And the next day, Nico had woken up to find all seven of these Lost Kids
banging on his door. Since they all had the afternoon off, they had decided to
head to the game area, which had an entire floor to itself. Even though they
had lost, Nico had had a really good time. It had helped take his mind off
things. He supposed that was why they did things like this sometimes; anything
to help cope with what they had to do.
“I guess we should get something before work,” Thalia suggested. The others
nodded their agreement, and they headed towards the elevators. They rode up in
mild silence, the twins occasionally saying something childish.
Once they got to their floor, they all ended up going to their rooms to change
clothes. Nico was in the process of slipping on some black pants, when there
was a knock at his door. He opened the door to find a shirtless Luke standing
in the hallway. Nico's eyes unconsciously slid down Luke's bare chest. This was
the first time that he had actually gotten to admire it up close, and it was
definitely not disappointing.
He wasn't as buff as Butch or Beckendorf, but he had slightly more muscle on
him Apollo did. Where Apollo had the body of a surfer, Luke looked more like a
baseball player or a football quarterback. He was slim, yet muscular. He also
had a very nice skin tone. He wasn't as tan as Will or Apollo, but he
definitely wasn't pale like Nico.
“If you don't stop ogling my chest, I'm going to fuck you right there on your
floor, kid,” Luke said as he slid his shirt over his head.
“Uh, sorry,” Nico apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.
Luke shrugged with a smirk. “I'd stare at me too, don't worry.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “What did you want?”
Luke cracked his neck, which made Nico wince. “How do you feel about going out
and getting food? We thought we'd enjoy some of the pre-Halloween environment,
since we won't be able to have any of it on Wednesday.”
Nico shrugged. “Sure. It doesn't bother me any,” he replied casually.
Luke nodded his head. Nico's eyes traveled over to the scar that sat on the
right side of his face. Luke was still a mystery to him, but he also knew there
were certain Lost Kids that would take him longer to crack, and Luke was high
on that list. The blond frowned at him when he noticed Nico staring. His bright
blue eyes turned a few shades darker as he turned around, hiding his scar from
Nico's eyes.
“We'll be waiting by the elevators then,” the blond mumbled before exiting
Nico's suite.
Nico scrunched his lips and walked back to his bedroom. He needed to get to
know Luke better. There were several Lost Kids that he wanted to get to know
better, but there was something about Luke that was intriguing to him. He
definitely wanted to know how Luke had gotten his scar. He stopped in the
middle of his doorway, a frowning forming on his lips.
When Nico had first gotten to the Lotus, Apollo had told him who the original
Lost Kids were, and he didn't recall the blond mention Octavian's name on that
list. So, was there something missing there, or was it just a mistake on
Apollo's part? It was definitely being added to the list of things he wanted to
know about Luke.
He blinked when his phone began ringing. He walked over to his bed and plucked
the device off of it. He arched an eyebrow at the name on the screen before
raising it to his ear. “Hello?” He asked.
“Hey, Nico,” greeted Percy.
Nico smiled and slid his shirt over his head. “Hey, Percy. What is it?”
“Koko is about to take off, but she said she had something she wanted to tell
you.”
“And you can't take the message for her?” Nico asked with a chuckle.
“Well, she said she wanted to give it to you directly.”
Nico let out a sigh. “Alright, but I was about to go eat with the others.”
“Oh, that's alright. You can eat with me instead,” Percy said.
Nico instantly brightened. “Alright! I'll be right down then.”
While he couldn't see Percy, he knew the green-eyed young man was smirking.
Without saying anything else, Percy hung up the phone. Nico smiled as he
grabbed his wallet and keys. He headed out the door to his suite, where he
instantly came to a stop.
All of the Lost Kids that he was supposed to go eat with were standing out in
the hall with Leo. Well, Apollo technically had the Latino boy cornered by the
elevators and was glaring down at him. “I can't believe you did that, asshole,”
Apollo growled.
“Like what you did was any better,” Leo huffed back, glaring back at the blond
defiantly.
Apollo rolled his eyes with a sneer. “Are you seriously still upset about that?
Get over it. Look where we live. Now I know the real reason Percy didn't put
you to work with the rest of us, you couldn't have handled it.”
Thalia placed a hand on Apollo's shoulder. “Alright, boys, I think that's
enough right now,” she tried soothing them.
Apollo wasn't having any of it, though. “You went too far, Leo. You sent my ex
down to the bar, knowing full well I was there. You know how I feel about him!”
Nico walked up to Luke, who had his arms crossed over his chest. “Hey, twerp,”
Luke mumbled.
“What's going on?” Nico asked, eyeing the two fighting Lost Boys.
Luke shrugged. “Just some drama.” He glanced over at Nico. “Don't tell Percy.”
Nico nodded. He meant that, too. He didn't want to risk bringing down the wrath
of the Lost Kids on himself right now. “I, uh, won't be going to eat with you
guys. Koko apparently wants to talk to me before she leaves, and Percy asked me
to eat with him.”
Luke glanced at Nico with a frown for a few more seconds before looking back at
the arguing Lost Boys. He shrugged. “Fine by me,” he mumbled. “See you at
work.”
Nico nodded and inched his way past Apollo and Leo. The twins were in the
process of pulling Apollo away from the Latino boy. Apollo narrowed his eyes
before letting Leo go to his room. Nico frowned to himself as the elevator
doors slid closed. Why did it seem like there was always something new to learn
around this hotel?
When the elevator arrived in the lobby, Koko and her squad were waiting there.
He didn't see Kasper or Chiquita anywhere, so he assumed they were already
gone. Koko stood behind Jonah, with her arms draping over the front of the boy.
This action didn't seem to please Valmet, who had a large frown on her face as
she watched her boss and the boy.
“There you are,” Percy said as Nico approached them.
“Ah, one second, Nico, I need to talk to your boss for just a second,” Koko
stated. She smirked and gently shoved Jonah away. Percy waved his hand at Nico,
signaling they wanted some privacy. The others all put some distance between
the two young adults, so Nico decided to follow their leads. He sat down next
to Jonah in a chair.
Percy and Koko conversed in hushed voices, though their topic of discussion
didn't seem to be anything pleasant. Their eyes, once again, adopted an icy
cold look. Percy nodded his head at something Koko said. He fished a piece of
paper from his pocket and handed it to Koko. While he couldn't make out
everything that was being said, he did manage to decipher the words “Cuba” and
“Bookman” from Percy's lips.
Koko smirked at him before patting Percy on the shoulder. Her head tilted
slightly to the side as she began speaking to Percy. Nico glanced over at
Jonah. “So, Jonah, how do you like traveling with Koko?” He decided to ask.
Jonah didn't look at him, he just kept watching Koko and Percy. “Traveling with
Koko is never dull,” the kid replied.
Nico nodded. “I know that feeling. She seems to like having you around,
though.”
Jonah's lips tilted down. “Koko is confusing, and I feel I don't understand her
sometimes. It's like she's so far away, and I'll never be able to touch her.”
Nico glanced back up just as Koko leaned up to kiss Percy on the cheek. Percy
smirked back at her before turning and waving Nico over. “Believe me, I know
how you feel,” he said as he stood up and walked over to the two young adults.
Koko narrowed her eyes at Percy, who held up his hands in surrender. “Okay,
okay, I'll let you talk to him in private,” Percy chuckled. He ruffled Nico's
hair before walking over to talk to Lehm and Valmet.
Koko watched Percy walk off for a moment before turning her intimidatingly
blank gaze on Nico. He swallowed hard as he stared up at her. Like the other
times he had seen her, she had dressed herself in all white today. “You, uh,
wanted to talk to me?” Nico asked nervously.
“I did,” she replied, her gaze unwavering as it studied Nico's face.
Nico's heart began pounding in his chest as he fought the urge to squirm. How
could people like her and Percy make him so nervous and manage to intimidate
him with just a single look? He supposed it came with their personalities, and
was needed for their positions.
“I wanted you to watch out for Percy for me,” she continued.
Nico raised an eyebrow. “I think he can take care of himself,” he chuckled, but
she didn't seem amused by his joke. He quickly pursed his lips.
“Don't push him too much.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. He didn't understand where she was going with
all of this. “Um, okay?”
She finally smiled and pulled Nico into a hug. “I also wanted to wish you luck
for when you meet Gaea,” she whispered darkly into his ear. She pulled back,
flashing him a dangerous look. “Believe me, you're going to need it when she
sees what I've seen.”
Nico was left standing in the middle of the lobby, completely dumfounded by
what had just happened. Percy came up beside him and waved at Koko as she
disappeared out of the hotel. “I take it she had something interesting to tell
you?” He asked, placing an arm around Nico's waist.
Nico gulped and nodded. He began chewing on his lip nervously. Suddenly, he
didn't feel so eager to meet the infamous Gaea anymore. “She, uh, just wanted
to tell me how much she enjoyed meeting me,” Nico lied with a smile.
Percy eyed him with a small frown. Nico shifted under Percy's gaze. He suddenly
felt stupid for lying to Percy. The green-eyed young man seemed to know
everything that went on within his hotel. He knew how to read people, so he
probably could easily tell that Nico was lying to him.
But Percy shrugged and pushed Nico towards the hotel's restaurant. “I'm going
to miss her,” Percy finally said.
“You two seemed close.”
Percy nodded. “She's one of the few people I call a friend.”
Nico frowned at Percy as they sat down at a table. “What about the Lost Kids?
Your employees? Gaea?”
Percy chuckled at him. “They are more like family,” he answered. He smirked
across the table at Nico.
Nico scrunched his lips up. He wasn't sure he wanted to be thought of as family
by Percy. They fell quiet after that. The waiter came by and took their order,
and they made small talk while their food was being prepared. They were in the
middle of eating, when Percy decided to say something that made Nico freeze.
“So, the others tell me you made a new friend,” Percy began. Nico frowned at
him as he took another bite of his pasta. “Be careful what you get into.”
Nico froze and dropped his fork. His eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you say that?”
Nico asked a little harshly.
Percy's eyes were blank of emotion as they stared at Nico. He silently tapped
his finger on the table before replying. “I just think you should watch your
step.”
Nico glared at Percy. “He's my only friend outside of this hotel. He's also a
nice guy. I don't want to stop talking to him, and it's really none of your
business.”
Percy's eyebrows rose as he sat back in his seat. He chuckled before falling
silent. Nico continued to glare at him until he found that Percy wasn't going
to look at him anymore. Who was he to say such things to Nico? He had no right.
It wasn't like Nico was his boyfriend. Was this because of jealousy? It would
be strange if it were. Percy never seemed to have an issue when the Lost Kids
made passes at him. So, why Daedalus?
They continued the rest of their meal in silence, Percy finishing his before
Nico. Although he was finished, he didn't leave. He just sat there and stared
at Nico from time to time, which made Nico slightly uncomfortable. When Nico
was finally finished, without saying a word, Percy rose from his seat and
walked towards the exit. Nico frowned and followed after his boss.
Percy didn't stop or look at him, only kept walking. They boarded the elevator
in silence and Percy slid his card into the slot before hitting the button to
the seventieth floor. The air was awkward, now that they were in such close
quarters and still not talking.
When the elevator finally stopped, Percy placed a hand on Nico's chest to
prevent him from leaving. “I meant what I said, Nico,” he said, fixing Nico
with a stare.
Before Nico could respond, Percy removed his hand and walked out of the
elevator. Nico frowned and followed after him, but Percy went down the girls'
hall, preventing Nico from continuing the conversation. Nico frowned as he
stood in the middle of the hall, watching as Percy disappeared up the stairs.
He finally rubbed his forehead and turned around. He hurried up his set of
stairs and went to the backroom. Dionysus was there, relaxing in his chair.
Luke, Hazel, Drew, Will, and Thalia were also there, doing their best to ignore
the chubby bartender. Dionysus flashed him a dazzling smile upon noticing
Nico's presence, once again sticking out as odd to the boy.
“Ah, there you are, Nico. I had missed having you around,” Dionysus greeted
him.
Nico threw on a smile and nodded. Luke tossed the chubby man a glare before
turning to Nico. “Yeah, well, I don't want to baby you like Apollo did. So,
just keep in mind everything we've told you,” he said, giving Dionysus another
glance.
It seemed a little odd to Nico. This part of a job wasn't hard for him. He was
used to it by now. It was getting on the stage that still made his skin crawl.
Will smirked and stood up. He walked behind Nico and slid his arms around the
black haired boy's waist. “Don't mind him, Nico. He's just being
overprotective,” Will chuckled.
“I am not,” Luke growled.
Thalia rolled her eyes. “Oh please, dude, you're like one of those dogs that
tries to bark like it's all big and bad, but is just a big softie,” the short
girl teased him. Luke tossed her a glare. Thalia held her hands up defensively.
“Well, when you want to be.” Luke continued to glare at her. “I was just
joking.”
Luke rolled his eyes and sat back against the couch, crossing his arms over his
chest. Will chuckled in Nico's ear. “He is a softie, but it's usually towards
his brother,” the blond whispered.
Nico turned his head to find Will studying him. “What?” Nico asked, wiping at
his face.
Will shook his head. “Nothing. It's nothing.” He flashed Nico a bright smile.
Will squeezed Nico before removing his arms from around the shorter boy's
waist.
Drew grunted and stood up before walking out the door. Hazel frowned at the
girl's back as she left. “Well, I guess we should get to work,” she mumbled.
They all separated out their respective doors, leaving Nico standing in the
room with Dionysus. Yet again, he found himself puzzled by something else
concerning Luke. “Penny for your thoughts?” Dionysus asked, waving a drink in
front of his face.
Nico blinked at it before taking a step back and shaking his head. “No thanks,
I don't drink,” he replied.
“You poor child,” Dionysus chuckled.
“It's just that everything seems to be getting more confusing around here.”
“Ah yes, this place does have that effect on new people. It's all better when
you get to the bottom of the rabbit hole.” He patted his pockets, frowning to
himself. “Of course, I'm sure there are some ways to smooth out the process for
you.” He let out a sigh. “Damn, I'll have to order more.”
Nico frowned, while eyeing Dionysus suspiciously. “I, uh, think I need to get
to work,” he mumbled as he slipped himself out of his clothes.
The bartender smiled at him again before he turned around and walked over to
start getting drink orders ready. Nico walked out the door, shaking his head
lightly. Things were starting to feel a little overwhelming for him, and he
didn't know what to do about it.
As the first performance began, Nico had to stop and stare up at the stage in
confusion. It was slow, and if his memory served him correct, it was Secret
Garden's “Nocturne”, which didn't really make sense for a stripping song. As
the lights came on the stage, he found Apollo on the floor.
The blond was dressed in a pair of light blue Arabian baggy pants. The only
other thing covering his body was a gauzy matching transparent scarf wrapped
around his body. He started by rolling across the stage, while throwing his
legs up in the air. When he sat back up, he swayed his body slowly back and
forth to the soothing music.
A layer of the scarf was removed from his left shoulder, exposing his tan
shoulder to the audience. Apollo slowly climbed to his feet, where he slowly
slid the rest of the scarf from his body. Nico found that his eyes had a hard
time looking away as Apollo revealed every inch of his perfect torso. It was
also like no one else was around, just Nico and Apollo. Perhaps that was how
the blond meant for it to come across; a more intimate performance.
Apollo moved across the stage, letting the scarf drag on the ground behind him.
His left leg shot into the air, as the blond pulled off an aerial kick. After
that, the blond slowly leaned back, placing his hands gracefully on the stage.
Nico's eyes slowly widened as the blond's feet came off the ground as Apollo
pulled off a perfect handstand. He marveled at the blond's back muscles as the
blond gracefully balanced himself on his hands.
Apollo's feet finally moved down, though he chose not to go the same route as
he got in that position. He slid onto his knees and twisted his arm and wrist
above his head. He then moved both of his hands down to cup his crotch before
rolling over onto his stomach. He bent his knees so that his feet nearly came
up to touch his head before continuing his roll, ending up in a crouched
position.
The blond slowly rose back into a standing position, while slowly lowering his
baggy pants. Nico felt himself bite down on his lower lip when he realized that
all Apollo was wearing underneath those pants was a semi-transparent black man
thong, that did very little to hide his crotch.
Nico cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from the stage as the blond
began to wrap up his performance. That had definitely been interesting to
watch, he thought. He walked over to a table, where a red headed woman sat,
practically drooling at the practically naked Apollo. “Good evening,
beautiful,” he greeted the woman. “What can I get for you?”
“How about him?” The woman chuckled, pointing a well-manicured finger at
Apollo.
Nico forced a smile onto his face as he felt his stomach clench a little. Sure
he knew what the others' job was, but after experienced being touched last
night, he couldn't help but feel a little sick about it all. These people were
paying money to have sex with the Lost Kids, who probably found some of their
customers to be disgusting.
“I'm sure that can be arranged,” he said sweetly.
She finally looked at Nico as Apollo walked off the stage. “Well, why don't we
just get me a margarita, sweetie?”
Nico nodded and slipped his pen and pad into his speedo. He walked back to the
backroom, where he found Percy seated in Dionysus's usual chair. He cocked his
head to the side and gave Nico a sly smirk as the brown eyed boy entered the
room.
“What are you doing back here?” Nico asked Percy before turning to Dionysus. “I
need a margarita.”
“Coming right up,” Dionysus replied. He then nodded his head over to Percy. “I
asked him to run and get something from my room, so he was just bringing me
what I needed.” Percy smiled up at Nico, making the boy frown.
“Are you not talking to me now?”
“Oh, you want me to talk to you?” Percy said innocently. He raised his hands in
a shrug. “It seemed like you didn't want to talk to me back at dinner.”
Nico scowled at the young man. He was so frustrating sometimes. Percy whistled
and Dionysus turned around just in time for Percy to toss him a small clear
bag. Dionysus smiled and raised the object up to his forehead, making the
motion of tipping a hat. Dionysus finished the drink he was working on and
handed it to Percy, who proceeded to take a long drink from it as he watched
Nico.
“Don't you have something better to do than stare at me?” Nico mumbled.
“I thought you liked it when I stared at you?” Percy replied with a smirk. He
then shrugged. “Well, if you prefer, I won't stare at you at all.” As if to
prove his point, he planted his cheek on his palm and glanced off to the side.
Nico pursed his lips, already disliking how his words were being used against
him. “That's not what I meant, and you know it.”
Percy's smirk returned as he turned his eyes back on Nico. “I know. I was just
poking fun at you.” He rose from the chair and made to brush past Nico, but
ended up circling around behind the boy. He leaned in and whispered in Nico's
ear, “And it's a little hard not to stare at your ass anyways.”
Nico rolled his eyes. He heard Percy chuckle behind him before pulling away and
walking out the boys' door. He frowned to himself as he realized he wouldn't be
able to get to Percy's table now before the others, since he had to wait on
Dionysus to finish his drink order.
“So, little Nico, we haven't really gotten to speak since last weekend,”
Dionysus said, breaking the silence.
Nico blinked for a few seconds before focusing his attention on the man. “Oh,
yeah, I guess not. I don't really like thinking about last weekend,” he
replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess you were wrong about how the
Lost Kids would handle things.”
Dionysus arched one of his eyebrows as he made the margarita. “Oh, I wouldn't
say that.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “But you said-”
“I said that I was certain they would handle the situation on their own, and
they did.” He reached over and poked Nico's forehead as he emphasized every
word of his next statement. “It's important to pay attention to detail around
here, Nico.”
Nico frowned as he stared up at the man's finger, which was still pressing
against his forehead. “Well, you could have been more specific,” he mumbled.
Dionysus wagged a finger in front of Nico's face. “Ah, but then you wouldn't
have learned anything.” He smiled brightly at Nico. “I was just helping you
along the path to finding out what the problem was.” His eyes flashed with
something unreadable for a brief second. “And now you can fix the problem, just
like you said.”
Nico scrunched his lips up and his eyebrows furrowed. “I don't know how to fix
it.”
Dionysus's grin grew until it started to creep Nico out. “Sure you do. The
answer is right in front of you,” he said, handing Nico the drink.
Nico frowned, but took the drink from the bartender. He would need to pay
attention to the way the man spoke, since he apparently spoke in riddles. Why
couldn't there just be simple and obvious answers to his problems lying around.
In one weekend, he sort of felt like his list of questions had managed to
double. It was a little frustrating, if he were being honest.
All in all, it was starting to give Nico a headache. This place was obviously
not meant to be simple, and he knew that every question that he was raising in
his mind would not have a simple answer to it. He knew right then and there
that Luke had been right about Nico falling deeper into the hole that was the
Lotus Hotel, and, honestly, Nico wasn't sure if he was going to like what was
waiting for him at the bottom.
***** Just a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing *****
Nico slowly made his way towards the cafeteria, where he was supposed to meet
Daedalus. He smirked when he received a glare from Cal. He needed to remember
to thank Luke for alleviating his bullying problem. Ever since the blond had
broken the brute's nose, his life at school had become much easier. And,
currently, it was his own haven from the chaotic environment that was the Lotus
Hotel.
Something just felt...off at the Lotus. Percy had barely shown himself for the
past two days, and the one or two occasions that Nico had gotten to see the
young man, he always seemed to be busy. Leo and Apollo were still bickering,
which Nico was doing his best to stay out of. Leo and Rachel also seemed to be
busy, but they would never tell Nico what they were doing. And it was getting
to the point where any time that Luke even glanced in Nico's direction,
Octavian got upset.
As he neared the cafeteria, he came to a stop. There was a tall blond talking
to Daedalus that Nico had never seen before. His features were striking, and he
looked like he could have a future as a model. It was like he had been sculpted
to near perfection, and in that regard, he reminded Nico of Percy and Apollo.
He had electric blue eyes that would make any girl or gay guy melt. He had tidy
short blond hair, which spiked out at the tips of his bangs. There was a small
scar on his lip, which seemed to only add to his allure. He was decently
tanned, and looked relatively muscular, though his arms were hidden behind the
sleeves of his blue jacket. Nico would estimate that he stood about six foot
one, but he couldn't be sure.
The blond was laughing at something Daedalus was saying. He held out a fist and
Daedalus bumped his fist against the blond's. It was the blond that noticed
Nico's approach first. He elbowed the brunet in front of him and nodded over to
Nico. “There's the kid you've been hanging out with,” he said.
Daedalus smiled and waved Nico over. “There you are, Nico,” the brunet greeted
him.
The blond frowned at Nico as he finished approaching them. His eyes ran over
Nico's body a single time before raising them back up to meet Nico's. He threw
a smirk back on and held out his hand. “Hi. I don't believe we've met before.
I'm Jason Grace.”
Nico smiled and took the blond's hand. He shifted slightly as Jason's piercing
blue eyes stared into his. “I'm Nico,” he finally managed to get out.
“Jason's the captain of the football team,” Daedalus informed Nico.
Nico nodded, fighting the urge to groan. What was it with him and apparently
attracting attention from the popular kids? But it figured that the blond was a
jock, considering his physical appearance. Jason smirked as Nico let go of his
hand.
Two girls walked by, giggling and waving at Jason. The blond grinned, winked,
and waved at them. Nico's lips tilted down into a minute frown. He couldn't
place his finger on it, but something about the blond felt off to Nico. It
wasn't a bad thing, more like a familiar one. It had been something in the way
the blond had smiled at those girls.
Nico quickly shook his head and turned to Daedalus. “Well, I'm starving,” he
announced.
Daedalus chuckled and gestured towards the cafeteria door. “I was just thinking
the same,” the smart jock replied. He raised an eyebrow at Jason. “Care to join
us?”
Jason glanced back over to Nico, studying the shorter boy for a moment. He
slowly nodded his head and looked back at Daedalus. “Yeah, count me in,” he
said with a grin.
The entire time they were getting their lunches, Nico kept catching Jason
staring at him. Well, he wasn't exactly innocent of stealing looks at Jason,
either. There was just something off about the blond, and Nico wanted to figure
out what it was. As they made their way to their table, Nico's eyes drifted
down to Jason's ass and hips. While the blond did have a very nice ass, that
wasn't the reason he was staring at it. Something about the way the blond
walked also stuck out to Nico. But he still couldn't quite place his finger on
what it was that bothered Nico about this jock.
“So, why didn't you dress up?” Nico asked Daedalus, finally taking note of his
casual appearance.
Daedalus shrugged. “I'm just not big on the holiday. Besides, I could ask you
the same question. And I'd also like to point out that Jason isn't dressed up
either,” the brunet replied.
Jason chuckled as he scarfed down a few fries. “I got work tonight, man,” he
said
Nico nodded. “Same here,” the raven haired boy added.
“Well, I was going to ask both of you if you wanted to go to a haunted house
with me, but I guess it's pointless,” Daedalus mumbled.
“The old ball and chain dragging you?” Jason inquired.
Daedalus nodded. “Yep. Apparently, her school is putting one on, and I thought
I'd drag both of you along with me.” Daedalus sighed and shrugged. “She's into
the holiday, I guess. Her father is a big horror movie buff, and I guess it
rubbed off on her.”
Nico grinned. “My house was always the same way,” he chuckled. “Dad loved
Halloween and the Day of the Dead.”
Daedalus arched an eyebrow at him. “I think that's the first time you've said
anything about your family.”
Nico bit his tongue, fighting the urge to wince. He needed to be more careful
with what he said. “Nothing to say, really,” Nico mumbled with a shrug.
A group of kids exited the lunch line, and from the looks of them, Nico had a
sinking suspicion as to where they were headed. There were five of them in
total, two guys and three girls. Nico recognized two of the girls. They were
cheerleaders that were in his English class.
Daedalus eyed them carefully as they sat down at their table, while Jason
grinned and bumped fists with the black haired boy, who reminded Nico of
Superman because of his hair style. The two cheerleaders gave Nico a look of
disdain as they sat down next to him.
“Daedalus, I feel like you don't want to sit with us anymore,” the brunette
cheerleader sighed.
She did nothing but remind Nico of the preppy stereotype that was set forth for
high school kids. She was a pretty girl of African descent, with curly brown
hair that reminded Nico of snakes. She was just a little taller than Nico,
which made him a little depressed. He had always been a little on the short
side, something his sister had always teased him about. She had sharp brown
eyes that would probably frighten little children.
Daedalus shrugged. “Sorry, Kelli, but you knew where I was,” he replied with a
smile.
Kelli huffed and sneered over at Nico. “Yes, don't remind me.”
Daedalus frowned. He frowned and turned his attention over to Nico. “I suppose
introductions are in order. Just ignore Kelli, she can be a little offensive.”
Kelli scoffed at this. “Anyways, this is Dylan, Tammi, Austin, and Katie.”
The Superman look-alike, or Dylan, as Daedalus called him, arched an eyebrow at
Nico. He finally ended up smiling, which nearly blinded Nico. He was also good-
looking, with his perfectly styled black hair and perfect teeth. He probably
had some wealthy parents, and would end up becoming nothing but a tool as he
got older. He wore the school football team's jersey, and even had an expensive
looking watch hanging on his wrist. His eyes were electric blue like Jason's,
except his carried none of the warmth that Jason's did.
Tammi only reminded Nico of her cheerleading best friend next to her. She was
pretty, but wore a lot of makeup. She had long blond hair that hung down just
past her shoulders. Her icy blue eyes looked like they could freeze anyone with
a single glance.
Austin didn't look as stuck up as Tammi, Dylan, or Kelli, though he did still
give off the jock vibe. He was tall, so Nico was going to guess that he was on
the basketball team with Daedalus. He had dirty blond hair and bright green
eyes. There was a small mole on his left cheekbone. He also smelt of the scent
of cigarettes, which made Nico wrinkle his nose.
Finally, there was Katie, who gave off a feel similar to Austin. She didn't
radiate a malicious vibe, like the two cheerleaders were doing, but she was
still very pretty. She had wheat colored hair and warm brown eyes. She was
probably the shortest out of everyone at the table. Unlike all of the others
that had joined them at the table, she was the only one that gave Nico a real
smile.
“He's adorable,” Katie decided as she looked Nico over.
Dylan sighed and took a large bite of his burger. “Still working on the pet
project, I see?” He said around a mouthful of food.
Daedalus rolled his eyes at the dark haired jock. “I told you, he's not my
project,” the brunet mumbled.
“Careful, you don't want to let him drag you down,” Tammi sneered.
Daedalus sighed again and leaned over to whisper to Nico. “This is why I've
never brought you to my table of friends.”
Nico smiled. “And here I thought you were ashamed of me,” he joked.
Daedalus smirked back at him. “No, more like the other way around.”
The rest of the school day dragged by slowly for Nico. He just wished that
Halloween had fallen on the weekend, instead of the middle of the week. He knew
he was going to be up later than usual tonight, and it only made him miserable
thinking about it. When he got out to the parking lot after school let out, he
found Will waiting for him.
The blond grinned at him as he slid into the car. “Happy Halloween, Nico,” Will
greeted him. Nico just groaned and slumped into his seat. Will chuckled and
pulled out of the parking lot. “What's got your pretty little head so
distraught?”
“School. It does not mix well with my job,” Nico mumbled.
Will nodded. “That's true. I just graduated from high school, myself, back in
May.” He patted Nico's thigh. “Unfortunately for you, you still have another
year after this one. Not counting college.”
Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond. Will grinned back at him before turning
his eyes to the road. Nico rolled his eyes, but kept staring at the blond. Will
was one of the few Lost Kids that seemed a little different to Nico. Hazel and
Juniper were also on that list. He couldn't quite place it, though. There was
just something different about them. Will seemed to carry an air of innocence
about him, even though he acted just like the others. He had still stabbed Nico
in the back, though.
And Nico had to admit that the blond was attractive. All of the Lost Kids were.
And while he had originally thought of the boy as a younger double of Apollo,
Nico was beginning to see the distinctions in their appearances. The most
obvious was the hair, which Nico had noticed upon first meeting the blond. Will
had straight hair, which hung just above his eyes, and in the light, had more
of a glow to it than Apollo's. And since meeting the blond, he also noticed
that Will had lighter blue eyes than Apollo.
Will also had just a hint of more muscle than Apollo. And if Nico had seen him
running around a high school, he would definitely fit the bill of the popular
pretty boy jock. Nico's gaze had unintentionally drifted down to Will's lips.
They were soft and pink, and nearly screamed to be kissed.
Nico cleared his throat and looked away. He really didn't need to be thinking
like that about someone who had betrayed him. Nico cleared his throat a second
time and looked back at the blond. “You know, I'm closer to you than some of
the other Lost Kids, yet I don't feel like I know you that well. What brought
you to the Lotus?” He finally broke the silence.
Will frowned as he stared at the road ahead of him. His entire demeanor seemed
to shift in the blink of an eye. His shoulders had slumped, his lips pursed,
and his eyes carried a sense of pain in them. He quickly shook his head. “I,
uh, really would rather just not talk about it,” Will whispered. He rubbed his
arm and glanced at Nico. “Do you mind if we talk about something else?”
Nico frowned at the blond as he stared at him with concern. He guessed he could
add Will to the list of Lost Kids that didn't want to talk about their pasts.
What could have happened to them that they don't want to even think about the
events that had gotten them to the Lotus?
“Sure,” Nico quickly said. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up.”
Will shook his head. “No, you're fine. It's just not something I want to really
think about anymore.” He sighed and ran a hand into his blond hair. “So, uh,
are you excited about tonight?”
Nico forced a smile onto his face and shrugged. “I guess. I'm working the stage
tonight. What about you?”
“Bar.” Will turned to pout at Nico. “It's such a shame that I won't get to see
you in that costume of yours.” He grinned as he ran a hand up Nico's leg.
Nico narrowed his eyes at Will and removed the blond's hand. “Yes, well, you
saw it when I picked it out,” he mumbled.
Will chuckled as he pulled into the garage. “That's true,” the blond replied,
parking the car. He turned the car off and leaned across the arm rest, bringing
his face very close to Nico's. Nico stared at him in surprise for a second
before moving his head back. “But I would much rather enjoy taking it off of
you.”
Nico glared at him as they both got out. “Not a chance.”
Will frowned as they walked to the elevator. He slipped his arm around Nico's
shoulder. “That's such a shame.” He leaned in close so that he could whisper in
Nico's ear. “I'd give you plenty of reasons to scream on this Halloween.”
Nico shuddered as Will hit the button to their floor. “I'm sure,” he mumbled.
Will smirked and squeezed his shoulder. “Oh, that reminds me, Apollo and
Octavian set you up for an appointment with Circe.”
Nico arched a brow. “What for?” He asked.
“Just to make you look better for tonight.” The elevator came to a stop and
they both stepped out of the metal box. “We've all got to go down at some point
today, so it's not like you're the only one.” He let out a chuckle as Nico came
to his door. “Poor Hazel and Juniper have been in there practically all day.”
Nico nodded and slid his card into the door before opening it. “Does she know
what I'm dressing as?”
Will nodded. “Apollo showed her a picture.”
Nico nodded again. “What are you going as?”
Will grinned at him and opened his own door. “That's a secret, Nico,” he
chuckled. “Oh, and Percy usually picks the costume he likes the best.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Is there a prize?”
Will's grin only grew. “Only a night you'll never forget.” He chuckled again as
he stepped into his suite.
Nico sighed and walked into his own suite. He chunked his backpack onto the
couch before walking back to his room. If he was going to be stuck in the spa
for a few hours, he at least wanted to be comfortable. He walked to his closet
and stripped himself of his pants. He picked out a pair of red track shorts to
go with his black shirt. He quickly slipped the shorts on and made his way back
to the front door.
When he emerged from his room, he found Travis and Connor heading towards their
room. Connor had his arms crossed over his chest, while Travis rolled his eyes
at something his brother must have just said. “I'm just saying that I think Leo
is overreacting a little,” Travis grumbled.
“Why?” Connor snapped back, turning around to glare at his brother. “It's
stupid to be upset at what happened?”
Travis gave his brother an incredulous look. “Um, yes? Have you forgotten where
we work? Those types of emotions and feelings don't exactly go well with our
environment. I mean, this isn't really the place for love.”
Connor's eyes flashed dangerously at his brother. His jaw tightened and his
nostrils flared. “Is that so? Oh, well, that's good to know then.”
Travis's eyes opened wide and he followed after his twin as Connor spun around
to walk to their room. Travis fumbled with his mouth for a few seconds before
finding the right words. “I-I didn't mean it like that. Just that he just knew
what he was getting into.”
Connor huffed as he came to a stop in front of their door. He turned an icy
glare onto his brother. “And what about Beckendorf and Silena? They seem to
work just fine. So, since they love each other, they should just break up? You
know, since those types of feelings don't belong here.”
Travis bit down on his lip as he watched his brother slam his key into the
door. “I didn't mean it like that, Connor.”
Connor turned around in the doorway and growled at his older twin, “Sleep in
your own bed tonight.”
Travis jumped back as the door was slammed in his face. He sighed and let his
head fall back with a groan. His eyes flickered over to Nico. “Everything all
right?” Nico asked.
Travis sighed again. “Just my brother overreacting a little,” he mumbled.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Travis shook his head. “Not really.”
Nico arched a brow. “Well, why don't you go in there and talk to him? It's your
suite, too.”
Travis chuckled and shook his head. “I'd rather not. I'll just let him cool
off,” the brunet said. He rubbed at his face and walked across the hall to
Apollo and Will's door. He waved at Nico before knocking on the door. Nico let
out a sigh and headed down towards the elevator.
That had been rather odd. He had never really seen the twins fight before. He
didn't even think it was possible for them to fight; they had always gotten
along rather well. He traveled down to the lobby in complete silence. When it
finally ended up coming to a stop, Nico headed towards the spa.
When he arrived, he found several hotel guests sitting in Circe's lobby. The
woman herself was standing behind her counter, batting her eyelashes at a man
in front of her. She was dressed in a black and green dress, with dark makeup
on her face. Her dress slightly reminded Nico of Morgana from that BBC show
Merlin.
“Have no fear, your daughter will be transformed into the epitome of beauty and
radiance,” Circe said with a flirtatious smile. She slid her hand across the
counter to brush her fingers along the father's hand. “My personal touch works
marvelous wonders.”
The man cleared his throat and handed Circe his credit card. “That sounds good,
very good,” he said, his cheeks turning red.
Nico tilted his head to the side as he watched the woman bite down on her lip
as she rang the man up. It was strange, he thought. The action seemed odd and
very familiar to him. Mainly because it looked like the way the Lost Kids
handled hotel guests. It was like how Dionysus's smile had stuck out to him the
other day.
She handed the card back to the man and turned her attention on Nico. “Ah,
there you are. I've been expecting you,” Circe said. She stepped out from
behind the counter and snapped her fingers, beckoning Nico to follow her
towards the back.
She ended up leading him to the room he had been in after his waxing, and he
even found a few of the Lost Kids seated in the room. He cracked a smile when
he saw Hazel. The girl was painted completely gold and clad only in a gold
bikini. She gave him a small smile and a wave when she noticed him.
“Well, you look...interesting,” Nico said as he took a seat across from her.
Hazel sent him a glare. “Shut it. I've been stuck in here all day,” she sighed.
Juniper sat next to Nico, and a girl was working on styling her face. She had a
mixture of green and black eye shadow, a faint hint of shiny lip gloss, and a
light green blush with glitter on her cheeks. Another girl was applying some
fake pointed ears onto the Juniper.
“What are you supposed to be?” Nico asked.
Juniper smiled at him. “A fairy,” the amber haired girl replied.
Nico turned an eyebrow up at Hazel. “And you?”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Haven't you ever seen Gold Finger?” She grumbled.
Nico chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, can't say that I have.”
Luke, Piper, Zoë, Calypso, and Silena were also there, and were being seen to
by some of Circe's girls. Luke didn't seem to be having much done to him. It
just looked like a girl was making his face appear artistically dirty. Piper
was having hair extensions put in; a long brown braid that hung down to her
lower back. Zoë was having dark eyeliner put on, and a dark shade of lipstick
applied to her lips. Calypso was actually having makeup applied to her, which
felt odd for Nico, since he rarely saw the young woman with any form of makeup
on. Her hair was also being straightened and looked shinier than usual.
Finally, Silena had her hair put up in two pigtails, with a blue bow in each
one.
Circe took a seat next to Nico and turned on a curling iron. Nico's eyes
widened slightly at the object. “Um, what's that for?” He asked.
“I'm going to give you curls,” the woman replied plainly. “It enhances the
appearance of your costume.”
Nico sighed and nodded his head reluctantly. “Aw, Nico, you're going to look so
cute,” Silena teased him.
Nico stuck his tongue out at her. “What are you supposed to be, Zoë? Since I'm
not going to see you tonight,” he asked.
The girl made a face as her hair was tucked under a short haired wig.
“Catwoman,” she mumbled. “The Halle Berry one.”
Nico stiffened as he felt Circe take a portion of his black hair into her
hands. His hair was twisted around the object, while Nico did his best not to
squirm. “I saw the twins arguing earlier,” Nico said, trying to distract
himself.
Piper shrugged. “They fight from time to time, but they usually keep it behind
closed doors. They'd never argue in public,” she said. She narrowed her eyes
over at Luke. “Unlike some people.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “I don't argue with my brother,” he mumbled.
“Then what would you call it?” Hazel asked.
“He argues with me.”
Piper shrugged. “Well, that's true.”
A frown appeared on Silena's face. “Speaking of your brother, I need to talk to
you,” Silena said.
Luke gave her an odd look. “Okay? Um, I guess after we're done,” he replied.
The two stared at each other for a moment, something unspoken traveling between
them. Luke sighed and nodded his head. The girl fixing him up informed him that
he was done, but he didn't get up.
Five minutes later, the girl working on Silena also finished. Silena now wore a
light shade of blush and had on blood red lipstick. Luke got up and the two of
them walked out of the room, whispering to each other. Circe finally finished
up on his hair. She spun him around so that he could get a look at himself.
His mouth hung open for about ten seconds before Circe actually reached out and
shut it for him. “I like to think I'm good at what I do,” she said with a proud
smirk.
“You look so cute, Nico!” Hazel exclaimed.
His hair was curled just right. There was even a curl that hung down slightly
into his face. He had never thought that he would like his hair curled, but he
had to admit that Circe really did a good job. Though he would probably only do
it again for special occasions.
Circe spun him back around and tilted his chin up. “Now then, I'm going to
apply a little makeup,” she said. Nico made a face at her. “Relax, it's only to
cover up your blush, by Percy and Apollo's request. Percy said you blush too
much, and Apollo said it would be good for your costume.” Nico let out a sigh
and nodded his head. “I'm also going to give you a faint hint of a blush, to
add to the quality of the costume.”
“I thought my blushing was a problem?” Nico mumbled.
Circe smirked at him. “Yes, but this isn't going to be a blush that makes your
entire face red.”
Nico glared up at the woman as she got out the makeup she wanted to put on him.
Hazel giggled at him while Circe went about fixing up his face. Piper got up
while Circe was working on him. She came to stand in front of Nico and smirked
at him. “Sucks that you're going to lose tonight,” she said.
Nico glared at her. “Dream on,” he grumbled. The girl only laughed and walked
out of the room.
Circe finally spun him back around, once again amazing Nico. While she had done
what she told him she was going to do, she had also given his face a faint
glow. He wanted to reach up and touch his face, but Circe smacked his hand
away. “No touching my masterpiece,” the woman snapped at him. “Now then, I want
you to be very careful when you take your clothes off and put your costume on,
understand?”
Nico nodded his head. She spun him back around and let him stand up. Nico was
in the process of stretching when Percy stepped into the room, Rachel in tow
behind him. The red headed girl was dressed like a flapper. She had on a short
black skirt, with a long necklace of what were probably real pearls. She had on
a small matching black hat and black heels. She held out her phone for Percy to
take a look at. The young man nodded and smiled at her.
He chuckled when he saw Hazel. “I feel bad for you, Hazel. There's no telling
how long you've been in here,” Percy joked.
Hazel groaned. “You don't want to know,” she mumbled.
Percy smiled and turned to look at Juniper. “Looking as lovely as ever.”
The girl's cheeks tinted pink. She smiled and bit down on her bottom lip.
“Thank you, Percy,” Juniper replied.
Zoë stood up and Percy turned to her. She smiled as he took her hand and kissed
it with a wink. “So, I don't suppose I could come talk to you tonight, could
I?” She asked.
Percy smiled at her, placing his other hand on her waist. “I would say yes, but
I'm afraid I can't tonight,” he answered. Zoë sighed, but nodded her head
reluctantly.
Rachel smiled at Nico. “You look so cute, Nico. I just want to pinch your
cheeks,” Rachel chuckled.
Circe sent her a warning glare. “I'll take your hand off,” she threatened.
Percy finally turned his attention to Nico. He smiled and walked up to the boy,
slipping his hands into his pockets. “Well, well, and what are you supposed to
be?” He asked.
Nico smiled up at him. “You'll have to wait and find out,” the brown-eyed boy
said, running a finger down Percy's chest.
Percy smirked back at him. “I'm sure I won't be disappointed.” His eyes roamed
down Nico's body a single time before returning his gaze to Nico's eyes. He
raised both of his eyebrows a single time. He grabbed Nico's hand and walked
around the boy. He rested his chin on Nico's shoulder and whispered in his ear.
“Did you have a good time at lunch today?” He smirked against Nico's ear and
squeezed the shorter boy's hand before pulling away.
Nico shuddered and looked at Percy in confusion. He quickly narrowed his eyes
at the green-eyed young man, realizing that he probably meant Daedalus. Was he
really going to be jealous? If he couldn't make his mind up about Nico, he
really didn't have any say on the matter. And it wasn't like there was anything
going on between Nico and Daedalus.
Nico glanced around at the others, who were all giving him calculating looks.
Percy ran a hand through his hair and tilted his head to the side. “Anyways, I
needed to ask you to get in contact with that friend of yours,” he continued,
turning his head to look at Circe.
“Oh,” the woman said. She smiled and nodded her head eagerly. “Of course, sir.”
Percy smiled. “I told you not to call me that. You've been here longer than I
have. So, just have him make sure stuff goes missing.”
Circe looked at him in confusion. “What stuff?”
Percy's eyes turned cold. “He'll know it when he sees it. Tell him I'll have an
incentive for him waiting for him on my desk if what I want winds up
disappearing.”
Circe swallowed, and biting down on her lip, she nodded her head. Nico frowned
at Percy. What was going on? He wasn't quite sure, but he had a feeling he
wasn't going to like it. The look in Percy's eyes chilled him, just as it had
while Koko had been around.
Percy cut his eyes over to Nico. He smiled and nodded his head over to the
door. “Walk with me to the elevator?” He asked.
Nico forced himself to smile. He nodded his head and walked out beside Percy,
Rachel on Percy's other side. “Can I ask what that was about?” Nico asked.
Percy's eyes flickered over to Nico, shooting him a look that warned Nico to
drop the issue. Nico pursed his lips and turned his attention ahead of them.
When they were stepping out of the spa, Percy's phone went off in his pocket.
He slipped it out and checked the screen, smiling at the name. Rachel had the
opposite reaction, her face paling slightly as she read the screen. Nico tilted
his head to the side in confusion. He leaned over and read the name himself, a
chill running down his spine as he saw who was calling. Gaea.
Percy clicked the accept button and held the phone up to his ear. “Hello? Yes,
I'm fine. No, go ahead,” he addressed the woman. He clicked his tongue as they
boarded the elevator. “Yes. No, I have Koko and Dr. Miami keeping an eye on his
whereabouts for me. Yes, I'm dealing with it tonight.” Percy's lips tilted down
into a frown. “I'd rather not say. No, I was going to talk to you about it when
everything was in order.” He let out a sigh. “No, you won't hate it. I think
you'll love it, actually. Just...give it a little more time?”
Percy fell quiet as Gaea spoke to him on the other side of the phone. Nico
watched as Percy's eyes became distant and void of emotion. His lips set
themselves firmly in a thin line. The young man let out a sigh and ran a hand
up into his hair.
“All right, I understand. Yes, it's all been taken care of. I have everyone
dealing with the situation,” Percy sighed. He grunted into the phone. “I'll
talk to you later then.” He chuckled. “You worry too much.” With that he hung
up the phone with a smile.
The elevator came to a stop and Percy shoved Nico out by his shoulders. Nico
turned to frown at him just as the elevator doors were closing. He rolled his
eyes and proceeded down his hall, where he found Silena, Luke, and Beckendorf
standing in front of Luke's suite.
“I really don't feel like dealing with this stupid shit right now, Beckendorf,”
Luke growled.
“Oh, it's stupid, is it?” The buff man barked back.
Luke's eyes narrowed dangerously at the other Lost Boy. “Charlie, calm down,”
Silena said soothingly. “You're overreacting.”
Beckendorf placed an arm onto Luke's doorframe, separating the blond from
Silena. “You want to talk stupid and pathetic? How about you and Nico? How's it
feel having to look at him? How's it feel seeing everything he has?” Luke
growled and grabbed Beckendorf by the throat. He slammed the taller young man's
head into the doorframe. Beckendorf just chuckled at him. “It's all gone, and
he's not getting it back. And it's your fault.”
Luke's nostrils flared. “I'll fucking kill you,” he growled.
Silena pried Luke's hand off of Beckendorf and pushed the two of them apart.
“Both of you, calm down!” She shrieked. “All I wanted to do was get Luke to
talk to his brother.”
Beckendorf removed himself from his girlfriend's grasp. “I told you, nothing's
going on,” Beckendorf growled as he glared at Luke.
“Well, I guess we'll find out when I talk to my brother,” Luke hissed.
Ethan and Leo's door was flung open, the former of the two roommates appearing
in the hall. “What the hell is going on out here?” The Asian Lost Boy snapped.
He was in a partial state of undress, with only his lower half covered by
clothing. Nico really couldn't tell what he was going to be, but it looked to
be something oriental. Ethan's chest was pretty well-defined. He had a nice set
of abs, which had a scar running diagonally across the right side of his torso.
Though, Nico found it a little odd that Clarisse was the more muscular of the
two Lost Kids in charge of security.
“This fucker needs to shut his mouth,” Luke growled, pointing an accusatory
finger at Beckendorf.
“And you need to stay away from my girlfriend,” Beckendorf retorted.
Luke smirked. “I knew her first, so fuck off.”
“I don't really give a shit what everyone's problem is, just shut the hell up!”
Ethan yelled. “Just back the fuck off of each other. We have enough going on
right now, so don't cause more problems. I already have enough issues with
having to hear about Leo's problems!”
Beckendorf and Luke grumbled, but remained quiet. Beckendorf sent Luke a final
glare before walking off to his room. Luke rolled his eyes and walked into his
suite, slamming the door behind him. Silena smiled at Ethan and placed a hand
on his shoulders. “Thanks,” she said.
Ethan frowned at her hand, shifting slightly. “Don't mention it,” he mumbled,
removing her hand from his body.
Silena pursed her lips, but didn't say anything further. She turned around and
started to walk towards her hall, freezing when she noticed Nico standing
there. She bit on her lip as she quickly walked past the raven haired boy. Nico
arched an eyebrow after her before looking at Ethan.
“I love my family, but dammit, they bicker too much,” Ethan grumbled. “So much
fucking drama.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico mumbled.
Ethan shook his head. “You're not so bad. You're just the center of a lot of
their issues, but at least you don't try to cause problems.” He frowned as he
looked at Nico. His hand slowly reached up and felt his eye patch, shifting on
his feet once before walking back into his suite.
---------------------------------
Nico stood in front of his bed in nothing but a black speedo. The box that held
his costume from Aphrodite's Boutique sat on the bed. He slowly opened the lid
and pulled out the black toga. He slipped the fabric over his head, making sure
not to mess up his hair. He pulled out a golden laurel wreath and sat it on the
bed. After that, he pulled out the golden belt and wrapped it around his waist.
He pulled out the black bangles and slipped them onto his arms. He finally
pulled out a pair of black angel wings, which he held out in front of him. He
smiled as he slipped them onto his back. He picked up the golden laurel and
carefully placed it on his head, making sure not to destroy Circe's work.
He stepped in front of his full-body mirror, admiring the completed costume. He
had to admit, Aphrodite had been right about going with the dark angel costume.
It fit him, he supposed. A good mixture of darkness and innocence.
He spun around and chuckled. It was nice. Perhaps he could have some fun
tonight after all. He just hoped that everything went smoothly for him during
his performances, especially his solos. Unlike the last time, Percy would be
there to watch.
Nico walked out of his room and grabbed his wallet. He promptly let out a
groan, realizing that he had no pockets. He sighed and walked out of his suite
before heading for the elevator. He bounced on his heels as he rode the
elevator up to the top floor.
When he emerged into the dimly lit hallway, he found Clarisse and Ethan sitting
behind their podiums. Clarisse was dressed like a medieval knight, a literal
one. Unlike most people, who wore fake armor, she actually had real plate armor
on, and even had a sword and scabbard strapped to her side and a shield beside
her podium. She did look like a true warrior, though. Nico had to give her
that. Ethan had dressed himself as a samurai, also with completely authentic
armor. And there was even a samurai sword strapped to his side, though Nico
wasn't sure if it was actually real. But considering who he was talking about,
it probably was.
He made his way past the two with a nod of his head. Clarisse arched an eyebrow
at him. “Way to not look gay,” she cackled.
Ethan chuckled and shook his head. “Don't mind her,” he apologized.
Nico made his way up the stairs, finding the wall, once again, removed. Leo and
Rachel were already there, sitting in Percy's usual booth on the boys' side.
Leo wore a jaguar skin on top of his head, and like Ethan's sword, Nico wasn't
sure if it was real or not. And besides a pair of ragged pants, Leo had nothing
else on. His body was slim, like Nico's. He had the faint outline of abs, and
his torso matched the rest of his skin.
Nico smiled and walked up to them. “Hey, guys,” he greeted them.
They both smiled back. “Hey, Nico,” they both replied.
“I like the costume,” Leo added. “It fits you.”
Nico smiled. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “You look pretty awesome yourself.”
“Thanks. I'm supposed to be a jagu-”
Leo cut himself off as a pair of arms wrapped around Nico's waist. “You look so
adorable, Nico,” Apollo purred into his ear. “Even better, now that Circe has
fixed your hair.”
Nico rolled his eyes. He tried to squirm out of the blond's grasp, but was
unsuccessful. “What do you want?” Leo ground out.
Apollo smirked. “I just wanted to come talk to Nico.” He ran his fingers up and
down Nico's bare arm before slipping them beneath the black fabric of his toga.
“And I wanted his opinion on my costume. I mean, I'll be glad to hear yours as
well, Leo.” Nico finally got to move away from Apollo. Nico's mouth suddenly
felt dry.
Apollo practically had nothing on. The blond stood in front of them in nothing
but a loincloth and a pair of chains around each of his wrists, though they
weren't bound together. And the loincloth looked like it could easily be torn
from Apollo's waist, which Nico sort of wanted to happen. Even if the blond had
been a royal ass to him, he was still a hot piece of ass. No, wait, he meant
that Apollo was still a hot ass. He let out a groan. Damn his teenaged hormones
for rendering him incapable of thinking coherently.
“You, uh, look good,” Nico fumbled, his eyes glowered to everywhere but
Apollo's face.
“Why are you even up here?” Leo growled.
Apollo shrugged. “Percy had me do a last minute switch since the twins are
fighting,” he replied simply. His eyes flashed dangerously at the Latino boy as
he grabbed Nico by the hand. “Come on, Nico. Come join the party backstage.”
Nico frowned and waved at Leo and Rachel as he was led off towards the stage
door. He turned his head back around, ending up staring at Apollo's back
muscles. Why did all the guys in the Lotus have to be hot jerks?
Most of the Lost Kids were standing around talking with each other when Nico
and Apollo stepped into the dark lounging area. He also noticed that Percy was
sitting on the couch, Thalia and Reyna on either side of him. Reyna was leaning
her head on Percy's shoulder, while the young man smiled at something Butch was
telling him. Both Reyna and Thalia soon jumped into the conversation with much
enthusiasm. But out of everyone in the room, Percy was the only one not dressed
up.
Silena had dressed herself as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Although, her
skirt was a little too short to be go skipping down a brick road. She even had
on a pair of ruby red shoes. Hazel looked pretty much as she had when Nico had
seen her earlier, still entirely golden, and only clad in a bikini. Beckendorf
had decided to be a fireman, hat included. He had on a pair of standard
suspender pants and a matching thick coat, though he didn't have a shirt on
underneath it all.
Silena and Hazel were trying to talk to Beckendorf, but the young man didn't
seem to want to listen to them. Nico sighed and glanced around at the three
talking with Percy. Butch was a caveman, wearing a leopard skin outfit that
hung from his left shoulder. Thalia wore a skimpy police officer outfit. The
shirt opened to reveal quite a bit of cleavage, and the skirt ended very high
on her thighs. She had on a pair of black boots that nearly reach her knees and
a matching police hat. Reyna had on a pair of what looked like dog ears. She
was completely barren of clothing, except for a triangular patch of fur that
covered her breasts, and a fur skirt around her hips. On the back of the skirt,
she had on a tail. A werewolf?
Nico walked over and plopped himself down in Percy's lap, much to the green-
eyed young man's surprise. He chuckled and looked Nico over. “Well, don't you
look cute,” he decided. “I like it.”
“Thanks,” Nico grinned. He arched an eyebrow as he stared at Percy. “And what
are you supposed to be?”
Percy's eyes turned a frightening shade of green. “A murderer,” he said in
practically a whisper.
Nico swallowed, his breathing picking up. He found himself unable to tear his
eyes away from Percy's green ones. They had him frozen, yet felt like they were
pulling him in. He could probably drown in them if he stared too long.
Percy finally smirked and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. He let one of
his hands travel up Nico's thigh, underneath the fabric of the tunic. “Hmm.
It's pretty tempting to want to corrupt an angel,” he whispered into Nico's
ear. “Tell me, what do angels wear underneath their clothes?”
Nico's eyes fluttered closed as Percy's hand reached the speedo under his toga.
His breathing turned ragged as Percy's hand ghosted over his crotch. He heard
Thalia chuckle behind him. “You're so terrible, Percy, toying with him like
that,” she cackled.
Percy smirked at Nico before winking. “Maybe he shouldn't be so tempting.”
Reyna rolled her eyes, rubbing Percy's chest. “So, it's all his fault?” She
chuckled.
Nico bit down on his lips, which drew Percy's attention. His green eyes
flickered back up to Nico's in a seductive stare. Percy chuckled and removed
his hand from Nico's crotch, sitting back against the couch. “I feel bad for
him,” Butch said. “I mean, he has to get tortured by you on a daily basis.”
Percy frowned at the muscular young man. “What's that supposed to mean?” He
grumbled.
Butch smirked. “Just that you're really good at what you do.”
Percy rolled his eyes. Nico chuckled at Butch before looking around at the
others. Calypso was talking to Travis a few feet away. She was dressed as a
French maid, but the skirt came up extremely high, like Silena's. And while he
thought the girl looked extremely pretty without makeup, she did look really
good with the stuff she had on. Travis was dressed similar to Reyna. He had on
black cat ears and a pair of black fur shorts. On his hands were matching fur
paws, and he even had a tail. And when he grinned, he only fulfilled Nico's
assessment of resembling the Cheshire Cat.
Luke was talking with his brother, rubbing his temple as he did so. Luke was
dressed in cowboy attire. He had the standard hat on top of his head, as well
as a gun holster on his waist. And when Nico's eyes drifted lower, he noticed
that Luke had on ass-less chaps. Nico's mouth fell open as he stared at Luke's
ass. He had never seen that part of the blond's body, but he now found that he
wished he had. He didn't have Apollo's ass, but it was nothing to scoff at. His
cheeks stuck out of the back of his chaps, taunting Nico.
Octavian was dressed a little similar to Nico. He had on a white toga that cut
off halfway between his crotch and his knees. He had a golden rope tied around
his waist, and the fabric was held up by the part on the blond's shoulder, just
like Nico's own costume. Octavian had a pleading look in his eyes as he talked
to his brother, but they were talking too quietly for Nico to overhear them.
Annabeth seemed to be trying to get Piper and Drew away from each other. The
two girls looked like they might tear into each other at any moment, but if
Percy noticed, he didn't let on. Annabeth had gone with a sexy librarian look.
A pair of glasses sat on her nose. Her hair was done up in a tight bun, which
had a pencil sticking out of it. She had on a business dress, which cut off at
her knees.
Piper was dressed like Princess Leia in her slave outfit. And the costume
looked pretty authentic. Whenever the girl moved, the two pieces of fabric
hanging from the back and front of her hips exposed a lot of her legs. Drew was
in a cheerleading costume, also ending very high on her thighs. Her hair was
pulled back in a ponytail, which she draped over her right shoulder.
Percy placed his hands firmly on Nico's hips and forced the boy out of his lap.
He got up and turned to smile at the two girls on the couch. “Sorry to run off,
but I need to get to my seat,” he apologized. He cleared his throat and turned
to look at everyone else. The room instantly fell silent. Percy's eyes drifted
across each of the Lost Kids, a silent warning going out to each of them. “I
don't want any more fighting tonight, do I make myself clear?”
They all nodded their heads. Percy smiled and walked towards the door, slipping
his hands into his pockets. The room stayed silent after the young man had
left, a heavy tension lingering in the air. Those that had been fighting just
moments before glanced at each other. Nico watched in confusion as they all
smiled at each other and separated to finish getting ready. It was odd, seeing
how much power Percy had over all of them.
Butch, Hazel, Silena, Travis, Calypso, and Apollo all left to go get ready to
work the floor. Annabeth ordered the rest of them to get ready for the first
number, which was to include everyone. The girls headed through the door that
would take them to their side of the stage, while the boys all situated
themselves on their side.
Panic! At the Disco's song “But It's Better If You Do” began playing and, one
by one, the Lost Kids spun their way out onto the stage. They all blew kisses
and winked at the audience as they took their place on the stage. They all
snapped their fingers and slung their hands behind their hips. The routine
wasn't so bad, in Nico's opinion. It just primarily revolved around moving the
hips in the right way.
They had to snap their fingers and sling their arms back again before bringing
them out to snap again. Nico got down on the ground with Drew, Reyna, and
Octavian. They all crawled sinfully across the floor before extending their
legs into air.
As soon as they were back on their feet, they all had to clap their hands
together at the same time. He was relatively glad that the opening number
tonight wouldn't involve taking off any clothing, since they were all decked
out in costumes, which they would just have to go about putting back on. Still,
there were going to be enough performances as the night went on that he knew
that he would probably be getting irritated.
Nico had to slowly move his hand above his head and move it around in an
alluring manner. Nico stuck his finger into his mouth and bit down on it in a
suggestive way. They all moved around while they thrust their hips out. Now,
the problem for Nico was that he found himself getting distracted during this
part. Mainly because Luke was standing next to him, and Nico currently had a
very good view of the blond's exposed ass.
But the song finally came to an end, which also brought an end to Nico's
wonderful view. Luke turned around and caught Nico staring at his lower area, a
smirk appearing on his face. As they all made their way off the stage, Luke
caught up to Nico and leaned into his ear. “Careful where you stare, kid. You
see, your mouth may so no, but your eyes practically scream 'take me now',” he
panted out into the raven haired boy's ear. Nico felt the blond grin against
his ear. “Though, I could think of some other uses for that mouth of yours.”
Nico glared ahead of them and elbowed Luke in the stomach. The blond grunted,
but ended up chuckling. He slapped Nico on the ass before walking off to sit
down on the couch. Nico caught sight of Octavian staring at him, his eyes as
cold as ice. Nico frowned back at the blond before sighing and walking off to a
mirror.
As the night slowly went on, the Lost Kids worked through their solo
performances. It was now Nico's turn, and he found himself relatively nervous.
While he enjoyed wearing his costume, it felt a little odd with having so many
people staring at him in it. It was one thing to be on stage with the others,
but it was another to be out there by himself.
Nico slowly walked onto the stage, which had the curtain closed, so no one was
actually able to see him yet. He took a deep breath and sat down on the stage.
He maneuvered himself into a kneeling position, pulling his knee tightly
against his chest. He lowered his head onto his knee and waited for the song to
begin. He thought about winning the little costume contest that the Lost Kids
had. He wondered if it would have ramifications for him if he won.
Vampire Weekend's “Giving Up the Gun” began playing through the speakers. The
curtain drifted open and the lights on the stage turned on. Nico popped his
head up and threw a smile on. He kicked his leg out and spun around on the
floor before rising to his feet. His heart began pounding in his chest as he
chanced a glance out at the audience.
He hugged himself, while swaying his hips in a lewd fashion. He batted his
eyelashes at the audience as the song came to the line “I see it in your eyes”.
He fiddled with the rope around his waist, while biting down on his lip. He
raised his finger up to stick into his mouth and bit down on it innocently
while batting his eyelashes again, trying to play off the innocent angel vibe.
He glanced over at Percy's table, where he found the green-eyed young man with
his elbow on the table, calmly watching Nico's every single move. And he wasn't
the only one. Apollo had stopped walking to gawk at Nico's performance. Nico
rolled his hips as he removed the rope from around his waist, letting it drop
to the floor.
He spun around on the stage before getting down to crawl. He got on his side
and lifted his leg up into the air, giving several people a good look at the
speedo underneath his toga. He was thankful for Circe's work on his face,
because he knew he was probably blushing profusely at the moment. Still, it was
a little bit of a turn on. Not because of all the people, but the fact that
Percy was watching. He liked that he had the young man's attention, and it was
at that point something hit him. He now understood why the Lost Kids craved the
attention of the green-eyed manager so much. It was addicting.
He got down on his stomach, facing away from the stage, and lifted his ass into
the air. He spread his legs and pushed himself back up, fiddling with the small
piece of cloth that held his black toga up. He blew a kiss at the audience with
a wink. It was so awkward, and if he hadn't seen the other Lost Kids doing
similar performances, he wouldn't really get the appeal of this. Before he had
come to the Lotus, this sort of stuff had never really appealed as much to him.
Sure he was the normal teenage boy that thought about sex, but the thought of
sitting around to watch strippers perform had never really seemed like
something he would like.
He slid his hand down the front of his toga, letting his mouth fall open in a
silent moan. Percy was smirking at him from his booth, which made Nico smile in
return. He finally hooked his fingers under the sleeve of his toga and lowered
it off of his shoulder. The black material drifted gracefully from his body. He
now stood there in front of everyone in his wings, laurel, the bangles on his
arms, and his speedo.
He let his index finger trail across his smooth stomach as he bit down on his
lip again. He bent over to touch his right hand to his left foot. He spun
himself around in a slow and graceful manner. As the song reached its end, Nico
slid his foot across the stage and sank back to a kneeling position. He buried
his face in his knee as the song ended. The crowd applauded him, and he rose
back to his feet to wave at them with a wink.
As he walked off the stage, he fought off a shudder. At least his performance
hadn't allowed people to touch him. That was something he was trying to get
used to. As some of the Lost Kids congratulated him on his development, he
worked on getting himself back into his toga.
He walked over and sat down on a stool next to the couch, not wanting to mess
up his wings. The Lost Girls were moving around on the stage, getting ready for
their performance. Beckendorf sat by himself on the couch, his arms crossed
over his chest. “You all right?” Nico asked.
Beckendorf turned his head towards him and grunted. “Just peachy,” he mumbled.
Nico swallowed before pressing on. “I, uh, overheard your fight with Luke.”
Beckendorf's face remained solemn as he looked at Nico. After a few seconds, he
sighed and shook his head. “It's just hard sometimes, you know? It's hard
having a relationship in a place like this, especially an exclusive one.”
Nico arched an eyebrow. “You two are exclusive? How does that work?”
The muscular Lost Boy sighed again. “Well, we don't have sex with the other
Lost Kids, unless a customer wants to include them. And besides that, Percy's
the only one we'll mess around with, but that's also for business. Percy
understands, and he doesn't try to cause problems for the two of us.” The young
man shrugged his shoulders. “He wants us to be happy and together, even in a
place like this.”
Nico felt a little sad for the two of them. He had known that they were a
couple, but he had never put much thought into it. Perhaps that was why Percy
refused to date anyone. Still, it felt a little unfair to have someone like
Percy be so unobtainable. He was fun to be around, even if he could be a little
scary at times.
“I can't even imagine how hard it is,” Nico whispered. “I'm sorry.”
Beckendorf shook his head. “Don't worry about it, little man. I just have my
own shit to work through.”
“But apparently I only make that worse for all of you.”
Beckendorf gave him a smile and patted his leg. “Well, I try not to blame you.
I just...lose it sometimes. I think we all have that problem, to some degree.”
Nico let the muscular young man be. He got up and walked over to the edge of
the stage, where the girls all sat in chairs. Thalia sat in the front, perched
up on the chair so that her ass was jutting out from the front of it. The
lyrics to the song came on before the music did, and Nico recognized it as the
song “Express” from the movie Burlesque.
The girls behind Thalia began snapping their fingers. Thalia sat down backwards
in the chair and smirked at the audience. Her hand slowly traveled down from
her breasts to sit in between her legs. Drew, Piper, Reyna, and Annabeth all
sat themselves provocatively in their chairs as Thalia joined them in their
snapping of fingers.
The girls all turned around in their chairs and stuck their asses out towards
the audience as they slid their hands down their legs. They slowly trailed
their hands back up, letting their heads fall to the side. Thalia tipped her
police hat down as she winked at the audience. The girls all bent over again,
and began patting the chairs in a rhythmic fashion, slowly shaking their asses
in the air.
Piper slowly slid her way out of the “skirt” that hung from her waist, leaving
her in a skimpy thong that did little to hide her...lady parts. Thalia ripped
her top open, exposing her red bra to the crowd. Annabeth undid her shirt and
sank back in her chair, letting it slide off of her arms. The fur on Reyna's
hips was removed, revealing a small thong underneath.
Thalia frowned, but only for a brief second. Still, it was enough for Nico to
notice. He moved so that he could look out at the audience without them
spotting him. Percy was getting up from his table and heading towards the door.
Nico looked back at the Lost Girls. They all looked normal, but Nico was
starting to see through their masks. They were bothered by Percy's action. And
the Lost Kids on the floor seemed to be the same. They were all standing
around, staring at each other in confusion. Something was wrong.
-----------------------------------------
Nico pushed through the door that led from backstage to the floor. He had
finally gotten to take his break, which he was very thankful for. He had wanted
to try and sit with Percy, but the young man still hadn't returned. Leo and
Rachel were still sitting in the booth, dealing with customers' requests.
As he was about to pass the booth, the customer that was talking to them got up
and left. He scrunched his lips up and made his way over, wanting to see what
the two knew. “Hey,” Nico greeted them.
Leo sighed and rubbed his face. “Before you ask, we can't tell you where Percy
went,” the Latino grumbled.
“Sorry,” Rachel added. “The others have been asking for the past hour, but we
were given orders to keep quiet.”
Nico frowned at them. “It seemed to bother the others, so I was just
concerned,” Nico explained.
Rachel gave him a smile. “I know, but there's nothing we can tell you.”
“It's not like he won't find out,” Leo mumbled. Rachel promptly elbowed him in
the ribs. Leo winced and rubbed his side with a pout. “Dammit, I'm just telling
the truth.”
Rachel rolled her eyes before turning back to Nico. “You'll know before the
night is over, Nico.”
Nico nodded his head slowly. He walked off, his eyebrows furrowing. He pushed
his way into the break room, finding Calypso and Butch sitting on the couch.
Dionysus stood at his usual place, working on mixing a drink. He was dressed up
in a white pinstripe suit, with a white fedora on his head. Sticking out of the
hat was a pair of red devil horns.
Nico sat down next to Calypso, making sure to lean forward so that he didn't
mess up his wings. They were beginning to become a hassle, and he was looking
forward to taking them off. “You look cute, Nico,” Calypso said sweetly. She
leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He glared at her from the corner of
his eye, refraining from wiping off his cheek. He still had to get through the
rest of the night, so he didn't need to ruin Circe's work just yet.
“You know, Calypso, I kinda want to get you out of that costume,” Butch said
suggestively.
Calypso chuckled. “I thought you were hoping to get to spend the night with
Percy?”
The buff young man shrugged. “Well, that too. There's always a threesome.”
The girl rolled her eyes. “And if you had your way with that, Percy would be
fucking you, while you fucked me.” She chuckled again. “Pass. Talk to me again
when the positions change.”
Butch frowned. “Well, if I win, I get to choose how that goes.”
Nico's eyes had widened as he listened to the exchange. Was he hearing this
right? Butch...liked it up the ass? It felt so odd to him. Butch seemed to
notice his expression, chuckling at the boy.
“What's the matter, Nico? Surprised?” The Lost Boy said.
“Um, a little,” Nico confessed. “I mean, you're just...” Nico trailed off,
gesturing to Butch's body.
“Buff? Muscular? The masculine type?” He shrugged. “Why should that matter when
it comes to sex?”
“Are you gay?”
Butch and Calypso burst out laughing. “I don't think any of us have actually
used labels since we first got here,” the Lost Girl chuckled. “Not even Apollo
fully considers himself gay anymore.”
“Well, some were already bi when they got here, like Luke,” Butch added. “But
we've all just shifted our sexuality towards bisexuality.”
“You sort of have to for this line of work.”
Nico frowned. He didn't consider himself bisexual. He still very much disliked
vaginas. But then again, he wasn't prostituting his body like the others were.
If he ever did end up doing that, would he become the same? He felt like it
would be losing a portion of his identity. He didn't think he could picture
himself being like the rest of them, casually having sex for business, losing
touch with the emotional side of it.
“I guess,” Nico mumbled. He let out a nervous chuckle. “Still, I just wasn't
expecting it.”
“You'll get used to stuff like this eventually,” Calypso said with a smile.
Butch chuckled. “So, what would you do if Percy picked Drew?” He asked.
Calypso frowned and shot her eyes over to the buff young man. “He's not an
idiot. He wouldn't pick some shallow shell of girl. Let's see her take all that
makeup off, and then we'll talk about how pretty she is.”
“Temper, temper, Callie.” Butch stood up and held his hand out for the green-
eyed girl.
The Lost Girl glared at him before accepting his hand and standing up. The two
made their way out of the room, Butch slinging his arm around the girl's
shoulders. “My, my, there seems to be so much chaos going on in the hotel,”
came Dionysus's voice from behind Nico.
Nico turned around on the couch to face the bartender. “Yeah, it seems like it.
Are they always like this?”
Dionysus smiled. “No, not really. They are usually rather peaceful. I suppose
something must be upsetting them.” The man let his final words hang in the air
as he stared at Nico with a glint in his eyes.
“They never fight?”
The bartender shrugged. “They do, but never to such a degree. I mean, I thought
some of them were about to rip someone's head off.”
Nico frowned. “It's not my fault,” he mumbled. “I'm not trying to provoke them.
I just want to be happy. I just want to be part of this family.”
“Oh, well, you are. But now, they are getting to have all of their little flaws
thrown in their faces. How would you react to a situation like that?”
“But I'm not doing it intentionally!”
Dionysus smiled and held out a drink out for Nico, who shook his head. The man
shrugged his shoulders and downed the drink. “I really do love this brand of
wine. You don't know what you're missing, Nico.”
Nico forced a smile onto his lips. “That's okay, I'm just not much for
drinking,” he explained.
“Poor boy,” Dionysus muttered. “Oh well. How are you enjoying your holiday?”
Nico groaned and reached back to adjust his wings. “I'm ready to take these
things off.”
“Well, I'm sure the customers enjoy seeing you in the costume.” The man grinned
at him in a creepy manner. “Perhaps Percy enjoyed it as well. Maybe you'll be
lucky enough to win that little costume contest that he has. It is rather
obvious that you want Percy to take your innocence. It must be so hard for him
not to devour you.”
Nico shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He didn't like where this conversation
was headed. “I, uh, guess,” Nico mumbled. “I'm not really sure where I stand
with Percy right now. He seems to think he can tell me who I can be friends
with outside of the hotel, but we're not together. So, I don't know why he
thinks he can tell me things like that.”
Dionysus smirked. “Oh, I don't know about that. I'm sure Percy doesn't mean it
in a bad way.” Something flickered in the man's dark eyes. “But between the two
of us, when Percy tells someone something like that, they usually end up
wishing they had listened.”
Nico frowned at the man. “Why?” He asked.
The chubby man shrugged. “Percy is just good at predicting things. He knows
things. And he has your best interest at heart.”
Nico tapped his finger against the couch. What reason could Percy possibly have
for this situation? There didn't seem to be anything wrong with Daedalus. He
seemed like a nice guy, who didn't seem to really fit in with his other popular
friends. The brunet was too good for them, in Nico's opinion.
“But I don't understand why he would want me to stop being friends with
someone. What's the harm in just talking to someone? It's not like I'm going to
tell him about the Lotus's secrets,” Nico said.
Dionysus grinned at him. “Perhaps it's not as simple as you think.” He shrugged
as he took another drink of wine. “Percy's not always direct with his methods
or the things he says. Perhaps it's not this friend of yours that he's really
concerned with.”
Nico's brow furrowed. Then what else could it be? Nico slowly nodded his head
and stood up. “Thanks,” he muttered before turning around and leaving.
He made his way back towards the stage door, not bothering to talk to any of
the Lost Kids working the floor. Percy still wasn't in his booth, which only
further worried Nico. He began chewing on his lip as he pushed his way through
the door to the stage.
He spotted Annabeth standing in front of a mirror, and instantly headed over.
“Hey, Annabeth,” he said.
The girl blinked at him in surprise in the mirror. “What can I do for you,
Nico?” She said with a small smile.
“You've known Percy the longest, right?” The girl nodded. “Do you know what's
up with him tonight?”
Annabeth frowned and sat her lipstick down. She cleared her throat and turned
around to face Nico. “I...don't actually know what he's doing tonight. He
didn't tell me anything,” she said softly. “So, I don't know what to tell you.”
She placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I'm sure he's fine. Percy can take care
of himself.”
Nico nodded. “The way he acted when Koko was here, and the way he sometimes
acts, is that how he was before, when you originally met him?”
Annabeth studied Nico carefully for a moment. Nico shifted under her intense
grey eyes. She finally let out a sigh and sat back against the vanity mirror.
“In a sense. By the time I got here, Gaea had already done a lot of work on
him. She had only recently moved him here from Germany when I arrived, probably
around three or four months. But from what I gathered from people like Kronos
and Koko, Percy was practically feral when Gaea first found him. So, he wasn't
quite like this when she found him. But I'm not sure I would say that he's less
dangerous now than he was back then. He might be even more dangerous now,
actually.”
Nico pursed his lips as he listened to the blond. “Does he frighten you?”
Annabeth tapped her index finger on the desk she sat against. “Yes and no,” she
finally said. “I think he cares about us, and doesn't look to hurt us, but I
know he's very dangerous.” She shrugged. “You deal with all sorts of dangerous
people in this job. You learn to see the comfort in having someone even more
dangerous protecting you.” Her eyes grew distant. “Perhaps he could have
protected me when my life was falling apart,” she whispered so quietly that
Nico almost didn't hear her. The girl cleared her throat and wiped at her eyes
to rid herself of the tears that were forming there. “I need to get ready.”
Nico swallowed and nodded his head. He didn't like falling down this hole
anymore. It had been interesting to see more of the Lost Kids, but now it was
becoming painful. They were still hurting, and it was starting to get to him.
All it did was make Nico wonder what had happened to some of them. What horror
did these Lost Kids experience? Not only that, but it also reminded Nico of why
he was there. His father. His father hadn't wanted him. His father had beaten
him. His father had tossed him out onto the street with no remorse or care for
Nico's wellbeing.
Why should he blame these people for being bitter towards the world? He didn't
find himself hating humanity or the world he lived in, but he could see where
the rest of them had ended up that way. It was sad.
As he was walking around, Thalia grabbed him by the shoulder with a grin. “It's
a sad day, Nico, when I look more manly than you do,” she chuckled.
Nico tossed her a glare. “Jerk,” he mumbled.
Thalia laughed. “I'm just teasing, dude.” She pinched his cheek. “So cute.
You're just fun to tease. Anyways, what's up? You look like a kicked puppy.”
Nico shook his head. “It's nothing,” he whispered.
Thalia glanced behind Nico to where Annabeth was fixing her makeup. “What's up
with the genius?”
“I don't know. We were talking about Percy, but then I think we drifted into
talking about her past.”
Thalia's lips tilted down as she continued to stare at Annabeth. “She's a tough
one, but she still has her moments,” Thalia said. She rubbed her arm as she
looked back at Nico. “It's hard, you know? It's hard when someone you're
supposed to feel safe around hurts you. It's hard to watch your life fall
apart.” She looked down and shook her head. “And you end up alone, without any
of the answers to your problems.”
“Do you mind if I asked what happened?”
Thalia gave him a weak smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. “One day. Not
right now, though.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Thalia cocked her head to the side. “For what?”
“For making you guys feel bad about yourselves.”
Thalia sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Shit, dude. Look, we're just
trying to ignore what happened the best we can. Hell, we're trying to forget
our pasts. It's just hard with you standing around, nearly the picture of
innocence.” She winked at Nico. “You better get ready for your last
performance.”
Nico frowned at the girl as she walked off. It felt like a never ending sea of
questions was arising in Nico's mind. He wondered if he'd ever get the answers
to them. Hopefully. He let out a sigh and walked over to a mirror to check his
appearance.
The night finally came to an end, and Nico already had his wings off. He had
them folded in his arms as he walked towards the elevator with Octavian and
Piper. A few of the Lost Kids were off taking care of their “business”, which
Nico was glad he didn't have to do. Leo and Rachel had mysteriously vanished at
some point towards the end of the night, with no explanation about where they
were going.
“Well, I had fun tonight,” Piper announced as they got into metal box.
Octavian rolled his eyes with a smirk. “I'm sure you did.”
She glared at the blond, hitting the button to their floor. “I don't know what
you're talking about,” she mumbled.
The blond chuckled. “Of course not. I totally did not see you trip Drew when
she was going to meet up with her customer.”
Piper smirked and shook her head. “Nope, that definitely did not happen.” She
let out an exaggerated sigh. “You must be seeing things, Octavian.” She smiled
over at Nico. “You know, without the wings, you two look like opposite images,
like the twins and their cat costumes.”
Nico and Octavian looked at each other before both shrugging. Octavian's hand
drifted down to the bottom portion of Nico's toga. He lifted it up with a grin.
“And we even have the opposite color speedos on.”
Nico scowled at him and batted the blond's hand away. “No touching,” he
mumbled.
Octavian's grin only grew as he leaned closer to Nico, pressing him up against
the wall. “Oh, come now, Nico. Surely you would enjoy my help with getting out
of your costume.” He smirked and pinned Nico's hands above his head. Piper only
smiled at Nico's uncomfortable expression. Octavian's tongue snaked out of his
mouth and trailed along Nico's neck. “You could help me get out of my toga.”
Piper finally chuckled and tugged on the back of Octavian's costume. “Come on,
we're at our floor,” she announced.
Octavian gave her a blank look before pulling away from the brown-eyed boy.
Nico scowled at the blond as he straightened himself out and exited the
elevator. Piper waved at them as she went down her hall. “You're confusing,”
Nico said, slowing to a stop in front of Octavian's door.
Octavian shrugged. “Sex is sex, don't take any of it to heart,” the blond
replied. “You're attractive, and I don't always like to bottom.”
“But there are other people to have sex with. If you don't like me, why have
sex with me?”
Octavian smiled and ran a hand into his blond hair, brushing it out of his
eyes. “We have sex with people we don't like all the time, Nico. Why should one
of our own make a difference? And it's not like I hate you.”
Nico arched a brow. “You don't?” He asked skeptically.
The blond shook his head. “No. It's true I don't like you that much, but I
wouldn't say I hate you.” His eyes flashed dangerously at Nico. “I just don't
like what you're doing to my brother.”
Nico gave a single nod. “Noted.”
Octavian smirked and unlocked his door. Nico let out a sigh and walked to his
door. He pulled out his card and unlocked his suite. He stopped as soon as he
entered, the sound of voices drifting from the back of the suite. He slowly
closed the door and walked towards the hall. He opened his door and tossed his
wings in with a frown.
He found the spare room open and the light turned on. There were several people
gathered around the bed, which looked to have someone on it. Will was sitting
on the edge of the bed. The blond had dressed up like Peter Pan, but not the
cartoon version. He had vines wrapped around his waist and up around his chest.
His right nipple was exposed, as were most of his arms. He looked cute, Nico
thought.
Esperanza stood at the foot of the bed, eyeing Percy. The young man had his
back turned to Nico, and was hissing something at Leo and Rachel. He reached
around to his back pocket and pulled something out. Nico's eyes widened as the
gun was handed to Esperanza. “You know what to do with that, right?” He
mumbled.
The woman nodded. “I'll have it back to you by tomorrow,” she answered.
Percy sighed. “And the rest?”
Rachel pulled out her tablet and scrolled through some things. “It should all
be taken care of. I'll be picking up the evidence from the police station in
the morning. You can get rid of everything however you see fit,” the red headed
girl informed her boss.
Percy nodded. He touched Will's shoulder. “How is he?”
Will sighed and looked up at Percy. “He's fine. You didn't hurt him. His body
is a little traumatized, though. The wounds he has are from previous events,”
the blond replied. His eyes flickered over to Nico. He nodded his head towards
the door. Percy turned around, and Nico's eyes widened in horror.
Percy was covered in blood. His shirt was soaked in it. He had a few spots on
his face, but his hands looked drenched in it. His lips tilted down into a
frown and he pointed his finger towards Nico. “Get out,” he growled.
Nico quickly shot back down the hallway. He entered the living room, where he
tried to get his hands to stop shaking. Had Percy killed someone? Oh god, how
dangerous was Percy? Nico's hand covered his mouth when something clicked in
his mind. The thing he had seen in Percy's car that day so long ago, that
present that Lehm had given Percy, it was a gun!
He winced when he heard the door slam shut. Nico sat down on the couch, his
breathing beyond ragged. Had he been wrong about Percy? Should he be scared of
the young man? He was a dragon, and Nico was living in his nest. Did the others
know about this? Did they know what Percy was capable of? Were they okay with
it?
Nico picked up the remote and turned the TV on. Perhaps they did know, and
perhaps they were ok with it. Annabeth had said she felt safe knowing that
someone more dangerous than the other people was protecting her. But would
Percy harm them? Nico shuddered. What if he had killed Nico the other day when
Nico had listened in on his and Koko's discussion.
His heart stopped as he finally looked at the TV. While the volume was off,
Nico could still clearly tell what they were talking about on the news. A
picture of a man with black hair and a matching beard sat on the side of the
screen. The reporter was standing in front of what looked to be the crime
scene. The name Zeus Olympium appeared below the picture, causing Nico's blood
to run cold.
Percy had killed Gaea's competition. Next, a photo of a muscular looking young
man appeared on the screen. He had light brown hair and grey eyes. Nico turned
on the volume, making sure to keep the TV quiet. “Heracles, Zeus's son was also
murdered,” the reporter announced. A picture of a blonde girl appeared next to
that of Heracles. “Zeus's secretary and driver, Kinzie Hart, was shot twice in
the chest and once in the head. Now, the police are refusing to comment at this
time, but our crime analysts believe this is to be an act of gang violence gone
wrong. There have been several other reported murders and gang wars nearby,
and-”
Nico turned off the TV when he heard the door open. Will appeared in the
hallway, smiling at Nico. “Wild night, eh?” He sighed.
Nico nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered.
Will frowned. “Hey, you don't have anything to be scared of, dude.” The blond
sat down on the couch next to Nico. “Percy isn't going to come shooting us up.”
“But he is a killer.”
Will pursed his lips. “I don't know if I'd use that word. He does it when he
needs to, not because he goes around wanting to murder people. He's not a
serial killer. And he was just following orders from Gaea.”
“W-Were you surprised when you found out?” Nico asked.
Will's brow furrowed. “A little, but I just accepted it. I wish I had had him
around before I came to the Lotus.”
Nico bit down on his lip. What was happening to this world of his? Where was
the Percy that he had thought he knew? He wasn't sure if he felt safe around
this one.
The door opened down the hall and Percy said, “Can you both come back here?”
Will grinned at Nico and stood up. Nico let out a long sigh before following
the blond to the spare room. Well, he supposed it probably wasn't a spare room
anymore. Percy stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. Esperanza
was now standing in front of Leo. She hugged the boy and stepped past Percy to
leave the room. She gave Will and Nico a smile before making her way out of the
suite.
Percy studied Nico's face carefully, searching for something. Nico stared back
at him, trying his best to hide his fear. Percy finally held out his hand
towards Nico. Nico blinked at it for a few seconds before grabbing it with a
shaky hand. A small smile appeared on Percy's lips as he allowed Nico to enter
the room. Nico's eyes widened as he finally saw who was on the bed.
There, sitting up and drinking a bottle of water, was Jason. The blond's hair
was messy, and he looked exhausted. He wasn't wearing his jacket from school,
and Nico could now see his arms. He had several track marks on his arm, which
made Nico's pulse quicken to look at. His shirt was off, revealing several
bruises, as well as a few cuts on his hips.
“Jason?” Nico whispered.
The blond looked at him with surprise. “Hey, Nico,” he rasped out.
“What's he doing here?” Nico asked, turning to Percy.
Percy arched an eyebrow and looked at Jason. The blond chuckled awkwardly. “I,
uh, guess I'm your new roommate.”
***** A Blast from the Past *****
Nico groaned and rolled onto his stomach. He let out a sigh and shut off his
alarm before dropping his head back onto his pillow. His dreams had, once
again, been of Percy, though this time they weren't as pleasant. It was an odd
feeling, knowing that the guy he liked was a killer.
He didn't get much of a chance to talk to Percy about it last night, though.
The green-eyed young man hadn’t left Jason's side. Perhaps Nico could find some
time to talk to him about it today. But was that even a good idea?
He let out a sigh as he rolled out of bed. On the bright side, his school had a
basketball game today, so he would get to spend more time away from the hotel.
He wasn't sure if he wanted to run away, but he currently felt a little uneasy
being around the place.
Pushing those thoughts to the side, Nico slid on some pajama pants and walked
out his door. He glanced towards the room that was now occupied by Jason,
finding that the door was still shut, he ran a hand through his messy hair and
headed towards the kitchen, wanting a cup of coffee to help wake himself up
with. When he entered the living room, he froze on the spot.
Sprawled out on his couch was Percy. His right arm was draped above his head,
over the arm of the couch. His lips were parted slightly and his hair hung
slightly in his shut eyes, giving him an almost childish and adorable quality.
Nico found himself smiling at the sight of the young man on the couch. He
walked over and grabbed a blanket that had fallen off of Percy. When he went to
place it back over Percy's body, the young man grabbed Nico's wrist and yanked
him down onto his chest.
Percy let out groan as he stretched his arms above his head, finally opening
his eyes. He peered down at Nico with a smirk. “Good morning,” he said roughly.
Nico felt his entire face go red as he felt Percy's morning arousal pressing
against his stomach. Percy's hands slowly slid down Nico's back, where they
slipped into Nico's underwear. He smiled at Nico innocently as the younger boy
pried himself from Percy's grasp. “What are you doing here?” Nico asked. “Did
you even leave?”
Percy yawned and sat up. “I was keeping an eye on Jason.”
Nico felt his heart start to pound in his chest as he took in Percy's messy
morning hair. “Oh,” Nico replied. “That was very nice of you.”
Percy grunted as he stood up and walked into Nico's kitchen. The young man
began tasking himself with making the coffee that Nico had intended, himself,
to brew. “I'm not heartless, Nico. I do care about you and the other Lost
Kids.” He crossed his arms on the kitchen island and rested his chin on them,
watching Nico like a predator watched its prey. “Just remember that I wouldn't
actually hurt you. I would, however, hurt someone who meant to do you harm.”
Nico nodded his head, his lips pursed. “I guess you really aren't a knight in
shining armor.”
Percy chuckled. “No, but do you really want a knight in shining armor, or
someone who has actually had their armor put to the test?” Percy asked with a
sly smile.
Nico narrowed his eyes at him as he took a seat on the other side of the
island. He heard Jason's door open a few seconds before the blond came padding
into the kitchen. He stretched his arms above his head with a groan, giving
Nico a good view of his shirtless chest.
He had a hairless, athletic body with no visible tan lines. He had the standard
six-pack that Nico had expected the blond to have. He had muscular arms, but
they were blemished with the track marks that Nico had spotted last night.
Jason's hips had been bandaged up to hide the injuries the blond had somehow
acquired.
“Coffee,” Jason groaned out.
Percy chuckled and got an extra mug out of the cabinet. “So, Jason, do you feel
up to going to school today?” Percy asked. “You're welcome to say no.”
Jason scrunched his lips as he scratched at his head. “I'd like the day off, if
you don't mind.”
Percy nodded. “Sounds good. It'll give us a chance to run over everything.”
Jason nodded back and looked over at Nico. “Morning, roomie,” he said with one
of those fake smiles that Nico had learned to do so well.
“Morning,” Nico mumbled, raising an eyebrow at Jason. His eyes darted over to
Percy, who smiled.
“Yes, Jason already knows our ways,” Percy explained, almost as if he could
read Nico's mind. “But, I'm sure you'll learn all about his life in the days to
come.”
Jason shrugged. “I got nothing to hide. My dad was an ass,” he grunted. His
brow furrowed as he looked at Nico. “I'd, uh, just prefer it if you didn't say
anything about it to anyone at school. I never told anyone, not even Daedalus.”
Nico nodded. “Of course. I never told him anything about my life here, either,”
Nico replied.
There was a knock at the door, which brought a frown to Percy's lips. “Shit,”
he muttered under his breath. Nico cocked his head to the side and walked over
to the door. He opened the door to find an upset looking Thalia.
“Where is he?” Thalia demanded, shoving past Nico. Nico raised an eyebrow as he
shut the door and turned around. Jason's eyes widened at the sight of the girl,
who punched Percy in the arm. The young man didn't seem bothered by it, though,
as he just raised an eyebrow at her.
“T-Thalia?” Jason inquired, still looking shocked.
Thalia ran past Percy, nearly knocking the manager over, and wrapped her arms
around Jason's neck. Nico walked back into the kitchen and turned off the
coffee. He frowned as he poured three cups, keeping an eye on the scene in
front of him. Percy sighed as his cup was sat in front of him. Jason pushed his
off to the side to make sure Thalia didn't end up spilling it.
“How come you didn't tell me about this?” Thalia yelled, glaring at Percy.
Percy shrugged. “I never told the Lost Kids not to tell you. You should take
that up with them,” Percy mumbled before blowing on his coffee.
“Um, I'm lost,” Nico said, taking a seat.
“We're brother and sister,” Jason explained.
“Though, we haven't seen each other for several years,” Thalia added with
another squeeze. She frowned as she finally caught sight of Jason's arms. She
gripped them firmly and inspected them. “What the hell, Jason?”
Jason sighed. “It's not a big deal.”
Thalia narrowed her eyes. “Not a big deal?” She hissed. She turned a glare on
Percy. “Tell me you're not going to let him continue using.”
Percy raised a hand to try and calm her down. “Relax. You know my policy,” he
said.
Thalia sighed in relief. “What the hell did our bastard of a father do to you?”
Jason frowned. “Can we talk in my room?” The blond mumbled.
Without waiting for a response from Percy, Thalia grabbed Jason's wrist and
yanked him out of his chair, nearly causing her brother to spill his coffee.
Percy chuckled as the door to Jason's room closed. “Well, she took that better
than I thought she would,” the green-eyed manager joked.
“Why didn't you tell her?” Nico inquired.
“I needed things kept quiet until everything was over. Besides, I had no
guarantee that I'd even get to grab Jason, let alone that he might live through
the encounter.” Percy took a sip of his coffee. “He was on heroin when I got
there, so I didn't really get any resistance from him.”
“He doesn't seem that broken up over the death of his father.”
Percy's eyes darkened as he took another sip. He ran his tongue across his
bottom lip as he sat his mug down. “Well, Nico, I hate to say it, but everyone
pretty much has a bad history with their parents when they come here.”
Nico frowned as Percy downed the rest of his coffee. The young man stood up and
put his mug in the sink. He walked behind Nico and draped his arms over the
boy's shoulders, resting his chin on Nico's head.
“But, unlike Jason, you have to go to school today,” Percy continued. “Hurry up
and get ready, Clarisse will be waiting for you in the parking garage.”
Nico frowned as he drank his coffee. “What about the competition thing?” Nico
asked.
Percy chuckled. “Called off, since I had to deal with Jason last night. I'm
sure the others won't be happy, but I'm not in the mood to oblige them right
now.” He moved his head down so that his lips were pressed to Nico's ear. Nico
bit down on his lip as Percy's hand moved down to his crotch. “But, if it makes
you feel any better, you were going to win, my dark little angel.”
Nico felt his cheeks heat up as he felt Percy's tongue run along the tip of his
ear, Percy's hand squeezing his crotch. Percy smirked against his ear before
pulling away. “That's just not nice,” Nico sighed. “Can't we, like, do the
thing we did last time?”
Percy smiled and tilted Nico's chin up to look at him. He leaned in and brought
his lips within an inch of Nico's mouth. “Perhaps for your Christmas present,”
Percy whispered before pulling away with another smirk.
Nico frowned at his boss. “That's just cruel.”
Percy hummed to himself. “I suppose that's true.” He smiled warmly at Nico and
ran his fingers into Nico's messy black hair. “I'm just looking out for you,
Nico. You're fun to tease, but I do remember what I'm trying to preserve.”
Nico nodded sadly. He knew Percy was just trying to do what was best for him,
but it didn't feel fair to him. Why was it fair for the others to get to have
sex with the young man whenever they wanted to, but he was forbidden to, unless
he wanted to prostitute his body? What kind of agreement was that, anyways? He
really liked Percy, even if he was dangerous, so it didn't feel fair to him to
be treated this way. But, then again, he didn't even know if Percy saw him as
anything beyond a sex object.
Percy smiled as Nico stood up to go get ready for school. The green-eyed young
man wrapped his arms around Nico's waist and pulled him in closer. “Cheer up,”
Percy said. “If you like, you can hang out with me tomorrow night, after you
get off work.”
Nico perked up a little and nodded. “That would be great.” He let out a long
breath and removed himself from Percy's arms. The young man frowned as he
stared down at Nico. “Well, I need to get ready.”
Percy nodded his head. “All right. I will see you when you're back from
school.”
Nico nodded back and Percy headed for the door. With a final smile at Nico,
Percy shut the door and was gone. Nico stood there for a few more seconds
before turning around and heading to the bathroom. He shut the door and removed
his clothes before turning on the shower.
As he was finishing up, the door swung open. Jason walked in with a toothbrush
and toothpaste. He casually went about brushing his teeth, while Nico stood
there with wide eyes. What the hell? The blond did know that Nico was
showering, right? Unless he was deaf as well, he should.
Jason finally turned his head to look at Nico and smiled. “Sup?” Jason mumbled
casually. Nico was appalled to watch as his new roommate blatantly looked his
body over through the glass door.
“Um, I'm showering. Do you mind?” Nico retorted.
Jason shrugged. “I can join you, if you want.”
Nico smacked his forehead. “I'd prefer privacy.”
Jason chuckled. “Maybe you should lock the door.”
Nico huffed and turned around to hide his crotch from Jason's eyes. It wasn't
his fault he was used to living without a roommate. At least he had remembered
to close the door. Didn't the blond know how to respect boundaries?
Nico shut off the water and reached out to grab his towel, while covering
himself with his other hand. Jason smiled innocently at him as he wrapped the
towel around his waist and stepped out of the shower. Nico glared at the blond
as he walked past him. He took the blond's place at the sink and began brushing
his teeth.
His eyes darted back over to the shower when he heard the water start back up.
His eyes slowly lowered as Jason lowered his pajama pants. The blond had on a
tight pair of light blue boxer-briefs, which clung perfectly to his bubble
butt. Like Nico, he had a pair of lower back dimples just above where his
underwear began. Jason turned back around, which caused Nico's eyes to land on
the bandages on his hips.
“Don't you have to get to school?” Jason asked, raising an eyebrow as he hooked
his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear.
Nico blinked a few times before looking back up at Jason's eyes. He cleared his
throat and nodded. “Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” He frowned and glanced back
down at Jason's hips. “How-how did you get those?”
Jason's lips tilted down into a frown. He removed his hands from his underwear
and wrapped his arms around himself. “I gave them to myself. Can you please go
already?” He said with a hint of coldness.
“I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything.”
Jason shook his head. “It's all right.”
Nico pursed his lips and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind
him. A jock cut himself? That wasn't usually the image that came to mind when
someone thought of a cutter. What could have happened to the blond to make him
turn to drugs and cutting?
Nico got dressed and grabbed his backpack as fast as he could. He hurried out
of his and Jason's suite before briskly walking to the elevator. He hit the
button to the parking garage and waited patiently as the metal box descended to
his desired floor.
Upon his arrival, he found Clarisse talking to a muscular young man with black
hair. He had dark tanned skin of a Hispanic origin and dark brown eyes. He
wasn't quite as muscular as Beckendorf, but he was probably around the same
stature as Butch. He was tall, probably matching Percy's height. His hair had a
slight curl to it and he had upturned eyebrows, just like the Stoll twins. Also
like the twins, he had a crooked smile, which screamed trouble. There was a
faint hint of stubble on his face, which only seemed to enhance his features.
Clarisse frowned when she noticed Nico and shoved the young man away. He raised
his eyebrows as he uncrossed his arms. “About damn time,” Clarisse grunted.
The young man smirked and ran his hand into the back of his curly hair. “I
don't believe we've met,” he said, holding out his hand for Nico. Nico slowly
took it the offered appendage, pursing his lips from the strong grip the young
man had. “I'm Chris.”
“Nico,” the shorter brown-eyed boy said.
Clarisse rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, introductions and all that. Now get in
the damn car,” she huffed.
Chris smiled at her before releasing Nico's hand. He patted Nico on the
shoulder as he headed to the elevator. Nico got into the car and glanced over
at Clarisse. “Who is he?”
The girl narrowed her eyes as she backed up. “None of your business, that's
who.”
Nico held his hands up in defense. What the hell was that about? Nico sighed
and looked out his window. He couldn't wait until he could have his own car.
----------------------------------------------------
Nico stepped down the bleachers with the crowd of people. Unlike everyone else,
though, he was indifferent about their school's victory. He had never been much
of a sports person. Growing up, he had preferred video and card games over
anything concerning a ball.
He began looking around for Daedalus, but only managed to get himself shoved
around. He frowned and decided to head for the exit. Even after working at the
Lotus, he still didn't like large crowds. Perhaps he could wait for Daedalus in
the parking lot.
Surprisingly enough, the boy he was looking for was outside by a vaguely
familiar car, talking to a girl with long dark brown hair. Nico tilted his head
to the side as he tried to place where he had seen it before. As he approached,
Daedalus spotted him. The brunet waved him over. “Hey, Nico, come meet my
girlfriend!” He yelled. The girl slowly turned her head around, her brow
furrowed and a frown on her face. As soon as their eyes locked, their eyes
widened.
Her eyes matched Nico's own, their father's eyes. Her silky long brown hair was
kept in a ponytail, just like always. Like Nico, she was skinny and had pale
olive skin. But Nico had grown since the last time he had seen her, as they
were about the same height. Like their mother, she had freckles dotting her
face.
“Bi-” Nico didn't even have enough time to get his sister's name out before she
had practically tackled him into a hug.
“Nico, oh my god, I thought you were dead!” Bianca exclaimed, still refusing to
let go of Nico. Not that Nico minded, as he was still clinging to her just as
fiercely.
Daedalus's eyes widened as realization hit him. “Oh shit,” he said. “That's
where I've seen you before.”
Bianca glared up at her boyfriend. “I've shown you his picture before! How
could you have forgotten?” She hissed. “I could have found him already.”
“Shit, I'm sorry.”
“I-It's fine,” Nico stuttered as he finally pulled away from his sister.
“No, it's not fine. Nico, I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you had
died out there,” Bianca argued. “I searched and searched and searched for you,
at least hoping I'd find something. Even if it was a body. I just wanted to
know.” Tears started to form in Bianca's eyes as she pulled Nico in for another
hug.
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “I didn't think to grab my phone before I left.
Not that I could have charged it anyway.”
Bianca sighed and held Nico at arm’s length. “It wouldn't have made a
difference. Dad had your phone cut off.”
Nico pursed his lips. “How's mom?”
“She...She's fine, for the most part. She still has trouble sleeping, not
knowing where you are, or if you're even alive.” The brown haired girl fumbled
in her pocket until she pulled out her phone. “I need a picture, so I can show
her you're all right.”
Nico's eyes widened and he lowered his sister's phone. “I, uh, don't think
that's a good idea,” he mumbled.
Bianca's brow furrowed. “Why not? She's worried about you, Nico.”
Nico nodded. “I know. I just don't want dad to know, okay? I don't want him to
find me.”
Bianca sighed and nodded before pocketing her phone. “Okay. Just assure me that
you're all right. Do you have a place to live? Are you taking care of yourself?
Are you eating?”
Nico chuckled and hugged Bianca again. “Relax, I'm fine. Yes, I have a home.
Yes, I'm taking care of myself. And, yes, I'm eating. I'm fine, Bianca, I
promise,” he said.
Bianca sighed again and let the boy go. She turned around and punched her
boyfriend in the arm. “Ow! What was that for?” Daedalus yelled.
“I'm holding you accountable for this,” Bianca said with a glare. “Just keep an
eye on him at school, okay?”
Daedalus nodded, still rubbing his arm. Nico's eyes drifted over his sister's
shoulder to spot Reyna in her car. “Um, I know we just found each other again,”
Nico began, “but I need to get going. My ride is here.”
Bianca frowned at him. “I can give you a ride.”
Nico pursed his lips. “I, uh... No, that's all right. Besides, I'd hate to have
made my ride drive all the way here for nothing.”
Bianca sighed as Nico gave her a final hug. “You still remember my number,
right?” Bianca asked as the boy pulled away.
Nico nodded. “I'll call you, don't worry.”
His sister frowned at him as Nico walked off towards Reyna's car. The girl
quirked an eyebrow at him when he got in. She opened her mouth, but shook her
head. “Never mind, I don't want to know,” Reyna sighed.
Nico smiled and looked out the window. Maybe finding his sister was a sign that
things were going to get better for him. Nico frowned as a thought popped into
his head. He was now really curious as to why Percy had been so against Nico
being friends with Daedalus. That friendship had led to his reunion with his
sister. How was it a bad thing? But then again, Dionysus had claimed that Percy
often had a hidden meaning with things he said.
“You don't really strike me as the sports kind of guy,” Reyna said, pulling
Nico's attention away from the window.
He shrugged. “I was just going because my friend asked me to go,” Nico replied.
“Besides, I just wanted some time away from the hotel.”
Reyna frowned at the road ahead of them. “Didn't take last night so well, eh?”
“How did you react when Percy was a killer?”
Reyna shrugged. “Well, I found that out the day I met him,” she replied. Nico's
eyebrows rose at her confession. “But he dealt with my problem, so I didn't
care.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“He killed my ex.” Reyna let out a long breath as she rubbed the tattoo on her
wrist. “Yeah, he said he was originally just going to beat the guy until he got
the money, but when I tried to leave and my boyfriend hit me, Percy shot him.”
She smirked and poked herself in the forehead. “Right between the eyes.”
Nico frowned and fidgeted in his seat. “It didn't bother you at all?”
Reyna scrunched her lips. “Well, perhaps a little, at first, but not anymore.
My ex ruined my life, whereas Percy gave me a chance at a new one. I'm glad the
bastard is rotting.”
“But he didn't kill Apollo's ex, and that guy really hurt Apollo.”
Reyna sighed. “Apollo turned down Percy's offer.” She glanced over at Nico.
“Even if people hurt you, if you really love or care about them, things like
that are hard to go through with.” She shrugged. “So, Percy put Robert under
his thumb and uses the bastard's position and power to his own advantage.”
“You said he gave Apollo a choice? Why didn't he give you one?”
“I don't know. Perhaps he saw that I didn't care? Percy is good at reading
people. Who knows, maybe he knew Apollo would say no to the offer.”
Nico nodded. “Has this happened to any of the others? You know, Percy killing
someone. Or, has he given anyone else the offer?”
Reyna smirked at him briefly. “That is between you and them,” she chuckled. “I
can give you a list, if you want it.”
Nico bit down on his lip. Did he really want to know this piece of information?
It might change the way he saw Percy. Well, he already knew Percy was a killer,
so did it really matter at this point? “I, guess,” Nico whispered.
Reyna smiled. “Perhaps there's some hope for you yet, boy.” She tapped her
finger on the steering wheel. “Let's see...there's Apollo, Luke and Octavian,
Annabeth, Hazel, Calypso, and Silena.”
“That he made the offer to, or killed the parent or parents?”
Reyna shook her head. “That, my friend, is for you to discuss with them,” she
replied. “It's a little of both, but that's as much as you'll get from me.”
Nico sighed and nodded as they pulled into the parking garage. Reyna pulled
into the first parking spot she could find and threw her car into the space.
Nico and her quietly got out of the car and headed for the elevator. Reyna slid
her card into the slot and hit the button to their floor.
“You don't have to be afraid of him,” Reyna said, her eyes watching the numbers
rise.
“I'm not,” Nico mumbled.
Reyna smiled and shook her head. “That's a lie.”
Nico frowned at her. “Okay, well, I'm not terrified of him.”
She chuckled at him. “That's better. Well, Percy probably doesn't mind. He
knows it takes some time for some of us to adjust to the news.” Her smile
dropped as the elevator reached their floor. “But, I'm sure Percy will do his
best to show you all of this.” She rolled her eyes and walked out of the
elevator.
Whiplash much? Nico shook his head and exited the elevator. As he was opening
his door, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out as he was throwing
his backpack on the couch. He didn't hear any noise in the suite, so he assumed
Jason was resting or not in the suite at all. He glanced down at his phone,
raising an eyebrow at Leo's name on the screen. He slid his thumb across the
screen and raised the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Leo,” Nico greeted him.
“Hey. Are you back yet?” Leo asked.
“Yeah. What's up?”
“You wanna come down to the lobby? I'm on break and wanted some company.”
Nico smiled. “Yeah, that sounds great. I'll be right down.”
He hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket. He opened the door and went
back into the hall, frowning as he spotted the twins down at the elevator.
Connor was frantically hitting the call button, but the elevator had apparently
left since Nico last used it. Travis was tugging on the back of his brother's
shirt.
“Connor, please talk to me,” Travis whined.
“I don't want to talk to you,” Connor growled, turning around and smacking his
brother's hand away.
The taller twin frowned at his brother. “This isn't about Apollo and Leo still,
is it?”
Connor glared at his brother. “No, this is about what you said yesterday. This
is about going along with said blond's offer of sex, after I expressed my
desire for us to stay out of it. And then, to top it off, last night, you come
back, drunk, and want to wake me up so we can talk.” Connor shook his head
incredulously. “I thought I came first here, above the others.”
Travis let his head fall back with a groan. “Con, I was wasted. I didn't think
you wanted to talk to me.”
Connor narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest. “I figured that
much out. Oh, I forgot one. You woke me up by falling onto the bed, drunk, and
trying to get me out of my boxers.” The shorter of the two rolled his eyes.
“Real charming.”
Travis's eyes grew hurt as he looked down. “I'm sorry, Connor.” The elevator
door finally opened and Connor wasted no time in boarding it. Travis attempted
to follow after him, but Connor shoved him out. “Connor, will you please wait a
minute?”
“No, and don't wait up for me tonight. I'm sleeping with Percy.”
Travis let out a long sigh as the doors slid shut. He stumbled back into the
nearest wall and slid down it, burying his face in his knees. Nico stepped
closer and placed his hand on the corner, frowning down at the sulking twin.
“Travis, are you okay?” He asked gently.
Travis shook his head, refusing to look up at Nico. “Do I look okay?” The
brunet mumbled.
Nico slid down next to him and crossed his legs. “I'm willing to listen, if you
want to talk.”
Travis sighed and raised his head, letting it drop back against the wall. “I
try to be a good brother, I really do. I just feel like a fuck up sometimes.”
He turned his head so that he was looking at Nico. “When we were going from
home to home, I took as many beatings for him as possible.” He chuckled and
shook his head. “You'd be surprised how many of those idiots were too stupid to
actually try disciplining us at the same time.”
Nico frowned at the brunet. “I'm sorry. You seem protective of him.”
Travis smiled. “Am I? I didn't realize,” the brunet said in a bit of a
sarcastic tone.
Nico frowned at the elder twin. “Travis, yesterday, when Connor got upset with
what you said, are you two...?” He trailed off.
Travis sighed and slapped his knees before standing up. He eyed Nico carefully
for a moment before running a hand through his curly hair and smirking. “I
don't know what you're talking about, Nico. Everyone knows that incest is
wrong, right?”
Nico opened his mouth, but couldn't find the right words. He let his mouth fall
shut as Travis headed towards his suite. Finally, Nico stood up and stared
after him. “I didn't say I had a problem with the two of you doing it.”
Travis stopped for a brief moment before continuing down the hall. Without
another word to Nico, he slid his card into his door and disappeared inside.
Nico took in a deep breath before exhaling it and hitting the elevator call
button. He knew the Stolls turned up the brotherly love thing for the
customers, but was it really an act? From the way they had been acting the past
two days, Nico was starting to wonder.
When Nico reached the lobby, he found Leo tapping his foot. “There you are!”
Leo exclaimed, grabbing Nico's arm and dragging him towards the nearby stairs
and dragged him towards the pool.
“Where are we going?” Nico asked.
“Smoothies!”
Nico arched an eyebrow. “Okay? Random.”
Leo led them past the pool and to a door that led outside. He hadn't really
visited the outdoor bar since he had arrived at the hotel, but he did know of
its existence. The two of them waited in line for their order to be taken.
Finally, they reached the counter, where a shirtless young man smiled at them.
He was an attractive young man, but Nico couldn't seem to figure out his age.
He looked like he could have been working upstairs with the other Lost Kids. He
had Apollo and Will's beach body and tan skin. He had nice full lips that were
tilted up into a smile that could make anyone melt. His skin lacked any
blemishes and he had perfectly shaped eyebrows. He had dirty blond hair that
nearly passed for brown. He had it styled so that it looked messy, though he
kept it parted off to the right. He had bright hazel eyes, which sparkled in
the sun.
The young man rested his arms on the counter and leaned towards Leo and Nico.
“Afternoon, Leo. Who's your friend?” He asked, smiling at Nico and raising his
eyebrows suggestively.
Leo rolled his eyes. “This is Nico,” the Latino answered.
The blond grinned at him. “Oh, so you're Nico. I've heard about you.”
Nico frowned at the attractive man. “What have you heard?” he mumbled.
The guy shrugged. “Nothing bad.” He held out his hand and shook Nico's. “I'm
Ganymede.”
“Shouldn't you be...I don't know, working somewhere else in the hotel?” Nico
asked bluntly.
Ganymede chuckled at him. “So you think I'm hot?” The blond shrugged. “I get
that a lot. But I did used to work in your position.”
“So, why did you quit?”
Ganymede placed his hands behind his head, giving Nico a good view of his
washboard abs. “Most Lost Kids retire around thirty, which I turned back in
May.”
Nico frowned at him. “You don't look thirty,” he assessed.
The blond chuckled. “Thanks, kid.” He winked at Nico and flashed a bright
smile. “Well, I'm not that old, and I'm still good at what I used to do.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, seduction and all that. Can we get some
smoothies?” He grumbled.
Ganymede pouted at the Latino. “Still butt hurt over Apollo?”
Leo glared at the blond. “Shut up.”
The Adonis chuckled and got two empty glasses. “What would you like?”
“Banana,” Leo said, perking up slightly.
“And for you, cutie?” Ganymede asked.
Nico eyed the menu above the blond's head. “What would you recommend?” He
asked.
“Everything is great!” Leo exclaimed. “It just depends on what you want. All of
us usually get something different, even the twins. This is more Connor's area,
as he is the one with the sweet tooth.” Leo tapped his chin. “Percy usually has
the blueberry smoo-”
“I'll take that.”
Leo chuckled at him. Ganymede smiled and went about preparing their orders,
while Leo and Nico sat down at the bar. Nico stared at the blond as he busied
himself. So this was what Percy meant by Lost Kids never leaving?
“So, you were a Lost Kid while Percy was working as one?” Nico asked.
Ganymede quirked an eyebrow at him as he began the blender. “Well, he worked in
Germany for most of his time as a Lost Kid, but he did show up before his
eighteenth birthday.” The blond bit his lip. “Best fucking I ever got, right
there.” He cleared his throat and blew at his styled bangs. “Anyways, yeah, I
was around when he was stripping.”
“Everyone says he was good.”
Ganymede nodded. “Oh, that would be an understatement.” He bit down on his lip
again. “Sin incarnate, that one is. But, yeah, I was around for all of the Lost
Kids' arrivals,” his eyes darted over to Leo, “and all of their first
experiences at the Lotus.” The blond smiled and slid their finished drinks
across the bar.
Leo took his, glaring at the blond. Nico frowned and grabbed his own smoothie
before following after the Latino boy, receiving a wink from Ganymede as he
left. Nico sighed as he followed Leo back into the hotel. The Latino boy led
them to one of the lounge areas in the hotel lobby. Leo plopped down on one of
the couches with a loud sigh, drinking eagerly from his drink.
“He reminds me of Apollo,” Nico pointed out, taking a sip of his smoothie. He
moaned happily at the taste. Somehow, it fit Percy. Perhaps it was all the blue
Nico saw the guy wear.
Leo rolled his eyes. “That would be because he taught Apollo a lot of what he
knows,” the Latino mumbled.
“You don't seem to like Apollo, or that's how it seemed yesterday.”
Leo sighed again. “I don't hate him. I don't think any of us hate each other.
The closest ones that hate each other are Piper and Drew, and even they can get
along sometimes. We're supposed to be a family, even if we're currently a
madhouse.”
“What happened?”
Leo shook his head, busying his mouth with his drink. “I really don't want to
talk about it,” he mumbled around his straw. “Maybe another time?”
Nico nodded. “There's a lot going on around here right now,” Nico said.
Leo's eyes drifted over Nico's shoulder, his eyes widening. “You have no idea,”
Leo replied. Nico frowned and turned around, his drink nearly falling out of
his hand.
Bianca and Daedalus were walking in the front door, being led by none other
than Percy. Percy smiled at the two of them and directed them over to where Leo
and Nico were seated. The green-eyed young man smirked at Nico when the brown-
eyed boy looked at him in shock. He was gloating, the bastard.
“See, here he is,” Percy said. “Nico, look who I found outside the hotel.”
Nico chuckled nervously as Bianca sat down and hugged him. Leo still stared at
the two guests with wide eyes. Beckendorf, Piper, and Will came out of the
restaurant and froze when they saw the girl hugging Nico. It took them a few
seconds, but their eyes widened when they realized who the girl was.
Bianca smiled at Nico as she let go of him. “Yeah, your boss was nice enough to
validate our parking,” she said. “I just didn't want to lose you so soon after
finding you.”
Daedalus let out a low whistle, his eyes roaming the lobby. “This place is even
nicer on the inside,” he assessed.
“I guess you really are taken care of.”
Nico nodded, his eyes drifting over to stare at Percy in confusion. The manager
smiled at him innocently. “Well, when I saw Nico's sister outside my hotel, I
couldn't just let her pay for parking.” His eyes flashed mischievously at Nico.
“Besides, any friend of Nico's is welcome here. Didn't I tell you, Nico?”
Nico frowned at him. Was this what he meant when he said he didn't want Nico
being friends with Daedalus? Did he know this would happen? “I-You did say
that, sir,” Nico said through gritted teeth.
Percy smiled and his eyes traveled down to Nico's hands. Nico frowned and
pulled his drink away from Percy, glaring at him warningly. He was not going to
let the jerk take another snack of his, not after the cupcake incident.
“But, I will need to get to work,” Nico continued.
Percy waved him off. “Nonsense, you don't have work for several hours. Bianca
and Daedalus are more than welcome to eat here for dinner, my treat,” Percy
said.
Nico frowned, which went unnoticed by Bianca and her boyfriend, who smiled at
Percy. Why was he torturing Nico like this? “That would be great!” Bianca
exclaimed. “I can't thank you enough, Percy, for taking care of my brother.”
Percy shrugged. “He takes care of himself. I just gave him a job and a place to
sleep.”
“It's more than our father gave him.”
Percy's lips tilted down into a frown, his eyes drifting back over to Nico.
“You have my word that he'll be well taken care of.”
Bianca smiled and nodded before turning back to her brother. “So, what do you
do around here?” She asked.
“Yes, Nico, do tell,” Percy added with a sly grin.
Nico frowned at him. “I just work around the hotel. I hope you don't mind, but
I work in a bar.” He held up a hand when Bianca went to open her mouth. “I
don't drink.”
Bianca let out a breath. “Good. Well, I guess I don't mind. I suppose you make
good money.”
Nico chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “You could say that.” Percy
slowly moved closer, around the back of the couch.
Bianca pulled out her phone and looked at the time. “Shit,” she mumbled. “Um,
let me call mom and let her know that I'm going to eat out.” She got up from
the couch and walked a few feet away, Daedalus following behind her.
Nico's eyes widened as his drink was plucked from his hand and raised to
Percy's lips. The tall young man winked at him as he sipped away at Nico's
smoothie. “That was mine,” Nico mumbled. “Aren't I already suffering enough?”
Percy chuckled and swung his legs over the couch, sitting himself next to Nico.
He licked his lips and winked again. “Well, if you had gotten a second straw,
we could have shared,” he teased. He leaned into Nico's ear. “I'd much rather
lick it off your body.” He smirked and pulled away, enjoying the sight of
Nico's pink cheeks.
“You're such a jerk,” Nico grunted, snatching his smoothie from Percy's hands.
He had to admit, though, that did sound like a tempting suggestion. “But were
you being serious?”
Percy chuckled and slid his arm behind Nico. “You'll find out tomorrow night.”
His eyes glanced over to Bianca. “Well, here she comes.”
Nico turned his head just as Bianca sat down again. “She said it was fine,” his
sister announced. Nico frowned as Bianca took his smoothie and took a long sip
before handing it back to him. Why was everyone stealing his snacks?
Daedalus happened to be admiring the lobby still, when the elevator opened.
Jason walked out, a frown on his face. “Jason?” Daedalus asked, raising an
eyebrow. The blond froze, his eyes going wide. Nico saw him curse under his
breath.
“Uh, hi, Daedalus,” Jason greeted his friend as he approached. “What are you
doing here?”
“Well, if you had been at school today, you would have found out that I'm
dating Nico's sister.” The brunet frowned at the blond. “Where were you
anyways?”
“I, uh...” Jason trailed off, his eyes darting over to Percy.
“I tried to warn you,” Percy breathed into Nico's ear. He sighed and smiled.
“Jason works and stays here as well.”
Daedalus's brow furrowed. “You never told me this, dude,” the brunet said.
“Uh, yeah, well, I didn't think it was important. I didn't want anyone at
school to know.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I was looking for you,
Percy. Rachel said you were down here.”
Percy nodded. He stood up and snapped his fingers at Leo. The Latino stood up
and stared down at Nico with a frown. “Good luck,” he muttered.
Percy gave the boy a shove towards the elevator before glancing down at Nico.
“I'll see you later, Nico, and I'll be waiting to hear all about your reunion,”
the manager said with a fake smile. He turned his smile on Bianca. “I'll have
the staff notified of your presence, so feel free to do whatever you like while
you're here.”
Bianca smiled and nodded. Percy walked over to where Daedalus and Jason were
having a quiet discussion. He grabbed the blond by the back of the neck and
dragged him towards the elevator, sliding an arm around Jason's shoulders. Nico
frowned as Percy leaned in and whispered in the blond's ear.
“Your boss seems nice,” Daedalus said, taking a seat on the opposite couch.
“Yeah,” Bianca said with a frown. “Maybe a little too nice.” She faced her
brother. “He hasn't hurt you, has he? I don't know, something about him seems
off.”
Nico shook his head. “No, he's been great,” he replied. Bianca searched his
eyes for any sign of falsehood, but Nico had become better at lying since the
last time he had seen his sister. “I promise. He's fun to be around.”
“I still wish you'd let me tell mom. I'm sure she would keep it a secret.”
Nico frowned. “I just don't want to take the risk. What if dad finds out? I
don't want him showing up at school, or worse, here.”
Daedalus frowned. “So, was yesterday not your first meeting with Jason?” He
asked.
Nico bit down on his lip. What had he gotten himself into? “No, it was,” he
said truthfully. “It's just hard to explain.” Nico cleared his throat and stood
up. “So, you guys want to go eat?”
--------------------------------
“Can't you stay a little longer and talk?” Bianca frowned as Nico stood up.
The boy chewed on his lip. “I really need to get to work. I don't need to be
late. But we can see each other a lot more from now on, right? You have my
number, you can call me whenever you want,” he said. “But I do work late, so I
might not be able to answer at night.”
Bianca sighed and stood up. The three of them walked out of the restaurant.
“All right, I guess. Just call or text me if you need something, anything at
all.”
“And I'll keep an eye on him at school for you,” Daedalus added.
Bianca narrowed her eyes at the brunet. “You better. I'm still mad that I could
have found him already, if you had just made the connection.”
Nico smiled as they reached the front doors. “I really missed you,” he said
quietly.
“I missed you, too,” Bianca whispered back, wrapping her arms around his
shoulders. “You're getting taller, I don't like it.”
Nico chuckled and wrapped his arms around her back. “Well, I probably won't get
much taller, unless I was lucky enough to take after dad in height.”
Bianca smiled and pulled back, a few tears in her eyes. “You're a much better
man that he could ever be, don't forget that.” She gave him a quick hug before
walking backwards. “I'll see you later, Nico.”
He smiled and waved at his sister and her boyfriend as they walked out of the
hotel. “Bye!” He called after them.
“Did you have a good time?”
Nico jumped at the sound of Percy's voice in his ear. “Fuck, Percy,” Nico
hissed.
Percy grinned. “Sorry, I just got finished with Annabeth.” Nico glared at the
green-eyed young man as he stood to his full height. “So, how did things go?”
“I didn't expose the hotel, if that's what you're asking.”
Percy shrugged. “Was it? That's good to hear, though.”
“So, that's why you didn't want me talking to Daedalus?” Nico asked.
Percy smirked. “Was it? You tell me, Nico. I mean, what harm was there in you
getting to see your sister again?”
Nico frowned. Something in the way Percy said that made him uneasy. Was he
wrong in thinking that was the reasoning behind Percy's request on his
friendship with Daedalus? “I don't know,” Nico mumbled.
Percy smiled and slipped his hand onto Nico's lower back, guiding the smaller
boy to the elevator. “Well, don't worry about it right now. You do need to
worry about getting ready for work, though.” Percy shoved Nico onto an elevator
and leaned on the opening. “I'll see you later tonight, all right?”
Nico nodded. “I'm sorry.”
Percy shrugged. “Don't worry about it.” He winked and stepped back, allowing
the doors to shut.
Nico sighed and pulled out his card. He slid it into the slot and hit the
button to his floor. He wondered how bad this was going to go for him. Not only
had he risked exposing himself, but he risked Jason's own privacy as well. He
let out a groan. The blond would probably give Nico an earful later.
He stepped off the elevator when it came to a stop at his floor. He walked
around the corner, just in time to see Silena slap Beckendorf across the face.
Nico's eyes widened as he blinked at the couple. “You fucking liar!” She
yelled. “You told me there wasn't anything to worry about, but Luke told me he
saw you leaving his suite last night. And it doesn't take a genius to figure
out what you two were doing, judging by the way Octavian was limping earlier.”
Beckendorf frowned at his girlfriend. “Just helping the guy out,” he grunted.
“You're too insecure.”
Beckendorf snorted. “You're one to talk. That's why I don't fucking like you
being alone with Luke. I know about your early days here.”
Silena narrowed her eyes. “We weren't together back then. You weren't even
here. Luke was there for me,” she hissed. “Why are you doing this? To help
Octavian spite his brother? How low are you going to sink next time?”
Beckendorf pounded his fist into the wall by Silena's head. “I don't need your
fucking judgment, woman!”
Nico swallowed and cleared his throat, drawing the couple's attention. “I,
uh... Maybe you should do that in private,” he mumbled.
Beckendorf narrowed his eyes at Nico, but Silena let out a sigh and nodded her
head. “He's right,” the raven haired girl said. “Thank you, Nico.” She crossed
her arms and faced her boyfriend. “Come and talk to me after work, we can
discuss it then.” With that, she stormed off to her room.
Nico frowned at Beckendorf as he slid a hand down his face. “Thanks for looking
out, shortie,” Beckendorf grunted.
The raven haired boy nodded his head. “No problem,” he replied. “What was that
about? You messed around with Octavian?”
Beckendorf sighed and leaned back against his doorframe. “Yeah, something like
that. The guy isn't happy with his brother.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Did Luke do something wrong?”
The muscular Lost Kid rolled his eyes and sneered. “Your concern for him is
touching. But, yeah, you could say that. Well, he did something wrong in
Octavian's eyes.”
Nico frowned. “What did he do? Does it have to do with me? Because Octavian has
been sort of rude with me. Well, more than normal.”
Beckendorf let out a long breath. “Luke is one of the 'brothers' of our group,
Apollo is the other. They were amongst the original four that came to the hotel
after Percy's arrival. So, they have become the older siblings of our little
family. However, Octavian ended up coming into the fold, which drew a lot of
Luke's attention.” The muscular young man glanced across the hall at Luke's
door. “But, as you can imagine, Octavian wasn't the same little brother that
Luke had remembered him to be.”
Nico pursed his lips. “So, Luke was disappointed when he saw Octavian again?”
He asked.
The buff Lost Kid shook his head. “No, not exactly, anyways. Luke has some
issues over the matter, but that's about it. They were relatively fine, until
you came along.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What did I do? I'm not trying to cause trouble.”
Beckendorf shrugged. “You'll have to take that up with Luke or Octavian. Since
Luke seems a little sweet on you, perhaps he'll share that info with you.”
Nico frowned and walked past Beckendorf, tired of hearing about the issue. He
was tired of a lot of the issues he was finding out about. Was he really that
much of a problem for everyone? Nico frowned as he shut his door behind him.
But what did any of what Beckendorf just said have to do with Octavian being
mad at Luke?
Nico hurried back to his room and stripped. He tossed his boxers aside and
slipped on a dark red speedo. He grabbed some track shorts and checked his hair
in the mirror. Grabbing his phone and wallet, he headed back out of his suite.
He found Juniper, Hazel, and Will waiting at the elevator. “Hey, Nico,” Hazel
greeted him.
“Hey,” he replied with a wave.
Will smiled and slung his arm around Nico's shoulders. “So, Nico, we heard that
you found your sister,” the blond stated.
“What of it?”
The blond shrugged. Juniper smiled. “It's nice, that's all,” the girl said.
“Sure, that's what I meant,” Will chuckled.
Nico frowned at him. “Is there a problem?” He asked, narrowing his eyes.
Will smiled and drew circles on Nico's chest with his index fingers. “Not at
all. But you're not planning on leaving us, are you?”
Nico shook his head. “Why would you think that?”
“We were just worried about you,” Hazel replied. “We know you found out about
Percy, and were curious if you were going to run back to your old life.”
Nico eyed the three of them carefully. “Wouldn't you like that?” He grumbled.
Will frowned and rested his cheek on Nico's head. “We'd miss you too much,
Nico,” the blond sighed. “You certainly liven this place up.”
Nico sighed. “But I don't mean to do anything.”
Will held his hands up in a shrug as they all boarded the elevator. “Well, I
for one am glad you will be staying with us.”
Nico pursed his lips tightly. “Found new blood to torment?”
Hazel and Will smiled innocently at Nico. “But you're still the new blood,”
Hazel teased him with a wink.
Will hummed in agreement. “Yeah, you're still catching on to things, whereas
Jason already has the hang of stuff, it looks like.” He grinned when he saw
Nico frown. “But don't worry, Nico, I'll still be more than happy to play with
you, even though there's a new Lost Kid.”
“My hero,” Nico mumbled sarcastically, shoving Will away and exiting the
elevator.
Nico shuddered as he felt Will's breath on his ear. “I'd be glad to show you
why everyone wanted me in the orphanage,” the blond whispered in a deep voice.
Nico turned his head to look at the blond, but Will just smiled and pushed past
Nico. The brown-eyed boy frowned as Will walked past Ethan and Clarisse. “Will
lived in an orphanage?” Nico asked, turning to Hazel.
The girl nodded. “Yeah, for most of his life,” the girl said sadly, her lips
tilting down.
“What about his parents?”
Hazel shook her head. “You'll have to talk to him about that.” She scrunched
her lips as she pulled her eyes away from Will's back. “He and I were in the
same circumstance that you and Jason are in now, we both went to high school
together once we arrived at the Lotus. So, I don't feel comfortable betraying
his trust like that.”
Nico nodded. Juniper gave him a sad smile as she looped her arm into his and
led him toward the stairs. “Cheer up, Nico,” she said as they reached the split
in the hall.
“It's just a lot to take in,” he admitted.
The amber haired girl nodded and gave him a hug before waving and walking down
the hall to her side. Nico let out a sigh and turned around, catching quizzical
looks from both Ethan and Clarisse before frowning and heading down his own
hall. Before ending up on the streets, he would have never imagined that
someone's life could be filled with such depressing things, but here he was,
meeting quite a few, all with equally depressing stories.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Nico wasted no time in going to the back room.
Dionysus was happily tapping his foot and humming to himself, his head back and
his eyes closed. Connor, Beckendorf, and Reyna were already sitting on the
couch. Connor looked unhappy, frowning and leaning on Reyna.
Thalia pushed through the door to the girls' side and sighed at the sight of
the sulking brunet. “Just man up and go talk to your brother,” she grunted.
Connor's face grew blank of emotion as his blue eyes flickered up to the raven
haired girl. He simply shrugged his shoulders at her, not even bothering with a
verbal response. Thalia rolled her eyes at him.
“Hey, Thalia,” Nico greeted the short girl.
She smiled and placed her hands on her hips. “Hey there, Neeks. So, I expect
you to keep an eye on my brother for me, yeah? He was trouble as a kid,” she
joked.
“Why didn't he come here with you?”
Thalia's smile dropped. “I-I just had to get out. And Heracles...he and our
father...” She bit down on her lip, her brow furrowing. “I wasn't able to get
to him. I didn't have much time, and I ended up making a last minute decision,
not an easy one either.” She rubbed her arm nervously. “I-He probably holds a
grudge against me for what I did. I wouldn't blame him if he did. I just
reached my breaking point, you know.”
“He seemed fine with you this morning,” Nico pointed out.
Thalia shrugged. “He's probably good at acting, just like we are. Please don't
say anything.”
Nico nodded his head. “I won't,” he promised.
Drew shoved through the door with a dramatic sigh before walking over and
leaning against the bar with the flip of her hair. She held out a hand and
inspected a gold ring with an emerald in it, a satisfied smile on her face. She
made no attempt to indulge in conversation with anyone else in the room.
Nico glanced back over to Connor, who had dropped his head into Reyna's lap.
The brunet, like his brother, was one of the skinnier Lost Boys. He had the
hint of abs on his stomach and relatively tan skin with no tan lines. His
normally bright blue eyes were dark and depressing looking.
Reyna finally huffed and got up, nearly knocking Connor out of her lap. The
brunet frowned at her back as she left through the swinging door. Beckendorf
grunted and got up to leave, shooting Nico a glance on his way. “Come on,
slut,” Thalia called over to Drew, who rolled her eyes at the short girl.
As the two girls left, Nico held out a hand to help Connor stand. “Thanks,”
Connor mumbled as he got to his feet. He adjusted his green speedo and glanced
at Nico from behind his bangs. “About earlier...”
Nico shook his head. “I already talked to your brother,” Nico said. “I mean, he
didn't really talk about what is currently going on, but he's upset you don't
want to talk to him.”
Connor nodded his head with a frown. He turned his head to glare at Dionysus,
who was watching them from the corner of his eye. “I know he means well, but I
just wish he would stop being scared.” Connor's eyes hazed over, and it looked
like he might start crying. But the boy shook his head and smiled at Nico. “We
need to get to work, yeah?”
Nico nodded and walked out with Connor, who smiled at him one more time before
heading off to a table. What was Travis scared of? He let out a sigh and headed
to a table with a woman and two men. The woman had curled her black hair and
smelled heavily of perfume. The man on her right had short peppered hair and
stubble. The man on the woman's left had muscular looking arms and dirty blond
hair that was parted off to the left.
“Good evening,” Nico said with a smile. “What can I get you?” He batted his
eyes a few times and bit down on his lip.
While the blond man and the woman took a moment to look him over, the other man
seemed unfazed by his lack of clothing. “I'd like you this evening,” the blond
commented, his eyes locked on Nico's ass.
Nico forced his smile to stick on his face. “I'll see what I can do. So, what
can I get you all to drink?”
As Nico finished taking the order, the lights in the room dimmed and the music
started. The curtain opened, revealing three of the blond Lost Boys: Apollo,
Will, and Octavian. They each wore black pants and ties. They began sliding
across the floor to the hip-hop music currently playing, sliding their hands
through their hair.
Nico took a quick moment to appreciate their shirtless states before heading to
the bar room. “Oh, Nico, there you are,” Dionysus greeted him. “I was meaning
to congratulate you on reuniting with your dear sister.”
“Thanks,” Nico said cautiously, setting his order onto the counter for the
bartender.
The chubby bartender smiled at him. “Perhaps Percy was wrong after all.”
Nico tilted his head to the side, leaning back against the couch. “Why do you
say that?”
“Well, it led to you finding your sister. Surely nothing bad could happen from
that.” The man nodded his head. “Perhaps you could even bring her here. Yes,
then she wouldn't have to live with that dreadful father of yours.”
Nico frowned. “I don't want Bianca to be brought into this,” he mumbled.
“Besides, our father actually likes her. She wasn't the disappointment.”
Dionysus tutted while mixing the drink. “Oh dear, I shudder to think about what
might happen if he were to find out about your new line of work,” the bartender
said.
“Well, he's not going to find out.”
Dionysus's dark eyes sparked with interest. “And if he does? What then?”
Nico frowned and rubbed his arm. “I-I don't know. I don't really want to think
about it.”
Dionysus's smile turned warm again as he handed Nico his tray of drinks. Nico
forced his own smile on as he accepted the tray and walked out of the room as
fast as he could without spilling anything. He walked through the door, just in
time to get an eyeful of Octavian's tight pale ass being smacked by Will.
Nico handed off the drink order just as the blonds were leaving the stage. Next
up was Butch, but Nico's attention ended up getting drawn away when he noticed
Connor seating Percy, Leo, and Jason. Nico's lips tilted down into a frown when
he saw Percy pull the blond closer, placing his arm behind Jason's head.
Two hours later, Nico was still keeping an eye on Percy's booth. Leo had gone
off to take care of business, but Percy stayed behind, laughing and talking
with Jason. But, while the blond did seem to be enjoying Percy's company, he
didn't smile that much. At least not a genuine smile. His attention rarely
focused on the stage, seemingly uninterested in the performances. Percy was the
blond's primary focus.
Nico watched as Percy leaned in to whisper something in Jason's ear, a sly
smirk on his face. Jason bit down on his lip and finally managed a real smile
for Percy. This made the green-eyed manager smile brightly and place his hand
on Jason's thigh.
“Well, well, look at that.”
Nico jumped at the sound of Apollo's voice in his ear. “You really need to stop
doing that,” Nico hissed.
The blond shrugged. He had gotten dressed since his last performance, but still
chose to walk around shirtless. He rubbed his arm as he looked over to Percy
and Jason. Nico frowned and followed the blond's gaze. “Now do you see?” Apollo
said quietly.
“See what?”
“What we saw when Percy looks at you.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he focused his attention on the green-eyed young man.
“But they just met,” Nico reasoned.
Apollo shrugged again. “And? He took an interest in you quickly after meeting
you.”
“So, Percy likes me?”
The blond rolled his eyes. “I didn't say that. I said he has an interest in
you.”
Will came up behind Apollo and slung his arms around the slightly taller
blond's neck. “What are we talking about?” He asked.
“Percy and Jason,” Apollo replied casually.
Will nodded. He looked over to the two in question and cocked an eyebrow.
“Look, that's how he looks and smiles at you, Nico.”
Nico narrowed his eyes at the two blonds. “He could lose interest,” Beckendorf
said, appearing beside Nico.
Nico frowned at him. “What do you mean?” He asked.
The muscular young man shrugged, getting small smirks from the two blonds. “I'm
just saying that Percy still sees you as a child. An innocent little child. How
do children match up against adults, who can fulfill certain needs?”
Nico's frown increased as he turned back to Percy. “He's the one who keeps
saying no.”
“Is he?” Apollo asked.
“Maybe you don't push hard enough,” Beckendorf added.
Nico chewed on his lip for a few moments before tearing his eyes away from the
raven haired young man in the booth. “But then I'd have to sell my body for
sex,” Nico reminded them.
“But you could have Percy whenever you wanted,” Beckendorf reasoned. “Or maybe
you should let someone help you draw his attention. Let someone help you prove
to Percy that you're not a little kid.”
“But...” Nico trailed off, pursing his lips. If he gave in, wouldn't he be
losing the one thing that gave him Percy's attention? If his innocence was
gone, would Percy still show him the same amount of attention? Koko had seen
something, hadn't she? Was there hope for him? If there was, he didn't need to
throw it away.
“Maybe Percy wouldn't hold you to your end of the agreement,” Apollo tried
reasoning. “I mean, you do seem special, so it could make sense.” Apollo and
Beckendorf grinned at each other when Nico frowned at the ground.
Nico glanced over at Will, who had crossed his arms and seemed to be ignoring
them. He let out a sigh before shoving Apollo towards the bar room. “Let's just
finish our break, yeah?” He mumbled.
Beckendorf grunted at the two of them as Will pushed Apollo forward. Nico
frowned and walked off. The conversation had made him uncomfortable, and he
didn't like it. His eyes darted back over to Percy, who was leaning a little
too close to Jason. Did he do that with the other Lost Kids? Did he do that
with Nico? He did, didn't he?
Nico nodded to himself. Of course Percy did. Percy usually put himself close to
Nico in proximity. But maybe this was how the Lost Kids felt when they stared
at Percy and Nico. Was this the jealousy that Apollo felt at having the
attention stolen? Was this the predatory feeling that Luke got? Was this their
possessiveness?
An hour later, Nico was still uneasy with watching Percy and Jason. The blond
had finally started talking with Percy, and the raven haired young man seemed
eager to listen to the blond. Connor eventually broke up their conversation by
approaching the table.
The brunet leaned onto the table and said something to Percy with a mischievous
smirk. Percy smiled back and nodded. Connor then turned his attention to Jason
and said something with a slightly forced smile. Yet, through all of it, Jason
did little more than spare a glance at Connor's nearly naked form. The brunet's
brow furrowed at Jason, who had turned his attention back to Percy. Connor and
Percy shared a look, where he gave Connor a very clear stare that let the
brunet know to drop the subject.
Percy dismissed Connor before turning his attention back to Jason. He said
something to Jason and the blond nodded. Jason slid out of the booth, Percy
following behind him. Percy placed his hand on Jason's back and guided the
blond from the room, not even sparing anyone else a glance. If Nico were being
honest with himself, it hurt.
Nico took a deep breath and headed for the bar room, needing to drop off an
order. Dionysus tilted his head to the side when he noticed Nico biting on his
lip. Annabeth frowned at him from the couch. “Are you all right, Nico?” She
asked.
Nico slowly nodded. “Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?” He whispered.
The blonde raised an eyebrow. “You look a little pale.”
Nico handed over his drink order to Dionysus and sat down on the couch. “It's
just Percy...and Jason.”
Annabeth sighed. “All right. Well, since you get a lot of problems with the
boys, I guess I should give you some help.”
Nico smiled at her. Finally, someone wasn’t giving him more problems. “Thank
you,” he said. “Percy's giving Jason a lot of attention, and it bothers me.”
Annabeth nodded her head, taking a sip of her water. “Well, I don't think that
should bother you. After all, he's touchy with all of us.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “But...Apollo...Apollo said that Percy stares at Jason
the same way that he stares at me,” Nico explained.
Annabeth let out a sigh before turning her head towards Nico. “Well, Nico, even
if Apollo is right, I think that Percy still has some sort of interest in you,”
the blonde said. “Jason's just the new kid, like you were. I'm sure that in
time, Percy will come back around to you. After all, you're special in his
eyes, right?”
Nico looked up at her, unable to bring a smile to his lips. The blonde raised
an eyebrow at him as she awaited his response. “I guess,” Nico mumbled. “But
what if he doesn't?”
Annabeth smiled at him. “I think you worry too much, Nico.” She shrugged her
shoulders. “But, if it really bothers you that much, you could always welcome
Jason the same way Apollo and the rest of us welcomed you.”
Nico's brow furrowed and a frown formed on his face. “You want me to hurt him?”
He asked.
Annabeth raised a brow at him. “I don't want you to do anything. I was merely
making a suggestion.”
“Here you are, Nico,” Dionysus said, holding a drink out to the boy. Nico
smiled and thanked him before taking the drink and heading for the door.
He took the drink to its destined table and smiled at the woman with wrinkles
sitting at the table. He tapped his finger to his thigh as he stood in the
middle of the floor, trying to wrap his mind around everything.
His attention was pulled to the stage when The Dream's “Falsetto” began playing
and Will appeared on the stage. He was clad in a light blue tank top and black
cargo pants, which hung loosely from his hips. He ran one hand down his chest,
while running the other through his short blond hair. He bit down on his lip as
he slid his body to the right.
He popped his hips out and winked at a woman up close to the stage. He then
began rolling his hips in a sinful manner, which managed to hold Nico's
attention. The blond lifted his shirt up to expose his abs before dropping the
fabric and shaking a finger at the audience.
He got down on his knees, spreading them wide. He continued to roll his hips as
he slowly lowered himself onto his back. From there, he undid his pants and
slid them off, jutting his hips into the air. He slid to the edge of the stage
and got up close to a table with two men. With another wink, he ripped the tank
top off of his body, exposing his surfer body to the crowd.
Will held out his hand to one woman and guided her up onto the stage. He winked
at her before laying her on the ground and climbing on top of her. He began
rolling his hips into the woman, while he worked on doing pushups. Nico
unconsciously bit down on his lip.
Trying to show off, Will placed one arm behind his back as he continued his
movements. After about five pushups like that, he lowered his body and trailed
his face down the woman's chest. Coming back up, he locked eyes with Nico. The
two held gazes as the blond continued to thrust against the woman. The blond
winked at Nico and faked a moan.
Nico cleared his throat and tore his eyes away. He needed to remember that the
Lost Boys were just trying to get into his pants because of that agreement.
Still, Will was very hot.
Later, after all the customers were gone, Nico found himself in a booth with
Juniper and Zoë. Apollo and Will were goofing off, dancing to some hip-hop song
that Nico couldn't quite place, something about shoes. Most of the other Lost
Kids had left to take care of their “after hours” business. Leo and Rachel sat
at a table, counting up money and typing things into their laptops.
“Will, you need to show up to this room in thirty minutes,” Leo said, handing
the blond a piece of paper.
Will grunted and pocketed it. “Are we free to go now?” He asked.
Apollo and Leo stared at each other, both with frowns on their faces. “Yeah,
whatever,” Leo grumbled.
Nico let out a sigh of relief and stood up. He turned around and helped an
exhausted looking Juniper to stand. Apollo and Zoë walked ahead of them, the
blond whispering in her ear. “Well, at least I'll be out of the room, so I
don't have to hear them,” Will chuckled.
“But you've got to work,” Juniper reminded him.
The blond let out a groan. “Don't remind me. I was hoping to get to go to bed,
I'm so tired.”
The three of them boarded an elevator and Juniper slid her card through the
slot. She hit the button to their floor before looking at Will. “Which floor?”
Will shook his head. “I'm going to go put something else on.”
When the elevator reached their floor, they all exited the metal box. Juniper
yawned and waved at them before making the trek down her hall. Will leaned
against Nico, trying to rest his cheek on top of Nico's head.
“I'm not your pillow,” Nico said with a smile.
“You could be if you were waiting for me when I got back,” Will said with a
grin.
Nico rolled his eyes. “Tempting,” he mumbled sarcastically.
Will chuckled. “Too bad. I'd like to see if I could make you cry out in
falsetto.”
“Nice try.” He stretched his arms above his head. “So, can I ask about
something?”
Will frowned at him. “Is this something about my past again?” He asked. Nico
nodded. Will let out a sigh and pulled out his phone to check the time. “Can it
wait until later? Maybe this weekend?”
Nico gave the blond a small smile and nodded. “Yeah. Maybe I'll come by and
play some games with you.”
Will winked at Nico. “I'll hold you to that.”
Nico pulled out his card and slid it into his door. He stepped inside and shut
the door. Jason sat on the couch in grey pajama pants and a black t-shirt, his
hair still damp from a recent shower. He was biting on his thumb nail as he
watched some movie on TV.
“Hey,” Nico said slowly, his brow furrowing.
Jason raised his eyebrows as he tore his eyes away from the TV. He cursed under
his breath, apparently having just realized he was biting his nail. He placed
his hands in his lap and smiled at Nico. “What's up?” He asked.
Nico shrugged. “Just got back from work.”
Jason nodded. Nico's eyes traveled down Jason's leg. The blond's foot had
started tapping incessantly. “I was just watching a movie, couldn't really
sleep.”
“Are you all right?” Nico asked.
Jason nodded his head. “Yeah, I'm great.” He faked a chuckle. “Well, aside from
having my best friend show up here today. Seriously, what the hell, dude?”
Nico sighed. “I'm sorry. I didn't know my sister would follow me home.”
Jason scrunched his lips. His eyes darted over to the TV for a second before
returning to Nico's face. “It's cool, I guess. I'll just have to think up
something to tell Daedalus.”
Nico nodded and sat down beside the blond, staring at the tapping foot from the
corner of his eye. “Jason,” Nico began. The blond turned his head to look at
Nico. “Did you actually work for your father?”
The blond frowned and rubbed at his forearm. “Yeah,” he admitted.
“Did-did your mother not object?”
Jason shook his head. “No, she was dead. She died when I was little. She was
one of father's employees, who he ended up knocking up, twice.”
Nico bit down on his lip, his eyes traveling down to Jason's hips. “And the
scars?”
Jason lifted his shirt and looked at his bandaged wounds. “It helped me take
the real pain away. Fight pain with pain, I guess. It was a distraction,” the
blond whispered. He frowned and let his shirt fall back down. “I just needed a
place to hide them.”
Nico slowly nodded his head. “And what about the track marks? Weren't they
visible?”
Jason held out his arm, inspecting the marks. “During work, some of the girls
would help me cover them with makeup. It's also where I learned to cut on my
hips. Several of the girls did it.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He slowly reached out and touched Jason's forearm. The
blond watched him carefully for a moment, but didn't say anything. “Your father
didn't care?” He asked.
The blond shook his head. “Why should he? He was just the sperm donor, as far
as he was concerned. He didn't even give me or my sister his last name. He
had...H-Heracles, and that was all that mattered.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Jason gave Nico a lopsided smile and let his arm drop from Nico's grasp. “It
wasn't your fault. My dad was a bastard. I can't really find it in me to care
that he's gone.”
“You still have your sister.”
Jason sighed and stood up. “I guess. It'll take some getting used to,” he
replied. He held out a hand and helped Nico up. “You should get some sleep.”
Nico nodded and turned off the TV. He followed the blond down the hallway. “Are
you going to school tomorrow?”
Jason stopped in front of the bathroom and shook his head. “No, Percy wants me
to stay here.”
Nico's eyes darkened until they were almost black. He had the sudden urge to
shove the blond's pretty little head into the nearby bathroom mirror. Quickly
shaking his head of such thoughts, he arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
Jason chuckled and waved his arm in front of Nico. “I'm having to quit drugs,
Nico. Do the math.”
Nico wondered if the blond would wake up if he managed to get his hands on a
needle and tried injecting Jason with it. “Oh,” Nico said. “Are you going to be
all right? If you need anything, I'm right across the hall.”
Jason smiled and nodded. “Thanks. I'll let you know if I need anything.”
Nico stood there and watched Jason disappear into his room. When the blond's
door shut, Nico turned around and entered his room. He stripped out of his
clothes and pulled on his boxers from earlier. He flopped down on his bed and
set his alarm. He let out a groan and stood back up, having forgotten to turn
off the lights.
As he stood up, his eyes darted over to his open closet. He walked closer and
inspected himself in the mirror. In all honesty, he had expected to find
himself with green eyes, judging by the thoughts he was having. Nico touched
his face as he stared back at himself in the mirror. Was he going to be all
right? This wasn't going to affect him, was it? Was this the first sign of
becoming a monster like the rest of them?
***** Once a Lost Kid, Always a Lost Kid *****
Nico opened his bedroom door and headed towards the kitchen. He found Jason
already sitting at the island, sipping at some coffee. The raven haired youth
walked into the kitchen and grabbed himself a cup and began pouring himself
some coffee. His gaze traveled over to Jason, who wasn't making eye contact
with him.
The blond had dark circles under his eyes and it looked like he had been
scratching at his arms. Nico quirked and eyebrow at him. “Morning,” he mumbled.
“Fuck off,” Jason grumbled.
Nico's eyebrows rose in surprise. Well, he definitely wasn't the friendly blond
from yesterday. How irritable was Jason going to be during his withdrawal
process? Jason let out a groan and placed his head in his hand.
“Would you like something? Maybe aspirin?” Nico suggested.
Jason spread his fingers to glare at Nico. “You could do me the favor of
shutting the hell up.”
Nico glared back at the blond, contemplating flipping him off. He took his mug
filled with coffee and went back to his room. He picked out his clothes as he
sipped down the warm liquid. He wasn't sure if he was happy or frustrated that
it was Friday. It meant that he would be at the hotel, but it gave him an
escape from having to answer an endless stream of questions from Daedalus.
Nico still wasn't sure what he was going to tell the brunet. He was also going
to have to explain why Jason was missing from school for the next two or three
weeks. Letting out a sigh, Nico gathered up his clothes and walked to the
bathroom.
He got a quick shower and began getting dressed. As he was drying his hair with
his towel, he heard a knock at the door. He stood there a moment, expecting
Jason to answer it, but the knocking continued a moment later. He let out a
sigh and opened the door. He frowned as soon as the door opened, hearing a lot
of racket coming from Jason's room.
He walked down the hall and unlocked the door. The brown-eyed boy opened it to
find Percy staring down at him. “Good morning,” he said, ruffling Nico's still
drying hair as he walked inside.
Nico shot him a glare as he tried to fix his hair. “Morning,” the pale boy
mumbled.
Percy opened his mouth, but a crash from Jason's room drew his attention.
“What's going on?”
Nico shrugged. “Don't know. Jason was being irritable this morning, and when I
got out of the shower, he was making a lot of noise from his room.”
Percy grunted before heading down the hall, Nico in tow. Jason's room looked
like a tornado had gone through it. Clothes, boxes, textbooks, and other
objects were strewn all about the room. The blond was currently hunched over a
suitcase, furiously tossing things out.
“Jason, what are you doing?” Percy asked, leaning against the doorframe.
“Nothing,” the blond growled back.
Percy's lips formed a thin line as he watched the blond. “If you're looking for
your drugs, I had Leo throw them all out when he gathered your things.”
Jason stood up and glared at Percy. “I needed those!” He yelled, tossing a
clock at Percy's head, which the manager easily caught.
Percy sighed and tossed the clock on the bed. “You're trying to quit, remember?
We talked about this yesterday. I don't tolerate my Lost Kids using drugs.”
Jason growled and went back to digging through his suitcase. After several
seconds, he tossed the luggage bag over his head before tearing open a box in
the corner. Nico stared at the blond in wonder. He was concerned that he might
need to hide the sharp objects for his own safety.
Percy turned to Nico and pursed his lips. “You should get to school,” he
whispered. “Just do me a favor and stay out of his way as much as possible,
okay?”
Nico nodded his head, his eyes darting back to the blond. Percy ran his hand
through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh as he, too, watched the angry
blond. Nico's lips tilted down as he watched the green-eyed young man stare at
the frustrated blond. He hadn't gotten this much of Percy's attention when he
had first gotten here. Percy had handed him over to Leo on his first day at the
Lotus.
Nico walked back to his room and gathered up his backpack, phone, and wallet.
When he exited his room again, Percy had closed Jason's door and had
disappeared into the room. Nico could hear the green-eyed young man's voice
coming from behind the door, but couldn't make out what was being said.
Whatever it was, it seemed to have calmed Jason down, at least for the moment.
As Nico was about to shut his door, he looked up and froze. Standing in the
middle of the hall was Luke and Apollo. He slowly backed into his room and
peered out into the hall. Apollo still had on the same attire as he had when
Nico had seen him last night, probably having had stayed over with Zoë. His
curly blond hair was extremely messy and he looked a little hungover. Luke was
clad only in a pair of dark blue pajama pants, which hung loosely on his hips.
“Stop being a baby,” Luke hissed.
“You're one to talk. You're trying to pawn him off on me,” Apollo shot back.
Luke rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Like you did with me when you were
planning your stunt? As much as you want to hate the kid, I know you don't mind
him that much. You wouldn't have taken him under your wing when he got here if
you didn't.”
Apollo's lips thinned as he stared back into Luke's eyes. “You only want this
because you're trying to fix things with your brother.”
Luke arched an eyebrow. “How is this any different from what you did? You
wanted him away from Percy.”
The curly haired blond scoffed. “And you didn't?” He asked.
The more muscular of the two shrugged. “I didn't say that.” He sighed and ran a
hand into his short blond hair. “Just do me this favor, all right? This is how
we work.”
Apollo's lips thinned, appearing to consider Luke's words. “Why not one of the
girls? What about Annabeth?” Apollo suggested.
Luke's eyes narrowed. “No.”
The curly haired blond's eyebrow rose. “Okay? Well, what about Thalia?”
Luke stared off to the side for a moment. “Fine,” he mumbled.
Apollo nodded. “Okay. I'll go talk to her later about it.” He frowned as Luke
nodded his head. “You need to stop beating yourself up over that. It's in the
past, and it wasn't even your fault.”
Luke's eyes darkened. “I shouldn't have just left him there,” the blond
growled.
Apollo sighed. “You couldn't have known what would happen.”
Luke grunted before turning around and walking back into his room. Nico quickly
and quietly closed his door as Apollo shook his head and began walking down the
hall towards his room. He waited a few seconds before opening the door again.
Apollo was in the process of opening his door. He looked up at Nico and smiled.
“Good morning, grumpy head,” the blond called to him. Nico narrowed his eyes,
remembering when Apollo used to wake him up in the mornings. “Oh yeah, don't
forget practice today after you're done with school. Don't be late.”
Nico nodded his head and headed towards the elevator. What had all of that been
about? Apollo and Luke didn't want to have to take care of him? What made them
think he needed to be taken care of in the first place? Still, it had stung a
little.
Nico quickly boarded the elevator and headed down to the garage, where he found
Calypso waiting for him. “Morning, Nico,” she said in her soothing voice.
Nico gave her a small smile before climbing into her car. “Do you think Percy
would let me get my own car if I went for my permit?” He asked as the Lost Girl
pulled out of the garage.
Calypso glanced over at him with a small smile. “I'm sure he wouldn't mind. But
he'll probably want to make sure you're a capable driver first.”
“I just don't want to have to keep relying on people to give me a ride to
school. I feel like a burden.”
“It's not that big of a deal, Nico. But Jason might have a vehicle, so you
might be able to get a ride from him, once he's recovered.”
“I guess,” Nico mumbled, turning his head to stare out the window.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Calypso began, drawing Nico's attention back to her.
“Luke wanted me to make sure you didn't plan anything tomorrow. He and Annabeth
are planning something to do for those who have the day off.”
Nico nodded his head. “I take it you don't?”
Calypso shook her head. “Sadly, no. I think they're taking you to a water
park.”
Nico stared at the girl for a moment. Calypso's name had been on the list that
Reyna had given him yesterday, and Nico remembered Calypso saying once that
Percy had alleviated a problem for her when they had first met. He swallowed,
deciding to go through with his question.
“Calypso?” Nico asked, turning his head to look at the carmel haired girl.
She looked over at Nico for a moment before returning her attention to the
road. “What is it, Nico?”
“I wanted to ask you something about your past and Percy.”
He watched as the Lost Girl's lips slowly thinned. She took a deep breath as
she changed lanes. “You remember our conversation from the time we went to the
beach I take it?” She said quietly.
Nico slowly nodded his head. “What problem did he alleviate for you?”
The girl's eyes hazed over and Nico had to grab the steering wheel as they
began to drift over. The Lost Girl gasped and straightened out the car, slowing
the car down a little. “Sorry,” she apologized. “It was just a hard time in my
life, Nico.”
He nodded his head again. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want
to.”
Calypso shook her head. “No, it's fine. Besides, Reyna says you're still
nervous around Percy.” The girl took a deep breath. “You don't need to be
afraid of him.”
“But all of you are,” Nico pointed out. “I've seen it. Apollo was terrified of
him after...you know.”
Calypso's lips pursed. “It's different. Percy wouldn't physically hurt us. We
know he's dangerous, and I suppose he does want some level of fear to remain in
us. But he doesn't want our fear to effect our relationship with him.” She
glanced over at Nico. “You don't need to be afraid every time he comes into the
room.”
Nico swallowed and nodded. “So what happened?”
The caramel haired girl took a deep breath. “When I came out here for modeling,
I didn't make it, like I said,” she began. “The money I had brought with me
didn't last me very long, and I couldn't find a job to really support myself
with.” She was quiet a moment, and Nico noticed some tears forming in her eyes.
“I ended up on the streets for a while. This man eventually found me and
offered me some work. Let's just say that I was used to the prostitution aspect
of our job when I came to the Lotus.” She paused again, biting on her lip. “He
wasn't as nice as Percy. He hit me, abused me, and used me for his own needs.”
“I'm so sorry,” Nico whispered. His mouth hung open slightly. “He raped you?”
Calypso nodded her head. “If I refused to do a job, he would threaten to kill
me. He would point guns at our heads and say that he owned us. We were his
property.” Calypso sniffled and wiped at her eyes.
“How did Percy find you?”
The Lost Girl took a deep breath. “I had been working a corner one night when
he walked by. I tried to proposition him for sex, and he had seemed interested.
But, looking back on it, I think he was trying to help me. I had been beaten
earlier that day, so I had a black eye and a few bruises on my arm.”
Nico swallowed as he listened to the girl's story. “What happened next?”
“Percy asked me to take him to my boss so that he could work out a special
deal,” Calypso continued. “I didn't think anything of it, so I did as he asked.
And besides, I was supposed to be obedient and do as the customer asked.” She
shook her head. “So, I brought Percy in front of my boss. He asked rather
nicely for me to be handed over into his care.”
“And your boss said no?”
Calypso nodded. “I suppose that was the biggest mistake he had ever made, and I
think he realized that as soon as the words left his mouth. Percy's eyes, they
changed drastically in a split second. They were so cold that I thought he
could freeze hell over with a simple look.” She shrugged. “But before my boss
could even get his gun pointed at Percy's head, Percy had shot out of his chair
and slammed my boss's head onto his desk.
“He pried the gun from the man's hand and hit him with it before disassembling
it. He picked my boss up by his collar and dragged him to a nearby window.”
Calypso's lips thinned. “He smashed my boss's face through the glass and hung
him out the window.” She took another deep breath. “My boss screamed for Percy
just to take me. Percy smiled coldly down at the man before telling him thank
you. Without saying anything else, he let my boss go. He walked up to me and
offered me his coat before leading me out of the building.”
Nico stared at her with slightly wide eyes. “And your boss?” He asked, his
voice cracking slightly.
Calypso pulled them into the parking lot of Nico's school. She stopped the car
and turned to Nico. “We were on the tenth story and he crashed into a parked
van. He didn't survive.”
Nico felt himself at a loss for words. A faint chill ran down his spine as he
slowly climbed out of the car. He wasn't sure if Calypso's story had managed to
worsen or ease his nerves when it came to Percy, but there it was. Letting out
a long breath, Nico made his way into the school building.
---------------------------------------
“So, Jason is sick?” Daedalus asked as he and Nico exited the school building.
“He seemed fine yesterday.”
Nico blew out a long breath, trying to think of a response. The brunet had been
asking variations of the same question since lunch, and Nico was starting to
run out of answers. “He just woke up with a really bad virus. I think he was
being taken to the doctor,” Nico replied, pursing his lips slightly.
He let out another breath when he spotted Bianca in the parking lot. He smiled
at her as she threw her arms around him. “Sorry, I just wanted to see you
again,” she mumbled into his hair.
Nico patted her on the back. “It's all right. I didn't get to see you for
months.”
The brunette nodded her head and pulled away. “So, I was wondering if we could
spend some time together this weekend. Maybe tomorrow?”
“But we were supposed to go on a date tomorrow,” Daedalus mumbled.
Bianca shot him a glare. “Should have thought about that before you failed to
recognize my brother,” she grumbled. Her boyfriend let out a defeated sigh.
Nico chuckled. “That would be great,” he said. His eyes widened. “Oh, but I
already made plans for tomorrow.”
Bianca frowned at him. “Oh. Well, maybe we could tag along?”
Nico chewed on his lip as he fought off a groan. His sister around the Lost
Kids? Nothing good could come of this. “I suppose I can ask,” he mumbled.
His sister beamed at him. “Great! Just let me know the details.”
Nico nodded and his eyes drifted over to spot Percy's car. “I, uh, got to go.”
Bianca let out a sigh. “Already?” She asked. She followed Nico's gaze to
Percy's car when her brother didn't seem to be paying attention. “Percy came to
pick you up himself? That's nice of him.”
“Yeah,” Nico muttered, slowly making his way over to the blue car.
Before Nico knew what was happening, his sister was making a beeline for
Percy's car. “I'll just ask him if it's all right if I tag along.”
Nico's eyes widened as he followed after his sister. As they approached Percy's
car, the green-eyed young man looked up from his phone. He locked eyes with
Nico and gave him an amused look. “Good afternoon, Bianca,” he greeted the girl
cordially.
“Hello again, Percy,” Bianca replied. “I wanted to spend some time with Nico
tomorrow, but he says he already has plans. Would it be all right with you or
your employees if I tagged along?”
Percy shrugged, eyes darting back to Nico. Nico narrowed his eyes at his boss,
seeing how much enjoyment he was getting from this. “Of course,” Percy replied,
still locking eyes with Nico. “I'll let the others know to be on their best
behavior.”
Bianca waved him off. “Oh, no. Don't worry about that. They can just be
themselves.”
“I really don't think that's a good idea,” Nico mumbled under his breath.
Percy chuckled. “Don't worry about it. Nico can text you the details about it
later. But right now, I need to get him back to the hotel,” the manager said.
Bianca sighed and nodded her head. She gave Nico another hug before allowing
her brother to get into the car. As soon as his door was closed, Nico shot
Percy a death glare. Why was Percy torturing him like this?
“What?” Percy asked innocently, pulling away from the school.
“You know damned well what,” Nico growled.
Percy shrugged. “It's not a big deal, Nico. The others know how to behave
around outsiders. There's nothing to worry about.”
“My sister isn't stupid.”
Percy chuckled. “I didn't think she would be,” he replied. Nico looked at him
curiously. “You're a smart kid, Nico. I figured your sister would be as well.”
Nico felt his cheeks heat up a little and he turned his head towards the
window. Damn Percy. Why did he make it hard to stay upset with him? Nico huffed
and crossed his arms over his chest.
Percy chuckled again and reached over to pinch Nico's cheek. The boy smacked
the hand away and glared at the green-eyed young man. “You're cute when you
pout,” Percy teased.
Nico rolled his eyes and looked out the window again. “Percy?”
“Hmm?”
Nico scrunched his lips. “Can I ask you something?”
He saw Percy shrug in the window's reflection. “I suppose,” the manager
replied.
Nico rubbed his arm, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “How many people have you
killed?” He glanced back at Percy.
Percy's lips tilted down, his eyes darting over to Nico. “I don't know. Lost
count.”
Nico swallowed. He felt his stomach drop. “W-Well, why did you offer some of
the other Lost Kids choices to kill someone for them?”
Percy sighed. “Because, I had the same opportunity given to me, so I was just
giving them what I got.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What's that supposed to mean? Who did what for you?”
“Gaea gave me that same option,” Percy answered.
“With?”
Percy's eyes darkened as he watched the road. “My father.”
Nico swallowed another lump in his throat. “You-”
The green eyes that were usually very warm seemed to turn to ice. “He walked
out on my mother, and because of that, he led to my suffering, and hers. My
mother wouldn't have died if it weren't for him,” Percy spat venomously. “I
hated that man until the day he died, and I didn't have any problem watching
him die. The best thing Gaea ever did for me was murder that man.”
Nico let out a shaky breath. He clenched his hands and placed them in his lap,
trying to get them to stop shaking. “And your brother? You killed him, didn't
you?” He asked.
Percy's eyes flickered over to the glove compartment. “I think that's enough
about this for now,” the young man said quietly.
Nico swallowed and nodded. Nico's eyes widened and he felt a chill shoot down
his back as Percy reached over and opened the glove compartment. He had once
been curious about the object he had spotted in there, but not anymore. The
black gun stared back at him from the glove compartment. Nico's breath hitched
as Percy reached his hand into the compartment. He tightly shut his eyes and
fought the urge to flinch. Why did he have to go asking questions that he knew
he didn't need to be asking?
Nico's brow furrowed as he heard a rattling noise in front of his face. He
cracked an eye open to find a metal bin in front of his face. “Breath mint?”
Percy asked with a raised eyebrow.
Nico let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He quickly shook
his head. He watched as Percy's lips tilted down as he stared at Nico in
disappointment. Nico pursed his lips, looking away from Percy's green eyes. He
felt a little ashamed. The others had told him that he didn't need to be
frightened of Percy, but he couldn't help it.
Percy popped a mint into his mouth and tossed the bin back into the glove
compartment before shutting it. “I'm sorry,” Nico said softly.
Percy tilted his head to the side. “For what?”
“Just then.”
Percy shrugged as they pulled into the parking garage. “Don't worry about it,”
he replied.
Nico opened his mouth a few times, but didn't know what to say. What could he
say? He wasn't entirely sure how he was even supposed to feel. Percy parked the
car and got out, shutting the door without saying anything further to Nico.
Nico let his shoulders slump as he sat in the car.
He glanced up when Percy tapped on the glass. “You coming?” The manager asked.
Nico slowly inched out of the car. He shut the door and Percy locked his
vehicle. The brown-eyed boy tailed along behind Percy like a puppy with its
tail between its legs. He felt bad. Had he hurt Percy's feelings?
As the elevator door shut, Percy pinned Nico in the corner, placing both of his
hands on either side of his head. “Stop your moping. I'm not mad at you,” he
said in a low voice. “You have every right to be afraid, but just remember what
I've already told you. I'm not going to hurt you. You're not in danger of being
murdered.” He grabbed Nico's chin and forced the boy to look up at him. “I
promised your sister I'd look after you and I meant it. But, I know you're
going to need some time for all of this to sink in, so I'm willing to be
patient.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Percy shook his head. “You don't have anything to be sorry about.”
Nico swallowed. “Do you ever get afraid of yourself?”
“No. I know what I am.”
Nico's lips tilted down. “And what is that?”
“A monster.”
Nico felt his heart sink. For some reason, he didn't want to really believe
that. Percy wasn't a monster. People like Nico's father were monsters, not
Percy. “No.”
Percy shrugged. “You'll see for yourself.”
“I already know you're not.”
Percy stared into Nico's eyes, searching for something. A lie? Nico stood his
ground under Percy's sharp gaze. He had nothing to fear in this. He wasn't
lying. Sure Percy could be terrifying, but calling himself a monster was a
little much.
“Do you ever regret the things you do?” Nico continued.
The elevator came to a stop at Percy's floor. He pulled back and ran a hand
through his hair. Nico stared up at him, waiting for his answer. But it never
came. Percy simply walked out of the elevator, leaving Nico alone. Nico stared
after him until the metal doors closed.
Nico attempted to catch his breath as he pulled out his card. He slid it into
the slot and hit the button to his floor. The elevator traveled down a floor
and Nico stepped out. For some reason, Nico wasn't sure what he was supposed to
do or feel at the moment.
He quietly opened the door to his suite and stepped inside. The place was
quiet, so Jason was probably sleeping. Nico quietly made his way to his room,
where he dropped off his backpack. He stripped himself of his clothes before
searching for some workout clothes. He quickly slipped them on and just stood
there for a moment.
Finally, letting out a sigh, Nico exited his room and suite. He made his way
back to the elevator and hit the button for the top floor. He rode up in
silence, his stomach in knots. He stepped off the elevator when it came to a
stop. He hurried up the steps and walked over to the stage, where he climbed
up.
The other Lost Kids had already gathered for practice, probably having done any
numbers that didn't include Nico. Apollo raised an eyebrow at Nico as he took
his place. “Everything all right there, Nico?” The blond asked.
Nico quietly nodded his head, earning a few looks from the others. “Percy hurt
the poor baby's feelings again?” Luke asked in a pouty voice, rolling his eyes.
Nico's head shot up and stared at the blond with hurt eyes. He thought he had
moved past Luke's jerk phase.
“Oh shut up, Luke,” Thalia snapped back.
“Yeah, leave him alone,” Hazel added.
Apollo had his lips pursed. “You feeling up for practicing today, Nico?” He
asked. Nico nodded. The blond stared at him for a few seconds before sighing.
“All right. Let's keep going then.”
----------------------------------------------------
Nico entered the bar and walked over to sign in. Chiron handed him his apron
with a smile. “Thanks,” Nico said, forcing a smile onto his face.
“Is everything all right, Nico,” the bartender asked.
Nico sighed. “You'd be surprised at how many times I've already heard that
today.”
Chiron hummed in response, picking up a glass to clean. “Would you like to talk
about it? I assume this is about Percy?”
“Yeah,” Nico said quietly. “I'm just trying to figure some things out.” He
frowned and stared up at the extremely tall man. “What do you think about him?”
“Percy? He's a good man with a good head on his shoulders.” Chiron sat the
glass down and slid it off to the side. “Percy is loyal to his family, and if
it weren't for him, your life, and the lives of all the other Lost Kids, would
have probably ended. He looks out for everyone here.”
Nico bit down on his lip as he contemplated the man's words. “He called himself
a monster.”
Chiron sighed and nodded his head. “Percy can be a little hard on himself, in
my opinion. He's come to accept what he is and what he has to do.”
Nico frowned. “Then why call himself a monster?” He asked.
Chiron picked up some whisky and poured it into a glass. “That is something
only Percy can answer. I'm afraid the workings of that one's mind are so
complex that only he can tell you what he is thinking.” Chiron smiled and
handed Nico two glasses of alcohol. He directed Nico to a table and sent the
boy on his way.
He spotted Drew and Butch already tending to some customers. Nico walked up to
the table Chiron had sent him to and set the drinks down. The two customers
thanked him and requested some food, which Nico had to quickly scribble down.
He looked up as Hazel walked into the bar, giving him a smile on the way to the
counter.
As he was walking back to the bar, Nico found Drew standing there, admiring a
few of her gold bracelets. Nico arched an eyebrow. He never did understand why
some girls obsessed with jewelry. It felt like a way to distract from the
person wearing it.
“You have a lot of jewelry,” Nico stated, typing his table's order into the
computer.
“One can never have too much,” Drew scoffed.
“If only you'd sink when you swim,” Hazel said on her way by them.
Drew sneered at Hazel's back before flipping her hair over her shoulder.
“Beauty is everything, Nico, especially in this business.”
Nico shrugged. “I don't really need jewelry,” he replied.
The Asian girl made a face as she looked him over. “Keep telling yourself
that.” She grabbed his chin and turned it from left to right. “You could get
some small studs in your ears, maybe a thumb ring.”
Nico swatted the girl's hand away. “No thanks.” He leaned against the bar. “So,
is that where your paychecks go?”
Drew laughed dryly. “Oh please. I don't pay for half of this stuff. The clients
shower me with it.”
Nico glanced up at Butch as the muscular youth approached. “Do all the Lost
Kids get gifts like that?”
Butch shrugged. “Sometimes. Most of us decline them. It's better that way,” the
buff Lost Boy grunted.
Drew rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she scoffed before walking off.
“Why is it better?” Nico inquired.
Butch glanced at Nico from the corner of his eye. “Talk to some of the others,
like Apollo.” His eyes shot over to Hazel. “Or Hazel.”
Nico slowly nodded before heading back into the crowd. He walked up to a table
full of women and threw on a smile. “Good evening, ladies,” he greeted them
with a grin. “What can I get for all of you tonight?”
“Well aren't you adorable,” one of them said. Nico was surprised when the woman
pulled out her phone and snapped his picture. She then reached into her purse
and handed him a ten. “There you are, sweetie.”
Nico blinked down at the cash in his hands before chuckling and pocketing it.
“Thanks.” He tapped his pen to his pad. “So what will it be?”
Time slowly creeped by for Nico. Two hours passed and Nico was finally getting
to go on break. Percy hadn't shown up, but Nico wasn't sure if he was relieved
or disappointed. He was a little jealous. He figured that Percy was probably
busy with Jason, which only managed to grate at his nerves. Had he gotten this
much attention from Percy when he first arrived? He didn't think he had.
Nico stepped into the break room. Inside, Hazel and Drew seemed to be
bickering. Drew was leaning on the couch, while Hazel sat on it, her head
turned to glare at the Asian girl. “You don't use it, so why not just let me
have it?” Drew asked. “At least then it can be used for something.”
“Just drop it,” Hazel retorted. “I'm being responsible with it.”
Drew gaped at the girl in mild disgust. “You want to pawn it all for money!”
“Yes, which is responsible. It's not a good idea to take all of that from those
people.”
“They're rich! What does it matter? Think of it as payback for all the shit
we're put through.”
“What's going on?” Nico asked, hesitantly stepping further into the room.
“Just go away, Drew,” Hazel sighed, finally tearing her eyes away from the
other Lost Girl.
“Fine,” the Asian girl huffed before marching out of the room.
“Sorry,” Hazel mumbled. “She can be persistent sometimes.”
Nico nodded and sat down in the empty chair. “So, how do all of you know Drew
and Juniper, if they worked at different hotels?” He asked.
“Well, Drew would tag along with Frank when he would come here for meetings.”
“Frank is the branch manager in Asia?”
Hazel nodded. “He's nice, like Percy. And if Percy had to go to Asia, he would
take me along.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “Why? Is it custom to take a Lost Kid to
these meetings?” Nico asked. Were more Lost Kids going to show up when Gaea had
her meeting?
Hazel smiled. “Sort of. Usually, Percy takes one of the others, but Frank is a
sweetheart who has a little crush on me.” She shrugged. “As for Juniper, I
didn't get to see her as much. She would come here sometimes when Athena
visited, but that's about it.”
Nico nodded. “So what was that about? The thing with Drew.”
Hazel sighed. “Drew wanted some of the jewelry that I get from customers, and I
told her no.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “She said you were going to pawn it?”
Hazel nodded, a smile forming on her lips. “I'm just trying to think smart,”
she reasoned. “My mom and I, we didn't have that much money...at least not
until...you know.”
Nico nodded. He pursed his lips as he stared at the short girl. “You just want
to make sure that you're taken care of?”
The girl nodded again. She stared down at her lap for a while in silence before
finally looking back up at Nico with a sad smile. “I know this job won't last
forever. I won't fool myself into thinking that.”
Nico scrunched his lips. He stared back into the girl's bright eyes with
sadness. “What about that Frank guy?” He asked. “Couldn't he take care of you?
Drew mentioned he was asking about you when she first arrived.”
Hazel smiled and touched a small necklace that she wore. “Maybe one day, but
for now, my place is here. I owe that much to Percy.”
Nico began chewing on his lip. Could anything like that ever happen for him?
Maybe with Percy? He honestly didn't know. He didn't know what the future held
for him. Maybe he should be scared and nervous about that, but what could he
really do about it?
“Can I ask about these gifts that you get?” Nico asked.
Hazel shrugged, staring down at her lap again. “Not much to say, really. I
suppose it should be expected.”
Nico tilted his head to the side, his lips tilted down. “What should be?”
Hazel gave him a timid smile. “In this line of work, it should be expected that
some of the customers get a little sweet on you,” she whispered. “Sometimes
they give us gifts. A lot of the others just decline, but I want to do
something useful with the gifts I get. So, I horde everything that is given to
me.”
“And Drew?”
Hazel rolled her eyes. “Drew is shallow,” she mumbled. “It's not a smart idea
to do what she does.”
Nico's frown increased. “What does she do?” He asked.
“Manipulation sounds like a good word.” The Lost Girl shook her head. “If Percy
wasn't here to protect her, she might end up getting killed. She plays with the
emotions of those people. I mean, I don't like them that much, but I'm not
going to be cruel about it.”
Nico nodded. “So, she makes them believe they have a real chance with her? That
maybe she actually wants them and that they could have something?”
Hazel sighed. She clasped the necklace in her hands. “Something like that. And
for some people, that isn't a good thing.”
“Butch mentioned something about Apollo having similar issues.”
Hazel swallowed and shook her head. “I feel sorry for him. He doesn't do it to
be cruel. He's a sweetheart, even if that might be hard for you to believe at
the moment.”
Nico arched an eyebrow. “Well, what's the problem with him?”
“You should talk to him about it.” She smiled. “He's a bit of a romantic at
heart. And as you've already seen, he has a thing for Percy. A lot of people
can get drawn to people like him, Nico.” She stood up and stretched. “Well, I
suppose I'll get back to work. Enjoy the rest of your break.”
Nico pursed his lips. “Yeah, I'll try,” he mumbled, though he didn't look at
the girl as she left.
A lot of what Hazel had said did make sense to him, and a lot of things started
clicking in his head. The first time he had met Calypso, the girl had a bruise
on her wrist. Apollo did seem to get a lot of attention. He could see how
emotions could get involved during sex for some of the customers. Even Nico had
gotten pulled in by the blond's charms when he had first arrived.
A little after two, the bar began to empty out. Nico stood around with the
others, waiting for Chiron to dismiss them. The elevator dinged, much to Nico's
confusion. He turned his head as the metal doors slid open. Percy walked out,
hands in his pockets and a pair of green swim trunks on his shoulder. Nico
frowned. Were those his swimming trunks?
“Everything go well tonight, Chiron?” Percy asked, taking a seat at the bar.
“Of course,” the bartender answered.
Percy smiled and nodded. He grabbed Hazel and pulled the girl into his lap. He
whispered something to the girl, which made her smile and nod. Percy's sea-
green eyes traveled over to Nico, where he gave the boy a sly smile.
Drew walked up to Percy and ran a hand up his thigh. Nico pursed his lips.
“What's up, Drew?” Percy asked.
“I just wanted to see about coming to see you tonight,” the girl purred.
Percy smiled at her. “Sorry, I already have plans.”
Drew huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Honestly, the blond kid isn't
going to die if you leave him alone for an hour or two.”
Percy rose to his feet, his arm draped over Hazel's shoulder. “Actually, I made
plans with Nico,” Percy replied, raising a brow.
Nico coughed and looked away as the Asian girl's glare was turned on him. Percy
smiled and walked over to him. He handed Nico the trunks on his shoulder. “You
need to stop breaking into my room,” Nico mumbled.
Percy chuckled. “Do you mind if I go ahead and take him, Chiron?” He asked.
Chiron shook his head. “He's done for the night,” the man said.
Percy placed his arm around Nico and guided the boy towards the elevator. “And
what are we doing exactly?” Nico asked, eyeing the trunks in his hands.
Percy only smirked as they boarded the elevator. He pushed the button to the
lobby and the doors closed. “I wanted to relax in the hot tub for a little
while,” he answered.
Nico bit down on his lip. Alone in a hot tub with Percy? Was this what heaven
was like? If so, perhaps he should be more interested in religion. “Um, don't
we need to change?” Nico voiced.
Percy smirked and hooked his thumbs into his pants, pulling them back to reveal
a pair of blue swimming trunks beneath. He grinned down at Nico, amusement
plastered on his face. “I guess you'll just have to change in front of me,”
Percy purred to Nico.
Nico glared up at the green-eyed young man. “I hate you.”
“Sure you do.”
Nico sighed. “No peeking.”
Percy shrugged. “No promises on that. Besides, I've already seen you naked.”
Nico grumbled under his breath as the elevator came to a stop. Percy continued
to smirk as he stepped off of the elevator. Nico let out a sigh before
following after the tall young man. The elevator lobby was relatively deserted,
which was to be expected, considering the time.
They entered the pool room, where Percy led them to the far right wall. He
opened a door and gestured for Nico to go inside. Nico walked through the door
and found himself standing in a room full of hot tubs. Percy walked over to one
and stripped himself of his shirt.
Nico fought back a moan as he stared down at Percy's tan and perfect torso. His
eyes drifted across every inch of muscle on the raven haired manager's exposed
body. His eyes drifted down as Percy bent over to remove his pants. Percy's
body should be labeled a drug for the human eyes.
The green-eyed young man lowered himself into the hot tub and spread his arms
out along its surface. He looked up at Nico with a smirk. “Are you going to
join me?” He asked.
Nico wasted no time in stripping himself of his shirt and pants. He only came
to a halt when he was left standing there in his boxers. He let out a breath
before hooking his fingers beneath the fabric and lowering it. Percy made no
attempt to look away as Nico stood there completely naked in front of him.
“You know, you don't need to put those on,” Percy suggested, “if you don't want
to.”
Nico felt his face heat up. “I don't know.”
Percy shrugged. “I can take mine off, too, if it would make you feel better.”
Nico's heart went into overtime as he stood there, still completely naked. As
shy as he might be about his body, he couldn't really pass up an opportunity to
have Percy naked. He nodded his head and lowered himself into the water,
directly across from Percy.
Percy grinned and lowered his hands beneath the water. A few seconds later, his
blue trunks were brought to the surface and set on the edge of the hot tub.
Percy placed his hands behind his head. Nico sighed and let himself relax in
the warm water, his eyes closing. He could get used to this. Perhaps he would
need to come down here more often.
Nico's eyes opened when he heard movement in the water. He blinked in surprise
when he found Percy sitting right next to him. “So, how was work?” Percy asked
casually.
“It was okay,” Nico said, managing to keep his voice calm. His eyes drifted
down to try and look at Percy's body beneath the water, but Nico was
disappointed to find he couldn't really make anything out.
Percy nodded and ran a wet hand into his hair. “Don't forget to let your sister
know about tomorrow.”
“I already did. I talked to Annabeth after practice.”
Percy nodded again. Without warning, he grabbed Nico by the waist and hoisted
him up and into his lap. Nico stiffened, in more ways than one, in the young
man's hold. Percy let out a sigh and leaned back, pulling Nico with him. Nico
let his back press against Percy's chest. He bit down on his lip as he tried to
distract himself from the fact that he could feel Percy's manhood beneath his
ass.
Percy rested his chin on Nico's shoulder. He chuckled in Nico's ear, causing
the younger boy to shiver. “Nico, you seem a little tense,” he whispered. “Is
there something I can do to help with that?”
Nico let out a moan as one of Percy's hands moved down to his crotch. “This
isn't fair if you're just teasing,” Nico panted.
Percy bit down on Nico's neck. “I never said I was teasing.”
Nico was forced out of Percy's lap, where he was turned around to face the
young man. Percy pulled him back down and into his lap. Nico rested his hands
against Percy's chest as he rested his ass on Percy's crotch, which he could
feel beginning to harden. He let out a quiet moan as Percy pressed his hips
down.
Percy's mouth was pressed against Nico's chest, sucking and placing kisses
along the pale flesh. Nico bit down on his lip to stifle a few moans, while he
ground his hips into Percy's lap. “Percy,” Nico gasped as the green-eyed young
man wrapped a hand around him.
“You know,” Percy began, “I think I've figured you out.”
Nico buried his face into the crook of Percy's neck. “What's that?”
“You're like this forbidden fruit, and it only manages to make people want you
more.” He pulled Nico's head back and crashed their lips together. Nico moaned
into the kiss as Percy sucked on his bottom lip. “And let's just be honest. I'm
like the others. I want to corrupt you so very much, Nico. It's just so
tempting.”
Nico's breathing had turned ragged as he stared down at Percy with dark, lust
filled eyes. He licked at his now kiss swollen lips. “I have no problem with
this,” he breathed out.
Percy smirked and kissed along Nico's jaw. “But, I know I can't. And that, my
dear Nico, is what makes you so tempting.”
Nico groaned as he pressed their bodies together. “I'm hoping there's another
'but' in there.”
Percy chuckled and kissed Nico again. “But, I suppose it couldn't hurt to
indulge a little bit every now and then.”
Nico gasped as Percy stood up. He couldn't help but shiver from the cold
feeling his body was now exposed to. Percy laid him down on the ground, his
legs still in the hot tub. Percy remained in the warm water, while his arms
rested on either side of Nico's body. The green-eyed manager leaned down and
ran his tongue from Nico's nipple, down to his bellybutton.
Nico bit down on his lip to mask a moan when Percy's head traveled lower.
Percy's tongue flicked against him before pulling back and smirking up at the
brown-eyed boy beneath him. The boy shivered as Percy's fingers shadowed across
his skin.
Percy suddenly flipped Nico over so that he lay on his stomach, his ass jutting
out just a few inches above the water. Nico let out a loud moan as Percy
pressed himself against his backside. He buried his face into the ground as
Percy's breathing appeared on his ear. “Tell me, Nico, do you know what rimming
is?” Percy asked huskily.
Nico moaned and nodded his head, unable to form a single word at the moment.
Percy smirked and pulled away. His tongue then appeared on Nico's back, licking
down Nico's spine. As he licked back up, he planted a kiss in the middle of
Nico's back. Nico let out another moan as Percy's hands began massaging his
shoulders.
As Percy worked on his shoulders, he apparently decided to torture Nico further
by pressing himself up against Nico's butt. “Are you scared of me right now,
Nico?” Percy asked.
Nico shook his head, his eyes half shut. “N-no,” he managed to get out.
Nico shuddered as Percy face, once again, appeared beside his ear. “Good,” the
young man whispered.
Percy removed his hands and began kissing a trail down Nico's smooth back. He
got on his knees in the water and took Nico's butt cheeks in his hands. He
spread them apart just as he planted a kiss on Nico's right cheek. The brown-
eyed boy gasped, his eyes opening wide, as Percy began to work on him with his
tongue.
“More,” Nico moaned.
And Percy gave him just that. Nico's hands managed to get ahold of his
discarded shirt, and were now twisting it tightly. He let out a yelp as Percy
pulled back and bit him on the ass. He heard Percy chuckle, but Nico couldn't
manage to lift his head up to give the young man a glare.
Percy's phone suddenly went off. Percy let out a sigh and pulled away from
Nico, which made the younger boy whine. He lay on top of Nico to reach for his
phone. Nico let out a quiet moan as Percy erection pressed against his ass.
“What's up, Leo?” Percy asked. He placed a kiss in between Nico's shoulder
blades. Nico bit down on his lip when one of Percy's hands groped his ass.
“Well, I was sort of in the middle of something. Is it important?” He let out a
sigh. “Okay, I'll be up there in a minute.” He hung up the phone and kissed
Nico's back again. “I got to go.”
Nico rolled over as Percy pulled away to grab his swim trunks. “Why?” He asked,
pouting at the green-eyed young man.
Percy climbed out of the hot tub, drawing Nico's eyes to his lower extremities.
“Sorry, but Jason's condition is getting a little worse. I need to go check on
him.” He bent over and grabbed his pants. He slipped them back on and did the
same with his shirt. He slung his wet swim trunks onto his shoulder and
crouched down in front of Nico. “I'll see you later, all right?”
Nico sighed and nodded. “Yeah,” he mumbled, not bothering to hide his
disappointment.
Percy gave him a lopsided smile and ran a hand into Nico's hair before standing
up. He walked towards the doors, where he disappeared from Nico's view. Nico
let out another sigh before lowering himself back into the warm water. He
groaned and let his head fall back onto the edge of the hot tub.
Why did Jason need so much attention? It wasn't like someone else couldn't look
after him. Couldn't he have waited a little longer, so that Nico and Percy
could have finished what they were doing? But, no, his roommate couldn't give
him that.
After about five minutes of sitting there in silence, Nico climbed out of the
hot tub. He grabbed his trunks and slid them on. He grabbed his shirt, boxers,
shoes, and pants before heading for the door. As he pushed through the door, he
maneuvered back into his shirt.
He froze when he noticed someone in the pool. He walked closer to see who it
was. The swimmer finally stopped, and Nico could finally make out the side of
Luke's face. The blond seemed to notice him, as he turned his head towards the
raven haired boy. His lips tilted down as he went back to swimming.
Nico walked to the edge of the pool and sat down, depositing the clothes in his
hands behind him. Luke stopped swimming again to glare lightly at Nico for a
few seconds before diving under the water. Nico's eyes traveled over to Luke's
towel in a chair. He got up and walked over to it.
Luke resurfaced by the edge of the pool, and Nico held the towel in front of
his face. Luke's icy blue eyes narrowed at him before pulling himself out of
the water and snatching the towel from Nico's hand. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Don't mention it,” Nico replied, sitting down beside the blond on the edge of
the pool. “I didn't see you yesterday.”
Luke grunted at him, busy drying his hair. “I was busy.”
“Oh.”
Luke arched an eyebrow and tossed the towel behind him. “What, didn't have
anyone else to bother? Did I miss a sign on me that says that I want to be
bothered? Because you've been hanging around me an awful lot lately, brat.”
Nico frowned at him. “You don't have to be a jerk. I thought we were past
this.”
Luke scoffed at him. “There is no getting past who I am,” he retorted.
Nico sighed. Why was Luke being rude again? He hadn't done something to offend
the blond, had he? “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Nico mumbled.
“Joy,” Luke droned.
“Why didn't you and Octavian come here together?”
Luke's body stiffened. “None of your fucking business,” he growled. He turned
his head away from Nico, and Nico saw him reach up to touch his scar. He turned
his chilling gaze back on Nico. “I saw Percy walking out. You must have sucked,
seeing how fast he walked out of here.”
Nico glared at the blond. “It didn't have anything to do with me. He was going
to check on Jason.”
Luke laughed at him. “Sucks for you, kid. I guess you just can't hold his
attention.”
Nico frowned up at the blond, his eyes reflecting his hurt feelings from the
blond's words. “It's not like he would actually do what I wanted him to.”
Luke smirked and shoved Nico onto his back, pinning his hands above his head.
“And what is it you want him to do?” He asked. He pulled himself completely out
of the pool and spread Nico's legs. “Something like this?” Nico stared up at
him with wide eyes. Luke narrowed his eyes at him and jerked away, like Nico
had actually burned him. “Stop looking at me like that.”
Nico sat up and tilted his head to the side. “Like what?”
Luke glared at Nico from the corner of his eye before getting to his feet. He
snatched his towel from the ground and walked over to pick up his shirt before
storming out of the pool room. Nico sat there, not really sure what had just
happened.
He slowly picked himself up and silently walked over to where he had dropped
his clothes. He picked them up and exited the pool room. Luke must have already
boarded an elevator, as Nico didn't see the blond again. Nico leaned back
against the wall of the elevator, letting out a long sigh. He truly didn't
understand the others at times.
The elevator finally came to a stop, and Nico exited it. As he headed down the
hall, he could vaguely hear noise coming from one of the rooms. He stopped in
front of his door and stared down the hall. Will and Apollo's door had been
dead-bolted so that it was kept open. Nico could hear explosions coming from
the room, followed by gunfire. He arched an eyebrow and headed down to the
room, knocking on the door.
“Come in!” Will yelled from the other side.
Nico pushed the door open and peered inside. Will sat on their couch, game
controller in hand. The game that Nico had been hearing turned out to be the
second Borderlands game. Apollo and Thalia stood in the kitchen, the blond clad
only in sweat pants. They both had a bottle of green apple Smirnoff in their
hands.
Will paused his game and looked over at Nico. “Hey there, Nico,” the blond
greeted him.
“What's up, dude?” Apollo added. “A little late for a visit, isn't it?”
“I was just getting back to my room,” Nico answered.
“Good thing you weren't in your room,” Thalia mumbled.
Nico cocked an eyebrow at her. “Why?”
Apollo blew out a breath. “Jason doesn't seem to be doing so well. We heard him
yelling earlier, had Leo call Percy,” the blond answered.
“Sounded like he was being murdered,” Will added, going back to his game, but
turning the volume down.
Thalia sighed. “I tried going over and talking to him, but he kicked me out,”
she said. She finished off her drink and sat the bottle down before smirking at
Apollo. “I'll see you tomorrow, blondie.”
Apollo nodded at her. “Take it easy,” he said as the girl walked past Nico and
out the door.
“You want to play?” Will asked, glancing at Nico.
“Um, I don't know how. I've never played it,” he chuckled.
Will shrugged as Nico took a seat next to him. “You can be the distraction.”
Nico frowned and smacked Will's arm, which made the blond grin. Apollo stuck
his finger in front of his mouth and acted like he was gagging. “Please, if you
two end up banging tonight, keep it down. I have to work early tomorrow,” the
curly haired blond said.
“So do I, bitch.”
“Do I need to go so you two can sleep?” Nico asked, looking between the two.
Apollo shook his head. “Nah. We're going to be up for a little longer,” he
said.
Nico checked the clock. “But it's after three.”
Will chuckled and handed him a controller. “Not that big a deal. We'll just
take a nap between shifts tomorrow,” Will explained.
After about fifteen minutes of attempting to kill things with Will, Nico sat
the controller down. “I think I need to get to bed,” he decided.
“You can sleep here, if you want,” Will said, turning off the game. “Right,
Apollo?”
Apollo, who had sprawled out on a chair to their right, looked up from a book.
“Yeah, whatever. Probably don't want to go back to your room anyways,” the
blond mumbled.
Nico rubbed his arm. “I don't know,” the raven haired boy said uneasily.
Will smiled and jumped to his feet. “It's cool, dude. You can crash with me,”
the straight haired blond said. “I promise I won't molest you in your sleep.”
“Don't let him lie to you,” Apollo sighed, closing his book. He stood up and
stretched his arms above his head.
Will shot him a dirty look. He turned his head back to Nico and smiled, holding
out his hand for Nico to take. “Come on. I promise I won't bite,” he winked at
Nico, “much.”
“How charming,” Nico muttered, taking the offered appendage.
Will chuckled. “Besides, I did promise we could talk.”
Nico scrunched his lips, contemplating the offer. “I suppose.” He glared at
Will. “No sex.”
Will winked at the shorter boy. “Whatever you say, Nico.”
Nico sighed and followed the blond to his room. It was quite different from his
own, more decorations. Nico supposed he should invest in getting more stuff for
his room. The blond had a laptop on his bed. Another TV sat on the dresser
opposite his bed. A few clothes were littered across his floor, but that was
the extent of his mess. He had a surfboard in the corner by his closet, which
didn't really surprise Nico that much. He had a few posters on his wall,
including one of Legolas from Lord of the Rings. There was another dresser with
a mirror on it. The blond had a few bracelets and a first-aid kit sitting on
its surface.
“I, uh, need to change,” Nico said, waving his boxers in the air.
Will chuckled. “And what were you doing that got you out of those?” He teased.
“I was relaxing in a hot tub.”
Will nodded. He opened a drawer and pulled out a pair of track shorts, tossing
them to Nico. “I figure you'll want something else to sleep in.”
Nico nodded and exited the blond's room. Apollo exited the bathroom, giving
Nico a smile before heading into his room. All Nico was able to make out in the
curly haired blond's room were band posters and music sheets on his bed. Nico
stepped into the bathroom and shut the door.
He quickly changed and headed back to Will's room. Will had changed into his
own track shorts by the time Nico had returned. He had rid himself of his
shirt, and now sat cross-legged on his bed, watching TV. Will yawned and looked
at Nico. “You can toss your stuff anywhere,” he mumbled, waving around the
room.
Nico sat his stuff in a pile beside the door before sitting on the edge of the
bed. Will slid up the bed and put his legs under the covers. Nico continued to
sit there, slightly uncomfortable. Was this really a good idea? This seemed
like a perfect opportunity for one of the Lost Boys to try and seduce him.
“You can get in the bed, you know,” Will chuckled.
Nico chuckled nervously and climbed into the bed beside the blond. Will groaned
as he muted the TV. He climbed out of bed and walked over to turn off the
light. When Will climbed back onto the bed, he hovered over Nico's body.
“Can I help you?” Nico grumbled.
Will grinned down at him. “Well, I can think of a few things that you can do,”
he purred, leaning in closer.
Nico was surprised when Will actually pressed his lips against Nico's. The
raven haired youth's pulse picked up as the blond's lips moved against his. His
body had originally gone rigid, but relaxed a little. He kissed the blond back
for a few seconds before rolling his head to the side, breaking the contact.
Will chuckled. “Well, at least I got a kiss out of it,” he teased. “If it makes
you feel any better, I won't go bragging about it to the others. You know, if
you wanted to kiss again.”
Nico turned his head back towards the blond, staring into his blue eyes for a
moment. “We'll see.”
Will grinned and rolled off of Nico. He slid under the covers and faced the
pale boy that lay beside him. “So, what did you want to know about me?” He
asked.
Nico rolled onto his side so that he could face the blond. “You said you were
in an orphanage?”
Will swallowed and lowered his head. His eyes flickered up to stare at Nico
from behind his short bangs. “Do we really have to talk about that?” He gave
Nico a smile. When Nico first got to the Lotus, he might have been fooled by
that kind of smile, but not anymore.
“You can't tell me anything about your time there?”
Will shrugged. “I spent most of my life there, until I ran away,” the blond
answered casually.
“Why did you run?”
Will's smile finally faltered. “What else do you want to know about me, Nico?”
Nico pursed his lips. Obviously it hadn't been a pleasant experience for the
blond. “What about your parents? What happened to them?”
Will shrugged. “They're fine, last I checked,” the blond said. He rolled onto
his back, his hand resting behind his head.
Nico's brow furrowed. “They're still alive?”
Will nodded. “Yeah, why?”
“Then why did you live in an orphanage?”
Will's lips thinned. “Not everyone's parents want them, Nico.” He let out a
sigh. “My dad was a bit of a playboy, I guess you could say. At least in high
school he was. He was sort of like Percy, just not as smart.”
“And he knocked your mom up?”
Will sighed again. “Yeah, pretty much. After I came to the Lotus, I asked Percy
to look into my parents for me. I went and visited my mother first. She told me
all about my father. Honestly? She was obsessed with him. She said my father
had the looks of a god in his youth, and when she saw me, she commented on how
much I looked like him.”
Nico placed his hand under his cheek. “What happened to them?” He asked.
Will blew out a breath. “Like I said, my dad was a playboy. He knocked my
mother up after their graduation. I guess he freaked out when he found out she
was pregnant, because he disappeared after that. So, my mother, a little
scorned by his actions, gave me up for adoption.” He swallowed as he stared up
at the ceiling. “I sometimes wonder if things would have been better if she had
just had an abortion.”
Nico gaped at the blond. “You can't mean that,” the raven haired boy whispered.
Will shrugged. “It doesn't matter, can't change the past.” He shook his head.
“But she definitely still had a thing for my father. She had his picture up all
around her house. But he had never contacted her again after finding out about
her pregnancy.”
“Did you ever find your father?”
The blond nodded. “Yeah, though I'm not sure I should have. He was a vain
asshole. He moved up to northern California at some point. Apparently, he had
knocked up another girl, but this one had managed to get him to marry her.
There were quite a few kids there.” Will chewed on his lip for a moment before
continuing. “My father, he made me sick. I actually hated the way I looked for
a long time after meeting him.”
Nico frowned. “Why?”
“When I met him, all he wanted to talk about, all he seemed to be proud of me
for, was that I looked just like him when he was younger. That was my big
accomplishment for his life.”
Nico reached over and touched the blond's free hand. “We don't have to talk
about it anymore if you don't want to,” he whispered.
Will gave him a small smile. “Maybe another day?”
Nico nodded. Will slipped a hand beneath Nico and pulled the boy up against
him. Nico glared up at the blond, who only smiled and rested his cheek against
Nico's head. Will picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Nico huffed and
rested his head on Will's bare chest. It wasn't long until Nico drifted off
into a peaceful sleep.
-------------------------------------------------------
Nico scrunched his face up when he felt something wet hit his cheek. He mumbled
something incoherent and buried his face into his warm pillow. He sighed and
hugged his pillow closer to him. When he felt the wetness again, he cracked an
eye open.
Will grinned down at him. A droplet of water from the blond's wet hair hit Nico
on his forehead. Nico's eyes slowly traveled down, realizing that Will was clad
only in a towel. His eyes shot back up and blinked at the blond. “Good morning,
Nico,” Will moaned out, biting down on his lip.
“Five more minutes,” Nico mumbled before rolling back onto his side.
Will chuckled. “But you need to get up. You're going to be leaving in a little
over an hour.”
Nico groaned. “Fine. I need to get a shower.”
Will trailed his fingers down Nico's bare torso. “Maybe I should have woken you
up earlier then. Or you could always go join Apollo in his.”
Nico glared up at the blond. “I think I'll just go back to my suite.”
Will shrugged and climbed off of Nico. He stood up and pulled out some boxer-
briefs from his dresser. Nico's face turned completely red as Will unfastened
his towel, letting it fall to the floor. Nico's mouth fell open a little as he
stared at Will's perky butt. The blond bent over, giving him a better view, and
slid on his underwear.
Nico mentally slapped himself to get himself out of his daze. He swung his legs
out of the bed and sat there, ruffling his messy hair. He stared up when Will
came to stand in between his legs. “You're cute when you sleep,” Will said,
winking at the boy.
Nico sighed. “Shut up,” he grumbled.
Will smirked and leaned towards Nico. “You should sleep over more often.”
“If I do, we still won't be having sex.”
Will bit down on his bottom lip. “We'll see about that.” He cocked his head to
the side. “I don't suppose I could get another kiss? You have nice lips.”
Nico cleared his throat and averted his gaze from the blond's blue eyes. “I
don't know.”
Will pouted at him. “Just a quick one?”
Nico sighed. He stood up and leaned up to press a quick kiss to the corner of
Will's mouth. But before Nico could slip away, Will grabbed his face and
crashed their mouths together. Nico's eyes went wide. He opened his mouth to
protest, but the blond only used that to his advantage, slipping his tongue
inside. Nico kicked himself when he let out a moan.
“I hate you,” Nico mumbled when Will pulled away.
The blond grinned down at him. “Why, because you enjoyed it?”
Nico glared at him. “You said a quick kiss.”
Will shrugged. “Just be thankful I didn't get you naked in your sleep.”
Nico rolled his eyes and slid out of Will's track shorts. The blond's eyes
raked across Nico's exposed flesh, until it was covered by his swim trunks.
“Bye,” Nico said, finally looking back at Will. “Thanks for letting me crash
here.”
Will smiled and shrugged. “Like I said, feel free to crash here any time you
want.”
Nico nodded and opened the blond's door. He walked down the hall and exited the
suite. The Stolls were walking towards the elevator when he came out. “Hurry
up, Nico,” Travis called back.
“Don't want to be late,” Connor added.
“Or Luke will come after your ass,” they finished together.
Nico sighed as he opened his door. He still hated how they did that. It made
him feel like he should be riding on a tricycle, down a creepy hallway. Did all
twins do that? Nico closed the door to his suite and stopped.
Percy sat at the island in the kitchen, already sipping at some coffee. “Yes,
you can help yourself to that,” Nico said sarcastically.
Percy chuckled. “I didn't think you'd mind,” he replied. He arched an eyebrow
as he took another sip. “You didn't sleep here last night?”
Nico shook his head. “I crashed with Will.”
Percy's lips tilted down as he sat his mug down. “I see. I trust that
everything stayed family friendly?”
Nico cocked an eyebrow. “Jealous?”
A sly grin spread out on Percy's lips. “Just seeing if I need to change your
work schedule.”
Nico pursed his lips. He swallowed a lump in his throat. “No, nothing
happened,” he grumbled. “Will and Apollo just suggested that I sleep there,
since Jason was screaming his head off.”
Percy nodded. “All right. Well, you should get ready. You'll be leaving soon,”
Percy grinned, “and I doubt you want your sister to be alone with the others.”
Nico paled. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath. He quickly headed for his
room, ignoring the laughter echoing from behind him.
He kept his trunks on, while he gathered some clothes to change into later. He
grabbed a second shirt to put on after his shower and headed for the bathroom.
He quickly washed off, not wanting to chance his sister arriving before he
could get to the lobby.
When he was done, he quickly dried his hair and brushed his teeth. He put on
some deodorant and slipped into his trunks and shirt. He ran back to his room
and got a pair of sandals. He grabbed his phone, wallet, and spare clothes, and
headed out the door.
As he made a beeline for the front door, Percy grabbed his wrist. The smaller
boy was pulled back and forced to face Percy. “What?” Nico asked. “I'm in a
hurry.”
Percy frowned. “Yeah, well, it can wait a moment. I'm sorry I had to run like
that last night.”
Nico shrugged. “It's fine, I guess.”
Percy tugged at the hem of Nico's shirt. “And I was rather enjoying myself, as
I know you were.” He gave Nico a wink.
Nico's cheeks turned pink. Why was Percy so charming? Nico learned by this
point that one look from those green eyes, and he would probably give Percy
anything he wanted. It really wasn't fair. “I, uh, need to get going,” Nico
fumbled, nodding his head towards the door.
Percy smiled down at him, removing his hands from Nico. The brown-eyed boy
swallowed the lump in his throat and stumbled backwards, his back coming in
contact with the door. Percy chuckled at him before he disappeared out of the
suite.
When he arrived in the lobby, he was horrified to find Bianca and Daedalus
sitting in the lounging area with the others that were going to the water park.
He hurried over to them. “Bianca, whatever they said, don't listen to them.
They are compulsive liars,” he said.
Bianca blinked at him before raising a brow. “They were just telling me how
much they enjoy having you here,” she replied.
Nico glared around at the other Lost Kids. Luke and Octavian sat on the
opposite couch, with Annabeth squished between them. Travis sat in a chair
between the couches, with Connor sprawled out across his lap. Juniper was
perched on the arm of the chair, where Connor had his feet resting in her lap.
Silena, Reyna, and Zoë stood off to the side. All of them grinned innocently at
Nico.
Luke stood up. “Now that you're here, we can get going,” the blond said, giving
Nico a look that let the raven haired boy know he was annoyed with him for
being late. “Annabeth, how many cars do we need?”
Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. “I swear, you can be so lazy sometimes,”
she grumbled. Her grey eyes did a quick scan of everyone around her. “Three
people to a vehicle. So, three, if you want to divide evenly.”
Luke shrugged. “Doesn't matter to me. Someone can always sit in someone's lap.”
“That might be good,” Juniper piped in, “so that our guests don't have to
drive.”
“It's not a problem,” Daedalus said.
Luke shrugged again. “Okay, but I think we were just trying to help you with
your lady,” the blond said. Daedalus tilted his head to the side.
“By getting her to sit in your lap,” Travis said with a grin.
Daedalus's face turned a little pink, while Bianca coughed and looked away.
“Can we just go?” Octavian grumbled.
Luke grunted and pulled out his car keys. As they all walked to the elevator,
Nico fell into step beside Luke. “I'd prefer you not help someone get into my
sister's pants,” he hissed.
Luke smirked. “Someone in your family needs to get laid,” the blond replied.
As they rode down in the elevator, Silena attempted to make small talk with
Nico's sister. He heard the Lost Girl complement her on her hair. In the
parking garage, Nico clung to his sister. He wasn't about to let them be alone
with her, not on his watch.
“How do you want to split up?” Luke asked Annabeth.
The blonde shrugged. “Doesn't matter to me,” she replied. “I can take Juniper,
Nico, Bianca, Daedalus, and Reyna.”
Those that Annabeth listed off climbed into the blonde's car. Nico sat in the
backseat. Juniper sat on his right, while Daedalus sat on his left, with Bianca
in his lap. Annabeth cranked her car, while Reyna attempted to find something
to listen to. “Why must you have nothing to listen to?” The dark haired girl
complained. “All you have are these lectures from all these important smart
people.”
Daedalus seemed to perk up, and Nico figured he knew which Lost Kid the brunet
would be talking to during the day. Annabeth just rolled her eyes before
pulling out of her parking space. She followed Luke's car out of the garage,
and they were on their way.
The one thing Nico was disappointed about with having his sister and her
boyfriend in the car was that he couldn't talk about some of the things he
wanted to. “Where is this water park anyways?” Nico asked.
“San Dimas,” Annabeth said plainly.
Nico blew out a breath. Well, they were going to be stuck in the car for at
least half an hour, probably close to double that. Great, Nico thought. And as
if he knew what Nico was thinking, Daedalus went and opened his mouth. “So,
Juniper, do I pick up on a British accent?”
The girl smiled at him. “You do. I just moved here recently,” Juniper replied.
“You look really young,” Bianca pointed out. “How old are you?”
“I'm nineteen.”
The two of them nodded. Nico caught Annabeth staring at them in the rearview
mirror. “Well, what brought you out here? Parents move you, or was this your
decision?”
Nico noticed the amber haired girl's lip twitch as she tried to maintain her
smile. “No, my parents are back in England.” She glanced up at Annabeth. “Percy
asked me to make the move.”
Bianca nodded her head. “I wanted to thank all of you for helping to take care
of my brother,” she said, patting Nico on the leg. “He actually looks better
and healthier than when he was at home.”
“It's not a problem at all,” Annabeth said from the front seat. “He takes care
of himself, for the most part. And he's not that much trouble.” Nico glared at
her through the mirror, which she chose to ignore.
The rest of the car ride was, for the most part, uneventful. Nico and Juniper
ended up falling asleep, using each other as pillows. He was eventually shaken
awake by his sister. “What?” He grumbled.
“We're here, brat,” she replied.
Nico narrowed his eyes at her. “You know I don't like being called that.”
“Just making up for lost time.”
------------------------------------------------
Nico sat on the edge of one of the pools with Juniper. Reyna and Octavian were
nearby, bickering about something. Suddenly, Reyna rolled her eyes and shoved
the blond's shoulder, pushing him into the pool. Octavian popped his head back
up and sputtered at the dark haired girl. Reyna cackled at him, and the blond
used this to his advantage by yanking on Reyna's leg and pulling her in with
him.
“Your sister seems nice,” Juniper mused.
“Thanks,” Nico said, smiling. He stared over at his sister, who was hopping red
and yellow circles in the middle of the pool with her boyfriend. Nico let out a
sigh. “I just worry what will happen if she finds out.”
Juniper squeezed his hand. “I doubt she'll hate you. She loves you.”
“But she wouldn't approve of what I'm doing. She wouldn't even approve of my
infatuation with Percy, if she knew what he was really like.”
Juniper's lips tilted down into a minute frown. “And what is Percy really like?
I thought he was the sweet and charming guy that we all know and love,” she
retorted.
Nico frowned at her. “You know what I mean. If she found out he has killed
people, that he'll probably kill again, she would throw a fit with me living
anywhere near him.”
Juniper shrugged. “What's she going to do? If Percy doesn't want to hand you
over, she can't really do anything about it. But, then again, I suppose it
comes down to your decision. If you don't want to leave, Percy isn't going to
let her take you.”
The brown-eyed boy sighed and looked out at the pool, watching the others enjoy
themselves. Luke and Silena were talking, which seemed to draw Octavian's
attention from time to time. Travis and Connor had seemingly disappeared, which
had Nico slightly worried. Not for their safety, but for what they might be up
to.
“Am I stupid for liking Percy?” Nico asked, turning back to Juniper.
The girl shook her head. “I don't think so. He seems fond of your company as
well.”
Nico shrugged. “I just know that nothing can really come from it. He's right,
he can never give me what I want.”
Juniper gave him a sympathetic smile. “You never know.”
“But he can't give me a committed relationship, even if he did like me. All
because of his stupid method for handling the Lost Kids.”
Juniper's lips tilted down. “It's not stupid.” She pursed her lips and kicked
at the water. “It's better than some alternative methods that the other
managers use. You should hear some of the stories Grover has to tell about
Kronos.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Who's Grover?” He asked.
Juniper's smile returned. “He's a sweet guy. He works for Kronos, like Leo and
Rachel work for Percy. He should be here for the manager meeting.”
Nico smirked at her. “Do you like him?”
The girl's cheeks darkened slightly. “Maybe,” she mumbled. She frowned and
shook her head. “But, nothing can come of it.”
“Why not? You could just move to Kronos's hotel.”
Juniper shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “I don't want to, and Grover won't
let me.”
Nico's brow furrowed. This Kronos didn't sound like a very good person. Ever
since Nico had heard his name, it had been a lot of negative things, except
from Percy. “What's this Kronos like?”
The amber haired girl chewed on her lip. “I don't want to talk about him. He's
like the mirror opposite of Percy.” She swallowed. “Just know that Percy's
methods are preferred by those of us that know what some of the other managers
do.”
“Juniper!” Zoë called. “Can you come here for a moment?”
The amber haired smiled at Nico and patted him on the back as she stood up.
Nico sat there, staring at the water. He checked his arms to make sure he
wasn't burning. He had put on sun tan lotion, but he was pale enough that he
felt he needed to worry about his skin. He frowned and stood up, yanking up his
trunks. He let out a sigh. Even though he had gotten back to his normal
physique, he was still extremely skinny.
He yelped as he was picked up and tossed over someone's shoulder. He lifted his
head to glare at the back of Luke's head. “What do you think you're doing?”
Nico growled at him.
“Your sister wanted to go on the Dragon's Den,” Luke grumbled.
“And? What does that have to do with you going caveman on me?”
“You need someone to ride with you.”
He finally sat Nico down in front of his sister. She arched an eyebrow at them,
which earned her a glare from her brother. Damn Luke, he was going to give his
sister ideas about the two of them. The blond just arched an eyebrow at him and
grabbed a raft for the two of them, holding it behind his back.
“He's cute,” Bianca whispered in his ear.
Nico's cheeks tinged pink. “Shut up,” he muttered under his breath.
When they reached the front of the line, Daedalus smiled and sat down in his
and Bianca's raft before helping his girlfriend to sit down in front of him.
Nico watched as they disappeared down the slide. “I'm surprised,” Luke said
once they were gone.
Nico sighed and turned his head to look at the blond. “About what?” He asked.
“Your sister is actually tolerable. Why can't you be like her?”
“Ha ha ha. You're so funny.”
Luke smirked and sat the raft down. Nico glared at him while he took his place
in between the blond's legs. “While you're down there...” Luke said with a
grin.
Nico turned his head to give Luke a death glare. “If you want to keep your
manhood, shut up.”
Luke chuckled before shoving them off. They laughed as the raft shot down into
a drop. They shot through the dark tube, until they emerged in a large bowl,
where water was being poured in from several corners. They slowly drifted
around the bowl. Nico's pulse slowly picked up as the raft turned around in the
water, so that they were now going backwards.
He laughed and yelled as they hit the slide, where they descended rapidly. When
they hit the bottom, however, they hit a bump upon reaching the end of the
slide. Nico's hands slid loose from the handles on the side and he flew a few
inches into the air.
Nico's eyes widened as he hovered there for a moment. It was only for a few
seconds, though, until a strong arm latched around his chest and pulled him
back down. His heart pounded in his chest as he tilted his head to look up at
Luke. His blue eyes looked slightly panicked, until he realized Nico was
staring at him. He then mumbled something under his breath and looked away from
the raven haired boy.
Luke shoved Nico out of the raft before standing up himself. They climbed out
of the water, via some steps, while the attendant picked up their raft. Bianca
smiled at him, possibly not having noticed what almost happened. “Wasn't that
fun?” She beamed.
Nico smiled and nodded his head, glancing at Luke as he brushed past. “It was
something,” Nico mumbled.
After that, they met back up with the others and headed for food. They found a
spot and moved two tables together. Nico wasn't sure if the twins had made up
or if they were just putting on a show for Bianca and Daedalus, but they seemed
to be getting along. Now that he thought about it, since yesterday, he really
hadn't seen any of the Lost Kids fighting.
Nico sat beside his sister, sharing some of the ice cream that she had gotten.
As predicted, Daedalus had begun to converse with Annabeth about things that
Nico didn't really understand. All he knew was that there were a lot of big
words being exchanged.
“You want some, Con?” Travis asked his brother.
Connor made a face as he stared down at the food in front of his brother. “You
put hot sauce on it. No thanks,” the other brunet mumbled.
“Don't be a baby.”
Connor frowned at his brother. “You know I don't like hot sauce on my food.”
Travis picked up a nacho and waved it in front of his brother. “Come on. This
one doesn't have that much on it.”
Connor sighed and opened his mouth, allowing his brother to shove the chip into
his mouth. Nico's eyes traveled back to his sister, who was watching the twins
from the corner of her eye. She cleared her throat and turned to face the
girls. “So, how is it that only Silena has a boyfriend? All of you are so
pretty,” she assessed.
“Men are jerks,” Zoë mumbled, poking at her salad. Her eyes darted over to
Daedalus. “No offense.”
The brunet shrugged. “None taken,” he assured her.
Annabeth threw on a fake smile, so well done that even Nico had a hard time
seeing through it. “We just haven't found the right guy yet. Or maybe we have,
and they just haven't realized it yet,” the blonde answered.
Bianca gave her a sympathetic smile. “I'm sure he'll come around. You're very
pretty, and smart. A guy would be an idiot not to like you,” she replied.
Nico frowned as he took another bite of ice cream. Annabeth liked someone? Why
hadn't he noticed? Maybe she didn't want anyone to know. Did any of the others
know?
The table was quiet for a few minutes, until Luke sneezed. “God bless you,”
Bianca said.
Octavian tensed next to his brother. Annabeth's eyes flickered over to the
blond beside her, trying to catch his eye. However, the blond had his icy blue
eyes burning a hole through Bianca. “Fuck your god,” he barked before abruptly
standing up and walking off.
Bianca's mouth hung open as she stared after him. “I-I didn't mean anything by
it. It was just a habit,” she fumbled.
Annabeth shook her head as Octavian quietly got up and went after his brother.
“Don't worry about it,” Silena voiced. “You didn't know.”
Bianca chewed on her lip. “Nico, would you go make sure he knows I didn't mean
to upset him?”
Nico nodded and stared over at Annabeth, silently asking if it was a good idea.
The blonde shrugged and Nico let out a breath. He walked off from the table,
heading in the direction he had last seen the blue-eyed blond. He spotted the
two brothers sitting on an empty table, Octavian busy trying to get his brother
to talk to him.
“Hey,” Nico said quietly.
Both of the brothers turned their icy blue gazes on him. “What do you want?”
Octavian spat venomously.
“Bianca didn't mean anything by it,” Nico continued, ignoring Octavian. “It was
just the way we were raised.”
“I've never heard you say it,” Luke grumbled.
Nico shrugged. “I sort of stopped caring about religion after realizing my
sexuality.”
Luke chuckled. “Maybe you're smarter than I thought.”
Nico hesitantly sat down on Luke's other side. “You don't like religion I take
it?”
“What gave it away?”
“Luke,” Octavian hissed.
Luke held up his hand, still facing Nico. “It's fine.” He frowned at Nico.
“Your parents were religious?” Octavian frowned, but looked at Nico, waiting
for his answer as well.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Nico answered. “They were a little different. My
mother was more spiritual than religious. I don't think she cared that much
when I told my parents I was gay. It was just my father. He's a very
intimidating man.”
The brothers continued to stare at him, lips both set into thin lines. “What
about your father?” Octavian asked.
Nico chewed on his lip before letting out a breath. “He was an Italian
immigrant. I guess you could say he's a traditional Catholic. I never cared
much for it as I got older,” the brown-eyed boy continued. “My sister isn't
really religious either. What she said was just an old habit.”
Luke turned his head to look at his brother, who frowned back at him. Luke
arched an eyebrow and Octavian shook his head. “Fine,” Luke muttered.
Nico leaned back on his hands. “I take it your parents were religious?” He
asked.
“I think it would be best if we got back to the others,” Octavian said cooly.
He stood up and placed his hands on his hips.
Nico frowned at the thin blond. Octavian had a slightly similar build to that
of the twins. He wasn't muscular like his brother. He did have a lean torso,
but didn't quite have the abs that some of the other Lost Boys managed to have.
His skin was around the same tone as Nico's, seemingly enhancing his hair and
eyes. He was tall like his brother, having long legs.
Luke sighed and stood up as well. “I suppose we should. Come on, brat,” the
blond agreed.
Nico rolled his eyes and followed the other two back to the others. The three
of them looked up when they heard thunder. Dark clouds were moving in above
them. When they arrived at the table, Annabeth had already tasked herself with
getting everyone else ready to leave.
On their way back to the cars, it started to pour down rain. And by the time
they reached the vehicles, they were all soaking wet. They placed their towels
in the seats and climbed in, deciding to wait until they got back to the hotel
to change into dry clothes.
After a long, boring, and quiet drive back, they pulled into the parking garage
of the hotel. Nico asked Annabeth if it would be all right if Bianca and
Daedalus came up to their floor to change. Annabeth and Luke looked at each
other, and the Lost Boy pulled out his phone.
“Percy?” Luke said. “Yeah, we just got back. Is it all right if Bianca and
Daedalus come up to change?”
Nico glanced over to his sister, who was talking with her boyfriend, unaware of
the conversation being had about them. He didn't want them to feel unwanted
around the hotel, so he was thankful she wasn't hearing this. But at the same
time, he didn't want to risk them seeing something they didn't need to.
Luke nodded. “Yeah. Okay,” Luke continued on his call with Percy. He finally
hung up and shrugged. “He says it's fine. Jason is passed out, so you should be
fine in your suite. Just don't let them go into the blond's room.”
Nico nodded. They boarded the elevator and headed up to their floor. “Wow,”
Bianca breathed out as they reached the Lost Kids' floor.
Percy came around the corner as they were exiting the elevator. He pursed his
lips to hide his amusement at seeing them all soaked. “Don't say it,” Zoë
growled.
Percy smiled. “Don't be like that, Zoë,” he chuckled.
Zoë rolled her eyes and shoved Percy away. “Not right now. I need to dry off.”
Percy only grinned wider. “Playing hard to get again?” He followed the girl
back to her room.
Nico sighed and led his sister and Daedalus to his room. He opened his door and
stepped inside, relieved to hear complete silence. “Your boss seems like a
flirt,” Bianca pointed out.
“Maybe a little,” Nico replied, a forced smile on his face. He gestured to the
bathroom. “Bathroom is straight back.”
Bianca nodded and headed to the bathroom. “Where can I change?” Daedalus asked.
“Um.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “My room? I can get changed in the
closet.”
“There's a joke in that, I'm sure of it,” the brunet joked. Nico laughed
lightly before leading his sister's boyfriend into his room. “Damn. This really
is a nice place.”
Nico nodded. “I'm still getting used to it.”
He stepped into his closet and shut the door. He flipped on the light switch
and proceeded to strip himself of his clothing. He went ahead and dressed
himself in his work clothes, since it was getting close to time for him to head
up to the bar. He knocked on the door.
“I'm decent,” Daedalus called.
Nico opened the door to find Bianca in the room. “Can you give us a minute?”
She asked her boyfriend. The brunet nodded and stepped out of the room.
Nico licked his lips to wet them and sat down beside his sister on his bed.
“What's up?” He asked.
“I didn't want to ask this, but then I saw the razor in your bathroom. I know
you don't shave, Nico. So what is it for?” She asked. “I'd have to be blind to
not notice that the hair on your arms and legs is missing.”
Nico swallowed. He shrugged his shoulders. “It's not a big deal. There's no
real reason behind it.”
Bianca pursed her lips as she searched his eyes. “The other boys didn't have
body hair either.”
Nico shrugged again. “It's just a trend around here, I guess.”
His sister sighed. “I'm just worried about you. You're staying in this place
without any adult supervision.”
“A few of the other Lo-” Nico cut himself off. He cleared his throat. “Others.
A few of the others are twenty-one, or older.”
Bianca narrowed her eyes. “How old is Percy? If he's in charge around here, I
expect him to be capable of taking care of you.”
“I don't think that is a problem,” Nico mumbled. He coughed and looked away
from his sister. “He's twenty.”
Bianca's mouth fell open a little. “Twenty?” She hissed. “This place is being
run by children. You might as well be living in Neverland with Peter Pan, or
the Children of the Corn.”
Nico glanced off to the side. If only she knew the half of it. “It's not a big
deal, B,” he assured her. “I'm fine. Percy is very mature for his age.” He
frowned to himself. Sometimes, he added in his head.
Bianca sighed and placed her hand on top of Nico's. “If something happens,
anything that might make you uncomfortable, let me know.”
Nico shrugged and shook his head lightly. “And what will happen? I can't come
home,” he reasoned. “Nor do I want to, not as long as dad is there. I don't
want to see him again.”
“I can figure something out. Maybe you could live with Daedalus.”
Nico frowned at his sister before glancing at the door. “I'm fine here, I
promise.”
Bianca let out a long sigh. “If you're sure,” the brunette whispered.
“I promise that I'll let you know if that ever changes.”
But would he? Would he let himself be taken out of this place? He didn't know.
Even if Percy scared him at times, he wasn't sure he wanted to away from the
green-eyed young man. The young man had become a prominent figure in Nico's
life, as all of the Lost Kids had. And even if they were dysfunctional at
times, they were his family now. Nico couldn't help but think back to Percy's
haunting words.
Once a Lost Kid, you never leave.
***** The Torture of a Teasing Kiss *****
Nico forced a spoonful of mashed potatoes down his throat, trying to avoid
Daedalus's watchful eyes. The brunet had been staring at him a lot since they
sat down for lunch. Although, it was still better than the looks he was getting
from Kelli and Tammi. Nico really didn't understand why they sat with them if
they hated him.
“So, how long is Jason supposed to be out of school?”
Nico choked on his potatoes. “Um, possibly another week or two.” He grabbed his
drink and washed down the food. “He's pretty sick.”
Tammi pouted. “Poor Jason. Maybe we should drop by and check on him.”
Nico fought the urge to groan. If there really was a god, he must hate Nico at
the moment. Luckily, Kelli seemed to be on his side. The girl rolled her eyes.
“I'd prefer not to catch what he has. Besides, you probably just want to get
into his pants, again.”
Tammi flipped her hair over her shoulder with a huff. Daedalus rolled his eyes
and turned back to Nico. “But he's okay, right?” He asked in a lowered voice.
The brown-eyed boy nodded. “Yeah, the doctor said he just needed rest. A lot of
rest. And he doesn't need to get visitors.” Nico groaned as everyone looked at
him weird. He was nervous, he couldn't help it.
Percy would kill him if he exposed the hotel. And knowing what he knew now, he
didn't rule out the possibility of that statement being completely accurate.
Even if everyone had been making the point that he shouldn't fear that Percy
would hurt him, the fear still remained. It wasn't as prominent when Percy was
actually there, smiling and being charming, but it haunted his mind when
distant from the young man.
Nico sighed and looked back at the brunet across from him. “So, can I ask you a
favor, Daedalus?”
The brunet shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Sure, if I can ask you
a personal question.”
The short raven haired boy furrowed his brow. He wasn't sure if he was going to
like this question. “Um, sure, I guess.” He clicked his tongue. “So, you know
I'm taking Microeconomics, right?”
“I think you mentioned something about it before.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “Would you mind helping me? I think I might need a
tutor.”
Daedalus chuckled and took a bite of his spaghetti. “I was actually surprised
you were in there. Taking it early?” He scratched his head. “Why are you even
taking it if it's giving you trouble?”
Nico shrugged innocently. “Percy set up my schedule here. I guess he figured I
could handle it.”
The brunet sighed. “Well, you are a smart kid. But, sure, if you need some
help, I'd be glad to help you out,” he said with a smile.
Nico brightened. “Great! So, what was it you wanted to ask me?”
Daedalus pursed his lips, twisting his fork around in his food. “Actually, it's
good that you mentioned Percy, since it's about him.”
The raven haired boy bit down on his lip, nearly drawing blood. This wasn't
going to be good. “What about him?” He asked hesitantly.
The taller youth tapped a finger on the lunchroom table while he stared at
Nico. The others had, thankfully, distracted themselves with their own
conversation. “Didn't you tell me you had a crush on someone named Percy?”
Nico felt his heart stop for a second, his blood running cold. This wasn't good
at all. If this got back to Bianca...
“I, uh, might have said something like that,” Nico chuckled nervously, rubbing
the back of his neck.
Daedalus blinked at him with a frown. “Does he know? Isn't that a little
unprofessional?” He let out a sigh. “I just want to be better aware of things.
After my last slip up, I don't need to mess up with your sister any more.”
Nico pursed his lips. “Percy's been nice to me. There's nothing to worry
about.” Not really anyways, Nico thought. “And, yes, he knows I like him.” Nico
poked at his food. “But I know nothing is going to come of it. It's just a
harmless crush.”
The brunet nodded, some light reflecting in his glasses. “He hasn't
been...inappropriate with you, has he?”
Nico, who had tried to take a drink, nearly choked. “No,” he hissed. He wanted
to curse himself for having to lie. But it was for the best. Bianca definitely
did not need to learn about what went on between Percy and Nico. If she ever
found out about that, or what Percy had Nico doing for a job, she would flip
her shit.
Daedalus eyed him carefully, apparently not convinced. “If something ever
happens that you're not comfortable with, you should tell me. Your sister is a
little worried about you living there.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “She's overreacting. There's nothing to worry about.”
Daedalus arched his brow. “Besides the place being run by kids?” He chuckled
and shook his head. “Sounds like something someone should write a book about.”
Nico's eyes darted off to the side. If only he knew the half of it. Nico
shrugged his shoulders. “Don't worry about me, I'm fine. And Bianca worries too
much, she always has.”
The rest of lunch moved by rather quickly for Nico. Before he knew it, he was
sitting in his last class of the day. Cal had glared at him when he had
entered, but had kept quiet, much like he had been doing ever since Luke broke
his nose. His class had been calm and normal, until the intercom turned on.
“Yes, can Nico di Angelo come up to the principal's office,” came a high
pitched, nasally voice. It was obviously a male attempting to mask their voice
as a woman. The voice snorted, trying to hide laughter. Nico's brow furrowed as
he heard whispering in the background. “Yes, he's been terribly naughty and
needs to come here at once.”
There was scrambling as a second voice came over the intercom. “What do you two
think you are doing? I told you to wait right here-” Apparently the secretary
turned off the intercom, because that was all that was heard.
The teacher blinked up at the ceiling, staring at the speaker in confusion.
“Um, I guess you need to go to the principal's office, Nico,” she said.
There was some small laughter and whispers as Nico rose out of his desk and
left the room. What the hell was going on? He slung his backpack onto his
shoulder as he walked down the hall. He reached his destination and opened the
door, his eye twitching as he saw who was waiting for him.
The secretary, who had sounded annoyed on the intercom, was now blushing and
waving a hand in front of her face. The Stoll twins stood on the other side of
the counter, smiling at her flirtatiously. Nico smacked his face and slid his
hand down it.
“What are you two doing here?”
The two brunets turned around and smiled their signature Cheshire cat smile.
“There he is,” Travis beamed.
The secretary cleared her throat upon noticing Nico. “Now then, you two need to
behave yourselves. No more pulling stunts like that.”
Connor leaned on his brother's shoulder and smiled innocently at her. “We were
just having a bit of fun.”
Travis winked at her before pushing his brother and Nico out the door. “Have
fun at school today, Neeks? We thought we'd break you out early.”
Nico turned his head slightly to frown at the older twin. “Why do I have a
feeling that Percy didn't approve this?”
Connor shrugged his shoulders, a huge grin on his face. “We won't tell if you
won't. Besides, Percy is used to us doing stuff like this.”
Travis nodded his head in agreement. “He practically told us to do it when he
asked us to pick you up.”
Connor grinned wickedly at his brother. “I couldn't agree with you more.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I swear, you two are a lot of trouble.”
The twins shrugged. “All the best and most interesting people are,” Travis
retorted.
Connor's grin was replaced by a small smile. Nico's dark brown eyes drifted
down to the twins' hands. Connor brushed his fingers against Travis's,
attempting to hold his hand. Travis's eyes darted from his brother's to look
around at their surroundings. He pulled his hand away and turned his head away
from Connor. The younger twin frowned at his brother and sighed, but didn't say
anything.
Upon arriving at their car, Nico slipped into the back, letting Connor sit up
front with his brother. Were they going to start fighting again? Connor didn't
seem to be angry, just upset. Maybe a little hurt. Travis adjusted the radio as
he pulled away from the school.
The slightly taller brunet inched his fingers over to touch his brother's,
which were resting on the side of the seat. Connor looked over at his brother,
who was still watching the road. The younger twin rolled his blue eyes and
hooked their pinkies together, letting their hands rest in between them.
Nico stared at the two of them in wonder. He really was starting to wonder if
the two of them were really putting on an act, or if they really did have
feelings for each other. The lines felt blurred. He couldn't distinguish what
was an act and what was real with them.
Nico's eyes darted up to spot Travis watching him in the rearview mirror. His
brow furrowed as he stared at Nico. The raven haired boy quickly looked away,
feeling like he was intruding on something. He didn't really understand what
was going on, but from what he had already gathered, neither twin seemed
willing to open up about their situation.
---------------------------------------------------------
Nico sat down on the edge of the stage. Will sat down beside him, handing him a
towel. The brown-eyed boy smiled at him and began wiping the sweat from his
face. Monday had gone uneventfully at the hotel, which somewhat surprised Nico.
But, at the end of the night, Apollo had approached Nico about doing a number
with him, Will, and Connor on Friday.
Will turned to him after taking a swig from his water bottle. “So,” he began.
Nico arched an eyebrow at the blond. “So?”
Will smiled. “I was wondering if you wanted to do another number, with just
me.”
The shorter of the two shrugged. “Sure. Anything I need to know?”
Will's smile turned into a grin, his eyes roaming up and down Nico's body.
“Just that you need to wear that schoolboy costume again for the number.”
Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond. “Why do I have the feeling I'm going to
hate this?”
“Probably because he's going to molest you.”
They both looked up as Thalia approached the stage. Nico blinked at her.
“What's up?”
Thalia tilted her head to the side. “You need to come with me,” she replied.
Nico frowned and jumped off of the stage, tossing his towel back for Will to
catch. “Where are we going?” Nico asked as they descended the stairs.
Thalia turned her head to wink at Nico. “Well, for starters, we need to get you
into some fresh clothes. After that, we're going to run you over to see
Aphrodite. You need to be decked out for Christmas next month.”
Nico let out a groan as they stood in the elevator. “Great,” he mumbled.
He could only imagine what the crazy blonde woman would try to outfit him in.
Although, she had given him a good costume for Halloween. One that had drawn
Percy's attention. So, maybe this could work in his favor.
Once on their floor, Nico and Thalia entered his room. The Lost Girl glanced
down the hall with a frown. “I guess my brother is asleep?”
Nico shrugged. “He's been pretty quiet since Saturday.”
Thalia nodded her head and sat down on the couch. “Hurry up and get changed, we
only have so long before we need to be back for work.”
Five minutes later, Nico emerged from the bathroom, freshened up and in clean
clothes. Thalia smirked at him as she stood up and dragged him out the door by
his arm. As they were closing his door, Ethan stepped out of his suite.
Thalia's eyes lit up.
“Ethan!” The girl yelled.
The Asian boy cringed and froze. “What do you want, Thalia?” He mumbled.
The girl attempted to sling her arm around him, although she could barely reach
his shoulders, but he stepped away from her. The girl frowned at him. “So, I
was hoping for a favor. You see, Esperanza is still working on my car, and we
need to go shopping for Nico, so I was hoping you could help us out. That way,
I don't have to get a taxi.”
Ethan let out a long breath. “Must I? I wanted to enjoy myself before going to
work.”
Thalia batted her eyelashes at him, but Ethan didn't seem to be taken in by her
charms. He did roll his eye, though. “Whatever. I need to go shopping for
Butch's birthday anyways.”
Nico blinked. Why hadn't it ever occurred to him that he should find out when
everyone's birthday was? He felt a little guilty about this. They were supposed
to be his family, and he hadn't even thought to ask. “I, uh, suppose I need to
go shopping for him as well,” he mumbled.
Thalia grinned. “Then it's settled.” She clapped Ethan on the back. “Thanks,
Ethan.”
The Asian rolled his eye and grunted his response. The short girl winked at
Nico before following the tall Lost Boy towards the elevator. Nico cleared his
throat as they stood in the elevator. “I, um...” He frowned to himself. “So, I
sort of need to-”
“Ask us about our birthdays?” Thalia chuckled. “It's cool, Nico. Leo and Rachel
send out memos in our emails for these things. Not all of us can keep up with
everyone's birthdays.” She shrugged. “But it's good that people like Ethan can
remember, that way we can take care of shopping early.”
“I swear, if that woman touches me...” Ethan trailed off, fiddling with the
keys in his hands.
Thalia waved him off. “Don't mind him.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “I don't really know what to get Butch.” He looked
between Ethan and Thalia. “When is his birthday?”
Ethan stared at him with a bored expression. “The fifteenth.” The taller Lost
Boy shrugged, stifling a yawn. “Just get him a gift card, or something.”
Thalia rolled her eyes. “What a completely guy thing to say.” She turned to
Nico. “I'll help you find something, Nico.”
Nico smiled at her as they exited the elevator. Ethan clicked a button on his
keychain to unlock his car. It was a rather nice looking black sports car,
though, since Nico didn't know cars that well, he couldn't tell anything else
really about it. Thalia let him slide into the front, while she climbed into
the back.
Nico made a face as Ethan turned the volume up to near deafening levels as they
pulled out of the parking garage. He traveled through a lot of stations before
giving up and plugging in his phone to listen to his own music. Ethan liked
rock music, or it seemed that way from the selection he had on his phone. All
Nico knew was that every song that Ethan had was loud. Very loud.
They didn't talk the entire way to Aphrodite's Boutique, but perhaps that was
the way Ethan had wanted it. Ethan parked the car and turned off the ignition.
He stared at Thalia through the rearview mirror. “Well, here you are.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You can come in, you know.”
The Asian narrowed his brown eye at her. “I'd rather not.”
Thalia chuckled as she got out of the car. Without warning, she slung Ethan's
door open and dragged him out of the car. “Come on, have a little fun once in a
while.”
“There's a difference between fun and torture, Thals,” Ethan muttered as they
crossed the street.
As they opened the door, they found the skinny figure of Aphrodite behind the
counter, flipping through a magazine of half-naked men. She looked up from her
magazine with a bored expression, though it quickly changed to excitement upon
noticing them.
“There you are!” She exclaimed. She shimmied her way out from behind the
counter. “So, I hear you are in need of some Christmas attire for little Nico
here.” She winked one of her green eyes at the raven haired boy. “And I take it
that your costume went over well with the boss?”
“I'm going to be sick,” Ethan groaned.
Aphrodite's bright green eyes drifted past Nico, to stare at the Asian Lost
Boy. “Well, well, Ethan, it's been a while.”
Ethan narrowed his eye at her. “Not long enough.”
The blonde bit down on her cherry red lip and walked over to Ethan. “Still as
grumpy as ever.” She smiled and ran a perfectly manicured nail down his chest.
Ethan's one good eye looked murderous as he grabbed Aphrodite's wrist and flung
it away. “What have I told you about touching me?” He growled.
She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. “Life of the party as always,
Ethan.” She cleared her throat. “Now then, shall we find you something adorable
to wear?”
Nico stared at her in annoyance. “I don't want to be some cute and adorable
thing.”
The blonde tapped a finger to her lips. “What about some cute Santa shorts?”
She walked farther into the store, mumbling to herself. “Maybe a hat to go
along with it.”
While Aphrodite began roaming around the store, searching for anything that she
thought might suit Nico, Thalia began poking around on the girls' side of the
store. Nico arched an eyebrow at her. Having been in this business a month now,
he still wasn't comfortable enough to casually browse around this place like it
was a clothing store.
He glanced to his left, his eyes narrowing at a small piece of cloth with an
elephant over the crotch area. It even had a trunk. Nico squeezed it and it
made a squeaking sound. He let out a sigh before looking around the store.
Ethan had moved over to a corner, where he stood with his arms over his chest.
“Hey,” Nico said quietly, approaching the other Lost Boy.
“Sup, little man?”
Nico let his fingers trail along the items of a nearby rack as he walked around
the area Ethan stood. “So, you know Aphrodite? It sounded like you two knew
each other.”
Ethan scratched at his head with a frown. “Something like that.” His dark brown
eye roamed over to where Aphrodite was, narrowing at the sight of her. “I think
she had a lot to do with me swapping professions.” He shook his head. “I don't
have time to deal with people like her.”
Nico stopped moving and turned back around to face Ethan. “You used to strip?”
The taller Lost Boy brushed his thumb across his lip. “Yeah, for a little
while. Not very long. Percy ended up swapping me out.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Why? You're...attractive.”
Ethan chuckled. “Thanks, little man.” He sighed and uncrossed his arms, leaning
back to prop himself up with the wall. “Nah, Percy just saw that I wasn't cut
out for the job.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “But then again, I wasn't
supposed to flip clients over my head.”
Nico's eyes widened. “You...flipped a customer over your head? Why?”
Thalia turned her head at the sound of Nico's raised voice. Ethan frowned and
waved his hand at her, signaling to her that everything was fine. He let out a
sigh. “I didn't like them touching me.”
Nico took a step back. “Oh.”
Ethan chuckled, lighting up his features from his usual moody appearance. “No,
you're fine. It's a little more complicated than that,” he explained.
The pale boy nodded. “Was Percy...mad?” Nico asked, barely above a whisper.
Ethan clicked his tongue, pressing his shoulder to the wall. “Maybe a little
annoyed, but Percy is a man of patience.” The Lost Boy chuckled. “Clarisse said
he actually laughed when he saw it on the video tape, before they came into the
room.”
“What happened?”
The Asian young man shrugged. “The customer was upset, but mostly she was
stunned. She wasn't stupid enough to press charges or anything, but Percy did
offer to pay for her hospital visit.”
Nico blinked in surprise. “It was a woman?”
Ethan nodded, arching an eyebrow. “Yeah, why?”
“You did that to a woman?” Nico hissed.
Ethan nodded again. “What, are you going to complain about it? Clarisse and I
have had to get physical with women in our jobs, you know.” He lifted his hands
in a shrug. “For all their talk of feminism and equality, women still find it
appalling if a man hits her, or something. They hit and abuse men, and it's
just looked over, for the most part.” He rolled his good eye. “How is any of
that equal?”
Nico's brow furrowed as he opened and closed his mouth, not really sure how to
respond to that. He had never really given it any thought. His mother had just
always drilled into his head what it meant to be a gentleman.
A hand was placed on Nico's shoulder. The shorter boy turned his head to stare
at a smiling Thalia. “Is he on another rant on women?” She chuckled. She let
out a dramatic sigh. “Ethan, you're going to take away all hope that he might
ever come around to liking vagina.”
Both Ethan and Nico made a face at that. “We can only hope,” Ethan muttered.
Thalia grinned at him. “Come on, Nico, we need you to try some stuff on.”
When they neared the dressing rooms, they found Aphrodite already trying to
fill up one with holiday apparel. Thalia shook her head. Nico looked at the
Lost Girl with pleading eyes. He really didn't want to have to go through this
horror again.
Thalia rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Aphrodite, but we're on a bit of a tight
schedule today.”
Aphrodite came back out of the dressing room with a pout, a bell collar and
antlers in her hands. “Damn,” she muttered. “Fine, fine. I did put some things
in there. Go ahead and take a look, Nico.”
Nico quickly slipped past the blonde woman and closed the door behind him. He
looked around the dressing room with a frown. Some things? How much did she
consider a lot? The bench and chair had both been piled with clothes and
accessories. He sighed and began sifting through everything.
“How much stuff do I need?” Nico called through the door.
“A few things, but make sure you get enough to cover for all three positions.
You could end up working bar, so you should find something family friendly,”
Thalia called back. “Maybe five or six outfits? You'll do several stage numbers
if you end up stripping, so prepare for that.”
Nico sighed as he dropped an elf costume on the ground. He supposed it was
decent enough to be worn at the bar. Nico held up a nutcracker costume and
tilted his head to the side. This one wasn't so bad, and he could probably wear
it on either the stage or at the bar.
As he was stripping himself, the door swung open and Thalia slipped inside.
“What the hell?” Nico yelped.
Thalia waved a hand dismissively at him. She sat down on an empty chair.
“Figured we could make this faster if I sat in here.”
Nico quickly finished getting the nutcracker pants on before glaring at her. “I
don't know how I feel about this.”
Thalia tilted her head to the side, a smirk on her face. “What, the customers
can stare at you, but one of your own can't?” She rolled her eyes before
crossing her legs, in an unrefined manner. “I've seen all the other boys' junk,
Nico, it's not something I haven't seen.”
“Unfortunately for you, I don't have to get naked.”
Thalia arched an eyebrow and waved a red speedo at him. It had a black line at
the top, designed to look like a belt, and white fur around the leg holes. Nico
narrowed his eyes at her and snatched them out of her hands. “I can try those
on later.”
The Lost Girl rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever.” Her eyes flashed dangerously
as Nico held up a skimpy looking Santa outfit. There was no shirt, only
suspenders to place on his shoulders. The shorts probably wouldn't reach very
far down Nico's thighs, but that was probably the point. “Try it on.”
Nico sighed and got out of the nutcracker costume, depositing it on the floor.
He shimmied his hips into the tight shorts, frowning at his reflection in the
mirror. He covered his crotch, afraid that something might fall out of his
briefs and the shorts.
Thalia spun him around, and Nico turned his head to look at his backside in the
mirror. The shorts clung to his rear very tightly, but complemented his ass.
Thalia smirked and placed a Santa hat on top of Nico's head. The pale boy
turned back around, where Thalia popped his suspenders. Nico glared at her.
“I like it,” the Lost Girl said with a smile.
Nico slid the suspenders off of his shoulders, his lips tilting down. “What's
up with Ethan?”
Thalia frowned from where she was sitting, trying to sort through some outfit
options. “What do you mean?”
“Does he not like being touched?”
She sighed and pursed her lips. “It's just one of those things, Nico.
Complicated.” She tossed some things aside. “He has some issues, just like the
rest of us do.” She looked up at Nico with a serious expression. “Just please
don't go bluntly asking him about his past, like you do with some of us.”
Nico frowned as he slipped on another outfit. “That bad?”
“Yeah,” Thalia whispered. Her brow furrowed.
“So, is he gay?”
Thalia clicked her tongue and tossed a small hat at Nico's face. “Something
like that.”
It took nearly half an hour after that before Nico convinced Thalia that he had
enough things. As they were being checked out by Aphrodite, the woman sighed.
“I suppose I won't be seeing you again until Valentine's Day, little Nico.”
Thalia slung an arm around his shoulders. “Unless we need to get him some more
outfits.”
“I can only hope,” Nico said sarcastically.
Aphrodite clapped her hands together. “Don't worry, Nico, I'll find you
something super adorable to wear for my favorite holiday.”
“Oh god, please don't.”
The woman smirked to herself as she slipped Nico's receipt into his bag. She
winked at Ethan as he grabbed one of Nico's bags. The Asian made a face and
flipped her off. “See, that wasn't so bad,” Thalia mused as they exited the
building.
“I think I lost a few years off my life,” Ethan grumbled. He cracked his neck
and unlocked his car. “At least it's over and we can go shopping for Butch.”
They had barely buckled up before Ethan shot out of the small parking lot.
Nico's eyes widened as Ethan zoomed around some cars. Thalia, on the other
hand, looked perfectly calm as she messed around with her phone.
It took nearly fifteen minutes of bickering before Thalia and Ethan could
decide on a good store to try. Finally, Ethan caved and pulled up to a store
that Thalia had picked out. They all got out and Thalia slipped some quarters
into the parking meter. The doors slid open as they walked in, and both Lost
Boys were dragged into the store by the Lost Girl.
Ethan and Thalia found something for Butch rather easily, but Nico was having a
hard time with it. He suddenly felt like he knew nothing about Butch, and
perhaps he didn't. He sighed heavily as he looked around the shelves in front
of him.
“Problem?” Thalia voiced, stepping up beside Nico.
“I don't know what to get,” Nico confessed. He blew out another breath. “Is it
going to be like this for everyone?”
Thalia shrugged. “Maybe. Leo's birthday is at the end of the month, so get
ready to relive this.”
Nico groaned. “When is Percy's birthday anyways?”
The Lost Girl chuckled at him and ruffled his hair. “Figures you'd want to know
that.” She shrugged her shoulders. “You actually just missed it before you got
here.” She grinned wider when Nico frowned. “Yep, just a few weeks prior to
your arrival, the eighteenth of August.”
Nico pursed his lips and continued looking around the store. Thalia finally
smiled and picked up a box, handing it to Nico. His brow furrowed as he looked
at the box. “This? It's a set of horse bookends.”
Thalia nodded. “Yeah. Butch loves horses.”
The raven haired boy waved the box in front of her face. “But bookends?”
She shrugged. “He likes to read.” The girl chewed on her lip as the began
walking again. “I mean, he didn't get the chance to read very much growing up.
So, when Percy helped him learn, he sort of made it his hobby. He loves them,
and comics. He just likes to read.”
Nico slowly nodded and clutched the box closer to himself. Perhaps this was a
good present then. Ethan was waiting for them at the front of the store to
check out. “Can we go home now?” Ethan grumbled as the checkout girl finished
up with Thalia's purchase. She smiled flirtatiously at both of the Lost Boys,
but Ethan seemed to ignore her.
Thalia rolled her eyes before thanking the clerk. They walked out of the store
and made their way back over to Ethan's car. “You should get out more,” Thalia
sighed, sliding into her seat.
Ethan turned around to place his purchase into the seat beside Thalia, making
sure to sneer at the girl as he did so. “I'm happier at the hotel.”
------------------------------------------------------------
Nico walked into the Lotus on Friday, having been dropped off by his sister. He
stopped when he spotted Percy sitting in one of the lounge areas with that
young man that Nico had seen with Clarisse the other day. Chris? Percy was
discussing something with him.
Nico hadn't seen much of Percy over the past week, and he really didn't know
why. It didn't feel like the young man was avoiding Nico. But he had, maybe,
managed to see the manger three times during the entire week. And only brief
moments.
Nico walked over to them hesitantly. He never knew when he might be stumbling
on something secret with the people around here. But Percy just smiled at him
and signaled to him that it was okay to approach. He tugged on one of Nico's
belt loops when the brown-eyed boy was close enough, yanking Nico down on the
couch beside him.
“Nico, this is Chris,” Percy introduced them.
Chris smiled at Nico. “We've met.”
Percy tilted his head to the side and looked at Nico, who nodded. “Yeah, a few
days ago, when Clarisse was taking me to school.”
Percy's lips tilted up as his green eyes darted back over to Chris, who ducked
his head. “Is that so?” Percy said with a grin.
Chris shrugged. “Just talking.”
Percy slowly nodded his head. “Of course. So you've said before.”
Chris just rolled his eyes and leaned across the space between the couches to
shake Nico's hand. “Still, it's nice to formally meet, Nico. We didn't get much
a introduction last time.” He leaned back and smiled. “Chris Rodriguez.”
Nico nodded. “Why aren't you a Lo-”
Percy's hand was clapped over Nico's mouth, a charming smile on his lips.
“Chris was very fortunate to not have to endure a life on the streets.” He shot
Nico a look to keep his mouth shut.
Nico nodded and Percy took his hand away. Chris eyed them funny. “Yeah. It
really sucks that some of my co-workers weren't as fortunate,” he replied
casually.
Percy rested his elbow on the arm of the couch, dropping his cheek onto his
fist. “Chris works under Clarisse and Ethan for my security team, and he's been
helping me keep an eye on Jason when I'm busy.”
Chris smiled and stood up. “Speaking of which, I guess I need to go do that.
Thanks again for offering me a promotion, Percy. I'll think it over and get
back to you.”
Percy nodded and Chris walked off. He slid an arm around Nico's shoulders, his
eyes drifting closed. “You need to watch your mouth.” He smirked. “There are
staff members in this hotel that don't know about the top floor, you know.”
Nico pursed his lips and nodded. “Sorry, it won't happen again.” He turned his
head to watch Chris board an elevator. “What kind of promotion is he getting?”
Percy opened his eyes and looked down at Nico. “I was thinking about exposing
him to what really goes on around here. But, that's his call. Clarisse and
Ethan need some more help, and I think he's a good man for the job,” the
manager explained. He let out a long breath. “Perhaps certain Lost Kids won't
be happy about it, but I feel it's a good call.”
Nico tilted his head to the side as he stared up at Percy. “Who would
complain?”
A smirk crept onto Percy's lips. He leaned in closer, until Nico could feel the
young man's breath on his face. “Don't worry yourself over that,” Percy
whispered. He leaned back and smiled. “How was school?”
“Boring, as always. Daedalus has started to tutor me in Microeconomics.” Nico
scratched his cheek. “I'm going to go over to his house next Sunday for
tutoring.”
Percy smiled. “Good. I'm glad to hear that you're taking the initiative on
keeping your grades up.” He ran his middle finger along Nico's thigh. “Also, I
look forward to your performances tonight. I hear they will be quite
interesting.”
Nico rolled his eyes with a smile. “Maybe you should get a private show.”
Percy chuckled. “Maybe another time.” Percy grunted as his phone went off. He
pulled it out of his pocket and stared at Leo's name on the screen. “Yeah?
What's up?” He patted Nico on his thigh before standing up. “Yeah, I asked her
to drop by today. I wanted to make sure she was okay for the party.” The green-
eyed young man rubbed at his eyes, stifling a yawn. “Okay, I'll be right up.”
He hung up the phone before sliding it back into his pocket.
“Business calls?” Nico asked, arching a brow.
The young man smirked at him. “You're learning.” He bent down so that he was at
eye level with Nico. “I'll see you later tonight.”
Nico waited until Percy had gotten on an elevator before standing up. He slung
his backpack onto his back before heading over to the elevator himself. But,
before he reached the elevators, he decided to change course.
He made his way through the hotel, until he reached the door to the outside
bar. He was hoping that Ganymede was working. He had wanted to ask the
bartender about something that he needed answered. And, to his luck, the dirty
haired blond was standing in the small cabana, clad in a grey and white striped
tank top.
But, before Nico could make his way over to the cabana, Leo flagged him down.
The short Latino was sitting at a small table with his mother. He stepped over
to their table, having been noticed by Ganymede by this point. The ex-Lost Boy
smirked at Nico as he worked on someone's order.
“Hey there,” Nico said.
Esperanza smiled at him. “Come, mijo, sit.”
Leo frowned as he sucked on his smoothie. “Mom, he's probably busy.”
The woman frowned and offered Nico a chair. “Nonsense. Come, sit, sit.”
Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I, uh, guess I can spare a few minutes.”
He turned his head to look at Ganymede, who had his head propped up on his
palm. He watched Nico in amusement, probably suspecting why Nico was there.
That, or Nico was giving him the wrong impression. And in this place, the
latter was probably the more likely.
“So, Nico,” Esperanza began, her accent coming out quite thickly, “Leo tells me
you've found your sister again.”
Nico smiled and nodded. “Yeah, she's dating my friend at school.”
The woman nodded. Her face was a little dirty, probably from working on
something. “Good, that's very good. I trust that you're going to keep in
contact with her.” She waved an authoritative finger at Nico. “Never forget
that family is important.”
“Unless they are assholes,” Leo mumbled.
Esperanza smacked him upside the head. “Watch your mouth. You know my rule
about language in front of me.”
Leo ducked his head. “Yes, ma'am.”
Nico attempted to hide his laughter. Esperanza smiled at her son. “But, I
suppose he's right. Some of those parents are pendejos.”
Nico nodded his head. “What about you two? Did Leo find you after coming here?”
Leo mumbled something in Spanish. He then remembered Nico couldn't understand
him and cleared his throat. “Not quite. Percy just happened to bump into me one
day. No big deal.”
The Latina woman said something that Nico guessed was profanity in Spanish.
“'No big deal', he says. Ha.” She turned her finger on Leo. “You collapsed on
the street and Percy saved your butt.”
Leo rolled his eyes, earning him another smack to the back of his head. “Ow!”
“I've told you about rolling your eyes at me, Leo Valdez.”
Nico smiled. “I like your mom.”
Esperanza smiled. “Thank you, sweetie.” She took a sip of her drink. “I haven't
seen you down at the shooting range. Did Percy forbid you from coming down
there? He looked pretty upset about your injury.”
Nico shrugged. “Just haven't come down, I guess. Shooting guns isn't really my
thing.”
“Good, keep your nose clean.”
“Okay, mom, I think we bothered Nico for long enough,” Leo mumbled.
Esperanza smiled. “Don't be a stranger now, Nico. If you ever get bored, come
see me.”
Nico chuckled as he stood back up. “I'll keep that in mind.” He smiled
politely. “It was nice talking to both of you.”
Leo and his mother smiled at him as he walked off. Nico slowly made his way
over to the cabana, where Ganymede was waiting for him with a blueberry
smoothie. “I thought you might want another one of these.” The blond leaned
across the counter. “Unless you came here for more...personal affairs.”
Nico narrowed his eyes as he slid the drink over to himself and took a sip. “I
just wanted to talk. Thanks for the smoothie, though.”
Ganymede smiled at him. “My pleasure.” He drummed his hands onto the counter.
“So, what can I do for you?”
“You used to be a Lost Kid, right?”
The man shrugged. “Yeah, why?”
Nico frowned as he traced the top of his glass with his finger. “Is this what
Lost Kids do after they reach thirty?”
Ganymede flashed a bright smile. “Is this about some of the other staff?”
The raven haired boy nodded. “It's just that some of them, like Circe, remind
me of some of the Lost Kids, by their actions.”
The bartender nodded. He tapped his finger to his chin. “Well, Circe was
actually a Lost Girl when I first arrived here. It wasn't until about five
years ago that she took up the position at the spa,” he explained. Nico nodded,
quietly sipping away at his smoothie. “And Dionysus quit a few years before
that.”
Nico choked on his drink. Ganymede had to slap him on the back to get him to
stop. “Di-did you say Dionysus?” Nico asked in disbelief. For some reason, he
had a hard time picturing the chubby bartender as a Lost Boy.
Ganymede shrugged. “Yeah?” He rested his arms on the counter, leaning in
towards Nico. He smiled again. “He wasn't always overweight, you know. He was
actually pretty cute when I first got here.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “But you still look amazing, as does Circe.”
Ganymede grinned at him and struck a pose, like some Adonis statue from a Greek
museum. “Thanks, cutie.” He let out a sigh and returned to his previous
position of leaning on the counter. “Well, some of us have a hard time coping.”
The blond made the action of tossing back a drink.
Nico's brown eyes widened slightly. “Alcoholism? I thought Percy-”
“Percy wasn't here back then,” Ganymede reminded him. He shook his head with a
shrug. “Not every manager has those rules, you know.” He waved a hand
dismissively. “But, yeah, he got into drinking. That, and some other problems.”
Nico's eyes scanned the counter, as if it would show him the answers to all of
his questions. “Wow,” he breathed out.
The tall bartender nodded, a faint smile on his face. “So then, how was your
day? You're still in high school, right?”
The raven haired boy nodded. “Yep. It's been a little quiet, surprisingly.”
Ganymede grunted. “Give it some time, I'm sure the hotel will fix that.”
Nico shrugged. “Not much happened this week for me. I went over to Aphrodite's
Boutique-”
The man brightened. “Oh yeah? How is she?”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Did you used to go to her when you were a Lost Boy?”
Aphrodite didn't look that old. But, then again, Ganymede had just resigned
earlier that year.
Ganymede chuckled. “No, no. Well, yes, but that was towards the end of my time.
We used to perform together a lot during the bigger weekends.”
Nico's eyes widened. “She was a Lost Kid, too?” He hissed.
The man raised his hands in a shrug. “Are you really surprised?”
Why hadn't anyone mentioned this to him before? Maybe he shouldn't have been
surprised, though. Things like this were becoming very common around the hotel.
Ganymede leaned in closer. “So, I hear Apollo took you under his wing when you
first got here. I did the same with him when he first arrived.” The blond
tilted his head to the side. “But you don't seem to act like either of us.”
Nico's eyes moved down to his drink. “We had a bit of a falling out.”
The blond's eyebrows rose. “That's right. I heard about that little ordeal.” He
drummed on the counter. “Hate to cut this short, cutie, but I need to get back
to work.”
Nico sighed and nodded. “Can I come back and talk again?”
The man scrunched his lips and shrugged. “Sure.” He smirked at Nico. “I do
enjoy the company of attractive people, such as yourself.”
Nico went back into the hotel and headed up to his floor, where he was greeted
by Octavian and Piper. The girl had a large, white beanie on her head, while
the blond had accessorized with a grey tweed cap. In the Lost Girl's hand was a
backpack. As Nico made to walk past them, they grabbed him by the arms to stop
him.
“Nico!” Piper greeted him. “Come eat with us.”
Nico hesitated. He glanced from Piper to Octavian, arching an eyebrow at the
blond. He didn't seem to be paying Nico that much attention, busying himself
with adjusting his bangs that were poking out from behind his cap. He smirked,
catching the brown-eyed boy staring at him.
“We just got back from shopping,” Octavian said.
Piper tapped Nico's shoulder. “You should come with us next time.” She smiled.
“You should get yourself some winter fashion.”
Octavian scrunched his lip as he tugged on Nico's shirt, looking him over. “I'm
thinking a scarf and a beanie. Black, maybe grey.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “How original.” She frowned at Nico. “You should look
into some other colors. You already wear a lot of dark colors.”
Nico stared down at his dark red shirt with black designs on it. “I like dark
colors,” he frowned.
The girl tugged on Nico's dark locks. “Way to not fit the goth and emo
stereotypes, Nico.”
Nico narrowed his eyes at her. “I am neither of those, dammit.”
They both chuckled at him. “Anyways, food?” Piper asked.
The brown-eyed boy rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, just let me put my bag in
my room.”
The two other Lost Kids stepped into step beside him as he walked towards his
room. “You should just get changed now,” Piper suggested. She held out her
backpack. “You can toss your wardrobe choices for the night in here.”
Nico blew at his bangs, setting his backpack on the floor. “Fine. Just give me
a minute to change my underwear.”
As he was shutting his bedroom door, a pale hand shot out and stopped it from
closing. The brown-eyed boy looked up, in the middle of pulling his pants off.
Octavian slipped inside and shut the door. Nico arched his eyebrow as he tossed
his jeans onto his bed.
“Can I help you? I need to change?”
Octavian stared at him in silence. He finally inhaled deeply. “I wanted to talk
to you,” he said quietly.
Nico's brow furrowed. “Well, can you at least turn around?”
The blond rolled his icy blue eyes. “I've seen the others naked. Grow up.” Nico
grunted and started going through his underwear drawer. He pulled out a speedo,
only for Octavian to grab it and toss it onto the bed. “Wear something else.”
Nico blinked. “Like what? I always wear speedos.”
Octavian sighed. “Exactly. Try something else.” He moved forward and pulled out
a black thong. “Here you go.”
Nico made a face, refusing to take the offered garment. “No way.”
The taller Lost Boy placed a hand on his hip. “Stop being a baby and put it on.
If you want to be one of us, you need to start learning to wear things like
this.” He spun Nico around and yanked down the back of the boy's blue boxer-
briefs. “You have a nice ass, use it. Show it off.”
The brown-eyed boy pouted as he sighed and took the offered piece of clothing.
“Okay, well, I need to change.”
Octavian grinned at him before shoving Nico onto the bed. He ran a hand up the
boy's thigh and grabbed the blue boxer-briefs. He rolled himself into Nico,
yanking down the underwear in the process. “There, I helped you with
something,” Octavian said with a grin.
Nico glared up at the other Lost Boy. “This isn't what I wanted, jerk.”
Octavian grinned more and leaned down to lap his tongue into Nico's
bellybutton. “Are you sure?” He bit down on his lip, his gaze traveling down.
“It sure seems like you want it.”
Nico shoved Octavian off of him with a huff. “I'm a teenage boy, that doesn't
count.” He slid on the thong that Octavian had offered him, while the blond
stared down at Nico's exposed body. The raven haired boy sat down on his bed.
“What did you want to talk about anyways?”
Octavian blinked. “Oh, yeah.” He took a deep breath. “I just...sort of...wanted
to thank you about last weekend.” He gestured with his hand. “With Luke, I
mean.” He made a face, like his next words were hard for him to get out. “Maybe
you're not so bad.” He sighed dramatically. “I need a drink.”
Nico arched an eyebrow and chuckled. He shrugged his shoulders. “Luke is my
friend. I didn't want him to be upset.”
Octavian's brow furrowed. “Friend?” He held his chin and tapped a finger to his
cheek. “I see. Interesting.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “How about a
deal? I call a truce, if you do a better job of avoiding my brother?”
The brown-eyed boy's brow furrowed. “Why? I didn't do anything. I like your
brother. He's fun to be around, when he's not being an asshole.”
Octavian looked at Nico, his eyes a sea of clouded emotion. “Things are just
complicated, okay? You'd be doing me a favor.”
“But-”
“Just think it over. You'll have me off your back, and I think I could help you
with some things you might not know about around here.”
There was a knock at the door. “Are you two done in there? Stop messing around
so we can eat,” Piper called through the door.
Nico rolled his eyes and slid his jeans back on. “You can come in, we're not
doing anything,” Nico called back as he finished buttoning his pants.
Piper opened the door with an arched eyebrow. “What's a girl to think when
Octavian follows you back to your room, knowing you're going to be getting
naked?”
Octavian smirked. “Believe me, it wasn't from a lack of trying.”
Piper frowned as she looked Nico over. Her eyes traveled back up to his face,
studying him for a moment. “Well, I suppose we should get going.”
Nico quickly grabbed the outfits he would need for the night and tossed them in
Piper's backpack. As they were leaving Nico's room, Jason's door slowly opened.
The blond was being held up by Chris, who had Jason's arm draped over his
shoulder.
“Hey, Chris,” Piper greeted him with a smile.
Chris smiled warmly back. “Hey, Piper.” He attempted to straighten the blond
out. “Just helping Jason get himself to the bathroom.”
Piper pursed her lips as she looked Jason over. “Poor guy. Maybe he'll be
better in another week.” She patted the dark haired young man on the shoulder
as he neared the bathroom. “Take it easy, Chris.”
The young man nodded at them. Nico sighed and followed after Octavian and
Piper. He wasn't so jealous of Jason at the moment. The blond wasn't even
capable of standing by himself. He slowly slid the door shut behind them, his
lips tightly pursed.
“You okay?” Octavian asked.
Nico blinked and looked up. “What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine.”
The other two eyed him for a moment before leading him towards the elevator.
They boarded in silence, which persisted all the way to the hotel's restaurant.
They sat down at a table, Piper depositing her backpack in a spare chair.
Octavian ordered himself a glass of wine, while Piper and Nico declined. “Sure
you don't want some?” Octavian asked Piper, waving his glass in front of her
face.
Piper wrinkled her nose at the crimson liquid. “No thanks. You know I hate the
stuff.”
Octavian let out a sigh. “It's not going to hurt you to drink on occasion.”
The Lost Girl shrugged. “And I choose not to. It's not a big deal. I'm fine,
Octavian.”
The blond deposited his cheek into his palm, taking a small sip of wine. Piper
poked around at her sushi, choosing to avoid further eye contact with the
blond. Nico eyed both of them. “Don't all of the Lost Kids drink?” He mumbled.
They both blinked and turned their attention on him. “Not all of us,” Piper
replied. “I don't, and neither does Juniper.” She shrugged. “Will doesn't drink
that much, only on really bad days.”
“I think he's trying to quit,” Octavian added.
Piper smiled and nodded. “Good for him.”
The blond rolled his eyes. “Your hatred for the substance never ceases to amaze
me.”
The brunette frowned. “I don't hate the substance. I dislike what it does to
people.”
Nico swallowed a bite of his food. “Why?”
Piper chewed on her lip nervously. “I don't want to talk about it right now,
Nico. It's not a good topic for public ears.”
Octavian looked around incredulously. He gestured around them wildly. “Them?
What are they going to do?” He asked, raising his voice slightly. “They don't
give a shit about us, other than...you know.”
Piper slid down into her chair, trying to hide her face. “Stop that,” she
hissed, “people are staring.”
The blond rolled his eyes. “I can't believe you're not over this yet.”
The Lost Girl glared at Octavian. “It's not that, and you know it.”
The tall young man waved a hand dismissively. “Fine, fine. My apologizes.”
The girl sighed and went back to eating her food. Nico stared over at Octavian,
who watched Piper intently. The blond had his lips pursed and his finger tapped
against the table. The table fell into an awkward silence, no one moving to say
anything. Finally, Octavian stood up.
“I need to go change.”
Nico frowned as the blond walked off. “Why didn't he do that earlier?”
Piper shrugged. “He's working the bar tonight. I suppose he didn't want to eat
in his work clothes.”
Nico swallowed and nodded. “So, what's up with him anyways? He doesn't seem to
like me being around his brother. He's sort of an-”
“Asshole?”
Nico chuckled. “Yeah. Sometimes.”
Piper smiled and nodded. “Yeah, they both can be.”
“Luke's not so bad, when he's not around his brother.”
The Lost Girl chuckled. “I suppose that's true. Luke just cares about his
brother. Octavian has his brother wrapped around his finger, and he knows it.”
She scrunched her lips. “Luke just feels guilty, so he tries to do everything
he can to make Octavian happy.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Why would he feel guilty?”
Piper shook her head. “You don't want to go there, Nico. Luke and Octavian's
story is one you really don't want to hear.”
“Thalia said something similar about Ethan.”
The brunette nodded, her face solemn. “She's right. The Castellan brothers,
Ethan, and Annabeth; they are all stories you don't want to hear. Trust me, you
really don't.” She licked her lips, poking around at her food. “Silena's wasn't
much better. But, you already heard Hazel's. And then there's...mine.” Her lips
tilted down.
“I've heard a lot of bad stories already,” Nico whispered.
“You don't want to make us relive these stories, Nico,” she said so quietly
that Nico almost missed it. She stared down at her plate. “Your dad wasn't a
monster, Nico. You haven't seen what a real monster is just yet.” She looked up
at him with dark eyes. “And let's hope that you never have to.”
Nico rubbed his arm to get rid of a chill he was feeling. He swallowed and
cleared his throat. “Why does Octavian want me away from Luke, though?”
Piper pursed her lips, her brow furrowed. She opened her mouth, but didn't say
anything for a moment. “He didn't feel jealous before. He didn't have to share
his brother. Luke's not that social. He only is when he needs to be.”
“So, he's jealous?”
“In a sense,” Piper replied. “He's worried, I guess.” She shook her head. “I
really don't want to talk about it.” She smiled at him warmly. “But he can't
really keep you away from Luke.”
Nico frowned. “Why not?”
“Because, he knows Luke's position here.” She shrugged. “Luke's one of the four
siblings. He's the sword and shield. Apollo is the emotional support, Annabeth
mitigates with us-and some with Percy, and Thalia makes sure everyone tries to
stay in a good mood.” She smiled. “So, Octavian knows he can't keep Luke away
from you. The blond has a role to fill.”
Nico frowned as he picked up his drink. “He can still pawn me off,” he mumbled.
The girl pursed her lips. “I suppose they can. But Luke will be there if you
need him. He can be a royal asshole at times, but he cares about his family.”
“He did punch that bully for me.”
Piper nodded. “And made sure you were taken care of when Apollo pulled his
stunt.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I don't place the blame solely on him, you know.”
The Lost Girl forced a smile onto her face. “I figured as much. Anyways, it
doesn't change my point.”
“He said it was for Percy.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you really think Luke's going to be sappy? Sure, some
of it was probably for Percy, but he's protective.”
Nico chewed on his lip before smiling. “I don't think he'd like to hear this.”
Piper chuckled. “No, he really wouldn't. So, please, don't mention it to him.”
With a sigh, she stood up. “We need to get to work.”
Nico grabbed the backpack for her and they headed out of the restaurant. Once
at the top floor, Piper followed him up the boys' stairs. They walked
backstage, where Piper deposited Nico's clothing onto the couch before heading
through the door to the girls' side.
Apollo, Will, and Connor were already there and dressed for their first
performance, the group number. Apollo sighed. “Hurry up and get dressed, Nico,”
he said.
Nico slipped his shirt over his head. He kicked his shoes off and began undoing
his pants. As they were nearly down to his knees, he remembered he had a thong
on. He quickly pulled the pants back up, but it was too late. The others raised
eyebrows at him, grinning broadly.
“I like the clothing choice, Nico,” Apollo chuckled.
Nico glared at him, searching for a place to change. Will moved over to the boy
and slid his arm around Nico's shoulders. “Come on now, Nico, we're just going
to see it on stage.” Will's eyes lit up. “Oh, and good for me, I've got you in
a separate number.”
Nico's eyes widened, stumbling back, away from Will. “Dammit,” he cursed under
his breath.
Apollo rolled his eyes. “I've already seen you naked, Nico. And Will and Connor
have both seen you in your underwear.”
“No, I saw him naked,” Connor interjected.
Apollo frowned. “Oh, that's right.”
Will frowned at Nico. “How come they got to see you naked?”
Nico rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Whatever,” he mumbled, letting his pants
drop.
Will bit down on his lip as he walked around to look Nico's backside over. Nico
stood there, doing his best not to seethe. He jumped when he felt Will's warm
hands rub his butt cheeks. The blond hummed in his ear before wrapping his arms
around Nico's waist. “My room later?” He purred.
Nico turned his head to glare at the blond. “Doubtful.”
Apollo and Connor laughed at Will's failure. Apollo shook his head with a
smile. “What did I tell you, Will?”
The blond rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Charming.”
The curly haired blond walked past, patting his roommate on the shoulder. “Just
be yourself,” Apollo whispered into Will's ear, but Nico managed to catch it.
He whined and struggled his way out of Will's grasp. He grabbed his black
velcro pants from the pile and slipped them on. Nico grabbed the bow tie and
stepped over to the mirror, where he attempted to put it on.
When Apollo saw him struggling with it, the blond walked over. “You really need
to learn how to do this,” the blond mumbled. “I believe we've had to help you
every time you have had to wear one.”
“Not my fault, no one ever showed me how to tie one.”
The blond nodded. “Well, I suppose I'll give you a lesson then.”
Nico watched and listened as the blond went about tying his tie. The blond
finally smiled at him in the mirror. “Thanks,” Nico said with a smile.
Apollo smiled again and placed a hand in Nico's hair, attempting to style it.
“You know, looking at you, I can't help but see the improvement in you. It
feels like just yesterday that you came in here, starved half to death. And
look at you now.”
The brown-eyed boy gave him a small smile and turned around. “Thanks, for
everything.”
Apollo's eyebrow rose slightly, his lips thinning. “You shouldn't thank me, and
you know that.”
“I get it, though. About Percy, I mean.”
The blond's blue eyes seemed to grow deeper. He nodded his head lightly.
“Again, I'm sorry.”
Nico pursed his lip. “I think I'm ready to move past it,” he sighed.
Apollo's brow furrowed. “Really?” His lips tilted down and he began rubbing his
arm. “That's...great.” He chuckled when Nico looked at him curiously. “Sorry. I
just wasn't expecting that, you know.”
The shorter of the two nodded his head. “Well, you were right the other night,
I pretty much act like a kid still. Maybe I need to do some growing up.”
Apollo let out a long sigh. He leaned in closer. “Trust me, you're not the only
one. Besides, you already are growing up, whether you see it or not.” He placed
a hand on top of Nico's head. “You've also grown an inch since you've been
here.” He cleared his throat and took a step back. “Come on. We have a show to
put on.”
The Lost Boys made their way out onto the stage. The curtain was still closed,
so they had to stand around in darkness. Nico took his place beside Apollo.
Will stood on his roommate's other side, while Connor stood on the far end.
Beyonce's “Crazy in Love” began to play, just as the curtains rose.
As the trumpets played in the song, all four of them took their poses and
waited. Jay Z began singing the opening of the song, while the Lost Boys
continued to stand there, the stage still dark. As soon as Beyonce began
singing, the lights flashed on and the boys began moving.
Nico placed his hands on his head and shook it back and forth. All of them
slowly slid their hands behind their heads and tapped their right leg. Every so
often, they would have to freeze and strike a pose. Nico slid his hand up into
his hair, circling it around to the other side before bringing it down in front
of his face.
Apollo and Nico slid to the left, while the other two slid to the right. Will
and Apollo took Connor and Nico's respective hands and lowered the boys to the
floor. Nico and Connor slowly guided their legs into the air provocatively.
Will and Apollo grabbed onto Nico and Connor's ankles, raising their legs into
the air.
Nico and Connor had to pull off a handstand, which Nico had to bite his lip
through. Apollo spread his legs, while running a hand down the back of his
thigh. Nico was just glad that the audience couldn't see his strained
expression. Apollo shoved his legs off to the side, helping him get back onto
his feet.
The blond moved in behind him and placed his hands on his hips, while Nico had
to sway them back and forth. Apollo grabbed a chunk of Nico's hair and pulled
the boy's head back. Nico masked his facial expression with one of pleasure as
the blond acted like he was biting his neck.
Nico's hand jumped around behind him to cup Apollo's hips. He tugged the curly
blond's pants off of him, while Connor did the same to Will. Nico had to fight
the urge to do a double take when he saw what Will had on under his pants. A
jockstrap. He cleared his throat as he realized his eyes had widened.
His pulse quickened as Apollo's fingers worked to play with Nico's pants. The
raven haired boy rolled his shoulders in a lewd manner. He caught Percy's eye
in the audience, just as Apollo yanked his pants off. Those green eyes of
Percy's slowly drifted down Nico's body, a smirk on his lips. He looked back up
at Nico's face with an arched eyebrow.
All four of the Lost Boys separated again and went back to their individual
dancing. Nico knew his hips would probably be sore after this performance, as
they usually ached after each of their practice numbers. The song called for
him to continuously pop his hips back and forth, in the signature Beyonce booty
shake.
He was just thankful when the song finally came to an end. He did a small bow
with the rest of the Lost Boys before gathering his pants and getting off the
stage. He walked backstage, all the while trying to get himself back into his
pants.
“Schoolboy uniform, Nico,” Will purred into his ear.
Nico glared at him as he passed. Connor quickly slipped himself into a
basketball uniform and went back onto the stage. The raven haired boy let out a
sigh as he walked over to the couch and found the schoolboy uniform that he
hated so much.
Will still hadn't told him anything about the routine. He had just requested
that Nico wear the costume. Basically, he didn't like it. When the Lost Kids
plotted, bad things happened. Shaking his head, Nico slipped into his costume
and waited.
After Connor was done, the curtains closed again. Nico narrowed his eyes as
some things were moved onto the stage in the dark. The blond that he was
performing with gestured for him to come over. He hesitantly walked over, where
the blond grabbed him and took him onto the dark stage.
Will leaned him up against something cold and metallic. Nico narrowed his eyes
in the dark, but, of course, Will couldn't see it. It was light enough that
Nico caught the blond's smile. “Stay right here,” Will whispered before leaving
Nico alone on the stage.
When the curtain opened and the lights turned on, Nico saw that he was standing
up against a locker, like one he would find in his high school. His eyes darted
from side to side as he looked around. There was a bench to his left, but that
was about it. He had a bad feeling about this.
Nico arched an eyebrow as Kiss's “Calling Doctor Love” came on. Nico's eyes
widened as Will walked out onto the stage. Oh dear god, Nico thought. The blond
was dressed in a blue football jersey and a pair of tight, white football
pants. The blond had even drawn black lines under his eyes and carried a helmet
under his arm.
The blond walked up to Nico and closed his mouth, which he hadn't even realized
had been open. Will shoved him up against the lockers, dropping his helmet in
the process. He turned Nico around and yanked his hips back. Nico then felt
Will run his hands up Nico's legs, and then up to his ass.
Nico was jerked back around, where the blond bit down on his lip and leaned
against the lockers. Nico's eyes were still wide by this point. As much as he
hated jocks at school, this was kind of hot. He swallowed and turned his head
to look at Percy, who was staring at him in amusement. He chuckled and
whispered something to Leo, who grinned back.
Nico's eyes returned to the blond in front of him as Will ripped the front of
his jersey open. A moan escaped from Nico's lips as he stared down at the
blond's lean torso. Will smirked and leaned in, running his tongue along Nico's
parted lips.
Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the crowd seemed to love it, as a
lot of money was being tossed onto the stage. This was also followed by
whistles and loud noise. Will popped the buttons on Nico's shirt and let the
material fall off of his shoulders.
Will then turned around and began swiveling his ass. The blond bit down on his
lip and hooked his thumbs into the back of his football pants. Nico swallowed a
lump in his throat as Will peeled back the white fabric, exposing the jockstrap
and the top of his ass. Nico watched, mouth agape, as Will continued to swivel
his hips in a lewd fashion.
The blond leaned forward slightly and yanked the pants off, leaving himself in
nothing but the jockstrap. He ran his fingers down Nico's torso before shoving
the shirt off the boy completely. He pressed himself up against Nico, rolling
his hips into the brown-eyed boy.
Will leaned in and rested his mouth near Nico's ear. “Are you sure you don't
want to come to my room tonight?” He whispered.
Nico felt his legs shake and the blond grabbed him. He heard Will chuckle in
his ear. “I, uh...I don't think that's, um, a good idea,” Nico fumbled quietly.
Will groaned quietly before pulling back. Nico swallowed another lump as the
blond leaned in. Their lips ghosted against each other as the song came to an
end. Nico was in the process of leaning forward when Will pulled back. He let
out a groan as the blond smirked and waved at the audience, shaking his ass for
good measure.
Will helped Nico gather their things so they could get off the stage. “I hate
you,” Nico breathed out.
Will smiled. “Don't be mad, Nico.” He winked. “I had fun tonight. I think that
might be one of my favorite performances.”
Connor appeared beside them and slung an arm around Nico. “So, when are you
going to perform with me and Travis? I already have some ideas.”
“Dammit, I regret this already,” Nico grumbled. The other three Lost Boys
grinned at him.
When things were starting to wind down, Luke came backstage to go to the
backrooms. Connor sighed when Leo came backstage to tell him to do the same.
Nico ended up breathing a sigh of relief when they were done for the night. He
was still a little turned on from Will's performance, but mostly, he was tired.
“I'm so glad it's the weekend,” he yawned.
“Amen to that,” Will said quietly.
Nico brushed some of his bangs out of his eyes. “Is there anything going on
this weekend?”
Apollo shook his head. “Not really. You should just get some rest, catch up on
some homework.”
The brown-eyed boy let out a moan. “I don't plan on waking up until work
tomorrow night.”
The two blonds chuckled. “Sounds like a good idea,” Apollo agreed.
Nico stretched his arms above his head. “So, is there anything I should know
about this pa-” There was a scream that came from behind the door to the
backrooms. “What was that?”
Apollo's brow furrowed, already making his way towards the backrooms. Nico and
Will followed after the curly haired blond. Apollo took off running when
another scream pierced the air. Nico jogged to keep up, bolting around a
corner. His eyes widened.
Luke and Connor were holding a tall, muscular man back by his arms. His shirt
was undone and his hair a mess. Across from him was Silena, pressing herself
into the corner behind her. The girl was topless, covering her chest with her
arms. She had a pair of panties on, but that was the extent of her clothing.
Annabeth was crouched down next to Silena, whispering something to the girl.
Reyna did her best to stand in between the man and Silena, yelling threats and
obscenities at the man. Apollo instantly jumped in to help hold the man back.
Nico stepped forward, but Will placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Silena!” The man yelled, struggling against the Lost Boys. “Just tell them. Be
with me, baby. I can take care of you.” He grunted and attempted to yank his
arm free. “You don't need this life anymore. I love you!”
The dark haired girl pressed her hands to her temples and frantically shook her
head. Annabeth took off her shirt, leaving herself in a bra, and handed the
shirt to Silena. The blonde had to help the other girl into the shirt, as she
was too distraught to do anything about it.
“I said no,” Silena hissed, glaring at the man with tears in her eyes. “You're
crazy.”
The man frantically shook his head. “No, baby, I'm not. You know what we had in
there was real. You said you wanted me. You said all those things. I know you
meant them.” He attempted to elbow Luke in the stomach, but the blond twisted
his arm. “You just need to see, Silena. Nobody makes me feel like you do.”
Nico jumped and turned around when the door behind him swung open so hard that
it sounded like a gun went off. Percy, Ethan, and Clarisse stormed towards
them. Before either Ethan or Clarisse, or anyone in the room for that matter,
could react, Percy had shot forward and jerked the man out of the Lost Boys'
grasp.
As if the man weighed nothing, he slammed him against the wall. Percy's eyes
blazed with an anger that Nico had yet to see. “What did I tell you about this
shit, huh?” He yelled.
“She loves me. I keep trying to tell- Ah!”
At some point, Percy had pulled out a knife. He pressed it against the man's
throat and held it there. “I don't give a shit about what you think, Mr.
Simmons. I told you not to cross the line. We've had this discussion before,
several times.”
The man swallowed, causing the knife to cut into his skin. A faint red line
formed on his throat and blood began to trickle down. Nico caught his hands
shaking. He looked around. No one was moving, no one attempted to say anything.
They just stood there, even Clarisse and Ethan.
“Get her the fuck out of here,” Percy growled. “Now!”
Luke moved forward and Silena shot into his arms. His brow furrowed as he
wrapped an arm around her. They moved past everyone to leave the hall. As they
walked by, Nico caught Silena's eye. The girl looked terrified. Her eyes were
full of tears and her body was shaking.
Percy moved the knife up to the man's cheek, sliding it across his skin. “Now
then, if I ever catch you around here again,” he jabbed the knife into the
man's arm, “I'll kill you.”
Percy yanked the knife out and shoved the man over to Ethan and Clarisse. The
two of them dragged the injured man from the hall without any resistance. Percy
rubbed a hand down his face. His dark green eyes turned on Nico, like he had
just noticed the boy there.
The manager stared at him with his cold gaze. “Get him out of here,” he
whispered. His gaze flickered to Apollo. The blond was shaking, his eyes
frantic. His fingers were threaded into his hair. “Apollo!” The blond's eyes
widened and turned to Percy. “I said get him out of here. Take him to his room,
calm him down.” He looked Apollo over. “Both of you calm down.”
The curly haired blond swallowed and nodded. “Come on, Nico,” the tall blond
whispered, tugging on the boy's arm.
Nico let himself be led away, frowning at Percy as he did so. The others
gathered around him just as the door shut behind Nico and Apollo. The blond
didn't even stop to grab their things. He just pulled Nico along until they
reached the elevators.
It wasn't until they were in Nico's suite that Apollo let go of him. The blond
began pacing around, taking deep breaths. Nico pursed his lips, watching the
blond. “Apollo,” he whispered. The blond didn't seem to hear him. Nico reached
out and grabbed the blond by his arms. Apollo stared back at him with wild
eyes. “What is going on? I mean, I get that the man was crazy, but-”
“He was obsessed.”
Nico let his hands drop from Apollo. “Obsessed? Is that sort of like when Lost
Kids get presents? Hazel talked to me about that.”
The blond shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “Worse.” He sighed and sat down
on the couch, practically burying his face into his lap. “Our jobs are
complicated, Nico.”
The raven haired boy swallowed. “Does this happen a lot?”
“Thankfully, no. It's worse than the presents.” The blond wet his lips. “The
presents are usually the first sign. You learn to get worried when you get
them.” He pursed his lips and looked up at Nico. “But they just don't get it
sometimes. They become truly obsessed...with this fantasy that can never be.
We're just doing our jobs.”
Nico sat down beside the blond. He stayed silent for a while. He just couldn't
find the appropriate words or questions. “Why?” Was all Nico could think of to
ask.
“We're easy to fall in love with, some of us anyways. I mean, I guess that's
why. Some of the others don't have the problem, people like Luke.” The blond
leaned forward. “It's our angle that appeals to them.”
“You're a romantic.”
Apollo turned and blinked at him. He opened his mouth once, only to close it.
“Hazel told me.”
The blond pursed his lips. “She's a sweet kid. She shouldn't have to go through
this.”
“Why should any of you?”
The older Lost Boy swallowed a lump. “Maybe I deserve it?” Tears were starting
to appear in his blue eyes. “I just need a distraction sometimes...from Percy.
He's something I can't have, and the customers are a good distraction.” He
turned a harsh gaze on Nico. “Don't ever do this if you end up where we are. Do
you hear me?”
Nico nodded his head. “Yeah.”
The blond stared into Nico's brown eyes for a while, searching for something.
“You're a sweet kid, Nico.” He smiled and patted Nico's leg. “You don't know
how easy someone might fall for you.”
“This happened when I first got here, didn't it? I saw Calypso's wrist.”
Apollo's brow furrowed for a moment before realization hit him. “Yeah,” he
finally whispered. “The guy just got a warning. First offense.” He sighed and
ran a hand down his mouth. “Just remember, just because we can separate our
feelings during all of this, doesn't mean the clients can do the same. They
will fantasize about you, desire you, and worst of all, they could snap.”
“Is there anything else?”
Apollo wiped at his eyes before standing up. He turned back around with a sad
smile. “Yeah,” he breathed out, “when you tell them to stop, they are supposed
to stop. While they can purchase time with us, we do decide where boundaries
lie within this business.”
Nico's heart pounded in his chest as he stood up. “Thanks for talking with me.”
Apollo gave a single nod. “You needed to know.” He smiled and ruffled Nico's
hair. “Take care of yourself, Nico. And get some sleep.”
Nico smiled and nodded. Apollo walked away and opened the door. With a wave,
the blond disappeared out the door. Nico's shoulders slumped as he rubbed at
his face. Why couldn't things just go back to the way they were when he first
got to the Lotus?
As he made his way back to his room, Nico thought about setting up an
appointment at the spa. He could use a massage and a day of relaxation. Life
around the hotel was so hectic and chaotic, he thought. He closed his bedroom
door and collapsed onto his bed. He pulled his leg up and began taking off his
shoes before moving on to his pants.
After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Nico stripped himself of
his shirt and slid under his covers. He chewed on his lip, just sitting there
for a moment. Now that everything had calmed down, his arousal had returned.
His hand traveled down his stomach and reached into his boxer-briefs. He peeled
the fabric back and exposed his erection. It was the weekend, so it wasn't like
he couldn't stay up a little longer to take care of himself.
His eyes drifted closed as his hand pleasured himself. A small moan escaped
from his lips. His other hand traveled lower, pressing a finger against his
entrance.
“Having fun?”
Nico jumped and covered himself, looking up with wide eyes.
Percy had his shoulder pressed against the doorframe, a smirk on his face. He
arched an eyebrow at Nico before taking a step into the room. “Oh, don't stop
on my account. I was enjoying the show.”
Nico scowled at Percy, pulling up his underwear under the covers. “Don't you
know how to knock? What gives you the right to just barge in like that?”
Percy crawled onto the bed, hovering over Nico. The brown-eyed boy swallowed,
doing his best to hold Percy's gaze. Percy smirked at him. “Well, that's
simple, Nico. Because I wanted to.”
Nico felt his eye twitch. “You're so frustrating.”
Percy tilted his head to the side, a smile on his face. He let a finger slide
down Nico's pale chest. “Don't be mad. Like I said, I was enjoying the show.
Maybe you should do this for me more often.”
Nico crossed his arms over his chest, sitting up against his headboard. “I'm
assuming you had something you actually wanted to talk about?”
Percy chuckled and sat between Nico's legs, his legs resting underneath him. “I
just wanted to make sure you weren't freaking out too much. I assume Apollo
calmed you down? Or perhaps you calmed him down.”
Nico pursed his lips. “He did talk to me about everything,” he answered. He
looked into Percy's eyes. “Did you have to stab him, though?”
Percy frowned at Nico before brushing some of the brown-eyed boy's hair out of
his face. “I already warned him several times. Last time, I threatened him
financially. As you can see, that didn't work.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“Sometimes, physical threats are more effective. Besides, he won't be back.”
Nico chewed on his lip, nodding his head in response. He sat up more and
crossed his legs, letting the cover fall into his lap. “I'm guessing you don't
have to get violent with customers that much?”
Percy smiled. “No, not really. Most people know better. It's just the-”
“Obsessed ones?”
The green-eyed young man chuckled. “Yeah, them.” Percy cleared his throat. “I
brought your stuff back. It's in the living room.”
Nico smiled and nodded. “Thanks.” As Percy was climbing off his bed, Nico
grabbed his wrist. The manager blinked at him before returning to his place in
front of Nico. “I wanted to ask you something.”
Percy shrugged. “Sure. Ask me anything.”
Nico fiddled with the covers in his lap. “So, uh, I was wondering...would you
want to do something sometime? Maybe spend some time with me, just the two of
us?”
Percy smirked and leaned in towards Nico. The brown-eyed boy leaned back,
letting himself be pressed against the headboard. “I suppose something can be
arranged.” His tan hand pulled the covers back and tugged on Nico's underwear.
“I mean, I have some time, if you want to do something right now.”
Nico blushed and shook his head. “No. I-I didn't mean like that. I
just...thought we could spend some time together, like we used to. Non-sexual.”
Percy blinked. He pulled back, his brow furrowing. He gave Nico an odd look,
like he didn't understand what the boy had just said. “What?” He finally
blurted out.
“Maybe go get dinner? Outside of the hotel, if you can.” His cheeks turned
pink. “I-I mean, not like a, uh, date, but just hanging out.”
Percy continued to stare at him like he had grown a second head. He sat back on
his haunches and scratched his head. “You want to spend time...with me? Just
hanging out?” His brow furrowed again. “And you don't want to do anything
sexual?”
Nico nodded.
The green-eyed young man's mouth opened, only for him to shut it. “Are you sure
that's all you want?”
Again, Nico nodded. “I understand if you're busy.”
Percy shook his head, a frown now on his face. “No, it's...it's fine.” He
scratched the back of his head again. “I'll clear my schedule for later today.”
He smiled. “I'll take you out to eat. How about that?”
Nico nodded, a bright smile on his face. “That would be great.”
Percy chewed on his lip, his brow furrowing again, and tilted his head slightly
to the side. “I guess I'll let you get back to what you were doing,” he said,
finally standing up. “I'll see you later today.”
Nico nodded as Percy walked towards the door. The young man gave him another
odd look before turning off Nico's light and closing the door. Nico heard Percy
open Jason's door. He smiled and slid into his bed, rolling onto his side.
---------------------------------------
Nico sat across from Percy, feeling slightly underdressed. The young man hadn't
told him he was going to take Nico to a five-star restaurant. The green-eyed
young man wasn't dressed that differently than Nico, but the boy just felt
awkward. He had had enough sense to dress nicely, but it didn't feel like
enough.
Percy smiled at him from across the table. “You're fine, Nico. I wasn't
expecting you to dress up super fancy. I don't want you to.”
Nico let out a small groan and pursed his lips. “I don't fit in at places like
this,” he mumbled.
The young man across from him arched a brow and took a drink. “Why would you
ever want to fit in? You're meant to stand apart from the crowd.”
The brown-eyed boy let out a sigh. He really didn't have a response to that. He
chewed on his lip in silence until the waiter brought them the bill. He went
for his wallet, but before he could grab it, Percy slid his card into the bill
folder. Nico frowned at the young man as the waiter walked off.
Percy smiled and crossed his legs, leaning back in his chair. “Calm down. I do
this with all of my Lost Kids whenever I go somewhere with them. You're not
burdening me, if that's what you're thinking.” He shook his head. “Besides, I'm
much better off financially than you.”
Nico sighed and took a sip of his drink. “Can we do something else before we go
back to the hotel?”
The young man shrugged. “Sure. What did you want to do?” He pulled out his
phone and looked at the time. “I think we could squeeze in a movie.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “How cliché. Good thing this isn't a date.”
Percy chuckled. He thanked the waiter when the man returned with his card.
Percy gave his signature before standing up. He held out his hand and helped
Nico up before leading the boy out of the restaurant. The two fell into step
beside each other, walking down the sidewalk. The sun had started to set while
they had been inside.
“Well,” Percy began, “I suppose it's a good thing it's not a date. I really
wouldn't have a clue what to do on one.”
One of Nico's eyebrows rose. “Haven't you ever been on a date?”
Percy gave a small smile, swiping his thumb across his lips. “Not particularly,
no. I've never been in a relationship with anyone.”
Nico's eyes widened and he froze for a second. He quickly caught back up to
Percy and frowned up at him. “The Percy Jackson has never even been on a date?”
He chuckled when Percy gave him a dirty look. “Sorry, it's just hard to
believe.”
Percy let out a long breath. “Well, I didn't really have an opportunity. I was
already working for Gaea by the time I went through puberty. I didn't even go
to public school.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Then how did you learn? You seem pretty smart.”
The tall young man slid his hands into his pockets, letting a smile grace his
lips. “Gaea had me taught from her home. I had some of the best tutors you
could imagine. And, by the time I was sixteen, I was already going to a
university.”
Nico blinked a few times. “Damn. So young?”
Percy shrugged. “Like I said the other week, Gaea had been preparing me for
this for a while.” He clicked his tongue. “I didn't get to finish my education
in Europe, though. Since I transferred here before my eighteenth birthday, I
picked up my education out here.” He turned his head to glance down at Nico as
they continued to walk around the city. “My predecessor was very nice about it
all, and he even stayed on part time when I took over, so that I could finish
up with my education.”
“So, what did you do before you had Leo and Rachel?”
“Drank myself away.” Percy chuckled at Nico's face. “Kidding. I had my
predecessor's secretaries. After I found Leo and Rachel, they were replaced.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “You just let them go?”
Percy scrunched his lips. “Not exactly. I'd never just toss someone out. I make
sure my people are taken care of.”
“Like with Aphrodite?”
Percy stopped and smiled at Nico. “Yeah. Well, technically I was still a Lost
Kid when I got her a job. But, my predecessor let me make the call, since I was
going to be taking over for him soon.” He shrugged. “She was good with
wardrobes, so I got her the job doing what she loves.”
“And Dionysus and Circe?”
The taller of the two nodded his head again. “I see you've been finding some
things out recently.”
Nico stared up at Percy, who just stood there, staring at him with his hands in
his pockets. “I finally figured out what you meant by being a Lost Kid
forever.”
Percy's lips tilted down. He reached out to touch Nico's face, but tilted his
head to the side and let his hand drop back to his side. “You shouldn't aim to
do the same, Nico. You don't belong here.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Maybe I want to be around you.”
Percy's forehead wrinkled as he gave Nico an odd look. “I'm not worth throwing
your life away for, Nico.” His lips formed a thin line. “I don't want this
place to destroy you.”
Nico rubbed his arm, but not from the chill in the air. He looked back up at
Percy with a frown. “You seem fine with keeping Jason there.”
Percy's lips turned back up. “Jealous?”
The shorter of the two scowled. “No,” he mumbled. “You just spend a lot of time
with him. He gets a lot of attention. When I first got to the hotel, you handed
me off to the others.”
Percy smiled and placed an arm around Nico, pulling the brown-eyed boy against
his chest. Nico felt Percy's chest rumble as he laughed. “You are jealous.”
Percy started walking again, pulling Nico along with him. “Jason needs help
right now, Nico.”
“But-”
“You didn't. You're capable of taking care of yourself.” Percy let Nico move
away from him. “I had faith you'd be strong enough to handle the place without
me breathing down your neck all the time.” He smiled. “But, I was there when
you needed me.”
Nico stared up at Percy from behind his bangs. That was true, Percy had been.
His first night there, Percy had been there for him when that customer had been
yelling at him. Nico let out a long sigh. “What about Chiron?”
Percy scratched at his nose. “I can't say that Chiron has ever been in my bed.”
Nico made a face. “That's not what I meant!”
The manager smiled. “Calm down. I know what you meant.” He slipped one of his
hands back into his pocket. “Chiron was never a Lost Kid. He used to work at
the bar that is attached to the hotel's restaurant, but I had him moved up to
where he is now when I took over.”
“Why?”
Percy shrugged. “He's good with the Lost Kids. He helped me out a lot when I
was working, so I thought he could do more good working more closely with my
Lost Kids.” The green-eyed young man rubbed at his neck. “He doesn't judge you,
he just listens. He's a source of emotional support that the others sometimes
need. He can be there when I can't.”
The Lost Boy pursed his lips. “So, you want to do the same with Chris?”
Percy blew out a breath. “No, not the same. I just could use more security
working around the Lost Kids. He would be nice to have around the bar, or maybe
the kink room. Clarisse and Ethan can only do so much, covering three floors.”
A small smirk played across Percy's lips in the fading light. “But, it's also
for fun.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Fun?”
The young manager nodded. “Yeah.”
“You said someone was going to be upset with you about it.”
Percy nodded. “It's for their own good, though.” He stopped moving, as did
Nico. Percy ran his fingers through his bangs. “Come on, we need to get you
back before work.”
Nico smiled and started walking back to Percy's car. “Thanks for spending some
time with me, Percy.”
The drive back was relatively quiet. Once they were back, Percy walked Nico to
his suite. They stood in the doorway, Percy leaning an arm against the frame.
“Have fun at work tonight, Nico,” Percy said with a smile. His eyes flickered
down to Nico's lips. He leaned in closer and Nico felt his heartbeat quicken.
But Percy never kissed him. He stood there with a sly grin. “Bye.”
Nico gawked as Percy began to walk off. “Is that it?”
Percy turned around and started laughing. “What's wrong, Nico? You look like
you were expecting a kiss.”
Nico made a face, gesturing wildly, as if to say: duh!
Percy shrugged, his smirk back on his face. “But you said it wasn't a date.”
Nico's mouth fell open. “Are you serious?” He glared at Percy. “So, if I had
called it a date, you would have kissed me?”
Percy shrugged as he started to walk backwards towards the elevators. “I
suppose we'll never know. Sorry, Nico.”
Nico shut his door rather harshly, leaning back against it with a loud groan.
He raked his fingers down his face, feeling extremely frustrated.
----------------------------------------
Nearly a week later, Nico found himself in the conference room. The fifteenth
had finally rolled around, and now it was time for Butch's birthday party. Nico
had actually never been in the conference room before. It was on Percy's floor,
directly across from the young man's office. He had wondered what some of the
other doors on the floor were used for.
Nico sat at the long table, with Hazel and Travis. Butch stood at the head of
the table with Percy, Reyna, and Will. The birthday boy had his arm around
Reyna's slender waist, though his eyes followed Percy around whenever the
manager moved about the room.
“So,” Travis began, “I hear you went on a date with Percy.” The brunet rested
his temple against his index finger. He stared at Nico with a blank and dull
expression.
“It wasn't a date,” Nico mumbled, taking a sip of some of the punch they had.
The brunet rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Neeks.” He frowned at the pale
boy. “A little unfair, though.”
“Why?”
Hazel patted Nico's shoulder. “No one has ever gone on a date with Percy.”
“It wasn't a date!” Nico slapped a hand over his mouth. Everyone turned to
stare at him, including Percy. The green-eyed young man raised a brow at him.
Nico slumped in his chair with a groan.
Hazel chuckled as everyone went back to their conversations. “Well, whatever
you call it, it typically doesn't happen.”
Nico frowned. “But he said he paid for everyone when they did stuff.”
Travis arched a brow. “Yeah, when he takes us places. You asked him.” The
brunet sighed. “Well, did you two finally do it?”
Nico scowled at him. “None of your business.”
The taller Lost Boy grinned at him. “Isn't it, though? I would so enjoy working
with you, Neeks.”
The brown-eyed boy let out a huff. “We didn't have sex.”
Travis shrugged. “Oral then. Still, lucky dog.”
Nico sighed, getting pat on the shoulder by Hazel. Was it so hard for them to
believe that Percy and Nico spent time together without it involving sex? Hazel
clicked her tongue. “Do you think we could take Percy on not-dates?” The Lost
Girl pondered.
Travis straightened in his chair. “That's a good idea.”
Nico let out a breath, frowning to himself. What had he done? He had just
wanted to get to know Percy better, while spending some time with the guy. Now,
they were going to use this to their advantage, which meant having more sex
with Percy.
Nico decided to stand up, so that he could give Butch his present. He walked
over and held the wrapped box out. Butch blinked down at it before accepting it
with a smile. “Thanks, shortie.” He reached out and squeezed Nico's shoulder,
letting it linger there for a moment.
As the buff Lost Boy began unwrapping his present, Nico began chewing on his
lip. “I hope you like it. I didn't really know what to get.”
Butch held up the unwrapped box and stared at it. A smile finally graced his
lips. “I like it.”
Nico breathed a sigh of relief. Reyna chuckled. “Don't worry, though, Nico,
Percy probably outdid you. He usually goes for big presents.”
Percy smiled and leaned back on the table. “What did you get him, a trip to go
ride horses?” Will asked.
“Not quite,” Percy replied.
Butch chuckled before wrapping an arm around Reyna again. He sat down on the
table next to Percy, bringing the Lost Girl in between his legs. Nico watched
as Butch let his shoulder brush with Percy's. The large Lost Boy turned his
attention back on Nico.
“Still, thanks for the present, man. It was thoughtful.”
Nico wanted to open his mouth and ask questions, but reconsidered. It was the
guy's birthday, he didn't need to be burdened with questions that might upset
him.
There was a knock at the door. Leo poked his head in and searched the room
until his eyes landed on Percy. “She's here.”
Percy stood up. Butch's brow was furrowed as Percy took a few steps away.
“Who?”
Percy turned back around with a frown. “I just need you to stay calm, okay?”
Butch stood up, guiding Reyna out of the way. “Percy, what's going on?”
Percy pursed his lip. “Promise not to be mad? I can explain afterwards.”
Butch sighed and nodded. Percy nodded back and walked over to the door. He
leaned his head out the door and whispered to someone. Everyone in the room
fell quiet, all of them wondering what was going on. Percy finally leaned back
into the room and closed the door slightly, standing in front of it. He let out
a long breath before standing aside and opening the door.
An olive skinned woman walked into the room. She had long black hair and warm
brown eyes. A pair of glasses sat on her nose. She was of medium height,
standing as tall as Nico. She was relatively thin and had a small smile on her
face.
Butch's face hardened. “Hello, mother,” he grunted. The Lost Boy crossed his
arms over his chest tightly.
A lot of the Lost Kids went back to talking and eating cake, pretending like
they weren't watching the scene in front of them. Percy cleared his throat.
“Surprise.”
Butch's gaze turned on Percy. “What the hell, Percy?”
“Butch,” his mother began.
The Lost Boy growled. Percy sighed. “Your mother is better now, Butch.” He
placed a hand on the woman's back. “Isn't that right, Iris?”
The woman gave a small smile, nodding her head lightly. “Percy found me and put
me through rehab.”
Butch frowned and looked between the two people in front of him. “Why didn't
you tell me?”
The green-eyed manager raised a brow. “I wanted it to be a surprise for your
birthday.”
Iris pursed her lips. “Sweetie, I know you're probably angry with me right now,
but-”
“Just a little bit,” Butch interrupted.
Percy sighed and shook his head. “But, we both think that you two should spend
some time together. Try to patch things up. She is your mother, and she wants
to make amends.”
Butch frowned. “I'm not leaving the Lotus.”
Percy held up a hand in defense. “I'm not asking you to. I just want you to
spend some time with her.”
“It would mean a lot to me,” Iris added. “I know I was a bad mother growing up,
but I'm not using anymore. And Percy even helped me get a nice job.”
Butch's brow furrowed as his gaze turned on Percy. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
Percy gave a single nod. Iris's lips tilted up on one side of her mouth and her
head tilted off to the side. “You've grown up to be such a handsome young man.”
Butch rubbed the back of his neck, a minute smile on his face. Percy smiled and
slid his hand into his pocket. “Happy birthday, Butch,” he said, clapping the
young man on the back. He walked over and sat down on the table again.
Nico blinked at Percy. “Wasn't that risky? What if it had gone bad?”
Percy let his head dip to the side. “I know my Lost Kids.”
Nico nodded. He wondered how well Percy knew him. He had only been at the Lotus
for nearly three months now. It didn't seem entirely fair, though. Percy knew
them so well, it seemed, but Nico, and possibly the other Lost Kids, probably
didn't know anywhere near half of what there was to learn about Percy.
Nico's eyes focused on Percy's lips as they tilted up into a sly smirk. It was
like the young man knew what he was thinking.
Maybe he did.
***** Your Eyes are Sure Looking Green *****
Slowly reaching out, Nico picked up a small picture frame that sat on the desk
in the room. It contained a picture of his sister with her arms around
Daedalus. They were both smiling at the camera. Nico pursed his lips and sat
the picture back down. The rest of the pictures were of Daedalus's family. A
tall, lanky man with glasses and a young looking woman stood in one picture.
The man looked similar to Daedalus, though he did not have the athletic build
that his son had acquired. He had brown hair like his son, though his was
gelled and styled to the side. His eyes were different, a deep blue color. He
was a little tanner than his son, but carried the same warm smile that Daedalus
did.
The woman, Daedalus's mother, was radiant. Her long black hair was draped over
her left shoulder in the picture. Daedalus had, apparently, gotten his grey
eyes from his mother, as she had a matching pair. She was paler than the man
next to her. The woman had a beautiful, bright smile.
Another picture caught Nico's attention. In this one was a young boy with dark
brown hair that looked like he had just rolled out of the bed. His eyes were
also grey, but a lighter color than Daedalus's eyes. He was short, possibly not
having hit puberty yet. He was tanned, slightly sunburned in the photo. He
smiled up at camera with a toothy grin.
“That's my nephew, Perdix.”
Nico turned around to find Daedalus standing in the doorway. He smiled and
offered Nico a glass of lemonade. “Thanks,” Nico mumbled, taking the offered
drink. He sat the picture back on the desk.
“If you stay a while, you might be able to meet him.”
Nico nodded. “Sister or brother?”
Daedalus's lips tilted down. He cleared his throat, glancing at the ground for
a brief second. “My sister's, and she's not with us anymore.”
“Oh.” Nico pursed his lips. “I'm sorry.”
The brunet shook his head. “It's fine.” The boy adjusted his glasses, while
letting out a breath. “My parents do the best they can at raising him now.”
The raven haired boy's brow furrowed. “His father passed as well?” He shifted
his weight, letting the room fall silent for a moment before proceeding. “Do
you mind if I asked what happened?”
Daedalus sat his lemonade down on his nightstand before turning back to Nico.
“Plane crash,” he said quietly. “A few years back. Something ended up going
wrong with the wings of the plane.”
Nico stared down at the picture of Perdix. “Where's he at now?”
“Off seeing his father's parents. My dad took him. They live two hours away, so
it'll be a while.” He cleared his throat. “My mom should be home soon, though.”
Nico took another drink from the drink he had been offered and took another
look around Daedalus's room. The brunet had an average bed in the back right
corner of his room. His desk sat in front of a window, and above it hung an
old-fashioned flying machine. A large bookcase sat next to the desk, filled to
the brim with books. Beside his bed was a basketball and tennis shoes. It felt
like home.
“You have a nice room.”
Daedalus blinked at him. “Thanks.” He smiled brightly. “It's not the luxurious
place you're staying at, but it suffices.”
Sunday had arrived rather quickly for Nico. And he would be off for
Thanksgiving break for the upcoming week, which meant he could catch up on
sleep and upcoming projects. But Daedalus had wanted to get a jumpstart on
Nico's tutoring.
The raven haired boy had arrived around ten that morning, and it was just now
reaching one in the afternoon. He had gotten a slight headache, but he wasn't
going to complain. He had probably given Daedalus one as well, but the brunet
had been a good sport about it overall. Nico felt good about this arrangement,
and not just because it would keep his grades up. It now gave him an
opportunity to spend some more time away from the hotel.
Nico turned around at the sound of a door opening in the house. Daedalus jumped
off the bed with a smile. “Come on, that should be mom.”
Daedalus led Nico back through his home. The brown-eyed boy glanced around a
lot, at everything. The brunet's house was nice, it felt warm. They had
hardwood floors, all polished to perfection. Daedalus's parents had a lot of
books, which seemed to be located randomly throughout the house, rather than
stored on shelves. There were several family portraits, some of which included
a girl with brown hair. Nico was going to assume it was Daedalus's sister.
“Hey, mom,” Daedalus greeted the woman from the photo. He grabbed a bag of
groceries from her and walked the woman into the kitchen, which was also
perfectly tidy.
The mother smiled and kissed the brunet's temple. She blinked when she spotted
Nico, quickly clearing her throat and offering Nico her hand and a smile. “And
who do we have here?”
“Oh.” Daedalus sat down the bag of groceries and moved to stand at the island
beside Nico. “Sorry. This is Nico. Nico, this is my mom.”
Nico shook the woman's hand with a smile. “It's nice to meet you, Mrs.-”
“Oh, sweetie, just call me Minerva.” She released Nico's hand before turning to
her son. “Has your father gotten home yet?”
The brunet shook his head. “No, but he'll probably be soon.”
Minerva nodded and began putting away her groceries. “So, Nico, Daedalus tells
me he's dating your sister. Most boys get protective over things like that.”
Nico chuckled and turned to glance at Daedalus. “He seems nice enough, so I'll
let him slide, for now.”
The mother smiled. “That's good to hear. I raised him to be a gentleman, so you
shouldn't have anything to worry about.” Her brow creased. “I hear you're not
living with your parents anymore.”
“Mom,” Daedalus said warningly, a frown marring his features.
Nico shook his head. “It's fine. No, Mrs.-” Nico clamped his mouth shut,
receiving a look from Daedalus's mother. “Er, I mean, Minerva. I'm not living
with my parents.”
“That's a shame.” The woman pursed her lips and shot a look at her son. “Well,
if you ever need a meal or somewhere to sleep, you're welcome here.”
The raven haired boy smiled. “Thank you, but I'm fine.”
From the way Daedalus refused to look up from the island, Nico was going to
assume the boy hadn't told his mother about his living conditions in their
entirety. Nico was most grateful for that. There was just one problem with this
situation.
“I, um, would just like to ask that you don't mention me to my parents, if you
see them.”
Minerva looked between Nico and Daedalus. “Well, they were actually coming over
here for dinner tonight.” Nico swallowed a lump in his throat, his face paling.
Minerva pursed her lips. “I don't know what went on exactly, Nico, but if I
need to call child services-”
“No!” The brown-eyed boy quickly shook his head. “No, I'm fine. I'd just rather
not talk about it.”
The dark haired woman sighed and nodded his head. “I suppose you'll be out of
here by the time they get here then?”
Nico swallowed again. “I guess so.”
Minerva nodded as she finished putting away her groceries. “Very well, I won't
say anything. Just keep yourself out of trouble, Nico. If you need anything,
just give my son a call. I'll send him along, even if it's the dead of night.”
Nico smiled brightly at the woman. “Thank you.”
Daedalus nudged the raven haired boy and nodded his head back towards his room.
Nico gave the woman a final smile before following his friend back down the
hall. Daedalus closed the door upon their arrival, letting out a sigh.
“Your mom is nice,” Nico decided.
The brunet chuckled. “That's what most people tell me.” He shrugged his
shoulders. “She can be quite strict when it comes to my education, though.”
Nico sat down on the brunet's bed, gripping the sheets in his fingers. He
stared around the room, while the other boy opened his laptop. This place was
nice, unlike his old home. It didn't feel dangerous, it didn't feel unsafe. It
felt like home. Why couldn't he have had a home and a family like this?
That wasn't to say he didn't love Bianca and his mother, they were great, but
he couldn't be with him. All because of his father. He shivered in thought of
his father. Nico began chewing on his lip, his gaze trained on his lap.
“You okay?”
Nico looked up to find Daedalus staring at him from the desk. He quickly
nodded, throwing on a smile. The brunet looked at him with concern. “I'm fine,
I promise.”
Daedalus pursed his lips, but didn't say anything. “So we should hang out again
while we're on break. Maybe if Jason's feeling better, he can join us.”
“Yeah.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I'll see how he's feeling when I get
back and I'll let you know.” Nico's phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it
out and stared down at the screen. Octavian had texted him, letting Nico know
he had arrived. “My ride is here.”
Nico quickly gathered his things, with some help from his brunet friend.
Daedalus opened his door again and stepped outside to walk Nico down the hall.
As they neared the door, Nico's brow furrowed. Footsteps were heard outside,
along with some voices. The door opened a moment later, and in a small brown
headed blur ran inside the house. Behind the small boy stood the tall man from
the photograph in Daedalus's room, with Octavian in tow.
The man smiled and stepped forward. “Ah, you must be Nico. I'm Daedalus's
father, Quintus.” He shook Nico's hand with a firm shake. “I found your friend
here outside.”
Octavian gave the man one of the traditional Lost Kids' fake smiles. “I really
was fine waiting in the car, sir.”
“Nonsense.” Quintus hefted the small boy that had run inside up into his arms.
“It would be un-hospitable to leave you out there, waiting for who knows how
long.”
Nico smiled. “Well, I'm ready to go.”
“Great,” Octavian said, still through his forced smile.
The child, Perdix, blinked at Octavian. “You're really tall. My dad was tall.”
Octavian's smile faltered. “Is he?”
“Was,” Quintus said quietly. Octavian pursed his lips, shooting Nico a glance.
Perdix didn't seem fazed by any of this. “Yeah, and you have the same color
hair.” He quickly flailed his arms, trying to get a handful of the slim blond's
hair.
Octavian's lips tilted back up, but this time it wasn't forced. Nico blinked.
Had he ever really seen Octavian smile? A real smile?
Quintus chuckled and hoisted the child up higher in his arms. “So, Octavian was
it? You said you were interested in studying politics?”
The smile that was fascinating Nico vanished, replaced by a blank look. “I said
I had some interest in politics. Haven't quite decided if I want to venture
into that career path just yet.”
Minerva came around the corner with a smile. She kissed her husband and took
Perdix from the man. “Quintus is trying to get into politics.”
The man chuckled. “Just County Committee Member, nothing too exciting.”
The blond eyed the man carefully before nodding. “Good luck.” His eyes
flickered over to Nico. “Ready?”
Nico nodded. Minerva put a hand on Nico's shoulder. “Feel free to come back any
time, Nico.”
The child in the woman's arms leaned into her ear. “Isn't Daedalus's
girlfriend's brother named Nico?”
Nico pursed his lips. Minerva had done the same as she stared at the child.
“It's complicated, sweetie. We'll explain it later, okay?”
Perdix grinned and nodded. “Yeah.”
Octavian tugged on Nico's shirt. “Well, I've got to go,” Nico announced. He
gave a lopsided smile to his friend. “Thanks for the help.”
Daedalus smirked and nodded. “I'll catch you later, man.” He walked the two
over to the door and closed it behind them.
Nico followed Daedalus down the short stone path that led to the street.
Octavian had parked his car on the curb. The raven haired boy stared at
Octavian over the roof of the car, while the other pulled his keys out to
unlock the vehicle.
Nico opened his door and climbed inside. “I didn't know you were interested in
politics.” Octavian remained silent. “Why aren't you pursuing it?”
“Waste of time.” The blond cranked the car.
The raven haired boy frowned. “You could get out of the hotel.”
Icy blue eyes cut across the car. “And why would I want to do that?”
“Why are you always so evasive?”
“Why are you so annoying?”
Nico huffed. “I thought we were on a truce.”
Octavian smirked at him. “Fair enough.” He pursed his lips. “It's complicated.”
Nico stared at the blond from the passenger seat. “You didn't seem to like
Daedalus's father.”
The blond shrugged. “I wouldn't say that.”
The short boy arched an eyebrow. “You looked irritable when you walked in.”
“He was trying to talk to me about politics,” Octavian mumbled. He reached back
with his left hand and ran a hand through the back of his hair. “Why are you
always asking questions?”
Nico sat back in his seat, frowning slightly. “I'm just a curious person.” The
brown-eyed boy sighed. “All of you know these things about each other, so why
can't I? I'm supposed to be included in this family, or that's what everyone
keeps telling me.”
Octavian pulled his gaze away from the road to stare at Nico. He opened his
mouth and let it hang open for a moment, quickly shutting it a second later.
“You need to understand something, Nico.” The way he said it caught Nico
slightly off guard. He had never heard Octavian speak so gently before. “We
grew up with each other, not literally, but within the hotel. You were the
first new addition to arrive in almost a year. We know these things about each
other because we shared in each other's pain.”
“So, Jason will be treated similarly to me?”
The blond chuckled. “Jealousy does not become you, Nico.” He blew out a breath.
“I don't know what the future holds, but if I had to guess, I'd say probably
so.”
Nico turned his eyes to stare out the passenger window. “I'm still the
outsider, though.”
“Maybe you should learn to adapt.” Nico heard Octavian sigh. “You'll never
survive in this place at the pace you're going.”
“I'm fine,” Nico said softly. He began tapping a finger on his leg. “I can make
it just fine.”
Octavian turned his head to give Nico a brief glance. “You say that now. Come
find me when you change your mind. I can teach you a few things.” He chuckled
when Nico turned around, mouth open, ready to remark on that. “Non-sexual, I
promise. You're not as cunning as you might think you are, though.”
The raven haired boy narrowed his eyes. “I don't need any help.”
The blond shrugged. “Then I guess someone else will just pull another stunt on
you like Apollo did.”
Nico averted his gaze with a frown. “I'll....I'll keep what you're saying in
mind.”
Octavian smirked at him. “Good boy. Maybe you're not a complete loss.”
Nico's brown eyes shifted to the front window when the hotel came into view.
“Will you at least tell me why you and Luke didn't come here at the same time?”
His brow creased. “Out of everyone, you two talk the least about yourselves.”
“Maybe because we don't like thinking about it.” The older Lost Boy shivered,
causing the car to swerve slightly. He let out a long breath, returning his
blue eyes to the road. “Don't talk to him about it, please,” he said, barely
above a whisper.
“What...happened?”
The blond pulled into the parking garage and found a parking spot. He shifted
the car into park and let his gaze fall to his lap. “Luke...he had his job,
long before we got here.” He turned to look at Nico with frantic eyes. “She...”
The blond shook his head, breaking his eye contact with Nico. “Never mind.”
Nico stared after the blond as he got out of the car. He swallowed the lump in
his throat before grabbing his things and getting out on his side. Octavian
locked the door when Nico's door was closed. Nico didn't say anything else. It
was just one of those moments where he knew if he asked another personal
question, he might set off something he wasn't ready for just yet. He would let
it go, for now.
--------------------------------------
Nico climbed out of the pool the next day. He shook his head, sending droplets
of water flying everywhere. Juniper and Rachel laughed at him. “You looked like
a wet dog,” Rachel said with a smirk.
Nico frowned at her. “Shut up.”
The red headed girl ran her fingers through his wet black locks. “Maybe you
should get a haircut soon.”
The Lost Boy tugged at one of the strands hanging down into his face. “I'll
give it another week, or two.”
Rachel patted him playfully on the cheek. “Just go see Circe, she'll fix you
up.”
Nico sat down on one of the chairs beside the pool, in between Rachel and
Juniper. It had been a quiet day so far, though it was far from over. He
grabbed his towel and ran it through his hair. He was very thankful for his
break, it was very much needed.
Rachel picked at one of her nails. “So, Juniper, have you tried to get a date
with Percy yet?”
Nico frowned. Juniper chuckled and shook her head. “Not yet. I think he's busy
today.”
“Oh yeah.” Rachel clicked her tongue. “I forgot Luke came to see him earlier.”
“Date?” Nico looked between the two Lost Girls.
“Well, not-date is the correct term, as you put it.” Rachel shrugged. “Should
have seen this coming, Nico. The others saw an opportunity, so they took it.”
Nico turned to face the other girl. “Are you going to?”
Juniper gave him a sad look. “I was thinking about it,” she said softly.
“Don't be mad at her.” Rachel swatted his thigh lightly. “The others are just
upping their game, you'll need to learn to adjust.”
Nico pouted. “Well, why does Percy have to oblige them with this?”
“He can't give you special treatment, Nico.” The red headed girl smirked at
him. “As much as I'm sure you'd like that, it just can't be.” She sighed and
leaned back to enjoy the sun shining down on her. “Just relax, Nico, you're
fine. You worry too much.”
Nico frowned, clutching at his swim trunks. Part of him wished he had never
asked Percy to spend time with him. It seemed to just make things worse. Now
the others just had another opportunity to bond with Percy. He had wanted it to
be special.
Rachel stood up with a grunt. She bent over and picked up her phone, which had
been lying on her towel. She sighed and scowled down at the device. “Shit,” she
cursed. “I've got to go.” She playfully punched Nico's shoulder before jogging
out of the pool area.
“What's up with her?”
Juniper smiled sadly at the door that Rachel had left. “Her father is coming to
town.”
“Does he want to see her?”
The Lost Girl shook her head. “No, and that's the issue. He's going to be
staying here, but made it clear to Percy that he didn't want to see his
daughter.”
Nico pursed his lips. “That's horrible. I mean, I know he disowned her, but
that's just wrong. She has to stay invisible while he's here?”
The girl shrugged, running a hand through her drying hair. “I wouldn't say that
is very uncommon. Percy does the same with Apollo-”
“He didn't last time.”
Juniper looked back at Nico with sadness. “Typically, he doesn't let Robert see
Apollo.” She sighed. “He'll probably have Rachel and Leo swap their night jobs.
So, Rachel will probably be sitting in with the boys while her father is here.”
“That's sad.” Nico pursed his lips and stared at the waves in the pool. While
it was sad, perhaps it was for the best. He wasn't sure he would want to see
his father if the man showed up at the hotel either.
He blinked when he felt someone tap his leg. He looked up to see Juniper
smiling down at him. “Ready to go? Don't want you turning into a tomato.” She
giggled when Nico quickly looked himself over.
Nico stood up with a scowl. She waited for Nico to slide his shirt on before
starting to walk towards the exit. Nico stepped in beside her, walking in
silence for a few steps. “So why come here?”
Juniper tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean? I told you why.”
“I know that Percy asked for you, but you told Bianca you still had a family.
Why move away?”
Juniper sighed. “As long as they are being taken care of, that's what really
matters. I can see them when I can.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Taken care of?” He shifted his eyes from side to side.
“Why would they need to be taken care of?” His eyes widened. “Oh god, your
parents didn't get in some kind of trouble with Gaea, did they?”
The Lost Girl chuckled. “No, no, nothing like that.” She let out a breath.
“Maybe another time, Nico.”
Juniper had just pushed the button to call the elevator, when an elbow rested
on Nico's shoulder. “Oh, cutie, you look so adorable in your swimming clothes.”
Nico sighed and turned to face Ganymede, prepared to deliver a witty comeback.
It fell short, though, when he stared into the ex-Lost Boy's eyes. Instead of
meeting hazel eyes, Nico was staring at two different shades. His left was dark
blue, while his right eye was green. A pair of glasses sat on his nose.
He smirked at Nico. “It's not polite to stare, you know.”
“Your eyes are different colors,” Nico stated bluntly.
Juniper and Ganymede chuckled at him. “Heterochromia iridum is the proper term
that I think you're looking for.” He leaned in, still smiling. “And I really
don't like being stared at.”
Nico blinked, his cheeks turning pink. “Sorry.” He opened his mouth, but the
elevator arrived. “Uh, I'll catch you later, Juniper.” The girl nodded at him,
her eyes darting between the two males in front of her. Ganymede smiled at her
as the doors closed. “Um, so you wear contacts.”
The man shrugged. “They were irritating my eyes this morning, so I had to wear
my glasses.”
Nico swallowed, catching himself staring again. “They, um, look really...nice.”
Ganymede smirked at him. “Really?” His smile fell with a shrug. “So I've been
told, by plenty of customers.” The dirty haired blond let out a heavy sigh.
“Apparently, it's a turn on for a lot of customers, especially men. Getting a
blowjob from a guy with two different color eyes is super hot, or so they say.”
Nico had his lips pursed. It was hot, he thought. “Er, so why the contacts?”
The man shrugged, scrunching his lips. “Didn't really like being stared at so
much. It made me a little uncomfortable.”
The raven haired boy looked at the blond with skepticism. “Really? A Lost Kid
that doesn't like the attention?”
Ganymede cocked his head to the side. “You'd be surprised.” He smirked,
flashing his bright teeth. “So, where are you headed?”
“Up to my room. You?”
“Same.”
Nico arched a brow. “You live here?”
Ganymede chuckled. “You really didn't know that? Some of the staff do live
here, Nico, not just the Lost Kids.” He narrowed an eye and gave Nico a funny
look. “You know, if I'm right, you should have my old suite. Maybe even my old
bed and room.” He bit down on his lip.
“Pervert.” Nico rolled his eyes. “I probably have your suite, not sure about
the room.”
The ex-Lost Boy hummed and pushed the call button for the elevator. “You could
come up to my room.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I'm sure it would completely remain innocent,” he said
sarcastically. “Which staff member do you live with?”
“No one.” Ganymede shrugged. “We all live on the same floor, but our rooms
aren't as big, and we don't take up an entire floor.” He motioned to the
elevator when it arrived. “You're welcome to come have a look, in case you ever
need to find me when I'm off the clock.”
Nico blew out a breath. He eventually boarded the elevator and watched as
Ganymede hit the button to the twentieth floor. “Why this floor anyways? Why
not keep you guys closer to the Lost Kids?”
The man shrugged. “Well, this floor has the single rooms.”
“How many?”
Ganymede smiled. “Just myself, Chiron, Circe, and Dionysus.” He sighed
contently. “Though, I hear Chris might be moving in soon.” The blond mumbled
something to himself.
Nico cocked his head to the side. “What was that?”
The elevator stopped. The other smiled at him. “Nothing, cutie.”
Nico looked at him warningly. “No sex. Just a quick look and then I'm out.”
“So hurtful. That's not much of a reason.”
Nico sighed as he followed the taller male down the hall. They went to the end
of the hall before stopping. “I suppose it would come in handy to know where
you live. You've been...insightful.”
Ganymede smiled, pushing his door open. “That's what I'm here for.”
The raven haired youth entered the room, staring around at the room. It was
definitely not like the suites the Lost Kids had. It was just a luxury hotel
room. There weren't a bunch of rooms, there was only the bedroom and the
bathroom. The bathroom looked nice. It had glass walls like the showers
upstairs, but the shower had been combined with the bathtub.
The bed was the same size as the one Nico had. The TV was an inch or two
smaller than the one he had in his bedroom, though Ganymede had his hanging on
the wall. There was a small kitchen area in the left corner of the suite; a
refrigerator, microwave, sink, and stove.
Ganymede flopped down on his bed, crossing his feet. “Well, this is where the
magic happens. Clothing is optional.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Why don't any of you ever leave?”
The man's smile vanished. “You've been talking to Percy.”
“A while back.”
The man grunted and stared up at the ceiling. “It's just-”
“Complicated.” Nico pulled a chair out from a small table, sitting down in it.
“I hear that a lot.” Nico stared at the blond man, still slightly fascinated by
the eyes. “So, you used to be a Lost Kid, and you said you taught Apollo what
he knows, right?”
Ganymede shrugged. “More or less.” He sat up and crossed his legs, still
frowning. “I'm taking it you want to talk about Apollo?”
The brown-eyed boy shook his head. He shifted in his seat. He kept his eyes on
the floor as he attempted to find the words to ask what he wanted to know. “The
other night, I got to witness this obsession that some of the customers have
with us.” He noticed Ganymede's eyes darken. “I was just wondering if you had
the same experience, since you mentored Apollo.”
Ganymede put his hands in front of his mouth, his fist pressing against his
palm. “He was such a sweet kid when he first got here.” His eyes seemed to
search his comforter for something. “You know, sometimes we wonder if we create
monsters, us older ones. He wasn't so different from you, you know? He had the
same lovestruck look on his face when he stared at Percy.”
“I'm not in love with Percy,” Nico grumbled. Ganymede gave him a disbelieving
look. Nico frowned at his lap. He didn't know anymore, he really didn't.
Perhaps he should give it some thought at some point.
“He was so infatuated with Percy when he first got here,” Ganymede continued.
“It hurt to watch, when it all came crashing down for him.”
Nico's brow creased. “Crashing down?”
“Percy didn't want him, at least not in the way Apollo wanted him to. And he's
like you, or was. He put sex and romance together in his head. This place
wasn't easy on him at first.”
“He seems fine now.”
Ganymede shrugged. “Like we've established, I taught him. Percy handed him off
to me one day, told me to work with him.” The blond's gaze flickered over to
the kitchen area. When Nico followed his gaze, he found that the blond was
staring at a bottle of liquor. “He was a sweetheart; cute, young, and
adorable.” Ganymede sighed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it for
a moment before pointing the screen in Nico's direction.
Nico stared at a younger-looking Apollo. His hair was shorter than it was now,
just a hint of curls in his blond hair. The blond's tan was less prominent,
though, which surprised Nico a little. Nico assumed the picture had been taken
shortly after Apollo's arrival at the hotel, because the blond still had faint
traces of dark circles under his eyes. But most of all, he looked sad.
“He didn't take it so well, when Percy turned him down.” The phone was locked
and placed on the bed. “Percy explained things to him, but it still hurt
Apollo. It wasn't easy, teaching him.” The ex-Lost Boy's eyes grew distant. “He
shook a lot, while I worked with him. He cried a lot of nights, and Percy
didn't help him by letting him get comfort from his bed.”
“Why?” Nico swallowed. “Why would Percy want to have that done to Apollo?”
The blond's different colored eyes shifted up to Nico. “He had to, if Apollo
wanted to stay here. Apollo was an intimate person, and there's not much room
for that here.”
“He can still be sweet.”
Ganymede shrugged. “True, but that's part of his appeal. He just needed to
learn how to get it right.” The man sighed and fell back on the bed. “He was
angry with me for a long time after that, Percy too. Should have seen it
coming.”
Nico furrowed his brow. “Seen what coming?”
Ganymede seemed to realize what he had just said. He sat up and frowned. “You
should go.”
“What should he have seen coming?” Nico stared at Ganymede with determination.
This felt important, and he didn't want to let it go.
The blond ran a hand down his face. “Just...promise not to repeat this, yeah?”
Nico nodded his head. “Later, when Leo came to the hotel, Apollo got a little
angry with Percy one night.” Nico felt the hairs on his arms begin to stand up.
Oh god, he thought, was this what they were fighting about? “Apollo...Apollo
coerced Leo to go back to his suite with him. Leo was supposed to be doing some
paperwork for Percy, concerning some important documents.”
“He got Leo in trouble?”
Ganymede held up a hand, keeping his head lowered. “Just let me finish. He got
Leo to go back to his room, and they ended up having sex.” The blond's eyes
drifted off to the side. “Left the poor kid heartbroken after that.” His eyes
returned to Nico's face. “And, yeah, he got Leo in trouble with Percy.”
Nico frowned. “Why would Apollo want to get Leo in trouble?”
The ex-Lost Boy shook his head lightly. “It wasn't meant to hurt Leo. The
paperwork was very important for Percy.” The man pursed his lips. “Let's just
say that Apollo's little stunt with you wasn't the first time he wished he
hadn't upset Percy.”
Nico let his eyes drop from Ganymede's face. “I, um, need to get back to my
room. I've got to get ready for work.”
Ganymede stood up at the same time Nico did. He grabbed the boy by his shoulder
to keep him still. “Just remember to keep quiet about what I just said. You are
a curious kid, and I don't mind helping you connect some dots, but I don't want
to get burned because you go and run your mouth.”
Nico pursed his lips and jerked his shoulder away. “I'm not going to rat you
out.” He averted his eyes when he looked up at the blond's eyes again. They
really were fascinating to look at.
Ganymede followed him to the door, leaning on it as they stood in the doorway.
“You're not quite like the others, Nico.” He furrowed his brow. “Word of
advice, don't let Apollo take you under his wing.” He stared down into Nico's
eyes. “Don't turn out like the others. I can't quite place it, but there's
something about you, something refreshing.” He smiled. “I think I'm starting to
see why Percy wants to protect you so much.”
Nico stared at the door with a mixture of confusion and concern. He watched
Ganymede let it close in front of himself before walking back down the hall. As
he reached out to press the button to his floor, something occurred to him. Why
had all of that caused such a sore spot between Leo and Apollo? The blond had
gotten punished, so why would they still fight about it? He thought that the
Lost Kids were supposed to be accustomed to that sort of thing.
Nico froze when the elevator opened. He was immediately greeted by a thud. His
brow furrowed as he crept out of the elevator and peered around the corner to
the boys' hall. His heart sank a little in his stomach at what he found
happening up against Luke and Octavian's door.
Percy had Luke's hands pinned above his head. The two were fiercely biting and
sucking at each other's lips. Luke tossed his head back, another thud echoing
in the hallway. Percy grinned and moved in to attack the blond's neck, pressing
his knee into the blue-eyed young man's crotch.
Percy suddenly pulled back, bringing forth a small whine from Luke. He smirked
and ran a hand under the blond's shirt. “It seems we have an audience.”
Nico's heart stopped. But Percy and Luke didn't look at him, they looked down
the hall, to their right. Luke's blue eyes narrowed. “Enjoying the show, Will?”
Nico peeked out farther. Sure enough, the younger blond was standing in his
doorway. He shrugged with an innocent smile. “Don't mind me. Carry on,
gentlemen.”
Percy chuckled and slid his hands into his pockets. “Luke, door. We need to
hurry before you have to get to work.” Luke grumbled and pulled out his key
card. Percy slid a hand into his hair. “And you can come out now, Nico.”
Nico's eyes widened. Percy hadn't even been looking in his direction! Luke
frowned when Nico stepped out from around the corner. “Twerp,” he mumbled. Nico
narrowed his eyes.
Percy smiled and ran a hand through Nico's hair when he was close enough. “I
didn't know you were into voyeurism, Nico.” The two blonds snickered. Percy
smiled again before moving into Luke's suite.
Luke crossed his arms and stared at Nico. “Move along, kid.”
The raven haired boy huffed. “My name isn't kid, it's Nico. It's not that hard,
even for your brain.”
Will raised a hand to hide his amusement. Luke turned a deathly glare on the
other blond. “Is there a problem there, Will?”
The shorter blond chuckled and shook his head. “Nope, none at all. Go, have
your fun.”
Luke's icy blue eyes returned to Nico. “Before I forget, Thalia wants you go
shopping with her tomorrow.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “What for? We just went shopping.”
The tall blond rolled his eyes. “Thanksgiving is Thursday, brat. She wants to
get a few things for decoration. Now, get your ass moving, unless you care to
join us.” He bowed and motioned to his door with both of his hands.
“No thanks,” Nico mumbled. He tossed Luke a glare before shoving past him. He
attempted to bump Luke's shoulder roughly, but it felt like he made contact
with a brick wall. He winced and rubbed his arm.
Luke smirked before rolling his eyes and entering his suite, shutting the door
behind him. Will cocked his head to the side as Nico walked to adjacent suite,
his suite. Will held his hands behind his back and moved towards Nico, taking
long strides. Nico turned his head to look at the blond when Will invaded his
space.
“How are you doing, Nico?”
Nico arched his brows and shrugged. “Fine. Why?”
Will stuck his lips out in a semi-pout. “Not upset, seeing Percy practically
fucking Luke up against his door?”
“Do you have a point to this question?”
Will leaned against the doorframe and grabbed Nico by his waist, pulling the
shorter boy closer. “Just curious.” His expression faltered when the shorter
boy yanked his way out of the blond's hold. “Why pursue the unobtainable, when
there's something just as good in front of you?”
Nico gave the blond a curious look. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing,” Will sighed. He cupped Nico's cheeks and brought his face
dangerously close to the other Lost Boy's. Nico sucked in a breath and pursed
his lips. He pressed a hand to the blond's chest, attempting to create some
distance. “It's just a kiss, Nico.”
“I highly doubt that. It seems like all of you are just trying to have sex with
me, so Percy will be forced to keep his end of the agreement.”
Will leaned in again, but this time didn't attempt to kiss Nico. “It can't get
broken if no one finds out.” His brow furrowed. “I told you, I'm not Apollo.
I'm not going to rat you out.”
Nico gave the other Lost Boy a disbelieving look. “Apollo said something
similar to me on the night he was giving me those lessons.”
Will sighed and released Nico. He reached up and ran a hand through his short
hair. “I can't even have a chance? Just a chance, to show you that I won't do
that.”
“You sided with the others that night,” Nico reminded him.
Will let his head turn to the floor for a few seconds before raising his eyes
to look at Nico. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Honeyed words?”
Will held up his hands defensively. “Okay, how about a compromise? You go on a
date with me, and I won't make a single attempt to get into your pants.”
Nico pushed his door open with his back. “I don't know, Will. Let me think on
it.” He placed a hand on the blond's shoulder.
Will smiled. Before Nico could fully register what happened, Will leaned in and
pecked him on the cheek. Nico blinked a few times, the blond just standing
there, grinning. “I'll see you later, Nico.”
Nico rolled his eyes as the blond slung his arms behind his head and made his
way back to his suite. He let out a sigh and took a step backwards, letting the
door close. He took in a deep breath before shaking his head. Nico nearly
jumped out of his skin at the sound of a crunch, like one would hear from
biting into an apple. He turned around with wide eyes.
Jason sat at the kitchen island, a half eaten apple in his hands. His eyebrows
rose as he looked at Nico. Nico pursed his lips at the blond's appearance.
Jason had dark bags under his eyes, like he had hardly slept in the past few
weeks. His hair was wet, probably having just had a shower. Nico couldn't
remember even seeing the blond take one during his time being incapacitated.
Jason's skin had lost some of its color, but the track marks seemed to have
vanished. Due to Jason's shirt, Nico couldn't be sure if the same could be said
about the cuts.
Jason blinked once. “You two looked cozy.”
Nico sighed, offering the other a smile. “Glad to have you back on your feet.”
The blond gave him a lopsided smile. “I feel like shit.” He let out a groan and
buried his face in his hands. “I can't believe I was out of commission for
nearly three weeks.”
Nico shrugged. “You didn't really miss anything.” He moved closer, resting his
elbows on the island. “So, when do you start working?”
Jason took another bite of his apple. His words came out mumbled around the
pieces of apple in his mouth. Nico arched an eyebrow at him. The blond chuckled
and swallowed his food. “Don't know yet.” He groaned and rubbed at his temple.
“And Daedalus?”
“Just a little curious. I talked to him. He thinks you've been really sick. I
didn't really know what to tell him about the situation, though.”
The blond blew out a breath. “You couldn't make up something? Jesus, I thought
you guys were supposed to be great liars.”
“I'm new,” Nico mumbled.
Jason rolled his eyes. “Clearly.” He let out a sigh.
“You know, it might help if I knew what the real story was. At least then I
could know areas to stay away from.”
Jason's blue eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “I told you, my dad was an ass.
What more do you need to know?”
Nico crossed his arms. “What about Thalia, does Daedalus know about her?”
“No.” The blond leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as well. “Why would
I want to tell my best friend about the sister that abandoned me?”
“I'm...I'm sure she tried.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah,” he spat out, “I'm sure she tried so hard. She
could have done something. She could have distracted him. We could have both
gotten out.”
Nico arched a brow. “Distracted your father?”
Jason shook his head. “Just drop it, it's not important.” The blond sighed and
stood up. “No, she abandoned me. She left me there...with him. With both of
them.” He ran his tongue along the bottom of his teeth. “Yeah, great sister.”
“You don't know, she could have-”
“Where's Percy? I need to talk to him.” Jason's eyes dulled as he reached out
for his phone.
Nico sighed. “He's with Luke.”
Jason shrugged and made to move towards the door. Nico arched an eyebrow at
him. “Oh.” He blinked a few times. “Oh. Uh, never mind.” The blond's lips
tilted down, his eyebrows drawing together. “I'll talk to him later.”
Nico gave the other an odd look. “What was that?”
The blond's eyebrows rose. “What was what?”
Nico gestured to Jason. “That! The expression you made. It's like annoyed, or
something.”
“I'm not. I just forgot that,” he gestured at Nico's lower half, “that was how
Percy conducted business around here.” He blew out a breath. “Just great,” he
mumbled.
The raven haired Lost Boy scrunched his lips. “It feels like you're
disappointed about that.”
Jason grunted and stretched his arms above his head. “Whatever. I'm going to
go...do something. Anything. I've been in my room for too long.”
“You're just a ray of sunshine,” Nico mumbled as Jason headed back towards his
room. Jason turned his head to give Nico a dirty look.
Great, Nico thought, this was just what he needed. His roommate was back on his
feet, which meant that Percy's attention could resume with the blond. Or maybe
it would falter. Jason was feeling better now, so maybe it would work in Nico's
favor. Doubtful, Nico thought, things didn't seem to have a habit of going his
way lately.
------------------------------------------------
Nico stood in front of Annabeth and Thalia's door on Tuesday afternoon. He
reached up and knocked on the door. He stood there for about a minute, not
receiving any answer. He let out a sigh and reached up to knock again, when a
hand slid a card into the slot.
The raven haired boy turned to find Annabeth standing beside him, an unreadable
look in her eyes. “Afternoon,” she greeted him.
“Hey,” Nico mumbled. “I'm ready to go whenever you two are.”
Annabeth nodded and pushed the door open a little. “Well, Drew will be tagging
along with us, so you can start your happy dance over there in the corner.” She
actually pointed over to where her couch sat. Annabeth was capable of humor?
The blonde closed the door behind Nico. This was the first time that Nico had
been inside Annabeth and Thalia's suite; it felt strange. Not in a bad way,
just new. Unlike most of the boys' suites, their suite didn't seem to have many
personal items. Perhaps their bedrooms were different? A few books were
scattered around; one laying on the coffee table, while one sat on the arm of
the couch, and another sat on the stand with the TV. A switchblade sat on the
coffee table with the book, possibly Thalia's.
Annabeth was in the process of opening her mouth when the bathroom door opened.
The sound of a shower running filtered into the room. But more importantly,
Percy stumbled out of it, carrying Thalia in his arms. And more importantly
still, they were both completely wet and naked.
Nico pursed his lips as he witnessed Percy lower and raise the Lost Girl on his
manhood. His heart felt like it might break when the raven haired girl bit down
on Percy's neck. Another thrust, another piece of his heart broke. There was a
heavy lump in his throat that he just couldn't seem to get rid of.
They both laughed as Percy stumbled into the wall, banging Thalia's back
against it. Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes. “Charming,” she mumbled.
“Piss off, Anna-” Thalia shut her mouth when she spotted Nico standing in the
middle of the living room.
Nico averted his eyes to the floor as Thalia forced Percy to put her down. The
brown-eyed boy pursed his lips and crossed his arms, drawing in on himself.
Annabeth sighed and shook her head. “I swear, you're all idiots.”
Thalia shot her a dirty look as she darted into her room to grab their
underwear. Percy kept staring at Nico as he slipped on his boxers. As Nico
began to chew on his lip, Percy narrowed his eyes. “I swear to any god that
will hear me, Nico, if you run, I will tackle you.”
Nico scowled at him before averting his gaze again. Thalia had managed to get
her panties on, so Nico didn't want to look up just yet, not with her breasts
still out. Thalia began chewing on her lip. “I-I'll be just a second, Nico.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I'm going to get Drew. Hopefully this train wreck
will be over by the time I get back.” The blonde reached out for Nico, but a
grunt from Percy stopped her. She dropped her hand, gave Nico a look, and
headed out the door.
Thalia brushed her hair behind her ear. “I'm going to get dressed.” She stepped
into her room and tossed Percy's pants at him, hitting him in the face with
them.
The manager glared at her and worked his legs into them. He stumbled into the
living room, where Nico was sitting himself down on the couch. Nico wiped at
his nose, his eyes becoming blurry. He didn't want to cry, he just couldn't
help it.
“Nico.” The boy didn't look up. Percy tilted his head, trying to catch the
boy's gaze. “Nico, look at me.” The brown-eyed boy sadly shook his head. Percy
bent down and cupped Nico's chin, forcing the boy to look up. He swiped a thumb
across Nico's cheek with a frown. “Why are you so upset? You know this is what
goes on.”
“It still hurts.”
The young man sighed heavily. “You really need to stop walking in on me with
this stuff.”
Nico frowned up at him. “Why can't...” He groaned and cradled his head. “I just
want to be different, special.”
Percy stared down at him, his brows furrowed. “You are different, and you are
treated special. If you weren't, don't you think you'd be doing the same job as
the others? You'd be selling your body for my profit if you weren't.” He cocked
his head to the side, arching a brow. “So, do you want to rephrase that
statement?”
Nico stared up at the young man, doing his best not to cry anymore. “I really
like you, Percy.”
“I know,” the green-eyed young man said softly. He weaved his fingers into his
hair, giving Nico an exasperated look. “What do you want from me?”
“I want you. That's all I want.”
“You-” Percy shut his mouth. His brow furrowed again. His eyes, it was like he
didn't understand what had just been said. Nico stared up at him in wonder.
Something felt wrong. This had happened the other night, and Percy never had
trouble with words.
“Shit, what did you say to him?”
They both looked up to find Thalia lowering her shirt. Percy threw on a smile
and stood back to his full height. “Just making sure he's not traumatized from
seeing your vagina.”
Thalia chuckled. “Maybe he'll come around.”
“Gross,” Nico mumbled, wiping at his eyes to get rid of any leftover tears.
Percy laughed. “Well, it seems he's feeling better.” He squeezed the back of
Nico's neck when the boy stood up.
Thalia grinned and grabbed Nico by the wrist, dragging him towards the door.
“Come on, Nico, we have an adventure to complete.”
“We're just going to get Thanksgiving decorations,” Nico mumbled.
Thalia waved her hand over her shoulder as she closed the door behind herself
and the two raven haired males. “Just take all the fun out of it.”
Annabeth came up and leaned against the wall with a sigh. “I was starting to
think you had convinced Nico to have a threesome with you two.” The girl's
comment made said boy wrinkle his nose.
Drew let out a sigh, busily inspecting her nails. “As much as I do enjoy
shopping, I don't like having to stand around.”
Thalia rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, calm yourself down, slut. There's plenty
of dicks for you to insert into yourself later.”
Drew shot the shorter Lost Girl a dirty look. Nico chuckled, drawing a grin
from Thalia. Nico and the three Lost Girls were headed down the hall, when
Percy cleared his throat. “Nico.” The brown-eyed boy froze, unsure if he wanted
to turn around. He ultimately decided against it. “Don't go to bed after work.
I feel we need to have a long talk about a few things.”
Nico pursed his lips, nodding his head lightly. The others looked at him with a
variety of looks. Nico felt Percy ruffle his hair as he passed. They all
boarded the elevator, Percy pressing the button to his floor first before
pressing the button for the garage. Thalia leaned towards him.
“You know, we didn't get to finish. Boys shouldn't be left with blue balls.”
Percy just shrugged. “I'm fine.” He didn't look at her, just stared at a space
on the wall. The elevator came to a stop at Percy's floor. The young man tossed
everyone a wave before making his exit. Nico watched Percy for as long as
possible, until the elevators doors blocked his view.
Nico turned towards Thalia. “So, what is it we are shopping for exactly?”
The Lost Girl shrugged. “Just a few things. We'll probably swing by the mall,
if you want to get anything.”
“Octavian was talking about outfitting me in some things, but I'm not sure I
want to go with it.”
Thalia beamed at him, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Annabeth rolled her
eyes. “He's busy right now.”
The blue-eyed girl shrugged. “Then I won't call him.”
She scrolled through her phone and clicked on someone's name. She clicked
speakerphone and held the phone out in front of her. The phone began ringing.
On the fourth ring, it was accepted and they were greeted by a groan. “Hello?”
“Yo, jerkface, go fetch your brother for me. He needs to come shopping with
us.”
Nico blinked at the phone as he heard Luke groan again. There was the sound of
covers being thrown back before the low thud of feet hitting the floor. Drew
let out a heavy sigh as the sound of Luke opening his door echoed from the
phone. Nico looked up to find Annabeth holding the button to keep the elevator
from moving.
Nico's eyes widened at the sound of a door being kicked in, followed by loud
yelling from Octavian and Reyna. “What the fuck, Luke? I'm a little busy right
now.”
“Thalia wants you to go shopping with them.”
“Fuck that.” Nico's face screwed up as he heard moaning. “I'm busy. Tell her I
can't.”
Luke let out a sigh. “Thalia? He says he doesn't want to go.”
Thalia frowned. “Can't you work some magic, or something? Please? For me?”
The blond on the phone grunted. The sound of the phone being placed down soon
followed, the room on the other end of the phone becoming quiet for a brief
second. “What the hell are you doing?” Octavian yelled. Nico's eyebrows rose at
the sound of something breaking. “Put me down, you bastard!”
Reyna let out a sigh. “Whatever. Call me when you get back.”
“Fuck you, Luke!” The younger brother let out a yelp. “Stop carrying me! We are
not cavemen, dammit! We are supposed to be civilized.”
The phone was scooped up. “Yeah, I'll have him to you in just a second.”
Octavian let out another yelp, and it sounded like he was tossed onto the
leather couch. Annabeth shook her head and hit the button to their floor.
Thalia grinned to herself and hung up the phone. The elevator arrived at their
floor again. As they were rounding the corner to the boys' side, the first door
on the left opened.
Luke shoved Octavian out, the shirt hanging on top of the skinnier blond's
head. “I hate you,” Octavian grumbled, his brother blocking the entrance to
their suite.
“Just making sure you have fun.”
Octavian glared at him. “I can just get back in, I have my key.” The pale blond
reached to pull his wallet out. Luke arched an eyebrow and held up a keycard in
between his fingers. Octavian's mouth fell open. “You asshole!” He let out a
sigh. “Fine, whatever, let's do this stupid shopping trip.”
Luke smirked. “Have fun.”
“You're not even coming?” Octavian yelled, punching his brother in the chest.
“I was sleeping.”
“I was having sex!”
Luke smirked. “And now you're not. Have fun.” The door was shut and locked in
front of Octavian.
Octavian turned around to glare at the four other Lost Kids. “I hate you all.”
“Believe me, I didn't ask for you to come,” Drew drawled.
Thalia smiled and wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulders. “Nico here wanted you
to help him pick out some things you mentioned.”
Octavian narrowed his eyes at the raven haired boy. “Sorry,” Nico mumbled.
The blond groaned before running a hand through his hair and marching off
towards the elevators. The Lost Kids boarded the elevator again and set off for
the parking garage. Octavian let out a sigh when they came to a stop. “Let me
guess, we're also doing your little Thanksgiving shopping trip.”
“Yep,” Thalia said cheerfully.
Octavian tossed Nico another dirty look as he shoved the shorter Lost Boy into
the back of Thalia's car. The blond slid in beside him, while Drew sat on his
other side, already busy applying a new coat of makeup. Thalia turned around in
the driver's seat to grin at the three Lost Kids in the back. “Who's ready to
have some fun?”
All three of them grumbled their response. With a smirk in Annabeth's
direction, Thalia cranked the car and pulled it out of the parking garage. Nico
just sat there, picking at his jeans. He felt awkward sitting in between Drew
and Octavian, neither of them being the friendliest of people.
The raven haired boy scrunched up his lips and turned his gaze onto the back of
Thalia's head. “What are we getting, anyways? And what for?”
Thalia smiled at him through the rearview mirror. “Thanksgiving, duh.”
“What do we do exactly on Thanksgiving?”
Thalia tilted her head to the side. “Have you never had a Thanksgiving before?”
Annabeth sighed and shook her head. “I think he means what do we do for
Thanksgiving.” She turned her body slightly to face the back of the car. “We'll
have dinner together after work.”
“Like one big happy family,” Octavian droned, facing his window.
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Apollo's going to be looking for some music for us
to listen to while we eat, but we wanted to go get a few things to set the
mood.” She waved her hand casually. “Just stuff like candles. As you can
imagine, there's not a lot to decorate with for the holiday. All of the food is
going to be prepared by the kitchen staff, so there's not a lot for us actually
to worry about.”
Drew clicked her tongue. “A night off work. That just means it's a night I
can't get some more money. I'm glad we didn't celebrate this holiday.”
“As loving as ever, Drew.” While Thalia didn't turn around, Nico could
practically feel the eye roll from the girl.
“So, do we make a deal out of every holiday?” Nico asked.
“Most of them.” Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Christmas is always a fun
holiday around here. Percy spares no expense in fully decking out the hotel.
He'll even get a huge Christmas tree to put in the lobby.” The blonde gave a
soft smile. “But, I think all of the holiday celebrations are more for Percy,
than they are for us. He didn't really get a lot of this when he was a kid.”
Thalia grinned. “New Year's Eve is always fun. We all get plastered.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “I think I'll pass on that.” His brown eyes locked
with Annabeth's grey ones. “What about Valentines Day?”
“Work?” The blonde chuckled. “We each buy the others some candy and stuff like
that, but that's about it.”
“Well,” Octavian turned away from the window, “no one usually sleeps alone on
that day.”
Nico blinked. “Does Percy do something similar to what he was going to do on
Halloween?”
“Uh, no.” Annabeth's lips thinned. “It just goes back to what we've been trying
to drill into your head, Percy doesn't do love. At least not the romantic
love.”
Thalia's eyes cut over to Annabeth. “That's not the only reason,” she mumbled.
Annabeth sighed and began curling a strand of hair around her finger. “Yes,
well, he doesn't like talking about that.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What?”
“Nothing,” Octavian, Thalia, and Annabeth all said at the same time. Nico only
frowned in response.
The car fell quiet for a while after that, Thalia maneuvering the car towards
the mall. Nico was hoping to get Thalia alone on their trip. There were a few
things from what he and Jason had talked about yesterday that he was hoping the
sister could shed some light upon. Of course, it felt like he had things he
wanted to ask all of them, but that was because he did. They were all
mysteries, even the ones who had disclosed some of their pasts to him.
When they arrived at the mall, Drew was the first one out of the car. “Let's
hurry this holiday shopping along. There are better things for us to be doing,
like shopping for clothes, or accessories.” She inspected her wrist with a
frown. “I think I need a few more bracelets.”
Octavian, who was walking next to Nico, grunted. “What, you're actually going
to pay for them?”
“I don't believe she actually said the word pay, Octavian,” Thalia pointed out.
Nico blinked. “Wait, is she talking about stealing?”
Annabeth shrugged her shoulders. “Possibly. Who knows with her? She might just
be making a list for what to ask for from clients.”
The tall blond beside Nico slung his hands behind his head. “Oh great
manipulative bitch, you never cease to amaze me.”
Drew turned to sneer at Octavian. “Like what you do is any better.”
Octavian stared back at her, blankly. “That's just a game. I like to see who is
smarter. I mean, if they are looking to try and run things, they should be of
decent intelligence.” He placed a hand on his chest. “I don't go around trying
to coerce them to do things for my benefit.”
“Whatever. You're not fooling anyone with your honeyed words.”
Octavian tapped a finger to his lips. “You know, I feel like there's a man in
China that was asking about you, Drew. Perhaps I should look into contacting
him for you. I'm sure he would be delighted to come find you.” Drew's face
paled, her mouth shutting tightly. Octavian smirked and slung his hands behind
his head again. He looked down at Nico, who was staring up at him. “And that,
Nico, is the power of information. It's why Percy values it so much. It holds
so much power over people.”
“It feels dirty.” A frown spread across Nico's face. “It's like preying on
people's mistakes.”
Octavian chuckled. “It gets the job done. Perhaps they shouldn't be doing some
of these things.”
“But people make mistakes, it's what makes us human.”
Thalia clicked her tongue. “Not everyone sees these things that he's talking
about as mistakes. People do bad things, things they don't regret.” The Lost
Girl lightly chewed on her lip as they entered the mall. “People aren't always
nice, Nico. There are bad people in this world, I figured you would have seen
that by now.”
“People come to the hotel to deal in slavery and the production of weaponry,”
Octavian added. “The people who purchase children to do their work, abuse, and
fuck, are they nice people?” He cocked an eyebrow. “Or what about the dictators
that you might find doing business in one of Gaea's hotels? What of the people
who buy missiles, and then turn around and bomb villages of innocent people?
Are they good people, Nico?”
Nico stared at the tiled floor of the mall. “That's different. What you just
did with Drew sounds like something different.”
Octavian cocked his head to the side. “How?”
“If she wasn't trying to hurt someone, or if it's not something she's proud of,
if it's not something she wanted to do, it's not her fault. It shouldn't be
held over her head for the rest of her life.” Nico's eyebrows drew together.
“That's not nice. I know people do bad things, but that's different from
mistakes.”
Annabeth turned to blink at him a few times. “He's got a point. Besides, your
brother should take a page from that book.” She turned her grey eyes on
Octavian, cocking a brow at him. “Or maybe you should.”
The tall blond pursed his lips. “I...I don't hate Luke for what happened. He's
my brother, and I still love him.”
“Doesn't mean you don't hold a grudge.”
Octavian tore his eyes away from Annabeth. “He shouldn't have left without me.”
He stared down at the ground, mumbling his next words. “Maybe that's why he and
Thalia get along so well.”
The raven haired girl stiffened, but didn't stop walking. “Way to sour the
mood,” she mumbled.
Thalia looked up at Octavian, the two of them glaring at each other for a
moment before the girl sneered and walked into a Bath and Body Works. Drew
immediately began picking through various lotions, while Octavian drifted
around the store, looking very bored. Nico stuck with Thalia and Annabeth, as
both Lost Girls began looking through candles. Every now and then they would
pick one up and smell it before offering it to the other for inspection.
Nico's eyes followed Octavian for a moment. “Why is he like that?”
Annabeth picked up another candle. “Like what?”
“Bitter?”
Annabeth sniffed the candle, turning her head towards Nico. She blinked before
following his gaze over to the blond Lost Boy. “Well, we're all bitter, just in
our own way. We all cope with our issues differently.”
“If he's still upset with his brother, why does it seem like Luke is the only
person Octavian truly likes?”
Thalia sighed. “First, you need to understand that we can't always know the
consequences of our actions, Nico. Luke did run away from home, but he had good
reason to do so.”
Annabeth put the candle back, a frown on her face. “Not all of us were kicked
out. Some of us ran, too afraid to stay at home anymore.” She looked to Thalia,
offering her a weak smile. “Not all parents love their children.” Her eyes
returned to Nico. “You grow up, believing all of these things about your
parents, but they all just turn out to be false hopes.”
Thalia stared at Annabeth with a broken look. “It's not always the parent's
fault, though. Like Nico was saying, people make mistakes.”
“Costly mistakes,” the blonde whispered, poking through more candles. Nico
noticed her purse her lips. Her grey eyes glistened, like she might start
crying soon.
Thalia placed a hand on the other Lost Girl's shoulder. “Don't try to think
about it.”
Annabeth gave her a weak smile in return. Thalia squeezed the blonde's shoulder
before pulling Nico away. Nico stared at her, the girl letting out a heavy
sigh. “Where are we going?”
“Just looking for anything else that might be good to get.” She cleared her
throat, throwing on a smile. “Can you think of anything?”
Nico scratched his cheek, looking around the store. “Not really. But I did want
to talk to you.”
Thalia sighed. “Of course you did.”
“Never mind.”
The Lost Girl shook her head. “No, go ahead. Ask me anything.”
Nico swallowed before opening his mouth. “What's up with you and Jason? I guess
you were right about him being upset with you.”
Thalia pursed her lips. “Can you believe he didn't want to see me after waking
up? He didn't even ask for me.” She let out another sigh, her gaze dropping. “I
know how Luke feels. We both fucked up. I probably could have done more. He was
all I had left of a real family, I should have done more.”
Nico's forehead creased. “What happened on the night you left? He seems very
adamant about that being what has him upset.”
“Our father happened.” Her eyes slowly darted back and forth, as if they were
following an invisible object. “But he can't hurt anyone now, Percy made sure
of that. But, that night, I got away from him, after so many nights of crying
myself to sleep and just thinking that I'd never manage to do it. I was just a
kid, where was I supposed to go?”
A woman came up to them and asked if they needed any help with anything. She
wore a strained smile, and Nico couldn't help but compare it to the ones the
Lost Kids wore. She couldn't hold a candle to some of them. It was obviously
fake, obvious she didn't want to be doing this. Thalia and Nico just shook
their heads and the woman walked off.
Nico wrapped his arms around himself. “So, he's just mad that you left him to
live in that life, being a prostitute for his father?”
Thalia opened her mouth, but it just hung there for a moment, no words coming
out. She stared down at the ground and shook her head. “No, it's a little more
fucked up than that.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “So why didn't you take him? What stopped
you?”
“Heracles.” Her eyes were distant, as if she wasn't fully focused on the
conversation at hand. “As odd as it might sound, Nico, this is the best family
I've ever had. It's more loving than my old one. We fight, but we still love
each other.” She smiled at him. “Never forget that we'll be there if you need
us, like Luke with your bullies.”
The brown-eyed boy nodded. There had been a time where he had a hard time
believing that statement, but he was starting to come around to the notion.
Several of them had gotten involved for helping him with the bullies. And
Octavian had offered to help him with several things, though it was at the
price of staying away from Luke. Annabeth had even offered to give him advice.
“About earlier,” Thalia continued.
Nico shook his head. “I was being stupid.”
The Lost Girl pursed her lips. “You're far from stupid, Nico.”
“Doesn't mean I can't make stupid mistakes.”
Thalia brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “I just figured you would have
gotten over this by now.” She studied Nico's face, her brow furrowing. “Unless,
you really do like him.”
Nico tilted his head. “What do you mean? Of course I like Percy. Why is that
unusual?”
“It's just that most of us don't truly have feelings for Percy, at least not in
the healthy sense, or perhaps the romantic sense. Luke is in lust with Percy.
Apollo thinks he's in love with Percy, or wishes he could be. The twins ended
up shifting their feelings into a brotherly bond with Percy. And-” Thalia
clamped her mouth shut. “Never mind.”
“Why is this a big deal?”
“It's complicated.” Thalia pursed her lips. “I don't know. You've talked to
Apollo. Percy is...Percy is acting different.” Her eyes met Nico's own.
“Especially lately.”
“He doesn't seem happy with me right now.” Nico rubbed at his arm. “Should I be
worried about what he wants to talk about?”
Thalia shrugged. “I don't know, Nico,” she said softly. “The only advice I
could give would be to talk to Rachel. She's...good at reading people. Maybe
she can help you out.”
“Chiron said that no one can know what Percy's thinking.”
The Lost Girl chuckled. “No, but reading someone is different. Besides, Rachel
isn't just anyone.”
Nico gave her a lopsided smile. “Thanks for the advice.”
“Not a problem, short stuff.”
Nico arched a brow, gesturing to Thalia's body. “You're one to talk. And I'm
getting to be taller than you now.”
Thalia sighed and placed a hand on her hip. “The curse of being a girl. I'm
done growing, and I feel like a child with my height.” She grinned wickedly.
“But, you know what they say, it just means that I'm fun sized.”
Nico chuckled and nodded his head. Annabeth walked over and deposited several
candles in Thalia's arms. “The best I could find was pumpkin scented. How does
that sound?”
Thalia shrugged. “Works for me.” She nudged Nico's shoulder. “You can take the
other two and get a start on shopping, if you want. Annabeth and I will be
along shortly.”
Nico nodded and maneuvered around a few stands to get to Octavian and Drew.
“I'm just saying that I think it was uncalled for,” Octavian grumbled to Drew,
who was inspecting a few products.
The Asian shrugged. “Not my fault that Frank doesn't like you.”
“He banned me from entering Asia!”
Nico cleared his throat. “Um, we can go ahead and shop now, unless you two are
busy.”
The blond snapped his fingers. “Come along, shortie, I want to go ahead and get
this over with.”
Drew scoffed as they exited the store. “Please, it's going to take me a few
hours to get an adequate new wardrobe.”
Octavian rolled his eyes. “Never the light spender, are we, Drew?”
Nico blinked at both of them. “Aren't we running on a tight schedule to get
back?”
“Thankfully, yes, or else we'd never get to leave this place.” Octavian sighed
and shook his head. “She'd buy the entire place if she could.”
Drew snapped her fingers at them a few times before dashing into a nearby
store. Octavian let out another sigh before grabbing Nico and following after
the Lost Girl. But, by the time they got inside the store, Drew had
disappeared. Nico's eyebrows rose as he looked around for her, but couldn't
even get a glimpse of her.
“Damn, she works fast.”
Octavian nodded in agreement before nodding his head towards the men's section.
“I figured you could manage what I mentioned on your own.”
“I didn't actually ask that you come along. Thalia just sort of did it.”
Octavian shrugged and began sort through some jeans. “Well, I don't need
anything, so just look around and find stuff you like.” He pursed his lips and
held up a pair of dark skinny jeans. He held them out in front of Nico, letting
the legs of the pants fall down. He tilted his head and admired them for a
second before folding them back up and shoving them in Nico's hands.
Nico looked around the store once more for Drew before returning his attention
to the other Lost Boy. “So, why a scarf exactly? It was a little random.”
“I just thought you'd look good in one.” The blond casually walked over to a
rack with a lot of scarfs. “Dark colors, dark colors,” he kept mumbling to
himself as he picked through them. With a click of his tongue, Octavian pulled
one out and wrapped it around Nico's neck. The blond tapped a finger to his lip
as he studied the raven haired youth. “Yes, I like it. Now you need a beanie to
match it.” The tall Lost Boy scrunched his lips up, his hip jutting out
slightly to the side. “You could also put that with a pea coat.”
Nico tugged lightly on the scarf, pulling it from his neck. “Maybe when it gets
a little colder. The scarf and beanie are fine for now.”
Octavian tilted his head to the side and studied Nico again, his brow creasing.
“Huh, you really are perfect, aren't you?” His icy blue eyes seemed to pierce
into Nico. “Innocent, hopeful, sees the good in people, and now you don't
display any desire to live luxuriously.”
“But I do live luxuriously, at least compared to how I used to live.”
“And yet I really don't see you ever spending that money you make. What do you
plan on doing with it exactly?”
Nico shrugged, grabbing a grey scarf from the rack. “I don't know, haven't
thought about it. Maybe save it? I'm not sure how long I'll be here, making
this money. I'd rather not end up broke with no money again. And maybe-” He
shook his head. He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to think about how
Percy could be right about his future, about how he should think about leaving
the hotel, about leaving Percy. But if things got to be too much, he needed an
escape.
Octavian sighed and led Nico towards another rack, this one with beanies on it.
He picked up a few, placing a black one on top of Nico's head. “I don't really
understand you, Nico, and I'm really good at knowing people.” He adjusted the
beanie on Nico and pursed his lips. “That one will do.”
“This feels strange.”
Octavian cocked a brow and removed the beanie from Nico's head. He stared down
at it and ran the material between his fingers. “Feels fine to me. What's the
problem?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Not with the hat. I mean you. You're being nice.”
The blond shrugged and placed another beanie on Nico's head. “If you prefer, I
can go back to being an asshole.” The blond exhaled and removed the grey beanie
that he had put on Nico. “I did say we were on a truce, and you're keeping your
end of the agreement.”
“I still don't like it.” Nico frowned at the blond, who turned around and
started walking. Nico huffed before following after him. “I'm supposed to be
friends with Luke, even if he is an ass sometimes. I like being around him.”
Octavian turned his icy blue eyes on Nico with a blank look. “You're more
trouble than you know, especially for my brother. And the worst part is that
you don't even realize it.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “Are you and your brother intimate like the
twins, or something?”
Octavian gave him a funny look. “We've had sex, if that's what you mean.”
The raven haired boy shook his head. “No, that's not it. I mean-never mind.
It's not important.”
Octavian smirked and began walking again. He sighed and rose on the balls of
his feet, looking around the store. “Fucking hell, Drew, where did you go?” He
grunted before lowering himself and looking at Nico. “Good luck on that front.”
“What front?”
“The twins. If you're smart, you won't try being direct with them. They like
mind games. You want in their inner circle, you'll have to learn to play along
with their games.” Octavian narrowed his eyes as Drew emerged from a few
clothing racks. “Are you done yet?”
Nico's eyes widened as he took in all the clothes that Drew carried in her
arms. Not only that, but she had one of the store worker's carrying another
armful for her. Poor guy didn't even have a chance. Drew smiled at the young
man sweetly as he placed her large pile of clothes on the counter. Nico and
Octavian watched as the young man dashed around behind the counter to ring Drew
up.
The Asian Lost Girl flipped her hair back, turning to face the Lost Boys. “And
that, gentlemen, is how you go shopping.”
Nico quirked a brow. “Looks more like how you go broke.”
Drew scoffed. “Please, I'll never be broke.”
Octavian shook his head with a frown. “She's got a lot of wealthy men wrapped
around her finger,” the blond whispered.
By the time the young man was finishing up with Drew, Annabeth and Thalia
entered the store. “Sorry we took so long, but we knew that would happen,”
Annabeth said, pointing to Drew's large amount of bags on the counter. “So, we
stopped off at the bookstore.”
“And Hot Topic.” Thalia clapped Nico on the back with a grin. “Have fun?” She
eyed the few scarves, beanies, and the pair of pants that Nico had in his
hands. “That's all you're getting?”
“That's what I said,” Octavian sighed.
Nico frowned and placed his things on the counter, while Drew slid her card
through the machine. “It's all I need. I don't see what the big deal is.” He
shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, I might buy a game system soon, but I'm still
trying to decide. I don't really have a lot of time to play anything.”
Annabeth chuckled. “This one wasn't too much of an ass, was he?” She gestured
to the tall blond beside Nico.
Nico blinked up at Octavian briefly before returning his gaze to Annabeth.
“Actually, he was...nice.”
Thalia felt of Octavian's forehead. “Are you sick?”
Octavian glared at the short Lost Girl, smacking her hand away. “I can be nice,
dammit!” The cashier quirked an eyebrow at them as he worked on checking Nico
out. The raven haired Lost Boy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
Drew pulled out a charm bracelet and slid it onto her arm. “Are we done now?”
Thalia turned to Annabeth, who shrugged. “I suppose,” the raven haired girl
replied.
Without even bothering to wait for them, Drew made for the exit. Nico rolled
his eyes at her and picked up his single bag. The rest of the group slowly
exited the store, not really bothering to catch up with the Asian girl.
“Have fun today, Nico?” Thalia turned to him, waiting for an answer.
Nico smiled and nodded. “Yeah, actually, I did.”
------------------------------------
“Stop it,” Nico mumbled. He narrowed his eyes at the elevator door as his
assailants continued to grind their butts against his sides.
“What's the matter, Neeks, you can get naked on stage, but you can't have a
little fun?” Travis grinned and turned around, grinding his front against
Nico's backside.
Nico let out a heavy sigh, Apollo chuckling in his ear. “I hate you all, so
very much.”
Zoë rolled her eyes. “You're all children.”
Apollo chuckled and stopped moving, resting his chin on Nico's head. “Feeling
left out, Zo?”
Travis grinned wickedly and inched closer. The Lost Girl gave the brunet an icy
glance, pressing a hand to his chest. “I will castrate you if you try.”
Travis pouted. “But then we wouldn't be able to have any fun.”
“How will I ever survive?” Zoë droned. The elevator opened and the Lost Kids
made their exit. Ethan greeted them from behind his podium, but Clarisse was
nowhere to be seen.
“I wouldn't go up there just yet,” Ethan called over his shoulder.
Apollo frowned and turned around. The blond slung his hands behind his head.
“What's going on?”
“Percy and Clarisse are getting into it.”
Zoë sighed. “Silena?”
Ethan shook his head. “Working the bar, can't get her.”
Apollo sighed and shook his head. He bounded up the stairs, and the other three
quickly followed after him, leaving Ethan to do his job. Nico nearly bumped
into Apollo at the top of the stairs, the blond having come to a stop. Travis
quickly steadied him, preventing the youngest Lost Kid from tumbling down the
stairs.
Clarisse and Percy stood in the center of the room. Rachel was standing a foot
away from Percy, close enough to be at hand, but far enough away to stay out of
the brutal storm that was Percy and Clarisse. Percy stood, arms crossed, with a
bored look on his face. His eyes were dark and piercing into Clarisse,
unblinking. Clarisse had a fist clenched at her side, while she was using her
other hand to shove Percy's shoulder.
“What the fuck, Percy?” The girl yelled. “You couldn't even clear this with me
first? I thought we were cool, but you have to go and be an ass!”
Percy's eyes were nearing a deep emerald color. Apollo wasn't even attempting
to get involved like he had the other night with Silena. Instead, he stood
frozen in place, lips tightly pursed. Neither Travis or Zoë seemed all that
eager to jump in either. A few of the Lost Kids were poking their heads out of
the back door, trying to get a view of the growing disaster.
Percy squeezed his hand into a fist for a split second before stretching his
fingers at his sides. “Clarisse, I want you to drop the issue. Now.” The young
man popped his neck, his eyes never leaving Clarisse.
“Fuck you, Percy! He doesn't need to get involved in this!” Nico's eyes widened
when Clarisse actually shoved Percy hard enough to make him stumble backwards.
The young man's eyes looked near murderous. His lip twitched as he straightened
himself out. “I understand that you're mad, and I'm willing to let you blow off
your steam, but I suggest you find other ways to deal with that anger.” The
green-eyed young man crossed his arms over his chest. “Am I making myself
clear?”
“This is fucking stupid! What the fuck? You knew I'd hate you for this.” The
Lost Girl poked Percy hard in the chest, bringing their faces extremely close
together. However, Percy didn't even bat an eye. He just stood there, staring
coldly at her.
“I said, am I making myself clear?” Percy asked in an eerily calm voice. “I've
told you before, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior in my hotel. Stop
trying to act like your father.”
Clarisse's nostrils flared. She got a tight grip on Percy's shirt and the two
just stood there, staring at each other. The tall Lost Girl glared at Percy for
a while before releasing her grip on his shirt. “Whatever,” she grumbled,
walking away from the young man.
Percy watched her shove past Nico and the others before letting his shoulders
relax. Zoë sauntered over to him as he was running a hand through his hair.
“Problems?”
He smiled at her and slid a hand under her shirt, caressing her back. “Of
course not. Just having a friendly discussion.” He let out a sigh, letting his
eyes close. “I want everyone to be getting ready by the time I open my eyes.
Understood?”
The back door quickly swung closed. Apollo nudged Nico to head towards the bar
room. Zoë ran a hand through Percy's hair before smiling and following Apollo
and the others out of the room. Dionysus sat in his usual chair, a huge grin on
his face.
“Oh my, it sounds dreadful out there.”
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Like you weren't listening at the door.”
“Oh, it seems you've caught me, Apollo. I know, I'm a horrible person. How will
I ever live with my shame?” The man placed the back of his hand to his forehead
and leaned back in the chair. With his eyes shut, he raised a glass of alcohol
to his lips and sipped from it. “Delicious.”
Apollo grunted and yanked his shirt over his head. Nico would be lying if he
said he didn't look. Apollo had a nice, lean body. Reyna and Annabeth pushed
through the door, immediately copying Apollo's actions. Within mere seconds,
the room's occupants, save for Dionysus, were stripped down to their underwear.
Apollo walked over and poured himself a shot, downing it in an instant.
Dionysus let out a sigh. “Ah, to be young.”
Apollo's blue eyes turned on the bartender. The blond rubbed at his neck,
letting his eyes shut and trailing his hand down his torso. He smirked at the
man and sat the shot glass down. “Unlike you, I don't plan on ruining this
figure.”
Dionysus's lips tilted up. In response, Apollo's lips fell. The blond cleared
his throat and quickly walked towards the door, brushing one of his curls out
of his eyes. Nico eyed him funny, watching until the blond had left the room.
His eyes shifted, eventually falling on Annabeth, who was giving the bartender
a blank look.
Something about the way the blonde always did that got under Nico's skin. It
was completely unreadable, void of all emotion. And unlike most of the other
Lost Kids, Nico had yet to see Annabeth actually get upset or angry. She was
always so calm, even more so than Percy.
Annabeth blinked and her eyes flickered over to meet Nico's. The raven haired
boy's face turned a little pink and he looked away. Annabeth's brow furrowed.
“All right, everyone, let's get to work.” Giving Nico another brief glance, she
pushed through the door on the girls' side.
Reyna and Zoë followed after the blonde, leaving Nico and Travis alone with
Dionysus. The man smiled. “Ah, Nico, I hear your new roommate has finally woken
up. I shall very much like to meet him when he starts working.”
“I bet you will,” Travis mumbled. He nudged Nico's shoulder. “Come on, let's
get out of here.”
Dionysus inspected one of his nails. “Oh, Travis, you and your brother are
never any fun.”
The brunet narrowed his eyes and stormed out of the room, Nico following close
behind. “Travis?”
The elder twin turned and blinked at Nico. “Hmm?”
“What's up with Dionysus? Why does everyone dislike him so much?”
Travis sighed and ran a hand through his curly hair. “It's-”
“Complicated,” Nico mumbled, “go figure.”
Travis grinned at him. “You're learning.” His hands moved down to rest on his
hips. “Anyways, he's just messed up. Careful what you say to him, it might come
back to bite you. He's not a very nice person, even if he tries to come off as
such.”
Nico pursed his lips. “But he used to be a Lost Kid. Everyone seems fine with
Circe, Ganymede, and Aphrodite, so what's the issue with Dionysus?”
The twin's smile faltered. “Besides being an evil genius and getting inside
your head and under your skin?” Nico quirked a brow at him. “Well,
he's...he's...” Travis grabbed his chin. “He's like temptation. As much as I
hate it, there's the Bible thing with the snake and the apple.” Travis waved
his hand through the air absently. “He's like that.”
Nico's head fell to the side. “But, aren't we the same? Temptation, I mean. I
thought that's what our job was.”
Travis chuckled. “Perceptive little bastard, aren't you?” The brunet scrunched
his lips up. “It's a little different, in a way.” He smiled again, but Nico
just blinked at him. The brunet sighed and placed a hand on Nico's shoulder.
“Just trust me, okay?”
Nico nodded his head. Travis smiled again before walking off. Nico sighed when
he spotted Apollo, already tending to Percy's table. Nico moved past said
table, offering the green-eyed young man a smile. Percy glanced up at him for a
brief second before his eyes returned to Apollo. Nico's smile faltered, his
shoulders slumping slightly.
Was Percy mad at him? Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything earlier. In the
back of his mind, he knew Percy probably wouldn't return his feelings, but it
didn't hurt to try. Right?
As the music started for the night's performances, Nico made his way to his
first table. The table's occupants didn't seem very eager to make conversation,
so Nico made quick work of scribbling down their drink orders. It did not
really bother him that they weren't eyeing him over, his mind seemed to be in a
million other places.
As if on auto-pilot, Nico drifted back towards the bar room. His eyes stared
down at the floor, his brow drawn tightly together. There was something,
tugging in the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite place it. Odd, he
thought.
Nico pushed into the bar room and handed Dionysus the drink orders, not really
looking at the man. “Everything all right there, Nico?” The man asked.
Nico blinked. “Huh? What?”
Dionysus tilted his head to the side. “You seem awfully distracted.”
“Just have a lot on my mind.”
The chubby man gave him a lazy smile. “Do tell. Perhaps I can help.”
Nico frowned, gripping his notepad tightly in his hands. “I don't know if I
should.”
“Oh? Well, typically, when someone wants help with a problem, they ask for
advice.”
The raven haired boy sighed. “It's just Percy, nothing really new.”
The smile grew. “I hear you two went on a date, which would explain why the
others are working so hard to get Percy to go on one with them as well.”
Dionysus began pouring one of the drinks. “And he has seemed a little stressed
lately. I wonder if the two could be related.”
“Percy has a lot to deal with. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the other
Lost Kids.”
Dionysus's eyes flashed with a spark. “Perhaps, but could it have anything to
do with you? Are you troubling him, Nico?”
The Lost Boy fumbled with his mouth. “I-I, er-I didn't-” He let out a sigh.
“What could I have done?”
“I don't know, Nico, what could you have done?” He smiled as he mixed another
drink. “I'm sure that new boy, Jason, will be getting a date soon.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I didn't even go on a date with Percy. I explicitly
said that it wasn't a date.”
“How unfortunate for you. It seems the other Lost Kids don't wish to play your
game.” He quirked a brow. “Does it bother you that they get to have sex with
Percy after their 'not-date' is over?”
The pale boy frowned. “We didn't even do anything,” he mumbled.
Dionysus stopped what he was doing, his smile falling. “You didn't?” He blinked
a few times, sounding unsure of what had just been said. “Are you sure?”
Nico cocked an eyebrow. “I think I'd know if I had sex or not. We didn't do
anything. I don't know, Percy has seemed bothered or something lately.”
The man clicked his tongue, starting on the final drink. “Interesting.”
“I...guess? I don't understand why this seems so fascinating.”
The man hummed to himself. “I hear you walked in on Percy having sex again.”
“I hear you used to be a Lost Kid,” Nico countered. He crossed his arms. Two
could play this game.
The bartender frowned and gave him an annoyed look, shoving the tray of drinks
towards him. “Touché, Nico. I don't know who you've been talking to, but I'm
not sure I approve.”
Nico smirked and shifted the tray closer to himself. “What, it's only fair that
you know so much about everyone else? And, to be honest, I wasn't asking about
you, it just came up in conversation. Though, I did have small suspicions.”
“I see.” The man let out a sigh, returning to his chair, a drink in hand.
“Well, that was a long time ago. Ancient history. No need to concern yourself
with any of that.” Nico took the tray and headed for the door. “Oh, and, Nico?”
The boy turned around. Dionysus swirled his drink around in his hand. “Careful
to play with fire, one typically ends up getting burned.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he pushed his back against the door, exiting the room.
Was that a threat? If it was, it was the first one he had gotten from his quest
to discover things. Either way, perhaps he should tread more carefully. It
didn't seem like Dionysus was someone he wanted to have problems with.
The first hour passed by relatively quickly, and that tugging feeling had
grown. He finally placed it, though. It was the feeling someone got when they
were being watched. Nico just couldn't figure out why he had this feeling. It
could have been from some of the customers, who would glance at the passing
Lost Kids on the floor from time to time. A lot of the customers liked to watch
them walk away. But that wasn't it, or at least Nico didn't think that it was.
He tried looking around, searching for the source, but no one really stuck out
to him. He never caught anyone looking his way, yet the feeling still remained.
The Lost Boy tried ignoring it, but it did not seem to help any. If anything,
the suspicion grew as the night progressed.
By the time the clock was nearing midnight, he was starting to think he was
becoming paranoid. Was he losing it? Nico stood in one of the corners of the
room, having had wiped off a table after a customer left.
“If you don't move soon, I'm going to suggest we rent you out to an art
gallery.”
Nico blinked and looked up, finding Apollo slipping some cash into a small
lockbox they kept for money. The raven haired boy frowned. “Have I been
standing here that long?”
The blond shrugged, pressing his palm on the counter and leaning on it. “Only
about five or ten minutes.”
“Damn,” Nico cursed under his breath. “I just have this weird feeling like I'm
being watched.”
Apollo quirked a brow. “Good. We usually want people staring at us, Nico.”
The boy shook his head. “No, not like that.” He groaned and scratched the back
of his head. “It's been like this all night, I just can't find anyone staring.”
He looked up when the blond didn't respond. The blond lips were tightly pursed,
his eyes a shade darker. “What's wrong?”
“Nothing,” the blond mumbled.
“You're lying. Do you know something?”
Apollo shrugged. “Don't worry about it, Nico, just get back to work.” The blond
closed the lockbox and slid it back under the counter before heading back onto
the floor.
Nico found it hard to stare at the stage tonight. He kept glancing over to
Percy's table, who seemed to be busy or distracted every time that he looked
over. He was hoping that Percy wasn't going to distance himself or pull away.
Nico felt like he had been making very good progress on getting to know Percy.
It would be bad if all of that were thrown out the window.
When the night finally came to an end, Nico ended up sitting at a table Apollo
and Beckendorf. Apollo was slumped down across from him, eyes closed.
Beckendorf was scribbling on a napkin, caught up in whatever he was doing.
Rachel was running over some last minute business with an exhausted looking
Percy. The young manager let out an exasperated sigh, sliding out of the booth.
“That will be all for tonight, Rachel,” he said, holding up a hand.
The Lost Girl closed her mouth, pursing her lips. She gave a nod and folded her
hands in front of her. Apollo let out a yawn and opened his eyes. “Can we crash
now?”
Percy nodded and the three Lost Boys worked on making their way down the
stairs. “Not you, Nico.” The Lost Boy froze. He gulped and turned around. “You
and I still need to talk.” He patted Rachel on the cheek before sliding his
hands into his pockets and walking over to Nico.
The young man gestured for them to continue on, so Nico resumed his descent
down the stairs. Once they were in the elevator, Percy hit the button for their
floor. Percy never spoke the entire way to Nico's room, which was bothering
Nico to no end. He was nervous and beginning to panic.
When Nico opened the door to his suite, Jason looked up at them. He smiled at
Percy, who returned it with one of his own. “Hey, Percy. I was hoping you would
drop by.”
Percy smiled wider. “Well, I'm afraid that this visit concerns Nico, but I'll
catch up with you in a minute.”
Jason blinked, his gaze dropping to Nico's face. He stared at his roommate, who
only pursed his lips and averted his eyes. The blond gave a nod before
returning his attention to the TV. Percy lightly shoved Nico in the back,
urging him on to his room.
Percy shut the door softly behind them. Nico sat down on his bed before looking
up at the young man from behind his bangs. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Percy tilted his head to the side. “For what? You haven't done anything wrong.”
He rolled his eyes when Nico relaxed his shoulders. “You're not in trouble,
Nico.”
“Then why are you here?”
Percy smiled. “Well, if you don't want to talk to me...”
“N-no, I didn't mean-what do you want to talk about?”
The green-eyed young man chuckled. “You're cute.” He sighed and ran a hand into
his hair. “Nico, Nico, Nico, what am I going to do with you?” He paused, not
bothering to look at the boy on the bed. “You seemed troubled tonight.”
Nico frowned. “How would you know? You weren't paying me any attention.”
Percy just smiled wider. “Anyways, we need to talk about these feelings that
you're developing.” He sighed again and sat down on the bed with Nico. “You may
think you have these romantic feelings for me, Nico, but I assure you that
they-”
“I know how I feel, Percy.” Nico's forehead creased, his frown increasing. He
scooted an inch away from the young man beside him.
“I'm not healthy for you. I don't get why you don't understand that. And most
of the Lost Kids get out of this phase by now.” The manager exhaled and glanced
over at Nico. “You need to get over this. You want me, I get that, but I can't
give you what you want. I can't give you an exclusive relationship. I can't be
with you.”
Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. “You're not as bad as you think you are. I
think you're a good person.”
“I'm not,” Percy grumbled, turning his face away from Nico to stare darkly at
the wall. “You just haven't gotten that through your head yet. You'll just have
to learn.”
“I'm not going to learn that, because it's not true.” The boy frowned and stood
up, moving to stand in front of Percy. “If you weren't a nice person, you
wouldn't help all of us to get off the streets.”
“And I put them all to work selling their bodies.”
“You take care of us. You protect us.”
Percy stared darkly up at Nico. “It doesn't change anything. You and I cannot
be together.”
“Do you like me?”
Percy sighed. “I think you're a nice person that-”
“That's not what I meant!” Nico shouted. He crossed his arms over his chest,
his gaze not faltering when Percy stared up at him again.
The young man ran a hand across his face. “I know what you meant, Nico.” He
pursed his lips and shook his head. “It doesn't matter. The bottom line is that
I'm dangerous for you. It would be like drinking poison.”
Nico reached out to touch Percy, only for the young man to grab his wrist.
Percy's dark green eyes stared back at him. He moved Nico's hand away from him
before releasing the boy's wrist. “Why are you so difficult?”
Percy smirked. “Why are you so stubborn?” The young man sighed and stood up.
“So smart and yet so blind.”
“Are you calling me stupid?”
The young man smiled wider, shaking his head. “No, not at all. Just let this
all go, okay?”
“I don't want to.” Nico's brow furrowed.
Percy reached out and brushed Nico's bangs to the side. “You really are going
to be the death of me.” Percy pursed his lips and let his hand fall back to his
side.
“You're not even going to answer my question?”
Percy stepped around Nico, moving closer to the door. “And what question would
that be?”
Nico stared up at the other raven haired male. “How do you feel about me?”
Percy stared at Nico for a long time, unmoving, unblinking. Nico glared at
Percy's retreating form. “I'm not letting this go.”
Percy stopped in the doorway and Nico caught a smirk on the corner of his lips.
“I figured you wouldn't.” He turned around and gave Nico a real smile. “I'll
see you later, Nico.”
Nico collapsed on his bed when his door shut. This was so frustrating. Why did
Percy want to push him away so much? And, yet, he had never flat out told Nico
to stop with all of this. If he had really wanted Nico to back off, he would
have said so, wouldn't he? He was the boss, so he could have made Nico do so,
but he hadn't.
The raven haired boy rolled over onto his stomach, resting his chin on his
arms. His mother had always told him that real romance wasn't easy. It wasn't
meant to be something simple. It wasn't a fairytale. People didn't get together
in some simple story and live happily ever after, they had to work for it. It
was like a challenge, his mother had always said.
Well, Nico would accept this challenge, until the time came that Percy actually
denied having feelings for him. If that time ever came.
***** A Night to Forget *****
Dark brown eyes blinked, his hands dangling above his head as he hung upside
down on the jungle gym. His legs were hooked into the bars, while his hair blew
in the breeze. His gaze fell upon Daedalus and Jason, as the two tossed a
football back and forth. It was quiet at the park today, it was nice.
Bianca came into his view and cocked an eyebrow at her brother. Nico winced as
her hand smacked against his stomach. “Is my baby brother developing a hint of
abs?” She smirked when Nico did his best to cover his stomach with his shirt.
Nico righted himself and sat upright on the metal bars. “I've just been taking
care of myself.”
“I'm glad to hear that.” The girl climbed up and sat down beside her brother.
Nico smiled lightly when she reached an arm out and pulled him closer, so that
he was leaning against her. “You were always so scrawny when you were at home.”
Pale lips tilted down as brown eyes shifted to the ground. “And you always
tried to get me more food.”
“Someone had to take care of you.” Bianca reached up and adjusted the green cap
that rested on her head. “It's nice to see you without bruises.”
The raven haired boy rubbed his hands together. He unconsciously reached up and
touched his cheek, like he was expecting to find one there. “How are things at
home?”
“Quiet, for the most part.” Brown eyes darted over and met her brother's own
brown ones. “Mother looks at a picture she kept of you whenever father isn't
around. I'm not sure he would be happy if he knew she kept it.” A sigh escaped
her lips as she looked over to her boyfriend. “He told everyone that you
decided to leave home. I don't think he noticed, but Daedalus's mother gave him
a very hateful look when he told them that.”
“I would worry about the police looking for me, but this is Los Angeles that
we're talking about.” Nico looked up at the cloudy sky. “Will you see me for
Christmas and my birthday?”
Bianca smiled and squeezed him closer. “Of course. I'll make sure to get you a
nice cake, too.”
They both jumped when the football sailed into the jungle gym, just a few
inches away from them. Jason and Daedalus both laughed as they jogged over.
Bianca scowled and smacked her boyfriend upside the head. Jason nudged Nico
with his elbow. “We'll need to be getting back soon. Tonight's my first night
on the job, and I need to go talk to Leo beforehand.”
The raven haired boy nodded his head and jumped down from his perch. Bianca
smiled and ruffled his hair. “Hey, Jason, you'll keep an eye on him for me,
won't you?” The blond smiled and nodded. “Don't hesitate to let Daedalus's know
if something is wrong. I know this one won't be so willing to tell me if he's
having problems.” Nico scowled as Bianca's hand came in contact with the back
of his head.
“I love you, too, Bianca,” Nico mumbled, rubbing the spot his sister had hit.
“You better, dork.” She made to hit Nico in the arm, but ended up swinging her
arm around him and pulling him into a hug.
Daedalus reached out and squeezed Jason's shoulder. “I'm sorry to hear about
your dad, man. If you need to talk about it, give me a call.”
Nico gave Jason a quizzical look, but the blond chose to ignore him. “Thanks,
I'll keep that in mind.” He slung his arm around Nico and pulled him away from
Bianca. “We'll see you two later.” Nico frowned up at the blond as he was led
away. Jason grinned and waved at Bianca and Daedalus until they were a good
distance away.
“What did you tell him?” Nico opened up the passenger door to Jason's car-
a blue sports car, big surprise-and turned to face his roommate. He supposed
the others had been right about Jason probably having a car.
The taller Lost Boy turned to Nico once the car was cranked. He adjusted the
heat, as it had been a little chilly today. “That my dad died in a car wreck,
which was slightly true.” Pink lips scrunched up as he shifted his car into
drive. “Well, sort of. Anyways, I told him that Percy had taken me in after
that, and that was sort of what Percy did. That part was pretty much true.” The
blond let out a sigh as he began poking around his car. “You see, Nico, that is
how you lie.”
“I'll be sure to take notes.”
They both grew quiet when a pack of cigarettes fell from the visor above Nico's
head. Jason blinked and plucked them from Nico's lap, raising them to his face
for inspection. “I figured Percy would have confiscated these.”
“You smoke? Shouldn't you refrain from that if you're into sports?”
Blue eyes rolled before they glanced over at Nico. Jason shoved the pack into a
space beneath the radio, turning his attention back to the road. “Just enough
to take the edge off.” Nico's eyes wandered down to stare at the cigarettes.
“There were just some really bad days, and I needed something to help.”
“There are better ways to cope with your issues.” The Lost Boy reached up and
brushed his long bangs out of his dark eyes. “Percy said he didn't like us
smoking.”
Jason rolled his eyes and the two started a glaring contest. “What, are you
going to run and tell on me? If I recall correctly, he said he didn't approve
of it, not that he didn't allow it.” Nico began to frown as he turned his head
away. “Besides, he left them in here. I'm pretty sure if he cleaned out all of
my drugs from my stuff, he would have checked my car.”
Nico's brow furrowed before he met Jason's gaze again. “Aren't you going to
smoke one then?”
The blond chuckled and reached for the pack again. He tossed it up once and
caught it before placing the cigarettes between his legs. “I found them. I
never said anything about smoking them, at least not right now.” A calloused
hand raised and rubbed across his mouth. “There's a difference between thinking
about doing something and actually doing it.” Jason let out a breath before
giving Nico a brief glance. “Thinking about doing something bad doesn't make
you a bad person, Nico. It makes you human.”
“But they're bad for you,” Nico reasoned, scowling at his roommate.
Jason laughed loudly. He let his head fall back against the headrest with a
lick of his lips. “People do unhealthy things all the time, Nico. Just look at
America. We love our fast food.” Nico followed Jason's hand as he gestured to
some of the fast food chains that they passed.
“I suppose.” His brown eyes returned to Jason's perfectly sculpted face. “Are
you going to smoke them?”
Letting out a breath, Jason glanced down at the cigarettes. “You know, Nico,
you don't always need to know the answer to things.” He turned towards Nico
with a grin. “I mean, I don't, and it's my decision.”
Nico blinked when his phone began to vibrate. He reached into his pocket and
pulled it out, spotting a text from Apollo. “Apparently, I have practice in a
few minutes.”
“I guess it's good that we decided to come back.”
Nico typed out a reply, letting Apollo know that they were pulling into the
garage, and let his phone drop into his lap. Jason flung his car into the first
parking space he found and shut off the car. He grabbed his football from the
back seat before slipping the pack of cigarettes into the visor above his head.
The two began their trek over to the elevator, Jason tossing the football up
into the air as they walked. Nico frowned as he watched his roommate from the
corner of his eye. Was it just him, or was there something off about his
roommate? No, he was sure there was something...different about him. He just
wished he could place a finger on it.
They both ended up back in their suite, where Nico quickly changed into some
loose clothing. When Nico emerged from his room, he found Jason lying across
the couch. The blond grinned up at him before standing up. “Do you think they
would mind if I stopped by?” The tall Lost Boy blew out a breath as he tossed
the football onto the couch. “It gets boring in this suite.”
Nico shrugged, heading towards the door. “I don't see why not.”
Nico closed the door once he and Jason were outside. There was a brief tugging
sensation around his waist, and then his eyes widened as his track shorts were
yanked down to his knees. He turned and glared, being met by the smirking faces
of the Stoll twins.
Travis cocked his head to the side, an eyebrow raised mischievously. “Neeks,
why can't you just play with us a little bit?”
His brother pouted and slung an arm around Travis. “Yeah, you have such a nice
ass. It's such a shame it's being wasted.”
They both blinked when they realized Jason was standing there as well. Travis
tapped a finger to his lip. “Dear brother, how long has it been since we had a
foursome.”
Nico glared at them as he worked on tying his shorts in a knot. Jason rolled
his eyes. “Pass,” he mumbled. Three sets of eyes blinked at him, the twins
looking slightly shocked.
Connor leaned in and whispered something to his brother, who scrunched his
lips. The older of the two let out a sigh before placing his hands on his hips.
“Anyways, we need to get a move on, or we'll be late.”
Travis hit the button for the top floor when they were all aboard the elevator.
Nico was still staring at his roommate, who didn't seem to be paying anyone any
attention. Was he not the only one turning down sex at the Lotus? Nico blinked
and looked away when Jason spotted him staring.
He focused on the twins instead. They stood very close to each other, their
hands so close that they would brush against each other from time to time. As
they passed the bar's floor, Travis leaned his head on Connor's shoulder and
whispered something in the other's ear. They both grinned wickedly as the
elevator came to a stop.
Mind games, Octavian's voice played in Nico's head. Perhaps Luke and Octavian
weren't going to be the most difficult. Nico wasn't sure how he was going to
pull this off; perhaps he did need Octavian's help. When the doors opened, they
were all met by a startling surprise.
Everyone on the elevator jumped back against the wall with wide eyes as they
found a rather large gun pointed in their direction. Nico felt like his chest
might break out of his chest from how hard it was pounding. Clarisse grinned
wickedly before lowering the gun. Percy rolled his eyes and sighed beside her.
“I was hoping you wouldn't do that,” the manager mumbled.
Clarisse grunted, the grin still on her face. She went through inspecting the
gun as everyone on the elevator recovered from their near heart attack. Connor
whined and shoved Travis off of him. In the shock, Travis must have made
himself ready to act as a human shield for his brother. The slightly taller
brunet turned around with a frown and looked his brother over. Connor swatted
his hand away before shoving his way out of the elevator.
Nico and Jason exited the elevator, both looking between Clarisse and Percy.
The manager shrugged. “I got her a present.” He rolled his head to the side to
give the Lost Girl an annoyed look. “Although, I do remember saying wait until
she was in the shooting range before taking it out of the box.”
The muscular Lost Girl chuckled and turned the safety on before placing it back
in the black box that sat on her podium. Percy let out a long breath as he
closed the lid on it and placed it in Clarisse's hands. “Well, Jackson, you
really do know the way to a person's heart.”
Percy grunted and popped his knuckles. “So, we're all good now?”
Clarisse shrugged, a small smirk tugging at her lips. “I suppose. I'll catch up
with him after you're done.” The Lost Girl grinned down at the box before
stepping onto the elevator. She hit a button and the doors closed, leaving the
three males alone.
“She's scary,” Nico mumbled.
Percy grinned and placed a hand on top of his head. “At times, but she's good
to have around.” He scratched at his brow, turning his eyes on Jason. “Did you
two have fun at the park?”
The blond nodded. Percy shoved Nico in the back and the three moved towards the
stairs. Nico's eyes grew dark when he noticed Percy slip a hand around Jason's
waist. However, it didn't seem all that welcomed. The blue-eyed Lost Boy
frowned and brushed the hand off of his waist, putting a few steps of distance
between himself and Percy.
When they reached the top, Percy stepped closer and tugged on Jason's arm. The
blond frowned as the raven haired manager whispered something in his ear. When
he pulled away, Percy noticed Nico staring at them. He gave a small wink before
nodding his head towards the stage.
As Nico was making his way to the stage, a leg shot out and tripped him. Nico
glared up at Luke, who sat the nearest table. “Whoops,” the blond said
innocently. He shrugged and reached out to help Nico up. Nico followed Luke's
blue eyes when he looked away.
Percy had stopped walking towards his booth and turned to stare at them. He
gave Luke a warning stare before turning around and sitting down. Jason slid in
beside him. Percy glanced at them for another brief second before diving into
conversation with the blond beside him.
“So sorry about that,” Luke said sarcastically.
“Yeah, right.” Nico glared up at the blond, yanking his arm away from Luke.
“Afraid you'll upset Percy?”
Luke smirked wickedly at Nico, a dark glint in his eyes. “You know, if I didn't
know any better, twerp, I'd say you've been avoiding me lately.”
The shorter Lost Boy cocked a brow. “Did you miss me? No one else to torture?”
Luke placed his arms behind his head. Brown eyes shifted over to stare at the
blond's flexing arm muscles. Nico's eyes shifted back to Luke's face, where he
was met by a wicked grin. “Careful where you stare, brat, I'll start to think
you're interested in me.”
“Yo, big bad wolf and red riding hood, we have work to do!” Apollo called over
to them.
Nico gestured towards the stage, his gaze still locked with the blond in front
of him. “After you...red riding hood.”
Luke narrowed his eyes before shoving Nico and heading towards the stage. “So
funny, twerp.”
Apollo tapped his foot as they both climbed onto the stage. “Are you two done
eye fucking yet?”
Connor chuckled. “I'm surprised you haven't already fucked him senseless yet,
dude.”
Icy blue eyes darted over to Apollo and Connor, giving them a chilling glare.
Both Lost Boys clamped their mouths shut and looked away. Luke swiped a thumb
across his mouth before taking his place in front of Apollo. Nico blinked
before walking over to stand beside him.
Nico frowned when they didn't start right away. He looked up to find Apollo and
Luke staring at each other. The curly haired blond had his brow drawn together,
while Luke gave him a blank look. Apollo finally shrugged and stepped over to
the stereo.
After they were done practicing their main routine for the night, Nico jumped
off the stage and walked over to where Percy and Jason sat. He slid in on the
other side, receiving a smile from Percy. “You know, Nico, I do have room on my
other side.”
Nico rolled his eyes and slid down in his seat. Percy chuckled and rested an
elbow on the table. Nico's eyes locked onto Percy's other hand as it traveled
under the table and rested on Jason's thigh. The blond looked down at the
appendage before frowning. Percy sighed and pulled his hand back.
What happened next surprised Nico quite a bit. Travis came up to the table and
greeted them. After making a few suggestive innuendos to Percy, he grinned and
placed a hand on Jason's shoulder. The blond flinched and jerked away from the
brunet, sliding closer to Percy. Travis and Nico blinked at Jason oddly, but
Percy just gave the blond a blank look from the corner of his eye.
Travis rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, sorry?”
Jason frowned down at the table. His only reply was in the form of a silent
shrug. Travis turned towards Percy for help, but the manager just nodded his
head to walk away. The brunet pursed his lips before slipping his hands into
his pockets and walking back towards the stage.
Percy sighed and leaned back in his seat. “So, Jason, you want to come up to my
room tonight? It seems like you're still adjusting and having some problems. I
think we should talk about it.”
Blue eyes blankly flickered over towards Percy. “You mean so I can get in your
bed.”
The manager sighed. “I didn't mean it like that. However, we do need to talk
about that. And it's your call, not mine.”
Nico chewed on his lip as he glared at the two across from him. Percy was
practically giving him a full invitation to have sex, and Jason was turning it
down? Though, perhaps Nico should be happy about that. Still, it didn't make
him happy that Percy was making that move. He thought Percy didn't go to the
Lost Kids for sex. Had that been a lie as well?
Nico turned away hatefully when Percy's green eyes fell upon him. He crossed
his arms over his chest and watched some of the other Lost Boys do more
practice numbers. Percy's phone began ringing. When it didn't get picked up,
Nico glanced at Percy from the corner of his eye.
The manager was drumming his fingers on the table, his gaze trained on Nico. It
made Nico feel uncomfortable, so he squirmed. And in response, Percy smirked at
him before reaching and picking up his phone.
“Hey, Leo.” Percy leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, now is
good. Bring him on up.”
Nico watched Percy curiously as he placed his phone back on the table, where he
spun it around. Drumming on the table three times, Percy nudged Jason to stand
up. The blond frowned and slid out of the booth, allowing the slightly taller
male to climb out. Nico swiveled around and looked at the stairs as footsteps
echoed up into the room.
Leo and Chris emerged onto the floor, the latter of the two gawking around the
room. The Lost Boys on the stage stopped what they were doing to observe the
new arrival. “Hey, Chris!” The Stolls waved at him.
“Hey,” the young man replied awkwardly. Percy strolled up to him, hands in his
pockets. “I see you weren't lying about what went on here. Wow.”
Percy arched a brow and bounced on the soles of his feet. “This isn't going to
be a problem for you, is it?”
The muscular young man swallowed and rubbed at his stubble. “It doesn't affect
my current employment if I say no, will it?”
The green-eyed young man chuckled and shook his head. “You're welcome to say
no. I just could really use some extra help looking after these guys.”
Dark brown eyes focused on Percy as the owner of the eyes rubbed the back of
his neck. “And everything is all good now?” The tall manager gave a nod. “What
exactly do you want me to do?”
Percy shrugged casually. “You'll primarily be in the bar. Later at night, I'll
probably have you take Clarisse or Ethan's place up here, or perhaps in that
other room I spoke of.”
A few of the Lost Boys snickered when a tinge of pink appeared on Chris's
cheeks. Percy must have told him about the kink room, Nico supposed. It was
then that Chris's eyes actually landed on Nico. Shock was written across the
young man's face. Nico could tell that he was slightly caught off-guard at
seeing the boy, so young, working up here. And not only that, but he probably
thought Nico was a prostitute like the others.
But Chris didn't say anything. He just cleared his throat and refocused his
attention on Percy. “When do I start?”
A bright smile graced Percy's face. “Very good. You can get started tonight.”
The young man slung his arm around Chris's shoulder and smiled wider. “Come on,
I'll get you set up in your new home.”
Everyone watched as Chris was led from the room. “Interesting,” Apollo
observed. He and Luke caught each other's eye before they both nodded, mumbling
the name at the same time.
“Silena.”
Apollo clicked his tongue, his eyes roaming across the room. Nico observed the
very moment his blue eyes fell upon Leo. The two stared at each other for a
significant length of time. The Latino sneered and tossed him the finger before
looking down at his phone. The tall blond rolled his eyes.
“Dismissed,” Apollo finally announced.
As the others gathered their things and made their way down the stairs, Nico
lingered behind. Leo was busying himself at a nearby table, laying out some
documents. The Latino boy sat down with the click of a pen and began scribbling
entries onto the important documents. Nico frowned as he studied the other Lost
Boy. He did not see Leo being as social with the other Lost Kids like Rachel
would at times. He wondered why that was.
“Are you just going to stand there?” Nico blinked and found Leo smirking up at
him. “You've been spacing out a lot lately.”
Nico rubbed the back of his neck and sat down at the table. He supposed that
was true, and he should probably work on not doing that. “Do you ever get
lonely, Leo?”
The Latino stopped working and looked up at Nico with raised eyebrows. “Uh,
what?”
“I just...don't ever really see you spending time with the others.” The pale
Lost Boy shrugged.
Leo sighed and scribbled something else on the documents in front of him before
clicking his pen and placing it on the table. Nico watched as Leo crossed his
arms and sat back in his chair, looking off to the side. “Just sort of the
outsider, like you are at times.” Leo suddenly smirked mischievously and turned
to Nico. “They just can't handle me.”
But Nico wasn't convinced, and Leo knew it when he saw the look on Nico's face.
The Latino sighed and dropped his cheek into his palm. “Why didn't you work
with the others when you got here?”
“I was smart, Percy saw that. Though, I think some of them were surprised by
that fact when I first got here.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Why?”
Brown met with brown as Leo's eyes returned to Nico's face. “I didn't really go
to school like some of the others did. My mother and I moved around a lot,
for...personal reasons.” The curly haired Lost Boy rubbed at his face with a
sigh.
Why? That was what Nico wanted to ask, but he knew he asked that question too
many times. But, still, something felt odd about what Leo had just confessed.
Why were Leo and his mother always on the move?
Nico opened his mouth and let it hang there for a moment before closing it
again. He crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, tapping a foot on the
floor. “Rachel said you were underage, but-”
The Latino burst out laughing. “Oh, geez, please tell me you've been here long
enough to realize that was a lie.”
Dark brown eyes narrowed. “I was just about to say that I didn't think that was
the case.” Leo held his hands up defensively. Nico eyed him for a moment,
watching as he twirled his pen around on the table. “So, what's the real
reason? You and Rachel are attractive, I could see both of you doing well in
this line of work.”
Leo sighed and began tapping the pen on the table. “I think, on Percy's part,
it was primarily the fact that he needed assistants to replace the ones
leftover from his predecessor.” The other Lost Boy pressed his lips together,
refusing to look at Nico. “As for why I didn't...I don't know. I was originally
going to do both. I figured it would pay off rather well, but things rarely go
according to plan.”
“Something happened?” Leo nodded. “But you didn't start out selling your body,
why?”
Leo sighed and finally looked at Nico. “Percy offered the position to me, both
of them. I immediately took him up on the secretary position. It was money,
money that I needed. He gave me some time to think about working with the
others, but...things got complicated.”
Complicated, Nico was growing to hate that word. It felt like an easy out for
the Lost Kids, a way to avoid their issues. Still, Nico knew, without Leo
telling him, what he meant by that. Apollo happened.
Leo chuckled lightly. “You know, Nico, I think it should be a requirement for
you to buy us a drink before you get all personal with us.”
When their eyes met again, Nico saw the emotions in Leo's eyes: discomfort,
avoidance, pain. Nico wondered if this was Leo's mask. Did all of the Lost Kids
do this, just using a different method? Perhaps this was just how Leo coped
with his pain, making jokes.
“Does this have anything to do with why you and Apollo seem to dislike each
other at times?” Perhaps he shouldn't have asked, but he wanted Leo's side of
the story. And, besides, it wasn't like he was ratting Ganymede out. The man
had just said not to bring his name into things, that didn't mean he couldn't
use the information to his advantage.
All traces of humor dropped from Leo's face at the mention of the blond's name.
“I, um-yeah.” The Latino boy pursed his lips and gave a small nod. “But I was
stupid, and young.”
“You're still young,” Nico pointed out. “You can't be much older than me.”
“I'll be nineteen on the thirtieth.”
Nico smiled. “Well, you could pass for someone my age.”
Leo returned his smile with a lopsided one. “I was still stupid. I really am
trying to help you by telling you not to pursue Percy, Nico. He's not Apollo, I
know that, and he wouldn't intentionally try to hurt you like that, but it's
not smart to chase after him.”
“Apollo hurt you.”
Leo blew out a breath. He began drawing circles in the table's surface, his
eyes trained on the documents. “I was just new.” There was a long pause, where
Leo just continued to draw on the table with his finger. “We had sex one night.
And, I don't know why, but I thought it actually meant something. But, when
morning came around-”
“He was an asshole.” Leo nodded, still not looking up. “Percy did something
similar when we sort of messed around.”
“That was-never mind. It's not important. Just...maybe you should talk to
Rachel about that.”
Nico planted his chin in his palm with a sigh. “That's what everyone keeps
telling me.”
“Anyways, Apollo just tossed me to the side. I didn't handle it very well. I
tried talking to him, I'd go to his room at times and knock on the door, I
wanted more sex, but none of that mattered. Percy mattered to him, and I was
just a pawn in his little game.” Leo finally looked at Nico, a dark look deep
within those brown orbs. “I was...I had never...” Leo let out a breath. “I had
never had sex before Apollo. I didn't really look at sex all that well after it
was all over.”
Nico just sat there, staring back at Leo. That was the missing piece, the piece
he knew he had been missing after his talk with Ganymede. It was the reason for
the bitterness. “What happened?”
Leo smiled coldly and shook his head. “I think Percy saw that it wasn't a good
idea to put me to work with the rest of them. He took back his offer and I
settled in as just being his assistant.” He reclined in his chair, balancing
himself on the back two legs. “So, my dear Nico, that is why I don't really
spend my free time with the others. Who do you think they sided with?”
“But what about those that weren't here when it happened?”
The Latino boy sighed. “Didn't matter. Apollo is close to the others. He's one
of the four siblings, I'm just Percy's secretary. They heard Apollo's side and
fell in line behind him.”
The pale boy furrowed his brow. “You can always spend time with me. There
shouldn't be an outcast here. We should all stick together in a place like
this.”
“Well,” Leo began, “the others do have my back, I know that. Our petty
differences don't matter when something important happens. We do stick together
when we need to.” He smirked and stood up, gathering his papers. “It just so
happens that there's not really anything going on here at the moment to unify
everyone. Siblings fight, yet they still love each other.” His brow furrowed as
his eyes moved up to look at Nico's face. “I still care about Apollo, and I
love him like a brother. I'd stick my neck out for him if he got into trouble,
as he would do the same for me. Fighting is healthy sometimes in
relationships.”
“I suppose.” Nico kicked at the floor, watching as Leo finished gathering his
things. Leo smirked at him and the two began walking down the stairs.
Leo snapped his fingers once they were in the elevator. “Oh yes, don't forget
that you don't need to eat tomorrow before work. We have the big dinner
afterwards, so save plenty of room for all the food.”
“Gaea doesn't mind that Percy gives everyone a night off?”
Leo's eyebrows rose. “Oh, he really does give everyone the night off.” He
turned towards Nico when the boy gave him an odd look. “Everyone will be there,
for the most part. Percy will be there, all of us, Ganymede, Circe, Chiron,
Aphrodite, Dionysus, and our newest edition, Chris.”
“Why not the entire staff?”
Leo shrugged. “Everyone that will be there is part of the family, or was at the
time. Well, they still technically are. It's a more...positive aspect of being
a Lost Kid for life. You're always part of the family. Percy works more closely
with these people.” The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out, but
didn't continue towards their rooms. “The staff that will be there help see to
Percy's Lost Kids, who are some of the most important people in his life. It's
sort of his way of saying thank you.”
Nico nodded. “I'm sure it'll be a very entertaining night.”
Leo chuckled in response. He began walking to his suite, where he stopped and
spun around in front of the door. “Oh, I'm sure it will be very interesting.”
-----------------------------------------
Nico could feel the scowl on his face. It didn't deter him from giving it,
though. How? How had he actually managed to get to Percy's table, and on the
first night? Nico didn't understand it. It was like Jason had actually known
what he was supposed to do. Nico didn't learn about getting Percy's table until
it was too late.
Two arms slung around Nico's shoulders. “Tough break there, Neeks.”
The brown-eyed boy turned to give the Stolls a dirty look. “Is there a point to
why you're over here?”
“Well,” Connor began, “you've been standing here, staring out from behind the
curtain, for about five minutes now.”
Travis grinned and leaned his cheek on Nico's head. “And you need to be getting
ready.”
“I just don't understand.” Nico huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Why isn't he messing up?”
Both twins chuckled. “The night is still young, Neeks,” Connor replied.
“Everyone messes up when they first start.”
Nico's eyes returned to Jason's form. The blond was leaning on Percy's table,
smiling at something Percy was saying. Part of him wanted to hate Jason. This
just didn't seem fair. But, there was also a part of him that was trying to
focus on how little clothing Jason had on. And the speedo really did cling to
his ass rather nicely. It also left little to the imagination for the blond's
front, which looked like nothing to be ashamed of.
That had always been a part of working in this field that made Nico a little
miserable, seeing the Lost Boys with little to no clothing. And there were some
that looked...blessed by whatever god or gods that existed. Luke, who was
reclining on the couch behind Nico, happened to be one of those boys. Although,
unlike some of the other Lost Boys, Nico had yet to see the blond completely
naked. Still, he could tell that Luke was a little above average.
“You're staring again.”
Nico blinked, realizing that he had, in fact, been staring at Luke. The blond
arched an eyebrow at him, swinging his leg back and forth over the arm of the
couch.
“Well, more precisely, you were staring at my dick.” Luke grinned and sat up.
He stood up and walked past Nico, brushing shoulders on the way. “Remember what
I said earlier.”
Nico huffed and glared at the back of the blond's head. “Asshole.”
“Actually, it'll be your asshole that'll be sore when I'm done with it.”
The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and moved over to one of the mirrors to
get dressed for his next performance. A heavy tension seemed to fill the air
when Luke and Beckendorf nearly bumped into each other. The larger Lost Boy
grunted and handed Luke his costume. The blond just ignored him, walking off to
his own corner.
Nico swallowed and turned back to Beckendorf. “Hey,” he began.
Light brown eyes flickered over to Nico. “What's up, little man?”
Nico cleared his throat as he slipped himself into the little bit of cloth that
would be on his body for their performance, Beckendorf already fastening, the
metal bands around his arms. “How's Silena? I haven't gotten to see her in a
while.”
Nico looked down at himself, wanting to make sure he had his costume adjusted
right. There really wasn't much to it. A leather belt rested on his hips, which
held up the two pieces of cloth that would cover his front and back. However,
the two pieces of cloth weren't connected and his legs were very much exposed.
Nico worked on slipping his own metal bands onto his arms as Beckendorf chewed
on his lip.
“She's...good. Percy's been having her take it easy.”
Nico nodded. “Can I ask you something?”
“You just did.” The taller Lost Boy grinned down at him. Nico blinked up at
him. He felt extremely short compared to Beckendorf, mainly because he barely
reached the Lost Boy's shoulders. “Fine, what's up?”
“It's about Luke.”
Beckendorf's lips tilted down. “Why do you wanna talk about that asshole?”
“Just curious as to why you resent him so much?” He studied Beckendorf's face,
letting his words sit for a moment. “He helped her out that night.”
“Yeah,” the other said quietly. “Luke and I have been...getting along since
then. He looks after her, I know that, but I don't like it sometimes. It should
be my job to take care of her.” Large, muscular arms crossed themselves over
the chiseled chest in front of Nico. “Luke and I have a long history when it
comes to Silena. That's about all you need to know for now.”
The curtain closed, signaling it was time for them to go on stage. Beckendorf
headed that way, whereas Luke was already taking his place on the stage. The
Stolls grabbed Nico by his hands and dragged him onto the stage.
Luke stood in the middle, hands on his hips, waiting for the number to begin.
Nico stood to his left. He reached up and brushed some of his hair out of his
eyes. He jumped, clamping a hand over his mouth to mask a yelp, when Travis,
who stood behind and to his left, pinched him on the ass. Connor, who stood on
Luke's right chuckled and winked in Nico's direction. Beckendorf, on the other
hand, seemed to be focusing his attention anywhere but Luke.
Luke shot Travis a glare and the brunet straightened in his place. The curtains
opened, the lights still dark, and the song began. The first few beats of
Florence and the Machine's “Bedroom Hymns” filtered into the room and the
lights flashed on. The Lost Boys began swaying around, letting their hands roam
across their bodies.
Nico and the others spread their legs out wide, bending at the knee, their hips
thrusting back and forth to the beat of the song. Their hands moved out from
their faces and were spread out in front of them. With a kick of their left
leg, they threw up their right hands and imitating something similar to the
Charleston with their bodies.
The group shifted around, so that Connor and Nico were centered towards the
front. Both of the Lost Boys put sly smiles on their faces as they trailed
their fingers along the fabric that was covering their crotches. Their hands
moved up above their heads, letting the fabric drop before it showed too much.
The two Lost Boys then turned towards each other, pressing themselves against
one another. They each kicked their right leg out, aiming it just to the side
of the other in front of them. Their hands were thrust up into the air, while
their bodies jumped around. Nico took in a sharp breath as he attempted to
catch Connor's long leg as it shot up again, which he did successfully; Connor
doing the same to Nico's leg. They leaned back, which probably would have ended
in disaster, but Luke and Travis fulfilled their duty of pressing a hand to
their lower backs.
With the help of Luke and Travis, the two boys were separated. Luke and Nico
locked eyes for a brief moment before the blond dipped him and curved him
downwards and then back up. Nico let out a breath that he had been holding as
he found himself up against Luke's bare chest.
Nico slowly crept down Luke's chest, spreading his legs out so that they angled
directly to both sides of his body. His pale hand lingered on Luke's belt,
their eyes meeting again. There was a dark look in Luke's eyes, one filled with
lust. It made Nico shudder and lick his lips to look at it.
And then it was over, the performance continuing. Luke swung his leg over
Nico's head and they all fell back into their original positions. Every one of
the Lost Boys on stage mimicked Nico's position of spreading their legs, and,
once again, thrusting their hips to the beat of the music. And that was what
they continued to do until the song came to an end.
They got a standing ovation from the crowd, but Nico was more concerned with
getting off of the stage. Once off the stage, Nico couldn't get into actual
clothes fast enough. “Go take your break, brat,” Luke mumbled, plopping back
down on the couch.
Nico finished putting his shirt back on and blinked. He ran his tongue across
his lips, realizing how dry they were. He headed towards the door and emerged
out on the floor. His blond headache was nowhere to be seen, which meant Nico
wasn't going to be spending his break in the bar room. His eyes flickered
briefly over to where Percy sat. The green-eyed Adonis was laughing and talking
with Rachel at the moment. He caught Nico staring at him and gave the boy a
wink.
Nico coughed, his cheeks heating up, and continued on his way. That was where
he wanted to take his break, with Percy, but Jason would be returning soon, and
Nico sort of wanted to avoid his roommate for the moment. He pushed open the
door and was met by an odd sight.
Jason was standing beside Dionysus, who had a huge grin plastered on his face.
The blond was staring down, with wide eyes, at his hand. Upon closer
inspection, Nico noticed a clear packet sitting there. Inside were small white
pills. Before Nico had time to question anything, Hazel was smacking the packet
out of Jason's hand.
The blond blinked and swallowed, Hazel busy crushing the pills under her foot.
Dionysus gave her a dark look, until he noticed Nico standing there. The man
righted himself by clearing his throat. He threw on a smile and went back to
work. “Hello there, Nico.”
Jason turned a pair of wide eyes on the newly arrived boy, panic written across
his face. Hazel shook her head with a sigh, tossing Dionysus a hateful glare.
When the man didn't seem to be paying her any attention, Hazel turned towards
Jason. She placed a hand on his back and guided him away from the bartender,
putting as much space between Dionysus and Jason as possible.
“Um, hi,” Nico said awkwardly. “What's going on?”
Hazel sat Jason down on the couch before pointing an accusing finger at
Dionysus. “This asshole is trying to cause Jason problems.”
The bartender shrugged. “I simply asked for him to take it to a table.” He
placed a hand on his chest and sighed. “How was I ever supposed to know that he
would want the substance for himself?”
“I should go get Percy.”
Dionysus sighed and raised a drink to his lips. “Ah, Hazel, dull as always. All
of you are always so boring.” Taking another drink, he leaned against the bar.
“Why is it that this place seemed more entertaining when I was doing your job?”
He smirked, snapping his fingers. “Oh, yes, now I remember what changed.”
Hazel glared at Dionysus for a brief moment before turning her attention back
to Jason. “Are you okay?”
Jason nodded, letting out a long breath. “Yeah, I'm good.”
Hazel's head turned and she locked eyes with Nico. “Can you keep an eye on him
for a moment? His break is almost up. I just don't want him to be alone with
this bastard.” Hazel finished her sentence by giving the bartender another dark
look.
Nico nodded and Hazel sauntered out of the room. Jason ran a hand through his
short blond hair. “You don't have to keep an eye on me,” he mumbled.
The brown-eyed boy shrugged and opened the small fridge that they kept in the
room. Pulling out a bottle of water, he closed the fridge and sat down beside
his roommate. “Not like I have anything better to do.”
Jason turned to face Nico with a worried look. He glanced at Dionysus before
locking eyes with Nico again and leaning in close. “Please don't tell Percy,”
he whispered.
“Why would that matter?”
“I don't want him to be disappointed in me.” Jason pursed his lips, his gaze
falling to the floor. “He's done so much, I'd hate to make him think all his
hard work and patience were for nothing. This is just harder than I thought it
would be.” Blue eyes turned to Dionysus. “I just didn't know about him.”
Nico followed Jason's gaze over to the bartender, where they both stared at the
man. Nico could only imagine what Jason was thinking about right now, but he
knew that he himself was finally realizing that the others were right about
Dionysus. But that just led back to his original question about the man: why
did Percy keep him around?
“Yeah, don't worry about it.” Nico patted Jason's bare leg, which pulled the
blond's attention away from Dionysus. The tan Lost Boy smiled at him before
staring down at Nico's hand. The blond scooted away, Nico's hand falling from
the blond's leg. “You okay?”
The blond shrugged. “Yeah, why?”
Nico's brow furrowed as he studied Jason's face. “No reason,” he replied
hesitantly. He had been right earlier, something was off about Jason. Touch
seemed to bother him, Nico just didn't know why.
Both boys nearly jumped out of their skin when a drink was placed between their
faces. Jason glared up at Dionysus. “Come now, Jason, it's just a peace
offering. What's the harm in a little drink? It's not what your problem was.”
Nico turned a dark glare on the man. “I thought you said you didn't know he had
a drug problem?”
The man placed a hand over his mouth. “Did I say that? Whoops, silly me.” He
waved the drink in front of the blond's face. “So, how about it? No hard
feelings and all that.”
Jason pushed the bartender's hand away. “You probably drugged it with
something.”
Dionysus chuckled and downed the drink. “That wounds me, Jason. You're just
being paranoid. But suit yourself, more for me.”
The blond Lost Boy grunted and stood up. Nico found himself unsure of where to
look. On one side, he had Dionysus with a smirk on his face. On the other side,
there was Jason's perky ass staring him in the face. There were times he found
himself hating being a hormonal virgin, surrounded by a bunch of attractive
guys.
“I have to get back to work,” Jason mumbled. He gave Nico a weak smile before
exiting the room.
Nico leaned back into the couch, watching Dionysus from the corner of his eye.
“I don't understand why you're here, especially if you threaten the Lost Kids.”
Dionysus smirked and rested his arms on the back of the couch. “I don't know
what you mean, my dear Nico. Besides, Percy wants all the possible business
outlets he can get.” Nico watched in annoyance as the smirk tugged upwards. “Is
it my fault if his precious Lost Kids fall from the desired path? Before he
came along, there wasn't anyone seeing after our little family in such a way.”
Dark eyes dulled as they looked down at the boy on the couch. “Perhaps you
should go visit Atlas in South America, or perhaps Kronos in the Middle East.
After you see how things work at the other hotels, you'll see that not everyone
has it as easy as the lot of you do.”
“Then I'm glad Percy's in charge.”
Dionysus's dark eyes gleamed with joy as he swirled the empty glass in his
hand. “Is he really all you thought he was? You've been here for a few months
now, surely the golden armor is starting to fall from your Prince Charming.”
Nico turned his head away as Dionysus's smirk turned dark and twisted. “He is
the one who has me working here after all. He's the one that has me doing this
side business for him. Your golden angel is no better than the very people in
that room out there. All he cares about is the money he makes; that's all
you're good to him for.”
Nico's fingers clenched at the track shorts he had on. “He's not.”
“Oh come now, Nico, you're a smart boy. Surely you can see what's right in
front of your eyes.” Dionysus finally pulled away from the couch and walked
over to set his glass down on the bar. “I can only imagine how devastated
you'll be, should you ever have to prostitute yourself. You'd end up just like
Apollo, Silena, and Octavian when they first arrived. I'm betting you'd be
shaking and crying, just like they were after their first night doing that.
“Has anyone ever told you about their first nights here, about how they curled
up and cried afterwards? Or what about the methods your Percy used for breaking
them in?” Dionysus continued. He pressed his back to the bar and watched Nico,
who had his head turned slightly towards the man. “You'd hate and loathe Percy
and his touch after the first night, just like those three did. Because, I'm
sure you know by now how he comforts all of you.” Nico swallowed when the man
paused, already mixing another drink. “But, you'll never really find out. Percy
knows you're not strong enough to handle that stuff, so he keeps you locked
away.”
Nico's pursed his lips, the color draining from them. “You don't know me,” he
whispered. “And you don't know Percy.”
“I'd say I know him better than you.”
The Lost Boy stood up with a frown. “You don't know what you're talking about.
The others were right about you.”
The man scoffed. “We'll see, in time.”
With a final look in Dionysus's direction, Nico turned and briskly walked from
the room. He did not like this new side of Dionysus that he was seeing. He was
starting to wish that he had been more willing to listen to the others when
they told him to stay away from the man. Nico really needed to remember that
the others were not always out to harm him.
Luke and the twins were setting up for the next performance when Nico returned.
Beckendorf waved Nico over. “Hey, shortie, you wanna go watch the girls for a
minute?”
“Sure,” Nico replied, fiddling with the water bottle in his head.
“Thanks.” Beckendorf stretched an arm above his head. “I just wanted something
to do.”
The raven haired boy nodded his head as they walked through the door that
separated the Lost Kids by their gender. “So, I think I'm seeing Dionysus for
who he really is now.”
The young man's brow furrowed. “Something happen?”
“He had some drugs.”
“He try to slip you something? 'Cause if he's trying something, I'll go in
there and break his fucking-”
Nico held up a hand, quickly adding, “He didn't do anything.” The boy shrugged.
“He was trying to offer Jason some, I think. He claimed it was for a customer,
though. Hazel took care of it.”
Beckendorf nodded with a grunt. “Yeah,” he breathed out, “he's not our favorite
person around here.”
Silena spotted them and walked up to them, throwing her arms around
Beckendorf's neck. “Charlie Bear, what are you doing over here?”
“Just thought I'd come see the most beautiful girl at the hotel.” Nico smiled
when the Lost Boy pecked the girl on the lips, both of them smiling brightly.
Thalia appeared beside them, delivering a punch to Beckendorf's arm. “Charles,
I didn't know you felt that way about me,” she laughed.
The tall Lost Boy rolled his eyes, but grinned down at the girl. Silena smiled
and leaned her head on her boyfriend's chest. “You two are just in time, we are
about to do a performance.”
Thalia grinned and nodded. “It's pretty sexual. Which as we all know, is my
favorite kind of thing.”
Beckendorf tapped Nico on the arm and directed them over nearby the curtain,
where they could get a good view. Leo could be seen wandering around on the
floor. The Latino boy tended to a few customers that were attempting to get his
attention. Nico blinked as Percy's head of black hair emerged from the stairs.
He patted Leo on the shoulder as he walked by to sit down at a booth. And, as
predicted, the three Lost Girls on the floor made a dash towards Percy's table.
In the end, Piper won.
Nico turned and opened his mouth, ready to continue his conversation with
Beckendorf, only to find that the other Lost Boy had wandered over to where
Silena was getting into a skimpy police outfit. He sighed and shook his head.
The Lost Girl pecked the tall male and scampered over to where Thalia and Drew
were gathered. The lights turned off and they made their way onto the stage.
The lyrics of Tata Young's “Sexy, Naughty, Bitchy” sounded in the room, soon
followed by the song's music, which is when the lights turned on.
Upon each of the song's main words, each of the girls struck a pose. It started
at the end, with Drew crossing her arms over her chest in an 'X'. Next was
Silena, who stuck her stomach out and placed the back of her hand across her
forehead, while letting her head fall back. Finally, Thalia struck her pose,
grabbing her breasts and opening her mouth in a silent moan.
Silena and Drew strutted across the left and right side of the stage, while
Thalia stayed towards the centered. Thalia would sway her body around in a lewd
fashion, and then deliver a smack to her rear when it was facing the audience.
And every time the words “sexy, naughty, bitchy” would appear in the song, the
girls would strike their poses again.
“More problems?”
Nico nearly jumped at the sound of Annabeth's voice beside him. He turned to
stare at the blonde in the darkness, finding her eyes on the girls on stage.
“Why would you say that?”
“You look like you're having a problem.” She turned to smirk at Nico. “But, I
was also in the bar room earlier, and Jason and Hazel were talking about him
getting Percy's table. You know, it's not every day that the new addition gets
the boss's table on the first night.”
“Yeah, he's lucky,” Nico mumbled. He crossed his arms over his chest and
continued to watch the girls perform.
“Or he had help.” Annabeth and Nico looked at each other, the boy giving her a
questioning look. “Thalia told him.”
Nico's lips tilted down. “Lucky him. Nobody took the time to tell me that when
I first started.”
Grey eyes studied Nico's face as he began to sulk. “You'll just have to start
getting creative.” She shrugged when Nico looked at her again. “We've already
seen that Percy is taking a similar interest in Jason, like the one he took
with you.”
“But Jason isn't like me.”
“No, Jason's more...delicate, in a way. You both require his attention.
However, Jason already has something going for him that you don't.”
Nico pursed his lips. “And what would that be?”
“Percy isn't restricting him. He can get whatever he wants from Percy, whereas
Percy has pretty much forbidden you to have sex with him.”
Nico suddenly found the floor rather interesting. “I mean, what am I supposed
to do?”
Annabeth gave him a weak smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I don't know.
But, I'm willing to make suggestions, if you want them.”
Nico eagerly nodded his head. “That would be great.”
“I'll just think on it a little bit.”
The Lost Boy tilted his head to the side. “Why are you helping me, though? I
didn't think any of you would actually want to help me with Percy.”
The blonde let out a sigh and returned her attention to the girls, who were
nearing the end of their performance. “Let's just call it me trying to make up
for our catastrophe on your first night on stage.” She licked her lips and
offered Nico another smile. “I acted a little childish. I'm not saying I'll be
able to get you Percy, because I don't know if that's really in the realm of
possibilities, but it's only fair, considering Thalia has already helped her
brother.”
Nico smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Annabeth, I won't forget this.”
The Lost Girl crossed her arms over her chest. “We'll just have to see what
opportunities present themselves.”
The rest of Nico's night went rather smoothly. At the end of it all, he sat at
a table with Butch, Zoë, and Reyna. Percy and Rachel sat in the manager's usual
booth, running over a few last minute details on something that sounded rather
important. Leo had dropped in to deliver his report, but Percy had ended up
sending the Latino down to his office.
“So, how does this Thanksgiving dinner thing work?”
Everyone at the table turned to look at Nico. “It's like a family reunion, all
the food included,” Reyna chuckled.
“Are there seating arrangements?”
Butch shook his head. “Not really. You can sit with whomever you want.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “Why do I feel like this is another form of the battle
over Percy's table?”
All three of them chuckled. “It's not so bad,” Zoë assured him. “It's not
anywhere near as competitive as up here.” The Lost Girl shrugged her shoulders.
“We set aside business for the night.”
Butch smiled, resting his elbow on the table. “It's just a casual dinner with
the family.”
Nico ran a hand through his growing locks. He frowned when his head was shoved
to the side. He scowled up at Percy, who was now standing over him. “About time
for a cut, don't you think?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I'm getting it cut today...err, tomorrow? I'm still
confused on how all of you refer to time when it comes to after work.”
Reyna smirked at him. Nico's eyes fell upon her hand, which was running up and
down Percy's arm. “If we haven't slept, we will call it tomorrow. In this
place, sleep is the determining factor for the end of the day.”
“Unless you don't sleep,” Rachel added. “That can happen from time to time.”
Percy groaned and made a face. “Anyways, we should be getting some sleep.”
Everyone jumped up when the young man snapped his fingers. “Off to bed with the
lot of you.” Nico smiled when the manager ran his fingers through the boy's
black locks.
His euphoria was short-lived, however, as Butch slid an arm around Percy and
maneuvered himself and the manager towards the stairs. Percy smirked and pulled
the Lost Boy closer as they descended the stairs, Zoë and Reyna following
behind them.
“This explains a lot, you're cute even when you scowl,” Rachel laughed,
gathering up her things. Nico turned to frown at her.
“What's that supposed to mean? Explains what?”
The girl shook her head. “Nothing.”
Nico's brow furrowed as Rachel walked towards the back door. “Where are you
going?”
Rachel sighed and turned around, clutching her things to her chest. “To the
security room. Percy wanted me to keep an eye on Jason during his first night.”
She blinked, her back slowly opening the door. “You want to keep me company?”
Nico fidgeted before nodding his head. Rachel smiled at him as he stepped in
beside her. This was actually good for him; Thalia had said that he should talk
to Rachel. They walked down the dark hallway, until they stood in front of the
black door to the security room. Rachel pulled out her keycard and slid it
through the slot and Nico opened the door for her. The Lost Girl winked at him
before tossing her hair back and walking into the room.
Rachel pulled two of the chairs out from the control panel. She swiveled them
around and offered one to Nico, while sitting herself down in the other. Rachel
flipped the monitors on while Nico sat down beside her. The Lost Boy leaned
back in his chair, his eyes landing on his roommate getting undressed in front
of an overly dressed woman.
“Why is Percy concerned with Jason? It's not like he hasn't already done this
stuff before.”
Rachel looked away from the monitor, at Nico, and blinked. “Just making sure
he's good to work.” The red haired girl propped her feet up and pulled out her
portable tablet, turning it on. “Why do I get the feeling that you're about to
bombard me with questions?”
A smirk touched at the corners of Nico's lips. “I see I'm becoming predictable,
I'll have to work on that.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Nico, you've been predictable from day one.” The girl
scrunched her lips up, typing something into her tablet. “Well, perhaps not
with your desire to work up here. I don't think anyone saw that one coming.
Makes me wonder what you'll do next.”
Nico let out a sigh. “That seems like so long ago now.”
“Anyways, what do you want to talk to me about?”
Nico's response never came, though. In the monitor right below Jason's, stood
the twins, naked except for their tight speedos. Nico's mouth fell agape when
the two leaned in towards each other and locked lips. Travis opened his mouth
and slid his tongue along Connor's mouth, seeking permission, which he
ultimately got. Connor wrapped his arms around his brother's neck while their
tongues battled. The older lady in the room fanned herself as the brothers
continued to make out in front of her.
Travis's hands slid into the back of Connor's speedo, drawing a moan from the
younger brunet. Nico licked his lips as Connor's speedo was removed and the
twins fell onto the bed beside the woman. Before Nico could finish blinking,
Travis had spread Connor's legs and engulfed his brother's manhood.
Nico's eyes opened wide when a hand was waved in front of his face. “Nico?
Enjoying the show?”
The brown-eyed boy turned to find Rachel smirking at him. “I, uh-what?” Rachel
laughed at him, causing Nico's face to turn red. He chanced another glance at
the monitor, only to find Connor sucking on his brother's arousal. “What about
the customer?”
Rachel shrugged. “Some people just like to watch, especially with the twins.”
She shrugged again and looked down at her tablet. “They just find watching
twins fuck hot.”
Travis smirked and shoved his brother back on the bed, slipping a finger into
Connor's entrance. The younger brunet threw his head back in a moan, his hand
landing on the woman's leg. “What, uh, were we talking about?”
Rachel laughed and rolled her eyes. “You can watch them, it's fine. Shit, if
you asked them, they'd probably put on a show for you in person.”
Nico's eyes widened as he stared at Rachel. “I, uh, don't know about all that.”
“Nico, I feel like you're about to explode from all the blue balls Percy keeps
giving you.”
Nico pouted and slumped down in his chair, his eyes returning to the twins. He
swallowed and licked his lips as he witnessed Travis penetrate his brother,
their tongues battling for dominance. He could feel his shorts and speedo
tightening as he grew aroused.
The Lost Boy cleared his throat and looked at Rachel. “I just, uh, wanted to
talk about Percy.”
“Shocker,” the girl said sarcastically. “What about this time?”
“Thalia said you were the person to talk to, that you were good at reading
people.” Nico blushed when he glimpsed at Travis slamming into his brother's
ass.
Rachel sighed. “What has he done now?”
“He's just...confusing.” Nico frowned and looked over at Rachel again,
squeezing the arms of his chair. “I just don't understand him. He gives me
mixed signals, like telling me to stop pursuing him, yet he doesn't seem to
really mean it.”
The Lost Girl leaned her head on her hand, glancing away from the monitors to
look back at Nico. “Why bring it up now? Nothing new there.”
“It's just...” Nico frowned and stared down at his lap. “Percy shows Jason a
lot of attention, and he's just seemed a little preoccupied lately.”
Rachel smirked at him. “You're jealous. Why are you worried? I think you need
to relax. Percy's just complicated.”
“Does he like me?”
The red haired girl sighed and leaned back in her chair, rocking it back and
forth. “I can't give you an answer on that, Nico. That's something you'll have
to take up with Percy. I don't really know, to be honest.” She offered him a
small smile. “If it makes you feel better, he does act different with you.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Just be yourself.” Rachel reached over and patted Nico's leg. “Don't worry
about it, Nico. If it's meant to happen, it'll happen. Don't pressure it.” The
girl sighed and picked up her tablet. “I don't really know what else to tell
you.”
“I was hoping for something more helpful,” Nico mumbled.
Rachel sighed and let her head fall back. “Okay, fine, I'll keep an eye on
things. When I see something interesting or helpful, I'll let you know.”
“I-” Nico fell silent as his eyes fell on Travis's tan ass rocked back and
forth into his brother's ass. The sound was turned down, but Nico could still
hear the loud moans that Connor was making. “Thanks.” Nico placed his hands
over his crotch, his face heating up.”
Rachel chuckled and shook her head. “I think that's enough for you. Go back to
your room, I think you have some business you need to take care of,” she
laughed with a wink.
Nico cleared his throat, chuckling nervously as he stood up. He raised an arm
to rub the back of his neck, but then remembered his problem down below. Rachel
quirked an eyebrow at him as he backed towards the door, lowering his shirt.
“Night, Rach.”
The Lost Girl narrowed her eyes. “Don't call me Rach.”
Nico smiled before ducking out the door, letting it fall shut behind him. He
let his head fall back in a moan as he traversed the dark corridor in front of
him. This was not going to get any easier for him, was it?
---------------------------------------------
Circe swiveled Nico around, allowing him to get the first glimpse of his new
haircut. He had to blink a few times in order to realize he was staring at
himself. Before arriving at the hotel, he had never thought he could look
this...nice. He didn't really want to say good or hot because he still wasn't
that confident with himself. But he did think he looked nice now.
He looked healthy. When he had been at home, his cheeks were often sunken in
and dark circles would always reside under his eyes. His skin looked brighter
after coming here, and he wasn't as frail looking either. He let out a sigh of
contentment, a smile gracing his face.
Circe smiled at him in the mirror as she brushed a hand across his bangs. They
had been covering his eyes pretty badly, but now she had cut them down to
merely ghost over them. His hair was styled to look partially untidy. And the
hair itself, it felt so soft.
Circe smirked when she noticed him feeling of his hair. “You like it? I'll get
you a bottle of the shampoo.”
“You look nice.”
Nico turned his head to smile at Calypso, who was sitting in the chair next to
him. She wasn't having much work done to her, just a simple haircut and
manicure. “Thank you.”
“I suppose he does,” Drew grumbled from Nico's other side.
“Always the charmer.” Nico rolled his eyes. Drew, on the other hand, was
getting the works done to her hair. One girl was on her hair, another applying
makeup, and another putting nail polish on all over her nails. “I sometimes
wonder what you really look under all that makeup.”
“Horrid,” Calypso sighed.
Drew narrowed her eyes and cut them over to Calypso. “Perhaps you should take a
lesson in true beauty, Calypso.”
The other Lost Girl scoffed. “Please, you know nothing about beauty. All you do
is hide behind your makeup and jewelry.”
“I just know how to look good.”
“Is it looking good, Drew? Is it? Or perhaps you just don't like people seeing
the real you?”
Drew glared. “Go back to your street corner.”
“You first,” Calypso shot back.
“Ladies,” Circe began, putting a few finishing touches on Nico's hair, “please
take your squabbling elsewhere.” She sighed and let Nico stand up.
Calypso looked her nails over before smiling and thanking the girl that had
worked on them. Nico stared between Drew and Calypso for a moment, the latter
of the two making her way towards the exit. Making a quick decision, he hurried
after the caramel haired girl.
“Hey,” Nico called after her.
Calypso turned around and blinked at him. “Nico? What's up?”
The boy shrugged. “Just wanted to talk.”
The Lost Girl arched a brow. “Oh really?”
Nico cleared his throat and looked away. “Okay, so maybe it has to do with that
stuff back there.”
Calypso sighed and they headed for the elevators. It was nearly time for work,
so they didn't have very much time left to get dressed and get moving. “She
just...gets on my nerves sometimes.”
“Is it true what you said about her?”
The Lost Girl tilted her head to the side as she stared down at him. “What did
I say again exactly?”
Nico punched in the button to their floor before falling back against the
elevator wall. “That she hides behind her stuff so that people can't see the
real her.”
Calypso pursed her lips and took an interest in the rising floor numbers.
“That's something for you to talk to her about. I may not like her all that
much, but she's still family.”
“Doesn't seem to stop all of you from gossiping. It's hard to find something
that everyone doesn't know around here.”
Calypso sighed. “It's not like that, not entirely. There are things we know to
keep quiet about when we tell each other things.” She smiled and shrugged.
“Luke and Octavian know something about you that they won't share.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What?”
She shrugged. “How should I know? Annabeth said she asked them what you three
talked about when Luke stormed off at the water park, and both of them refused
to say anything. We just know when to keep things quiet.”
Nico blinked, staring off into space. Luke and Octavian hadn't talked about
that? It hadn't been that big of a deal, or even a secret for him, but it still
felt nice to know. Perhaps Will had been telling the truth as well. If Calypso
was being honest, maybe he should reconsider some more things about his new
family.
Nico's eyebrows rose when something else clicked in his head. “Wait,” he began.
Calypso turned to look at him. “You implied that she worked on a street
corner.”
“Oh.” The Lost Girl rubbed at her arm, looking relieved when the elevator
arrived on their floor. “Again, just talk to her. She's not a complete bitch,
when you get to know her.”
“I take it we're talking about Drew?” Piper walked out from around the corner,
a smile on her face.
“The one and only.”
Piper tutted under her breath. “Oh, Nico, don't waste your time.”
Calypso smiled and rolled her eyes. “Don't listen to her, Nico. Go and talk to
her, you'll just have to do some pushing.”
Piper chuckled. “But he's good at that.”
Nico glared at both of them before marching down to his suite. It seemed his
list of things to inquire about was just going to keep getting longer. It felt
like he got more questions than answers in this place.
Nico slapped a hand over his eyes when he opened his door. Jason looked up from
sliding his speedo up. He blinked at Nico's red face before chuckling. “Really?
Wow, I figured you wouldn't be bothered by this stuff by now.”
“You have a room, and a bathroom. Use them.”
Jason chuckled. “Sorry, I didn't think you'd be coming back so early.”
Nico cleared his throat. So he had been right about his assessment on Jason
last night, he was nicely endowed. Focus, Nico told himself. He needed to get
ready, not have dirty thoughts about his roommate.
Nico looked Jason over as he slid on a pair of black pants. “You working the
bar tonight?”
The blond nodded. “Are you?”
“Yep.” The brown-eyed boy ran a hand into the back of his hair. “I suppose
we'll be working together.”
Jason gave a nod before bending over and picking up his shirt. “You going to
get ready, or just stare at my body?”
Nico blushed again, quickly moving past Jason and going to his room. He was
right, this was not going to get any easier. If anything, he should only expect
it to get worse. Why did teenagers have to have such raging hormones?
By the time they got to the bar, Silena and Reyna were already working. Chiron
smiled at both Jason and Nico as they approached. “Hello there, you must be
Jason.” The bartender reached out and shook the blond's hand.
Jason nodded. “And you must be Chiron.”
Nico rolled his eyes and got his apron before heading onto the floor. Was
anyone going to do anything bad to Jason like they did to him? Nico was
starting to wonder. Then again, he had never seen their stunt coming. But
wouldn't they have gotten him in on it?
As the night progressed, Nico was starting to get annoyed with Jason. He had
little trouble with the customers it seemed. People seemed to like him, his
bright smile getting many in return. The only problem Nico could pick up on was
the blond's difficulty with moving around so much with all of the orders. The
blond had nearly dumped a large salad on a woman's head, much to Nico's
delight. It had just been disappointing that it hadn't actually happened.
And, of course, there was the touching. If Nico watched closely, he noticed the
twitch of Jason's lip every time one of the customers touched him, even in the
slightest. And that, perhaps, brought Nico the most joy in watching Jason's
first night at the bar. He had not had much of a chance to watch him upstairs
last night, but he wondered if it was anything like this. Perhaps worse,
especially with the touching. He wondered how Jason was going to fair when he
actually performed on stage.
Much to Nico's delight, Percy exited the elevator halfway through the shift.
That delight was short lived, however, when Percy merely ruffled Nico's hair
and walked over to the bar. The manager leaned across the bar and smiled at
Jason, who was waiting on an order. Nico frowned. Whatever Percy was saying,
Jason was reacting to it. The blond chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
And the look they gave each other, there was no doubt about that look.
Originally, Nico had wondered if Jason wasn't interested in Percy, but that
definitely did not seem to be the case at the moment.
Whatever they were discussing, Jason was nodding. Nico could feel his lips
pursing. “What has your panties in a wad?” Reyna asked, coming to a stop beside
him.
“That,” Nico grumbled.
Reyna arched a brow. “What of it? Why exactly is it bothering you? From what I
have observed, you've seemed cozy with both Will and Luke lately. Not to
mention how heated your interactions with Apollo were when you first got here.”
The Lost Girl gave him a look. “Perhaps you should take that twig out of your
eye.”
Nico huffed at her as she continued on to the bar. Percy took a seat at the
bar, while Jason walked off. Nico walked up to the bar and dropped off his
order with Chiron. “So,” Nico began. Percy looked up at him, swirling a drink
in his hand.
“So,” Percy repeated, a smile tugging at his lips. “What can I do for you?”
“I was just wondering if I could sit by you at dinner.”
Percy smiled and rested his cheek on his palm. “If you want, up to you. I do
happen to have one seat open beside me.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Who has the other one?”
Percy shrugged. “Jason. I just asked him to.”
The Lost Boy's blood began to boil. His eyes grew dark as he clutched at the
bar. “That was...nice of you. Why did you ask him, though?”
Percy studied Nico for a moment before taking a sip of alcohol. “I thought it
was a nice gesture. He's new to the family, and I've been enjoying talking to
him.”
Did Percy not enjoy talking to him? “I thought you were paying him attention
because he was recovering from his addiction.”
“I was.” Percy cocked a brow. “What's your problem? I gave you plenty of
attention when you first got here. I still give you plenty of attention.” His
eyes flashed a shade darker. “Now, stop acting like a child and get back to
work.”
Nico set his jaw firmly in place as he took the tray of drinks from Chiron, who
gave him a sympathetic look. Nico dropped the order off and turned to look back
at Percy, who was now in a deep conversation with Chiron. Percy seemed rather
animated with the way he talked, often shaking his head by things that Chiron
said. Percy rubbed his temple and waved a hand absently in the air.
Nico found himself wanting to be alone. His leg was becoming jittery as he
stared at the back of his head. Percy had called him a child. That had hurt, a
lot. What was he supposed to do? He pursed his lips tightly as he forced tears
from surfacing. Why was Percy acting like this? Nico had thought things were
going well between them. What changed?
When Nico returned to the bar, Percy had gotten up and gone to talk to a man at
a table. Nico sat his tray down and stood there, slipping Chiron the next order
in silence. Chiron gave him a sympathetic look as he began on the orders.
“Don't look so down, my child.”
Nico's lips tilted down even more. “That's all I am apparently, a child.”
Chiron placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I don't think he meant anything by
it. Percy just has a lot on his mind right now, and he's sorting through his
problems.”
“I was just making such good progress, and now I feel it was all for nothing.
Why did Jason have to come along anyways? Percy didn't have to pick him up.”
Chiron arched a brow. “He didn't have to take in a lot of people, but I'm sure
you're glad he gave you the opportunity. Does Jason not deserve the same
chance, a chance at a new life?”
Nico sighed cast his eyes downward. “I guess,” he mumbled. “I thought Percy
didn't take an interest in his employees?”
Reyna bumped into Nico. “Hasn't stopped him from showing an interest in you,
for whatever reason that may be.”
Chiron smiled. “The girl is right, Nico, you're getting mad at Percy for doing
the exact same thing he does with you.”
Nico glared at Reyna. “Well, I don't see him snapping at Jason.”
The Lost Girl shrugged. “What has he done to deserve it?”
Suddenly Nico wished that Hazel hadn't stepped in yesterday. If she hadn't,
maybe Nico could have had a good retort to that remark. But that didn't really
matter at the moment. Nico was just wanting to not be seen as a child right
now.
When it reached two in the morning, Chiron announced that it was time to close
up the bar. The customers that remained at this point begrudgingly got up and
paid their tabs. Reyna and Piper had gathered up Nico and Jason, and they were
all standing near the elevators. Once Chiron was done closing up, all of them
boarded the elevator and rode down to the lobby.
The other Lost Kids were already in the restaurant by the time they arrived,
with the exception of Rachel and Leo. Piper left them and sat down next to
Hazel and Thalia. A large, round table had been set up in the middle of the
restaurant for them. Chiron took his place between Circe and Aphrodite. Circe
was doing her best to look like she was partially paying attention to the
ramblings of the skinny blonde woman on the other side of Chiron. Ganymede
winked in Nico's direction and sat down on Circe's other side.
Percy, Leo, and Rachel walked into the room, Chris in tow. The manager smiled
and gestured to the table. “I'm sure you can find a place, Chris.”
The newly promoted worker blushed and awkwardly over to sit beside Clarisse.
Dionysus was busy eyeing a wine bottle on the table. Several of the Lost Kids
were just doing their best to stay lively. Much to Nico's displeasure, Percy
tugged on Jason's arm and led him over a place at the table. Unfortunately for
Nico, the only other spot beside Percy was being occupied by Annabeth. The Lost
Girl smiled and leaned in towards Percy.
Nico blinked when there was a tug on the hem of his shirt. Will smiled up at
him, pulling a chair out so that Nico could sit down. Nico smiled at him and
sat down. His eyes returned to Percy, barely catching those green eyes leaving
his form. He looked over at Jason, listening to something the blond was saying.
But, Percy's eyes briefly returned to Nico, glancing between Nico and Will,
almost studying them.
When everyone had finally taken their seats, Percy stood up and cleared his
throat. “Well, here we are again, another year past. It's been two years since
I took over here, and I like to think we've been doing very well.” Everyone
smiled at him. “I want to thank you all for such a great year. As some of you
may have noticed,” a smirk touched at his lips, “we have a few new additions to
our family.”
Will slung an arm around Nico's shoulders. Percy caught the action and arched
an eyebrow in Nico's direction, but made no further acknowledgment of the
action. By this point, Dionysus was already opening that wine bottle he had
been eyeing. Chiron sighed and shook his head, opening another bottle and
pouring himself some before passing it down.
Percy gave Dionysus an annoyed look. “Anyways, I just want to say that I really
appreciate how hard all of you have been working. You've all been great, and I
just wanted to say that I really love you guys and all that you do for me.”
Percy sat back down and caught Chiron's eye. He gestured to the large turkey in
the middle of the table. Chiron smiled and stood, picking up a carving knife.
Nico tilted his head to the side. He leaned towards Will and whispered, “Why
doesn't Percy do the cutting?”
Will smirked. “Chiron is like the father of the group, and Percy respects him a
lot.”
Chiron carefully cut each piece of turkey, putting the slices on a plate and
passing them around the table. Upon getting their plates, everyone poked around
the rest of the table, dumping sides onto their plates. Glasses of water were
set out at each place, as well as empty wine glasses. Though, as time went on,
some of those glasses were filled.
A few of the Lost Kids abstained from the wine, but they were very few in
number. Piper and Juniper turned it down entirely, while Will and Hazel kept
their glasses low. Instead of passing it on, Will held the bottle out for Nico.
“You want some?”
Nico stared down at the dark bottle. “I, uh, don't know. I've never drank
before.”
“Oh, you should try it,” Silana encouraged.
“Yeah, just a little bit,” added Butch. “What's it going to hurt?”
Will turned towards Percy. “I mean, it is fine, right? It's just for the
holiday, not a big deal.”
Percy's eyes studied the bottle for a moment before lifting to Nico's face. He
stared into Nico's eyes for a long time before shrugging. “It's his call. Let
him do what he wants.” And, just like that, Percy went back to talking to
Jason.
Nico frowned before lowering his gaze to the bottle. Adults drank this stuff,
right? He did want to be an adult. “I don't know,” he mumbled.
Octavian smiled and handed Nico his glass across the table. “Here try this one,
it's a white wine.”
Nico stared at the blond, his eyes eventually shifting over to Luke. The taller
of the two brothers was watching Nico intently. Nico shifted under the heavy
gaze before sitting back down in his chair. He stared down at the glass
nervously.
Will chuckled. “Go on, it's not going to hurt anything.”
Thalia waved absently. “A little isn't going to do anything, Nico.”
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Unless he's a light weight.”
Nico pursed his lips, taking a deep breath. Just trying it shouldn't hurt
anything. The raven haired boy slowly lifted the glass to his lips, his heart
pounding heavily in his chest. All eyes seemed to be on him as the liquid
flowed down his throat. Percy even stopped talking with Jason, his eyes now a
few shades darker.
Nico made a face as the taste hit him. He put the glass down, where a laughing
Octavian took it back. Annabeth chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Here, Nico, try
this one. You might like it better.”
Nico scrunched his lips up, holding the new glass in front of him. He looked at
Will, who gave him a thumbs up. Apollo was resting his cheek on his knuckles,
an amused smirk on his face. But what bothered him the most was the look
Dionysus was giving him. He could only imagine what was going through the man's
head right now.
The taste wasn't so bad this time. It was still a little bitter for his taste,
but he could tolerate it. He shrugged and handed it back to Annabeth, while
Will poured him a glass of his own. Percy gave the blond a dark look, though
Will seemed to miss it. The manager caught Nico's eye, giving him another harsh
stare. But then, just like that, the look was gone. Percy's eyes returned to
their sea-green color, his shoulders seemed to relax, and his frown vanished.
But, even more concerning, he looked away from Nico, like he was bored and
didn't care what was going on in the boy's direction. It hurt, and Nico now
felt like broken glass.
Beckendorf held up his own glass. “So, Nico, not so bad, eh?”
“Well, I don't think I'm going to make a habit out of drinking it.”
Will smirked at Nico, leaning on his hand. “I bet you're a hilarious drunk.”
“Too bad you won't be finding out,” Luke muttered.
Will blew out a breath. “Don't rain on the parade, Luke.”
Nico's eyes landed on Percy again, but the manager was no longer paying him any
attention. Nico frowned and took another drink of wine. He began to poke at his
food, but suddenly found he didn't feel so well. He wasn't sick, he knew that,
but he didn't like the feeling that was building in his stomach.
An hour quickly passed, and Nico was on his third glass. His face felt rather
warm, and the room seemed to sway every now and then. Will leaned in on him.
“Aw, Nico's a lush. So cute.”
Nico attempted to scowl at the blond, but he was fairly certain that it failed
miserably. He let out a long yawn, his eyes beginning to droop. And, finally,
Percy looked at him again. “Can someone help him up to his room, please?”
Will smiled brightly and stood up. The room began to blur for Nico. His eyes
closed and he tilted in his seat, a firm hand catching him. There was a grunt
behind him, followed by a nervous chuckle. Nico felt his body being scooped up.
“Don't carry him over your shoulder, he'll probably vomit.”
“I got it.”
Nico's eyes attempted to open, but all he caught was a brief glimpse at the
lights above him. Letting out another yawn, Nico descended into blackness.
Nico groaned and rubbed at his eyes, finally coming to. There was a slight
hammering in his head. He stared around at his room, only to find something
very wrong with it.
It wasn't his room at all. There was not anything familiar about it. There was
a dark blue blanket currently draped on top of him. It was very warm and soft,
and he just wanted to curl up with it and sleep more, but he knew he couldn't.
Directly across from him was the TV, sitting on the dresser. Beside it was a
PS3 and a pile of video games for it.
A pack of chocolate chip cookies sat on the nightstand. There were a few
pictures sitting on the other dresser in the room; one of Octavian, one of
Thalia, one of Annabeth, and one of Percy. Clothes littered the floor
carelessly. In front of the pictures was a row of knives and a pair of brass
knuckles. Nico looked up to find a pair of handcuffs hanging from the
headboard.
Nico sat up straight as the doorknob began to turn. He found himself staring
into the icy blue eyes of Luke, who arched an eyebrow at him. He was clad in
nothing but a pair of black shorts, which hung loosely on his waist. “Joy,
you're awake.”
Nico rubbed his head. “What am I doing here? The last thing I remember, I was
supposed to be going to my room. Where's Will?”
The blond sat down on the edge of the bed. “Not here, obviously. He never took
you anywhere.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Then how did I get here?”
“I carried you.” Luke cracked his neck before falling back on the bed. “Is
there a problem with my bed?”
Nico quickly shook his head. “But why did you bring me here? Why not take me to
my room?”
Luke sighed and rolled until he was sitting close to Nico. “Well, you're
welcome to leave and go there, but you'll only be met with the sounds of Percy
and Jason having hot and loud sex.”
Nico frowned down at the blanket, rubbing at his arm. “Oh.” He wiped at his
nose, looking at Luke from behind his short bangs. “Maybe I don't want to do
that.” He tossed the blanket back and looked down at himself. He was still
fully clothed, save for his shoes and socks. “Can I, uh, sleep on your couch?”
Luke leaned against the headboard, rolling his eyes. “I was just going to let
you sleep where you were, you're not bothering anything.”
Nico felt sick, and he wasn't sure if it was from that feeling from earlier, or
if it was from the alcohol. “Why didn't you let Will bring me up?”
The blond gave him a blank look. “I mean, sure, if you wanted to be molested
while you were passed out.”
“Oh.” Nico looked down again. “Thank you.”
Luke rolled his eyes and slid his legs under the cover. “Yeah, whatever. If you
want a change of clothes, there's some on the floor beside you.”
Nico looked down, and sure enough, a pair of cotton shorts and a loose T-shirt,
both from his own room, sat on the floor. He swung his legs out and reached
down to pick them up. With a small look in Luke's direction, Nico exited the
room and went to the bathroom to change.
After he was done, he stopped in the middle of the hallway. Silence. He frowned
and pushed into Luke's room. “Where's your brother?”
“Not here.”
“Why?”
Luke shrugged. “Apparently, people think I'm going to rape you, or something.”
Nico scoffed. “That's stupid. Why would they think that?”
Luke's eyes darkened before he lunged and pinned Nico to the bed. Nico
squirmed, finding his arms captured above his head. Luke sat on top of him, a
dark look in his eyes. “Maybe I will,” he said darkly. “Maybe that's just what
you need, to be fucked. And I'll be the one to do it.”
Nico swallowed, eyes going wide as Luke leaned down. Their lips were
dangerously close, Nico could feel Luke's breath on his face. And Luke's crotch
was thrust against his own. Nico bit down on his lip, not wanting to let the
moan escape him.
“What do you think about that, brat?”
Nico stared up at Luke with wide eyes. “No.”
Luke's brow furrowed. “No? What do you mean 'no'?”
Nico blinked up at Luke. He felt the blond loosen his grip. “You won't do it, I
know you won't.”
The taller Lost Boy swallowed, his eyes narrowing. He tossed Nico's arms to the
side and fell back on his butt. “You don't know what the hell you're talking
about.”
Nico shook his head, sitting up. “You won't, not without my permission. I know.
I knew after the night at the pool. The look in your eyes gave it away.”
Luke scoffed and looked away. “Just go to fucking sleep,” he growled.
Nico frowned, but didn't say anything further. He slid his legs under the cover
and rolled onto his side, away from Luke. The room was silent for a long,
awkward moment, until Luke climbed off the bed and turned off the light. The
blond collapsed onto the bed with a huff.
“Thanks again for letting me stay here.”
The blond behind him grunted. “Whatever, just don't fucking cuddle me. I'm not
your stuffed animal.”
Nico chuckled softly in the darkness. He had missed this side of Luke. Maybe it
would stick around this time. Nico sighed, his eyes already drooping. Tomorrow
would be better, he told himself. He needed to fix whatever was going on
between himself and Percy, he just knew he had to.
***** A Sight to See First Thing in the Morning *****
A black head of hair poked out from under a warm, blue blanket. Nico sighed
contently before rolling over on his stomach and burying his face into the
extremely comfortable pillow. When his hand dropped to the mattress, he
scrunched his eyes for a moment before cracking one open.
He was alone. Luke was not asleep, or even in the room. Nico let out a yawn,
stretching his feet beneath the covers. A glass of water and some aspirin sat
on the nightstand beside him. But, besides a dry mouth, Nico felt fine. He made
a face as he tried to wet his mouth, as it tasted like a mix of cotton and
something that had died.
The boy sighed and sank beneath the covers, currently not capable of moving.
Luke's blanket and pillow were amazing. He was still in the clothes he had
changed into last night, though he had never really doubted that anything was
going to happen.
He had been honest with Luke last night when he had said that he didn't think
the blond would try anything without his permission. Luke probably would, but
not without consent. There was just something there, something holding the
blond back.
Nico blinked his eyes open, and stared up at the ceiling. He really did not
want to be productive today; the bed was just too comfortable. But Luke was
nowhere to be found, at least not in the room. Why hadn't the blond woken him?
And why did he always wake up alone in bed? Well, except for when he had stayed
with Will, though the blond had still not met his expectations of waking up
next to another guy.
Was it too much to ask to wake up next to someone the next day? His experience
with Percy had, of course, been the most disappointing. And the events that
followed him after waking up that morning had not been enjoyable, either.
“Oh fuck!”
Nico blinked, his eyes now wide. What was that? He slid his legs out of the bed
and sat on the edge, an eyebrow raised. He could barely make out some voices in
the living room.
“More, dammit!”
Okay, so it definitely did not sound like an average conversation. The voice
sounded like Luke, though. And, from what he could make out of the other voice,
it sounded like Percy. He heard Percy chuckle at something before a loud moan
rang out.
Nico crept towards the door, letting it slowly open. He was instantly met by
the sounds of moans and heavy breathing. It was definitely Percy and Luke,
though. Had the manager dropped by? Should he be investigating this?
He could hear the shower running behind him. Octavian must have come back, he
thought. But what was going on in the living room? He hesitantly shuffled down
the hallway. What he found was definitely not what he expected.
On the TV was a video, of Luke and Percy. The green-eyed young man was pounding
into Luke at a relentless pace, the blond moaning and begging for more. Percy
smirked, a hand gripping Luke's throat. The raven haired young man had his
other hand digging nails into the blond's hip.
“Goddammit, Percy, harder!”
Nico blinked in surprise at the video. Nico thought Luke had said he was the
dominating type. This video seemed to say differently. He quirked an eyebrow
and turned, freezing on the spot.
Luke sat on the couch, completely naked. And, for the first time, Nico saw
Luke's erection. As predicted, the blond was above average. He had a hand
around his arousal, stroking himself. But the most surprising thing was what
the blue-eyed Lost Boy was doing with his other hand. He had a dildo, currently
penetrating himself with it.
Nico's entire face felt hot, nearly as red as a tomato. “Um, morning?”
The blond froze, turning a dark, lustful stare on Nico. “Enjoying the show,
brat?”
Nico rubbed his arms, shifting his gaze away from the nude form of Luke. He
cleared his throat, feeling his own arousal beginning to form. “Um, what are
you doing?”
Luke grunted. “What does it look like I'm doing?” Much to Nico's dismay, the
Lost Boy went back to work on himself. “Are you just going to watch, or you
going take care of yourself?”
“Uh, no thanks, I'm good.” The raven haired boy rubbed the back of his head.
“You have a sex tape?”
The blond shrugged, sliding the dildo into him again. “Just for my enjoyment.”
Nico's face turned darker as his eyes landed on the video again. “Is, uh, Percy
always this...aggressive...in bed?”
Luke chuckled. “Why don't you go find out?” He grunted and nodded to the space
next to him on the couch. “Sit.”
The youngest Lost Boy pursed his lips. This was a little uncomfortable. He
hesitantly made his way over and sat down, refusing to look at Luke. He blew
out a breath, drumming on his lap awkwardly.
“Still uncomfortable with all of this?”
Nico shrugged. “Still a virgin.” He sighed and shifted uncomfortably on the
couch. “Why are you watching this, anyways?”
The blond shrugged, not stopping in his self-pleasuring. “Why not? Percy is
good, even through memories.”
Nico's brown eyes unconsciously found their way over to stare at Luke stroking
himself. Until he had gotten to the hotel, he had never really seen another guy
naked before, and now he was seeing plenty of male anatomy. Luke's head fell
back in a moan. Nico blushed and looked away when he realized the blond was
watching him from the corner of his eye.
The raven haired boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat as Luke let out a loud
moan, which was soon followed by his climax. Luke slumped on the couch, pulling
the dildo from himself. The blond let out a breath and ran a hand through his
hair, his chest still covered in his seed.
“Can you hand me that?” Luke asked, pointing to the other side of Nico.
Nico just blinked for a moment. Luke arched an eyebrow and Nico shook his head
before turning around. A towel sat on the arm of the couch. Nico picked it up
and handed it to Luke, who began cleaning himself up.
“Um, thanks for letting me stay.”
“You said that last night,” Luke mumbled.
“I know, but I just wanted to thank you again.” The boy cleared his throat and
looked away when Luke stood up, receiving a very close view of Luke's firm ass.
The blond shrugged. “Don't worry about it.”
“The blanket was, uh, nice. And warm.”
Luke smirked and let the dirty towel drop to the floor, plopping back down next
to Nico. He leaned back on the couch, letting his head rest on the back. With
his foot, Luke kicked his boxers up to him before sliding them on.
“It was a gift.”
Nico blinked. “What?”
The blond sighed and turned narrowed eyes on Nico. “The blanket. It was a gift
from my grandmother.”
Nico quickly nodded. “I'm guessing you got along with her?”
Luke watched Nico from the corner of his eye in silence. He let out a breath
and ran his hand down his chest, wiping some of the remaining sweat off. “Yeah,
she was a great woman.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Luke shrugged. “Don't worry about it, not like you killed her.” The blond
leaned forward and picked up a cup of coffee from the coffee table, but
remained hunched over when he was done drinking. “She was really good to us,
but that's ancient history. It's not something you need to concern yourself
with, brat.”
Nico pursed his lips. “I'd like to hear it, though.”
The blond's icy blue stare turned on Nico. “That was me saying nicely that I
don't want to talk about her.” Luke's eyes pierced through Nico as the boy
shifted on the couch. “You can go back to your room now.”
Nico nodded awkwardly and stood up. Luke turned the sext tape off and shifted
it over to TV. Nico stared at the blond one last time before disappearing down
the hall. As he was about to enter Luke's room, the bathroom door opened,
revealing a nearly naked Octavian.
The blond's hair clung to his face, his blue eyes being hidden behind some of
his bangs. A towel hung from his hips, one pale hand holding the fabric up.
Water dripped down his torso until it reached the towel. And Octavian's icy
blue gaze fell upon Nico in a blank stare.
“Good morning, Nico. I assume you slept well?”
Nico swallowed and nodded. “I suppose.”
There was a coldness in the blond's eyes as he smirked and nodded. “Good, I'm
glad to hear it. I'm sure you quite enjoyed my brother's bed and hospitality.”
“We didn't do anything.”
The blond shrugged. “I would never imply such a thing, Nico.” He tapped a
finger to his lips. “Oh dear, I meant to tell you something, but I seem to have
forgotten of it. Silly me.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He didn't like this. It didn't take a genius to figure
out Octavian was not happy about Nico's overnight stay with Luke. “I didn't ask
to sleep in your brother's room. Your brother was nice enough to bring me up
here.”
Blue eyes were rolled as the blond walked down to his room. Nico huffed and
followed after him. “Whatever. Perhaps you shouldn't have had so much to drink.
I don't see why Will couldn't have brought you up to his room.”
Nico frowned as Octavian opened the door. The slender blond had a much cleaner
room than his brother. The floor was spotless, the bed was perfectly made, and
his nightstand and dresser were completely organized. A single picture of Luke
sat on the dresser. There was a bookshelf near the closet, filled to the brim
with books. Next to it sat more books, stacked perfectly. But what caught
Nico's attention the most were the stuffed animals.
A bear was on the bed, leaning against the pillows. There was a large lion in
the corner, like it had come out of some carnival game. A small dog sat under
the blond's TV, and to finish it off, a penguin sat on top of the bookshelf.
It was curious, Nico thought. He had been in the blond's room once before, but
it was under very awkward circumstances. He had been a little preoccupied with
his blushing and the fact that Travis and Octavian had been in the middle of
sex. Nico had not taken the time to really look at the room.
“And why are you mad?” Nico demanded. “You're the one who offered me the wine
in the first place.”
Octavian unfastened his towel, his back to Nico. “Correction, Will offered it
to you first.” Much to Nico's dismay, the towel around the blond's waist hit
the floor, revealing the Lost Boy's pale ass.
Nico cleared his throat, keeping his eyes on the back of Octavian's head as the
blond bent over to slip on a pair of boxers. “And, like I said, Luke and I
didn't do anything. Why does that even matter?”
The blond turned around with a dark look. “I could care less if my brother had
sex with you. I hope he fucks you into the ground, until you're too sore to
move. It's not about what he does sexually.”
“What the hell is with brothers and dating around here?”
Blue eyes were rolled in a sigh. “I am not in love with my brother, you stupid
little twit. Please go take your theories about incest down the hall, to the
Stolls.” Octavian turned his back on Nico again, this time heading into his
closet. “Now then, please show yourself out.”
Nico flung his arms up. “What is wrong with you?” He shouted. “I get your
brother, he's the tough love kind of person. But you, I just don't get you. At
least your brother has people's best interests at heart when he's an asshole!”
Octavian turned his head towards Nico, fixing him with a deathly glare. “Get
out of my room,” the blond growled. “Have fun in your own self-destruction,
fucker.”
Nico huffed and slammed Octavian's door behind him. Luke stood in the hallway,
eyebrow raised. “Problem?”
“Your brother's an asshole,” Nico mumbled as he shoved his way towards the
door.
Luke just chuckled as the door to the suite was slammed. Nico sighed and headed
for his room. He needed a shower, a nice long one. He slowly opened his door,
poking his head inside. It was quiet. Was Percy still there? Did he sleep in
the Lost Kids' rooms? Doubtful.
As far as he could remember, he had often seen Percy coming out of the Lost
Kids' rooms at night. So, Jason had probably slept alone last night. Nico
supposed it was the downfall of not sleeping in Percy's room. At least he could
say he had slept with Percy. Jason just had emotionless sex.
Nico sighed and gathered up some clothes to change into before heading to the
bathroom. He made sure to lock the door, not wanting to have any more
experiences like that one time. He turned on the water and let it warm up
before stepping inside the glass box.
He did need to find Percy, though. After last night, Nico felt there was some
damage control that needed to be worked out. The problem was he didn't know
what the issue was. Percy seemed irritated with him, but he just didn't know
what he had done. It couldn't have been the alcohol, could it? Percy had
offered him some before. Though, that had just been the one time. Every other
time, Percy had blocked him before he had even had the chance to respond.
But that couldn't have been the problem. Percy had seemed irritated before Nico
had drunk. So what was it? If this was Percy's way of getting him to back off,
he could pick a nicer way to do it.
Nico sighed and turned off the water, reaching out for his towel. After drying
himself off, he slipped on his underwear and headed back to his room, clothes
in hand. He sat down on his bed and slipped on his pants and shirt. His brow
furrowed as he stared at the clock on his nightstand.
It was still early, so Percy would probably be in his office. If not there,
then probably in his room. Nico jumped off his bed and slipped his shoes on,
grabbing his wallet and phone on the way out the door.
After a quick ride up one floor, Nico was greeted by some shouting. Rachel
stormed around the corner, her face red. She glared when she saw Nico standing
there. “Hey, Rach..el. Rachel. Hey, Rachel,” Nico said nervously.
“Stupid,” she mumbled. She shoved Nico into the wall. “I know I told you better
than what I saw last night. What the hell was that?” She huffed and shoved past
Nico, stopping in the door of the elevator. “Why are men so stupid?”
“I, uh-what did I do?”
Rachel turned to glare at the boy. “You were an idiot! You asked for advice, so
I gave it to you. You wanted Percy, and then you do something stupid! I told
you to be yourself, and what do you do? You freaking do the complete opposite
of what I told you to do!”
Nico swallowed, taking a step back. “I was just trying to act like an adult,”
he muttered under his breath.
Rachel actually came out of the elevator to smack Nico upside the head. “And
what could possibly make you think that what you did was the solution to that?”
She shouted.
Nico pursed his lips, dropping his head. Rachel narrowed her eyes at him before
looking over Nico's shoulder. She huffed and turned around, storming onto the
elevator. Nico blinked at her as the doors closed. What had just happened?
He turned around to see what Rachel had been staring at, only to find the
person he had been looking for. Percy had his head out of the door across from
his suite, an eyebrow quirked in curiosity. Nico wandered down the hall,
staring at the door strangely.
He had always wondered what was behind this door. As it turned out, it was
another suite, possibly the same size as Percy's. Nico stood in the doorway,
next to Percy.
“Don't mind her, she just had an encounter with her father earlier.” The
manager rested his arm on the doorway, just above Nico's head. “So, you were
asking Rachel about me?” He grinned down at Nico.
The boy narrowed his eyes before turning back to the suite. “What's going on?”
The green-eyed young man shrugged. “Just making sure everything is in order for
Gaea. She stays in here when she visits.” Percy sighed and played with some of
Nico's bangs as he watched Leo direct some maids around. “As it turns out, she
will be coming a little earlier than expected.”
“When is she coming?”
Percy blinked down at him. “Christmas. So, a month away.”
Nico swallowed, his face losing some color. That was quite close, and he was
not sure he was ready to meet the infamous woman just yet. And that also meant
that her real son, Kronos, would be here as well. And after all that Nico had
heard about that young man, he knew he did not want to meet Kronos any time
soon.
Percy chuckled and brushed Nico's bangs to the side. “So, what did you and
Rachel talk about?”
Nico let out a breath and pressed his back against the doorway. “What's the fun
in telling? Besides, surely you already know, seeing as how you know everything
that happens in the hotel.”
Nico was not sure if mocking was the way to go, but Percy didn't seem irritated
with him at the moment. The manager just grinned and leaned closer to the boy.
“Oh? Well, if I had to guess, I'd say it was concerning my mood as of late.
Possibly some advice on how to reel me in?” Nico blushed when he received a
wink from Percy. Percy's thumb was brushed over his cheek. “Don't worry, Nico,
you're still cute and adorable, especially when you blush.”
Nico pouted as he stared up into Percy's eyes. “But you're upset with me.”
The young man shrugged. “Why would I be upset? What's there to be upset about?”
The raven haired manager tilted his head to the side. “Drinking? Will? Luke?
How you've been jealous? I'm sure the possibilities are endless. However, it's
none of those. Stop worrying.”
The brown-eyed boy sighed and ran a finger along a portion of Percy's dark blue
shirt. “You seemed upset with me last night.” His brow furrowed as his head
raised to look back at Percy's eyes. “And what do you mean none of those apply?
I saw you staring at me and Will last night.”
Percy chuckled, making Nico's heart beat faster. It was like music. “You're
cute.” He ran his hand through Nico's hair, humming to himself. “Why should I
be jealous?” He shrugged. “I mean, you seem awfully determined to get my
attention, to get me, so what do I have to be jealous about? But more
importantly, why is it relevant? You're free to do as you please, as we are not
in a relationship.”
Nico sighed and crossed his arms. Why did he expect anything less than
complicated with Percy? “I think you like me.” Percy's smile dropped. “Maybe
you just don't want to admit it.” The boy blew at his black bangs. “Jealousy
can be hot, you know.”
Percy finally chuckled again. He sighed and ran his hand through Nico's hair
again. “I'm sure it is, Nico. However, not everyone is the jealous type.” He
poked Nico in the forehead before taking a step back. “I figured you would know
that.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Percy's brow furrowed, his head tilting to the side. “What are you sorry about?
What have you done?”
The boy groaned. “I don't know. Please just tell me.” He pursed his lips,
staring down at the floor. “I hate this. I don't like you being upset with me
like this. I just want to know what I did to make you mad.”
The manager sighed and slipped his arms around Nico's slim waist. “Nico,
nothing is wrong. I'm not mad at you, I can promise you that.” The green-eyed
young man reached up and brushed some of Nico's bangs to the side. “Stop
worrying so much,” he said softly.
Nico's heart began to race as he stared up into Percy's warm sea-green eyes.
They were his favorite shade of Percy's eyes, and the ones he wished he only
had to see. And he really loved this, getting this attention from Percy. It was
when Percy gave him this attention that he was probably at his happiest. It was
like a drug, a euphoric drug.
Percy smiled down at him before winking. “You should run along,” he whispered.
“You have work. I'll see you later, okay?”
Nico nodded, his head still spinning. Perhaps he really should put some thought
into what Ganymede had said to him about his feelings about Percy. Whether or
not he loved the manager, he did know he had strong feelings for Percy. That
part was undeniable.
The youngest Lost Boy made to walk backwards, but ended up stumbling. Nico's
breath hitched as he began to fall. A hand shot out and caught him, and he was
brought upright to be greeted by a smiling Percy. “You know, Nico, I sometimes
feel like you're a walking disaster area.”
Nico narrowed his eyes and removed Percy's hand from his slender waist. “Shut
up,” Nico mumbled.
Percy chuckled and pressed his back against the wall. “What's wrong, Nico? Am I
too distracting for you?”
The boy glared up at the young man before huffing and turning around. He
listened to Percy's laughter as he made his way down to the elevator. Once the
doors were shut, he let out a sigh. Well, perhaps things weren't as bad as he
thought.
Still, Percy had seemed upset. Perhaps he just wasn't being honest with Nico?
He was too hard to read most of the time, so Nico really had no way of knowing.
But maybe there was some hope for him yet?
Percy seemed to be in a better mood today, at least. But something was still
wrong, Nico knew that. He just didn't know what to do. He did not even know
what the problem was. Obviously it wasn't jealousy. But why would it be? Percy
was right, there was nothing going on between them. And Percy could not even
give Nico what he wanted, or at least he claimed that was the case. Still, Nico
did not want to believe he was down and out just yet.
The elevator opened up into the bar and Nico walked out. Chiron was at the
board at the front, putting up the specials. “Good morning, Nico,” he greeted
the boy.
“Hey, Chiron.” Nico sighed and stood there, watching the man write.
The bartender quirked an eyebrow when he noticed Nico still standing there. “Is
there something I can do for you, my boy?”
Nico pursed his lips, staring down at his feet. “I've just been thinking about
some things.” He cleared his throat and looked up as the man as Chiron
finished. “Anyways, I was just wondering if you could give me a little advice,
since you seem good with people.”
Chiron smiled and sat down on the bench that was beside the board. “What can I
do for you?”
“It's just Percy, sort of. I just need some good, clear advice. He won't even
tell me what's bothering him.”
Chiron chuckled warmly and stroked his beard. “You fret as if you two are
already a couple.” The bartender sighed and picked at some lint on his pants.
“Percy is a mystery to all around him. I wouldn't try predicting him; you might
end up in a worse situation.” Chiron continued to stroke his beard, sitting in
silence for a few seconds. “I would not worry. I did speak to him last night,
actually, about this exact subject.”
Nico perked up. “And?”
The man sighed. “I'm afraid that is confidential, child. Percy is...sorting
through some things.” He licked his lips and furrowed his brow. “He has done an
awful lot for you, you know.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “I know, and I really appreciate it. He took
me in and gave me a home, and a job to go along with it. I might not be here if
it weren't for him.”
Chiron sighed again, standing up. “I don't think you quite understand things
quite yet, Nico.” He smiled warmly and patted Nico's shoulder before heading
back to the bar.
Nico frowned and stared after the man. What did he mean by that? Percy knew
that Nico appreciated what the manager had done, right? Of course he did. Nico
had told him several times that he appreciated all of this. So, what was the
problem?
Ethan sat at the bar, while Will leaned against it from the other side, smiling
at the Asian Lost Boy. The two seemed to be talking about something. But Ethan
didn't quite have the smile on that Will did. Ethan raised his glass to his
lips and took a long sip of some amber liquid.
“Isn't it a little early to drink?” Nico mumbled, walking around the bar to
grab his apron.
Ethan stared at him blankly. “I don't really take drinking advice from lushes.”
Will chuckled and leaned in towards Nico. “Didn't wake up with a hangover, did
you?” Nico shook his head. “Good. Sadly, Luke beat me to taking you to your
room. Though, from what I hear, he didn't take you to your room.”
Nico frowned. “I'm sure he told everyone that I was in his bed.” The boy
sighed. “He didn't say that we had sex, did he?”
Ethan and Will looked at each other. The blond tilted his head to the side.
“Actually, it was Octavian that mentioned it. Luke has refused to say anything
on the matter.”
Ethan glared as his drink was pulled from his hands by Will. The blond winked
at him as he took a small drink. “You can get your own.”
Will shrugged. “You were offering plenty of things last night.”
Nico blinked. So Ethan did go for guys? He frowned and narrowed his eyes at
Will. The blond had been in Ethan's room last night? Was it impossible to find
someone who would be committed in this place? Was that just too much to ask
for? But, then again, perhaps he needed to work something out.
And it wasn't like he wasn't somewhat involved with multiple guys. He let out a
sigh as he rested his arms on the bar. Perhaps he was the one who needed to
work things out. Percy was the one he wanted, but sometimes that goal seemed so
far out of reach.
His dark eyes fell on Will. And the blond was right there, completely within
reach. Completely obtainable. And what of Luke? Was there something there? The
others seemed to think so.
Nico groaned and dropped his head on the counter, drawing the attention of
Ethan and Will. “Something wrong?” Ethan mumbled, finishing off his drink.
“My life sucks,” Nico mumbled into the wooden surface his face rested on.
“What's his problem?” Silena walked around Will and Nico, picking up her own
apron. “He looks upset.”
“I'm not upset.” Nico sighed and stood up to his full height. “I'm just
frustrated. Why is everything so complicated here?”
Hazel hopped into the seat beside Ethan, causing the Asian to flinch and scoot
slightly away from the girl. She frowned at him for a brief moment before
turning to Nico. “It's just the way this place is. But don't worry, you'll get
used to it.”
“If you don't, it'll just swallow you whole,” Ethan mumbled, standing to his
feet. He frowned at Hazel and Silena before focusing on Will. “Again tonight?”
Will opened his mouth, but paused. He blinked and looked at Nico, his lips
tilting down. “I'll...get back to you on that, yeah?”
Ethan scrunched his lips before shrugging. “Whatever.” With that, the Lost Boy
tossed a wave over his shoulder and walked towards the elevator.
Will drummed his hands on the counter before turning to face Nico. “So, Nico,
what are you doing after work?”
The two Lost Girls eyed them curiously, Will receiving an odd look from Nico.
“I'm not really sure. Why?”
Will cleared his throat, shooting the two Lost Girls a look. They raised their
eyebrows, snickering to themselves as they walked off. The blond sighed and
turned back to Nico. “Anyways, I was thinking you could come over and hangout
tonight?” He flashed his bright smile at Nico, leaning on the bar. “Or perhaps
we could do that date?”
Nico scrunched his lips and crossed his arms. “I'm fine with hanging out; we'll
see about the date. But maybe.” Will grinned, his eyes a bright shade of blue.
“Still not doing anything sexual, so don't get that into your head.”
Will shrugged. “That's fine. But, like I said, no one has to know.”
Nico sighed and rolled his eyes. “I'll still pass. Have something fun planned,
I guess.” He turned and headed out to deal with a few customers that were
filtering in. “Oh,” he turned back to face Will, “and I'll be sleeping in my
own room tonight.”
Will groaned and made a face, but let it go. Nico chuckled and headed out to
deal with the customers. He was still hesitant of diving into things with the
blond, especially after what Luke had said last night. He had to wonder if Will
would have really tried anything. One Lost Boy said one thing, while the other
said the opposite. Who was he to believe?
At Nico's first table sat a sturdily built man with neatly kept black hair,
though specks of grey could be spotted in both it and his beard. His eyes were
a dark grey, like the sky on a stormy day. His skin was pale, like Nico's, and
could probably give the boy a run for his money. Nico noted that he was dressed
nice, in an all-white suite. Oddly enough, he seemed familiar somehow.
“Good afternoon, sir. What can I get for you?” Nico greeted the man with a
smile.
The man looked up from his menu. He seemed happy enough, though Nico figured
the man was probably strict natured. “Yes, I would like a chicken salad and a
cup of tea, if you please.” He smiled and handed Nico the menu.
Nico scribbled it down and nodded. “Would you like something else to drink with
that, or will that be all?”
The man checked his watch and shook his head. “No, thank you, but I'll wait
until tonight to have myself something to drink.”
Nico nodded and walked off to the bar to type in the order. Hazel smiled at him
when he returned. “I see you got Mr. Boreas.”
Nico blinked and looked at the man he had just left. “That guy? You know him?”
The Lost Girl nodded. “Yeah, he comes here at least once a month. He runs a lot
of travel corporations, mainly air.” She smiled and waved over at the man.
“He's nice, mostly. He's friendly with all of us, but Piper claims she's
overheard him get angry during phone calls.”
“So he comes to the top floor?”
The girl shrugged. “On occasion. He usually just stays on this floor. He never
causes any problems, and Percy seems to enjoy his company.” Nico scrunched his
lips as he typed in the order. “But, yeah, we all enjoy having him here.”
Nico chewed on his lip as he nodded along to what Hazel had said. He supposed
it was good that they had friendly customers. However, it didn't seem all that
important. He was just a customer, and it wasn't like he was going to come up
to the Lost Boys' section.
-----------------------------------------------
Nico whined as he was easily lifted off the ground by Butch, as Reyna, Calypso,
and Travis looked on in amusement. Butch sat him down with a chuckle, patting
him on the head. “You need to put a little more meat on your bones, Nico. You
practically weigh nothing.”
Nico sighed, glaring up at the muscular Lost Boy. “I like the way I look,” Nico
mumbled.
The room fell silent for a moment, all eyes blinking at Nico. It grew
uncomfortable when he realized that even Dionysus was staring at him. The
brown-eyed boy rubbed his arm nervously as he stared back at all of them.
Calypso was the first to move, rising off the couch to hug him.
The Lost Boy arched a brow as he patted her on the back. “Um, what's going on?”
“Oh, Nico, you're finally becoming comfortable with yourself,” Calypso cried
happily.
Nico just blinked for a moment, recalling what he had said. He liked the way he
looked now. He had said that, even if he didn't realize it had come out at the
time. Perhaps this place was not all bad. Bianca was happy with how healthy he
had become. And, now, Nico was growing into his own skin, or so it seemed. He
had to wonder how he would see himself a year from now.
“Cheers to progression!” Dionysus held out a drink, aiming it in Nico's
direction. The Lost Boy stared back at the glass with a wary expression.
Reyna frowned as she turned her head around. “Is there anything you won't drink
to?”
The corner of the bartender's mouth tilted up as he plopped down in his chair,
his drink nearly spilling. “I'll have to get back to you on that, I do
believe.”
Annabeth entered the room, quirking an eyebrow at the bartender as he downed
his drink. Her grey eyes scanned over the room, taking in all of the tension
that the Lost Kids radiated. “Did I miss something?”
Travis was the first to recover. He smiled and swung an arm around Nico's
shoulders. “Only Nico here admitting he likes the way he looks.”
Annabeth's other eyebrow rose before a smile followed after it. She nodded her
head and motioned towards the door. “Great, but we all have a job to do.”
Nico followed Butch and Travis out the door, grabbing onto the muscular Lost
Boy's arm. “Hey, Butch, can I talk to you a moment?”
Butch looked down at the hand briefly before looking Nico in the eye. “Sure,
man, what's up?”
The raven haired boy chewed on his lip as he glanced down. “Well, I was just
wondering about your mom. I imagine being thrown into that wouldn't be easy?”
Butch tilted his head to the side. “Something bothering you?”
Nico sighed and leaned against the wall behind him. He was so used to asking
about other people and their lives, but this was a little awkward for him. He
had just figured Butch would be the best person to talk to about his
confliction.
“I've just been thinking about my mom. I mean, I know she didn't do anything to
me, but I guess I'm a little hurt by how things went when I was at home.” Butch
nodded. “She just kind of let it all happen. She was quiet and probably scared
of my father, I get that, but I just sort of needed someone.”
The Lost Boy sighed. “Yeah, I get what you mean. So you want to talk to her
again?”
“Maybe.” Nico fidgeted with the speedo that clung to his hips. “I'm just scared
that my father would find out. I just sort of wanted to see how things were
going with your mother. I mean, I know that we had two completely different
situations, but I was looking for...something. I don't really know what I'm
looking for.”
Butch smirked and pressed his shoulder against the wall, next to Nico. “A
little strained.” He nodded. “Yeah, I think strained is the best word for it. I
had to take care of myself growing up, so seeing her wasn't easy. And I'm still
not certain I've forgiven her.”
“Have you been seeing her?”
Butch stared off, at some of the customers that were coming up the stairs.
“Yeah, I actually saw her yesterday, before I had to come in for work.” He
rubbed his forehead with his palm and stood up straight. “We had a Thanksgiving
lunch at a restaurant.”
Nico scratched at his arm as he trailed after the other Lost Boy. “How did that
go?”
The tall Lost Boy stopped and scratched at his head with a sigh. “Strained,
like I said. We weren't all that different, little man. You weren't the only
one that just wanted someone to look after them.” He sighed again. “But, unlike
you, I didn't have a sibling looking out for me.”
The brown-eyed boy's brow furrowed as he watched Butch walk away. Had that
really helped? He supposed, but he had been hoping for something better. He
missed his mother, at times. It would just be nice to see her, just without his
father. Nico had no desire to see that man again.
“What are you thinking about?”
Nico jumped at the sound of Percy's voice in his ear. “Fucking hell, Percy! You
nearly gave me a heart attack.”
The green-eyed young man smiled. “Sorry. I would hate for that to happen.” His
finger trailed underneath Nico's chin. “You are quite entertaining to have
around.”
“I'm sure. Do you always have to sneak up on people?”
Percy shrugged. “Just you. So, what has you all mopey tonight?” A hand slid
behind Nico, around his waist, and led him forward.
The boy pouted up at the taller male. “I am not pouting.” Percy smirked at him.
“Shut up.” He huffed and crossed his arms. “What has you in such a good mood
today, anyways?”
Percy shrugged. “Just taking some stress off my shoulders.” The young man
removed his arm, but Nico kept walking with him. “You're avoiding my question.”
“Just thinking.”
“About?”
Nico sighed. “My mother. I was thinking about contacting her.”
Percy's eyes turned darker, barely noticeable. But, Nico had become very
familiar with Percy's eyes by this point. “Is that so?” The manager let out a
breath as he sat down at his booth. “Well, do what you want. I'm sure you know
what's best.”
Nico searched Percy's eyes for a few seconds. Something felt wrong again. Percy
was smiling, but there was a sense of tension between the two of them. “I, uh,
am going to think on it. I just don't want my father finding out where I am.”
Percy just smiled up at the Lost Boy. “Let me know how that works out for you.”
He leaned back and rested his arms on the booth. “Anyways, it looks like you
can be my waiter tonight, since you're already here.”
Nico blinked, his eyes darting back and forth. For some reason, work had
slipped his mind for a few seconds. “Oh, um, I guess I can.” He pulled out a
pad and pen from the lining of his speedo. “What can I get for you?”
A tan hand slid through its owner's hair. “Just some coffee, for now.”
Nico nodded and walked off. Even though he had gotten Percy's table, he
couldn't really feel happy about it. Something about the manager still tugged
at the back of his mind. Was something bothering Percy? The manager had claimed
to have dealt with a problem, though. What had it been?
“Welcome back, Nico,” Dionysus greeted him as he walked through the door. “What
can I get for you?”
Nico eyed the man as he stood in front of their coffee machine. “I just need
some coffee.”
Dionysus smiled and sat back down in his chair. “So, that was quite a dinner
last night, wasn't it?” His smile widened. “I believe it was one of our
more...eventful dinners.”
Nico frowned as he poured the coffee. “I know what you're getting at. Don't
speak to me like I'm stupid.”
“Oh, of course not, Nico. How could anyone ever think such a thing of you. You
are very intelligent, I'm sure.”
Nico sighed and sat the coffee back in its place. “Is there something you
want?”
Dionysus grunted. “I see you're becoming like the others.” His smile returned
as he rested his head against the wall. “That's good. I'm sure they will be
much more accepting of you.”
Nico sighed, tossing the bartender a final look before going back out the door.
His shoulders relaxed the second the door swung shut behind him. Ever since his
revelation about Dionysus he just did not want to be around the man.
And he still did not have the answers to some of things the man had said to him
the other night.
Why did Percy keep him around? The bartender just felt like a problem,
especially for the Lost Kids. Not to mention that Dionysus seemed to have a
grievance with Percy.
He returned to Percy's table, plastering a smile on his face. He really did not
want Percy knowing something else was bothering him. This subject was not one
that Nico was ready to have with the manager.
Even so, Percy eyed him carefully for a moment. “Everything all right?”
Nico gave a quick nod. “Will that be all for now?”
Percy scrunched his lips as he sipped on his coffee, still eyeing Nico. “I
suppose.”
Nico nodded again. “Possibly alcohol?”
A sigh escaped the manager's lips. “I don't always need alcohol, Nico.” He
cracked his neck and met the Lost Boy's eyes again. “If you're going to start
drinking, I do hope you keep my rules in mind. I really would like you to find
something other than alcohol as a means for coping.”
The brown-eyed pursed his lips, his eyes faltering from Percy's. “I'm not going
to start,” he whispered. Percy quirked a brow. “It was just one time. Have a
little faith in me. I was just a little curious.”
Percy exhaled. He stretched before leaning back in his seat. “Perhaps if I had
a little more grounds to give you some faith, I wouldn't have to worry. But
that is good to hear.” His lip twitched, tilting up. “I would hate to have to
send you off to Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Nico narrowed his eyes, huffing at the grinning manager. “Jerk. It wasn't that
good. I have no desire to start drinking.”
Percy raised an eyebrow at him. “We'll see. Besides, you had wine. Wine is an
acquired taste. I figure you for a liquor kind of guy.”
The boy shrugged. “I suppose we'll never find out.”
“We'll see. After all, it is your decision, and I have the utmost faith that
you know what's best for you.”
Nico shivered under Percy's intense gaze. Something told him this was another
one of Percy's hidden messages. Why did he have so little faith in Nico? Nico
had never done anything harmful or even drank before last night. So, what was
Percy getting at?
Nico's attention was pulled away when Gwen Stefani's “What You Waiting For”
came on. Two spotlights turned on, focusing on Jason. Nico let out a heavy sigh
as his roommate stood there in an open shirt and nearly see through pants. As
the beat of the song finally began, the strobe lights began to flash, beginning
the blond's routine. Jason moved and swung his body to the beat, seeming to
pause every other second.
The blond's hips were thrust a lot, while his hands worked their magic in
removing the loose shirt. As soon as the fabric hit the ground, Jason moved his
hands up to ruffle his hair. The newest Lost Boy winked and smirked at the
audience, thrusting his hips forward.
With a sway of his hips, Jason spun around on his right foot. With his back to
the audience, he reached down and ripped the pants from his body, earning many
loud cheers. Nico felt his jaw lock as his roommate bit down on his lip and
slid his hand down his chest before moving it down to his crotch.
For some reason, Nico found it odd to see Jason smiling so much. Perhaps it was
because he rarely saw the blond smile when they were off the clock. But, as
Jason kept thrusting his hips and moving his body, the smile never faltered,
not even when some customers moved in to slip some bills into the blond's black
speedo.
Nico huffed to himself as he looked around at the customers. They all seemed to
be enjoying the performance. Why couldn't Jason mess up? Even if the blond had
done this before, it wasn't fair that he could just come in and fit in almost
perfectly. And that wasn't even counting how popular he seemed to be with the
crowd. And Nico didn't even want to think about how close Jason and Percy were
becoming. No, things were definitely not good for Nico at the moment.
A few hours later, Nico collapsed on the couch in the bar room. Thankfully,
Dionysus was busy making drinks, so he, hopefully, would not bother Nico during
his break. Annabeth sat in the chair next to the couch, skimming through a
small book.
“So, how did your talk with Rachel go?”
Nico groaned as he fell on his side. “She was not in a good mood today.”
Annabeth gave a nod as she sat the book down. “So I hear. The good news is that
her father checked out today, so she should cool off by tomorrow.”
“She didn't really have much advice for me, though. She said she would think on
it.”
The blonde sighed and scrunched her lips. “I suppose that is good for you.
Perhaps she can work something out for you.”
“Maybe,” Nico mumbled. “Hopefully, it won't be too late. I don't know what I'm
doing wrong, but I just seem to be making things worse with Percy.” The Lost
Boy sighed and rolled onto his back, where he stared at the ceiling.
Annabeth tapped a manicured nail to her lips. “Maybe Percy just needs to see
that you're serious about this thing you have for him.” Grey eyes met with
brown as the girl ran a hand through her hair. “The playing field is already
unbalanced, and not in your favor.”
The boy sat up and frowned at the blonde. “Suggestions? I'll try anything.”
Annabeth's tongue ran out over her lips before she lightly bit on them.
“Perhaps you should think outside of the box. You've tried a lot already, and
it hasn't really seemed to get you anywhere. You just need to be more
creative.” She eyed Nico for a moment. “You are serious about this, aren't
you?”
Nico swallowed and nodded. “Yes, of course. I really want him. I just don't
know how to get him to see that I'm being serious with all of this.”
The blonde Lost Girl sighed and stood up. She reached over and patted Nico's
knee, giving him a small smile. “I'm sure you'll figure something out. Perhaps
the answer is right in front of you, and you just haven't realized it yet.”
With another sigh, she headed for her door, where she turned and gave Nico
another look. “If you need anything, always feel free to drop by my room.”
Nico nodded. Annabeth nodded back and left the room. Nico let his head fall
back, letting out a quiet breath. Why did it always seem like new problems were
waiting to slam into him? Could he not just catch a break and live in a
stressless environment?
It seemed liked like he just could not catch a break. Was it like this for the
others? Perhaps that was why they were so jaded. Surely, the hotel's
environment had not helped their already worldly personalities.
As Nico stood up, the door swung open and Zoë slipped inside. She was silent,
barely making a noise, as she walked across the floor. The dark haired girl
reached into the fridge and procured a bottle of water from within. Dark eyes
fell upon Nico as the Lost Girl sat down next to where Nico was standing.
“Hey, Zoë.”
“Nico,” she replied with a nod. “How is your night?”
The boy shrugged. “Could be better, but no real complaints.”
Zoë's dark eyes studied Nico's face as she took a swig of her water. “Perhaps
you should learn to adjust to things around here better. If not, you could end
up in another bad situation.”
Nico frowned as he stared down at her. He took two steps backwards, wrapping
his arms around himself. “What is that supposed to mean?”
The girl just looked down, her eyes emotionless. “Just that the prey doesn't
always know when it's being hunted.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He opened his mouth to press the issue further, but the
girl just closed her eyes and leaned her head back. The Lost Boy frowned before
letting out a breath. He supposed he really could not catch a break.
Nico shook his head and pushed out of the door. He was ready for the night to
be over with. When was Jason going to get a similar welcome that he had gotten?
He was truly beginning to think that they weren't going to do anything to the
blond. Were the Lost Kids just targeting him? They were so confusing at times.
As the night trailed on, Nico found himself refusing to look at the stage. He
did not want to see another one of Jason's performances. He supposed it was
only natural that the blond be good at performing, considering he had already
been doing this sort of thing. But did the crowd have to love him so much?
The blond did not seem this extroverted when it was just him and Nico. What was
going on with his roommate? The other Lost Kids had claimed that Nico was on a
pedestal when he arrived? Well, what did they call this? Where were the blond's
flaws? Percy seemed to give him special attention and time, so why didn't the
Lost Kids get upset about that?
Was this more torture for Nico?
By now, it really would not surprise Nico. He had learned long ago that the
Lost Kids could be quite spiteful.
At the end of the night, Nico boarded the elevator alone. Percy hadn't even
spoken to him before leaving. Not only that, the manager had barely spared him
a glance. Whatever was going on, it was still bothering Percy. He just wished
he knew what he had done.
He stopped at the door to his suite, chancing a glance down to Will's suite.
The door was closed, but he doubted the blond was asleep. Letting out a sigh,
Nico made his way down the hall, stopping in front of Will and Apollo's room.
Nico quickly knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, the door swung open and Apollo poked his head out. The
blond had one eye closed as he toweled his wet hair off. “What can I do for
you, Nico?”
Nico's eyes unconsciously drifted down. A loose, white shirt covered Apollo's
torso, while track pants hid his legs from prying eyes. Brown eyes returned to
the Adonis's face, who was now smirking. “Um, Will asked me to stop by.”
Apollo nodded and stepped aside, opening the door the rest of the way. Nico
slid in and Apollo shut the door. The curly haired blond motioned towards the
hall, so Nico headed that way.
He found Will's door open, the blond standing in front of his bed. Nico licked
his lips as he took in the blond's bare back. Will stretched, only giving Nico
a better view. The raven haired boy bit down on his lip as the blond rolled his
shoulders, releasing a moan.
Nico finally knocked on the open door. Will turned around, stretching an arm
over his head. “Hey,” he said quietly. A bright smile spread out across the
blond's face. “I see you decided to drop by.”
Nico's mind went a little hazy as the blue-eyed boy moved closer. Will smirked
and ran a hand to the back of Nico's neck. Nico swallowed. “So, what are we
doing?”
Will chuckled, leaning closer. “How about some video games?”
Nico released a breath, the sexual tension seeming to ease between them for the
time being. Will smiled and walked out the door, hitting the top of the
doorframe as he went through. Apollo had splayed himself out on the couch when
they entered the living room, a slim book being held above his face.
The curly haired blond tilted his head back to look at them. “You decided to
include me in your sexual deviancy?” The blond smirked.
Will rolled his eyes, while Nico narrowed his own. Will winked as he shoved his
roommate's legs back and sat down. “Don't hold your breath.”
Apollo chuckled as Nico sat down on the floor, his back pressed against the
couch. “I keep forgetting, you don't like to share.”
Nico's brow furrowed, turning to look up at Will. “You don't have threesomes,
or anything?”
Will shrugged, turning on his console. “Occasionally, but it's sort of rare.”
The blond let out a heavy breath as he started the game. “Long story.”
The raven haired boy bit down on his lip, his head turning slight to look at
Apollo. The curly haired blond's eyes flickered over to his. For a brief
second, Nico received a look, clearly telling him to drop the issue. What had
happened to Will? Had it been in the orphanage?
Apollo went back to his book, while Will let Halo 4 sit on the title screen.
“So, multiplayer or co-op?”
Nico narrowed his eyes at the blond jock. “I will not submit myself to your
enjoyment of destroying me at this game.”
Will smiled, sticking his tongue out playfully. “Fine, co-op it is. Don't
worry, Nico, I'll protect you,” he said with a wink.
Apollo sighed, opening his book back up. “Why don't you two just have sex
already? I swear, I'm not sure who has the most sexual tension with you, Nico.
Will, Luke, or Percy?”
Nico blew out a breath as the game loaded. Will shot his roommate a dirty look.
“Well, I think Will is the only one that is willing to make a move, at the
moment,” Nico replied.
The curly haired blond snorted. “Please. All you have to do is bat your eyes,
and I'm sure Luke would cave. As for Percy, I'm sure it wouldn't take much
convincing on his part.”
Nico frowned as he followed Will through the large spaceship that they were on.
Percy had referred to him as a temptation before. Perhaps there was some truth
to what the manager had said? Would Percy do it, if Nico actually asked him?
What about the agreement?
If Nico had sex, with anyone, he was bound to end up like the others. Was Percy
worth all of that? Would Percy keep his end of the agreement? After all, it was
the others that said that Percy treated him differently. What if Percy didn't
make Nico prostitute himself?
He could have Percy and remain where he was at. What was the downside to that?
Nico blinked as he was tugged to his right, being placed between Will's legs.
The blond rested his chin on Nico's head, while his arms came around to play
his controller in front of Nico. “Don't get too distracted, Nico. I don't need
you dying on me.”
Nico was about to reply, when one of Will's hands let go of his controller and
rubbed Nico's chest. Nico felt his face heat up as the blond's hand slid under
the collar of his shirt. The raven haired boy cleared his throat and focused on
the game. Will chuckled and removed his hand, following after Nico in the game.
“So, tell me about Gaea. She's going to be here in a month, and she feels sort
of like an enigma to me.”
Apollo sat down his book. “She's supposed to be that way. She's nice, don't get
me wrong, but I'd stay out of her way. You'll love her, though, don't worry.”
“We're probably her favorite set of Lost Kids,” Will added.
“Well, that might be because we make her the most money.” The curly haired
blond slid one of his legs into Will's lap. “Anyways, the only issue you'll
need to worry about is with Percy. Percy would do anything for Gaea, and I do
mean anything.”
Nico blinked. “Like...have sex?”
The two blonds laughed, Will ruffling his hair. “No, not like that. But, Percy
is fiercely loyal to Gaea, never forget that,” Will chuckled. The short haired
blond's smile faltered, and Nico heard him swallow above him. “Kronos is the
one you'll want to watch out for during their visit.”
Nico frowned at the TV. “I've heard a few things about him, none of them good.”
“Because there's nothing good to say about him,” Apollo mumbled. “But Percy
loves him, so I wouldn't try badmouthing Kronos in front of Percy.” The curly
haired blond sighed, sitting up. “I just shudder to think about what work will
be like when he takes over for his mother.”
Will frowned and began running his fingers through Nico's hair. “Hopefully,
that won't be anytime soon. Kronos doesn't deserve to take over the hotel
chain. Percy would do so much better if he had that position. Things would
become so much better, for everyone.”
Apollo shrugged, standing up. “Too bad Kronos is Gaea's actual son. I think
that's part of why Hazel is saving up her money. I don't think she wants to
work here anymore if Kronos takes over for his mother.” The blond yawned and
stretched. “Well, I'm going to get some sleep. You two keep it down, unless you
want me to join.”
Nico rolled his eyes as Apollo left the room. Will grinned and paused the game,
yanking Nico up into his lap. Nico sighed. “I never agreed to have sex.”
“Who said anything about sex?” Will grinned and leaned in, pressing several
kisses to Nico's neck. “But I would be willing to do that, if you wanted.”
Nico frowned and pushed Will back. “I don't know.”
Will tilted his head to the side. “I promise I won't say anything. Just think
about it, I am willing to do this with you, with no repercussions on your part.
No one has to know.” Will slid his hand up the back of Nico's shirt. “Percy
isn't going to give you what you want, I can.”
Brown clashed with blue as Nico stared at Will. Was he being serious? He seemed
earnest in what he had just said. Still, Nico was scared. But, then again, he
had just been considering sex with Percy, knowing the risk with that.
The brown-eyed boy cleared his throat and climbed out of Will's lap, standing
to his feet. Will frowned up at him, looking like a kicked puppy. “I just need
some more time to think,” Nico whispered. He sighed and ran a hand through his
hair. “I do have some feelings for you, I will admit that. I just...don't
really know what I should do at the moment. I don't want to lead anyone on.”
Will continued to stare up at him, his face riddled with sadness. “It's okay,”
he sighed. “I just don't want you to get hurt, and I know you will, if you go
after Percy. Hell, Luke would probably hurt you as well.”
Nico rubbed his arm. “I don't think he would.”
“You're screwing with Luke's head. I don't see that ending well for either of
you.”
Nico began backing towards the door. “I, um, think I should go. I'll see you
tomorrow, though, yeah?”
Will sighed and stood up. “Yeah,” he nodded. He followed Nico over to the door
and held it open, while Nico stood in the doorway. Nico looked up at him and
received a quick peck on the lips. “Just think about it, okay?”
Nico stood there for a moment before nodding. He cleared his throat and walked
away, the door closing behind him.
His suite was quiet when he arrived. As Nico stood in the entryway, he finally
realized how exhausted he felt. Today had been very taxing, in every possible
sense. Was this ever going to get easy for him? Perhaps he should take Octavian
up on that offer.
Nico opened his door with a sigh before closing it and falling onto his bed. He
let out a groan as he rolled onto his back. Why did this place have to be so
frustrating? He just wanted a little happiness and peace. Was that so much to
ask for?
Nico pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts. He
stopped on the desired name and opened a text message. Typing quickly, Nico
sent his text, asking if they wanted to spend some time with him. He dropped
the phone on his stomach, staring up at the ceiling as he waited.
About thirty seconds later, his phone went off. He blinked and picked it up,
staring at the screen. A smile crept onto his face as he looked at the simple
reply: sure.
***** She Smelled of Flowers *****
Everything was perfect. It was a nice day, with storm clouds on the horizon.
The waves of the ocean lapped at the beams that supported the pier that they
were on, enjoying their ice cream. Nico's problems felt far off, for the first
time in quite a long time.
The boy sat on the wooden railing of the pier, chocolate ice cream in his lap.
His hair had already begun to dry and he could still feel some sand between his
toes. He smiled and took another bite of his ice cream before looking at his
companion.
Percy looked up at him from his own ice cream, blinking a few times. “What?” He
mumbled around his mouthful of blueberry ice cream.
Nico smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, just enjoying the day, and the
sights.”
Percy smirked at him before returning to his ice cream. “The storm is going to
hit soon.”
It would not bother him if it did. He would still have Percy there, all to
himself. The two had spent the afternoon together, just walking along the
beach. Nico had not planned on anything to do, but the manager had requested
they head to the beach the day before.
Nico looked back out, at the ocean. The wind blew at his hair. He was not ready
to go back to school tomorrow just yet. Today had been fun, though. They had
not talked about the hotel, Nico's family, or anything that had been troubling
Nico. They had just enjoyed the day. Percy had even volunteered to turn his
phone on silent.
But Nico also knew what this time with Percy would mean. The others would just
want more time with Percy.
The boy frowned when he took notice of Percy stealing a spoonful of his ice
cream. “Why do you always do that?”
The young man chuckled. “Because it gets a reaction out of you.” Nico's eyes
wandered down to watch as the spoon slid into Percy's mouth. Percy smiled at
him and scooped some of his own, holding it out for Nico. “You want some of
mine?”
Nico narrowed his eyes, but leaned forward, letting Percy slide the spoon of
ice cream into his open mouth. A wicked grin touched at the corners of Percy's
lips, causing Nico's cheeks to tinge pink. The boy pulled back and turned away
to face the ocean. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
Percy sighed and turned around, leaning back on the railing. “Nico, Nico, Nico,
what am I going to do with you?” Nico frowned down at the green-eyed Adonis.
“You're still not over this little crush of yours.”
Nico placed his feet on the railing below the one he sat on. He frowned down at
the water. Why did Percy undermine his feelings like that? “It's not a crush,”
he mumbled. “I really like you.”
“I know you think that, but-”
“There is no 'but', I know how I feel.” Percy blinked in surprise from the tone
of Nico's voice. The boy clenched his shorts, staring down at his lap. “I'm not
going to get over this, Percy, and I really don't want to. Maybe you're the one
that needs to take a better look at their feelings.”
When Nico was met with silence, he turned to face Percy. The young man was
staring at him with his brows furrowed. “You shouldn't take that tone with your
boss.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Please, cut the crap. We both know that you're only
formal and rehearsed when you have to be, or when you're trying to avoid
something.” Percy's expression became blank. “Why can't you just talk about
this with me?”
“There's nothing to talk about.” Percy frowned down at his ice cream before
tossing it into the nearby trash. He let out a sigh and ran a hand through his
hair before turning to face Nico. “Why is this so important to you? Why do you
like me in the first place? I'm not the type of guy you want to be involved
with, you know that.”
The boy's brow furrowed as he rested his arms on his knees. “You belittle
yourself, you know that?” Percy remained silent. “You're not the bad person
that you make yourself out to be. You're a nice guy, you helped me, and you
care about us at the hotel. And I think you care about me.”
“I do-”
“You know what I mean.” Percy let out a sigh and rested his arms on the
railing. “I'm not interested in your money or your power, I just like you for
you. Why is it that you seem to have a hard time understanding that?”
Percy's eyes reflected the sea when they looked at him, so calm, yet so
conflicted. There was something hidden there, something that the other did not
want to say. What was bothering Percy? “And you know that none of that matters.
I can't give you what you want.”
“Why not?” Nico frowned at him. Percy went to speak, but Nico beat him to it.
“You're in charge. You make the rules. I don't understand why this is
complicated.”
The storm finally hit, but not where Nico had expected. There was now an angry
expression replacing the calm one that had been in Percy's eyes a second ago.
“This is for your own good, whether you understand it or not. I'm just trying
to do what's best for you.”
“Now you sound like a parent.”
Percy rolled his eyes and turned to face in the other direction. “You just
don't understand,” Percy whispered, “but you will. You and I do not need to be
together.”
Nico found it hard to swallow. “I don't believe that.”
The young man sighed. “Can we just...enjoy the rest of our afternoon?”
Nico just frowned and ate another bite of ice cream. He let out a sigh and went
back to watching the waves. He flipped the plastic spoon in his mouth and
pressed his tongue into the indent. The sun was already beginning to set on the
horizon, its rays bursting through some of the clouds.
When Nico noticed Percy was being quiet, he shifted his head an inch to look at
the manager from the corner of his eye. Percy was motionless, his eyes staring
blankly at the spoon in Nico's mouth. When he caught Nico looking at him, his
eyes simply shifted up to meet Nico's. They flickered back down for a split
second before being cast to the water.
The brown-eyed boy sighed and tossed his empty cup and spoon in the trash
before swinging his legs over the railing and hopping off. Percy eyed him
briefly before standing to his full height and slipping his hands into his
pockets. The two quietly strolled back down the pier.
“Thanks again for spending the day with me,” Nico said with a smile.
Percy offered him a smile in return, though it did not seem as authentic as
some of his other ones. “It was my pleasure.”
“You wouldn't have any suggestions on what to get Leo for his birthday, would
you?”
Percy shrugged. “You have until Friday.”
“Yeah, but I need ideas.”
The young man finally gave a real smile. “Maybe some tools? He likes to help
out his mom, when he's not swamped with helping me.”
The raven haired boy gave a small nod. “What happened with them anyways? I
figured all the Lost Kids lost or hated their parents.”
“A long story,” Percy sighed. “Leo never really had a good life, or had the
luxury of growing up in a nice home.” Nico watched as the young man stared down
at the street. “It's sort of one of the reasons I offered him the secretary
job, over being a stripper. I figured he needed something better than that.”
Nico's lips scrunched up as he stared at Percy. “How can you be so down on
yourself, when you care so much for those of us at the hotel?”
Those green eyes darted away from Nico. Percy's bangs fell into his eyes,
casting a shadow over his face. “Some things are better left unsaid, Nico.”
The pale Lost Boy crossed his arms over his chest. This was not fair. Percy
always avoided problems that seemed to occur between them. “Why can't you just
be honest?”
“I am being honest!” Percy snapped, causing Nico to take a step back. Percy
sighed. “Sorry. It's just...complicated. It's for your own good, as with
everyone else.” He grabbed Nico's wrist to get the boy to stop moving. “The
most I care to share is that, while I do care about you and the others, I need
to keep my distance. I don't want you to get hurt.”
Nico sighed and began to rub his arm. “It also hurts when you do this.” His
pained brown eyes met Percy's green ones. “If you want me to back off, to stop
pushing, just say so. But I need you to mean it.”
Percy took in a deep breath. His eyes looked off into the horizon, his lips now
scrunched. “Let's just...get you back to the hotel, yeah?”
They let out a collective sigh as they continued towards Percy's car. “When can
I get my own car?”
Percy smiled. “When you can learn to drive.”
“Then why don't you teach me?”
Percy studied him from the corner of his eye. The young man finally shrugged.
“We'll see. How about you take lessons and work on getting your license. If you
do that, I'll work with you on getting you a car. Sound good?”
Nico bit down on his lip to hide his smile. “Deal.”
“But, I mean, you already have a permanent ride to school.”
“Yeah, but Jason is graduating this year,” Nico mumbled.
“True.” Percy scratched at his chin. “Still, get the experience, I'll see how
you're doing, then we'll work on that car.” They came to a stop in front of
Percy's car. The young man pulled out his keys and pushed the button to unlock
his car. He stared down at Nico before rolling his eyes. “And you should get a
lesson in table manners.” Nico cocked his head to the side. “You've got ice
cream on the edge of your mouth,” Percy explained, pointing to his own mouth.
“Oh.” Nico blinked and wiped at the edge of his mouth. “Better?”
Percy smiled and shook his head. “Other side, genius.”
Nico froze when Percy swiped his thumb across the corner of his lips. His heart
began pounding in his chest from the contact and close proximity. He stared up
at Percy, and the young man flicked his eyes up to meet Nico's brown ones. Nico
wanted nothing more than to lean up and close the distance between them. But,
did Nico really want to potentially ruin their day even further? Their earlier
discussion had already put a sour mood on things.
“Can I kiss you?”
Nico pursed his lips as soon as the question escaped his lips. Percy's eyes
finally fell from his, a smile on his face. He pulled back and shook his head.
“Sorry.”
But, as always with Percy, his next action would do nothing but confuse Nico.
As Nico was climbing inside the car, Percy grabbed his hand. Nico blinked as
his hand was slowly raised to Percy's lips, where he received a kiss on the
back of his hand.
He felt his face heat up as Percy smiled and closed the car door. Nico's head
was still spinning when Percy climbed in on his side and started the car. What
had just happened? Was he ever going to understand his manager? Doubtful, he
thought.
“How are you anyways?”
Percy stopped the car in the middle of backing out to blink at Nico. “What?” He
opened his mouth once before shutting it, his brow now furrowed. “I'm fine.”
“I just-you always seem so concerned about us, but I never really see anyone
even ask how you're doing. I would imagine that you would have a lot of things
on your mind.”
Percy glanced at him in brief intervals as he finished getting them onto the
road. “Well,” he paused to shift his car into drive, “I appreciate the concern,
but I'm fine.” He threw on a big smile, but Nico stared back at him,
unconvinced. “Really, I'm fine.”
It was probably best not to press the issue right now. Still, Nico knew the
young man was not telling him the truth. Even the others at the hotel had
commented on Percy seeming stressed, though most did not seem to know why. What
he did not understand was why no one seemed to want to talk to Percy, and see
if he needed some help. It was like the young man was willing to put the entire
weight of the sky on his shoulders, not wanting anyone to help him.
When they were on the beach, Nico would often note that Percy seemed sad.
Everything would seem fine. They had been talking about happy, nice things.
Yet, any time Nico would sneak a look, he would typically find Percy with a
frown and a pained look in his eyes. Something was bothering him, that much
Nico was sure of.
The rain finally hit while they were driving, calm at first, but it quickly
turned into a downpour. Nico let out a sigh as he sat in the car, staring out
at the rain. Percy turned on the radio to drown out the silence. Neither of
them seemed to know what to say, at least Nico didn't. Why did things have to
be so complicated with Percy?
He had just been suspecting more and more that there was something, anything,
between them. Percy had to have some feelings for him, right? If not, why
didn't he just ask Nico to back off? Maybe he was just too nice? But Percy
never seemed to have trouble speaking his mind, especially over important
issues. So why was he letting this continue?
Why should it matter what the other Lost Kids thought? Why should Percy let
them effect his decisions? Why even make the agreement with them over Nico? If
Percy was in charge, he shouldn't have to do things like that. Percy should be
capable of doing what made him happy. And, yet, he seemed very hesitant about
all of it.
And, while she had been gone for a month now, he could not help but think back
to Koko's words. “I also wanted to wish you luck for when you meet Gaea,” she
had told him. “Believe me, you're going to need it when she sees what I've
seen.”
Perhaps Percy was worried about Gaea's visit? But why? Nothing was going on
between them. Hell, Nico was still trying to figure Percy out. But whatever it
had been, seemed to have something to do with Nico. He supposed the only thing
there was to do at this point was to wait until the woman arrived for
Christmas.
It had finally started to thunder by the time they pulled into the hotel's
parking garage. Percy parked the car and turned it off, though he remained
still afterwards. Nico turned to look at him, his door already open.
“Everything okay?”
Percy blinked and turned to look at him before smiling and pulling out the
keys. “Yeah, just fine.”
The brown-eyed boy frowned at him. “Percy, you can talk about your problems,
you know? You're human, just like the rest of us. We all have problems that we
need to talk about.”
“And that's what I have Chiron for.”
Nico sighed and climbed out of the car as Percy shut his door. “Maybe I want to
listen to your problems,” he mumbled.
Percy stopped at the back of his car and tilted his head. “What was that,
Nico?”
He just shook his head. “Nothing.”
Nico looked up to find Percy staring at him. He nodded his head towards the
elevator. “Come on, don't want you to be late for work.”
The boy nodded as they boarded the elevator. “Yeah, I should probably get a
shower as well.”
Percy smiled and looked down at his clothes. For some reason, Nico liked it
better when the young man didn't dress up, like today. The green-eyed Adonis
had worn a dark blue, sleeveless shirt and a pair of ripped, white shorts.
Flip-flops were on his feet, while a pair of blue tinted sunglasses sat on top
of his head. For some reason, just looking at him like this made Nico's heart
beat faster. Percy was never anything short of breathtaking.
Upon reaching Nico's suite, Percy remained at his side. Nico stared up at him
as he opened the door. “Yes?”
The young man smiled. “I just wanted to drop in on Jason. He wanted to talk to
me this morning.”
“Oh.” Nico let his boss enter. “So, why didn't you already talk to him?”
“I was leaving my room, to take you to the beach.”
Why did Percy always seem to make him blush? He felt his cheeks burn as he
looked away and cleared his throat, well aware of the grin on Percy's face.
“I'm, um, gonna go get that shower.”
Percy chuckled as Nico ducked into his room. He heard the young man knock of
his roommate's door while he gathered his clothes. Maybe the playing field was
not completely unbalanced. He needed to talk this over with Annabeth.
Percy had already disappeared into Jason's room by the time Nico emerged from
his room. The boy shut the bathroom door and turned on the shower before
stripping himself of his beach clothes. What would have been really nice was if
Percy had held off on seeing Jason to join Nico for a shower. But, he supposed
that was too much to ask for. His sexual encounters with the young man seemed
to depend solely on Percy.
He finally emerged from the shower, fresh and clean. He had one eye shut as he
toweled his hair. When a pair of arms grabbed him, he let out a yelp. “Percy,”
he whined, trying to pull away from the young man.
There was a light chuckle in his ear. “I was just about to come in and say
goodbye. But, unfortunately, you decided to end your shower.”
Brown eyes glared up into green ones. “I hate you sometimes. And, besides, it's
not like it would have mattered. All you would do is torture me.”
Percy shrugged. “That is always up to you, Nico.” He arched a brow and ruffled
Nico's, still wet, hair. “I've got a lot of paperwork to catch up on, so I
might not see you tonight.”
“Maybe you shouldn't be lazy with your work.”
The young man rolled his eyes. “You sound like Rachel.”
Nico smirked up at the green-eyed young man. “Just trying to be helpful.”
Nico's cheeks heated up again when he was pulled into a one-armed hug. He felt
Percy's hand on his lower back, threatening to slip under the fabric. “I'll see
you later, Nico.”
Nico just nodded back as Percy released him. Why did he do this to Nico? He
knew Nico liked him, and this was just encouraging things. Nico let out a groan
as the door closed behind Percy. This was going to give him a headache, he just
knew it.
----------------------------------------
Nico let out a sigh of contentment as he savored the delicious wrap in his
hands. A few of the Lost Kids had decided to eat at the hotel's small deli,
which had been an excellent decision, in Nico's opinion. The eating area was
housed by large glass windows and the doorway, leading to the rest of the
hotel. Outside the storm was still going strong, which was why they had opted
to not sit in the fenced in area.
Silena sat across from him, currently engrossed in the vegetable loaded
sandwich in her hands. Ethan sat beside him, munching on a bag of chips. The
young man had been fairly quiet, and had even gone as far as to slide his chair
away from Silena. And, rounding off their small group, was Butch, who had
loaded down his tray with two sandwiches, filled with pretty much everything
imaginable.
“Things going good with your Charlie-Bear?” Butch asked before biting down on
one of his sandwiches, which made a crunching sound. Nico eyed him funny. Did
he actually load his sandwich with chips?
Silena rolled her eyes before biting off a corner of her own sandwich. “Sorry
to get your hopes up, buddy.”
Butch cracked a grin. “No harm in asking.”
“My answer will always be no,” Silena replied, singing the 'no'.
“What?” Nico asked around his wrap.
“Butch is just butthurt that I won't participate in fulfilling his needs.”
“Whatever, woman.” The muscular Lost Boy grunted at her before placing his food
down. “There's no harm in it.”
Silena sighed. “I just prefer our current arrangement.”
“Doesn't stop you from messing with Percy,” Ethan mumbled, placing another chip
in his mouth.
The Lost Girl shot him a dirty look. “And Charlie is involved with that.”
Butch shrugged, placing his elbow on the table. “Hey, I'm willing to include
Beckendorf.” His large finger was pointed towards a chuckling Silena. “Just say
the word.”
“I think I'll pass.” She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “You
don't need it, you know.”
“Need what?” Everyone turned to look at Nico. “What are we talking about?”
Silena glanced over at the muscular Lost Boy next to her. “Just some ghosts
that he needs to work out.”
Butch shrugged in return. “Cuddling never hurt anything.”
“And why don't you ever ask Nico?”
Butch grunted before biting off a large chunk of his sandwich. “Because I
already know what his answer will be. Sadly, I don't think I'm his type.”
Nico's face began to burn. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
The Lost Boy shrugged. “Don't sweat it, man. But, some good affection never
hurt anyone.” His brow furrowed as he turned back to Silena, waving the
remaining portion of his sandwich in his hand. “And it's not like you've never
messed with the rest of us. I got here before your boyfriend, I remember how
things were.”
The girl placed her hands on the table. “And now I'm happy and content with how
things are. And I wasn't dating Luke, we were just close.”
Ethan let out a grunt. “That's putting it lightly.”
Silena sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead. “And he and I are past
all that,” she frowned when she received a look from Ethan, “sort of.”
The Asian Lost Boy held his bag of chips above his head to finish them off.
When he was nearly finished chewing them, he frowned. “You know, I still don't
see what you liked in him anyways. I mean, you were all devastated when
Octavian arrived, and all Luke's attention fell away from you.”
“He's not as bad as some of you make him out to be,” Silena mumbled.
Nico frowned and put down the rest of his wrap. “Why does Beckendorf have such
an issue with Luke anyways?”
Silena blew out a breath before staring down at her tray. “Just...a long story.
He didn't like how close Luke and I were, even before we started dating. But, I
didn't want to just turn away from Luke like that. I owed him a lot, and I
couldn't hurt him.” She sighed and glanced up at Nico. “Luke took care of me,
and I will never be able to repay him for some of the things he did for me.”
Butch cleared his throat. “Just don't let the brooding blond hear any of this.
He's not much for having his soft side talked about.”
Nico nodded. He was already well aware of Luke's need to seem tough. That was
not to say that the blond wasn't tough, but Nico also knew that Luke was more
caring that he would often let on.
“If I were him, I'd hold a grudge against you,” Ethan grunted. “I'm surprised
Percy and Luke are as close as they are, after what Luke did for you.”
“I didn't ask him to do it.” Silena glared at the Asian Lost Boy. “I didn't
expect him to do it.”
“And, yet, you managed to put a target on his back from Kronos.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Kronos has it out for Luke, or something?”
Butch let out a breath and scooted himself closer to the table. “More like a
sick, hate-hate relationship. In the rare instances that the two see each
other, Kronos goes out of his way to torment Luke.” The large Lost Boy began to
crack his knuckles. “I think Percy took notice of it, and that's why he won't
take Luke on trips with him anymore.”
“Can't really do anything about it when Kronos comes here,” Ethan mumbled,
finishing what was left of his own sandwich. When he was done, he pushed his
chair back and got to his feet. “Well, I've got to get to work, as do all of
you.” Picking his tray up, his eyes turned to Nico. “Ready?”
“Um, sure.”
Nico quietly got up and dumped his trash in the garbage, placing the tray on
top of the disposal unit. Nico was rarely alone with Ethan, so their trip to
the elevator was a little uncomfortable. However, out of the two security
guards, he would have to say Clarisse intimidated him more.
As they rode up, Nico took note of the Lost Boy inspecting himself. And, for
the first time, found that they did, in fact, carry weapons. Under his shirt, a
knife was strapped to his chest. A long, pale scar was also noticeable there,
almost hidden behind the black harness. Around his ankle, Ethan carried a small
pistol.
“Do you always carry those around?”
Ethan shrugged. “Not really. I usually put them on before I eat, so I can go
straight to work.” He leaned back, against the wall. “If there's an emergency,
I usually am near a place to grab a gun, so it's no big deal. Clarisse usually
carries, though.”
Nico looked away from the unnerving look that he was receiving from Ethan. At
times, he was not sure whose eyes could get to him more, Percy or Ethan's.
Percy's were forever changing, while Ethan's was usually dark or empty.
A frown began to form on Ethan's face. “You don't have to be afraid of me, you
know. Everyone else seems to be bothered by me and Clarisse, but we're not
going to kill you, or anything.” He let out a sigh, his one good eye darting
away from the small, pale boy. “It just bothers me sometimes, the way some of
you look at me.”
“I don't really know anything about you, other than you work security and
aren't afraid to kill someone.”
The dark eyed young man ran his tongue along his top row of teeth. “When you
have close encounters with death, it doesn't seem so hard to pull that trigger
anymore.” Nico heard Ethan tapping his fingers onto the wall of the elevator.
“Sometimes, I wish I could have had that outlook earlier, might have helped.”
The younger of the two lightly chewed on his lip. “That doesn't really help me
understand you. Maybe if you opened up more, the others wouldn't be so nervous
around you.”
“What makes you think they don't already know what happened to me?” He glared
at Nico as he touched his eyepatch. “They already know how I got this.”
“But I don't.” The boy let out a sigh. “And you don't make things easier on
yourself when you act and talk like that.”
Ethan stared back at him for a long time before sighing and relaxing his
shoulders. “Maybe one day.” The doors opened to the top floor. Ethan stared
down at him before placing a hand on top of Nico's head. “Just for now, know
that I'm watching out for you, kid.”
Nico was unsure of what to do or say as the other Lost Boy walked off, sliding
his hands into his pockets. Nico let out a sigh and stepped out of the
elevator. Ethan kept his eyes on a clipboard as Nico walked past him and up the
stairs, almost ignoring Nico's presence entirely.
Nico drowned out most of the performances for the night, including his own.
There was one that had stuck out to him. During one of his solo performances, a
dark haired woman had given him a large tip in his speedo, and had even gone as
far as to grope his ass.
As he was going on break, he caught the woman staring at him while heading to
the bar room. He was not sure if he was creeped out by it; the woman seemed
relatively harmless. And, after all, wasn't the point of his job to get
attention?
Putting it to the back of his mind, he entered the bar room. Annabeth had
seated herself in one of the chairs, apparently waiting for a large order from
Dionysus. Zoë seemed to be on break from her night of dancing. Her body was
covered in sweat, while she held a water bottle to her forehead. And then there
was Luke, who was strewn across the couch, face buried into cushion.
Zoë noticed him first, though she did not speak to him. Her dark eyes met his
before a dull look came over them and she looked away. It sort of reminded Nico
of when someone would grow bored with something.
“Hey,” Nico mumbled, raising a hand to give a small wave.
Luke rolled his head to the side to give Nico an annoyed glare. “I have a
headache, shut up.”
“Don't mind him.” Annabeth rolled her eyes. “He's just having a bad night with
customers.”
Nico cocked a brow. “No one wants the bad boy blond?” He asked mockingly.
In return, he received another glare, though the blond made no effort to lash
out at him. “Not in the mood to deal with you, twerp.”
Annabeth patted the blond's leg, which was jutting out in the air. “He just has
a busy schedule lined up for tonight.” She turned a smile on Nico. “How's your
day been?”
“Good.” He glanced at the other two in the room. “I actually needed to talk to
you about my day.”
The blonde girl's grey eyes flickered over to the other two Lost Kids before
glaring at Dionysus, who was not even bothering to hide the fact that he was
eavesdropping. She stood up and nodded to Nico, motioning towards the door.
Nico walked over to it, while Annabeth collected her tray of drinks. The two
stepped into the girls' side, Nico following after the blonde. Nico frowned as
several men whistled at Drew, as she twirled around the pole.
“Here?” Nico yelled over the music and noise. “It's a little loud.”
“You wanted to talk, and I've still got work to do.” She smiled at a table full
of men as she deposited their drinks. Nico sighed as he hurried after her, to
another table. “So, what's up?”
“It's Percy.” The Lost Girl stopped and frowned at him. “I think things are
improving.”
“Why do you say that?” She yelled over the noise.
Nico scrunched his lips. “Well, he blew off Jason to spend time with me today.”
The girl's brow furrowed before she nodded. “But he's so confusing. He claims
we shouldn't be together, but he keeps sending me mixed signals.”
“Like what?”
The boy pursed his lips. Perhaps this had not been the best idea. If they found
out that Percy had kissed him, even if it had just been on the hand, there were
surely to be repercussions for him. He already saw the disaster from them
finding out he had went on a “not-date” with Percy.
“He, um...you know, he's just confusing. Just the way he talks sometimes, or
something he does. I just don't get him.”
Annabeth eyed him funny for a second before nodding. She did not seem very
convinced. “Well, I've known Percy for a while now, and I can say that
understanding him does not get much easier.”
Nico sighed and clutched back of his hair. “So what do I do?”
The blonde frowned as she dropped off the last drink on her tray. “Act fast? I
don't know. From the sounds of it, you might have a window of opportunity over
Jason.” She sighed and held the tray against her stomach. “He needs to know
you're serious about all of this, which could take something big to get through
his head.” She smiled and rolled her eyes. “Love him to death, and while he is
smart, he's not bright on things like this. Took him several months to realize
that Apollo still had a crush on him.”
“Thanks.” Nico stood there and began to rub his arm. Annabeth cocked her head
to the side. “Why are you helping me, anyways?”
The Lost Girl let out a sigh as they headed back to the bar room. “In a place
like this, people need to find happiness.” Her grey eyes found Nico's brown
ones. “But that's not to say that I won't still conduct business with Percy.
The others won't stop, even if you do manage to hook him, and I'm not willing
to let my work suffer.”
“Yeah,” the boy mumbled. “Still, thanks.”
She nodded back at him before shoving him into the bar room. Nico was
immediately greeted by a intense stare from Luke, who was still lying on his
stomach. Zoë had left by this point, leaving Nico alone with Dionysus and Luke.
He held Luke's gaze as he sat down in the chair that Annabeth had previously
been occupying.
“What was that about?”
Nico just shrugged, not bothering to look at Luke. He was well aware of the
blond's eyes being narrowed. “Is there a problem with me talking to Annabeth?”
The tall Lost Boy grunted and sat up, a frown marring his face. “Not a problem
at all.” The blond's hand ran through his hair. “I want you to take my brother
up on his offer. You need to learn to adapt better to this place.”
“Your brother is being an ass, and I don't like his terms.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “If you're getting your hopes up on us living happily
ever after or something, don't. You're a twerp, nothing more.”
Nico frowned over at the blond. “I question that sometimes.”
The blond rolled his eyes. “Please tell me you don't think I'm falling in love
with you, or something.”
They both glared over at Dionysus when the man snorted. “Sorry,” the bartender
chuckled.
Luke sighed and stood up. “Do what I said,” he continued, eyes intently staring
at the boy in front of him.
Dionysus chuckled again. Luke turned around and glared again. “Sorry, sorry, I
just find it hard to swallow. I just bet that you want him to seek your
brother's counsel.”
“No one asked you,” Luke growled. His nostrils flared as he turned back to
Nico. “And keep away from this bastard as much as you can.” With that, he
stormed out of the room.
“My, my, someone seems to be in a bad mood tonight.”
Nico sighed and let his eyes fall upon the bartender. “Do you just make it your
life goal to torment all of the Lost Kids?”
The bartender finally turned around, a grin plastered on his face. “Now, Nico,
what have I ever done to torment you? Here I thought I was giving you good
advice.” Nico rolled his eyes when the man placed a hand over his chest.
“What I don't understand is why you stay here, when you don't seem to like
Percy that much, and you don't seem to enjoy the rest of us either.”
“Why, Nico, I'm offended.” The man grinned and rested a hand behind him, on the
bar. “I have the utmost respect for our superb manager.”
“That doesn't mean you like him,” Nico pointed out, already rising to his feet.
Perhaps Luke's advice was for the best.
The bartender poured himself a shot and downed it. As he wiped a hand across
his mouth, he turned back to face Nico. “Ah, Nico, you're not as stupid as some
of the others. And that is what makes your time here the most enjoyable.”
“The others aren't stupid!”
A sly grin spread across the man's face. It caused Nico's scowl to lessen,
unnerving him. “And, yet, they are still here, destroying themselves and each
other. They hate the world, and are no longer capable of blending in with the
rest of society.”
“That's not true.”
“Oh? Isn't it?” The man rubbed at his chin. “They've become distrusting,
paranoid, and irrational. They could snap at the slightest thing. Or what if
they got stalked by a client? Percy would not be there to protect them.” Nico
shifted as the man's beady dark eyes stared into his soul. “They are broken.
Broken, little puppets, incapable of surviving on their own anymore.”
Nico held the man's stare until he was standing at the door. He pushed it open
before turning to face Dionysus. “You're still here,” he reminded the man
before leaving.
He sighed and walked across the floor, his vision locked on the floor. What had
caused this conflict between Dionysus and the others? Why did the man dislike
Percy? And why did Percy keep him around? It was not like Percy seemed to like
Dionysus that much either.
He stopped when he was met by a pair of long, hairless legs. He looked up to
find Apollo fidgeting in front of him. “What's up?”
Apollo let out a sigh. “You need to come with me. Just...don't freak out.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he was led backstage. Percy was there, arms crossed.
His eyes flickered up when he spotted Apollo and Nico. Nico cocked a brow as
the young man rubbed at his mouth. “Nico, you're going to the back rooms.”
The boy's brown eyes instantly grew fearful. “Wh-what?”
Apollo sighed. Percy eyed him funny, uncrossing his arms. “You're not going to
be having sex, Nico,” the manager explained.
Nico instantly breathed a sigh of relief. “Then what's going on?”
“You've got a customer,” Apollo answered.
Percy opened the door and gestured inside. “It's just a lap dance. When you get
to the rooms, it'll be the third door on your left.” Nico frowned as he took a
step into the dark hallway. “Good luck,” Percy whispered before letting the
door shut.
While Nico knew it was just a private dance, he still found his legs not
wanting to cooperate. His breathing had become uneven at some point. He knew
this day would probably come at some point, he had just hoped it would not be
anytime soon.
And the hallway seemed to go on forever. Or perhaps it was because his legs
still were not moving. Why was this such a big deal for him? It was not like
had not already taken his clothes off in front of strangers. Why was this
circumstance any different?
Looking behind him, the Lost Boy found that he was still standing in front of
the door. “Stop being a girl,” Nico hissed under his breath. If he just got it
over with, maybe it would not be so bad. And it was just one dance...right?
Well, Percy had never specified, but he was going to assume it was only one.
Surely, Percy would not be cruel enough to make him stay in there for a very
long time, simply to perform several private dances. It was his first time
after all.
He awkwardly got down the hall, freezing at the corner. The customer was only
three doors away now. The Lost Boy's shoulders tensed as the very door he was
supposed to go to opened, and the very woman that had been staring at him
earlier poked her head out.
“Ah, there you are, you adorable boy, I thought you might have got lost.”
Nico swallowed before flashing a bright smile. “Sorry, didn't mean to keep you
waiting.”
She was fairly tall and thin. Even in the dark lighting, Nico could tell she
had been drinking from her brown eyes. She was very radiant, though. She
smelled like fresh flowers. Her black hair was curled, flowing across her
shoulders. An odd noise emanated from her mouth as she cleared her throat,
straightening out her dress from the couch she now sat on.
The problem with this was that he had yet to be coached on doing this sort of
thing. And, while he was fairly sure it was not anyone's fault in particular,
he could not help but wonder if this was another attempt to lash out at him.
But, he was going to keep his faith and believe that the others had just not
foreseen this happening so soon.
Nico fought the urge to tense up as music began to play in the room. The bass
was loud, and the song reminded him of something that would play during a stage
performance. Maybe if he just tuned it all out. It was not like the woman was
actually going to notice, right?
Taking a deep breath, Nico reached down to the hem of his thin, loose shirt.
The woman's eyes were locked onto his stomach the second the shirt was pulled
over his head and tossed onto a small chair in the corner. He smirked and ran a
hand through his hair, biting down on his lip.
He swayed his hips back and forth as he maneuvered closer to the seated woman,
one of his hands drifting towards his navel. As the loose fabric that he called
shorts fell from his hips, he straddled the woman's lap, making sure to keep
from seating himself. He winked at the woman and wagged a finger when she
attempted to place her hands on his stomach.
How he was pulling this off was beyond him, considering how scared he was at
the moment. His heart had to be beating a million miles an hour. He made sure
to keep from standing still, so the woman would not notice that he was shaking.
He chewed at the edge of his lip as he ran a hand down his sides. It felt
foreign and very awkward for him, even though he had done similar things on
stage. It was just that the fact that he had someone mere inches from him
currently enjoying this particular dance.
“I would very much enjoy having you around the house on a daily basis,” the
woman chuckled, slightly fanning herself. “Though, I don't think my husband
would approve of it very much.”
Nico felt a lump in his throat. He managed to keep moving, turning around in
the woman's lap. He bent forward and touched the floor. “Well, he doesn't have
to know about this little rendezvous.”
The woman scoffed. “Oh, I'm sure he's somewhere up here, probably eyeing some
of the girls.”
Nico frowned, unseen by the woman. How sad, he thought. Was this woman even
happy? Why not just get divorced? Money, perhaps?
Nico managed to smile before turning around again. He grabbed her hand and
placed it in the center of his chest. “Well, you don't have to think about him
right now. It's just you...and me.”
She grinned up at him and squeezed the area around his ribs. “How about we talk
to your boss about some more time with me?”
Nico's foot slipped out from under him. He had been wanting to stand up
straight, to toy with his speedo, but the woman's words had caught him off
guard. He nearly yelped as he landed face first into the woman's breasts. “I,
um...I'm sorry.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, sweetie, don't apologize. You just gave me more action
than my husband has in five years.”
“I, um, don't know about the, um, intimate time...” He trailed off and rubbed
the back of his neck.
She smiled and stood up, patting him on the cheek. “Sweetheart, you are just
adorable. It's fine, though. Your boss already said that nothing else would
probably happen with you. Still, a woman can dream.” She smiled and pulled out
a card from her purse beside the couch, handing it over to Nico. “If you ever
change your mind, let me know.”
Nico just nodded at her as she picked up her purse and left the room. He
frowned as he looked down at the card. “Persephone. That's a nice name.”
She smiled and touched his cheek before heading towards the door. “I hope to
see you again.”
Nico looked back down at the card when the door closed. She seemed nice, he
thought. He reached over and grabbed his clothes from the chair. Slipping the
business card into the hem of his speedo, Nico opened the door. He looked down
the hall, to the rest of the rooms, but was unable to distinguish anything.
Were some of the others working?
When he got back, the other Lost Boys were getting dressed. Apollo looked up at
him. “He's finally done.”
Connor came up behind him and slung an arm around him, pulling Nico against his
chest. “How was it? Did you faint? Did you get molested?”
Nico just rolled his eyes. “It wasn't that bad.” He removed Connor's arm and
worked on dressing himself again. “I mean, I messed up a little, but it wasn't
that bad.”
Apollo blew out a breath as he rubbed his neck. “Good. I'll make sure to tell
Percy.”
“He isn't here?” Nico frowned up at the blond.
The curly haired Lost Boy shook his head. “Nope, he had to run just before you
got here.”
Connor grinned and poked at Nico's side. “He did watch your dance, though.”
Nico blinked, feeling his cheeks burn. Percy had been in the security room.
“Why?”
Apollo shrugged. “Percy usually keeps an eye on our first times with things. I
guess he saw you were fine, or didn't need him, and left.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he frowned at nothing. Perhaps he shouldn't have been
so casual about the whole thing. But, Percy did know his customers, so maybe he
knew the woman would not be any trouble for him. Still, it was a little
disappointing to learn that he could have, possibly, had some extra time with
Percy.
He let out a yawn and Apollo smiled at him. “You should go get some rest, we're
done for the night.”
Nico's body felt exhausted. His shoulders were sore and his eyes were
threatening to close. So, he was not going to be one to object to Apollo
permitting him to head on to bed. He just did not want to have to go to school
tomorrow. His Thanksgiving break had been relatively enjoyable, and he was not
wanting it to end. Mondays were rarely pleasant, and he was sure tomorrow would
be no exception.
-----------------------------------------------------
Monday had been, as predicted, horrible. All of Nico's teachers were beginning
preparations for winter finals, and some were giving them heavy loads of
homework. Nico let out a groan and let his head fall on the lunchroom table as
he tried to think of a way to complete it all. The worst part? School was only
halfway over.
Jason arched an eyebrow at him as he scarfed down the rest of his pizza.
Daedalus just chuckled and patted him on the head. “I'm sure you'll be fine,”
the brunet assured him.
The only blond at the table frowned and stared off in the distance. Nico's eyes
flickered away, landing back on Daedalus. “Maybe we could do a study session,
or something? With work, I don't know how I'll have time to focus on some of
these projects, especially if I do them at the hotel.”
The brunet smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and I'm sure my mother would love having
you over again.” He nudged the blond next to him. “You want to join?”
Jason grumbled something before turning to stare at his best friend. “What?”
The grey-eyed boy sighed. “I asked if you wanted to join me and Nico for a
study session sometime this week.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Jason mumbled. Nico frowned when the blond's blue eyes
focused back onto whatever it was he had been staring at. “Somebody didn't have
a good holiday.”
Nico swiveled in his seat. His face paled slightly when he caught sight of Cal
snatching a slice of pizza from a freshman's tray. The small boy whined, but
was shoved out of his chair in return. Zethes cackled behind his brother.
Everything was fine, until Cal caught sight of Nico. The boy's brown eyes
widened as the two bullies headed in their direction. Jason's lips tilted down
as he sat his food down. “What do you want, Cal?” Daedalus asked when the two
tall seniors stood at the edge of their table.
Cal leered, slamming his hands on the table. “This fag here needs to keep his
eyes to himself.”
“Why don't you just back off?” Jason growled, shooting to his feet.
Daedalus pushed his glasses up and stood up as well. “You both need to move on.
Nico hasn't done anything to you.”
Zethes scoffed, resting an elbow on his brother's shoulder. “Well, you see, my
brother here doesn't appreciate being stared at by queers.”
“Believe me, he's not my type,” Nico mumbled, his eyes on the table.
Cal's nostrils flared as he clenched the table. “What did you say to me,
faggot?” The large boy's hand shot out, but was blocked by Daedalus. Jason
shoved the table, putting a barrier between Nico and his bullies. Two teachers
stood up. Cal eyed them before returning his gaze to Nico. “You better watch
yourself.” He shoved away, glaring at the two athletes standing between him and
his prey.
Daedalus sighed, shoulders relaxing. He pushed his glasses up and offered Nico
a small smile. “I'd be careful today. Cal seems to be having a very bad day.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he observed the two bullies leaving the cafeteria.
“What did I even do to put such a target on my back?”
The brunet shrugged. “You shouldn't try to rationalize bullies.”
The raven haired boy let out a sigh as he went back to his food, frowning when
he found the remains of his food scattered all over his tray. For some reason,
he had the feeling that he was not done seeing Cal today.
His answer did not take long to find him. As soon as he separated from Jason
and Daedalus, he was grabbed and slammed against the lockers. He cracked an eye
open to find Cal holding him, while Zethes just grinned down at him.
“There you are, fairy. We thought you'd never ditch your valiant knights.”
Nico gave a dry look to the more slender, tall of the two brutes. “I'm
surprised you know what valiant even means.”
Zethes sneered at him. “Can I have the first punch?”
“No, he's mine,” Cal growled, slamming Nico against the lockers again. The
raven haired boy's vision blurred as his head made contact with the metal.
From what he could tell, none of his fellow students were bothering to help
him. Though, they all seemed content with watching it all take place. He let
out a sigh and let his shoulders slump. What could he do? If he fought back, he
would probably lose, and still be punished back at the hotel. He could not get
in a fight, he reminded himself. Percy would have his head if he did.
Cal's fist slamming into the locker beside his head brought him back to
reality. “Pay attention, faggot. Maybe if you learn your lesson, this won't
have to happen again.” He leaned in and grinned. “Doubtful, though. I think I'm
going to enjoy myself.”
And then there was searing hot pain in Nico's cheek. His eyes wrenched shut as
he raised a hand. Before he could touch his new sore, he was lifted up and
thrown to the floor, his back grazing each locker he passed.
The two were not ready to relent. Before Nico could pick himself up, he
received a swift kick to the ribs. He winched and doubled over, now finding it
hard to breathe. He cried out in pain when the heel of Cal's shoe dug into his
wrist. Another sharp breath as a hand yanked his hair and dragged him up. A
large hand squeezed his jaw, surely to leave another bruise.
Nico saw stars as his head was slammed against the lockers. He wanted to check
for blood, but he could barely balance himself. Another punch, this time to his
stomach, knocking the remainder of his breath out.
He was not sure what happened, but the next thing he knew, there was a blur
tackling Cal. He could make out the color blue, but his vision was too blurred
to make out a definite image. Zethes moved to step in, but was yanked backwards
by another figure.
“Stay the fuck off him!” He heard someone yell. Jason? It sure sounded like his
roommate.
When Nico finally got his bearings back, he found it was Jason that had tackled
Cal off of him. The large brute glared at the blond as he swiped a hand across
his mouth. Daedalus had Zethes pinned against the lockers, his arm pressed to
the bully's throat.
Zethes saw that his brother was backing off and shoved Daedalus away. The
brunet moved to help Nico up as the two brutes took their leave. Jason,
however, didn't move from where he stood. “Are you okay?”
Nico looked up at Daedalus and nodded. “Yeah, what happened?”
The brunet placed a hand on Jason's shoulder, getting him to relax. He smiled
and turned back to Nico. “We heard the commotion, figured they had made their
move, and came running.”
Brown met blue as Nico and Jason stared at each other. “You're not supposed to
get in fights.”
The blond just shrugged. “And Percy would have been furious if I let them beat
you within an inch of your life.” He eyed Nico over, pressing a thumb to the
boy's forehead. When he pulled it back, Nico found some blood. “Family, right?”
Nico nodded. Daedalus placed an arm around Nico. “Come on, we'll take you to
the nurse.”
It didn't take long for someone to come for Nico. It was Clarisse, who remained
quiet as she checked him out. She looked him over after she was finished, but
did not say anything. She just frowned and nodded her head towards the door.
When they were outside, Nico finally spoke. “Can we not tell Percy?”
“Afraid he already knows.” Her dark eyes found his. “He is your emergency
contact, after all.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “Is he mad?”
“You can see for yourself.”
Nico did not like the way that sounded. Was he going to be mad at Nico for
getting in a fight? For the bruises that now covered his body? Or was he going
to be angry at Cal and Zethes? Nico was not sure which he dreaded more, but he
decide on the latter. If he was angry enough, would Percy kill them?
During his stay in the nurse's office, he had gone over his injuries. There was
a small cut on his forehead, the back of his head was extremely sore, his cheek
was slightly swollen and bruised, and his ribs were dark with several bruises.
Thankfully, none of his ribs had been broken.
“Just be glad I'm the one that came for you,” the Lost Girl mumbled when they
were in the car. “When the others found out, some of them volunteered to come
and get you, simply to hunt down your bullies.”
Nico frowned at the young woman. “Like who?”
“Will looked pretty angry. I think the twins were plotting something, I saw
some balloons and there was mention of finding some dog shit. But, Percy would
not let them.” She shrugged. “Luke looked like he was going to kill them
himself. Thalia was at the door with her brass knuckles when I left.”
Nico winced when he touched the bruise on his cheek. “I'm not going to be
working for a while, am I?”
The dark haired girl shrugged again. “Probably not, but I wouldn't worry too
much about it. You'll still get paid.”
“But I'm not going to be working,” the boy mumbled.
“Well, it's not like you can help it.” She looked at Nico again. “Besides,
those guys did a number on your face. You could get around with just working in
the bar, but you have the dark bruise under your eye.” She rubbed her knuckle
against her palm on top of the steering wheel. “Sadly, Percy told me I couldn't
put a bruise on them to return the favor.”
“You seem to like fighting more than Ethan.”
Clarisse shrugged. “Grew up around it. Played a lot of contact sports, like
violent movies, and violent games. My dad was fine with it all, but my mom...”
The girl locked her jaw. “Well, she and I never really got along.”
Nico blinked at her. “Did you get in a lot of fights?”
“My dad, when he was home, would always want to hear the details.” She huffed
and swapped lanes very fast, receiving a honk from the car behind her. “My dear
sweet mother, she would always have something to say about it, 'This isn't how
a lady is supposed to act,' she would say. She didn't really like it when I
flipped her off either.”
Nico's brow furrowed. What happened to Clarisse? “Did you run away?”
The Lost Boy took note when Clarisse clenched the steering wheel. “Something
like that. My mother and I, we had a bit of a falling out towards the end of
our days together.”
The Lost Boy wondered if he should admire her. Part of him had to wonder if he
would have been able to leave home on his own. But, was Clarisse's situation as
bad? He doubted her father beat her, from the sounds of it. And, unless her
mother was as large as her, he doubted Clarisse's mother hit her. So, why? Why
leave?
Nico's heart began to pound as they pulled into the hotel's garage. He was
nervous about facing Percy, about finding out the young man's reaction. He
received an eye roll when he let out a groan. “Stop being a pansy.” She shut
off the car and sat back in her seat. “Percy's waiting for you in the second
floor lounge. I've got to run something to Silena, so you're own your own.”
It was then that Nico remembered a question he had long forgotten. “Why do you
room with Silena?” Clarisse stopped in the middle of closing her door to blink
at him. “I mean, Leo and Ethan room together, but you room with one of the
people that you, supposedly, don't get along with.”
The Lost Girl crossed her arms. “And who says I don't get along with them? I
room with Silena because she asked me to.” Nico pursed his lips from the girl's
glare. “Is that good enough for you?”
Nico nodded his head and hurried towards the elevator. Once inside, he rapidly
hit the button for the second floor. If looks could kill, Clarisse would have
probably wrapped him in his own intestines. What was up with her?
Nico took in a deep breath when the doors opened. He inched out and looked
around. A portion of the second floor overlooked the lobby downstairs. A lounge
had been set up, so people could sit and enjoy the view. Currently occupying it
were Percy and Zoë. The two were laughing and smiling. It calmed Nico down a
little, to see Percy relaxed. Maybe things were not going to be bad.
Unfortunately, he was wrong.
The second Percy's eyes landed on him, he noticed the manager's jaw tighten,
his good mood instantly gone. Zoë looked over and pursed her lips. “You okay
there, Nico?”
He nodded his head. Percy remained silent, looking him over. “Lift up your
shirt,” he whispered, rubbing at his mouth.
It surprised Nico to hear how calm the young man sounded. But he did as he was
told. There was a hint of something dark in those green eyes as he looked
Nico's bruised form over. Out of everyone, Percy was the main person that he
had wanted to avoid after the fight.
“And them?” Nico just blinked in response to Percy's question. The young
manager exhaled, his jaw still firmly set. “I asked what happened to them,
Nico.”
Though he still appeared calm, Nico picked up on the venom that laced the
green-eyed young man's voice. He was angry, that much was obvious. “They, um,
didn't get anything. No teachers saw it, so Jason's not getting punished
either.”
Those green eyes were like knives as they stared into Nico's brown orbs. Zoë
placed a hand on Percy's leg, giving it a squeeze. The action, however, did
nothing to ease Percy's mood. Percy laced his hands together in front of his
face. “Zoë, can you hand me my phone?” Percy asked, his voice calm yet again.
Nico began to fidget as Percy typed on his phone. What was going to happen?
Nico chewed on his lip and met Zoë's gaze. The Lost Girl just pursed her lips,
giving him a small look, letting him know to keep quiet.
When he was done typing, Percy pocketed his phone and shot to his feet. Nico's
eyes widened as he was grabbed by the arm. He was surprised, though, to find a
smile now on Percy's face. “Come on, you can sit with us.”
Zoë plastered on her own smile. “We were just talking about our days in
Germany.”
For some reason, it was just now dawning on Nico that the two had probably been
at Gaea's hotel at the same time. Why had he never connected those dots? Percy
had even requested Zoë come to his hotel. Surely they would have known each
other prior to that.
The Lost Girl playfully punched the manager's arm. “And you have no room to
talk. If I recall, you would come home with a bruise on your cheek quite
often.”
Percy chuckled. “Gaea did not like that very much.”
Nico blinked up at Percy, slightly leaning on his shoulder. “You got into a lot
of fights?”
“Sometimes. More in my younger days with her.” He rolled his eyes. “It happened
sometimes after Zoë showed up, but most of what she's saying is just from talk.
I was much worse when Gaea first took me in.”
Nico let out a small sigh when he felt Percy's fingers in his hair. “So, what
happened?”
He felt the young man laugh. “Gaea. She cracked down on me. She was not going
to put up with that kind of behavior.” He shrugged. “So, she made me into a
gentleman.”
Zoë rolled her eyes. “I'd hardly call you that.”
Percy grinned and winked at her. “Behind closed doors is another matter
entirely.”
“I'll never understand how you worked your charms on all of those customers. I
mean, considering how you sometimes acted around the rest of us.”
The manager scoffed, a smile touching at his lips. “Please, I'm a very likable
person. You like me, after all.”
She sighed and smiled. “At times. You have your moments.”
Nico hummed in satisfaction as Percy played with his hair. “Well, Nico here
enjoys my company. Right, Nico?”
The boy smiled over at Zoë. “You have your moments.” The two Lost Kids shared a
laugh, while Percy glared at them. Nico frowned when Percy dropped his hand
from his hair. “I was only joking.”
Percy frowned at him before returning to his soothing treatment. Nico let out
another sigh, just wanting to fall asleep right there. “You should let Will
look at those, see what he can do.” Nico nodded against the young man's
shoulder. “And you're going to take a few nights off, to heal.”
“I figured,” Nico mumbled. He pouted when Percy grabbed his chin and made him
look up. “What?”
“Just looking.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he studied Percy, though the young man was not meeting
his gaze. Once again, Nico took note of the dark gleam in Percy's eye. The
issue was not over.
Percy's phone went off and the young man released Nico's chin. He slid his
phone out of his pocket and held it up to his hear. “Hello?” As Nico observed
him, he noted the dull look appear in Percy's green eyes. “Yes, just come up to
my office. I'll see you when you get here.” With a sigh, Percy removed his arm
from Nico and stood up. “I'll see both of you later, I have some business to
take care of.” His eyes roamed over Nico a final time. “Go get a smoothie or
something, enjoy your night off.”
Nico stood up as Percy walked off. He looked down at Zoë, who forced herself to
smile. She seemed to be thinking about something, though Nico could not tell if
it was good or bad. When she did not say anything, he turned and walked off.
He knew what he would be doing soon. He was going to take some medicine to dull
the pain and call it an early night. Or perhaps sit and enjoy some TV,
whichever made him feel better.
When he got downstairs, he placed his hands on the cabana. Ganymede had his
back turned to him, the music a little loud. Nico narrowed his eyes and cleared
his throat. “Sorry, I didn't-” The man began, but stopped, eyes wide, when he
noticed Nico's appearance. “What happened to you?”
“Got in a fight.”
The dirty haired blond nodded his head. “Want a milkshake? On the house.” Nico
nodded. The ex-Lost Kid eyed him occasionally while he worked, but remained
quiet. Once finished, a chocolate milkshake with a cherry sat in front of Nico.
“So, did you win?”
Nico sighed and slid the treat closer to himself. “Does it look like I won?”
“Guess not. Percy already see?”
Nico took a sip and nodded. “Yep.”
Ganymede raised a brow. “Mad?”
“Not sure. Possibly furious.”
“Ouch.” The man pressed his palms to the counter. “So, how are you?” Nico
arched a brow at him. “I mean besides the bruises.”
Nico sighed, in the middle of a long sip. “Been better,” he mumbled around his
straw. “Percy's been confusing.”
The blond smiled. Nico took note that he had his contacts in. “Maybe you're not
the only one who's confused.”
Nico blew out a breath. Why did everyone have to speak in riddles? Why were
there always more questions? Could he not just get plain answers for once? “I
don't know,” Nico mumbled. “He tends to avoid the issue whenever it comes up.”
Ganymede sighed. “It should be a crime to mess up such an adorable face.” Nico
glared at him when the blond reached out to pinch his unbruised cheek.
“Somebody's cranky.” He pushed the milkshake closer. “This'll make it better.”
A wicked grin spread across his lips. “Or, you could come up to my room, and we
could play doctor.”
Nico shot him a chilling stare. “Not if you want to keep your man parts.”
Ganymede grinned at him, leaning closer. “Oh, but, Nico, you'd so enjoy my
parts.”
Nico grinned and sipped on his drink again. “As I'm sure your prison mates
would, when you get sent to prison for having sex with a minor.”
The man snorted. “Yes, I'm sure. In a place like this, I completely have to
worry about that.” He threw a wink Nico's way.
“Percy can do it legally.”
The blond chuckled. “Not that he would care either way. He had sex with people
older than me, when he was younger than you.” He sighed and leaned on his palm.
“How long are you going to be off work?”
Nico shrugged. “Not sure, Percy never said. I guess when the bruise is gone?”
“Doubtful,” Ganymede mumbled. “You'll probably go back to work when the girls
can manage hiding the bruise with makeup. As for working the top floor, that
might be some more time, depending on how well those bruises can be hidden.”
Nico let out a heavy sigh. “Great. Do you think I'll be able to go upstairs?”
“Talk to Percy about that one.”
Nico let out a groan, drinking more of his milkshake. “I hated it the last time
I was not working. Life is dull here, when you can't really do anything.”
The man chuckled. “I doubt he's going to prohibit you from having fun around
the hotel. He's just going to keep you off the floor for a few days.” Nico
swatted the blond's hand away when it pinched his cheek. “Just need to let that
cute face heal.”
“So,” Nico began.
A lazy smile crept onto Ganymede's face. “So,” the man repeated.
The Lost boy rolled his eyes. “You've been here a while. I was sort of
wondering what you could tell me about Luke. Or, maybe just about what's the
deal with him and Silena?”
The dirty blond man chuckled. “You're such a curious little thing, aren't you?”
He ran a tan hand into the back of his hair. “Well, they were much closer
before Beckendorf came along. When Silena and him started getting close,
Beckendorf sort of made it apparent he did not like how close Silena and
blondie were.”
“What's the deal with them, though?”
“Well,” Ganymede rubbed at his face, “she was one of the few people that could
manage calming Luke's temper.” Nico cocked a brow. “Yeah, when Luke first got
here, he was a regular ball of anger. I think Percy considered placing him
elsewhere at times.” Nico observed as Ganymede's brow furrowed. “They never
dated, but I think Silena wanted to.”
Nico chewed on his straw. “But Silena wasn't here when Luke first got here.”
“This is true.” The man flashed a bright smile. “But Annabeth was.” He sighed
and shrugged. “Still not sure what the deal with them is. Some of us thought
they liked each other, while others thought they had a sibling thing going on.
Either way, Annabeth is probably the closest Lost Kid to Luke.” The blond's
eyes locked with Nico's own. “And Octavian doesn't like Ms. Wise Girl very
much. Jealousy does not become that one.”
“But I've never seen them fight.”
A dry laugh escaped from Ganymede. “Oh, Nico, you still are new to a lot of
this.” He leaned onto the bar and smiled. “You're never going to see it, but
those two severely dislike each other. Think of them like the politicians you
see come here, they just put on big smiles and act like two loving friends.
But, really, how often do you see the two of them interacting with each other,
willingly.”
Nico stared down at his milkshake. Now that Ganymede mentioned it, he had a
hard time recalling the two really spending time together. There were only a
few occasions that came to mind. One was the mall, which Thalia and Luke forced
him into. The other was the water park, and Nico now questioned if Octavian
would have gone if Luke had not gone.
Ganymede reached out and patted his shoulder. “Well, I'm sure I gave you plenty
to think on. However, I've got to get back to work, and you need to go enjoy
the rest of your shake.” He winked when Nico grunted. “Let me know if you
reconsider that game of doctor.”
“Don't hold your breath,” Nico mumbled as he walked off.
It hurt a little when he walked, mainly around his ribs. His legs were a little
sore, but they were nothing compared to the sharp pains that would run through
his sides every few steps. And there was the dull throbbing in his cheek,
constantly reminding him of his visible wound.
This was not good for him. And, yet, at the same time, maybe it was. He had
wanted a break from work, and now he was getting it. It just meant a bit of
isolation for him. But, this time he was not fighting with the other Lost Kids,
so he would have plenty of people to spend free time with.
Once inside, Nico stopped at the elevator. He stared and blinked, straw in his
mouth. Waiting there was the man he had waited on yesterday, the man Hazel had
called Mr. Boreas. He was dressed in a full business suit today, like he had
just gotten out of a meeting. He tapped his foot as he stared at the small
screen above the elevator that let people know which floor it was on.
“Hello there, Mr. Boreas.”
The man swiveled and faced his upper body towards Nico. Nico scrunched his lips
as the man took in his appearance, noting an odd look appear in the man's eyes.
“Oh, hello there, young man.” He pointed a finger out. “Nico, wasn't it?”
Nico nodded, offering a small smile. “Come for dinner?”
The man cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “No, I, uh, have some
business that needs to be taken care of.”
Nico nodded as the elevator doors finally opened. Boreas let him press his
button first, before he hit the button to Percy's floor. Nico's brow furrowed
as he stared at the highlighted button to the sixty-eighth floor. But, he ended
up simply shrugging. Perhaps the man wanted some special time with one of the
Lost Girls, and wanted to negotiate it in advance.
He smiled at Mr. Boreas as the elevator came to a stop on his floor. The man
gave a small nod before the doors closed. Nico sighed and headed down his hall.
Well, he thought, at least he would have some more time to work on all of those
assignments he needed to get done.
***** In This Dark Little Lullaby *****
The sound of Jason's window wipers was the only thing keeping the car from
complete silence. It had been pouring rain since Nico had woken up, and it did
not show any sign of relenting any time soon. While it had not really rained
the day before, it had still been cloudy. Nico was starting to miss the sun,
which was something he never thought he would ever hear himself admit.
“This rain sucks,” Jason grumbled, leaning forward in his seat to try and see.
“They should just cancel school.”
Nico grunted and glanced out his window, cheek resting in his palm. “Would be
nice, but then they would be doing something nice for us.”
Jason cracked a smile. “For someone taking advanced classes, you sure don't
seem to like school.”
“You know, I'm still trying to figure out why Percy placed me in a lot of
those.”
“Shit,” Jason cursed as a police car went flying through a red light, causing
Jason to hit his break. “Assholes. If they don't watch it, they're going to
cause their own accident.”
Thankfully, they managed to get to school before they were late. Nico raised
the hood on his jacket before hopping out of Jason's car. The two roommates
jogged from the parking lot, until they were standing under the metal awning.
And, as they were walking down the sidewalk, a black car pulled up, nearly
splashing them with water.
Nico glared at the black tented window as the back door opened. Much to Nico's
surprise, Cal and Zethes stepped out of it, heads down. However, that failed in
comparison to what Nico witnessed next.
Boreas himself climbed out from behind them, his face as alarming as the very
clouds in the sky. The driver had managed to bolt around and was now holding an
umbrella over Boreas's head.
“That's their father?” Nico hissed.
Jason arched a brow. “Yeah? You didn't know that?”
Time seemed to freeze when the two bullies locked eyes with Nico. But, instead
of anger appearing in their eyes, the two grew pale. Their eyes immediately
dropped, breaking their gaze from that of Nico. Their father crossed his arms
and leaned in towards them, muttering something under his breath.
The two boys nodded before briskly walking away from their father. On their way
past, they mumbled an apology to Nico. The raven hair boy just blinked and
stood there, staring at Boreas in confusion. The man just stared back at him
before nodding his head and getting back in the car.
“What the fuck did you do, Percy?”
Jason was laughing beside him. “Well, I guess that solves your problems.”
Nico turned to glare at the blond. “This isn't funny. I don't need Percy
threatening people on my behalf.”
Jason continued to chuckle as they made their way towards the building.
Daedalus was waiting for them at the door, a confused look on his face. “Did I
miss something with Zethes and Cal today? They just ran by, looking like scared
dogs.”
Jason just laughed, while Nico chose to sigh. This was not funny. He was going
to have to talk to Percy about this. But, on the other hand, he would probably
not have to deal with those two assholes again. Perhaps he should be thankful,
instead of mad.
Now he was starting to think like Percy. That was surely not good. He already
knew that was exactly what the manager was going to tell him, that he should be
thankful.
By second period, the rain was still in a downpour. Nico let out a sigh as he
stared out the large windows of the classroom. He would much rather be in bed,
still in his pajamas, right now. Percy had been right, a storm had definitely
hit. Just how many days was it going to last, though?
He looked away from the window when there was a knock at the door. The teacher
told them to read while she answered the door. It was at this same time that
Nico's phone decided to vibrate. But, before Nico could check it, the teacher
had stepped back inside.
Her usual cheerful self had seemed to vanish. “Nico,” she said gently. The
raven haired boy stared at her. “You're needed in the hall.” Nico stood up and
was about to leave, but the teacher stopped him. “Take your things.”
He just shrugged and packed up his backpack. He placed his phone against his
binder as he walked towards the door. The text had been from Percy. It read: Do
you want me to come get you?
Nico's brow furrowed as he reread it. He closed the door behind him. When he
looked up, he found Daedalus standing there. He blinked at the brunet. “What's
up?”
The brunet took a deep breath. “Nico, you need to come with me. Just...shit, I
don't even know.”
Without even asking, Daedalus took Nico's backpack from him. Nico was lost.
What was going on? Nico decided to reply to Percy, letting him know that he was
fine, and that Percy did not need to come get him. He knew it was raining bad,
but he did not think it was that bad. Besides, Jason would have to get home,
and the blond could easily drive.
So why did he feel nervous?
Daedalus seemed concerned with something, and Percy's text was a little
unnerving. “Daedalus, what's going on?”
The brunet never answered him. He would not even look at Nico. He just kept
walking, chewing on his lip. Something was troubling him.
When they got to the front of the school, he found his sister standing in front
of the entrance. She was completely soaked. It appeared that she had not even
bothered to grab a jacket. She paced back and forth, arms folded over her
chest.
It was when Nico got closer that he noticed her chest heaving. Her makeup was
completely smeared, though it seemed to be from tears, rather than the rain.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and when she saw Nico, she just grabbed him and hugged
him.
Nico just stood there, holding his sister, as she cried into his shoulder. A
year ago, she would have had to bend forward a little, just to be able to do
such an act. But, now, they were nearly the same height. It was then that he
realized she was whispering something.
“Nico, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.”
The Lost Boy grabbed his sister's wet hair. “What happened?”
“I-it's mom. She-she had an accident.”
Nico's heart seemed to stop in his chest. The rain that had soaked into his
shirt from where Bianca had held him felt like ice against his skin. “What?”
Was all he could manage to get out. He could not have heard right.
“She didn't make it, Nico,” Bianca whispered.
Nico stumbled out of his sister's grasp. His head felt dizzy. This had to be a
dream. This could not be real, it just couldn't. Daedalus was there and
balanced him. The Lost Boy's breathing became more erratic as time went on,
quickly becoming ragged.
He found himself crouched on the floor, his head in his hands. “No. No no no no
no,” he kept repeating. “How?” He looked up with panicked eyes.
Daedalus had Bianca by this point. She sobbed as her boyfriend rubbed circles
into her back. “A car-” More sobs. “A car hydroplaned and hit her.”
Nico began to dry heave. He felt sick. His mother was dead. He hadn't even
gotten to see her again, and now she was gone. Forever.
“Come on,” Daedalus whispered, tugging on his shirt. “We're going to get you
checked out. We can go back to my place.”
Nico just nodded and stood up. The brunet placed his hand on Nico's lower back,
while grabbing Bianca's hand. The two siblings were quietly led towards the
office. As soon as they entered, Daedalus began to sign them out. When he
grabbed Nico's phone, the boy did not protest.
Daedalus scrolled through the phone before raising it to his ear. “Hey, Percy,
this is Daedalus.” He paused, signing Nico's name. “Yeah, I've got him. If it's
okay with you, I was going to take him and his sister to my house.” He blinked,
listening to something on the other end of the phone. “Oh, yeah, I can just
send you directions from Nico's phone. Yeah, okay, I'll see you in a few
hours.”
Nico did not care that he was getting soaked as he walked outside. Some part of
him kept hoping that the cold sting of the rain would wake him up, but it never
worked. Daedalus helped Bianca into the passenger seat of his car before
letting Nico into the back seat. He could see his sister crying again from the
front seat, her head now buried in her lap.
Once seated in the car, Daedalus turned around. “Percy is going to come by
later and pick you up.” The brunet patted Nico's leg. “If you want to crash at
my place, you're more than welcome to.”
Nico nodded and Daedalus turned back around. When would he wake up?
On their way to Daedalus's house, Nico's phone began to blow up with texts.
However, he could not bring himself to look at his phone at the moment. He knew
they were probably from the Lost Kids. And he would check them later, just not
right now. Right now he just needed to get his head around all of this.
Daedalus's mom's car sat in the driveway when they got home. Bianca was still
crying as they walked up to the front door. Nico just remained quiet, his eyes
unfocused. Daedalus had not finished opening the door before it was open.
Minerva appeared, instantly grabbing Nico and Bianca and pulling them inside.
“I'll go get you all some towels,” she said quietly after seating them on the
couch.
Daedalus stood in front of them, hands in his pockets. He was not looking at
them, but searching the floor, as if it held the answers. Bianca had quieted
down, now sitting like a statue beside Nico.
It was not until he felt the warmth of the towel around him that he realized he
was shaking. Whether it was from being cold or from crying, he did not know.
Minerva crouched down in front of the two siblings and squeezed their hands.
“If you two need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask. I know this
must be hard.”
Bianca managed to offer a weak smile, placing her free hand on top of
Minerva's. Nico just kept staring ahead. He had wanted to see his mother again,
but now it was too late. Why had he not acted sooner? It was his father's
fault. If it were not for his father, he would have never been separated from
Bianca or his mother. His mother had never deserved this, she had been a nice
woman.
“I just saw her this morning,” Bianca whispered. “I had been running late to
school, and she told me to be careful on the road.”
“I was going to try calling her this week.”
Bianca turned to stare at him with wide, tearful eyes. “Oh, Nico, I'm so
sorry.”
The boy just leaned into his sister, his nose buried in her hair. He felt a
tear hit his cheek, where it mixed with his own. Two cups of hot tea ended up
on the table in front of them at some point, though Nico could not say for sure
when they got there. And the rain still poured outside, no matter how much Nico
wished for it to stop.
“Bianca,” she squeezed his hand as Nico spoke her name, “if you want dad here,
I can-”
“No.” Bianca's grasp tightened. “I want you here. It's his fault we've been
separated the past few months.” The brown-eyed girl rubbed at her eyes. “It's
his fault we're still separated. And it's his fault you weren't able to see
mom.”
Was it, though? He could have called her. He could have found a way, but he
hadn't. Did that make him a bad son?
Nico's body moved on its own, shooting up from the couch and dashing down the
hall. He found himself kneeling in front of the toilet, hurling into the
porcelain bowl. He felt sick and dizzy. Luckily for him, Minerva had come after
him. The woman caught him as he fell back before helping him to his feet.
“There you go, sweetie.” She rubbed circles into his back as she led him away
from the bathroom. “Don't blame yourself for any of this. There was nothing you
could do.”
“I should have seen her.”
Minerva let out a sigh as she sat him down in the kitchen. When she was sure he
was fine, she walked over to the sink and began to wet a rag. “I'm sure she
would have understood.”
“She didn't even know I was still alive,” Nico whispered. “What if she thought
I had died in some gutter?”
Nico frowned as the wet rag was pressed against his head. “Don't think like
that, sweetheart.” Nico held the rag up as the dark haired woman stepped back
over to the sink. He heard her turn on the water. She smiled at him as she
grabbed a glass that she had filled and gathered some ice from the freezer.
“None of this is your fault. I'm sure she would have been very proud of you.”
“Doubtful,” Nico muttered, though he doubted the woman heard him. His mother?
Proud of him, with what he was doing? Doubtful. Sure she was loving and
understanding, but what mother would be okay with their child being a stripper?
Hours passed by, though Nico could not say how many. He was currently lying on
the couch, on his stomach. His eyes were staring, unfocused, at the wall across
from him. Minerva had taken Bianca into the kitchen, probably to try and get
his sister to eat something. Nico had already refused, even though the woman
had spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to get something into his system. But
he just was not hungry.
Daedalus sat on the arm of the couch, silently. What he was doing, Nico could
not say. The only reason he knew the brunet was there was because he could see
his friend's leg from the corner of his eye; that, and the brunet would let out
a quiet sigh from time to time. He was just thankful that Daedalus seemed to
understand that he just wanted to be left alone right now.
Nico vaguely heard the knock at the door. He did not move, though. Daedalus
hopped off of the couch and walked out of the living room. “Hey, Percy,” came
Daedalus's voice from the hall. Nico let out a sigh as he heard footsteps.
“He's just been laying there for the past two hours.”
He heard Percy grunt. The green-eyed manager crouched down, bringing his face
into Nico's line of sight. The manager crossed his arms and rested them on the
edge of the couch. “Hey,” he said quietly. Nico did not reply. Percy looked up.
“Has he eaten anything?”
Daedalus shook his head. “He drank a little water, but that's about it.”
Percy nodded. He looked back at Nico and tilted his head to the side. “Do you
want to stay here a little longer, or do you want to go back to the hotel?”
Nico finally focused his vision, Percy smiled in response. “If I come back, can
I just stay in my room?”
Percy let out a breath. “If you promise me you'll eat something.”
It was at that moment that Minerva came back into the room. “Oh, hello, you
must be Percy.” The woman patted her hair upon inspection of the young man
currently in her living room. “My son said you would be coming by.”
Percy smiled and held out his hand. “Percy Jackson. I guess I'd be Nico's
guardian.”
Daedalus arched a brow, which went unnoticed by everyone except Nico. The
brunet glanced down at the raven haired boy on the couch. Nico knew what was
running through his friend's mind. He was questioning what Percy had just said.
Daedalus knew how Nico felt about Percy, but not what was happening on the
manager's end. Well, sadly for him, Nico did not even know that answer.
Minerva smiled and shook Percy's hand. “It's unfortunate that we have to meet
under these circumstances. Still, I'd like to thank you for taking care of
him.” She pursed her lips as she stared down at Nico. “I just hate what's
happened to him, especially at such a young age.”
Percy reached into his pocket and slipped out a card. “If you ever need to
reach me, there's my number.”
The woman smiled and took the card. “You seem quite young to be running a
hotel.”
The green-eyed young man flashed a smile as he helped Nico up. “That's what I
hear. My mother runs the business, and she just put me in charge here.”
“Ah.” Minerva eyed the young man again. “Well, I suppose you're doing a good
job.”
As they reached the door, Bianca shot into the hallway and enveloped Nico into
a hug. “Will you come to the funeral?” She pulled back, tears in her eyes.
“I'll understand if you say no.”
“I'll be there,” Nico whispered.
Bianca nodded and let him go. Percy's lips were set in a thin line when Nico
turned around. Minerva and Daedalus stood there and waved as Percy opened an
umbrella and led Nico outside. In all honesty, Nico did not really care if he
got soaked again. But Percy was being nice to him, so he was not going to
complain.
“Why did you lie?” Nico asked when he finally got in the car.
Percy blinked at him as he backed out of the driveway. “Lie about what?”
“Your mom running the hotel.”
Percy's driving was a little slower than normal, Nico noticed. “And what part
of that was a lie? Gaea is my mother, for all intents and purposes.” Without
taking his eyes off the road, he arched a brow. “She did raise me and make me
the man I am today.”
“But she wasn't the only one.”
The young man shrugged. “I guess I had some more help. Chiron's been pretty
good with giving me advice.”
Nico sighed. That was not what he had meant. Percy's real mother deserved
credit. Nico doubted Percy's personality and behavior was all credible to Gaea.
No, the compassion that the young man held came from somewhere else, he was
sure of it.
The boy reclined his seat. The day was nowhere near over, yet he felt
exhausted. His eyes felt heavy, probably from the crying. “Tell me about her.”
Percy briefly looked over at him. “Your mother, I mean.”
Percy blew his lips, hands firmly on the steering wheel. “Well, she took care
of me when I was sick. She always tried to do what was best for me.” When Nico
looked over at the young man, he noticed a smile on Percy's lips. “She was
really great. Sucks I only get to see her a few times a year.”
“Percy,” Nico shot the young man a look, “I meant your real mother, not Gaea.”
The manager just rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, remaining silent.
Nico let out a sigh and rolled onto his side, away from Percy. Perhaps Percy
truly was the equivalent of Peter Pan, who had forgotten about his real mother
and lived his life in a fantasy world.
Nico's eyes landed on the window, where they watched the rain beat against the
glass. “Can I get a ride to the funeral? From someone, anyone?”
Percy was silent for a long time, the only noise filling the car was that of
the window wipers. “Are you sure that's a good idea?” Percy finally asked.
Nico turned his head to look over at his crush. “It's the last time I'll get to
see her, I need to go.”
Green eyes flickered over to meet with brown. “If you think it best, then I'll
accompany you myself.”
“You don't have to go,” Nico mumbled.
The boy blinked when Percy's hand reached over and touched his leg. “But I want
to. Don't worry, I'm sure some of the others will volunteer to go.” The hand
began rubbing soothing circles. Nico let out a content sigh. “You don't have to
do any of this alone.”
Nico wiped at his eyes as fresh tears threatened to spill out. He had cried so
much, enough that he almost forgot about all of his bruises. Almost. When he
attempted to curl up, the bruises on his ribs decided to make themselves known
once again. As he winced, Percy squeezed his leg.
More tears streamed down his cheeks, which he tried his best to wipe away. But,
each time he did, more would take their place. “Why can't I just catch a break?
I'm not sure who I upset, but I think someone out there hates me.”
There was a small chuckle from Percy. “I'm sure you'll make it.” Nico looked
over at the young man, but Percy kept his eyes on the road. The hotel was now
in sight. “You're not weak, don't make yourself out to be.” It wasn't until
they pulled into the garage that Percy looked at him. “I think that you can
handle pretty much whatever life decides to throw at you.”
Nico just nodded his head with wide eyes. Percy was being very nice to him. And
while it probably was not the best time, it really was not helping his crush.
Percy was out of the car as soon as he had it parked. Nico just blinked as he
found the young man holding his hand out for him.
The brown-eyed boy leaned against Percy as they walked to the elevator, a heavy
silence filling the air. When they were inside the elevator, Percy placed his
hand around Nico's waist. Percy was warm, and it just made Nico want to fall
asleep standing up. He could also smell the beach, like they were still out at
the ocean. Why couldn't he just go back to that, when his mother was still
alive?
Percy lifted his chin as they rode up. “Do you want to stay in my room? I'll
have to work still, but I'll come in and check on you. And you can just sleep
there tonight, if you want.”
Nico just shook his head, which surprised himself as well. Had he actually
turned down sleeping in Percy's bed? “No, I just want to be alone right now.”
Percy's eyes reminded Nico of the ocean after a storm, a dark sea green.
Though, Nico could tell the young man was not upset, like he usually was when
his eyes were dark. The manager nodded. “Okay. Just let me know if you need
anything.” He smiled and pulled Nico against him. “I'm only a phone call away.”
The shorter of the two nodded. “I just want to stay in my room.”
Percy made sure Nico held his gaze as the elevator came to a stop. “Just
promise me you'll eat something. I don't want to come to check on you, only to
find you've starved yourself.”
Nico pulled away and stepped out of the elevator. Percy just stood there,
unreadable as always. “I'll be fine. Don't worry about me.”
The corner of Percy's lips tilted up before he slid a hand into his pocket and
nodded. The two stared at each other until the metal doors closed. Nico stared
down at the floor for a while before heading to his room.
He hated to admit it, but he cringed slightly when Butch and Beckendorf's door
opened after he passed it. Before he could even turn around, a pair of arms had
him in a hug. “Nico, I'm sorry to hear about your mom,” came Silena's voice in
his ear. She turned him around to look him in the eye. “You must be upset.”
There was a moment of silence, where Nico just stared up at her. “Is there
anything I can do for you?”
Nico just shook his head. “I just wish it was a dream.”
Silena pursed her lips and nodded. “Yeah. I'm sure she was a good woman.” There
was a small smile on her lips as she combed Nico's hair to the side. “Do you
have a picture of her?”
Again, Nico shook his head. “No,” he whispered. “I should have asked Bianca for
one.”
He was pulled in for another hug. “It's all right, Nico. I'm sure you can still
get one.”
Nico wiped at some fresh tears, nodding his head. “What...what happened to your
mother?”
The Lost Girl became as still as a statue. Some of the color from the girl's
cheeks vanished. “I wouldn't know. Haven't seen her since I left home.”
Nico just stared up at her in wonder. The girl plastered a completely fake
smile on her face as she raked her fingers through Nico's hair. She patted his
cheek before she turned around and walked towards the girls' hall. Odd, Nico
thought.
The Lost Boy found Jason sitting on the couch when he entered their suite. The
blond looked up at him, rubbing his legs nervously. “Hey,” Jason whispered.
Nico nodded his head in response.
“How are you?” The blond stood up and rubbed at his arm. He kept his distance
from Nico, though.
Nico shrugged, opening up the fridge. As he looked around, he found nothing
looked particularly appetizing. “What do you eat when you're not even hungry?”
“Who says you have to eat? Don't worry about it if you're not hungry.”
Nico sighed and closed the door to the fridge. “Percy wanted me to eat
something. Just...not sure if I can hold anything down right now.”
“Yeah,” Jason said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Losing your mom
isn't easy.”
The raven haired boy leaned against the fridge. He met Jason's gaze, though he
remained silent for several long seconds. “How did you deal with it? Losing
your mom, I mean.”
Jason sighed. He licked his lips before sitting down on the arm of the couch.
“It's been a few years.” Sky blue eyes looked away, not really staring off at
anything in particular. Nico simply stood there as his roommate sat there,
contemplating things with his arms crossed. “Sometimes, I have a hard time even
remembering her face.” Jason made a face. “I think the drugs helped with that
lovely fact.”
“Is that why you did them?”
Jason shrugged. “Maybe a little. My life's never really been the most enjoyable
experience.” The blond scowled, and Nico knew that they were beginning to tread
into bad territory. “I mean, when you have a father that prostitutes his own
children, you know you have the most loving family there is, right?”
“Your mother, Jason.”
The tan blond sighed. “Sorry, sorry. She was...disturbed, sort of. For whatever
reason, she was in love with my father. The same man that made it very apparent
that he wasn't planning on marrying her, or offer much assistance in taking
care of her children. He had my bastard of a brother, what more would one
need?” Nico frowned at the blond. “Right, mother, sorry. She wasn't a bad
mother, but she was far from the best.”
Nico sighed. “Perhaps that was similar to mine. I mean, she wasn't insane or
anything, but she could have done more, I guess.” His brown eyes became
unfocused as he stared at the floor. “When I was younger, I remember her being
much more vocal. She disagreed with my father a lot more.”
“So what changed?”
“My father.” Nico's eyes became nearly black as he focused back on Jason. “I
don't know if he ever hit her. If he did, it was never in front of us. But
something changed in my mother. My father is just an intimidating man, easily
overshadowing my mother.”
Blue and brown clashed as the roommates watched each other. “She didn't ever
stand up for you? Didn't try and stop your father from abusing you?”
“She would, at first. Mainly when it first started. But, as time went on, she
became more and more quiet.” Nico sighed and shook his head. “There were times,
when I would see her crying, and even once where I noticed her begging my
father to stop. But it was always through a whisper.”
“Well, at least she tried. My mother had no objections letting our father whore
us out, since it was what he wanted.”
“Did you love her?”
Jason scrunched his lips. “Maybe. Love is such a strange word for me sometimes.
I liked her more than my father, but Thalia was more of a mother to me than she
ever was.” Nico frowned when the blond scowled. “Until she left.”
Nico shoved off of the fridge, stopping in front of Jason. “I think you two
should sort through your issues with each other.” He moved to touch Jason's
arm, but the blond flinched away. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” Jason whispered, already facing away from Nico. “Sorry, just not
overly affectionate.”
“I could imagine. How do you deal with the job?”
“A lot of focus and willpower.” The blond sighed and stood up, causing Nico to
have to look up. Jason rested a hand on top of Nico's head. “We can talk about
my problems another time. You're going to be okay, right?”
“Yeah,” Nico whispered.
Jason nodded and slipped past Nico to head to his room. Nico watched him go,
until Jason turned the corner down the hall. A second later, the blond's door
was shut. The raven haired boy let out a sigh before following in his
roommate's footsteps. After he closed his door, he collapsed on his bed.
---------------------------------------------
To put it lightly, Nico felt like shit. There was a loud pounding in his head,
which did not seem to want to go away. He cracked an eye open, landing on his
clock. It was nearly noon. How long had he been asleep? He let out a groan. He
had been passed out for over twelve hours, and his stomach was actively
reminding of how little he had eaten yesterday.
It was at this point that Nico came to another realization. The pounding in his
head was not a headache. Someone was actually beating on his door. Letting out
a sigh, he picked himself up and headed to the front of his suite.
His stomach lurched as he opened the door. Annabeth took a step forward when
she noticed this action, her grey eyes blinking in surprise. “Is this a bad
time?” She asked. Nico shook his head, but kept his mouth covered. The blonde
reached out and felt his head. “Sweating a little bit, but you don't seem to
have a temperature. Have you eaten?” Nico shook his head again. “Figured as
much. I thought I should come and check on you.”
“Not sure if I can keep anything down.”
The Lost Girl gently pushed him out of the way, heading straight for his
kitchen. “My mom, she used to have something to eat for every occasion. Let me
see if I can whip something up.” She pursed her lips as she explored Nico's
kitchen. “An orange might be good for you. Let's see...what about pancakes?
Oatmeal?”
Nico just scrunched his lips. “Not really sure. Didn't do much cooking before I
got here.”
“And you still don't,” Annabeth mumbled as she shut one of the cabinets. “You
just need something simple.” She snapped her fingers. “Grilled cheese! Maybe
some soup. It's time for lunch anyways.”
Before Nico could even protest or agree, Annabeth had him sitting at the
island, while she went about cooking at the stove. She moved like a whirlwind
across the kitchen, gathering supplies and flipping bread from time to time. It
was almost motherly.
“Thanks, Annabeth,” he mumbled as a plate of grilled cheese was sat in front of
him.
She smiled and went back to stirring the soup. “Not a problem, it's my job.”
“But why?” Nico blinked. Annabeth just stood there, her back to Nico. “Why do
you, Luke, Apollo, and Thalia take it upon yourselves to do all this for the
rest of us?”
The blonde sighed and sat the spoon he had been using for stirring down on the
counter. “Because...sometimes we all need to be taken care of.” There was a sad
look on her face as she finally faced Nico. “Sometimes you need to feel loved,
whether it be similar to a parent or perhaps a sibling.”
“What about the rest of you?”
The soup was poured and, silently, the blonde slid it over to Nico. For a long
time, Annabeth just stared at him, and Nico quietly poked at his food. He
squirmed from time to time, unnerved by the girl's blank gaze. “It's where we
get the most enjoyment.” Nico blinked and looked up, surprised by the response
that finally came. “For all the pretending we do, we are still just a bunch of
kids, hence the name. All the growing up we do, yet we're still the scared
little children that left home.”
“Thank you.” Annabeth tilted her head to the side. “For everything that all of
you do, that is.”
She let out a breath as Nico took a large bite from his grilled cheese. “It's
our pleasure. It's the same with sex. It might be fun, and something to do, but
it has another purpose.” Nico blinked at her, bread still hanging from his
mouth. “It's a form of comfort. We make all of these people happy, loved, and
yet we just want to feel the same. We want to be wanted, some more than
others.”
“You want to be a family,” Nico whispered.
Annabeth nodded. “That's why, when it comes down to it, we watch out for each
other.”
“What about Octavian?” Nico clenched his eyes shut as soon as the words left
his mouth. Even though it had not come from someone he liked, he was learning
that not all information was best shared.
“Complicated.”
“Why don't you like him?”
The Lost Girl sighed. “I'm not the one who has the problem. He's the one that
doesn't seem to like me very much, possibly because of the fact that I'm the
closest thing Luke has to a friend, besides Percy.” She gestured to the food.
“You need to hurry up, Leo's going to take you shopping.”
Nico frowned as he picked up his spoon. “I don't want to go anywhere today.”
“It's for the funeral.” Nico sighed. Annabeth shrugged. “You need something to
wear, and you haven't had an occasion to dress up yet.”
Nico nodded and stared down at his soup, stirring it around. Annabeth turned
and began cleaning the stove. “Do you ever miss your family?”
He looked up when he was met with silence. Annabeth had frozen, her shoulders
were now stiff. “Let's talk about something else, Nico.”
“I've only heard you mention your family once or twice, and it was always
vague.”
Annabeth sighed, finally returning to her cleaning. “That's because I don't
like to talk about them. Bad memories, and all that.”
Nico chewed on his lip. He furrowed his brow and shoveled a spoonful of hot
soup into his mouth. “Where are they? Where did you grow up?”
She sighed again and pressed her back to the cabinets. “They're not with us
anymore, which is partially why I ended up on the streets. I didn't know the
rest of my family very well, and me and my step-mother never really saw eye to
eye.” She shrugged, her eyes a shade darker. “She's still out there, though.”
She made eye contact with Nico. “I'll never forgive her for what she did. If I
had half a mind, I would have Percy make her suffer.”
Nico just stared at the blonde Lost Girl. “Why didn't you? What did she do?”
“Ancient history. Just because I haven't let it go, doesn't mean it should be
brought up.” She tried to smile, but it came across as a forced, tired smile.
“Trust me when I say that people should not be entirely trusted. Parents, they
don't always fulfill their loving, protective role.”
Nico found himself at a loss for words. He just stared at the blonde, lips
tightly pursed. He felt sad for her, for all of them. Once again, he was left
questioning what had happened to yet another one of the Lost Kids. And he could
not help but wonder if he would ever manage fitting all the pieces together of
who these friends of his truly were.
It was not until he felt soft fingers in his hair that he realized he had
drifted off. He had slumped at some point, and a frown now marred his face.
“You okay?”
Nico looked up into Annabeth's grey eyes, giving a small nod. “Just thinking,”
he whispered.
Annabeth let out a breath. “About your mom?”
Nico's frown increased. “Why did she have to die?” His vision blurred as he
stared at the Lost Girl, but he did not care at this point. It hurt. It hurt
deep in his chest, like someone had ripped his heart from his chest.
The blonde wrapped an arm around his head and pulled him into a hug. “You'll be
okay, Nico, in time.” She offered a small smile and ruffled his hair. “But,
right now, you need to get cleaned up and dressed.”
The worst part of all of this for him was that he had not been thinking about
his mother at the time. How sad was it that the simple reminder that his mother
was no longer with him set him into a fit of tears? On top of the tears, he
also felt sick. Now that he was thinking about her again, he was beginning to
fear that he would throw up the food he had just ingested.
He stumbled as he attempted to make his way towards the bathroom. But, with a
little help from Annabeth, he managed to get inside and close the door. He sat
down on the toilet for a moment and wiped at his nose. This was real. He did
not want to accept it, but it was beginning to become impossible to deny. And
by tomorrow, there would be no question about it. His mother was dead.
As much as he just wanted to simply sit there and feel depressed about things,
he knew he needed to get moving. This fact also came from a knock on the door.
Nico sighed and stood to his feet. Annabeth stood there, a few simple articles
of clothing in hand.
“Thanks,” he mumbled before shutting the door again.
The water helped a little. The water and his body wash reminded him of Percy.
Perhaps that had been the reason he had picked out that particular type of body
wash. It smelled like the ocean, which, in turn, reminded him of Percy. Percy
had a distinctive smell and feel.
While the young man had slightly rough and calloused hands, the back of them,
as well as his arms, were soft. And a strong heat would often resonate from
Percy's body. Percy's heartbeat was also enjoyable. The few times Nico had
managed the opportunity, he basked in the sound of the beating organ. The young
man's hair was also, surprisingly, soft. Not that Nico did not think Percy took
care of himself, it was just really soft to the touch.
He was, for every available sense, intoxicating.
The most important thing about the shower was that it had gotten him to stop
crying. That, or he had just failed to realize he was crying under all the
water pouring down on him. He now wished that Percy was there, comforting him.
As the boy stood there in front of the mirror, part of his large towel pressed
against his face, he found himself wishing that Percy was there behind him. He
wanted the manager's arms around him. Percy, without a doubt, was the person
that Nico needed to go with him to the funeral tomorrow.
Nico winced as he wiped the towel across his face, where it made contact with
the bruise on his cheek. The past few days, and the upcoming days, were not
looking kindly on him. The brown-eyed boy just had to wonder what he had ever
done to deserve all of this.
The Lost Boy frowned when he heard Annabeth's voice coming from the living
room. And it sounded like there were other people now in the suite. The boy
groaned, as he was not in the social mood. Who had come now? As far as he could
tell, the others were being empathetic of his desire to be left alone.
All except the twins, apparently. Travis and Connor were doing their best to
fight Annabeth as she struggled to push them out of the door. For two skinny
boys like the twins, they sure were making Annabeth's job impossible. They even
grinned down at her as they propped themselves against the doorframe, legs
shoved opposite of themselves.
“Come on, Beth-” Connor pouted.
“Don't call me that.” The blonde glared at the grinning brothers as she shoved
against their chests.
“We just wanted to see Nico.” Without much effort, Travis wrapped his arms
around Annabeth and picked her up, depositing her a few inches to the right.
The slightly taller brunet grinned and stepped into the room, his brother a
step behind him. “Hey there, buddy.”
Nico frowned at him as he lowered his T-shirt over his body. “What do you two
want?”
“Just wanted to see how you were doing.” Connor had already stepped away from
his brother before he had even finished his sentence. Following after his
brother, Travis stepped closer to Nico. The boy glared as the two wrapped
themselves around him, one on either side. “If you need some company, you can
just come and find us.”
Annabeth shut the door. “No. I know what you two are doing, and I'm not going
to let Nico get tricked into getting into your bed.”
Connor pouted as he leaned his cheek on Nico's head. “Bethy, I'm hurt that you
would accuse us of such vile acts.”
Travis smirked. “Besides, I'm sure he could use the distraction.”
“I don't want sex,” Nico mumbled.
“We won't tell, if you won't,” Connor whispered in his ear, while Travis
grinned at the blonde at the door.
“I'm not sure if I believe that.”
Annabeth huffed and grabbed Nico's wrist, jerking him away from the twins. “I
don't either.” She stepped in front of Nico and pointed a finger at them.
“Look, I need to get Nico to Leo-”
“We'll do it!” The two brunets cried in unison.
Before either Annabeth or Nico could even blink, the twins had Nico by either
of his arms and were dragging him out the door. Annabeth sighed. “You'll need
this!” She called. Travis turned around and expertly caught Nico's wallet.
“I can walk myself.”
This did not seem to get either of them to loosen their grips. Neither did it
do anything to diminish the large grins on their faces. It only seemed to
affect one person, and that one person was Nico. The boy did not like this,
mainly because he had learned a long time ago that the twins were the biggest
trouble makers, not only in the hotel, but possibly the entire state.
“Don't look so scared, Neeks,” Connor chuckled. They finally stopped at the
elevator, and Travis pushed the button to summon it. “We just want to help.
And, since you've had all this going on, we won't even make a pass at you.”
“Unless you want it,” Travis added. Connor nodded.
Nico frowned as he was led into the elevator. “Don't hold your breath.”
“Frowning's not good for you, Neeks.” Connor draped his arms around Nico's
shoulders and pulled the boy into his chest. “You need to lighten up, have some
fun.”
Dark brown eyes met with sky blue ones. “My mother just died, I think I'm
entitled to some time dedicated to moping.”
Nico made a face when Travis poked his stomach. “Well, when you're ready, you
come find us. We are experts at cheering people up.”
Nico let out a sigh. He knew they meant well, but he really did not want to
think about any of that right now. It would be a while, he knew, before he
would get past this. Even if she had not always been there when he needed her,
she was still his mother.
Nico let out a sigh, which did not go unnoticed by the twins. Travis tilted his
head to the side. “What's up, Neeks?”
“Everyone's just being really nice.”
Connor squeezed his shoulder. “Well, what did you expect? We keep telling you
that we're family, but you seem to always have this doubt.”
Nico gave him an annoyed look. “Gee, I can't imagine why I'd ever feel that
way,” he mumbled sarcastically. The shorter of the two smiled and wrapped his
arms around Nico. The brown-eyed boy glared at the other twin as Connor rubbed
his cheek against Nico's head. “I will hurt both of you.”
Travis chuckled and grabbed Nico on the boy's other side. “Neeks, don't be
silly, you're too small.”
Connor grinned wickedly. “Is he?”
Nico glared and grabbed the Lost Boy's wrist as he attempted to grab Nico's
crotch. “No touching.”
The taller of the two twins shrugged. “From what I hear, he's not that small.”
He winked and stuck his tongue out at Nico. “But not as big as some of the
other guys around here.”
“You two will never find out.”
The Stolls grinned and slung their arms around each other's shoulders. “Never
say never, Neeks,” they both chimed.
“We just might accept that challenge,” Travis added.
They all turned when someone cleared their throat. Apparently, the elevator had
arrived in the garage, because Leo was standing there with his arms crossed.
“Please, can you two behave for once? Nico has enough problems right now.”
Travis grinned and pulled Leo to him. “Now, Leo, don't be like that.”
Connor poked the Latino boy's side. “Yeah, you know you enjoy our company.”
The curly haired Lost Boy smacked Connor's hand away. “That is neither here nor
there. The point is that I have stuff to do with Nico.”
Travis winked at Leo. “Oh, I'm sure.”
“Not that kind of stuff, ass.” Leo huffed and grabbed Nico by the wrist. “Come
on, Nico. Let's get you away from these two criminals.”
The two twins narrowed their eyes. “Don't start with us...alien,” Travis
growled.
Leo tossed them both the bird. “Fuck off.”
Nico blinked as he was led away. That had certainly escalated quickly. What had
just happened? As far as Nico was aware, very few things managed to set the
twins off. The raven haired boy stared at Leo as the other Lost Boy slammed the
driver's side door shut.
“You okay?”
Leo shrugged. “Don't worry about it. They weren't being serious.”
Nico frowned. “They looked serious to me. What was that about anyways?”
“Like I said, don't worry about it.” Leo was frowning as he buckled his seat
belt. “Just some old history. As I said, they weren't being serious.” He
sighed. “Believe me, you'll know when the twins are upset.” The curly haired
Lost Boy glanced at Nico before pulling onto the street. “You going to be okay
for tomorrow?”
Nico stared down at his lap. “I don't know.”
“You'll have plenty of support. A few of us are going with you.”
“Are you going?”
Leo shook his head. “I'm holding down the fort while Percy is away.”
Nico perked up a little at that. So Percy was going with him? That was good.
“Who else?”
The driver blew out a breath. “I think it's the four siblings: Luke, Annabeth,
Apollo, and Thalia.” He shrugged and picked at a spot on his jeans. A fact that
made Nico feel uneasy, considering the circumstances for his mourning. “I think
of a few of them just wanted to make sure you don't have a confrontation with
your father.”
“I don't really care about him,” Nico mumbled. “I mean, I needed to face him at
some point, right?”
Leo turned to stare at him briefly. “It's not always cowardly to run.
Sometimes...sometimes it's for the best.”
Nico watched Leo as he drove. For such a simple statement, it seemed like it
held a deeper meaning. What had happened to Leo and his mother? “Why did they
call you an alien? I don't think they meant the green kind from space either.”
Leo let out a sigh. “Long story, and I'm not.” His brow furrowed as he turned
his head to look at Nico for a brief second. “Well, technically, I'm not. My
mom, she wasn't really born here, you see.” There was another sigh as he
gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I mean, I guess it's not hard to tell,
with her thick accent, and she sometimes slips into Spanish without realizing
it.”
“So she crossed the border, what's the big deal? She wanted a better life.”
It was odd seeing Leo without his smile. Like the twins, a smirk was Leo's
usual setting. “Yeah, well, not everyone agrees. She didn't do it legally, so
that's why we ran a lot.” The Latino shook his head. “I just remember being
unable to sleep most nights. I was just afraid they would come and take my
mother away. Me? I wasn't really sure what to think about myself. Would they
take me? Would I get left here and put in the system?”
Nico swallowed as he watched the side of Leo's face. “And Percy offered you
protection?”
Leo nodded. “For the first time, I felt safe. Originally, the deal was just for
me. But I couldn't just leave my mother out there, so I bargained for her
safety. It was just...not as soon as I would have liked.”
“You didn't come here with your mother?” Nico's brow furrowed. Leo shook his
head. “So how did you pull it off? For some reason, I don't see it being that
easy.”
“Yeah,” Leo whispered. “As you can imagine, it's not easy to pull off a deal
with Percy, especially one working in my favor.” The Lost Boy shrugged.
“Fortunately for me, I had already begun working in the office. Come on.”
Nico blinked. When had they parked? “So what was it?” He asked upon getting out
of the car. Leo arched his brows. “What was it that got you to be able to make
the deal?”
“Oh.” Leo finally smirked, which made Nico feel a little better. “I found out
that someone that was working for Gaea was embezzling some of her money. A good
bit of it, too.” He turned his head to grin at Nico. “She was most pleased with
my performance, told Percy to give me whatever I wanted as payment. Naturally,
I only wanted one thing.”
“And Percy didn't know about this? I mean, it had to be happening here, or
close by, right? How did he not already know about it?”
The other Lost Boy chuckled. “Who said he didn't?” Nico quirked his head. Leo
chuckled again. “It was just this smirk that he gave me when we got done
calling Gaea. I thought I had caught something big, like I had made a huge
discovery. But, sometimes, I think he planned it all.”
Nico held the door to the store open for Leo. He frowned as he stepped in
behind his fellow Lost Boy. “So, why did the twins get offended by the
criminals remark? You were just joking, right?”
“Sort of,” Leo mumbled. “I wasn't being entirely serious, but I knew it would
get to them.”
“Did they get in trouble, or something?”
Leo scrunched his lips, not meeting Nico's eyes. He nudged Nico and headed over
to look at some dress shirts. “Not anymore. Well, sort of. You see, the twins
may have their jobs, but they also work as profilers for Percy. With their
history, they are good at reading customers. They can know if it's best to keep
people out, or who could be a big spender. If you want to know how we get our
special customers, those two are your answer. Percy has them keep an eye on
potential clients, either within the hotel, or other places, and they report
back to him.”
Nico frowned as Leo pressed a sleeve into his chest. The Latino shook his head.
“So, did they get arrested, or something? Before coming to the Lotus, I mean.”
“Um,” Leo began. He picked out another shirt, a white one, and held it up to
Nico. “I think that's a conversation you need to have with them. Yeah, they got
in trouble. They don't know this, but Percy was already aware of who they were
before he bumped into them on the street. I didn't understand why he had an
interest in two thieves. He just kept telling me that they were interesting.”
Nico let out a sigh as Leo held up a black shirt with a few white trims up to
him. It looked nice, he supposed. “I'm starting to realize why everyone says
things are complicated.”
Leo just smirked at him. “I think this shirt will do.” He tossed the black
shirt at Nico. “Let's get you a tie and some pants.”
“And shoes,” Nico mumbled.
Leo smirked. “Those too.” The boy sighed and ran his fingers along one of the
racks. “So, how are you holding up?”
“I'm...holding. It just really sucks. And your birthday is in two days, and I
feel like the mood is ruined now.”
Leo stopped walking and looked at Nico with a concerned stared. “Hey, man,
don't beat yourself up like that.” He smirked again. “Besides, you've already
been beaten up enough.”
“Shut up.” The short raven haired boy took a swing at the other Lost Boy. “It's
not funny. And I still need to get you something.”
Leo shrugged. “Don't worry about it, dude. This is important.”
Nico poked around at the tie rack. He had never really liked them, prior to his
arrival at the hotel. Not much had really changed about it since then, but he
now knew they were sometimes appropriate to wear. And his mother had always
joked that she never got to see him in enough of them. Maybe, if there was a
heaven, she could get to see him in one tomorrow.
“Where's your father?”
Leo looked up at him from over the rack. He frowned and returned to browsing.
“Don't know. Mom never really talks about him.”
“You never met him?”
“No. Not sure I want to.” Nico gave him an odd look. “Why would I want to meet
someone who abandoned a pregnant woman? My mom did a great job at raising me,
and did her best to fill both parental roles.”
The raven haired boy let out a sigh as he fingered a dark red tie. “She seems
like a nice woman.” What he did not want to say was that Esperanza sometimes
reminded Nico of his mother, in some ways. More in his younger years, before
his father “broke” her.
Leo gave a small smile. “What was your mom like anyways? We know your dad's an
asshole, but you never talked much about your mom.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He decided to go with the red tie, so he placed it around
his shoulders. “She was a quiet woman. When I was little, I had a lot of
memories of her. Her smile was always my favorite thing to see. But, as I got
older, I remember seeing it less and less.” He sighed and let his shoulders
slump. “Bianca says that she was always very attentive of me.” He finally
smiled. “I was a small child.” Leo chuckled at him. “I know, it's hard to
imagine.”
“Were you trouble?”
The boy scrunched his lips. “Bianca says I was. When she hit puberty, she kind
of pushed me away. But when my father got worse, and my mom got more reclusive,
Bianca began to step in.” The two walked away from the ties and went in search
of shoes. “Bianca says I'd always try and find ways to get in trouble when I
was little. Apparently, I liked to go places that would just wind up getting me
in trouble.”
Leo smirked and stroked his chin. “Innocent Nico getting in trouble? That's
hard to imagine.”
Nico glared at him. “I hate you.”
Leo nudged him. “Oh, whatever, you love me and the others.”
Nico chose to ignore the remark. “I just wish I knew if he hit her. I know he
hit me, and I know why he did it, but I don't think I could stand for it if I
were to find out my dad hit my mom.”
Leo crouched down in front of one of the shoe aisles. “Did you ever see
bruises?”
The raven haired boy shook his head. “But, there are other ways to abuse
people. My dad has always been a stressed out man. I mean, we weren't poor, but
I do know that he worked himself extra hard to make sure everyone was taken
care of.”
Leo tilted his head back to frown up at Nico. “Don't tell me you're defending
him. He hit you, Nico!”
Nico gave Leo a look, letting the other know to keep his voice down. “I know
that,” Nico hissed. “I'm just saying that he was usually tired when he came
home. He didn't really hit me much, until I tried coming out to him.”
“Much,” Leo muttered. “Still means he hit you.”
“Just...I don't know. It wasn't that bad. He was just upset with me, because I
wasn't the epitome of masculinity that he wanted me to be.”
Leo sighed and stood up, shoving a pair of black shoes at Nico. “And who is to
say what defines a man anyways? A real man doesn't hit his children, or
belittle his wife.” The Latino Lost Boy took a few steps before turning around
to point a finger at Nico. “A real man is there when their children and spouse
need them. Your father has no business telling anyone what a real man is.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he held Leo's gaze. “I wasn't trying to defend my
father. The man is an ass, and I don't even love him.”
“Really?” Leo studied Nico, sounding unconvinced. “We'll see. Nico, you need to
be ready for tomorrow. Something tells me you're going to have some choices to
make.”
----------------------------------------------
The casket was closed. That was what Nico found himself most upset with. He
knew it had been a car accident, so they probably had a hard time getting his
mother to look presentable, but now he was truly never going to get to see her
again. He sat at the back of the graveside funeral, though Bianca had insisted
that they sit together.
Nico's dark eyes found his father's back and he glared at the man. As far as he
was concerned, his father was to blame for all of this. It was his father's
fault that Nico had not seen his mother for the past few months. It was his
father's fault that Nico had been torn away from his sister and mother in the
first place.
Percy squeezed his thigh, probably sensing his anger. The boy's dark eyes
darted over to meet calm green ones. Percy arched a brow at him, his lips
tilted down. Nico looked down as the tall young man leaned towards him. “Calm
down,” Percy whispered.
His other hand was currently being held by Annabeth, who was gently patting it.
Thalia, oddly enough, had been quiet ever since they arrived. Well, other than
quietly hissing things to Luke. But most of all, Nico noticed the hateful
glares Thalia gave Hades. When Nico had first pointed out his father, Thalia
had attempted to jump on the man. If it had not been for Apollo grabbing her,
she might have succeeded.
Nico wiped a fresh set of tears away before nodding to Percy. He had been doing
his best to ignore the priest from the church his father used to always drag
him to, but the man was beginning to grate on his nerves. He did not want to
hear about God right now. If there was a god, Nico wanted nothing to do with
him or her right now, not after they took his mother.
Nico's brown eyes returned to his father's back. The man was slouching, which
was uncommon for him. He was visibly upset, from what Nico had seen, another
thing that was uncommon for the man. Nico just wanted the service to end. He
wanted to go to his mother's casket, and he wanted his sister with him. He
wanted to be beside his mother, one last time, before they lowered her body
into the ground.
It was not a large service, nor was it a small one. His mother had been a
likable person, and all of her close friends had come, as well as some family.
And Nico wanted to be away from all of them. There would surely be questions
about his whereabouts, should he be seen.
He wiped at his nose again and stared at his mother's black casket. Nico just
wanted to see his mother again. Why couldn't he be a kid again, hugging his
mother's leg as she baked? He just wanted to be able to look up and see her
smiling down at him. She did not deserve to have her life ripped away like
this. If it had to be one of his parents, there was one he would have
preferred.
Nico sighed and stared down at his lap. He shook his head. He did not need to
be thinking like that. His mother would be very disappointed in him if she had
heard him thinking like that. But, then again, there were probably a lot of
things his mother would be disappointed in him about, if she was still alive
for him to tell her.
As the service concluded, some of the people began to make their way back to
their cars. Some people walked by the front row, paying their respects to the
family that sat there. No one came to Nico, though, if they even knew he was
there. Perhaps they did not know he was there, and perhaps it was better that
way.
Bianca turned to look at him while some old woman stood in front of her and
Hades. She looked a little familiar to Nico. Possibly a distant relation? Nico
stared back at his sister for a long time. He knew she wanted him to come up
there and be with her, but Nico also knew he could not do that. Hell, Percy and
the others probably would refuse to let him go up there.
“Thank you for bringing Nico, Percy.”
Nico frowned and broke eye contact with his sister when a soft hand stroked his
hair. He looked up to find Minerva standing over him. He felt Percy pat his leg
before the young man stood up.
“It was the least I could do,” Percy said, holding his hand out to shake
Quintus's hand. “You must be Daedalus's father?”
The man nodded. “Yes,” he replied before turning his attention to Nico. “I
didn't get a chance to speak with you the other day, Nico, but I'm very sorry
about your loss.”
Nico offered up a weak smile before looking down at his lap. The tips of
Percy's fingers brushed through his bangs. “I'm going to make sure he's taken
care of, don't worry.”
“Oh.” Minerva reached into her purse. “I don't suppose I could get some
additional contact information, could I?” Percy smiled at her. “Well, I mean,
I'm sure Nico is just fine there, but it would just ease my mind if you were
able to contact me if something were wrong.”
“Of course.” The young man nudged Apollo's foot. “Keep an eye on him, I'll be
right back.”
Apollo nodded. Thalia let out a sigh and stood up, walking around to stand
behind the curly haired blond's chair. Annabeth stared down at her own lap,
picking at her black dress, though there was no imperfections to be found on
it.
Annabeth reached down and picked up her purse. From it, she pulled a red rose.
“Here, for your mom's casket.”
Nico pursed his lips and silently accepted the flower. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“I'm sure she was a very nice lady.” Apollo gave him a lopsided smile. “I never
really knew my mom, she died giving birth to me and my sister.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “How is that supposed to help anything?”
“It's fine,” Nico muttered. “It doesn't bother me.” He felt Thalia squeeze his
shoulder. “Thanks for coming.”
Annabeth slid her arm around him. “We figured you could use all the support you
could get. Just be glad the whole lot of us didn't come.”
Suddenly, Luke shot to his feet, muttering a curse under his breath. Nico
furrowed his brow and followed the blond's gaze. His face instantly paled.
Nico's father was heading right for them, looking as angry as the night he had
kicked Nico out. “What the hell are you doing here, queer?” Nico heard Apollo
growl. “I thought you were dead. Why couldn't it be you, instead of her?”
“Sir,” Annabeth began, “I think you should go back to your family.”
“Yeah,” Apollo growled.
Hades glared down at his son. “This...abomination has no business being here.
He is no longer part of this family.”
Nico's eyes widened as Hades made to move towards Nico. However, the man was
met by Luke's firm chest. The blond narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over
his chest. “I think you better leave...sir.”
“None of you have any business getting involved in any of this. Who are you
people anyways?”
“The people that are about to kick your ass.” Nico's eyes widened again as
Thalia made to dive over the chairs. Apollo managed to get to his feet and
restrain her, though the raven haired girl continued to kick and claw in
Hades's direction. “You fucking asshole. Who the hell gives you the right to
treat your child like that?”
Hades glared at the short girl, who did not seem to be bothered by the large
height difference between them in the least. “God did. His kind have no place
in this world.”
“Dad!” Bianca was there now, glaring at their father. “Leave him alone.”
Hades turned around, but pointed at Nico. “Did you know about this?”
“Yes,” she replied, crossing her arms. “And I'm glad I found him.”
The man bristled and turned back to Nico. “I want you to stay away from my
daughter. You've already done enough, I don't need more problems from you.”
Apollo slapped a hand over Thalia's mouth before she could yell at the man.
Hades was then blocked by Luke's chest again, cutting his vision off of Nico.
Annabeth, however, still appeared to be calm. Out of the four of them, she was
the only one not glaring at Hades.
Annabeth finally took Nico's hand and got them to their feet. With Luke still
blocking Hades, Annabeth began to lead Nico away from the scene. With much
resistance, Apollo dragged the kicking Thalia behind them. Nico looked back to
find Luke still standing there. He slowed down, which Annabeth noticed.
“Luke, come on.” The blond Lost Boy turned his head to stare at Annabeth. “Stay
out of trouble.”
Luke grunted before walking away from a fuming Hades. Nico wiped at his eyes
and gave a small wave to his sister before letting Annabeth lead him towards
the van. Why did his father have to bother him? All he had wanted to do was pay
his respects to his mother.
“Nico!”
Nico slowly turned to see what his sister wanted. His eyes widened as he found
his father coming towards him again, his fists clenched this time. He jerked
Nico away from Annabeth. Luke turned and began to step in, but stopped
suddenly. They all stood there. Hades drew his hand back and Nico shut his
eyes. “No son of mine is going to be a faggot.”
When the punch never came, Nico cracked an eye open. Hades was still standing
in front of him, but someone had grabbed his arm. Nico removed himself from
Hades's grasp and took a step back. Percy stood behind Hades, a firm grip
tightly wrapped around the man's wrist.
“Who the hell are you?” Hades asked as he jerked his arm away from Percy.
Percy shrugged as he walked around to stand behind Nico. “I suppose you could
call me his guardian. You know, since you abandoned your own son to survive on
the streets.”
“To die,” Thalia growled.
Percy's green eyes tossed her a look from the corner of his eye. The raven
haired girl pursed her lips and took a step back. When Percy returned his gaze
to Hades, Nico found them to be several shades darker. Not good, Nico thought.
He had learned by now that, while Percy could appear calm, his eyes would
always reflect his true emotion. And right now, Percy was furious.
“Now,” Percy continued, “I don't appreciate you trying to strike someone that
is under my care.” Nico tilted his head back to get a better look at Percy.
“And I've made several promises, to Nico and others, to make sure he stays
safe.”
“Looks like you've done a great job,” Hades spat.
“Like you even care,” Thalia snapped.
Percy let out a sigh. “If we're done here, I'd like to get going.”
“No, we are not.” Hades glared at Percy. “This child needs to be cleansed. I'm
going to send him off for therapy.”
The next few seconds went by in a flash. Hades made to grab Nico, but Percy put
his hand in a death grip. Nico was pulled back, into Percy's chest. Percy's
free hand was tightly wrapped around Nico's waist, while the young man held
Hades's gaze.
A shiver ran down Nico's spine as he looked up at Percy. The manager finally
released Hades's wrist and wrapped both of his arms around Nico. There was a
dangerous look in the young man's eye, and Nico half expected to see a forked
tongue shoot out from between the Adonis's lips. Once again, Percy reminded
Nico of a snake, ready to strike the man in front of them if he dared to grab
the boy in his arms.
“Nico is not yours anymore.” Hades narrowed his eyes, but Percy did not release
his hold on Nico's waist. His voice was firm and challenging. Nico became
painfully aware of the fact that he was shaking, though he felt perfectly safe.
Percy smirked and rested his chin on Nico's shoulder. “Nico. Is. Mine.”
Everything was eerily silent. The Lost Kids seemed hesitant to move, let alone
speak. Bianca stood there with wide eyes, eyes drifting between Nico and the
young man holding him. Even Daedalus and his parents were standing there,
watching them.
And Hades was fuming. His face was red, fists clenched tightly at his sides.
“This isn't over,” he spat at Percy, pointing a finger in the young man's face,
before storming off.
The young man finally released his hold on Nico's waist. Nico looked up to find
his eyes hidden, but a smirk on his face. Annabeth looked a little pale as she
gently took Nico by the wrist and led him towards the van. As they walked past,
Nico found the other three staring at Percy in bewilderment.
It was not until they were in the van that it all finally hit Nico. What had
Percy said to his father? Mine. That was what Percy had said. But did he mean
it, in the way that Nico wanted him to? When Percy got in the van, he hoped for
an answer, but the young man just cranked the vehicle and drove.
The drive back was awkwardly silent. During the drive, Nico had realized he was
still holding the rose that Annabeth had given him, though he had, apparently,
broken the stem at some point. By the time they got back to the hotel, Nico
felt sick.
Apollo helped him out of the van, immediately feeling his head. “You don't look
so good.”
Percy stopped and stared at Nico. “Help him up to his room.”
Nico shook his head and grabbed Percy before he could walk away. “I want to
stay in your room tonight.”
A lot of eyes watched Percy as the young man stared down at Nico. The young man
finally gave a nod, easing Nico's nerves. He felt even better when Percy held
his hand out for Nico. The boy stepped away from the others and let Percy drape
an arm around Nico.
He found himself being stared at by the other Lost Kids during their time in
the elevator. The one that bothered him the most was Annabeth, who looked like
she was examining everything about Nico and Percy. But none of them said
anything, which sort of surprised Nico. He figured they would have some words
of protest.
When Luke and Nico locked gazes, the boy shuddered. The blond looked irritated.
His eyes kept drifting between Nico's eyes and the hand on the boy's shoulder.
Percy cleared his throat when the elevator stopped. “All of you need to get to
work.”
Without objection, the elevator emptied. However, Percy did not speak again.
They rode up a floor in silence, and even walked down the hall in the same
fashion. Nico shifted his weight between his legs while Percy pulled out his
keycard. During this time, Rachel came out of Percy's office. She froze and
blinked at them for a moment. Percy just stared back at her with dull eyes
before pushing Nico into his suite.
Nico made a noise in his throat when he felt Percy touch his chin. The young
man forced Nico to look up at him. But, before Nico could question him, Percy
wiped at Nico's eyes. Nico frowned when Percy stepped away to get some tissues.
During this time, he touched at his face. A warm wetness met his fingers. He
had not even realized he had been crying.
Percy held out the tissue for Nico, which was taken with a weak smile. The boy
sniffed and wiped at his eyes, though more tears just appeared to take their
place. “Come on,” Percy whispered. He led Nico over to the couch, where he had
the boy lie down. “I'm going to be in and out of here for most of the rest of
the day, but if you need me, you can just call me.”
Nico nodded. Percy brushed at Nico's bangs before standing up. He handed Nico
the TV remote and walked towards his bedroom. Nico just sniffled again and
stared at the ceiling. “Can't you just stay here?”
“I can't, I'm sorry. But I'll be coming in and out to check on you. And I'll be
back as soon as we close upstairs.”
Nico sighed and curled up into a ball. He felt the couch shift, and he looked
down to stare at Percy. The young man smiled at him while he worked on his tie.
Nico slid himself up, letting himself end up brushing Percy's shoulder.
The young man hummed and ran a hand down Nico's back, while his other hand
worked to get his shoes on. He was so warm, Nico thought. The boy just wanted
him to stay there with him, to keep him warm and safe.
Before he could really think about what he was doing, Nico positioned himself
to sit in Percy's lap. A soft smile touched at Percy's lips as he rested a hand
on Nico's waist. “You okay?” Percy whispered.
Nico nodded before wrapping his arms around Percy's neck. He let his head fall
onto the Adonis's shoulder, his legs now underneath him, on either side of
Percy. “I just want you to stay here, though.” Percy stared back at him,
letting Nico run his fingers through the back of his hair. “Please stay?”
The young man sat back against the couch. “I'll see if I can come back early,
okay? I'm going to be here for you, but I also have a business to run.” Nico
sighed, letting Percy run his calloused fingers through his hair. “You going to
be okay without me for a while?”
The Lost Boy frowned, but nodded. He let his head fall as Percy took a hold of
his waist. With a quick peck to the side of Nico's head, Percy plucked him from
his lap and sat him aside. Nico let out another sigh, already missing the young
man's warmth.
After Percy left, Nico was left in a depressing silence. He tried to watch TV,
but found it did not satisfy him. He wanted human contact, he wanted comfort.
He wanted Percy. And, as he watched the clock, he realized it would be a while
before the young man was done for the night.
Unfortunately, Percy did not come by to check on him. Instead, Leo, Rachel,
Clarisse, or Ethan came by to check on him. The first two were very talkative,
but the latter two just seemed interested in if he was still breathing or not.
“Why hasn't Percy come down yet?” Nico sighed as Leo made to leave.
The Latino boy sighed. “He's just busy, and stuff.”
Nico frowned. “'Stuff'? What 'stuff'?”
Leo blew out a breath. “Just busy with work, nothing to worry about.”
The pale boy hung his head and nodded. “Okay. Just let him know that I'm still
breathing.”
“You'll be all right, dude.”
Nico sighed and fell back on the couch after Leo shut the door. Perhaps he
would have been better off in his own suite. Though, it would just be as empty
as this one. At times, he wished it was fine for him to have company over. But,
that could very well lead to questions he was not ready to answer.
The hours crept by at a snail's pace for Nico. A little after midnight, Nico
padded down the hall, and crawled into Percy's bed. He did not get under the
covers, just curled up in a ball and cried some more. He missed his mother. He
missed her cooking, her perfume, her smile, and her touch.
He got so caught up with crying, that he did not even hear the door open. It
was not until he felt fingers brushing through his hair that he realized Percy
had returned. He wiped at his eyes and looked up, being met by warm, green
eyes.
“Hey,” Percy whispered.
“Hey,” Nico mumbled.
The young man laid down behind Nico, propping himself up on an arm. “I heard
you wanted my attention.”
The boy just grunted. Percy sighed and began stroking Nico's hair. It was a
soothing touch, one that managed to wash away a lot of Nico's current
depression. He felt better when Percy was around, especially close by.
Nico's heart was pounding in his chest as he lay there, letting Percy play with
his hair. A lot of things had been going on through his head during Percy's
absence. And, if he were in a better state of mind, perhaps he would have
thought better about what he was about to do, but he really did not care at the
moment. He just wanted Percy, and the comfort that came with the young man.
Percy blinked at him as the boy rolled over. It was the smile that Percy gave
him that finally made up his mind. It was a genuine one, Nico's favorite.
Without putting further thought into it, Nico moved forward and pressed their
lips together.
The green-eyed young man was completely still for several seconds, which made
Nico nervous. But then the young man kissed him back. It was quick, and over
much sooner than Nico's liking, but it was better than nothing.
Percy frowned as he sat up and pressed his back against the headboard. “Nico,
you don't need to do that,” he whispered.
Nico sat up and crawled forward, so that he was seated in the young man's lap.
He frowned as he took a firm grip of Percy's shirt. “Yes, I do. I really need
you.”
Both of Percy's hands reached up to hold his. “You're upset, and not thinking
clearly. Nico, think about what you're doing.”
“I have. I want you, Percy. I've wanted you since the moment I laid eyes on
you, and I just wish you would see me as more than an employee.” The young man
froze when Nico reached out and touched his cheek. “You can deny it all you
want, but I know you have feelings for me. I know you want me.”
There was no trace of a smile or frown on Percy's face now. He just stared into
Nico's brown orbs with an emotionless stare. “I've never denied that I wanted
you, Nico. I plainly said that you were a big temptation for me. But that
doesn't mean we need to do this.”
“Please,” Nico whispered.
It was at that moment that Nico realized something shocking. Percy was shaking.
He did not look scared, nor did he look angry, but he was shaking. The young
man finally sighed and dropped his hands from Nico's own hands.
Nico continued to hold Percy's gaze. “There's nothing I want more. I
just...need this right now. I need you right now.”
In an instant, Percy shot forward and captured Nico's lips. The shaking
stopped, Percy's hands now cupping Nico's cheeks. The boy sat there in shock
for a few seconds, while Percy closed his eyes and moved his lips against
Nico's.
The boy finally sighed and opened his mouth, allowing Percy's tongue to slide
inside. He gasped when Percy flung him on his back, sliding a hand under the
boy's dress shirt. “Why haven't you gotten out of this uncomfortable thing
yet?” Percy rasped in his ear.
Nico just panted and rutted his hips up into Percy's crotch. Percy's fingers
expertly worked down each of the buttons on Nico's shirt, until Nico's pale
chest lay beneath him. The Lost Boy's breath hitched when Percy's fingers slid
down his soft stomach.
“Percy,” Nico panted, digging his nails into Percy's clothed back.
The young man pulled back, a smirk plastered on his lips. He leaned down and
pressed a quick kiss to the boy's soft lips. “Are you sure you want to do
this?” He whispered.
Even though there was a smirk resting on Percy's lips, Nico felt as if it did
not belong there. The sound of Percy's voice, it gave it away. He sounded
concerned, almost hesitant. Nico ran a hand under Percy's shirt, feeling the
young man's perfect stomach.
His answer came in the form of a kiss on Percy's lips. He grabbed the young man
by the back of the neck and pulled Percy down, deepening the kiss. He wanted
Percy. All of Percy. One by one, each of Percy's buttons were undone before
Nico. The young man sat up and slid the fabric off his shoulders.
Nico reached out and traced each of Percy's abs. The young man smiled and
leaned forward, capturing Nico's hand. The Lost Boy watched in wonder as the
manager raised his pale fingers up to be kissed. From there, he placed Nico's
hands above his head and hovered over the smaller boy.
Nico let out a loud moan as Percy descended on his neck. During this, Percy
worked to remove Nico from his pants and underwear. Percy grunted and pulled
away. Nico frowned at him, but understood what the young man was doing as soon
as he got lower.
The Lost Boy chuckled as he watched Percy work to get his shoes off, which
earned him a glare. “Don't laugh. I hate shoes during sex, they are too
clunky.”
“Kiss me,” Nico breathed out.
Percy was back on top of him in an instant. Nico moaned and wrapped his arms
around Percy, as the young man kissed his neck, chest, and lips. While this
went on, Percy also worked to remove himself from his own pants. Once finished,
he pressed his knee between Nico's legs. More precisely, against the boy's
crotch.
Nico found himself being pulled into Percy's lap, where the manager devoured
his neck. A tan hand found its way to Nico's backside, where it groped both of
the boy's pale cheeks before sliding a finger between them.
Percy's eyes were dilated when Nico pulled back. The young man sat there before
him, lust-filled eyes, panting, and almost naked. “Off,” Nico whined, tugging
on Percy's green boxer-briefs.
The young man smiled and grabbed Nico's hand. With a quick kiss to it, he
placed it to Nico's side and grabbed his own underwear. Jumping off the bed, he
slid the fabric down, revealing his naked form to Nico. Much too soon for
Nico's liking, Percy was back on top of him. Not that he did not like the young
man's touch, it was just he wanted to admire the body more.
He let out a quiet moan when Percy brushed his fingers against his entrance.
Closing his eyes, he let Percy do the work. He heard the drawer open, and he
instantly knew what was coming. Not long after, the cool feel of lube touched
his entrance. Percy leaned down and captured Nico's lips as he pressed a finger
inside.
Nico's breath and hips hitched when Percy hit a spot inside of him. He let out
a long moan and sucked on Percy's bottom lip. Percy smiled down at him and
pecked him quickly on the lips. One of Nico's hands wandered down and wrapped
around Percy's rather large manhood, giving it a few strokes. Percy let out a
breathy moan and thrust his hips into Nico's hand.
There was so much warmth radiating from Percy's body. They had not even fully
begun yet, and Nico was already beginning to show signs of sweating. Nico let
out another moan, Percy's finger brushing against that spot inside of him
again. When Percy moved to lie on top of him more, Nico reached around and
grabbed Percy's smooth, firm ass, pulling the young man closer.
With a quick peck to the lips, Percy pulled away. Nico whined, while Percy
leaned over to open the nightstand again. However, this did provide Nico with a
good view of Percy's nude form. His eyes locked on to the manhood that rested
between the young man's long legs.
Percy soon returned to his resting spot between Nico's legs. He pressed a hand
beside Nico's face and hovered over the boy. “I really want you to think about
this before we go farther, Nico.”
Nico frowned as he stared up at Percy. The young man's black hair hung in his
face, blocking Nico's view of his eyes. The boy reached up and brushed the
strands of hair away to find hesitant eyes. “I've thought about this for a long
time, Percy.” He reached up and pulled Percy down for a quick kiss. “I've
thought long and hard about it, and who I wanted my first time to be with. I
just...I want this.”
Percy remained still. The boy beneath him fidgeted under the intense gaze he
was receiving. Percy finally tilted his head to the side and leaned in to
capture Nico's lips once again. In the back of his mind, Nico heard the
distinct sound of the condom wrapper tearing, but Percy's lips were managing to
keep the bulk of his attention. It was not until he felt the tip of Percy's
head pressing against him that he truly acknowledged what was happening.
But, instead of proceeding, Percy just hovered above him. When Nico looked into
his eyes, there was a brief second where the boy caught the dull glimpse that
was coming from within those green orbs. He was not really looking at Nico, but
perhaps through him.
The green-eyed Adonis finally let out a sigh and lifted Nico's legs up. “This
is going to hurt a little.”
Nico had expected as much. He was very thin, after all. And Percy, well, he was
not that small down there. However, he had not expected the sting that hit him
the second Percy pushed into him. He bit down on his lip to prevent a scream.
“Shh.” Percy soothed him with a kiss. “The head is always the worst part.”
Nico winced again when Percy pushed forward more. “How much more?”
A small kiss to the boy's forehead. “I've only just started. Are you sure you
don't want to stop?”
Nico nodded. It did not seem to convince Percy that much, probably since Nico's
body had begun to shake. But Percy continued. He placed his hands on either
side of Nico, causing Nico's legs to rise more, and slid deeper into the
shorter male. Nico, on his part, clamped down on Percy's back, digging his
nails into the young man's shoulders.
It stung. A lot. But Nico was going to endure the pain, because he knew
pleasure would follow eventually. He just wished it would be sooner, rather
than later. Percy's tongue slid into his mouth. And Percy's hand began to rub
at his side, probably in a distraction attempt. How much longer was this going
to go for?
Percy pulled back from the kiss with a moan. Nico was panting on Percy's
pillow. It took him a few seconds, but he finally realized Percy had stopped
moving. The young man brushed his cheek before leaning down for a quick kiss.
“There, the worst part is over. Just give it a second, and tell me when to
move.”
The boy on the bed just reached up and pulled Percy down for another kiss. He
just wanted them to remain like this for a moment. He was being intimate with
Percy, he wanted it to last. But he decided to go ahead and nod, giving Percy
the okay to proceed.
For all Nico had seen in the video with Luke and Percy, the young man was being
very slow and gentle. Percy even leaned down to kiss Nico's shoulder at one
point. After several excruciatingly slow thrusts, Percy took a hold of Nico's
hips. When Nico looked up, he found Percy gritting his teeth.
“What's wrong?”
Percy shook his head. He dropped, so that his head was on the pillow, beside
Nico. “You're just...really tight. And I'm trying really hard not to go too
fast.”
Nico kissed the side of the young man's head. “You can go faster.”
Percy pushed himself up, his eyes were now hazed over. “I don't want to hurt
you. This is your first time, and your hips are very small. If I go too hard or
fast, you'll be feeling it in the morning.”
The boy ran his fingertips over Percy's bare arms, enjoying the feel of muscle.
“It's not like I'm going to be doing anything-ah!” Percy smirked down at him.
He could have warned Nico about the oncoming thrust. He went to open his mouth,
but Percy began slowly rocking his hips into Nico's small frame.
The pain, while still present, was not as unbearable as it had been. Now, it
was more like a fingernail digging into his skin. A very large fingernail. But
Percy was being patient. Nico felt so small, though. Percy, hovering over Nico,
seemed so much bigger than him. Also, Nico was finding out that he could, in
fact, put his legs over his head.
Percy had him pressed into the mattress by this point, sweat starting to form
on his chest. Nico was probably the sweatier of the two, as his hair was
completely matted down to his forehead. Percy continued to thrust in and out of
the boy, eliciting a moan each time he drove in.
Very slowly, Percy's hips began moving faster. And, through it all, he did not
lower Nico's legs from his shoulders. Their faces constantly remained inches
apart, which Nico took advantage of immensely. Percy's kisses were soft, yet
feverish. He seemed to enjoy playing with Nico's bottom lip.
Nico clamped his eyes shut, digging his nails into Percy's arm. Percy, on his
part, had made a direct hit to Nico's prostate, and a very loud moan escaped
the boy's lips. That seemed to also let Percy know that he could go faster,
because that was exactly what he did.
He maneuvered a hand up to cup Nico's cheek, kissing the boy deeply. It was
broken, however, when Percy delivered a deep, hard thrust into Nico. The boy's
head fell back in an open, silent moan. His eyes saw white for a few seconds.
But it did not hurt. No, it felt...amazing.
If this was what he could expect from sex with Percy, he understood why the
others had called it so addicting. Percy was a drug, pure and simple. A drug
with high stamina. Nico was now wondering if he was going to end up regretting
what he said about making things last. From what he could tell, Percy was going
to last for a while.
But another kiss from Percy made him stop caring about that fact. He just shut
his eyes and let out moan after moan, as Percy slid into him.
Eventually, Percy got on his knees, Nico's legs now aimed directly to the
ceiling. The young man took a firm grip of Nico's weeping member and began to
stroke it. Nico moaned long and loud, as Percy delivered several fast, and
precise thrusts. By this point, they were both covered in sweat. Percy looked
arousing, though. With his hair matted down, and his body covered in sweat,
Nico found it to be a heavy stimulant to look at.
Nico gasped as Percy continued with his thrusts and strokes. This caused Percy
to moan as well, as Nico began to tighten around his member. Nico let his head
fall back and he released the loudest moan he had all night. His seed shot out,
covering Percy's hand and Nico's stomach. But Percy, he was not done.
Nico's loud moan turned into breathy gasps as Percy continued to drive into
him, over and over again. He finally found his voice and moaned again as Percy
picked him up. He clung to Percy's back, letting the young man lower and raise
him onto the large dick inside of him.
Percy let out a moan, and Nico pulled back to look at him. The young man had
his eyes tightly shut, as well as a death grip on Nico's thin waist. He would
probably have a bruise there in the morning. Percy grasped the back of his head
and slammed their mouths together, immediately beginning to devour the boy's
lips.
The green-eyed Adonis released a moan into Nico's mouth and thrust a final
time. Nico moaned back, feeling Percy's arousal spasm inside of him. Percy
released him, letting Nico fall onto the bed. A few seconds later, Percy was
laying on top of him, breathing heavily in his ear.
He did not think it would be a big deal, but when Percy removed himself from
Nico, the boy found himself a little sad. It was like feeling whole, and then
having a portion taken away. But Percy was still close by, so he did not think
much more on those feelings.
The young man sat on the edge of the bed and tossed his used condom in the
trash. With a content sigh, he hopped up and left the room, only to return
seconds later with a towel. He leaned in and kissed Nico, while he worked to
clean the boy up.
But, when Percy pulled back, instead of being met with a smile, he found a
frown. And Percy just sat there, staring at him. Nico let out a breath and
trailed his fingers down Percy's bare chest. He could feel the young man's
heart still pounding heavily in his chest. Nico's own was doing the same,
though he soon realized it was for another reason.
Or perhaps a problem. One that part of him hoped would never arise. Things were
already complicated enough for him, he did not need this to add on to it.
Percy kissed his forehead and got up again. Nico decided to take the
opportunity to enjoy the sight of Percy's firm ass walking away. And it was an
opportunity well invested. The young man's body had to have been sculpted,
there was no other explanation for it.
The lights were turned off, and Nico soon felt the bed shift beside him. He
scooted over and was prepared to lay on his side, away from Percy, but was
immediately pulled towards the young man. He sighed and let his head rest on
the still sweaty chest, chewing on his lip. As exhausted as he was, he was not
going to fall asleep that easily tonight. He had a problem.
Nico di Angelo was in love with Percy Jackson.
***** Sleep Now, My Child, Your Time's Coming Soon *****
Chapter Notes
     I don't even know what I'm doing with some of these chapter titles.
     I'm still rolling with a sort of dark lullaby theme.
The sunlight was not kind on Nico's eyes the next morning. The boy's forehead
wrinkled as he slid deeper into the sheets. He refused to open his eyes, only
letting out a deep sigh. He was not ready to be awake. But it seemed he was not
going to get to go back to sleep, as a phone went off behind him. This was when
he was met with a surprise.
A pair of lips pressed against his shoulder, accompanied by some movement in
the bed. He felt a body shift and the phone stopped ringing. “Hello?” Percy's
groggy voice came from behind him.
Nico rolled over with a confused look. The manager was now sitting up in bed,
phone pressed against his ear. Without even looking, he ran his fingers through
Nico's hair. Nico's brow furrowed as he studied the manager. This was a first.
He had been starting to think he would never get to wake up to someone in the
bed with him the next morning.
“Give me an hour and I'll be there. Yeah, I know what time it is.” Percy
groaned and leaned his head back. “We'll talk later, I'm busy right now.”
Nico's eyebrow rose as he watched Percy set the phone down on the nightstand.
“You're still in bed.”
Percy smiled and slid back under the covers. “That I am.” With little protest
on the brown-eyed boy's part, Nico was pulled against Percy's chest. “How are
you feeling?”
“I'm okay,” Nico whispered. “Just...sort of wanting to not do anything today.”
Percy did not respond to that right away. He quietly rubbed circles into Nico's
back. “Well, you should take it easy today, at least as much as possible.”
Nico frowned and rolled onto his stomach, resting his chin on Percy's chest. It
was also just dawning on him that they were still completely naked. He might
have taken advantage of that fact by pushing the sheets down Percy's body. The
manager chuckled when Nico lifted the sheets.
“Find something you like?”
Nico's cheeks lit up. “Shut up,” he mumbled. “And yes.”
Nico's cheeks darkened further when Percy's hand slid down to feel his ass. “So
have I.” The boy glared at him, though he did not stop Percy from what he was
doing. “But you shouldn't try getting up too fast.”
“Why's that?”
“Oh, you'll find out eventually.” It bothered Nico slightly when Percy failed
to add his signature grin to that. In fact, all traces of the manager's smile
seemed to have vanished. “I am going to have to leave for work soon,” he pulled
Nico closer, “but I'm also tempted to continue our activities from last night.”
Nico bit down on his lip. “No objections from the receiving party.” Percy
laughed, allowing Nico to breathe easier. “How sore am I going to be, though?”
The young man blew out a breath. “Pretty sore, if we go again. That's why I'm
debating if it's a good idea.” He grabbed Nico and laid him on his back,
hovering over him. From this position, he also gave Nico a view of what rested
under the sheets. “But, I think we'll wait for another time to do that again.”
Percy's lips tilted down as he got up and sat on the edge of the bed.
He was stunning, Nico thought. Perfect. Every inch of skin was the same color,
not even a hint of tan lines. And Percy's eyes seemed like two emeralds in the
morning light. Though, they seemed to lack some of their usual sparkle. There
was just something off about Percy's mood this morning. It was like he could
not quite figure out if he was happy or sad.
This was when Nico noticed the red marks on Percy's back. His face turned red.
“Um, I might have been a little rough with my nails last night.”
The corner of Percy's lips tilted up. “It's not a big deal,” he said calmly
with a shrug. “Besides,” he grinned, “you've got a hickey, and bruises on your
hips.” Nico's face resembled a tomato as he shot up. A sharp pain coursed
through his lower back, and he let out a hiss. “Told you that you'd be sore.”
Nico glared at him as he stood up. Percy's eyebrows rose as he watched Nico's
naked form get up and walk to the mirror. Nico let out a sigh as he observed
the small hickey on his neck. It was not that bad, but it would be noticeable.
At least he could hide the small bruises that were now on his hips. His eyes
found Percy's in the mirror.
Percy offered him a lazy smile. “Have I told you how nice your ass is?”
The boy rolled his eyes. “You're horrible.” He winced and placed a hand against
his lower back. “People are going to see the hickey.”
Percy released a long breath as Nico walked back to bed. “Oh, trust me, they'll
know we had sex for other reasons.” Nico quirked an eyebrow at him. “You're
limping.”
Nico collapsed on the bed, laying on his stomach. Percy hummed in appreciation
as he felt of Nico's bare ass again. “I was hoping that it could just stay
private,” Nico mumbled.
The hand on his body froze. “I, um, don't think that'll happen.” Nico rolled
onto his side to look at the young man. “A deal is a deal, Nico, and you broke
your end,” Percy whispered.
Nico curled up, his heart beginning to pound in his chest. What had he done?
Percy reached over and placed the covers over Nico's body. “You-you
can't...please.”
“I'm sorry, Nico,” Percy whispered. He was now sitting up, though he did not
move from the bed. “I didn't want this for you. I asked you to reconsider.”
“I know.” Nico's eyes began to brim over with tears. If things had not been bad
enough for him already, his mistake might end up destroying him. No, it had not
been a mistake. He had wanted to be with Percy, but he had not wanted the
consequences. Why did they have to be there? “Can't you just not go through
with it?”
Percy let out a sigh. “I...can't. It wouldn't be fair to the others. I told you
that you couldn't do something like this without consequence.” Raven haired
locks shook as Percy's head did the same. “You had a special circumstance, and
I needed there to be something in there to balance it out. I wish...I wish you
hadn't of gone through with it.”
“You regret what happened?” Nico barely managed to get out.
“No, I don't.” Percy's hand rested near Nico's face, supporting the young man's
weight. “I regret the circumstances, not the action.” Percy's head was lowered,
searching the bed for something that was not there. “I'm just disappointed,
that's all.” That stung. Nico's chest ached deeply. “Look, things are just
complicated. You knew what this would mean.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. A lone tear slid from his eye. “I just wanted you,
and I was upset.”
Percy's other hand reached over to brush some of the boy's hair away. “I know
you were, and that's one of the reasons I did let it happen. But-this is what
has to happen, I'm sorry.”
Nico was not sure if he should feel angry or depressed. And who with was the
better question. Himself was the best choice, even if he did want to be upset
with Percy. It had been what Nico had wanted, and Percy had simply given him
that. And it was not like Percy was gloating over the fact that Nico now had to
suffer the consequences of his actions.
“When?”
Percy sighed and pulled his hand back. “Tonight.”
Nico's stomach twisted into a knot. “Already?” He sat up, ignoring the pain.
“Can't I have a few more days? I'm still healing from the fight, and my mom...”
Panic had laced every inch of the boy's voice. He shut his eyes after hearing
himself. He sounded near pathetic. Why had he been so stupid?
The manager moved to sit on the edge of the bed. “I'm sorry, Nico. It's best to
just get it over with, trust me.” He stood up and walked across the room to
find a fresh change of clothes. “The girls will help you hide your bruises.”
When he turned back around, Nico was met with a blank look. “And I want you to
see Octavian before dinner.” He broke eye contact as he slid a pair of boxers
on. “Get dressed.”
Nico just sat, frozen, on the bed. His body shook. Percy, now with a pair of
pants on, crouched beside the bed and wiped some of the tears from his eyes.
“Percy,” was all the boy could get out.
“Everything will be okay, Nico. I'll be there when it's over, I swear.” He
reached down and picked up the boy's underwear. “Now come on, I'll take you
back to your room before I head to my office.”
When Nico found himself unable to move, Percy pursed his lips. Without any
words of irritation, Percy calmly slid Nico's legs into his underwear. Nico's
eyes met with Percy's when his head was slipped through the shirt he had worn
yesterday.
A small kiss was placed onto Nico's palm. “You need to calm down. Just for
tonight, and then I won't make you do it again until you've gone back to work.”
He handed Nico his pants. “Okay?”
The boy wiped at his face before nodding. His eyes remained glued to the floor
as he accepted his pants from the taller raven haired male. Without much
effort, he slipped into them and stood up. Percy attempted to meet his gaze,
but the boy would not look up. The manager finally sighed and reached up to
button the boy's shirt.
“And you do have to be somewhere today.”
Nico frowned and finally looked up. Percy was slipping on his own shirt.
“Where?”
“It's Leo's birthday, remember?”
Nico sighed and nodded. “I never got him a present,” he whispered.
Percy slid an arm around the boy's waist as he led Nico out of the bedroom.
“Don't worry about that.”
Nico looked up. “Aren't you going to shower?”
The manager's other hand reached over and fixed a strand of Nico's hair. “I'll
come back at lunch and take one.”
“Sorry for making you late,” Nico mumbled as Percy shut his door.
“Don't be.” Percy smiled at him, leading the boy towards the elevator. “I chose
to stay in bed.”
Nico's heart was still in overdrive when he opened his door. Jason looked up
from a bowl of cereal, still in his pajamas, and blinked at them. Percy tossed
the blond a small wave from the hallway. Nico blew out a breath and turned away
from his roommate. “Can I see you before?” He asked.
Percy nodded. “Of course.” Nico looked down when he felt his hand being
squeezed. He looked up with a small smile. Percy returned it. “Get some rest,
go see Octavian, and I'll see you tonight.” The smile he gave Nico was far from
genuine. “Well, I'll see you shortly for the party, but you know what I'm
trying to say. Try not to worry too much about it.”
Nico's head nodded. He let the door shut softly, letting out a small sigh upon
its closing. He could feel another tear creeping down his cheek. When he turned
around, Jason was staring at him. The blond sat there quietly, chewing his
cereal. “Is that a hickey?”
Nico barely managed to choke back a sob.
“Sorry,” the blond mumbled, looking down at his bowl. “So, I guess you did the
deed and will be joining the rest of us in our hell-I mean job?”
The raven haired boy found his hands shaking. “I really don't want to talk
about it,” he whispered. “I'm sure the others are going to throw it in my
face.”
Jason shrugged his broad shoulders. “If you're so upset about it, I just don't
understand why you'd do it.” His blue eyes locked with Nico's brown ones. “Sex
is not worth what you're going to have to go through, even if it was with
Percy.” His brow furrowed. “Why would you give all that freedom you had up, for
what we have?”
“I didn't feel very free,” Nico mumbled. He rubbed his arm and shifted his
weight. His eyes shifted a few times, until they met Jason's. “I was upset, and
I let feelings get in the way.”
“Crushing on the boss is not healthy,” Nico's roommate mumbled around some
cereal. “Especially ours.”
Nico frowned. “Percy is not as bad as he makes himself out to be. He's a nice
person.”
Jason's eyes flickered up, mouth open, ready to eat another spoonful of his
breakfast. “You don't...actually like him, do you?” When Nico did not respond,
Jason eyed him over. “Oh my god, you do.” His spoon was dropped back into the
bowl. There was something new in Jason's eye now, something Nico had not really
seen there before. “Well, it's not like he's going to reciprocate anything.”
Nico sighed and popped the first two buttons on his shirt as he headed towards
is room. “People keep saying that, but I'm not sure they are right.”
He turned to find Jason looking at him over his shoulder. The blond's jaw
seemed locked, chewing on his lip. No words were spoken further between the
two, yet Nico felt an air of tension fill the room. He broke eye contact and
slipped down the hall, shutting the door to his room behind him.
After getting himself a shower and a fresh change of clothes, Nico headed for
the elevator. Jason had already vanished by the time the raven haired boy
exited the bathroom. Probably already headed to the party, Nico thought.
The party had been set up in the same place that Butch's had been, in the
conference room. Leo's mother was present, as expected, and was busy taking
pictures of the large cake that had been purchased and now sat on the long
table in the room. And, as far as Nico could tell, all of the Lost Kids were
present, even Apollo.
Speaking of the blond, Apollo was being surprisingly friendly towards Leo.
“Seems you got a lot of presents this year,” the blond observed, sitting on the
edge of the table, right next to Percy. The Latino boy even made the effort to
put on a smile and chuckle in return.
“Hey, Nico.” Nico groaned and turned around. The twins stood in the corner,
grinning wickedly at him. “Did you sprain an ankle?” Travis snickered.
“Aw, our little Nico is growing up,” Thalia joined in, pinching Nico's flushed
cheek. Her finger was then pressed into his slender neck. “Look, he's even got
a hickey.”
Nico's brown eyes flickered over to where Percy was perched on the table. The
manager watched them without any expression. He just simply sat there, sipping
away at the cup of punch in his hand. It irritated the boy a little. The
irritation only began to boil within him when he saw Percy quirk an eyebrow.
Nico began to seethe when an arm was slipped around his shoulder. He looked up
to find Octavian taking a sip from his cup. “And I hear I have the absolute
pleasure of having your company in my room later this afternoon.” Nico chose to
remain silent, his eyes like daggers as they tore into the blond. “Oh, don't
worry, all clothes will be staying on. You'll have plenty of time to have them
off later tonight.”
A small plate with a piece of cake was thrust into Octavian's hands. “Be nice.”
Juniper's lips were tightly pursed as she sent the blond a warning glare. “He's
probably nervous enough as it is. Is it really necessary to torment him
further?”
“And that's our fault? It was his choice.” Nico followed Luke's voice and found
the blond standing with Annabeth, who was palming her face. Luke's icy gaze was
trained on the pale boy, his jaw firmly set. “I guess we get to hear you whine
and cry some more, eh, twerp?”
Nico managed a glare, though he felt a heavy weight on his chest. “Is it so
hard for you to learn a simple name?”
“Maybe if I actually cared.”
That hurt. But Nico held it together, standing his ground in front of Luke and
the others, who had become completely silent. “Maybe if you did a better job at
being the older brother, Octavian wouldn't have turned out to be such a dick.
But I guess that just runs in the family. You abandon him, too?”
If possible, the room became even quieter. Even the twins were holding their
breaths, eyes as wide as they could go. Percy, for his part, kept his eyes on
Luke. Octavian, surprisingly, stood there, shocked, his mouth hanging open. But
Luke was the one that had Nico frozen where he stood.
Luke was fuming. His hand shot out and grabbed Nico by the collar of his shirt,
his teeth gritted. “You fucking little bitch, you must want to get hit more. No
wonder you got those bruises, you can't keep your mouth shut.” His head cocked
to the side. “Or your legs closed it seems, when it comes to Percy.” And to
Nico's horror, the blue-eyed Lost Boy's gaze fell upon Percy. “What, did you
even attempt to push him away this time, or did you take advantage of his
current state?”
“Luke,” Annabeth hissed.
Percy let out a breath. “I'm going to let that one slide, since you're upset.”
Blue and green eyes clashed. “But don't speak to me like that again. What I do
is my business,” he nodded his head over to Nico, “as is his.”
“So confident in your little, innocent angel,” Luke mumbled. “Seems he's
nothing but a disappointment.”
Percy sat his cup down on the table beside him. “I think you should go get some
air. Cool off, come back for work.” Luke squeezed his fist tighter. “Now.”
Luke let out a grunt, but offered no further protest. But as he exited the
room, Nico found himself following after him. He drew back slightly when the
blond reached the elevator and slammed his fist into the call button.
“What the fuck do you want?” He did not even look at Nico, did not even bother
turning around.
“What is your problem with me anyways? I've never done anything to try and piss
you off, yet you've always seemed to have it out for me.”
Luke let out a dry laugh and boarded the newly arrived elevator. Nico shoved
his way onto it as well. The blond's eyes felt dead as they stared into Nico's
brown orbs. “You are my problem. Your very existence irritates me, because you
can't seem to appreciate what you have. You're ungrateful, selfish, immature,
and an idiot.” Nico was shoved into the wall. “And for whatever reason, Percy's
getting all soft over you. But you just seem to have that effect on people,
easy to talk to and easy to get people to let their guard down.
“You want to be part of us so badly, yet we all want what you had. If you think
we just love letting strangers have their way with us, you've lost your mind.”
Luke's lip tilted down in a sneer. “Have you even thanked him for what he's
done for you? Because you sure as hell don't show it. You're nothing but a
disappointment.” Luke's fist slammed into the wall beside Nico's head, causing
the boy's eyes to widen. “You don't appreciate what he's done for you; you just
toss it all aside. Do you even see how much you've disappointed him?”
Nico found a heavy lump in his throat when he went to speak. Luke just rolled
his eyes and pulled away, leaning himself against the opposite wall. “Then why
hasn't he said anything?”
Luke chuckled, only serving to irritate Nico further. The boy wanted nothing
more than to wipe the smirk from the blond's face. However, he had seen what
Luke could do, and he had no desire to get injured further. “You know, when
Octavian and I were back at home, I'd always try telling him not to do
something when we were little.” The tall Lost Boy cocked his head to the side.
“And do you know what I eventually did, when he wouldn't listen?” Nico shook
his head. “I stopped lecturing him. I found that, sometimes, he just needed to
learn things for himself.”
It took Nico a moment, but he eventually realized tears had begun streaming
down his cheeks. “You're just upset...because I'm encroaching on your
territory.”
The blond scoffed. “Please. If you want jealousy, go talk to Apollo. Percy is
just my friend, aside from the sex.” There was so much coldness in Luke's eyes
and voice. It was like a dagger, piercing him straight through the chest, to
listen to the older Lost Boy. “Aside from the amazing sex, our relationship is
strictly platonic. The way I care about him is vastly different from the way
you...apparently feel about him.”
Nico found his stomach tighten, his heart pounding in his chest. Why was Luke
so angry right now? It was not his mistake, it was Nico's. And why did it even
matter to the blond? “What does it matter how I feel about him? It's not
hurting anyone.”
“See now, that's where you're wrong.” The elevator came to a stop, and Luke
moved to stand at the exit. “You're hurting Percy. And I rather not see what
happens when other people see what he's becoming.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Percy's not changing because of me. He even made all
those efforts to push me away.”
The blond rolled his eyes. Nico huffed and followed him off of the elevator.
Luke's pace seemed to quicken as they walked through the garage full of cars.
“How stupid are you anyways, brat?”
“I'm not stupid!”
Nico's blood was now pumping with anger. He was tired of this. Luke had no
right to speak to him like this. The blond was being an asshole, and Nico did
not deserve it. Luke simply scoffed and opened his car, pulling out a
motorcycle helmet from the passenger seat. He shoved past Nico, sending the
small Lost Boy stumbling backwards, and took the few steps over to where a
parked motorcycle sat. Without hesitation, the blond tossed the tarp onto his
car, revealing the stunning bike underneath.
It was slender and black. The handles were a sharp silver, and polished to
perfection. The entire body looked like it could have just been bought from the
store. The back jutted out and the logo sat on the side. The word 'Ninja' ran
across its black surface in a fine, silver print.
Luke slipped his head into his helmet, completely masking his face from Nico's
eyes. The small Lost Boy fidgeted as Luke brought the beautiful machine to
life. “Is that even yours?”
Luke turned towards Nico. In the reflection of the helmet, Nico could see
himself. He looked a mess. His eyes were red and his hair was slightly
disheveled. “Always picking your sorry ass up from school, I never get to use
it much.”
The blond did not even bother waiting for a reply from Nico before shooting out
of the parking space and flying out of the parking garage. Nico stood there for
a long time, just staring at the exit. He had never pictured the day after
losing his virginity to have gone so poorly. And the worst part was that it was
far from over. He dreaded the end of the night.
With a deep intake of breath, followed by its release, Nico slowly turned back
to the elevator. He no longer cared about the pain in his chest, or the tears
that continued to fall from his eyes. He no longer knew what to do. No one was
going to help him, nobody wanted to. They had wanted this, they had said so
themselves. And he had just screwed everything up. Was that all he could ever
manage to do?
And, yet, through all the hurt, he felt a hint of anger. Luke's words still
infuriated him, and the others and all their past conversations came crashing
down on him all at once. He even found himself irritated with Percy. If the
manager really did care about him, why would he let all of this happen?
To make matters worse, the elevator stopped at the lobby and a family of four
boarded the metal box. The parents eyed him over, and the mother even went as
far as to offer him a tissue. Nico managed a small smile. Thankfully, though,
their floor was on the lower levels.
He debated just going back to his room, but it was Leo's birthday, and Leo had
not really done anything bad to him. He was not really surprised or
disappointed to find that no one was waiting there for him upon his return. He
did, however, hear the sound of all the other Lost Kids laughing inside the
conference room. Nico made little noise as he slipped back inside. And, as per
usual, he pulled it off flawlessly.
“Nico!”
Nico's eyes widened as Leo's arm swung around his shoulders. “What?”
“Thanks for the present, man. You didn't have to get me anything.” The Latino
boy flashed him a bright smile. “But this is awesome.”
The raven haired Lost Boy blinked and looked down at Leo's hands. Sitting there
was a small, metallic dragon. Its wings were spread wide as it stood its ground
upon the roof of a ruined building. Two red gems sat in the dragon's eye
sockets.
“But I-”
Percy clamped down a hand on his shoulder, squeezing firmly. “Just wanted you
to have something nice.” Nico's brown eyes locked with Percy's green ones. The
manager winked at him. And, if it was even possible, the contact he was
receiving made him feel slightly better. The green-eyed Adonis smiled when Nico
wiped at his face. “Everything okay?”
Nico gave a small nod. “Yeah.”
The boy's eyes grew wide as Leo practically tackled him with a hug. The Latino
boy chuckled, having been caught by Percy, so they would not go toppling over.
“This was really great, Nico. How did you even know I liked dragons?”
Nico's mouth floundered. “Um, lucky guess?”
Percy smiled. “He had some help.”
Leo hummed in response before dashing off in a whirlwind of energy. And then it
was just Nico and Percy. The boy tilted his head back to look up at Percy. The
manager draped his arms around the boy. “You could have told me you were going
to buy him a present for me.”
“You had a lot going on,” Percy whispered in his ear. “You were upset, and I
didn't want you to worry about other issues. I had it delivered yesterday.”
“Thanks.”
Percy nodded in response. “So, how did your talk with Luke go?”
Nico pursed his lips and straightened his neck. “Fine.” He let out a sigh. “Are
you disappointed in me?”
When he was met with silence, he chanced a glance back up at the manager. He
bit down on his lip when he found Percy's eyes to be dull. “I had hoped that
things would not have escalated like they had.”
“So you are,” Nico whispered.
Percy grabbed Nico's chin and forced him to look up. “Don't get upset. Yes, I
am. But I also know you're human and you make mistakes. I don't expect you to
be perfect.” The Adonis let out a heavy sigh. “I just trust that you'll learn
from this, and learn to listen to me.”
Percy's arms wrapped tightly around him and pulled him into a hug. He let out a
sigh. Even if he was not receiving a kiss, he could feel Percy's lips against
his forehead. The hot breath from Percy's nose sent a shiver down his spine.
But, much to his disappointment, Percy released him. He tossed Nico a smile
before stepping over to Beckendorf and Thalia.
A heavy sigh escaped the youngest Lost Boy's mouth. Even through all of this,
Percy still had such a strong effect on him. More and more was he convinced of
his feelings for the young man. And, yet, it was still painful. Painful,
knowing that Percy could, or would, probably never be his. That he would have
to suffer being alone, in this new situation he had gotten himself into.
“Mmm. Cake?”
He blinked as a fork with a chunk of cake on it was shoved into his face.
Rachel stood there, watching him expectantly. He quickly shook his head. The
girl shrugged before shoving the fork into her mouth.
“You should try some, it might make you feel better.”
Nico shook his head again. “I don't think any kind of cake would help.”
“It's got weed in it,” Travis snickered, walking by with his brother.
Rachel rolled her eyes and waved them off. “Pay them no mind, they are idiots.
Seriously, it's just cake. You sure?” Nico nodded. “Okay, more for me,” she
mumbled, shoving another piece into her mouth. “So, that was something with
Luke.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled. “What's up with him? And when did he even get a
motorcycle?”
Rachel smirked. “Birthday present from Percy.” The girl's tongue darted out to
lick her fork. “Why wouldn't Luke be upset about what happened?”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What's that supposed to mean? Does Luke actually like
me?”
Rachel's bright, green eyes darted over to him. “Well, I don't know about the
way you're thinking, but I figure he likes your company. Just don't try getting
him to admit it.”
Nico shook his head. “But it makes no sense. Why is he so angry about me having
sex with Percy? I thought all of them wanted to see me slip up.”
Rachel blinked at him for a moment before sitting her empty plate down and
wiping her hands together. “You don't know, do you?”
“Know what?” Nico asked cautiously.
“Who do you think made the deal with Percy in the first place?” Rachel
flickered her eyes over to Percy, then to Apollo, and finally over to Annabeth
and Thalia. “It wasn't Percy. Apollo and Thalia were the ones that suggested
making you sell your body.” The girl's head of red hair shook with her head.
“Luke suggested the compromise. So, take that into consideration next time you
have a fight with him. At least he had faith, for whatever reason, that you
could uphold your end of the agreement.”
Nico's mouth opened and closed several times, unable to find any words. His
brain was giving him a headache from how fast it was trying to process all of
this. It made no sense to him. Why would Luke, the guy who loved to see him
suffer, want to help him like that? Nico had just figured it had been Percy.
But, no, it was Luke. Why? It just did not make sense.
“I don't understand.” Nico's eyebrows knit together. “Why would Luke do that?”
Rachel placed her hand on the Lost Boy's shoulder. “That, my dear Nico, is
something you'll have to take up with him.” She blew out a breath. “Though, I'd
wait until he's cooled off about it first.” She poked a finger into Nico's
shoulder. “Oh, and you do realize the full implications of what you've gotten
yourself into, right?”
Nico shrugged his shoulders, his heart hammering in his chest once again. Was
there more bad news? “I have to sell my body?”
The Lost Girl nodded. “Yes, but there's more to that. Remember that you will
have female customers, more so than men.” Nico let out a groan, his face
paling. Why had he not thought of that? The girl smirked and squeezed his
shoulder. “Yep. I hope you're ready to get a good taste of vagina, Nico.”
Nico's stomach lurched. “Do I have to? I don't think I can.”
Rachel scratched her cheek. “I don't think you really have a choice at this
point. Besides, several of the others have been in your shoes, and they all got
past it. Try talking to Apollo. See what he has to say.”
Nico managed to nod his head, though his entire body was screaming from panic.
It was hard to breathe all of a sudden, and he stumbled until he caught the
table behind him. Rachel motioned to someone. Everything seemed to tone out for
Nico. His breathing sounded very loud in his ears, bringing everything else
down to a dull roar to him.
He nearly jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around him. “What's up?” Will
squeezed him closer. “You don't look so good, Nico. Well, I mean aside from the
bruises.” When Nico did not answer, Will turned to Rachel. “What's wrong?”
Rachel sighed. “I just told him that he would be having sex with women.”
Will turned the smaller Lost Boy around to face him. “How about I take you back
to your room? I need to do some doctoring to your injuries anyways.”
Nico's stomach lurched again, preventing him from answering. He did manage to
nod his head absently. Will wove his arm around Nico's waist, leading him from
the conference room. Nico was beginning to worry that he was going to have
panic attack from how hard and fast his heart was pounding. All he wanted to do
was curl up in his bed and stay there.
But instead of being taken to his room, he ended up standing in front of Will's
door. The blond fished out his wallet and slid the key into the door before
pressing on Nico's back and bidding him to go inside. The door closed behind
him, but all Nico could do was stand there like a zombie. Truth be told, that
was what he was starting to feel like.
Will left him standing there to go to the bathroom. He was back moments later
with a first-aid kit. He walked Nico over to the couch and got the boy to sit
down, while crouching on the floor himself. Nico leaned forward and took
several deep, ragged breaths.
Will let out a sigh. “You need to calm down. It won't be as bad as you think.”
Nico looked up. “Really?”
“Well, perhaps your first time.” He chewed on his lip. “And maybe a few times
after that. But it'll be like nothing at all, after a while.”
Nico watched as the blond Lost Boy opened the first-aid kit. “I screwed up. Why
can't I have another chance?”
Will blew out a breath and lifted Nico's shirt. He tugged a bandage off above
the boy's ribs before pulling a new one out. Pursing his lips, he replaced it
and looked up at Nico. “Why did you have sex with him?” Nico opened his mouth,
but Will continued on. “Why not me?”
Nico frowned. Was that what the blond was upset about, that it had been Percy
and not him? “Really? I'm about to deal with all of this, and you're going to
get upset about that?”
“I wouldn't have told anyone.” The blond Lost Boy shook his head as he stood to
his feet. Nico watched him walk over to the fridge. The blond pulled out a
ziplock bag from a drawer before opening the freezer. From it, he pulled ice
cubes and dropped them in the bag until it was nearly halfway full. Without a
word, he returned to the couch and placed it against Nico's cheek. “What makes
Percy so special?”
“This coming from the person who seems to be addicted to having sex with him.”
The boy pressed his lips together. “Wasn't it you who told me how great sex
with him was?”
“I didn't think you'd go through with it.” The blond's eyebrows knit together.
“What cost did it come at? You could have just had it with me, and none of this
would have happened.”
Nico's brown eyes darkened. “Is that all you care about? Are you even upset
about what I'm getting into, or are you just upset that it wasn't you who got
me out of my pants first?”
Will's lips tilted down and Nico felt him press the ice more firmly against his
cheek. “Of course I'm upset about what you're getting into.” Nico doubted that.
“I just don't understand why you threw it all away.”
Nico shoved Will's hand away, taking the ice for himself. “I don't really want
to talk about it. If you want to be helpful, you can start by helping me to
prepare for this.” Blue and Brown eyes locked with each other. “I'm terrified,
Will, and I need help getting through this.”
The blond nodded his head lightly. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “You just...sometimes
we have to do things with people that we don't want to.” The taller Lost Boy
released a breath. “You're attractive, and believe me, people do notice. But
trust me: it's not always a good thing to look good.” There was something there
in the blond's eyes. A hint of real sadness and pain. “You get a lot of
attention that you don't always want, or perhaps people hate the attention you
get. Both together are never good things to deal with.”
Will let out a breath and turned forward on the couch, clasping his thighs.
Nico frowned at him, still pressing the bag of ice to his cheek. “Will?” The
blond did not answer. “Is everything all right?”
The other Lost Boy finally nodded. “Just thinking.” He turned to Nico, though
something felt different about him all of a sudden. “Just be careful. I know I
hurt you, like the others, with my stunt. And I do know what it feels like to
go through that.”
“They did something like that to you?”
The blond shook his head. “No, not them.” Nico shot him a concerned look. Will
reached up and rubbed at his hair. “Just, um, don't worry about it. You'll,
um...get the hang of it, I'm sure.”
Nico reached out and touched Will's arm. The blond did not react to it. “Will,
you seem upset. What happened?”
“Nothing,” Will answered, shaking his head. “It's nothing.”
Nico nudged the other Lost Boy's knee with his own. “Why are all of you so
evasive? I feel like walking on egg shells sometimes.” The blond's eyes looked
at him in sadness. “None of you ever want to talk about your problems.”
Will looked at him from the corner of his eye, avoiding full eye contact now.
“Some of us don't like thinking about our old lives, Nico.”
“You're the one who made the sexual innuendo about your old life the other
week.”
Will stood up and shrugged. “Humor just makes things easier, just ask the twins
or Leo.” Nico's eyes fell away from the blond as the slightly older boy walked
into the kitchen, retrieving an iced coffee for himself. “I think you're
supposed to be seeing Octavian shortly.”
Nico blew out a breath. “Don't really want to go to that,” he muttered.
Will cracked a smile. “You're welcome to hide in my room.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I'm sure you'd like that.” With a sigh, he stood up. He
smiled and handed the melting bag of ice to his blond friend. “Will I be seeing
you tonight?”
The blond Lost Boy nodded. “Yeah, I'll be working upstairs.” Nico could feel
the blond's blue eyes on him as he made for the door. “Take care of yourself
tonight, Nico. Just try not to think about it.”
Nico stopped to turn around. He kept his mouth closed, but nodded. As soon as
he was out the door, his heart began pounding into overdrive once again. He was
not sure how much more of this he could take. How was he supposed to get
through tonight, when he could barely manage his breathing? That was the main
question he was going to have to find an answer for over the next few hours.
Nico stood there in the hallway for about thirty seconds, just debating going
back to his room and locking the door. If he did not think Percy or one of the
others would not take the door off its hinges to get to him, he might have
actually gone through with that plan. However, he decided against it and
continued down to Luke and Octavian's suite.
As luck, or perhaps bad luck, would have it, Octavian was there. The blond
rested his arm on the door as he stared down at the boy. “Well, well, come to
learn the big boys' game, eh?”
Nico rolled his eyes and slipped past the other Lost Boy. He frowned as he
looked around, Luke's door was wide open. “Where's your brother?”
The slender blond's eyes narrowed as he stood there. “Still out, cooling off,
I'd assume.” He raked his pale fingers through his hair. Blond locks fell over
his blue eyes. “Now then, you need to know something about what's going on
tonight.”
“You mean besides letting some old stranger have their way with me?” Nico
grumbled.
Octavian flashed a smirk. “Not my problem. So, while you're getting defiled and
crying tonight, please do remember that we have another job to accomplish in
those rooms.” Nico quirked an eyebrow at him. Octavian sighed with a roll of
his eyes. “You're there to gather information. Do you think Percy really cares
if they get their needs sated? He's after any source of information that could
benefit him or Gaea's business.”
Nico sat himself on the arm of the couch. “I'll try to remember that while I'm
fighting the urge to vomit.”
“Oh,” a wicked grin crossed over Octavian's lips, “I'm sure you'll be doing a
lot more than that. Just remember not to throw up on the customer. As much of
an annoyance as you are, you don't need to get yourself thrown out of here.”
The blond's blue eyes traveled down to inspect his nails. “You're just going to
have to suck it up and deal with it. We don't need you failing to do your job,
simply because you're curled up in a corner.
“I take it you remember all the lessons we gave you when you first started
stripping?” Nico slowly nodded his head. “It's pretty much just like that,
except you have to be a little more discreet with your words.” Octavian made a
gesture with his hand, as if indicating someone beside him. “You can't just go
up to them and say, 'Oh, kind sir, would you mind telling me the account info
to your company's finances, or perhaps the location to all your weapons of mass
destruction?'”
Nico frowned, glaring up at the blond. It did not have the desire effect on
Octavian that Nico had hoped for. The blond simply dusted off his shoulder. “I
know that, ass. How about you try being a decent human being, and try to
remember what it was like when you first came here.”
“Oh believe me,” Octavian's eyes pierced him like an icy dagger as he spoke, “I
didn't get paid like you're going to be when I had to first experience this.
Don't come whining to me about your problems, when you don't even know half the
shit the rest of us had to go through.” Nico sat back, closing his mouth. “I'd
like to see how you handled our situations. I wonder if Percy could still find
that innocence in you. But after tonight, it probably won't even matter, now
will it?”
Once again, Nico found himself angry. “I won't give you the satisfaction of
that happening.”
The blond tilted his head to the side. “Maybe then my brother will lose this
fascination he has with you. Do you even know what it's like, feeling like an
echo?” The blond was practically shouting now. “He's wrong about you.”
“I don't even know what you're talking about.”
Octavian shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed. “Just forget it,” he breathed
out. “We have other things to worry about right now, and you're far from
ready.”
“Are you even willing to help me, or should I expect the same treatment I got
from Apollo during my first night stripping?”
Octavian narrowed his eyes. “Firstly, don't throw me in with his brain-dead
ideas. I just kept my mouth shut about it. If I really wanted to ruin you, I'd
use a more tactical approach.”
“But you just told me your method,” the younger Lost Boy mumbled.
“Maybe I'm not out to destroy you.” Octavian eyed Nico over before rolling his
eyes. “Yet.” He let out a sigh. “There's not much I can do for helping you
survive the night. All I'm here to do is make sure you know your job. I'm sure
someone else will take you aside before you do anything and make sure you have
tips for staying calm.” Letting out a long breath, Octavian pulled a chair out
from the kitchen's island. “Okay, let's begin.”
------------------------------------------------------
The ticking of the clock that hung from the cafe's wall was starting to drive
Nico mad. He found it hard to look away from it, watching as the minutes went
by. Octavian's lesson had been nothing short of nerve wracking. And now here he
sat with Zoë and Apollo, waiting until the moment of his doom.
He had barely touched his food, finding himself unable to stomach anything. He
felt sick and dizzy. Maybe if he threw up, he would not have to do this
tonight. It felt as if a fist had taken hold of his stomach, and was twisting
it into a knot. He slumped lower into his chair with a heavy sigh.
Zoë regarded him from the corner of her eye, but chose not to say anything.
Apollo took a large sip from his cup of coffee before turning to the small Lost
Boy. “You know, you could always get wasted beforehand. Maybe then you won't
have to remember it.”
It took Nico a moment to even process what the blond had said. He finally
blinked and looked away from the clock. “I don't know. I've already screwed up
enough, I don't think that's going to help matters.” He sighed and pushed his
food away. “Though, it does sound appealing right about now.”
“Yeah,” Apollo whispered. “Just...don't think about it.” The blond took another
sip of coffee. “Just think about something else. Distract yourself. Do whatever
it takes to help you in this situation.”
“But I'm supposed to.”
“Percy's not going to care if you don't do the full extent of your job on your
first night.” It surprised Nico a little to have Zoë jump into the
conversation. The girl speared a piece of fruit with her fork before placing it
in her mouth. “It's your first time. Percy knows how you're going to be
feeling. Trust me, take Apollo's advice, you'll be better off for it.”
Nico's brown eyes met Apollo's blue ones. “But I can't do that forever.”
The curly haired blond sat his coffee down. “No, but it's a start. Just this
one time. By the time you have to do it again, it'll give the rest of us some
time to get you situated into the role.” He placed a hand on the other Lost
Boy's shoulder. “Just get through tonight. And whatever you do, don't cry. You
have to hold it in until the customer leaves the room. You can't shove them
away either.”
“No matter what your body screams for you to do,” Zoë added. Apollo nodded in
agreement.
“And what about afterwards?” Nico whispered.
Apollo sighed. “Just worry about getting through it first. We can worry about
the rest later.” None of this helped Nico calm his breathing, and the blond
took notice. “You'll be fine, Nico. If things go horrible, we'll step in.”
Nico still felt terrified, but he nodded his head anyways. Zoë wiped her hands
with a napkin before standing up. “Don't forget to come by and see us girls
before we have to go to work tonight. You need to get those bruises covered
up.”
Apollo tossed her a small wave before she walked off. He nudged the Lost Boy
next to him. “You haven't really eaten anything.”
“I can't right now,” Nico confessed. “I'll just throw it up if I do.” His
frightened brown eyes found Apollo's form. “How did you get through your first
time?”
“The same way you're going to.” Apollo sighed and stood up, picking up Nico's
food and placing it on his tray. “Don't worry so much, it's not good for you.”
Nico just sat there as Apollo took their trash and threw it in the garbage,
depositing the small tray on top of the garbage bin. “Come on, you've got a
little more time before you have to see the girls.”
Nico frowned and stood up, following after the tall blond. “Where are we
going?”
“To get you something sweet, that maybe you can hold down.”
They ended up walking out to the cabana, where Ganymede was finishing up with a
customer. The woman that stood at the counter giggled as the dirty haired blond
slid her drink across the counter with a wink. He flashed her a bright smile,
which vanished the second she had turned her back.
Ganymede arched a brow as the two Lost Boys stepped up to the counter. “And
what can I do for you two today? It's rare that I get to see you at work,
Apollo.”
The curly haired blond flashed his pearly white smile. “That's because I don't
really do sweets, aside from the healthy ones you do on occasion.”
“I've got something healthy for you, if you just come up to my room.” Ganymede
winked.
Apollo chuckled. “Not tonight. I'm actually here for Nico.”
The bartender blinked and swapped his gaze to Nico. “What's up, cutie? I hear
you're getting thrown in with the rest of them.” He scrunched his lips up. “A
shame, and here I thought you'd make it without getting into all that.” He
raised an eyebrow and looked Nico over. “You don't look so good.” He glanced
back to Apollo. “Does he need to lie down?”
Apollo sighed and ran his fingers through Nico's hair. “He'll be fine, I hope.
He's not really eating, so I thought you could make him something.”
Ganymede clicked his tongue. “It just so happens, cutie, that I have just the
thing.” The man flashed Nico a bright smile. “Just a second.” He busily moved
around the cabana, all the while Nico's stomach kept feeling worse. The boy was
beginning to feel like passing out. “So, how was it?”
Nico blinked. “What?”
Apollo rested his elbow on the counter. “He wants to know about last night.”
“Um,” Nico rubbed the back of his neck, “that's kind of private.” He watched as
Ganymede's lip tilted up. “I don't really want to share that. It was nice,
let's just leave it at that.”
The ex-Lost Boy scrunched his lips. “That's no fun. How are you supposed to
make it as a Lost Boy, if you can't even act like them?”
Nico shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe it's time to change things.” Ganymede's
eyes crinkled in amusement. “But it got me into all of this.”
The man sighed. “Not really, that was your own fault.” Nico frowned at him.
“You are the one that made the decision, after all.” He started the blender
before walking back over to Apollo and Nico. “Baby boy, I just didn't figure
you'd do it, feelings for the big guy aside. You just don't seem cut out for
this kind of stuff.”
As much as Nico wanted to be offended by that, he knew it was true. He should
also probably take it as a compliment. He knew he was not like the others. Deep
down, he had come to accept that a long time ago, even if he did want to fit in
better. The others were right in their judgment of him on that regard.
Ganymede smirked and poured a smoothie into a glass. Wagging his eyebrows, he
slid it over to Nico. “Well how are you feeling about tonight?”
“Like throwing up,” Nico mumbled, stirring his drink lightly.
The dirty haired bond motioned to the drink. “Apollo's right, though, you need
something in your stomach.” He leaned on the counter as Nico sighed and took a
sip. “You might throw it up afterwards, though. Just make sure you drink plenty
of water before you go to sleep tonight.”
Apollo scrunched his lips. “And you'll probably want a long, hot shower. It's
to be expected.”
Ganymede nodded in agreement. “If I do recall, Silena and Will had to be
dragged out of the showers.”
“Yeah,” Apollo mumbled. Nico quirked an eyebrow over at the curly haired blond.
“Old ghosts. Their first time working here did not sit well with them.”
Nico found it odd how similar, yet different, the two blonds were. Ganymede had
the more defined features, that was certain. Apollo's eyes were the more
vibrant, even if Ganymede were to take his contacts out. And there was the fact
that Ganymede had two inches over Apollo in height. But, around the face, Nico
thought they looked a little similar. Their smiles were definitely the same.
But there was something else about them, something different. Ganymede felt
worn, but not broken. Apollo, on the other hand, felt alive, yet broken. Even
if the curly haired blond seemed in pieces, Nico could see the blond's light
buried underneath. But this place was suffocating, Nico could see that. It did
not matter, though, things would not change around here.
Fear, sexual dominance, and comfort. What an odd combination to keep the
employees in line, Nico thought. Why did it have to be this way? Perhaps it was
due to some of those classes that Nico had been thrown into, but he did not
feel this was necessary.
The boy blinked, nearly choking on his smoothie, as Ganymede waved a hand in
front of his face. “You okay there, cutie?”
Nico let out a string of coughs, while Apollo patted his back. “Just,” another
cough, “thinking.”
“What's on your mind?” Apollo inquired.
Nico stared into the blond's sapphire eyes for the longest time. It felt so
unimportant really. Percy would not change the way the hotel was run, and so
none of what he had been thinking about would ever matter. Hell, Nico did not
have it all pieced together. He knew certain measures were necessary, but to do
what was being done to him felt unfair.
Not in the regard of breaking the agreement, Nico knew he had messed up on that
end, but with how soon it was following his mother's death and burial. It felt
cold, it felt unloving. It felt cruel. But what was he going to do about it?
“Nothing,” Nico finally answered. He sighed and took another sip of his
smoothie. All of this thinking was beginning to hurt the Lost Boy's head. It
felt like he was missing a piece to a puzzle. There was just something missing
about all of this. He could not even fully place what he was confused about.
The sudden thought on wanting to change things, it had just made him question
being placed in his business class. When Apollo gave him an odd look, Nico
looked down at the bar and worked on finishing his smoothie. Perhaps he was
missing more than one piece.
When the boy was finally finished with his drink, Ganymede slid the empty cup
across the bar and deposited it into the sink. Apollo swiveled in his seat to
look at Nico. “You should probably go up and start getting ready. The girls
will be expecting you soon. And you don't need to make them late for work.” He
smiled. “Just enjoy yourself tonight, at least until later. For the most part,
you'll just be sitting around with Percy.” He rolled his eyes when he saw
Nico's lips tilt up minutely. “I figured that'd get a reaction.”
Nico hopped off the stool he had been sitting on. Ganymede tossed him a wave.
“Bye, cutie. Try not to throw up on the customer.”
Nico let out a groan. Apollo chuckled. “Don't listen to him. Now, go get
ready.”
The trip up to his room turned out to be relatively quiet and uneventful.
Families went on with their lives, a few kids even ran around the lobby. There
were a few people at the front desk, waiting to get their keys. But all Nico
could think of was: were any of these people going to be his first customer?
What if it was one of these people that he was seeing at the moment.
By the time he boarded the elevator, his heart was pounding once again. He ran
a hand across his face, feeling a small layer of sweat there. His stomach, once
again, was in knots. The sun was almost gone from the sky, and in a few short
hours, he would be sitting around to be bought out by a customer. Honestly, he
could not figure out which he was more nervous of it being a man or a woman.
He let out a small breath as he pushed the door to his suite open. It was quiet
inside, signaling Jason was not there. He tilted is neck to the side, reaching
a hand up to rub it. His body stiffened when a pair of hands began massaging
his shoulders.
Nico shuddered when Percy's chuckle was heard in his ear. “How are you
feeling?”
Nico turned his head and shrugged. “Been better. Haven't really managed to eat
anything all day. I feel like throwing up.”
Percy slid past him and Nico shut the door. “You'll be fine. And just remember,
I'll be there when it's over.” The young man shrugged his shoulders. “If you're
lucky, it won't take long.”
“That's so comforting,” Nico mumbled. He frowned and walked to his room, Percy
following after him. He turned his head to look at the young man when Percy
shut his door. “The thought of having sex with a woman just makes my stomach
lurch. I'm gay, I don't even know if I can get it up for a woman.”
Percy chuckled, which only served to irritate Nico. “You'll be fine. If it is a
woman, just close your eyes.” His lips tilted up when he saw the look Nico was
giving him. “If it's that big of a deal, we can give you something to help you
out. Sorry to say, but you just have to deal with it.”
Nico rubbed at his face and sat on the edge of his bed. “What were you before
all of this anyways? Straight, bi, or gay?”
The manager stood there for a moment. He looked deep in thought, tapping a
finger to his lip. “You know, I don't really remember. I was still relatively
young when Gaea took me in, and sex and dating was the last thing on my mind
while living on the streets.” The green-eyed young man shrugged. “I guess I
didn't really have an orientation until the job, and even now I don't really
think of it as having one.”
Nico stared up at him with a frown. “But if you were to find yourself in a
relationship, do you have a preference?”
Percy stepped up to him and Nico placed his hands on the back of the young
man's legs. Percy hummed and slid his fingers through the brown-eyed boy's
black locks. “Curious, aren't we? Well, I'm sure I know what answer you want to
hear, but I'm sad to say that it isn't the case.”
“Oh.” Nico frowned.
Percy smiled and tilted his chin up. “I'd want to be with someone who made me
happy, regardless of gender. I don't really care if it's with a man or a woman,
as long as they are right for me.” He let out a sigh and stood to his full
height. “But, as I've said, dating is not the best thing for me right now.”
“So, you're just going to be alone? Forever?”
The young man sighed and climbed onto the bed. Nico bit down on his lip and
leaned back, until he was flat on his back. “I'm not alone, I have all of you.
And Chiron, Circe, Ganymede, Gaea, and Kronos. I have my family.”
Nico's fingers lightly traced Percy's stomach through his shirt. “You don't
want someone who will love you, and you love back?”
The young man leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of Nico's head.
“I love Gaea and Kronos, as I do all of you.”
Nico's brown eyes flickered down to Percy's lips. “But it's not romantic love.”
Nico closed his eyes as Percy leaned in. His head tilted to the side, feeling
the young man's breath on his neck. His stomach tightened when he felt Percy's
fingers run under his shirt. When Percy rested himself against Nico's crotch,
the Lost Boy lifted his hips and bent his legs on either side of Percy's waist.
Percy smiled down at him when Nico let out a quiet moan.
The boy finally opened his eyes when he felt Percy's arms cross over his chest.
He blinked, finding Percy resting his chin on his arms and staring down at him.
“You're a curious little thing, aren't you, Nico? Why are you concerned about
me?”
“Because I care about you.”
The manager did not respond. He held Nico's gaze in utter silence. It unnerved
the boy slightly, the way Percy watched him. It was something about his eyes.
There was just something there, something Nico could not quite place.
Nico cleared his throat and slid out from under Percy. He pulled his legs up to
his chest, brushing a strand of hair behind his ear. “I'm going to need to get
ready.”
Percy smiled. “You can change in front of me.” He sat back on his knees and
grinned. “Besides, I needed to talk to you.”
Nico frowned. Percy crawled around behind him and draped his arms around Nico.
“What is it?”
In the mirror, Nico saw the sinister grin that plastered Percy's face. It made
his heart race. This was not going to be good, whatever it was about.
Percy leaned in, until his every breath could be clearly heard by Nico. “It's
about your father.” Nico leaned his head away, slightly shifting his body away
from Percy. He did not like where this was going. “He did say this was not
over. But, Nico, I don't want him causing any more problems for us.” The way
Percy's body moved reminded Nico of a snake, slithering along the ground. “I
don't think you want him to take you. I know you don't want to go back to
living with him, not when you know what he might do to you.”
Nico chewed on his lip. He eventually turned his head to stare at Percy from
the corner of his eye. “What are you suggesting?”
Percy's eyes were a dark green. His lips were slightly parted as his eyes
traced every inch of Nico's face. “Just what I offer to all of my Lost Kids. I
can make sure your father never bothers you again, if that's what you want.” He
took Nico's hand, pressing his larger palm to Nico's and intertwining their
fingers. “Is that what you want, Nico?” By this time his face was mere inches
from Nico's own.
Nico's heart pounded in his chest. From what, he did not know. It could have
been the fact that Percy was so close to him, touching him, or it could have
been from what was coming out of the young man's mouth. “You're suggesting
murder. You want to kill my father?”
“I promised to keep you safe, and he is threatening to jeopardize that.”
Percy's ran a hand along Nico's cheek. “Is it what you want?”
“No.” They both blinked at his quick response. Honestly, he had not even had to
think on it. He knew the answer, even after all his father had done. “I just
lost my mother, Percy. He might be an asshole, but he's still my father. And
he's taking care of Bianca.” The Lost Boy shook his head. “I don't want to be
like that, to have my father murdered. I've already messed up, and I've
disappointed you a lot, I know that now, but I know this is not the path I want
to take.”
Percy was still for a moment, but a smirk finally touched at his lips. “Good.
At least you're learning.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Wait, what?”
Percy pulled away from him with a smile. “You might have been slipping up
lately, but I know you, Nico. And as much as I'd love to hang your father from
my balcony, I knew what your answer would be.” He shrugged. “Unless you really
have lost your innocence. But that's what I'm hoping you hold on to, even after
everything you're about to go through.”
When Percy turned to leave, Nico reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.
“Percy.” The young man quirked a brow. “I wanted to talk to you.”
“What is it?”
“I'm...sorry.” Nico chewed on his lip. Percy tilted his head to the side. “I've
screwed up and I've disappointed you. I made mistakes, and I'll probably make
more. You've done a lot for me, and I haven't really shown any appreciation.”
He let out a sigh and lowered his head. “I threw away what you gave me, and I'm
sorry. And I think...I think I understand what went on during Thanksgiving.”
Percy had his arms crossed now. “Oh?”
“You were constantly disappointed in my mistakes. I asked to be a stripper, I
was trying to have sex with you, I drank wine, and then we had sex. You were
trying to keep me from living a life like the rest of the Lost Kids, and I
showed you no appreciation for it.” The boy finally looked up, barely meeting
Percy's gaze. “I'm sure you were tired of trying, of my mistakes.” He bit down
on his lip. “I just don't want you to give up on me.”
Percy pursed his lips, his arms dropping to his sides. His head lightly nodded,
his eyes not meeting Nico's own. “Show me that you can keep your innocence
intact. Show me your strength, and you'll have my trust.”
Nico nodded his head. He got off the bed and wrapped his arms around Percy, who
widened his eyes. The young man eventually wrapped his arms around Nico. “I'm
sorry,” Nico mumbled into the warm chest in front of him.
“You're fine, Nico.”
Nico looked up at him with wide eyes. “But you're disappointed with me.”
Percy chuckled and patted Nico's head. “Nico, you act like this is the first
time I've ever been disappointed in one of my Lost Kids.” The young man arched
his brow. “Does your first night on stage ring any bells?” He grabbed onto
Nico's shoulders and held the boy at a distance. “Don't worry so much, it's not
good for you.”
Nico nodded and Percy smiled again. With a quick pat to Nico's cheek, the
manager took his leave, leaving Nico alone in his room. The boy sat down on his
bed with a sigh. A few seconds later, he heard the sound of the door shutting,
signaling Percy's full departure.
He chewed on his lip for a few seconds before hopping up and grabbing a change
of clothes from his closet. Making sure he had everything, Nico exited his
room. Once in the hallway, the Lost Boy walked out of the boys' hall and headed
across to the wing the girls inhabited.
The youngest of the Lost Kids knocked on Calypso and Zoë's door. It took a few
seconds, but the door was finally opened. And before Nico could even react, he
was pulled inside. Thalia cracked her knuckles in front of him. “Time to get to
work.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I don't trust you with this.” Though, when Drew came
in with a backpack full of nothing but makeup, Nico reconsidered where his
trust should be placed. “Um, actually never mind.”
Silena smiled and ruffled his hair, coercing him to sit in the chair by the
couch. “Don't worry so much, Nico, Drew is an expert with makeup.”
“And besides,” Piper added, “we'll be supervising the entire time.”
Drew sneered at the other Lost Girl. “Please, I don't need any of you to help
me. I can make him look brand new.”
Nico frowned as she pulled out a brush. “Do I really have to wear makeup?”
Zoë rolled her eyes from the couch. “Do you really think you're the only one of
the boys that has had to do this before?”
Annabeth let out a sigh from beside her, flipping through a book. “Several of
them have had to do this.” Closing the book, she placed it in her lap. “Luke
was aggressive, Will got in a fight or two at school, Beckendorf and Luke
actually got into a fight once.”
Nico noticed Thalia shoot Silena a look. Calypso lightly nodded her head. “And
we've had to use the stuff for our own needs. The customers aren't always
gentle.” All of the girls nodded in agreement. “If you want to see Percy angry,
wait until a customer is stupid enough to actually try and cause harm to one of
us in the rooms.”
Thalia made a face as she picked up a tube from Drew's bag and inspected it.
“But it's not just us. I remember Connor's first time with a male customer.”
Annabeth let out a sigh and pursed her lips. “Travis nearly went ballistic.”
“Took a chunk of hair from the guy,” Reyna mumbled.
Drew dusted her brush and tilted Nico's face up. “You should go ahead and
remove your shirt. You probably won't be needing it tonight anyways.”
Nico's eyes were wide and questioning as they turned to Annabeth. The blonde
let out a sigh. “You're being advertised tonight, Nico. Even if you're not
going to be on stage, or working the floor, you have to be presentable.”
“Basically,” Thalia added, “you're not wearing your shirt.”
Nico let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders. He lifted his shirt over his
head and sat it to the side. Drew pushed him back and began applying some
concealer to his chest bruises. “At least the ice has been helping,” Drew
mumbled.
A bowl of fruit was held out for him. He looked up to find Juniper smiling at
him. “You should eat something. Zoë and Apollo told us how little you've eaten
today.” Nico shook his head. “Just try a few pieces.” The boy sighed and
accepted the small bowl. “On the bright side, though, you'll be in dark areas
the entire time, so you won't have to have a ton of makeup.”
“If your bruises are still hurting you, you can keep them from touching you
there,” Piper suggested, “as long as you do it right. You can't just smack
their hands away, or snap at them.”
“Unless they're into that.” Thalia grinned over at him. He just frowned and let
Drew do her job.
Drew tilted his chin up, her lips a thin line. The girl seemed in deep
concentration. Her eyes did not even meet Nico's once. He found himself
grateful for the brief moment of silence. Though, he also worried that Drew
might feel how fast his heart was beating. His time was nearly up, and he would
soon be sold off like some pig to a farmer.
“Here, take this.” Reyna held out a small pill for him.
Nico reached out with a shaky hand, nearly knocking it from Reyna's grasp, and
grabbed it. “What is it?” He winced when Drew applied some pressure to the
bruise on his cheek.
Reyna sat down on the arm of the couch. “A nerve pill. Nico, you look like
you're about to have a nervous breakdown.”
Nico's eyes began to brim with tears. “I don't want to do this.” Drew grunted
when he leaned forward and held his face in his hands. “I screwed up. I can't
do this.”
Annabeth placed a hand on his shoulder. “It's too late now, Nico. We all have
consequences that we have to live with. There are things that we do, not
because we want to, but because we have to. And, while they may seem bad,
sometimes they are for the best.”
“This can't be for the best,” Nico hissed. He rapidly shook his head.
Drew put a death grip on his chin, glaring down at him. “If you start crying,
you'll ruin the makeup, and then I'll have to end you.” She shoved a manicured
nail into his face. “Man up and stop acting like a child. Save your tears for
when it's over, because trust me, you'll need them.”
Nico pressed his lips together, nodding his head in the Lost Girl's grasp.
Annabeth stood to her feet and looked him over. “All done?” Drew gave a nod,
pulling back. “Come on, Nico, I'll walk you upstairs.”
Nico quietly got to his feet. Hazel and Juniper surrounded him for a big hug.
But Nico did not respond to it. He simply stood there and let it happen. He
felt a little numb, his heart sinking in his chest. A few of the others smiled
at him, placing their hands on his shoulder.
Calypso opened the door for him and Annabeth. She smiled and hugged the Lost
Boy herself. “You'll be okay, Nico. It'll be over before you know it.” She
pulled back with a sad smile. “Good luck.”
Nico forced a smile, which he knew would never pass for being real, and nodded
his head. He followed Annabeth out the door and gave a small wave to the girls
before walking towards the elevator. He felt like he was walking to his doom.
Out of all the bad decisions he had ever made in his life, he was sure this
would prove to be the worst.
And it only was made worse by the silence. Annabeth did not speak, and since he
was behind her, she was not looking at him. He looked down at his fist, which
was still clamped around the pill that Reyna had given him. He would take it
later.
When the elevator doors opened, he actually found himself hoping the silence
would continue. Octavian stood there, arms crossed and scowl in place. His eyes
found Nico first, before shifting over to Annabeth. “Leading the lamb to the
slaughter?”
Annabeth sighed and shoved past Octavian. The blond sneered at her, taking a
step back. Annabeth motioned for Nico to get on, which he did, albeit
reluctantly. “Just shut up, Octavian. He doesn't want to hear your cruel
jokes.”
“Oh, that's so sweet of you, Annie.” He narrowed his blue eyes. “Watching out
for the poor unfortunate soul, are we?”
“Someone has to.”
The blond chuckled dryly. “Yes, I suppose someone does.”
Nico's eyes shifted between the two. The two had their gazes locked in a stare
off. Octavian's lip tilted up in a small smirk. Annabeth's jaw tightened in
response. The two really did not like each other.
Annabeth ran her fingers through her hair. “Why don't you try acting like a
civilized human being for once?”
“Oh, you know how much I love my role around here.” He chuckled again. “It
isn't always about what he wants, you know.”
Annabeth narrowed. “And what would you know about that?”
The blond Lost Boy just smirked. The elevator opened and he stepped out.
Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned to Nico, motioning for the young Lost Boy
to follow her. Octavian was already up the stairs and out of sight by the time
they were making their way up them. Nico's vision began to sway, and he ended
up having to reach out for the railing. Annabeth stopped and put an arm around
him.
“Come on, Nico. You can just sit down the entire night.” She gave a small smile
and motioned to his hand. “Just make sure you take that before the end of the
night.”
Nico took in a deep breath and nodded his head. He hated this. He felt so weak
and pathetic right now. But who in their right mind would be anything other
than terrified, put in his situation? Surely, the others felt like this for
their first time doing this, right?
Percy stood beside his booth. Nico looked up to receive a small smile from the
young man. “I'll take him from here, Annabeth.” The blonde smiled and nodded.
As she began to walk away, Percy's hand grasped hers and gave her knuckles a
small kiss. “Thanks for looking after him.”
“Not a problem.” Annabeth smiled again before leaving. Nico watched her leave.
Even if she was going to just be over on the other side, Nico wanted to go with
her. Perhaps even make a run to the elevator.
Nico sat down at the booth, hands clamped down on the table. The pill Reyna had
given him sat in front of him. Percy eyed it, but chose not to say anything
about it. He simply sat down next to Nico. He cleared his throat and placed his
arm along the back of the booth. It would have been nice, given better
circumstances. Nico could have just leaned back and enjoyed the young man's
warmth.
But all he could find himself focusing on was the dread of what was to come.
By the time Leo showed up an hour later, Nico was still frozen where he sat.
The Lost Boy had turned down anything to eat or drink when Travis came by to
take their orders. The brunet had just given him a sympathetic look before
taking his leave.
Percy sighed as the Latino boy sat down across from him. His fingers found
their way into the back of Nico's hair. “Everything taken care of?”
Leo's eyes darted over to Nico, a sad look emanating from inside them. “Yeah,”
he mumbled.
It only served to make Nico's heart sink further. It did not take a genius to
figure out what they were discussing. “A-and?”
Percy's hand gripped Nico's shoulder and bid him to lean back. The young man's
arm continued to rest around him. “Calm down. Leo was just making it clear to
parties that might be interested that they can have some time with you.” Nico
let out a small whine, his shoulders trying to brush off Percy's arm. It did
not sit well on him to hear that. Percy sighed and leaned in to whisper to him.
“Just relax. I know how it sounds-and I'm sorry-but this is business. I promise
that you'll get through this.”
Nico lightly nodded his head. He was not really paying attention to the stage,
or even who was on it. He was, however, grateful that he was not being made to
get up there and strip as well. This was already enough, and he was still
unsure if he could endure this.
But Percy had faith in him, as did the others, so he needed to at least try. He
stiffened when Percy placed a hand on his leg. He looked down, realizing that
it was tapping on its own. The Lost Boy stopped it and let out a small breath.
Percy was handed some paperwork by Leo and the manager's hand was removed from
the boy's leg. Nico's eyes roamed to the young man that sat next to him,
watching as the Adonis massaged his temple as he read of the contents of the
document.
When Travis went walking by, Percy flagged him down. The brunet made a quick
turn and came over with a smile. Percy propped his chin and sighed. “Can I get
a bottle of Everclear?”
It took Travis a second, but he blinked and nodded. “Yes, sir. I'll get right
on that.” Percy gave a nod and the brunet hurried off to the bar room.
Nico's eyes were dull as they watched the green-eyed young man next to him. “I
thought you only drank that when you were really upset?”
Percy smirked and turned to face Nico. “You do have a good memory, or so it
would seem. You're going to make me feel special, keeping track of my habits
like that.”
Nico exhaled through his nose and rested his chin on his crossed arms. His eyes
stared emptily at Will, who was currently working the stage. “That's because I
do care about you.”
“And that's going to hold true after tonight?” Percy's brow furrowed. “I
figured you'd hate me or something, since I'm making you do this.”
“You're just being an honorable man of your word. I am upset,” the boy mumbled,
“but it's my own fault.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I just want to get it
over with. Thinking about it is starting to drive me insane, and I don't know
how much more I can take.”
Something that only drove Nico more insane was the fact that there was no clock
in the room. And by the time Nico checked the time on Percy's phone for the
fifth time, it was taken away from him by the manager, who had just finished
his sixth shot of Everclear.
Time ticked on and the hours passed by. Leo was called away from the table from
time to time to deal with customers and their requests. Nico's stomach only
managed to clench further. He had Travis bring him a glass of water, and he was
now staring down at the pill that Reyna had given him.
With a heavy sigh, he downed it, following it up with a large swig of water.
Why had he let this happen? Why had he not thought his actions through better?
But it was too late for questions. None of that mattered anymore.
Leo returned to them a little after midnight. The Lost Boy looked over at
Percy, giving the manager a small nod. Percy glanced back down at his documents
with a nod of acknowledgment. Nico just sighed and hung his head. His fate was
sealed, he knew it. Percy reached over and patted his hand, but did not spare
the boy a glance.
Luke walked by their table, on the way to deliver an order. It stung a little
when he did not even spare a glance in their direction. Nico hung his head and
pursed his lips. He wanted to cry. No one would really notice, not with the
music as loud as it was.
Apollo had taken the stage at some point, and was busy showing off his body for
the crowd. The curly haired blond slid along the edge of the stage, ending up
on his back. He slid along the ground until he grabbed the pole and pulled
himself up.
To Nico everything was beginning to become mushed together. People passed by
the table like blurs, the music now a dull roar in his ears. He did not even
acknowledge it when Percy rubbed his back. His time had run out and there was
nowhere that he could hide. He bit down on his lip and clenched his eyes shut,
curling in on himself.
He became vaguely aware that Percy was saying something, but he had begun to
cry and no longer was able to make anything out. He felt someone grab him and
lift him up. He came face to face with Travis, who flashed him a smile. Leo and
the brunet got on either of Nico and helped him walk to the back. Nico looked
up to see that Apollo had stopped moving on stage.
The blond's eyes darted from Nico over to Percy. The green-eyed Adonis gave the
blond an annoyed look and pointed in Apollo's direction. The blond Lost Boy
pursed his lips and went back to gyrating his hips on the pole.
Travis and Leo led him into the back, where the other boys were. They glanced
up and stood to their feet. “What's going on?” Will asked as the two dragged
Nico towards the back. “Is it already time?” Nico's heart sank a little.
Leo sighed and shook his head, holding up a hand. “He's just having a hard
time. We're just going to take him to the back, where he can lie down. You can
come see him before anything happens.”
Will did not seem happy about it, but he nodded and stepped aside. Travis
opened the door and allowed Leo to step in with Nico. Another door was opened,
and Nico was placed on the bed. He could not help but cringe upon contact,
knowing full well what he would soon be doing on it.
Travis patted his leg, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Going to be okay there,
Neeks?”
“I'm sorry,” Nico mumbled into the mattress.
The brunet tilted his head to the side, sparing Leo a glance. “Why? What did
you do?”
“I just feel...feel so weak.” Nico was painfully aware of the tears that were
streaking down his cheeks, but he no longer cared. “I'm sure all of you think
I'm,” his chest racked in a fit of sobs, “pathetic.”
Travis's brow furrowed as he leaned in, the playful and mischievous boy gone.
“You don't need to think like that. Nico, you might be surprised, but I think I
can speak for the rest when I say that I think we all acted like you are when
we had to do this for the first time.” The brunet squeezed his hand. “I would
not even speak with my brother the entire day before it happened. I was in my
room the whole time, locked away and barely eating.”
Leo nodded. “This isn't unusual. You can ask the others, they will tell you the
same thing.”
Travis pulled the boy on the bed in for a hug. “You're going to be okay, and
you're not weak.”
Leo frowned and pulled out his phone, which was lit up. He sighed as he looked
at it. “We've got to go.” He gave Nico a weak smile. “Travis is right, you'll
be okay. But it's time now. Percy and a few of the others will be in shortly,
though.”
Nico wiped the tears from his face and sat up with a nod. Travis gave his
shoulder a pat before standing to his feet and walking from the room. Leo stood
in the doorway a moment, giving the boy a nod before exiting as well. Nico was
left alone, his head dropping to stare at his lap.
He leaned his head back, against the wall, and closed his eyes. Why did this
happen now? Maybe if he had been given more time, he could have prepared
himself better. The boy shook his head. No, he thought, that would not have
helped. He would have just stressed it more.
He opened his eyes when the door opened again. Percy, Apollo, Juniper, and
Silena entered the room. Apollo and Juniper sat on either side of him, taking a
hand each. Percy paced in front of Nico, clasping his chin. Silena kneeled in
front of him and squeezed his knee.
Nico took in several breaths, finding a fresh pain in his chest. It was hard to
breath, like there was not enough air in the room. His chest ached deeply and a
fresh set of tears burned his eyes. Juniper pulled him to her.
“It'll be okay, Nico,” she whispered into his hair. “It'll be over before you
know it.”
Silena nodded, tearing up as well. “Just think about something else, something
happier.”
Apollo locked his jaw and turned to Percy. “Are you really going to make him do
this? He's upset, he can't handle this.”
Percy stopped his pacing to stare back at Apollo. “I do believe it was you that
suggested this in the first place.”
Apollo pressed his lips together. “I'm changing my mind.” He motioned to the
boy next to him. “Are you not upset about this? Don't make him do this.
Please.” The blond shook his head. “Things have changed and I've changed my
mind. He doesn't deserve this.”
Percy's eyes shifted over to where Nico lay, curled up into Juniper. The
manager showed no response. He ran his tongue along the inside of his mouth.
“My mind has already been made up. He knew the consequences.” He shrugged. “You
were in his place once, and you got through it.”
“Maybe I don't want him turning out like me anymore.”
Nico gave Apollo an odd look through his tears. Juniper stroked his hair
softly. That had been slightly unexpected, to say the least. Percy's brow
furrowed as he studied Apollo. Silena squeezed his leg again with a weak smile.
“Focus on something else, Nico. It's what I used to do.”
She was the first to leave. Apollo was next, giving Nico's hand a small
squeeze. He let the young Lost Boy's hand drop into is lap as he got to his
feet. Juniper continued to stroke his hair. She watched Percy with a frown.
“Can I talk to you in the hall?”
Percy gave her a dark look. The girl held her ground, though. Percy inhaled
deeply before wiping a hand across his mouth and nodding. He nodded his head
towards the door and Juniper got up, but not before hugging Nico again. Nico
sat up straight, staring at the young man in front of him. Percy crouched down
in front of him.
“You going to be okay?”
Nico nodded his head. “Will you be here when it's over?”
“Yeah,” Percy whispered. “I'll be in the surveillance room the entire time. If
he takes it too far, I'll pull you out.”
Nico's heart sank. It was going to be a man then? He supposed he should be
thankful that he was not expected to have sex with a woman for his first time
doing this. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, nodding his head. His heart
was now pounding in his chest.
Percy stood to his feet. Nico held on to his hand until the last of Percy's
fingertips fell from his grasp. When Percy opened the door, Nico reached out
for him. “Please don't go. Please.”
Percy shut the door, pressing his back against it. He sighed and walked back
over to Nico, sitting beside him. Nico buried his face into Percy's chest. The
young man wrapped an arm around him. “I have to, Nico. I know you're stronger
than you give yourself credit for.” He tilted the boy's chin up to look at him.
“Show me I'm right.”
Nico's heart dropped again as Percy rose to his feet. The young man tossed Nico
a final glance before walking out the door and closing it behind him. Nico was
alone, and the next person that walked through that door would be his client.
It was all Nico could hope for that the door would not open, that no one came
in. He only hoped that Percy would come back in and tell him it was not really
happening, that he was not going to be subjected to this.
His was out of luck, though, when a middle-aged man opened the door and smiled
at him. He plastered on his own smile, his fingers gripping the sheets beneath
him. The man's hair was beginning to thin out in the front, while a small set
of glasses rested on his face. He was dressed up nice, wearing a coat and bow-
tie.
His hand was cold to the touch as it made contact with Nico's shoulder. “You're
a pretty little thing, aren't you?”
“Thank you,” Nico whispered.
Nico lay back on the bed. He gripped the sheets again to keep his hands from
shaking. The man removed his glasses and folded them before sitting them on a
nearby table. Nico's eyes fell upon the ceiling as the man began undoing his
tie.
“You're a lot quieter than the others.”
Nico continued to stare at the ceiling. “Sorry.”
“No, no, don't apologize. The others are always so talkative, so interested in
my life. It's a little nice to not have all that.”
The bed shifted and Nico briefly closed his eyes. Every inch of his body
screamed when the man ran his hand down his chest. He finally rolled his head
to the side to look at the man. The man sat on the edge of the bed, clad solely
in his underwear.
Nico's stomach lurched when fingers found their way to his waistline. “And
you're almost undressed. Why don't we just get you out of these?”
Nico managed a smile and lifted his hips. He shut his eyes and pressed his lips
tightly together, fighting every urge to cover himself. His shorts and
underwear were tossed aside, and he now lay, naked, before the man.
Nico propped himself up on his elbow. “Why don't we just get started?”
The man grinned at him and stood up. “All business, eh? I like that.”
Nico just grunted and lay on his back again as the man finished undressing. He
cringed a little when the man hovered over him, skin brushing against him in
several places. The portion of the ceiling he was focused on no longer was
appealing to him, now that the man's face inhabited it.
The Lost Boy's body was screaming at him to shove the man away and run from the
room, but he could not do that. His legs were squirming beneath the man. The
older man's hand reached out and touched Nico's cheek, the boy shut his eyes in
response. “You are just a jewel.”
The bed shifted again, and was soon followed by a familiar sound. It was one
that he had heard the night before, when Percy had torn open the condom
wrapper. A faint click filled Nico's ears. The man grabbed his legs and lifted
them. Nico pressed his arms over his mouth, partially to muffle any cries, and
partially to hide behind.
Nico rolled his head to the side and stared at the wall. He thought back to his
day on the beach with Percy. He had been happy then, not so many problems. He
thought of Percy's bright smile and the way the departing sun reflected in his
sea-green eyes. He thought back to the first time he laid eyes on Percy, back
when the young man had found him on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. All of
that seemed so far away now, like a far off dream.
A sharp pain in his lower region brought him back to reality. He bit down on
his lip hard enough to draw blood, and it was no surprise to him when the taste
of copper filled his mouth. The insertion did not take as long as it had with
Percy, and Nico praised whoever might hear him for the man's lack of size.
The man panted and breathed in his ear, thrusting into the boy on the bed. But
Nico, though his body was moved with each thrust, kept his eyes on the wall. A
tear fell from his eye, staining the pillow he lay on.
It hurt, but not in the way it had last night. This hurt emotionally. Nico's
heart felt like it was being ripped from his chest. He wanted to roll over and
expel the contents of his stomach onto the floor. He felt sick. He felt anger,
towards the man. Nico wanted the man off of him, he wanted this to stop.
The man moaned above him. It was not enjoyable, nowhere near the experience he
had the night before with Percy. This felt wrong, it felt disgusting. He felt
disgusting. He felt unclean. The man's touch felt like a searing fire, scalding
his flesh.
His lip trembled, holding in a sob, when the man delivered a hard thrust into
him. Nico squirmed on the bed, clawing at the sheets. He wanted to sink his
nails into the man's eyes to get him to stop, simply to make it stop. A bead of
sweat dropped onto his chest, which made him cringe.
Every second that passed felt like agonizing torture. He tried to focus on
other things, his eyes dull as they stared at the wall. He tried, he really
did. But everything that was happening made it difficult for Nico to
concentrate. His mind was screaming, and little else could work its way
through.
Only one thing kept him composed: Percy's face. Not the serious, business one
that the young man was known to put on. It was the one that Nico preferred, the
one where Percy's genuine smile could light up an entire room, where his eyes
were their normal sea-green color. He thought back to the feel of Percy's lips
pressed against his, and the feel of Percy's hand massaging his back as they
fell asleep last night.
Nico felt the man convulse above him and he pursed his lips tighter. He covered
his mouth with the back of his hand, another tear falling from his eyes. The
man panted several times before leaning back and removing himself from Nico.
The boy on the bed shook lightly as the man dressed himself again.
The man pushed his glasses up and headed for the door, but not before smiling
at Nico. “Perhaps I'll see you again.”
Nico could not even muster a smile in return. He just pressed his lips together
and nodded. The door shut, but soon something made contact with it, causing a
loud thud. Someone said something from outside. Nico finally released a sob and
curled up in a ball.
Tears began steaming down his face. It was so hard to breath. His chest heaved
in harsh, raspy breaths. He kicked at the sheets, scrambling off the bed. He
crawled over to a corner and pulled his legs to his chest. The boy began
scratching at his arm harshly.
The door opened again and footsteps fell upon the floor in quick succession. A
hand reached out and grabbed his hand, preventing him from clawing at his arm.
Nico looked up with wide eyes. Percy was crouched in front of him.
“It's over, Nico,” he whispered. Nico buried his head into his hands and
released more tears. Percy reached out for him, but Nico jerked away. The young
man sighed and held out his hand. “Nico, it's just me. Come on, I'll help you
get dressed so you can go back to your room.”
“I don't want you to leave me.”
Percy stared back at him, his eyes a dark emerald in the low light. His black
bangs hung into his eyes. “I'm right here. But we need to get you back to your
room, okay?”
Nico nodded. His chest continued to heave as Percy reached over to grab his
boxers. The young man slipped Nico's feet through the holes. The boy lifted his
body to help. As soon as they were on, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms
around Percy, burying his face into his chest. The young man rubbed small
circles into his back and let Nico cry.
Percy finally pulled Nico away and pulled out a blue shirt with the Sea World
logo on it. “Here, I brought this for you.”
Nico blinked and wiped at his eyes. “This isn't one of my shirts.”
“I know,” Percy smiled, “I brought it from my room.”
Nico just sat there and let Percy slip it on his body, lifting his arms when he
needed to. Percy stood up and held his hand out. Nico sat there a moment before
reaching out and taking it. Percy yanked him to his feet with a smile. Nico's
stomach lurched again and he ran for the bed. Sitting down, he grabbed the
trashcan and leaned forward, expelling the few contents in his stomach into the
wastebasket.
Percy opened the door while Nico was still heaving. Thalia, Juniper, and Apollo
stepped inside. Percy rubbed at his face. “Would the three of you help him up
to his room?” Nico looked up with wide eyes. Percy sighed. “I'll be up shortly,
I promise. I have to have a talk with Luke, so I'll be right back.”
Nico frowned as Percy walked out and shut the door. He rubbed at his mouth and
sat the trash can down. “What did Luke do?”
Thalia chuckled, cracking her knuckles. “Probably dislocated your client's
shoulder.”
Apollo shook his head. “He came into the security room after finishing with a
client and saw that the guy was finishing up. And before we knew it, he was
gone. Next thing we know, Luke bumps shoulders with the man rather harshly.”
Thalia cackled. “Wasn't too happy about it either. But Percy talked him down,
and Luke claimed it was an accident.”
Nico's stomach lurched again. He leaned forward, but nothing came up. Juniper
rubbed his back gently. Apollo handed him his shorts, but allowed the boy to
put them on himself. He felt empty and broken. He felt unclean as well. He
needed a shower as soon as possible.
Nico stood to his feet and pulled his shorts on. “I'm ready,” he whispered.
Juniper took his hand and walked with him out the door, while Apollo and Thalia
followed behind him. No one was around when they left, not even sitting at the
tables. The Lost Kids were already gone, or still doing business.
Once back inside Nico's suite, Juniper sat him down on the couch. “Sit right
here, I'll make you some warm tea.”
Nico could not even get himself to nod. His body was shutting down on him, and
his limbs felt like lead. He was sore and disgusted with himself. His face
ached from all of the crying, but no more seemed to come.
Apollo sat down beside him. “You okay?”
“No.”
When Apollo reached out, Nico drew back. “Sorry. I didn't really wanna be
touched after my first time either.” He handed Nico the blanket that sat on the
back of the couch. “I think you did a good job, and don't let anyone tell you
different. Most of us reacted the same way you are after our first time.”
Thalia sat on the other side of the blond, on the arm of the couch. “Well,
except for maybe Butch or Beckendorf.”
Apollo shot her a look. “Beckendorf punched a hole in the wall, and
Butch...well, Butch just has his own problems that he's still sorting through.”
Thalia leaned forward, towards Nico. “You really did do a good job, at least
for your first time. And Apollo's right, we all cried, even me. And even those
like Hazel and Silena, who had to go through all this before coming here.”
“Thalia,” Juniper hissed from the kitchen. “Private is private.”
Thalia held her hands up. “Sorry, sorry.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He sniffled as he looked at Thalia. “What happened to
Silena? I already knew about Hazel.”
Juniper walked back over and handed him his tea. “Here drink this. Don't worry
about any of that right now. You need to drink this and then get a shower.”
“And sleep,” Apollo added.
Juniper nodded. “You'll feel better in the morning.”
Nico sipped at his tea, watching the others over the top of it. “Thank you,” he
mumbled, thumbing he mug.
Apollo gave him a lopsided grin. “We're family, we got to stick together in the
hard times.”
A nice, warm feel washed over him as the warm liquid slipped down his throat.
He breathed out a long breath and took another sip. His body felt numb, for the
moment. His eyes still held their dull, lifeless quality that they had for the
past few hours. He felt empty.
After finishing his tea, the boy stood up and wrapped his arms around himself.
“I-I'm going to take a shower.”
The three stood to their feet with nods. “Get some sleep, Nico,” Juniper said,
touching the boy's arm. “Make sure to come find us in the morning. You're going
to be upset still, but you don't need to be alone.”
Nico nodded. The three left him standing there, where he remained for a full
minute before walking to the bathroom. He slipped out of his clothes, wrapping
his arms back around himself afterwards, and stepped into the scalding shower
that he had set up.
More tears finally came, mixing in with the water that was turning his skin
pink. He sat down on the shower floor and let the water hit him in the face.
With a washcloth in hand, the Lost Boy began scrubbing every inch of his skin
profusely. But no matter how much he tried, the feeling of being unclean would
not leave him. It was like it was seared into his very flesh, never to leave.
When he finally emerged, half an hour later, he found Percy sitting on his bed.
The young man looked up with a small smile. “Feel any better?”
“No,” Nico whispered, shaking his head. “I can't-” Nico rubbed at his arm. “I
can't get this feeling off of me. Will you stay here tonight?”
Percy sighed and pulled Nico to the bed, getting the boy to sit down. He smiled
and fingered the shirt Nico wore. “You're still wearing my shirt.” He sighed
and looked up. “I'll stay until you fall asleep.”
It was better than nothing. Nico nodded his head and laid down, curling up in a
ball. Percy pulled back the covers and placed them on top of the boy. He slid
up the bed, behind the boy, and draped an arm above his head. Nico felt him
shift, so that he was lying down. And then Percy's fingertips were brushing
against his arm.
It was surprisingly nice. And more surprising that he did not pull away. Nico
let out a sigh and relaxed his tense shoulders. This was only the beginning, a
voice inside his head reminded him. It was only going to get worse from here.
But at least he had Percy there, at least for the moment.
A tear slid down Nico's cheek. The boy sighed and let his eyes close. It was
not until that moment that he realized how tired he was. It was not long before
sleep claimed him, Percy's soothing fingers still running through his hair.
***** We Were Always Meant to Say Goodbye *****
Chapter Notes
     I think I changed the title of this like five times before I went
     with this one. I was going to go with "You're Not Here, You're
     Already Gone" but I like this one better. I just kept thinking that I
     feel like there's a song that sort of fits a lot of the talk that
     goes on in this chapter. Then I remembered the Kelly Clarkson song.
     "Already Gone" is a pretty good song to go with this chapter.
Quiet breathing filled his ears as Nico stared at the wall in front of him. He
rested on his stomach, his arms resting under his head. He could not really say
how long he had been awake, or even what had woken him up, but he knew it was
still early in the morning. He also felt like shit. His head hurt, his stomach
was in knots, and his body ached.
He was still tired, but as much as he tried, Nico was unable to go back to
sleep. There was a dull pounding in his head as he lay there. He was alone in
his room, and he was not even sure if anyone was in the apartment. If it was
too early, Jason could have still been asleep.
With a groan, Nico sat up in bed. His stomach instantly lurched. Shooting out
of bed and ignoring the pain coursing through his body, Nico made a run for the
bathroom.
He hunched over the toilet just in time to expel the contents of his stomach
into the bowl. He heaved a few times, but nothing else came up. He pressed his
hands against his eyes as he fell back, landing against the large tub that
rarely got used.
The sound of footsteps was heard from the hall. Nico pulled his legs up to his
chest and buried his head. He let out a groan when he heard the sink get turned
on next to him. In the next second, he had his head lifted up and a rag pressed
to his head.
Percy's green eyes stared back at him, pressing the damp cloth to the boy's
head. “You should get back to bed.”
Nico frowned at the young man, his face paler than normal. “You're still here?”
With a quick glance over the young man, Nico found that Percy was in his
pajamas and looked like he had barely slept at all. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I was catching up on some work.”
“You stayed the night?” Nico blinked. “I thought you went back to your room?”
Percy removed the cloth and felt Nico's cheek. “Well, I did go back when you
fell asleep, but I just went to get my laptop and a few things.” Percy stood up
and offered Nico his hand. “Come on.”
Slowly, Nico reached out with a shaky hand. Percy yanked him up and placed a
hand on Nico's back to help guide him out of the bathroom. They entered the
living room, where Percy left him for a moment to clean off the couch. A
blanket looked like it had been in use, but had been tossed away randomly.
Percy's laptop sat at the foot of the couch with a stack of papers and a pen.
On the table sat a coffee mug.
Percy removed his things before motioning for Nico to get on the couch. “Stay
here.” He handed Nico the remote for the TV. “Find something to watch, I'll get
you some breakfast.”
“I'm not hungry,” Nico mumbled, rolling away from Percy.
He heard Percy blow out a breath. “Well you're going to eat something. I know
things suck for you right now, but you have to deal with it.” The remote was
placed in his hand again. “Find something to watch and enjoy yourself, you're
staying in your suite today.”
Nico sat up and narrowed his eyes at Percy. “You're confining me to my room?”
“After last night and the events of the past week, I figured you could use some
rest.” The manager simply shrugged and headed for the kitchen. “I thought I was
being thoughtful. You have today and tomorrow, but you're going back to school
and work on Monday. There will be no discussion about that.” Nico's eyes
darkened as he glared at Percy's back. “So get some rest, you've been through a
lot.”
Nico pursed his lips, staring down at the floor. He nodded, even though Percy
could not see it. He was not sure why he was being so angry; he knew it was
uncalled for. Still, part of him was upset with Percy about what happened last
night. True, it had been his own decision that led to it all, but to push it so
soon after the death of his mother felt harsh.
He let out a sigh and leaned back. Pressing a button on the remote, Nico
flipped through the channels on TV. “So I can't do anything for the next two
days?”
Percy glanced up at him from where he was peeling an orange. “You can do
whatever you want, I just would like you to get some rest. Your body needs to
recover.” He focused back on what he was doing. “Drink plenty of water and try
to stay out of trouble.”
Nico rolled his eyes. Percy placed a waffle in the toaster. “You talk like I go
looking for it.”
Percy shrugged. “You make me wonder sometimes.” He smiled when Nico glared at
him. “Just being honest.” The green-eyed young man cracked his neck before
reaching up to massage it. “I'll have some of the others drop by and check on
you, so you aren't alone all day. You'll also be working the bar for a few
nights when you start back.”
Nico focused back on the TV. His stomach was still not ready to settle, and his
body now felt weak. He frowned at his arm, rubbing it lightly. “I'd rather be
alone.”
The waffle popped out of the toaster. “You don't need to be alone.” Percy
picked the waffle up and put it on a plate with the orange. He grabbed some
syrup before walking back over to Nico and placing it in front of him. “Now
eat.”
Nico stared blankly up at Percy. “I'm not hungry.”
“And I didn't ask if you were.” He pointed at the food. “I told you to eat.”
Nico sighed and swung his legs over the side of the couch. He pulled the table
closer, grabbing the syrup and covering his waffle. “You don't have to treat me
like a child.”
The manager quietly picked up his cup of coffee and raised it to his lips.
“Then maybe you should make more adult decisions.” Nico dropped his fork and
glared at him. “As of late, you've just done a lot of immature things.”
“I-”
“I didn't want you stripping, I didn't want you drinking, and I didn't want you
to have to end up selling your body.” Percy's brow furrowed over the cup as he
took a sip. “There's a lot I could have gotten in trouble for, but I was trying
to do something good. I was trying to keep you together, so you don't end up
broken like the others.”
Nico looked down, finding his feet interesting. Percy felt like a giant to him
at the moment. He felt small, insignificant. Ungrateful. “I'm sorry,” he
whispered, unable to meet Percy's gaze.
The green-eyed young man let out a sigh. Nico flinched when Percy reached out
and patted his head. The contact burned, stinging at Nico's heart. He was just
a disappointment, which was all he ever really was.
Percy's fingers tangled in his hair. “Hey.” Nico was forced to look up. The
manager crouched down, squatting in front of the boy. “I don't know what's
going on in that head of yours, but I can tell it's nothing good.” Nico's lips
continued to tilt down as he stared into those green eyes. “Stop being
depressed, you're cuter when you smile.”
As much as he would have liked to, Nico found himself unwilling to smile. He
was not sure if it was him, but things just felt so different today. The world
felt a little less bright and there was just this empty feeling hanging in the
air. And inside, Nico felt his body going to war with itself. Part of him
wanted Percy to reach out more and hold him, but the other part of him wanted
to shove the young man away.
Black bangs were pushed from Nico's eyes. “I've got to go,” Percy whispered.
“There's a lot going on today. Gaea will be here in a little over two weeks,
and I've still got a lot to get done.” Nico did not move. Percy sighed and
stood up. “If you need anything, you know you can always call or text me, or
any of the others.”
Stay, was what went through Nico's mind as he stared into Percy's eyes. There
was something odd about how Percy looked at him, concern written on the young
man's face. Running his fingers through Nico's hair one more time, Percy took
his leave.
Nico stared at the remainder of his food, not sure if he was capable of
finishing it. He found himself wishing Percy was back, or someone was there.
The silence was deafening, torturous. Licking his lips, he made a face. He
could still taste the vomit in his mouth.
The dark haired boy stood up and dragged his feet back to the bathroom.
Grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste, Nico worked on cleaning his mouth. When
he was done, he spit the contents of his mouth into the sink and cleaned off
his toothbrush. Standing up straight, Nico froze.
A chill ran across his body as he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked
horrible, but that was not what bothered him. There was a dark, empty look in
his eyes. What was worse was that it reminded him of the look in his father's
eyes at times. Was this why Percy had looked at him like that? Was he going to
become like the others, destined to lose himself in this toxic environment?
“You look like shit.”
Nico's eyes widened as they made contact with Jason in the mirror. The blond
was leaning against the doorway, eyebrow raised. Nico turned around and leaned
against the sink.
“You look like one of those murderers in those horror movies, after they've
killed their victims.” Jason rubbed the back of his neck. “You know how they
always show the murderer looking into the mirror, while they clean the blood
off?”
Nico crossed his arms. “Is there a point to this?”
The blond shrugged. “Just wondering if I need to hide the knives.” As he left
the bathroom, Nico followed him. “So, I see you survived last night.”
Inside, Nico could feel his stomach twist into a knot. “I'm fine.”
Jason stopped in the kitchen, spinning around on his feet. He grabbed Nico's
chin and forced him to look at him. The blond's eyes looked over his face,
analyzing every inch of it. Jason finally let out a grunt and released him.
“You sure look fine,” he said sarcastically. “So, how long did you spend in the
shower last night?”
Nico opened and closed his mouth several times. Jason raised a brow before
searching through their kitchen for something to eat. “I don't remember,” Nico
mumbled, rubbing his arm.
“Don't sweat it too much.” Jason closed one of the cabinets. “I think I spent
around two hours in the shower after my first time doing this.” Nico went to
speak, but Jason continued. “Yes, the water was freezing.” Turning his head, he
stared at Nico from the corner of his eye. “Helped dull the pain.”
“How did you...deal with...you know, strangers doing that stuff to you?”
Jason stopped, pressing his hands to the counter surface. “A lot of practice
and focus.” Nico's eyes stared down at Jason's hip, where his pajama pants were
hanging loosely. The scars may have been almost gone, but it seemed the blond
still carried them emotionally. “You get used to it, after a while.” He turned
around, causing Nico's eyes to land on the blond's abs. Nico's cheeks tinged
pink as he quickly looked up to meet Jason's eyes. The blond just shrugged.
“Doesn't bother me.”
Nico pressed his lips together, shifting his weight slightly. “But it does
bother you to be touched.” He noticed Jason stiffen. “Why?”
His roommate's head was down when he looked up, hiding his eyes from Nico's
gaze. “It's different when it's not business. I don't like to deal with it when
I'm off the clock.”
“You haven't...had sex with the others?” Nico asked. Jason shook his head.
“Why?”
A hand came up to push the blond's growing bangs away from his eyes. Something
seemed to be going on in the blond's mind, his eyes unfocused. His forehead
wrinkled. “It's not something I have to do. I don't like sex, believe it or
not.” Blue eyes closed until they were half-lidded. “At least you got paid for
your first time, though.”
Why did that sound familiar? Nico's brow furrowed. Octavian had said something
similar yesterday, had he not?
“You don't...need to be like me.” Jason's head was down again. His lips pursed
as he shook his head. “Don't be like me, or the others. Once you're like us,
you're trapped with all of this.” He finally met Nico's eyes, his eyes red. “I
hoped that when my sister ran away...I had hoped she wouldn't have ended up in
another version of our life.” Blond hair shook sadly. “But I suppose it was too
much to ask for. Life isn't that kind.”
Nico moved to grab his plate from the living room. Walking back into the
kitchen, he dispensed his leftovers into the trash before placing the plate
into the sink. He now stood next to Jason, where he was being watched from
behind blond bangs. “At least you found her again.”
“This place, this life, it corrupts you. It destroys you. It's like a toxin
being injected into your body.” Jason finally looked up. “It's a cycle, just
look at Ganymede and Apollo. I don't want my sister here.”
“So why don't you just take her and leave? I'm sure she has plenty of money by
now. Surely you two could manage to find a place and make a life.”
“And do what?” Jason crossed his arms, staring at the boy with a blank look.
“What can we do? Most of us that are here have never had a job before now. This
is what we know, there's security here.” He pointed a finger into Nico's chest.
“And you're going to be doomed just like the rest of us.”
Staring off to the side, Nico pursed his lips. He would not turn out like them.
Percy had done so much for him, and he had done so little to show his
appreciation. But this would be different. The one thing Percy asked of him was
to not be like the others, to hold on to a sliver of his innocence. He would
keep his word on that, he had to.
Jason glanced at the clock. “I've got to get a shower. I told Leo I'd help him
decorate the lobby.” Nico stared down at the floor as his roommate walked off.
“You can come down and help, if you find yourself bored.”
Nico plopped down on the couch once he was alone. He heard the bathroom door
shut, the sound of the shower soon following. The boy placed his hand under his
head as he stared up at the ceiling. Percy was right, he needed to act more
responsibly. For all Nico knew, he was just being counterproductive to what he
was aiming for.
Perhaps showing Percy that he was not a kid was not just about doing mature and
adult things. Even if he did those things, even he had to admit that he acted
like a child most of the time. He needed to be more responsible with his
decisions, even if he had already dug his grave by this point. But it was still
an opportunity in and of itself. If he could survive this, without becoming
like the others, then maybe he really was not the weak person he made himself
out to be. And it would be a chance to do something for Percy, and possibly
make him happy.
After all Percy had done for him, what he still might do for him, Nico figured
it was the least he could do to repay the young man.
Nico pulled himself up and headed for his room. The problem was that he really
had no idea how to go about all of this. What was he supposed to do? Was it
better to remain in his room and just think about everything that had happened,
or should he socialize? He just did not want to end up crying in the lobby.
An uncontrollable cringe washed over him as he stood in his closet. It was like
he could still feel that man's hands on him. And all that did was bring that
man's face back to the front of his mind. He really could not see how this was
supposed to get easier with time.
Nico gathered some loose clothing when he heard the shower turn off in the
bathroom. Letting out a sigh, Nico stepped out of his room. Jason exited the
bathroom at the same time, drying his still wet hair with a towel. A tight pair
of briefs clung to his waist, his chest still dripping with water.
“You look sick,” the blond commented, eyeing Nico from the side.
Nico flipped him off as he brushed past his roommate to enter the bathroom.
Jason raised an eyebrow at him as the door was shut in his face. Nico stepped
out of his clothes. He stood there in his underwear and adjusted the shower. He
felt exposed, even though there was no one in the room to look at him.
By the time he was dressed and out of the bathroom, Jason had already left the
suite. Nico wrapped his arms around himself as he stood in the elevator,
holding the sleeves of his black sweater in his grip. The elevator doors opened
and the Lost Boy stepped out with a sigh.
He froze. Nico found himself gaping up at the giant Christmas tree now on
display in the lobby. The top literally reached to the balcony on the second
floor. The twins waved down at him while they threw some tinsel on the top.
Nico rubbed his arm and walked over to Leo. “Hey.” The Latino boy glanced up
from a box with a smile. “Is there anything I can do?”
A grin broke out across the boy's lips. “Disobeying orders, eh?” The curly
haired Lost Boy reached into the box and handed Nico a small box filled with
candles. “Would you mind placing these around the lobby? I gave Hazel some, so
you can just help her out.”
Nico stared around the lobby, box now in hand. A lot of green and red covered
the large room. And, somehow, someone had managed hanging some mistletoe from
the crystal chandelier above him. The boy blinked in surprise as Will pecked
him on the cheek as he walked past. Nico's cheeks tinged pink, Leo snickering
at him.
“So,” Leo said, focusing back on the box of Christmas decorations, “how're you
feeling today?”
Nico focused his attention on the box in his arms. “I don't know how they do
it, pretending like they are okay with all of this.” The boy's dark eyes
followed two men dressed in business suits as they walked from the restaurant
to the elevator. “I can't even look at the people here without wondering if one
of them will be my next customer.”
“I don't know what to tell you.” The boy turned and grinned at him. “Maybe Luke
will keep beating them up and you'll stop getting people requesting you.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Somehow, I don't think Percy would allow that.” His eyes
found three children laughing and chattering, watching the Lost Kids decorate.
“And I don't think Luke would do it anyways. I know he can be a nice guy, but
he still has his tough love side to him.”
Leo hummed in response, nodding his head. “Take it easy today, Nico. You're
getting a short break from all of this, but you'll be back in soon. And when
that time comes, you're just going to have to deal with all that you're given.”
The Latino Lost Boy offered him a lopsided smile. “Just keep your chin up and
try to keep your mind off things.”
“Yeah,” Nico whispered. His eyes found the floor as he walked off. Hazel was
not hard to find, really. She was currently straightening some decorations in
the lobby's lounge.
She smiled at him as he approached. “I see you decided to walk amongst the
living today.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You come to give me a hand?” Nico
nodded. “Good. Let's hope you're better than your roommate, who can't be
trusted to decorate properly.”
Nico placed one of the candles from the box on the small table between two of
the couches. Hazel pulled out a lighter and ignited it with a warm smile. Even
with the new source of warmth, Nico's body still felt cold. And empty.
“You okay?” Nico blinked, glancing down at Hazel's hand on his shoulder. “You
look really sad.”
“Just thinking.”
“About last night?” Hazel kneeled down and placed a wrapped present under the
small table. Nico was going to assume it was just for decoration. The boy
nodded his head. “I figured. It's not easy, when you first go through it.”
Nico frowned. “But it gets better?”
“Well,” Hazel bit down on her lip, “I wouldn't say better. Easier, maybe.” She
smiled and enveloped him in a hug. “But we'll help you get through it.”
The raven-haired boy rubbed his eyes, tears beginning to form. “Can I trust you
guys, though?”
Hazel pulled back with a hurt look. She looked down with a sigh. “It's hard
sometimes, you know? Looking at someone who went through a similar situation as
you, and still coming out better in the end. None of us managed to stay the
same while we were on the streets, and yet you made it.”
“It was only a few months.”
The girl shook her head, her cinnamon colored curls whipping about her face. “I
was only out there for a few months.”
Nico reached out and touched the girl's arm. “But you went through horrible
things before that.”
“And you didn't? Your dad beat you for being gay, didn't he?” Nico opened his
mouth, but shut it and stared at the floor. Hazel offered him a weak smile.
“It's okay to talk about it, you know. If you expect to get the others to open
up to you, you're going to have to be willing to share your own past.”
Nico pursed his lips. He stood there, frozen. Hazel smiled and touched his arm
before pulling another candle from the box Nico brought and placed it on a
small stand that sat against the wall. “It wasn't for being gay, at least not
at first.” Hazel turned to stare at him. “I didn't tell my dad until much
later. He never laid a hand on my mom or sister, mainly because they were
girls, so I was pretty much the only option.” Nico could only stare at his
shoes. “I, um, had figured it had been something I must have done. Maybe I had
done something I wasn't supposed to, but Bianca kept reassuring me that I had
never done anything.
“It was rare... at first, and never really that bad,” Nico continued. He looked
up to find Hazel looking at him with her mouth open and some tears in her eyes.
Nico's own vision blurred and he reached up to wipe more tears away, only for
them to be replaced by new ones. “I'd get beaten for things like not getting an
A or a B on a test. And then there was the time I refused to join any sports'
team in school.”
“I'm so sorry, Nico.”
Nico shook his head. “It wasn't your fault, and I know now that it wasn't mine
either. My father has his own issues that he needs to work out. Perhaps it was
just stress from his job, I may never know.”
Hazel hugged him again. “It doesn't give him the right to abuse his child.” She
looked up at him with a frown. “Don't make excuses for what your father did, I
know I stopped trying to make them for my mother a long time ago.”
“What she did was horrible. She doesn't deserve your pity or excuses.” Nico sat
down on the couch, Hazel joining him a few seconds later. “I just don't know
how you do it.”
Hazel placed her hand on his back and began rubbing circles. “Do what?”
“Survive this life. I don't see how all of you survive this life. How did you
manage living with your mother, with that life?”
The Lost Girl took in a deep breath. “You expect a parent to love their child,
at least growing up.” She let out her breath. “But, then again, you believe a
lot of things when you're younger. How did you deal with your father?”
The brown-eyed boy shrugged. “I just...let it happen. Like I said, I figured it
was my fault. I still feel like a disappointment, especially messing up like I
have recently.”
Hazel's brow furrowed, pursing her lips. “I don't think you're a failure, Nico.
But I know how you feel. I didn't know what to think with what my mother did,
but I still wanted to make her happy.” Hazel's hand found his, squeezing it
softly. “I heard Percy offered to deal with your father.”
“It wasn't the answer. I didn't want him murdered for what he did.” Nico stared
down at his and Hazel's hands. “He can't touch me here, and revenge isn't the
answer.”
Hazel nodded her head. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I gave him the same answer,
you know. But, unlike your father, my mother doesn't even know if I'm dead or
alive. And I want it to stay that way.” She offered him a small smile. “Let's
get back to work, yeah?” Nico smiled before nodding and standing up.
------------------------------------------------------
For once, Nico felt calm sitting on the top floor. He sat beside Percy,
casually stirring his drink and watching Silena and Juniper dance around on the
stage. And that was why he felt calm; he was sitting on the girls' side of the
top floor. The only way any of these customers would be interested in looking
at him would be if they were bisexual.
The boy rubbed his neck. After helping with decorations, Nico had spent the
rest of his day in his room, sitting on the couch in the same position for
several hours. It had not been kind on his body. He winced. Percy's fingers
were pressing against his neck.
“You okay?”
Nico nodded, his eyes closed from mild pain. “Yeah, just a little sore.”
Percy smiled. “You should have laid in bed. But, instead, I find you looking
like a zombie on the couch.” Nico scowled at him. “A cute zombie.” The comment
did not cause Nico to falter with his glares. “Would you like a massage later?”
Nico looked up at Reyna, who was tending to Percy's booth. Her lip twitched as
she set down Percy's drink order. “But I was supposed to come by later.”
Percy turned to face her, his hand still massaging Nico's neck. “I can spare a
few minutes. We can still negotiate.”
The brown-eyed boy scrunched his lips. But, upon receiving a glare from the
Lost Girl, Nico quickly looked away. Without saying anything, Reyna walked off
to see to another table. Nico groaned as Percy squeezed his neck. “You really
don't have to do that.”
Percy chuckled. “Yeah, well, I don't mind.”
Nico sighed, glancing at the stage briefly as the two Lost Girls finished their
routine. “Percy?”
“Hmm?”
Glancing over at the young man, Nico found him looking over a stapled document.
His other hand was still busy working the muscles in Nico's neck. “Why didn't
you ever tell me it was Luke who made the deal? I thought it was you.”
Percy blinked and turned to glance down at Nico. “When Luke does something like
this, he doesn't really like people knowing it was him.” Percy scrunched his
lips, focusing back on his work. “As for the second thing, I didn't suggest
anything, because I figured Luke would. I try to stay neutral as much as
possible, and I know Luke well enough to predict when he will do something like
that.”
“Oh.” Nico's face contorted in confusion.
Percy glanced at him with a smile. “I've known Luke for a little over two years
now, he's one of my best friends. I knew I could count on him.” Percy shrugged.
“You're sort of a bad reminder of his history, an old wound that won't quite
heal, so I knew he would jump in. Dealing with you can be hard on him, and I
think that's why he looks to give you a hard time, at least part of it.” The
manager studied Nico for a moment. “You're like...a bad memory, no offense. He
had been getting to a point where he could move on, but then you showed up.
And, yeah, it was like reopening an old wound.”
“So, Octavian doesn't like me because I'm hurting his brother?”
Percy blew out a breath, trying to focus on his documents. “Not really. It's a
little more complicated than that. I'm not really the person you want to talk
to about that.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “But you know everything about the Lost Kids.”
The young man shrugged. “Not my place to talk about it.”
Nico let out a sigh and took a sip of his drink. Percy was right. Still, it
would be nice to have an idea of what Luke's issue was with him. If he knew,
perhaps he could do something to not be a problem for the blond.
The raven-haired boy let out a groan, receiving a pat on the back from Percy.
“Why don't you go sit down in the bar?” Percy suggested. “I figure you don't
want to be up here that much.”
Nico stared at the side of Percy's face. He really could not argue that. It was
true, for the most part. For most of the night, he had found himself having a
hard time even sparing a glance at the customers from either side. Not after
last night.
The boy nodded his head. Percy smiled and stood up, allowing Nico to slip out
of the booth. The young man slid his fingers into Nico's hair. “I'll come by
your room later, okay?” Nico nodded again. “Behave yourself.”
Nico glared at Percy before taking his leave. He slipped his hands into his
pockets as he walked down the stairs, moving to the side whenever a customer
came across his path. Once inside the elevator, Nico leaned against the wall.
He crossed his arms, his eyes becoming dull.
What was he supposed to be feeling through all of this? Because, what possibly
scared him the most was that he was having a hard time feeling anything at all.
At times, during the day, he would get upset. He spent an hour crying on the
couch earlier, and then twenty minutes later, he was laughing at something on
TV. And then, at times like right now, he found himself empty.
He had gone through another shower before he had come to the top floor. And,
even after the three showers since it happened, he still felt unclean and
violated.
Nico shook his head as the elevator opened to the bar. The bar was as crowded
as always. But, even with all of the noise and people, Nico still felt safer
here. Sure some of these people could always just go upstairs and be someone to
request his private company, but he did not try to focus on that at the present
moment. He had always seen the bar as a safe haven away from the world above
them.
Chiron smiled at him as he wiped off a spot on the bar. “Good evening, Nico.
What can I get for you?”
Nico sat down on the chair opposite the bartender. “I was sent down to be away
from things.” He sighed and crossed his arms on the bar's surface. “Can I just
get some tea?”
“Anything to eat? You're not looking so good.”
The Lost Boy scrunched his lips, unable to meet the man's gaze. “Maybe
something small. I've not had much of an appetite.”
Chiron nodded his head, reaching out the pat the top of Nico's hand. “Hang in
there, my boy.” Nico's brown eyes glanced up. “The lights are dimming on you,
that is for sure, but I think you can manage holding on to a flashlight.”
Nico's face contorted in confusion. “Flashlight?”
“Find yourself something to ground you, get yourself a goal.” Chiron smiled as
he took out a small mug and poured some hot water in it. “Always keep the goal
in mind and head towards it. Use it as a light, to guide yourself through the
darkness ahead of you.”
Nico's dark eyes watched Chiron take out a teabag and place it in the mug. His
shoulders slumped. “And what if I get swallowed by the darkness? What if I'm
not strong enough to make it on the journey?”
“Then I would say Percy made a misjudgment of character, and that's something
that does not happen very often.” Chiron pushed the mug of tea across the bar.
“Hang in there, my boy, I'm sure you can find the strength to get through your
trials.”
A salad was placed in front of him, and when Nico looked up, he found Piper
standing beside him. Chiron smiled and went back to taking orders from people
at the bar. “So, how are you?” Piper asked, leaning on the bar.
“Fantastic,” Nico mumbled. He motioned to his face. “Can't you tell?”
Piper smiled and picked a crouton off the boy's plate and tossed it into her
mouth. “Yeah, you do look like crap.” She handed him a fork, which he took.
“But I'm sure you'll be fine, or should be. You're not the first of us to have
to go through this, and not all of us took it smoothly. I didn't. I threw a fit
afterwards, kicked and screamed all the way back to my room. I wanted to punch
the man that touched me.”
“What changed?”
The Lost Girl shrugged. “Sometimes, what you really want is some attention.
Having the attention on stage is nice, right?” Nico shrugged. “It was
just...nice, having someone completely willing to show me affection and give me
their time.” Piper let out a sigh. “I suppose it's a little sad, but I'm not
the only one that had this epiphany about this life.”
Nico glanced at a bottle of brandy as Chiron poured it into a man's glass. “I
don't know how I'm supposed to move on from where I am right now. How do I come
to a point where I don't feel disgusted with myself?”
“That's something I can't really tell you. It's just something you have to
figure out for yourself.” She shrugged. “Most of us came to accept things in a
different way, and I'm sure the same will apply to you. For those like Luke and
Octavian, they realized it was a way to take action against the things they
hate.”
“Like?”
Piper let out a small chuckle. “Well, Octavian's not the biggest fan of
politicians, so if he can give Percy any information that could cripple them
down the road, then he's usually content.”
Nico blinked as he speared some of his salad. “But he wants to be one.”
“If you have a problem with something, wouldn't you want to change it?” Piper
cocked her head to the side. “But that's saying that Octavian would ever follow
through with that idea. Remember: once a Lost Kid, always a Lost Kid. It's just
this place,” the Lost Girl motioned around them, “it doesn't exactly let you
leave. You can't let yourself leave.”
Nico glanced up from where his tea sat on the bar, at a bottle of vodka.
“Yeah,” he whispered.
Piper followed his line of sight. “Don't.” Nico blinked and turned to look at
her in question. “You don't want to start drinking, it'll just lead to things
you don't want. And it'll just be another means of keeping you here. If you
want to know how not to become a prisoner in this place, you need to not do
certain things that are expected to happen. Drinking is one of those things.”
The girl's brow furrowed as she stared at the bottle. “It's a bad habit
anyways.”
An hour passed by in the blink of an eye for the boy at the bar. Nico sat,
staring at his finished plate. He let out a sigh and looked up, glancing around
the room. The place was still packed, as was expected. It was only nearing
midnight, after all. Blowing out a breath, Nico debated leaving. Something
caught his eye, though.
Chris waved at him from a table in the corner, farthest from the bar itself.
Nico picked his empty plate and mug up and deposited them behind the bar. From
there, he weaved around Drew and some customers that were heading to the
elevators, making a beeline for Chris.
The young man smiled at him as he sat down at the table. “Haven't seen you
around the past few days.” He scrunched his lips as he took a sip from whatever
he was drinking. “Sorry to hear about your mother.”
Nico shook his head. “Don't worry about it.” He stared down at the table. “How
are you?”
“Adjusting.” A crooked smile appeared on Chris's lips. “But I suppose that's
all you can really do around here. And I suppose that's what you're trying to
do.” He made a noise as he sat his drink down. “You know, I was kind of
surprised when I found out you were involved with what went on upstairs. Well,
was, and then Clarisse told me you weren't being a prostitute.” Nico bit his
lip. “But then she tells me you sort of chose to be one anyways.”
“I was stupid.”
The young man chuckled. “Yeah, perhaps. I don't think I'd choose to do
something like that.” Nico cringed as Chris popped his knuckles. “You don't
really seem like you belong in a place like this. But, after learning
everything I have, I suppose I really shouldn't be surprised by anything that
goes on here.”
“It was a stupid mistake.” Nico shook his head, glancing off to the side. “I
haven't really been appreciative of what I had, and now I lost it. And now I
feel like a child, and I wonder if I'm being laughed at by the others. They
seem to do things so easily, like this doesn't even bother them.”
“Well, not anymore.”
Nico frowned. “What does that mean?”
Chris shrugged. “I mean, I've worked here for about a year now, and I did see
Will and Hazel when they first arrived. They were different back then, yet
still sort of the same. I guess it's hard to explain. They seemed happy, yet
you could tell something had happened to them, something was bothering them.”
The security worker rubbed his neck. “When they first arrived, they were
happier. And then, one day, something changed. I would assume, knowing what I
know now, that they met with a client.”
“But were they like me?”
Chris looked at Nico. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “You're not quite like
any of them, Nico. And, I mean, I didn't see a lot of them when they first
arrived, but I just get a different vibe from you.” He chuckled and took
another drink “This just doesn't seem like the place you belong.”
Nico shook his head. “Well, it's not like I can just leave.”
“Can't you?” Chris raised a brow. “I'm sure you've got some money saved up,
unless you've blown it all.”
Nico's eyes were dull as they stared at the table. “No, it's just sitting in
the bank. Don't really need anything.”
“See.” Chris sat his drink back down. “Why not just leave? I don't think Percy
would stop you, and from what he's told me, he doesn't want you turning out
like the others anyways. So, why not just pack up and go? Surely there's
somewhere you could stay.”
Nico chewed on his lip, his fidgeting with each other on the table. “I just-
yeah, I guess there's somewhere I could go.” Daedalus. “But-”
What about the others? What about Percy? Would he ever see them again?
In all honesty, Nico had not thought about leaving. Sure, Minerva had suggested
it. But, at the time, Nico was quick to dismiss it. He had wanted to stay with
Percy. But here he was, whining about hating how things were turning out for
him, when he had a way out the whole time. He could have just left, instead of
doing what he did last night. He could still leave.
“I don't know,” the Lost Boy whispered.
Chris chuckled. “Nico, I don't think you should try enduring this place. You
seem like a nice kid, the world could use all the nice people it can get.” He
sighed and looked around. “And, looking at this place, I say that more than
ever. This is not your world. I may not be a Lost Kid like Clarisse and Ethan,
but I can tell you that this is not where you need to be. Kid, you've got an
entire life ahead of you. I mean, even the others don't want you turning out
like them. So why risk it?”
Nico's hands shook, a chill running across his body. He blinked back some tears
that were threatening to spill out. “I'll think about it.”
Chris leaned on his hand, still watching Nico. “If it was me, I'd just pack up
and leave. This place is like a hive of everything that is wrong with the
world. Sure Gaea and Percy are collecting information, but what are they really
doing with it?” The young man blew out a breath. “They're just using it for
their own gain. Why not use it to better the world?”
“Then why did you accept the full job here?”
It took Chris a moment to reply. “I'm still human, just like everyone else. I
guess I didn't think it would be as bad as it was.” He shook his head. “But, I
mean, it's not as big of a deal for me. I can handle myself. You...you just
need to get out while you can. You can get by. You can find somewhere to stay,
you can finish school, and then you can get a normal job. You can have a normal
life outside of this place.”
But he would probably never see Percy again, was all that ran through Nico's
mind. And what about the others? These people were important to him now, even
if they had hurt him. But was Chris right? What if he could not do what Percy
wanted? He would become like the others, and then he would truly be lost.
Suddenly, the title became more accurate, more real. It was not that they were
lost, like in the story of Peter Pan, they were lost in the place they were,
lost who they were. The hotel took these already damaged individuals, and
simply made them worse. Did Nico really want that to happen to him?
What would Percy had been like if his life have been different? What would any
of them have been like?
Later that night, Nico stood outside his door, trying to fish his wallet out of
his pants. Sliding the card in, Nico slipped inside his suite. But, before he
could shut the door, a hand shot out and pressed against the surface. Nico
slowly opened it again.
Percy smiled down at him cheekily. Nico eyed him for a moment before stepping
aside and motioning for the young man to enter. Percy closed the door behind
him. Rubbing his neck, the young man walked over to lean against the wall in
the hall. “So, how was your night?”
“Considering I didn't have a man on top of me, just peachy,” Nico mumbled,
crossing his arms as he walked past Percy to enter his bedroom. He heard Percy
chuckle from the doorway. Nico ignored him and stripped off his shirt. Shooting
Percy a pointed stare, he poked through his dresser, looking for something to
sleep in. “It's not funny.”
Percy shrugged. He slipped behind Nico, winding his arms around the boy's
slender waist. “No, but you're cute when you're aggravated.” Nico turned his
head to glare at Percy. “So, why are you getting dressed?”
“Because some of us like to go to bed at a decent hour.”
Percy ran his hands down Nico's arms. “But then I can't give you that massage.”
Nico bit down on his lips as Percy worked on his neck with his hands. It did
feel really good. “Go lie down on the bed,” the manager whispered in his ear,
sending a shiver down Nico's spine.
The boy obeyed, lying on his stomach, his arms resting below his head. “You
don't have to do this.”
Percy gave a shrug, slipping out of his shoes. He crawled on the bed, pulling
on Nico's waist. Nico let out a gasp as his ass was pulled against Percy's
crotch. “But you'll have to get out of these jeans.” Without waiting, Percy
worked to unbutton and unzip Nico's jeans. Nico rested his forehead against the
mattress, as his jeans were slowly pulled down his legs. Percy chuckled and
tossed the tight pair of jeans to the side. “Much better.”
With a little prompting, Nico lay flat on his stomach, while Percy hovered over
his legs. Nico moaned into his pillow as Percy began working on his back
muscles. Percy's hands felt amazing. They were not rough, like that of
Beckendorf or Butch, but they were not soft like Travis, Connor, or Will
either. They were firm and strong, and knew how to perfectly work his back
muscles.
Nico's eyes closed on their own accord, his body fighting to stay awake. “That
feels really good,” he mumbled.
Percy chuckled. Nico laid his head to the side, glancing at Percy from the
corner of his eyes. A small smile rested on the young man's lips as he massaged
Nico's back. This was what Nico wanted; this was what he wanted it to be like
with Percy. He wished it could stay like this forever, and that the world
around them would just cease to exist.
As Nico's eyes threatened to flutter close, the boy was reminded of his
conversation from earlier. Letting out another small moan, he stared at the
door to his room, his eyes half-lidded. “Percy?”
“Hmm?”
The Lost Boy chewed on the inside of his cheek. “If I ever left, would I be
able to see you again?”
When no answer came, and the hands working on his back stopped, Nico shifted so
that he could look at Percy. The young man was staring at him with an
unreadable expression. “Why do you ask?”
Even his tone was unreadable. Nico's lips tilted down as his eyes fell away
from Percy's gaze. “Just...wondering,” he whispered. “I'd miss you.”
Percy pressed his palms against Nico's lower back, working the muscles there.
“I think...I think you'd be better off moving on and forgetting about me, if
that were the case.” Nico lay back on his stomach, a distant look now in his
eyes. “Stop your frowning.”
Nico let out a sigh. “At all? I could never see you? Just like that, you'd be
gone from my life?” Nico bit down on his lip. “You wouldn't miss me, or want me
to stay? Even see me?”
Percy's thumb brushed against his face as his vision blurred. The young man
leaned forward. “It's not about what I want, it's about doing what's best for
you.” With a sigh, Percy jumped off his back. He reached down to run his
fingers through the boy's hair. “Get some sleep.”
Nico sat up. “Can you stay with me?” The Lost Boy reached out and grabbed
Percy's fingers before he could leave. “It's just...after last night...”
“You have to learn to deal with it, Nico,” Percy whispered. He tilted the boy's
chin up. “I can't, I have some business to take care of. I'm not going to be
able to stay with you after every experience. You'll be fine.”
Nico's eyes dulled as Percy's fingers fell from his grasp. The boy's head fell
as the door closed, the light being turned out as the manager left. He had his
answer, though it was not quite what he wanted to hear. Nico curled up on his
side, clutching the spot where Percy's hand had been resting on the sheets just
a moment ago.
Percy was right, though, he needed to be able to deal with this. But, at the
same time, he knew it was not going to be enough. He needed to become stronger,
but he also knew he had to retain who he was. Enough mistakes had already been
made to last him a lifetime. And, while he knew more would probably be made in
the future, he also knew it was time to start acting like the adult he talked
about being.
---------------------------------------------
The next day, Nico found himself learning how to dodge. It seemed like the
entire hotel had broken out into chaos. Decorations were going up all over the
place, Leo and Rachel were running around to collect paperwork from the
different sections of the hotel, and the staff seemed overly stressed. No one
even apologized when they bumped into him.
He was starting to regret his decision to leave his room. After his journey
around the lobby had almost resulted in him getting trampled, he had gone to
the top floor, hoping to find a more peaceful environment. He had been
mistaken.
Drew had elected herself as dictator of getting the entire floor decorated.
“Nico! Good, you can help, too.”
Juniper was the first to his defense. “Leave him be. He's barely taken any time
to heal after everything.”
The Asian girl was busy inspecting her nails. “And that's my fault, how?” She
rolled her eyes and glanced over at Nico. “Fine, whatever. Just stay out of the
way.”
Nico tossed Juniper an appreciative smile. She patted him on the back before
jumping onto the stage. Nico sat down at one of the tables, burying his face
into his hands with a groan. He had barely slept at all last night. All he
could think about was his discussions with Chris and Percy.
“If you want quiet, why not just stay in your room?”
Nico peeked out from between his fingers. Drew sat down across from him,
crossing her legs and digging out a nail file. Had she even done any work
herself, or did she just make others do it for her?
“The quiet was driving me insane,” the boy mumbled, letting his head drop to
the table. “But everything is so chaotic downstairs.”
“Percy's stressing himself out over Gaea's arrival. She'll be here around the
twentieth, so our hero wants everything perfect.” Drew shrugged. “It's
whatever. I guess it gives us something to do.”
“You look so busy,” Nico droned.
Drew tossed him an evil glare. “Which also means more customers. And if I'm
good at anything, it's getting what I want.” She smirked as she worked on her
nails. “It's why I was picked to come here. I'm the best at what I do, and this
is Gaea's favorite and most profitable branch. So, naturally, I would get
picked to be transferred.”
The brown-eyed boy lifted his head, resting it on his palm. “So, when did you
first meet Percy and the others here? I suppose it was after you got taken in?”
Drew ceased her movements. She looked shocked, like no one had actually asked
her that question before. “I-I...” She dropped her nail file. But, before she
could reach down and grab it, Nico had it in his hand. Their eyes met as Nico
handed it over to her. “It was in the winter.” She nodded her head, placing the
file on the table. “Gaea had been in Japan at the time, and had brought along
Percy and Kronos.”
Nico shuddered at the name. If he dreaded meeting anyone, it was Kronos.
Nothing good had been said yet about Gaea's real son.
“Frank, the current manager of the Asian branch, had been with them, tending to
his predecessor,” Drew continued. “It was snowing that day, quite heavily. And,
you have to understand, Tokyo is very crowded.” She pursed her lips, spinning
the nail file on the table. “But he saw me. He walked over and offered me some
of his hot chocolate.” Drew pointed a finger over to him. “He was about your
age at the time, perhaps a year older.
“I wanted to hate him.” Drew tapped the file against the table. “He was dressed
so nice with his scarf and expensive looking coat. And then there was Gaea with
her diamond everything, fur coat to go along with it.” She shook her head. “But
it was that smile. It was so friendly and warm, inviting even. I couldn't bring
myself to hate him.” She let out a long breath. “I took the hot chocolate and
haven't looked back since I got in the limousine with them.”
Nico looked away from the girl, staring down at the table and running his
finger along its surface. “Why are you telling me this?”
“You're the one who asked?” She replied, arching a brow.
She shook his head with a shrug. “But you just told me. I...didn't really think
you would open up.” He looked up at her finally, eyebrows knitted together.
“Why tell me, the one you probably know least of all?”
Drew sighed, inspecting her nails again. Her icy look had returned. “Why not?
You're not quite like the rest around here. All you seem to do is listen and
keep it to yourself.” Nico frowned at her. “Maybe you're the first person to
really ask me something like that,” she whispered before standing to her feet.
She glared, pointing the file at his face. “Repeat anything I just said, and
I'll claw out your eyes.”
Nico shook his head, watching the girl walk over to where Juniper and
Beckendorf were hanging some tinsel. Maybe she just needed a friend, he
thought. A very patient and enduring friend.
The Lost Boy stiffened as a pair of arms wove around his neck. “Hello there,
sexy,” Will's voice whispered in his ear. Nico squirmed. Will frowned and
loosened his hold on Nico. “You okay?” He rubbed Nico's shoulders. Nico shut
his eyes and curled in on himself. “Nico?”
The boy's stomach did a flip. He knew it was Will, but he kept seeing that
man's face, could feel the man touching him. “Please stop,” he whispered.
Will's hands fell to his side. Nico shifted in his chair to look at him. The
blond stood there with a hurt look. “I'm sorry,” the blond Lost Boy whispered.
His face contorted into confusion. “I thought...I thought you were okay with
being touched.”
Nico flinched when Will reached out to brush some of his hair out of his eyes.
“I can't help it,” Nico whispered.
Will's lips tilted down, pulling a strand of Nico's hair away from the boy's
face. “You were okay with Percy touching you.” Nico's head jerked up to look at
the blond in confusion. “Why is it okay for him to touch you?”
Nico's eyes darkened “Can nothing stay private around here?” The other Lost
Kids stopped what they were doing to look at the boy in surprise. Will's eyes
were wide, stumbling out of the way when Nico stormed towards the stairs.
He huffed at the elevator, hitting the button to summon it to him. He raised a
hand to weave into the front of his hair. This was not how he needed to handle
this situation, Nico reminded himself. The boy blew out a breath and boarded
the elevator, pushing the button to Percy's floor.
Nico had just told himself last night that he needed to act more mature, and
here he was about to blow up at Percy over a small issue. He wanted Percy to
see that he was actually trying to appreciate what he still had, not act like a
child. Because that was what he had been acting like lately, even if he hated
to admit it. He now understood the problem was with himself, not with the
others.
The door to Percy's office opened before he could grab the handle. Travis stood
in the doorway, having stopped when he nearly ran into Nico. He smiled and
waved, stepping around the raven-haired Lost Boy to make his way to the
elevators.
Nico watched the brunet until he was out of sight, a distant look covering his
face. Rachel glanced up from her computer as he closed the door, not halting in
her rapid typing. “Hello, Nico. I suppose you want to see Percy?”
The boy nodded. “If he's not busy.”
“Um,” Rachel pressed a finger to her lips, “let me go check.” She stood to her
feet. “I just handed him some paperwork before Travis came in, so he's probably
looking that over right now.” She opened Percy's door and poked her head in.
“Hey, Nico is here to see you. Do you have a minute?”
Percy mumbled his response, preventing Nico from hearing it. The groan,
however, did not escape his notice. Rachel pulled her head out and smiled,
nodding towards the office. Nico nodded and stepped around the girl, pushing
the door open and slipping inside.
Percy sat at his desk, his face buried in his hands. A pen sat between his
fingers, while stacks of papers were piled on his desk. The young man was
dressed rather casual. Nico would not have guessed what had just gone in this
office a few moments ago, if not for Travis's departure and the can of air
freshener that sat on the corner of the desk.
The green-eyed young man sat back in his chair, pushing his bangs to the side.
“Just sit over there for a minute. I need to finish up with this and then I'll
be right with you.”
Nico nodded and walked around the desk to sit on the couch. Percy flipped the
page of the stapled document in his hands. Nico scrunched his lips, tugging at
the sleeves of his black sweater. He watched the young man work in peace.
Percy's brow furrowed as he circled a few things before signing his name. He
dropped the document on a growing pile in the far corner of his desk.
Percy folded his hands in front of him, spinning his chair to face the Lost Boy
in his office. “Everything okay?”
Nico could hear the exhaustion in the young man's voice, as well as see it in
his eyes. He nodded. “Just wanted to talk to you.” Percy's lips tilted up. “You
look tired.”
The manager motioned to his desk. “Lot of work to do. I do have Leo and Rachel,
but I need to look everything over before Gaea gets here.” He rubbed his neck.
“And there's all the sections in the hotel, not mentioning the other businesses
we own.”
Nico brought a hand up to chew on a nail. “I guess it helps to find some ways
to unwind.”
Percy raised a brow, smirking. “Is that a jab at Travis's visit?”
“What if it is?” Nico held Percy's gaze. “Speaking of, don't I need to
negotiate with you now?”
The young man leaned his chair back, eyeing the boy in amusement. “I'm sure
you're looking forward to that. But, I suppose you do. It's your call, though.”
He waved a hand absently. “As you know, I do try to give fair hours and
placement to everyone. The negotiations are just to help get on stage more
often. So that's up to you.”
Nico stood up, stretching his arms above his head, and walked over to Percy's
desk. He sat down on the edge with an innocent look, resting his hands in his
lap. “And if I am fine working the bar, but still want to have some fun with
you?”
The Lost Boy smiled as Percy's eyes raked down his legs. “Is that what you
want?”
Nico's eyes inched down to stare at Percy's perfectly shaped lips. “I'm happy
just being with you.”
Percy's fingers brushed against Nico's arm, pushing the black fabric up to feel
the boy's arm. “I still find it amusing when you say things like that. You're
learning.” His eyes met Nico's brown ones. “Saying things like that are surely
to make plenty of women drop their skirts for you.”
Nico wrinkled his nose, causing Percy to laugh. “But I was being serious.” The
manager calmed his laughing, letting his head tilt to the side to smile at
Nico. “So I just do it whenever I feel I need to?”
“That's all up to you,” Percy whispered. “You don't have to, if you don't want
to.” Nico placed his hand on top of Percy's hand, which was still brushing
against his arm. “Your hands are cold.”
The Lost Boy narrowed his eyes. “That's not why I came up here, though.” Percy
nodded his head, glancing at his computer. He started typing, his eyes moving
across the screen. Nico crossed his ankles, his hands now resting behind his
back. “Can I ask something?” Percy glanced at him from the corner of his eye,
not ceasing in his typing. “Why did you tell the others about last night?”
Percy stopped, leaning back in his chair. “You mean about the massage?” Nico
nodded. The green-eyed young man shrugged. “I didn't.” Nico's brow furrowed.
“That would have been Reyna, who was at my table when we were talking about
it.” He smirked at Nico.
“But Will mentioned that I was okay with you touching me.”
“I was asked how you were.” The young man shrugged. “I didn't see the problem
in giving a reply. All I said was that you seemed to be doing better and that
you were calm.” He quirked a brow at Nico. “Why, did something happen with
Will?”
The boy looked down, rubbing his arm. “I kind of freaked out when he touched
me,” Nico mumbled. “He wasn't happy that I was calm when you touched me, but
not when he tried.”
Percy rested his elbow on his desk, planting his cheek on his palm. “And why is
that?” His eyes flashed dangerously at Nico. “Why does it seem like I'm the
only person you're fine with touching you right now?”
“I, uh, don't know.” Nico could feel his cheeks heat up.
The corner of Percy's lips tilted up. He inched forward, hovering close to Nico
now. The boy swallowed a lump in his throat, leaning back. “Tell me, Nico,”
Percy whispered in a husky voice. He inched the boy's legs apart with his knee.
Nico had to support himself with his hand, Percy now hovering over him. Percy
lifted Nico's right leg to sit on the corner of the desk, the manager's hand
running along it. “Why are you fine with this? Why are you comfortable when
it's me?”
Nico's vision grew hazy. His brown eyes focused on Percy's parted lips. So
inviting, so alluring. The hand that he was not currently using to support
himself reached out to press against the young man's chest, balling in a fist
to clutch the dark blue shirt.
“I don't know,” Nico whispered.
“You do know.” Percy leaned in to nuzzle Nico's neck. A hand came around Nico
to press against his back. “Tell me,” he whispered in Nico's ear. “You need to
be comfortable with everyone. Why is it just me right now? You're clearly still
upset, so why is it okay for me to touch you?”
Nico's hand shook as it still held onto the young man's shirt. He rested his
head on Percy's shoulder, closing his eyes. “Because I love you.”
Percy's body froze. He jerked back to look at the boy with surprise. “What did
you say?”
Nico's head shot down. His face was burning, now resembling a tomato. “Don't
make me say it again,” he mumbled.
Percy tilted his chin up. “You don't mean it. You can't-”
“I do.” Nico's eyes were dark as they battled with Percy's, currently a light
shade of green. “I know how I feel. I wasn't planning on telling you.”
“Look, you're still young-”
“Percy.” Nico's brow furrowed. “Please stop treating me like a child. If you
don't want me to act like one, then shouldn't you stop treating me like one?”
Percy was staring at Nico's lap, his bangs now hiding his eyes. “Maybe I need
to stop teasing you so much.” He wiped a hand across his face. “Fuck.”
Nico reached out and grabbed his hand. “I don't want you to. I'm not going to
let it get in the way of anything, I promise.” He bit his lip. “I don't want
you to pull away from me again, not like when I was first here. Remember the
movie night?” Percy nodded, his eyes still hidden. “Yeah, that hurt.”
“I'm sorry,” Percy whispered. He finally glanced up, studying Nico. “Just don't
let it hinder your performance as my employee. You're going to paint another
target on your back if you do.” He reached out and patted Nico on the cheek.
“Dammit, Nico, you're going to be the death of me.”
Nico glanced down from Percy's eyes again, studying the manager's lips. Percy's
eyes flickered with amusement. Nico yelped as he was shoved onto his back,
Percy now on top of him on the desk. “What are you doing?”
“It's okay for me to touch you, right? You're okay with it. And I guess then I
can do whatever I want to you.” Percy's fingers ran under the front of Nico's
shirt.
The boy frowned up at him. He pressed his hand to Percy's chest, bringing the
young man to a halt. “You're doing it already.” Percy frowned at him. “Just
because I like you, doesn't mean I always want to have sex with you. I don't
think that would be love, if that were the case.”
“No, then you'd be more like Apollo.” Percy smirked down at him. “But you do
want something from me right now.” Nico arched a brow. “You want me to kiss
you.” Another blush spread across the Lost Boy's cheeks. “You keep looking at
my lips.”
Nico cursed silently, realizing he had been doing it again. “Sorry.”
Percy crawled off of him, allowing the boy to sit up. Nico let out a sigh.
Percy sat down in his chair again. “Maybe you'll get lucky and catch me under
the mistletoe.” He folded his arms and inspected Nico. “You're so confusing. I
don't even know how to deal with you.”
Nico shrugged, smirking at Percy. “I'm just waiting for you to admit that you
have some sort of feelings for me.”
Percy narrowed his eyes, his lips still smiling. “I think you'll have to keep
waiting.” He reached out. Nico raised his hand, extending his palm. Percy slid
his fingers between Nico's. “Your hands are still cold.”
“Can't help it. My hands and feet usually are cold in the winter.”
Percy groaned and rubbed his face. “I really don't want to get back to work.”
Nico glanced at all the papers that rested on the desk. “Looks like you still
have a lot. And I imagine there's more work on the computer.” He glanced down
at one document that rested near his hand that was pressed against the desk. He
quickly glanced back up and met Percy's eyes. “Sorry.”
Percy shook his head. “It's fine. A lot of this stuff the others already know
about, so it wouldn't hurt you to learn about some of it.” He leaned back in
his chair and picked up a sheet of paper. “You could stay and keep me company,
so I don't go bored out of my mind.”
Nico smiled to himself as he sat back on the desk. Percy scratched his head as
he attempted to decipher something on the document in his hands. He was cute,
when he was not being so formal. It reminded Nico that, even if Percy did do
some horrible things, there was still a good person underneath it all. Someone
who was still lost.
The pale boy hopped off the desk and spun around. He glanced at a document that
sat at the top of one of the piles. Nico glanced curiously at it before picking
it up. There was a photo of a man in the top left corner. Nico's brow furrowed.
“Who is this? Has he been to the top floor?”
Percy looked up and nodded. “Yeah. He's a client that travels a lot. He runs a
corporation out in the Middle East, but does a lot of business here in
America.” The Adonis shrugged. “I'm stuck with doing his paperwork because of
that little fact. But Gaea wants to cut him from some of her business. She
isn't sure if he's a stable investment at the moment.”
Nico turned the paper back towards himself. His eyes glanced over the numbers
and words that covered the pages. “I think we studied this guy in class.”
“Not surprising.” Percy pushed his finger to the bottom corner of the page to
glance at the page Nico was looking at. “The man is usually really good with
investments and stocks. He pretty much controls the Foreign Institutional
Investor. But he seems to have made some bad investment calls on Gaea's behalf,
and she's not too happy about it.”
The Lost Boy took another look at the paper in his hand. “Why not give it a
little more time? It looks like her investment is starting to make a profit.”
“True,” Percy sighed. “However, Gaea doesn't dabble in small investments.”
“Well, my teacher talked about this guy a few weeks back, and we even had a
discussion on his business.”
Percy crossed his legs and spun his chair to face Nico. “And what was your
opinion.”
Nico quickly looked away from Percy's gaze. What was with the attention? Why
did Percy care about his opinion on the issue? Nico was in high school, Percy
had gone to a university to study this stuff. “Um, I thought he was a smart
businessman. He made a name for himself, sort of like Gaea, and now I guess I
can see why she might do business with a guy like that.” He chewed on his lip
while he looked over a chart that was in the document. “I don't think Gaea
should pull her investment. My teacher said that this guy's stocks were
probably going to shoot up in the next few months.”
Percy scrunched his lips, taking the document from Nico's hands. His green eyes
scanned over it again, his foot tapping rapidly. “I'll give him an extension.
But if he costs Gaea money, he'll be worrying about more than his business.”
Those green eyes stared into Nico's brown ones. “She won't be happy about me
giving him an extension, and it'll be worse for him if this doesn't pay off.”
“Why not talk to him the next time he comes in for business?”
“He keeps assuring us that everything will pay off.” Percy shrugged. “Gets a
little old, when there's nothing to show for it.”
Nico walked behind Percy and rested his arms on the back of the young man's
chair. “Maybe you need to learn to put your trust in people. Not everyone is
bad or out to get you. And a smart person would look to get in on Gaea's
business, not try to sabotage her.”
Percy leaned back and hummed. “You know, this is why I was disappointed in
you.”
Nico's eyebrows rose. He blinked a few times, staring at the back of Percy's
head. “Why's that?”
“Because I know you're smart, you prove that you are smart, and yet you make
stupid decisions.”
Nico glared. “I'm still young.”
“And yet you want to be treated like an adult.” Percy crossed his arms. Nico
could feel the grin on Percy's face, even if he could not see it. “And all the
more reason for me not to get involved. After all, I'm a respectable citizen,
who doesn't want to get thrown in jail for pedophilia.”
Nico huffed. “First of all, it's legal because you're twenty. Secondly, it
wouldn't matter to you even if you were thirty-eight.”
Percy chuckled, bringing music to Nico's ears. “I suppose you're right about
that.” He rubbed his face. “All right, back to work.”
A comfortable silence washed over the room. Nico stood behind Percy, resting
his arms and chin on the back of the chair. Percy picked up his keyboard and
placed in his lap, typing numbers into an Excel document. He did not pause in
his work until Nico ran his fingers into the back of Percy's hair. Percy moaned
and lolled his head to the side.
“I need to work,” Percy chuckled.
“Sorry.” Nico removed his fingers. “Do you want me to stop?”
“I said I need to work, not that I want to.” The young man rubbed his eyes.
“But that felt good.”
Nico realized his heart was beating fast. He bit down on his lip before draping
his arms around Percy. He crossed his arms just under Percy's chin, his upper
torso leaning over the chair and his nose resting in Percy's hair. “If I'm
distracting you, let me know and I'll stop.”
“I don't mind,” Percy replied, picking up another document from his desk.
“You used to mind when I touched you,” the boy mumbled into black hair.
“That's because I'm not used to getting hugs.”
“Sorry.” He gazed down to watch Percy's fingers run across the keyboard. “I'm
not usually a hugging person. It was just that you were the first person to do
something so nice for me.”
Percy leaned back and turned his head, bringing his face only a few inches away
from Nico's pale one. “Your sister is nice, and it sounded like your mother was
a nice person as well.”
“But you didn't even know me, and you took me in and offered me a place to
stay. You fed me and made me feel safe. You offered me a source of income-”
“Yeah, I liked it better back then.” Percy turned his chair away again.
Nico blew out a breath. This visit was turning out to be a roller coaster with
him and Percy. But, then again, wasn't that always the case with the two of
them? It seemed like the course of their interactions changed on a daily basis
at this point.
The brown-eyed boy walked back over to the couch and leaned back, scanning the
ceiling. He let out a sigh and collapsed onto his side. His eyes fell upon
Percy, who was still typing away at his computer. It stung a little, having his
feelings dismissed so easily. But what could he do? Percy already seemed
stressed out enough as it was, he doubted he needed Nico badgering about his
love for the manager.
Nico let out a yawn, his eyes feeling heavy. Percy glanced over at him and
smiled before returning to his work. The Lost Boy curled up on the couch and
closed his eyes.
-----------------------
The next thing Nico knew, he was being stirred from his slumber. Normally, he
probably would have been very grouchy about this. However, when he cracked his
eyes open, he found Percy sitting on the edge of the couch he was still laying
on, running his fingers through Nico's dark locks.
“How long was I asleep?” Nico mumbled groggily.
Percy shrugged. “About two hours.”
“Why didn't you wake me up or have me go back to my room?”
Again the young man shrugged. “You weren't really hurting anything by sleeping
in here. I still got a lot of work done.” A small smile spread across the
manager's lips. “Sleep well?”
Nico lazily nodded his head. He curled up more, frowning when he felt something
on his lower half. He raised his head to glance down at himself. A thin blanket
was covering him from the waist down. “Thanks,” he said, meeting Percy's bright
green eyes.
“Don't mention it.” Percy smiled again and ruffled Nico's hair. Standing up,
the Adonis stretched his arms above his head. Stepping over to the door, he
opened it. “I've got some business to go take care of.” Nico sat up with a
yawn. Apollo stepped inside the office with his hands in his pockets. Percy
nodded his head towards Nico. “You mind taking him back to his room?”
Before Nico had the chance to get up, he was scooped up, bridle style, and
taken to the door. “Sure thing.” Apollo grinned down at Nico. “I'll take care
of him.”
“Behave.” Percy gave him a pointed look, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. Nico
frowned at the manager. Percy reached out and patted the boy's cheek. “Get some
more sleep, if you're still tired.”
Apollo carried him from the office, not letting the boy out of his arms until
they stood at the elevator. Nico glared as he was dropped to his feet. “You
didn't have to carry me.”
The blond smiled down at him as he ran a hand through his curls. “You just
looked so cute back there, I just had to do it.”
“I will stab you.”
Apollo chuckled and entered the elevator. “You don't strike me as the violent
type, Nico.” The boy arched a brow at the blond. Apollo rubbed his jaw. “Okay,
point taken.” He shrugged. “Still, it's just something you'll have to live
with. That is your angle, sort of a schoolboy persona.” He pinched Nico's
cheek. “A very cute schoolboy.”
Nico smacked the blond's hand away. “You're going to lose that hand.”
“I always forget how cranky you are after waking up.” Apollo cupped his chin.
“Does Nico need help waking up? I hear a good round in bed will do the trick?”
“Funny,” Nico mumbled, pressing the button to the second floor. Apollo arched a
brow, but did not question the action. “And that's bullshit, because I'm well
aware of the fact that it makes you tired.”
The blond shrugged. “Can. It's a good workout, you should try it sometime.”
“I did.”
“Well, I mean on a more common basis.” The blond waved a hand. “The customers
are no good. Most of them are old and don't really...'do it' for you, so it
would be better to have your needs sated elsewhere.” Leaning an arm against the
wall, Apollo winked at Nico. “I'm sure some of the other guys would be happy to
help you out.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I'm sure they would. Doesn't mean I'll take them up on
it.” He pressed a finger to Apollo's chest. “And the girls just need to get
through their heads that I won't do that with them. I'm going to have to endure
having sex with a woman for the job, I know that, but my personal life is a
different matter.”
“Good for you.” Apollo had a cocky smirk on his lips. “No really, I think it's
good for you to set goals like that. It's like a nice way of holding on to a
part of yourself.” The grin seemed to fade away as the curly haired young man
rubbed his face. “I don't think I was too concerned with doing that back when I
came here. See, you were lucky, you had a decent job here already, so you
weren't desperate for money when it came to the real deal. It gave you time to
think about this stuff.”
Nico chose not to respond to that. Apollo's blue eyes sparkled as they stared
at him from across the elevator. Nico crossed his arms and watched the numbers
decrease on the elevator. The elevator stopped at one point and picked up a
woman on the phone. She stood in between the two Lost Boys, secretly eyeing the
blond next to her.
Apollo did not seem to pay her much attention, though. He was too busy watching
Nico in amusement. The elevator finally reached their floor, Apollo managing to
walk out first. Nico sighed and followed after the blond.
The older of the two stopped and spun around, motioning for Nico to lead the
way. Nico eyed him before walking around him and heading for the balcony that
partially sat over the pool and cabana area. Apollo walked over to the railing
and rested his arms on it, the wind lightly blowing his curly hair.
Nico did the same, resting his arms on the cold metal and lowering his chin to
rest on top of them. His brown eyes stared out at the road, watching traffic
slowly pass by. “Apollo?”
Apollo let out a heavy sigh. “Why do I feel like I know what you're about to
ask?”
“Probably because you do,” Nico mumbled.
Apollo glanced down at him, smiling. “What changed?” Nico nodded his head in
response. Apollo tapped his fingers against the railing for a moment, the wind
slightly picking up. “I got scared, I guess.” The blond shrugged, not meeting
Nico's eyes when the boy looked at him. Instead, the blond was looking at the
gated cabana area that was directly beneath them. “It just kind of reminded me
of how terrified I was on my first night in those rooms, and how I just wanted
someone to make it all stop.”
“But you made the deal in the first place.”
Apollo turned his head away from Nico. He reached out to touch some plants that
the hotel grew for display. “I did. But so did Thalia. At least I tried to stop
it in the end.”
“Sounds like you're trying to make yourself look like the hero.” Nico sighed
and looked up at the cloudy sky.
“I made that deal a while back, before I apologized for what had happened.”
Apollo scrunched his lips. “I was scared last night. Scared that I was just
creating a cycle. That's all this place is really.” The blond finally glanced
at him with surprisingly dull eyes. “I was just going to be creating another
version of myself, like I was made after Ganymede.”
Nico leaned in towards Apollo, letting their shoulders brush. “Did you ever
hate him?”
Apollo nodded. “Yeah, for several months.” The blond's lips became tightly
pursed. “I didn't...I think I just want you to leave here.”
Nico looked hurt. He went to speak, but Apollo raised a hand.
“I don't mean it like that.” Apollo closed his eyes and sighed, threading his
fingers into his golden curls. “I wanted you to become like us, thinking that
might solve this spite I developed towards you.” The blond shook his head.
“That wasn't going to solve anything. But, maybe if you left, you could still
have a life ahead of you, and then I wouldn't feel that desire anymore.”
Nico regarded the other Lost Boy carefully before reaching out and touching his
arm. “I just think you're human.” Apollo blinked at him in surprise. “I don't
think any of you are particularly evil, just that you've all got some issues
that need to be worked out.” The raven-haired boy smiled. “And I think you all
have enough abandonment issues right now that you don't need me leaving.”
Apollo rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the busy streets of Los
Angeles. “You can't tell me that you haven't thought about leaving.”
“Perhaps,” Nico shrugged, “but for now, this is my home. And you guys are my
family.”
Apollo smirked and put an arm around the boy. “Your strange and dysfunctional
family.”
“So we're normal then.”
The two smiled at each other. “Yeah,” Apollo whispered. He patted the boy's
hand and turned around, leaning against the railing with his elbows. “Just
promise me one thing then.”
Nico arched a brow at him. “And what's that?”
“Just...try and do what Percy asked of you.” Apollo's lips thinned. “I think
the one thing I'd like to see in this place before my time as a Lost Boy ends
would be to see change. And maybe do something good.”
“Thanks,” Nico said hesitantly. He brushed some of his hair that the wind had
messed up behind his ear. “You know, I think you're the only one of the group
that I keep finding a new way of looking at.”
The blond chuckled and lolled his head to the side to smile at Nico. “And why
is that?”
“Well,” Nico began, “when I first got here, I thought you were very hot and
thoughts about us doing something together were definitely there.” Apollo
smirked at that. “And then I wanted to punch you, which I did. I was angry with
you, but then you apologized. So then I was just cautious of you. And then we
had that nice conversation backstage.”
“So how do you see me now?”
Nico hummed, tapping a finger to his lip. “Like my older brother.” He glanced
at the blond. “My very hot older brother.”
Apollo chuckled and nodded. “Fair enough. And those sexual urges?”
Nico took a moment to think. In all honesty, it was something he should have
realized by now. But it took being asked for him to actually think about. He
met the blond's eyes. “Don't really know. Maybe one day I would be willing to
do something with you or the others, but right now...” Nico trailed off,
tapping a hand to the railing. “I guess you guys just don't have that effect on
me anymore.”
The corner of the blond's lip tilted up. “I know.” He looked away. “You don't
blush around us really anymore, or get embarrassed over something sexual.” He
glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes. “Can't really tell though with
Will. It's kind of like a playground crush, where I can tell there's an
attraction, but it's innocent. And then there's Luke.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “What about Luke?”
“You two have a lot of pent-up sexual frustration.” Apollo smirked at him,
making Nico want to smack him. “Honestly, I don't see how you two haven't seen
it yet. I also don't understand how you two haven't fucked.”
“I'm not even surprised anymore that the people around here can manage to turn
a very nice conversation into something perverted.”
Apollo laughed at that. Reaching out, the older Lost Boy ruffled Nico's hair.
“Maybe I'd miss your attitude too much if you left.”
***** Fighting Like a Married Couple *****
Monday was torture. Every time someone bumped into him in the hall, Nico had
flinched away. And Daedalus had taken notice of it. The brunet had followed
Nico and Jason home to make sure the pale boy was okay. The part that annoyed
Nico was that Kelli had followed them as well, having heard from Daedalus how
nice the hotel looked.
Nico sat down at a table in the cabana area, placing his backpack on the ground
beside him. Daedalus pulled out a binder and slid it over to Nico, so that the
boy could copy the notes he had missed during his absence. He did not like that
Daedalus's grey eyes kept staring at him. Nico looked up, meeting Jason's
stormy gaze.
The blond placed a hand on Daedalus's shoulder. “He's fine, just still
recovering from what happened with his mom.”
Nico mouthed a silent thanks when Daedalus turned around. Jason nodded at him.
Kelli rolled her eyes and tugged on Jason's arm. “Jason, can I see your room?”
The blond pressed his lips together. “Maybe another time.”
Kelli huffed at that, but did not protest further. Nico's face paled when
Ganymede appeared at their table. He grinned down at Nico. Kelli did not even
bother trying to hide the fact that she was practically eye-fucking the dirty
blond-haired man.
“Hello there, Nico, Jason.” He smiled brighter. “Who are your friends?”
“Just friends from school,” Nico mumbled.
Ganymede nodded. “Are you going to give them a tour of the hotel?” He wagged
his eyebrows. “I'm sure they would enjoy seeing exactly where you work.”
Nico shot him a look, as if to say: keep talking, and I will end you. “We're
just doing some studying. Daedalus offered to help catch me up with my
classes.”
The man nodded. “Well, can I get any of you anything?”
Kelli went to open her mouth, but Jason cut her off. “Some privacy would be
nice.”
The man's contact covered eyes gleamed in amusement. “You're no fun, Jason.
Well, I'll be over there, if you can think of anything you need.”
As soon as Ganymede was gone, Kelli fell back in her chair. “Damn, he was hot.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “He's like thirty,” he mumbled.
“What my parents won't know, won't get him in trouble.”
Nico shook his head. The girl had issues. He glanced back down at his notes.
Daedalus leaned towards him. “I'm sure you could have taken a few more days
off.” He shrugged. “I mean, you seemed pretty freaked out today.”
Nico remained silent. Percy had made it clear he was going back to school
today. And not only that, but Nico had midterms to prepare for. School would be
letting out for winter break in fourteen days, and Nico had a lot of work to
catch up on.
Nico pulled out his AP English Literature book and put it down next to his and
Daedalus's binders. Daedalus, who sat beside Nico, opened the book to the
chapter that their class had gone over last week.
“You know, Nico,” Daedalus said, glancing to the pale boy, “with your
curriculum this year, you actually qualify for graduation.” Nico blinked at
him. “I was talking with your sister when I was getting my notes ready for you,
and she said your parents typically stuck you in a lot of advanced courses.”
“I guess there really is a difference between book smart and common sense,”
Jason mumbled, not looking up from his own homework. Kelli, who probably did
not even get the jab at Nico, laughed anyways.
Nico shot the blond a glare. “My mom just wanted me to succeed.” He returned
his brown eyes to Daedalus. “I'm not sure I want to graduate. This year has
been rough, and I don't know if it's what is best for me right now.”
The brunet nodded. “I understand. Still, perhaps it is something to think over.
I guess Percy did his research, putting you into these classes.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled as he glanced over the chapter in front of him. He blew
his lips. What was the purpose behind this? “I think I just want to take it
easy next year.”
Daedalus shrugged. “You could graduate and just take a year off.”
“We'll see.”
Kelli flipped her hair over her shoulder. She reminded Nico of Drew when she
did that. “So, Jason, would you want to go see a movie with me this weekend?”
Jason shrugged. “Kind of busy this weekend, sorry.”
Nico watched the blond from across the table. That was partly true. The lie was
that they were busy every night. That was one of the social downsides to their
job; they could never spend time with their friends. Nico chewed on his lip. He
wondered if that would ever pose a problem for him. What if Bianca and Daedalus
wanted to hangout with him one night? It might get suspicious if he had to keep
saying no.
Over the course of the next hour and a half, Daedalus worked to drill every
inch of missed material into Nico's head. Jason had taken Kelli on a tour of
the ground floor of the hotel, partially to let Nico do his work and partially
because the girl would not shut up about seeing the place.
Daedalus finally began packing up, much to Nico's relief. His head hit the
table while the brunet was putting away his last textbook. Daedalus chuckled at
him, patting him on the back. “Come on, Nico, it wasn't that bad.”
“It was torture.” Nico sat up, lips pursed. “Daedalus?”
The brunet looked up. “Yeah?”
Nico opened his mouth, but stopped. “Um...” The boy closed his mouth,
swallowing a lump in his throat. He could not bring himself to ask. “Nothing,”
he whispered. He looked up, giving his friend a small smile. “Thanks for
helping me.”
Daedalus returned Nico's smile with one of his own. “Not a problem. Let me know
if you need any more help.”
Nico sighed as Daedalus stood up. He had wanted to ask if the offer from the
brunet's mother still stood. There was no problem with weighing his options,
right? Still, the fact that he knew if he accepted the offer the hotel and
everyone in it would be gone from his life bothered him. Would he even be
allowed to set foot in the lobby?
Would Percy even acknowledge who he was?
Nico got up to walk the brunet out. There was a sharp whistle from behind him.
He slowly turned to find Ganymede staring at him. Nico frowned and turned back
to Daedalus. “Um, sorry, I've got to see what he wants.”
Daedalus smiled. “It's okay, I can find my way out.” He chuckled. “I'll see you
at school tomorrow, Nico.” With a wave over his shoulder, the brunet walked out
of the cabana area.
The pale Lost Boy's shoulders slumped as soon as he was alone. Well, not alone.
There were other people around him, but his primary focus of concern was gone.
Rubbing his arm, the boy walked over to the small, wooden bar.
The dirty blond leaned on the bar with a smile. “Your friend seems nice.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “He's my sister's boyfriend, back off.”
Ganymede chuckled. “Calm down, I wasn't trying to hit on him.” He pouted his
lips and reached out to pinch Nico's cheek. “Don't worry, cutie, you're the
only one for me.”
“Bullshit.” Nico sat down at the bar. A smile actually touched at Nico's lips,
which ended up making the one on Ganymede's face grow. “Do you have a faithful
bone in your body?”
The joy in the dirty blond man's eyes dimmed. Nico bit down on his lip, feeling
he had said the wrong thing. The ex-Lost Boy sighed and ran a hand through his
wavy hair. “I am quite faithful, thank you very much. Just not in the sense
that you are probably thinking about.” He raised his hands in a shrug. “Not
everyone believes in the whole idea of a completely monogamous relationship.” A
tan finger reached out to roll an apple across the cabana's surface. “Some
people just don't like having the same meal every night for the rest of their
life.”
“Have you ever tried?”
There was a small smirk that touched at the man's lips. “Once, but that was a
long time ago, when I was just a few years older than you.”
Nico crossed his arms on the bar. “Didn't work out?”
Ganymede tilted his head to the side, touching a finger to his lips. “It was
just a case of young love. He was rich and handsome, and promised me a lot of
things that I thought he could actually follow through with.”
Nico blinked. “So what happened?”
The tall man chuckled before clearing his throat. “His fiancée did not like it
when she found out.” The blond waved his hand dismissively. “I suppose that's
where I got my whole ideology about relationships, though it was more out of
spite at the time. I wanted to hurt him, which I did.” He shrugged. “He looked
quite devastated when he came home to find his now wife in bed with me.”
“Sounds like real love right there,” Nico mumbled sarcastically. Ganymede
chuckled. “Apollo and I had a talk yesterday.”
The man brushed some of his hair out of his face. “Yeah? What did blondie have
to say to you?”
Nico shrugged. “He wanted me to leave. Not the first in the past few days to
say that to me.”
Reaching for a plastic cup, Ganymede went about preparing a smoothie. “Well, I
suppose it's something to consider. But wouldn't the real test of character to
be to stick it out?” He turned on the blender before placing his hands on the
counter and stared at Nico. “If this place does anything, it toughens you out.
Sure you can go and have a normal life, but you could stay here for the rest of
high school and make some money. You could take care of yourself. You wouldn't
need to worry about working your way through an education at a university.”
The Lost Boy let out a sigh. “Not everything is about money.”
A laugh escaped the man's lips. “What world are you living in? Have we been
working at the same place?” His eyes gleamed over with amusement. “The world is
corrupt, everything is broken. Power and money get you places.”
“But I don't want those things.”
Ganymede turned off the blender with a small laugh. “Yet you're going after
Percy.”
Dark eyes narrowed at the man across the bar. “That's because I genuinely like
Percy. I don't care about his money or his power. I'd still like him if he was
poor.”
The blond man poured the contents of the blender into the plastic cup he had
pulled out earlier. With a smile, he pushed it across to Nico. “Enjoy, free of
charge.” He leaned on the counter. “Just don't get yourself hurt, Nico.” His
lips tilted up. “And I mean that in the emotional and physical sense.”
Nico held the cup up, like he was toasting Ganymede. “I can take care of
myself.”
“We'll see,” Ganymede called after him as Nico walked off.
The smoothie tasted a little bitter in Nico's mouth. Whether it was made that
way, or it was in Nico's head, he did not know. He grunted when his phone
vibrated in his pocket. Pulling the phone out, he found a text from Apollo to
let him know he had to practice tomorrow.
He knew he could not avoid it, but Nico really was not looking forward to
getting back on that stage. He no longer had that protective barrier against
customers. Nico was now fair game. And it was that thought that made him
shudder.
When Nico reached the lobby, his face paled slightly. Speak of the devil, he
thought. Persephone pushed the door to the lobby open. Removing her sunglasses,
the woman looked around the decorated room. She was wearing a lot of black,
Nico noted.
She smiled as she neared him. “Oh, Nico. What are the odds running into you
here?” She asked in her honey-like voice. Now that she stood closer to him,
Nico could now see that her eyes were red and a little puffy. “Just here to do
a little business.”
The Lost Boy nodded, letting the woman hook her arm through his. He led her
towards the elevators. “Isn't it a little early for that?”
A small laugh escaped her mouth. Raising a hand to her nose, Nico noticed she
carried a tissue. She had been crying. “Not that kind of business. Just signing
some documents, things like that. Nothing to trouble your pretty little mind
over.”
He managed to smile at the woman. “I just don't like to see pretty women cry.”
She wiped at her eyes, a small smile on her lips. “You're a sweetheart.”
Stepping into the elevator, Persephone reached out and swiped a card through
the slot before pressing the button to Percy's floor. “Would you mind showing
me to your boss?”
Like Nico needed more convincing to go see Percy. “Of course.”
When the elevator finally stopped, Nico led the woman out and towards the
hotel's main office. He opened the door and Rachel and Leo looked up at him,
both arching brows. Rachel stood up and walked in front of her desk. She
reached out and shook Persephone's hand with a smile. “Persephone, thank you
for coming. Percy is expecting you.”
As if on cue, the door opened and the manager himself appeared. His eyes met
Nico's as he straightened the tie that he was wearing. He nodded towards the
boy. “Nico.” A spark of amusement flashed in his eyes before he turned his
attention to the woman on Nico's arm. “If you'd just step into my office.” He
stepped aside and motioned inside.
Persephone detached herself from the boy's arm before slipping past Percy and
seating herself in front of his desk. Percy turned to smile at Nico, pulling
the door shut. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms.
“Taking a shine to women now, are we?” Percy asked in amusement. Leo and Rachel
snickered.
Nico shot both of them dirty looks. He crossed his arms and faced Percy. “I was
just doing my job.”
The manager nodded with a smile. “Well thank you for showing her up.” Moving
forward, he paced around Nico with his arms still crossed. “As you know,
Christmas is quickly approaching. Also, as you probably guessed, we will be
having a Christmas party.”
Rachel cleared her throat. “Everyone buys a present for everyone else, and we
open them and make a thing of it on Christmas Day.”
Leo continued to type on his computer. “All the Lost Kids, of course, Dionysus,
Chiron, Circe, Aphrodite, Ganymede, and Percy.” He looked up with a grin. “And
if you want to get on her good side, Gaea.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “But you're not expected to get her anything.”
Nico bit on his lip, mumbling his next words. “What about the other managers?”
The green-eyed young man shrugged. “They don't really care about getting
anything. And I wouldn't expect you to, really.” He scratched his cheek. “I can
understand that it's already a big list with everyone else, plus you'll
probably want to get your sister and Daedalus something.” His perfect smile was
flashed before Nico. “So don't worry about it.”
Nico slowly nodded, his mind feeling hazy. “So I can take a day to go
shopping?”
Rachel picked up a piece of paper from her desk. “Annabeth is taking a few of
the others to shop tomorrow, if you want to tag along.” She handed Nico the
paper. “Here's a list of things to consider for Gaea, since you haven't met
her. Or you can ask the others for suggestions.”
Percy's arms wove their way around Nico's waist. Nico could feel Percy's breath
on his neck. “I already did my Christmas shopping.” Nico felt Percy's lips tilt
up from where they pressed against his ear. “I do hope you like what I got
you,” he whispered into the boy's ear. Chuckling, he pulled back. “All right,
I've got some business to attend to.”
Nico nodded, looking up at the young man from behind his bangs. He turned and
took his leave from the office, tossing a wave at the three in the office
before shutting the door. Nico leaned against the wall as waited for the
elevator. The boy's head fell back to hit the wall.
He knew that his crush on Percy was unhealthy, but he could not help it. It was
the young man's fault really. If he were not so charming, Nico would not have
fallen for him. So this was all Percy's fault, not his. He rolled his eyes.
His pulse was still racing as he boarded the elevator and waited to be taken to
his floor. It was not until he felt something wet trailing down his cheek that
he froze. He reached up to find a tear there. Wiping his eyes he looked at
himself in the metal paneling of the elevator, not bothering to get off when
the elevator door opened.
And it was as if seeing the tear caused the dam to break, because more tears
began to follow. Nico did not understand, he had not even been sad a second
ago. And now panic began to course throughout his mind as he clutched his head
and crouched down in the elevator.
As the elevator door began to close, Nico reached out and caused the sensor to
trigger to keep it open. Wiping at his eyes, the Lost Boy removed himself from
the floor and quickly made his way towards his room. He did not want to be seen
like this, not when he could not even control his own body. He could not be
this broken.
But before he could reach the door to his suite, Nico was grabbed and pinned
against the wall. Nico scrunched his eyes shut to keep whoever it was from
seeing that he had been crying. “What do you want?” He snapped.
A large hand was placed against his crotch. “Just making sure you remember your
job.” It was Butch. Nico kept his eyes shut, but tried to break free. However,
Butch was much stronger than him, so it did not amount to much. “You do
remember your job, don't you?” He was closer to Nico's face now.
“Just leave me alone, I'm not in the mood.”
Butch chuckled. “Doesn't matter. See, we have a job, and you may find yourself
not in the mood a lot.” His hand tightened on Nico's wrists. “You think that
matters? No. You're not just in there to let them have their way with a young
guy. You're in there to get information, which means you can't just lay there,
trying not to cry.”
Nico's jaw tightened. “I haven't forgotten. I'm sorry that I was upset over
everything that has happened to me the first time I had to sell my body to some
rich pedophile!” Nico's eyes snapped opened to glare at the taller Lost Boy.
Butch blinked down at him. “Have you been crying?” His grip finally released
Nico's wrists, which fell lifelessly to the boy's sides. “Nico?”
The boy stared down at his feet. “I'm fine,” he whispered.
“Is this about your mom?” Butch tilted his head to the side to try and meet
Nico's eyes. “You could try talking to Annabeth or Apollo. They both lost their
mothers. I'm sure they wouldn't mind talking with you.” The older Lost Boy
reached out and placed a hand on Nico's arm. “Or is this about the job? Percy?”
Nico looked up with dark and tear-filled eyes. “I don't want to talk about it.”
Butch pursed his lips. “I understand, you know. I had a crush on Percy when I
first got here.” He shrugged. “Percy just has that charm.” A small smile spread
across Butch's lips. “But I realized it was just that I liked the attention
Percy gave me. You know, growing up like I did, I never really got much
attention. My mom was always using and I had to take care of myself, but you
don't really want to let too many people close to you when you're on the
streets. For all you know, they might just stab you and take what little you
have.”
The black-haired boy did his best to hold back fresh tears. “It's not the same.
I'm not getting over Percy. All of you keep saying that I will, but it hasn't
happened yet.” The shorter of the two wiped at his eyes. “Now, is there a
reason you had to stop me like this?”
Butch rubbed his large arm. “Um, well, I was sort of instructed to by Percy.”
Nico's eyes darkened. “He sort of...felt you might not be ready, with what
happened with you and Will yesterday. And apparently you're having trouble
letting people touch you.”
Wrapping his arms around himself, Nico averted his eyes from Butch. “Can I go
now?”
Butch stared down at him for a moment before wiping a hand down his face.
“Yeah,” he breathed out. He stepped aside to let Nico go. “Sorry about that.”
The brown-eyed Lost Boy inched his way around Butch, hugging the wall as much
as possible to avoid coming in contact with the larger Lost Boy. He fished his
card out of his wallet and slipped it into his door, casting a look at Butch
before closing the door behind him.
--------------------------------------
Silena had a nice voice. Nico had discovered this while listening to her hum on
the way up to the top floor. The Lost Girl hummed to herself as she ran her
fingers through her dark hair. Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink when she
noticed Nico staring at her. “What?”
Nico smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, you just have a nice voice.”
She draped her hair over her shoulder. “Thank you. I sang in choir back in high
school, even though momma didn't support it.” The Lost Girl briefly chewed on
her lip. “But that's in the past, and that hobby has long been put to rest.”
“You could pursue it,” Nico offered. “Some of the others are going to school.
Beckendorf is. I'm sure-”
“It's just a dream, Nico.” Silena's eyes took on a sad look as they stared at
the wall. “The others just like to dream. We all know we're never going to
escape this place.”
Nico blinked once at her. “It doesn't hurt to dream. Besides, you never know,
something might happen.” He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “Don't you want
to have a real life with Beckendorf? Maybe start a family?”
Silena seemed to tense up at that. “I don't know. It scares me to think about
being a parent.” The black-haired girl slowly rubbed her palms together. “You
know, it's just something that all of us are just nervous about.” She pursed
her lips. “We don't want to turn out like our parents,” she whispered.
“That's something you can control. I mean, I don't know what happened to you,
but if you try hard enough, I think you could make a good mother.”
Silena's crystal blue eyes darted over to him. “It would be nice. Charlie-bear
would make a good father.” She let out a long breath. “It would take a lot of
work.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “How do you even do it?”
Silena turned to look at him in confusion. “Do what?”
“Pull off being together in this place?” Nico shook his head. “With everything
like it is, I don't see how you do it.”
A small smile appeared on the girl's lips. “A lot of effort and trust.
Typically, we don't have sex apart from each other, not counting Percy or the
customers. And even with Percy it's together.” The Lost Girl's head hit the
metal wall behind her. “Believe me, it can get exhausting. And there are times,
like a couple of weeks ago, where Charlie might toss that rule we have out the
window. He can be a little hot-headed sometimes.”
Nico pressed his lips together. The elevator came to a stop. Silena made to get
off, but Nico spoke up. “Still, you two care for each other, I can tell.
Wouldn't it be better to try and leave? I'm sure you two could survive.”
Silena did not respond or turn around to acknowledge she even heard him. She
was still for a second before continuing on her way to the stairs. Nico sighed
when she was gone. He shook his head and exited the elevator himself.
But before he could get past the booths, Clarisse pressed a hand to his chest.
“What did you say to her? You trying to get her to leave?”
Nico gulped. “Wouldn't that be better for her? She could start a real life.”
The giant of a Lost Girl narrowed her eyes. “Don't go sticking your nose in
things you don't understand. We take care of her here, and we can't do that if
she leaves.” Clarisse's nostrils flared. “Do you even understand how messed up
everyone is here? And you're over here trying to send them on their merry
little way into the world?”
Ethan placed a hand on the Lost Girl's shoulder. “Let him go Clarisse, he has
to get to work.”
The girl turned her animal-like eyes on her fellow security worker. “Don't
defend him. He's going to destroy this place and everyone in it if he keeps on
with this. You might as well put a bullet through his head right now.” She
gripped Nico's shirt. “Don't fucking say things like you just did when Gaea
gets here, or you might find yourself back on the streets. That is if you're
not dead.”
“Clarisse,” Ethan growled.
The Lost Girl kept her dark gaze on Nico. She grunted before releasing him and
shoving the pale Lost Boy towards the stairs. Nico nearly tripped as his feet
made contact with the first step. He looked back with a frown. Ethan was
watching him, while Clarisse was now choosing to ignore him.
Nico hurried up the stairs and made his way to the bar room. He quickly came to
a halt. Jason stood against one of the walls, glaring daggers at Dionysus. The
man stood at the bar, mixing a drink with a smile. As soon as he noticed Nico,
Dionysus picked the drink up and downed it.
“Ah, Nico my boy, glad to have you back.”
Nico regarded the man with caution as he made his way over to the couch.
“What's going on?”
Connor, who was taking up most of the couch, rolled onto his side to glance
down at his feet to where Nico now sat. “What he's always trying to do, start
trouble.”
The man at the bar looked like he wanted to dump the bottle of vodka in his
hand onto the brunet's head. “Your words are so hurtful, Connor. Why can't you
love me like you do your brother?”
Connor rolled his eyes. “First of all...” A brief gleam flickered in Dionysus's
eyes, which caused the brunet to close his mouth and look away. “Never mind,”
Connor mumbled.
Nico's brow furrowed. “It's not like anyone around here cares.” The pale Lost
Boy shot the bartender a warning look. “Leave him alone.”
Connor sat up and gave Nico a small smile. Silena, who had been standing
quietly in the corner, ran her hand through Connor's curly hair. “You know we
love and support you, Connor,” she whispered to the brunet.
The brunet's blue eyes remained on Nico. “Thank you.”
The door pushed open to reveal Travis, who immediately took notice of his
brother. The slightly taller brunet frowned. “What's wrong?”
Connor shook his head. “Nothing.” Travis did not look convinced. “I promise.
Dionysus was just being himself.”
Travis shot the man a dirty look, though it did little to bother the man, who
was already downing another drink. “Maybe you should go see to a table.”
The younger twin nodded and got up. Sparing one last glance at Nico, he
disappeared out the door, Travis following after him. Silena quietly made her
way out of the girls' door. Nico glanced up at Jason, who nodded. Letting out a
sigh, Nico stripped himself of his shirt and pants.
Jason headed for the door, and Nico, stumbling from getting his pants off,
moved to follow after him. Adjusting the speedo that he wore, Nico looked up at
his roommate. “Everything all right back there?”
“Like Connor said, just Dionysus being himself.” Jason glanced at the shorter
boy from the corner of his eye. “And drugs. Drugs were also involved.”
“Still trying?”
There was a small nod from the blond. “He's persistent, I'll give him that.”
Nico inched closer to the blond as several guests turned to stare at them,
though the blond seemed oblivious to this. “Though, I suppose if one good thing
came of your screw ups, it would be that I've learned that Dionysus is not to
be trusted. He is enemy number one.”
Nico came to a stop and crossed his arms. Jason grinned down at him. “I'm so
happy that I could be of service to you,” the raven-haired Lost Boy mumbled.
The blond raised his hands in a shrug. “Hey, you were warned not to trust him.
Not to mention that several people—myself included I do believe—told you that
several things that you were doing were bad ideas.”
“No one warned me about what Apollo had been planning.”
“That was before I got here.” Jason rubbed at his neck, closing his eyes. Nico
took a second to glance his roommate's body over. It had just a hint of less
muscle than Percy, though their builds were relatively similar. There was even
a small 'V' shape at his hips. “As with everyone else, my body is only for
sale. Though feel free to stare, I did work hard for my body.”
Nico rolled his eyes. He turned to walk off, Jason's laughter filling his ears
as he headed for his first table. The man was watching the stage, watching
Apollo and Luke put on the first performance of the night. Nico cleared his
throat, staring at the back of the man's head. “Good evening, sir. My name is
Nico. Can I start you off with anyth-” Nico's notepad nearly fell out of his
hand, the color in his face draining.
“Oh, Nico, it's good to see you again.” The man from months ago, the guy that
Percy had turned down to spend time in the back rooms with Nico, sat in front
of him. The senator.
Nico's stomach did a flip. He quickly recovered, clearing his throat. “Senator
Johnson, it's good to have you here again.” The Lost Boy only hoped that his
lie was believable. “C-can I get you anything?”
“Well, I was going to request some of your personal time tonight, but your
manager says that you're taking a few days off from the rooms.” A smile broke
out across the man's face. “I was just happy to hear that you were now working
back there. Someone as delectable as you should not be kept in a cage.” The
man's words made Nico's skin crawl. “I assure you, though, I will be back to
partake in what you have to offer.”
Nico smiled at the man, refusing to show his teeth. He was afraid that if he
opened his mouth the contents of his stomach would find their way onto the
man's face. “It's only for a few days.” His stomach lurched again at the
thought of being with the senator. Percy passed him by, glancing at Nico from
the corner of his eye. Nico's brown eyes followed the young man. “Just let the
anticipation hold you over for now.”
Mr. Johnson laughed. “Hopefully it won't be a long wait.”
After taking the senator's order, Nico slipped his notepad into the back of his
speedo and walked his way over to Percy's table. The young man looked up at him
with the raise of his brow. “Yes?”
“Did you know he was going to be here tonight?”
Percy nodded. “Didn't think it was going to be that big of a deal. I trust that
you can handle it?”
Nico rubbed his shoulder. “Not happy about it, though.”
The green-eyed young man pushed his black bangs from his eyes. “It's not about
being happy, it's about business, and I need to know you can handle your job.”
He tapped the pen that was in his hand on the table. “There will probably be a
lot of customers that you don't like or find attractive, but it doesn't mean
that you can let that get in the way of your job.”
“I know, I know,” Nico sighed. “He just creeps me out.”
Percy smiled. “Well if you're scared that he is going to kidnap you or
something, I can assure you that he's pretty harmless.”
“Besides,” Leo interjected, “they're too scared of Percy to try taking a Lost
Kid from the hotel.”
Percy shot Leo a dirty look. “I'll have you know that I'm very professional.”
“And you have the blood stains to prove it.”
Nico chuckled at that. Leo grinned up at the raven-haired boy. Nico leaned on
the table. “And how long do I have exactly before I have to worry
about...taking care of him?”
Percy glanced Nico over. “Um, a few days? You'll be back on stage tomorrow, but
I'll probably give you until the end of the week before sending you back into
the rooms.” He reached out and ran the back of his fingers along Nico's arm.
“Try not to have too much fun until then. Maybe try practicing with some of the
other Lost Kids.”
“Oh, you mean like with Butch?” Nico narrowed his eyes.
Percy shrugged. “Just trying to help. You do have a job to fulfill.” Yanking on
Nico's arm, Percy pulled the Lost Boy down to whisper in his ear. “Really you
should be thanking me. If you can't handle this by the time Gaea gets here,
we'll both be in trouble. Now, I'm actually going to ask for this favor, since
I did so much for you and you chose to ignore most of it. I need you to shape
up and be able to handle this.”
Percy released Nico, who pulled back to stare at Percy with a hint of fear.
“Yes, sir.”
Percy laced his fingers in front of his face. “Good. I do hope you don't
disappoint this time.”
Nico scurried away from the table and headed for the bar room. He waited on the
couch for Dionysus to get Mr. Johnson's drink ready. “Trouble?” Dionysus asked.
“Not in the mood right now,” Nico mumbled.
The man sighed. “No one seems to be in the mood to let me have any fun
tonight.” He shook his head, mixing the drink. “I do need some form of
excitement, if I am to survive this place.”
“Why not just do everyone the favor and leave?”
“My, you do have a sharp tongue on you tonight, Nico.” Sliding the drink away
from himself, Dionysus leaned on the counter. “Still sore from getting fucked
by the boss?”
Nico's dark eyes shot up to glare at the man. Dionysus only raised a drink he
had mixed for himself, smiling in Nico's direction. “What would you even know
about how I'm feeling right now?” Nico hissed venomously. “Do you even feel
anything anymore? Could I even consider you human?”
Dionysus blinked in surprise. He sat his drink down and held his arms out for
Nico. “My boy, you're finally becoming part of the family. Come here.”
“I'd rather not.” Nico let his head drop, hiding his face from the man. He
stood to his feet and went to grab the drink, only for Dionysus to grab his
wrist.
The bartender forced Nico to look up. “There it is, the look that I see in all
of their eyes. I saw the same look in my eyes when I first started here. You're
finally starting to accept things, Nico. The world is an ugly place and doesn't
deserve your kindness. Percy is incapable of reciprocating your feelings, and
that hurts. And the best way to pay the world back is to let them have all of
your pain back. Spite is the best stress relief.”
“Hey!” Reyna stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “What the hell is going on in
here? Let him go, or I'll break your arm.”
Dionysus released his hold on Nico's wrist, grinning. “Just having a small
talk, welcoming Nico to the family really.”
Nico grabbed the drink order and briskly walked towards the door. He stopped
when he stood next to Reyna. “Thanks,” he whispered. Reyna nodded at him. Nico
lowered his gaze and pushed his way out the door, letting it swing shut behind
him.
Returning to the senator's table, Nico placed the amber drink onto the table.
Mr. Johnson looked up at him with a smile. “If you ever decide this place isn't
for you, I wouldn't mind having you at my house to greet me when I got home
from work.”
Nico pressed his lips together. He could feel himself about to throw up. “I,
um, think I like it here. But thank you.” He managed a smile.
Mr. Johnson nodded. “I see. Does this have anything to do with your boss?”
Nico jerked his head around to look at Percy, barely catching the young man
look away and start talking with Leo. Nico pressed his lips together, tilting
his head to the side.
“Since he came in, he keeps looking over here,” Mr. Johnson informed Nico. “If
I recall correctly, he did the same the last time I was here. Not to mention
when you went over to his table. Can't quite place my finger on it, but it
seems like he's almost affectionate with you. If I didn't know better, I would
have thought there was something there. Honestly, I was surprised when he said
you weren't for sale the last time.”
Percy glanced back at Nico. The Lost Boy gave him a small wave, which Percy
smiled at. The corners of Nico's lips tilted up. “There's nothing going on
between us.”
“Ah, well then, I suppose there's no need for me to feel nervous about
purchasing some time with you.”
Nico was thankful when the music started back on for the next performance. He
was not really feeling up to continuing this line of discussion with the
senator. His eyes briefly roamed over to where Percy sat. The green-eyed young
man was sipping on a drink, his eyes intently watching the three Lost Boys on
stage.
Apollo, Luke, and Travis stood towards the center of the stage, letting their
hands move sensually across their bodies and above their heads. They moved
slowly, tugging on their sleeveless shirts every so often. When Usher's “Love
in this Club” picked up, the Lost Boys began bouncing and swaying back and
forth. A blue light was hitting them from above.
Their hips gyrated to the music as their shirts were slowly lifted over their
heads. Travis spun his around before tossing his green shirt into the audience.
Apollo began running his hand up his leg, pulling the fabric of his shorts up
ever so slightly.
Nico nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt Mr. Johnson's hand on his ass.
Clearing his throat, he turned his attention back to the man. He leaned down.
“I've got to go see to other customers, but I'll be back.”
As soon as he was far enough away, Nico let out a sigh. At the moment, he would
have rather been on the stage. At least there was less of an opportunity for
him to be touched there. Nico rubbed his hands together, frowning to himself.
The night could not end soon enough.
---------------------------------------
“I'm sorry, why don't you just get less attractive? I can help with that, if
you feel you're getting too many customers!”
Nico blinked with wide eyes. He sat in one of the booths, hands clamped on the
table. Luke stirred a drink next to him, a bored look on his face as they
watched Apollo and Leo bicker. Apparently, Apollo was feeling exhausted from
having to work the back rooms every night for the past week.
Apollo placed a hand on his hip, his bare chest still sweaty from just having
finished with a customer. “I would just like a night off. But I couldn't expect
you to know what the rest of us are going through.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Of course not. How could I imagine what it could possibly
be like not to get a night of rest? I mean, all I have to do is sort out all
the paperwork, see to all of you, answer calls, count the cash, arrange
services for the customers, and run errands for Percy. Oh and let's not forget
that I had all those sleepless nights while my mother and I were moving around
without a real home.”
Nico swallowed the lump in his throat. “Shouldn't someone break them up?” He
whispered to the blond next to him.
Luke glanced up briefly from the drink that he had yet to actually pick up.
“Not my concern.”
Nico rubbed his face. Percy was not around, as he was seeing to an issue with
the girls at the moment. Nico focused his brown eyes back onto the bickering
Lost Boys.
Apollo sneered at the short Latino boy. “Probably something to do with you.
Enjoying the show from the security room?” He motioned to his body. “Missing my
body already?”
“You wish!” Leo jutted his chin up, straightening his shoulders. “I don't have
any interest in doing that with you again. With how many people you've been
with, I just might catch something.”
“Careful now,” Luke grunted.
Leo held up a hand. “Sorry.” He glared up at Apollo. “Maybe you should just get
over yourself. All you have is your looks anyways.”
Apollo's eyes widened. The blond grabbed the curly haired Lost Boy by the front
of his shirt. “Look here-”
Nico shot up from the table and pushed the two apart. “Whoa, please calm down.”
The two glared at him. “Um...” Nico suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. “I
think you both just need to cool off.”
“Stay out of this, Nico.” Apollo's dark blue eyes flickered back to Leo. “This
doesn't concern you.”
Nico huffed as he was pushed aside. “You two bicker like an old married
couple!”
The two froze. Nico heard laughter from behind him. Turning around, he found
Luke laying his head on the table with uncontrollable laughter. Leo and Apollo
stared at him, mouths agape and with wide eyes. Clearing his throat, Nico took
a step back.
Leo and Apollo turned away from each other, still in shock. There seemed to be
a faint coloring to their cheeks now. Apollo was the first to speak. “That is
so not true.”
Luke was still dying of laughter. He wiped at his eyes. “Oh man, that was good,
shortie.” He glanced at Apollo, still grinning. “What's wrong, blondie, don't
like what he said?”
Nico fumbled with his mouth. “I, um...”
Luke placed his hands behind his head, reclining in the booth. “My night just
got better.”
“Shut up, Luke,” Apollo growled. “All you do is take joy from the misery of
others.”
“Oh yeah, I never do anything helpful,” Luke said sarcastically, rolling his
eyes. “Since you think the brat and I need to bang, then I'd say the same to
you and the chihuahua over there.”
Leo glared at Luke, though his face darkened even more. “Shut up, Luke!” He
turned back to Apollo. “Why don't you just go to bed then, since you feel so
overworked.” The Lost Boy's brown eyes narrowed at Luke. “And you can just go
to your room, so I don't have to put up with you anymore.”
Luke shrugged and hopped up from his seat. Placing his hands in his pockets, he
headed for the stairs. “Come on, kid, let's leave the lovebirds alone.”
“Fucking hell, Luke! Shut up!” Leo yelled after the retreating blond.
Nico bit back a laugh as he moved to follow Luke. As the descended the stairs,
he looked up at the blond. “Do you believe what Apollo has said?”
Luke raised a brow at him. It took a moment, but realization soon hit the
blond's face. “Oh, you mean about me and you?” Nico nodded. Luke shrugged. “Not
interested, if you're wondering.” He stopped at the elevator and pushed the
call button. “Sorry to break your little schoolgirl heart.”
Nico let out a breath. “You're always just so charming. I don't know how I'll
ever be able to survive the news,” he grumbled sarcastically.
Luke grinned. “I know. I'm just so irresistible.”
“More like obnoxious.”
As soon as the door opened, Luke pushed Nico inside. Elbowing the button to
their floor, Luke pinned Nico to the wall, shoving his knee between the boy's
legs. “Doesn't mean I wouldn't fulfill your fantasy of having me on top of you.
I'm sure you dream about it every night, begging me to go deeper.”
Nico turned his head away. “Only in your dreams.” He managed to push Luke off
of him, though it was probably more from the blond being willing to be moved.
“What is your deal with me anyways? I don't get you.”
Luke touched the back of his hair. “Not much to get. You annoy me and I can't
wait for you to leave.”
“Yeah, you're quite full of shit.”
The blond sighed. The elevator came to a stop. Luke eyed Nico for a second
before stepping off. Nico furrowed his brow and followed. “You're a kid, you
make that quite clear with your actions. You are not cut out for this place.”
He suddenly stopped moving and put a firm hand on Nico's chest. “And maybe I
don't want to see a Lost Kid off themself because they can't handle this place.
Not again.”
Nico's mouth felt dry all of a sudden. “Someone committed suicide here?”
“Not that it was ever released to the public or the clients that come here.”
Luke shook his head. “No, that would look bad for business.” The blue-eyed Lost
Boy ran a hand through his hair with an exasperated look. “And maybe one or two
of the current ones actually tried to. And maybe I don't really wanna see that
happen again.”
Nico felt cold. It was like a cold hand was dragging its nails down his back.
He shivered. When he looked up to meet Luke's gaze again, he shifted
uncomfortably. “Who?”
“Not going to say,” Luke whispered, not breaking eye contact with Nico.
It was like he was unable to look away from the intense gaze that Luke was
giving him. Nico could not even move. “I'm not going to...do that.” His voice
barely came out as a whisper. “I'm trying.” He finally found the power to look
away, down at his feet. “I'm trying to do better. I know I screwed up. I failed
and broke the deal.” He pursed his lips. “But I wanted to thank you anyways,
for at least trying to help me out.”
“Don't expect it again.” Luke had a dark look in his eyes. “I don't like
wasting my time, which is all that amounted to. But I should have known, with
how you look at Percy. I'm not stupid like the rest of them, I know you're not
just crushing on him.” The blond shook his head. “I do think you're stupid.
Having feelings for Percy is dangerous. But I am not here to tell you to get
over your crush.” Luke ran his tongue along the back of his teeth. “Just be
ready for the consequences that come with it.”
It was at this moment that Nico realized how hard his heart was beating. “I
have no regrets.”
“Yet,” Luke whispered.
“Y-you sound a little jealous,” Nico stuttered, his voice cracking.
Luke chuckled dryly. “Please, brat. I told you, I'm not interested in you the
way everyone seems to think I am.” Turning his back to Nico, Luke reached for
his door.
Nico held out a hand. “Wait.”
Luke glared at him. “What is it now? I'm tired, kid.”
Nico opened his mouth, but quickly pursed it. Luke motioned for Nico to hurry
up. Nico let out a breath. “I, um, was sort of wondering something.” Luke
turned back around, giving Nico his full attention. “What made you leave home?”
Nico bit his tongue as soon as the question left his lips. He meant it to be
harmless, but he knew it was personal. It was just that Luke's conversation
with him from the water park still bothered Nico. He felt there was something
missing, something right in front of his face. Could it have been the reason
Octavian seems to dislike him so much? Or perhaps why Luke gets annoyed with
him? It was important to Nico.
Luke crossed his arms. “None of your business.” It was not said with anger,
though. There was a firmness in Luke's voice, the underlying message to leave
the issue there plainly stated for Nico. Luke sighed when Nico's shoulders
slumped. “Look, the day I left was the biggest mistake I have ever made. I
don't like talking about it.” He slowly nodded. “We were talking about regrets?
Well that's mine. If I could have gone back and changed it, I would have. I
shouldn't have left Octavian with our mother.”
Nico rubbed his arm. “She did something to him?”
“Only got worse when I left.” Luke rubbed his face. “Very religious woman;
didn't mix well with a very opinionated son.” His blue eyes darted back to
Nico. “Are we done now?”
Nico gulped and nodded. “Night,” he whispered. Luke grunted in return before
disappearing into his suite.
The boy let out a groan as he stumbled his way to his suite. Pulling his shirt
up, he wiped his face with the fabric. Nico let out a yawn as he opened the
door, his eyes feeling heavy. The Lost Boy shut the door and stopped. He could
hear heavy breathing coming from down the hallway. Frowning to himself, he
slowly moved closer, rubbing his eyes.
He stopped in front of his door and turned to look at Jason's room. The door
was open, though Nico was currently wondering if that was a good or bad thing.
Good news, he found the source of the heavy breathing. The bad news? He wished
he hadn't.
Jason was on his hands and knees, biting down into his sheets, while Percy
straddled him from behind. The blond's hair was matted down. Percy yanked the
blond's head back as he continued his movements.
Nico rubbed his eyes and opened his bedroom door. He cleared his throat. “Can
you two keep it down, or at least close your door? I would like to get some
sleep.”
Jason nearly jumped out of his skin. He jumped back, nearly hitting Percy in
the face. The green-eyed young man ended falling off the bed. Jason let out a
yelp as Percy's manhood was yanked out of him. The blond's mouth hung open as
he massaged his ass. “Jesus, Nico.”
“Maybe you shouldn't keep your door open,” the raven-haired roommate mumbled.
Percy yanked his boxers on before jumping to his feet. “Stay put,” he said,
pointing to the blond on the bed. The manager stepped out of the room, shutting
the door behind him.
Nico raised a brow as the tall young man approached him. “Looks like you were
having fun.”
Percy ran a hand through his wet hair. “I think I'm going to have to get you a
bell. You keep walking in on me during sex.”
“Maybe I should get you one.” Nico leaned against his door. “After all, you're
the one who keeps sneaking up on me. Maybe then I could defend my snacks.”
Percy smirked. He tilted Nico's chin up. “I kind of like the idea of you
wearing a bell. Maybe a collar.”
The Lost Boy smacked the hand away. “Not my sort of foreplay. I thought you
were seeing to the girls?”
The young man chuckled, leaning against the wall next to Nico's head. “Finished
up early. Besides, your roommate wanted to see me.”
“I got to see you as well.” He glanced down Percy's bare chest. “A pleasure as
always.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “I'm not sure how I feel about this new take you have on
this. You used to get freaked out when you walked in on me. What happened to
the good old days when you locked yourself in your room? Now I get sarcastic
remarks.”
Nico scrunched his lips, his eyes not meeting Percy's green ones. “I thought I
was being funny.”
Percy narrowed his eyes, though he was clearly not upset. “You can be very
frustrating. You know that, right?” He sighed and pulled out his phone. Nico
watched as he tapped the screen a few times before slipping it back into his
pocket. “As long as you don't start becoming an exhibitionist.”
“I thought you would like something like that. You don't want to stare at me?”
Percy chuckled and leaned closer. “It lets me rest a little easier with your
nature still being intact.” Nico turned his head slightly to meet Percy's gaze.
The boy licked his lips. Percy grinned. “I better be going,” his eyebrow shot
up, “unless you want to help me finish.”
Nico bit down on his lip. His hand was already gripping Percy's shirt. Percy's
face was so close to him. If he wanted to kiss the young man, all he had to do
was move his head an inch to his left. The boy let out a breath. Pursing his
lips, he pushed on Percy's chest. “Not tonight. I'm really tired.”
Percy nodded his head. He smiled and ruffled Nico's hair. “That sounds like a
good idea.” Jason's door opened. The blond emerged, now fully clothed. “Sorry,
Jason, looks like our fun must be put on hold.” He glanced at Nico again, his
eyes smiling. “I'll let you two get some sleep.”
Nico watched Percy go. He scrunched his lips when the door was shut. Jason was
glaring at him. The brown-eyed boy frowned. “What?”
Jason continued to glare. “Thanks a lot. I was close to finishing. Way to give
a guy blue balls!”
The shorter of the two rolled his eyes. “I'm sure you'll be fine. You have a
hand, use it.” Nico turned to open his door, but Jason slammed his hand against
the wall. “What is it now?” He glared at his roommate. “I'm not helping you
finish.”
“Tempting.” Jason glanced Nico over. “And I'm sure you would, if I offered.
I've seen you stare at me. You like my body.”
Nico shrugged. “So? Just because I like it, doesn't mean I want to get down and
suck your dick.”
“I give you a few months before you end up actually doing that.” Jason rolled
his blue eyes and turned to head back to his room.
“I thought you said you didn't have sex with the others?”
Jason stopped and turned to face Nico again. The blond crossed his arms. “With
the Lost Kids. Percy is not a Lost Kid, at least not anymore.” Nico took a step
back as Jason quickly invaded his personal space, shoving the shorter boy
against the wall. “I told you, I'm fucked up. I can't stand the thought of
someone, anyone, putting their hands on me. The thought of doing anything
sexual with another human being makes me sick.”
The pale Lost Boy shoved his roommate back. “Yeah, it looked like you were so
miserable. Was that why you were biting the sheets there?”
The blond's nostrils flared. “I wouldn't expect you to understand. No, you're
just Percy's little angel. How could you really understand the issues that the
rest of us deal with?”
“I'm not fucking perfect!”
Jason chuckled dryly, walking backwards to his room. “Obviously. If you were,
then you wouldn't have disappointed Percy so much.” He grabbed the doorknob.
“That must really get to you, right? Make you do things that you might not
normally do? Welcome to the family.”
Nico flinched as the door was slammed shut. He suddenly felt cold. Chewing on
his lip, Nico slipped into his room. He sat on his bed for a long time in his
underwear, trying to wrap his mind around things. But there seemed to be so
much to try and understand. His heart hurt, there was no denying that, though.
Try and hide as he might, seeing Percy with Jason had still hurt. Nico
eventually gave up and collapsed onto his back. The boy stared at the dark
ceiling until his eyes grew heavy and he fell asleep.
-------------------------------------------
Nico cupped his hands to his mouth, blowing hot air on them. It was fairly
chilly out today, at least what could be considered as such by California
standards. A black scarf hung from the boy's neck as walked the streets with
Annabeth, Juniper, and Octavian.
They had already acquired a few bags back in Octavian's car, but there were
still more people to shop for. Nico blew out a breath. He had never had so many
people to do Christmas shopping for. And the bad part was that he still had no
idea what to get Percy.
He frowned as he turned to Juniper. “What do you get someone who has
everything?”
Juniper let out a melodious laugh. “I think Percy will like whatever you get
him.”
Nico kicked at the ground. “Yeah, but it's not about that. I want it to be
something special, something that he'll really like.”
“Why don't you just tie yourself up and go sit under the tree,” Octavian
mumbled from in front of them.
Juniper playfully hit the blond in the back. “Don't listen to him. I'm sure
you'll find something.” The Lost Girl flashed him a bright smile.
Annabeth came to a stop. “Here we are.”
Nico looked up. A fairly large department store rose into the sky above them.
He quickly followed after the others, who were already going through the
revolving doors. There was an escalator near the front, and beyond that there
was an elevator. Glass display cases lined the tile floor in front of them.
Nico stayed close to Octavian and the girls, fearing the smiling women with
perfume samples that they had to pass by. Octavian glared at Nico, prying the
boy from his arm. He shoved the raven-haired boy off and pointed up the
escalator. “Up there you'll find some music stuff. I'm sure you can pick
something out for Apollo.”
Letting out a sigh, Nico stepped onto the moving stairs. Juniper waved at him
as he ascended to the next floor. There was a piano that sat on a rotating
platform towards the center of the section. Instruments hung from the ceiling,
as well as on stands. Along the wall, Nico found books full of sheets of music
from every movie, Broadway play, and just about every song that he could ever
recall hearing about.
The question was: what to get the curly-haired blond. Nico let his head fall
back in a groan. Christmas shopping had never really been his thing. The Lost
Boy scratched his head and threw himself into searching around the area.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, Nico still had not found anything that felt
right. He held a thick book that was filled to the brim with music sheets. It
did not feel right, though. He needed something Apollo could enjoy, not
something that would allow the blond to entertain the guests with. And he
really only saw Apollo play the piano when it was for the guests.
“Here, try this.”
A beautifully crafted violin was now being held in front of him. Nico could
almost see his reflection in it. It was a work of art. The top was even shaped
like a lion. Nico carefully took it in his hands before looking up, his breath
hitching.
“R-Robert,” Nico stuttered, nearly tripping as he stumbled backwards.
The blond man held out a gloved hand. “Glad you remember me. I saw you, and was
hoping I was right in remembering you from the hotel.” He smiled and slipped
his hands into his coat pockets. “I assume you're doing some Christmas shopping
for Apollo?”
Nico slowly nodded. “What are you doing here?”
“Shopping for my little girl. She's turning out to be quite the musician, and I
thought I'd get her a new instrument to learn.” He flashed a white smile at
Nico. “Apollo will appreciate the violin. His father broke the one he had
before leaving home. The man did not take the news of his son being gay that
well.” The man's green eyes flickered down to the wooden instrument in Nico's
hands. “As far as I know, he never got a new one.”
Nico brought the instrument closer to his frame. “What do you even care about
him? You broke up with him. And as I hear it, you've taken some heavy anti-gay
leanings.” The boy shook his head. “And on top of that, you come to the Lotus.”
Robert let out a sigh. “As you probably know, politicians have little control
over things sometimes on matters of leanings. I do get paid quite a hefty sum
to support those anti-homosexual agendas.”
“Doesn't change the fact that you've indulged in those very things.”
The blond glanced around to make sure no one was listening to them. “You kind
of remind me of him, at least before he was taken in by Percy.” He shook his
gelled blond head. “Who do you think informed Percy on where to find Apollo? I
didn't want him to die on the streets. But I couldn't be with him, and he knows
that.”
“How very kind of you,” came Octavian's sarcastic voice. Robert let out a sigh
and turned to face the other blond. “You must be a saint, like the rest of your
kind.”
The corner of Robert's lips tilted up. “A pleasure to see you, Octavian, as
always.”
“Why don't you run along?” The shorter of the two blonds crossed his arms,
glaring into the green eyes of the other blond. “I'm sure there's some
orphanage that you need to have torn down, or perhaps cut some arts funding.
You made Apollo really happy with that one, didn't you?”
Robert gave a cold smile. “Still a fan of politicians, I see.” Slipping a hand
into his pants, the blond shrugged. “It got revoked, like I knew it would.
Sometimes you've got to get your hands a little dirty, Octavian. How can you
ever expect to do anything in my line of work if you don't?” He smiled at
Octavian. “I have seen your applications to intern in my office.”
“Don't flatter yourself, I sent some to a lot of people.”
Robert chuckled dryly. “The world's never going to change, Octavian. You've got
play like everyone else if you want to get ahead in life.”
Octavian's eyes flashed dangerously at the other blond. “Careful now, I'd hate
to end up shouting out some things for people to hear.”
Robert closed his mouth. He glared at the skinny blond before turning to face
Nico again. “I suppose I'll have to cut our talk short, but maybe I'll see you
again.” His lips tilted up. “Have a Merry Christmas.”
Robert shouldered past Octavian roughly. Octavian rubbed his shoulder as he
glared after the man. Nico stared down at the violin in his hands. “Get it,”
Octavian mumbled. “The man disgusts me, but he knows Apollo. Blondie will love
it.”
After a quick purchase of the instrument and about ten minutes of searching,
the Lost Boys found Annabeth and Juniper looking at some jewelry. Nico stepped
up to one of the glass cases and peered inside to where some very expensive
looking watches were on display. He blew his lips. What was he supposed to get
Percy?
Annabeth brushed his shoulder with a small smile. “Having trouble?”
Nico pouted. “I don't know what to get Percy. He can buy whatever he wants. How
do you buy for someone like that?”
 The blonde chuckled. “Well, you could do a watch. I suppose he could always
use one of those.”
“That's what he has a phone for,” Nico mumbled.
“Yes, but watches look professional.” The Lost Girl blew out a breath. “I
suppose it gets easier with time. I've known Percy a little over three years
now, and figuring something out him does get easier after time.”
“I don't even know what to do about him in general. He's so confusing.”
Annabeth smiled, nodding her head. “He can be frustrating. Percy can be a
little...oblivious when it comes to dealings of the heart.” The girl tapped her
nails against the glass. “He has lived his whole life without companionship
outside of what Gaea, Kronos, and the rest of us have offered him that he
doesn't give thought to how he might feel about someone.”
Nico raked a hand through his hair. “How do I get his attention? I just... I
don't know, I'd just like for him to see what everyone else seems to see.”
The girl's grey eyes roamed over to the pale Lost Boy. “Getting his attention
won't be that hard, if you know how to go about it.” She tilted her head to the
side. “You just have to be creative. Be blunt with him. If you're tired of the
mixed signals he's sending you, let him know. I mean, there are ways to go
about it, if you don't want to just walk up to him and throw it in his face.
I'd honestly recommend not doing that.”
“I guess,” Nico whispered. He pursed his lips as his eyes stared down at the
watches. “Right now I just want to figure out what to buy him.” Both of them
shared a laugh. “Is there anything... I don't know, sentimental that he might
like?”
“Um.” The girl tapped a finger to her lips. “Put some thought into that. Maybe
you can think of something from his time in Germany? Talk to Zoë, maybe?” The
blonde placed a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I'm sure you'll think of something.”
“Thanks.” Nico's brow furrowed as his eyes settled on a rotating watch. The
face of the watch had been lifted up, revealing a compartment for a photo to be
placed underneath. “Maybe I will figure something out,” Nico mumbled to
himself. He needed to talk to several of the Lost Kids.
***** The Harsh Truth *****
“All right, ladies and gentlemen,” came Apollo's voice from in front of where
Nico was hunched over, attempting to catch his breath, “as you all know, Gaea
is expected to be here somewhere between ten and thirteen days.” The blond
began pacing as he walked in front of the Lost Kids that were occupying the
stage. “So, as most of you know, we put on big numbers during that time. That
also means that we will have group nights on Christmas and New Years.”
Luke smirked over at Annabeth. “Just tell the two of us what big number you
have planned.”
Apollo clicked his tongue as his blue eyes shifted between Luke and Annabeth.
“Actually.” Both blondes frowned as soon as the word left Apollo's mouth.
“Actually,” the curly haired blond glanced at Nico, “Percy and I decided that
Nico would be performing with Annabeth.”
That seemed to break the dam. The rest of the Lost Kids exploded in an uproar.
“What do you mean? I always perform with Luke on these shows!” Annabeth
shouted. The others were being just as vocal.
“The new kid gets a big number and I don't?”
“This isn't fair!”
“How can you agree to this?”
Apollo held his hands up in defense. He glanced at Nico, who shifted his
weight. No one had told, or even asked, Nico if he wanted to do a big
performance. “He did a good job on Halloween, so I wanted to give him another
chance.” He narrowed his eyes when Luke opened his mouth. “It's just one
number. I don't care if you and Annabeth decide to do your own performance.”
Luke grunted. “Fine, whatever.” He pointed a finger towards Nico, glaring
hatefully. “You better not screw up.”
Annabeth seemed to be studying Nico through all of this. “He's not really
strong enough to pick me up, like Luke usually does, though.”
Apollo raked his fingers through his blond curls. “He's not going to.” The Lost
Boy flashed his pearly white smile. “Just trust me, I have ideas.” He spun on
his heel and went back to pacing. “Actually, it's a group number, so we'll have
everyone that's upstairs. And I do mean everyone. That will include those
waiting tables up here.”
“Like what?” Travis asked, placing a hand on his hip.
“That is for later.” Apollo held up a finger with a smile. “We'll start
practicing it in a few days, I just need to work a few more things out. It'll
be the closing number for the night.”
Nico pressed his hands against his knees again, still working to catch his
breath. Ever since he had gotten back from school, Apollo had been working him
to the bone. Decorating and organizing were clearly not the only things that
were going to be hectic around here during the days leading up to Gaea's
arrival. Apollo had said that everything needed to be perfect during the
woman's time here.
As soon as Apollo cleared his throat, Nico knew there was more coming that
would only make things more exhausting. “And remember, no mistakes. No slip
ups.”
“No sabotaging numbers,” Hazel mumbled.
Apollo shot the girl a glare. He paused for a moment before motioning towards
the stairs. “Go get ready for tonight, everyone.” As Nico went to leave with
the others, the blond reached out and grabbed the back of his sweaty shirt.
“Hold on a second, Nico.”
The younger Lost Boy let out a sigh, wiping sweat from his forehead. “What's
up?”
Whatever it was, Nico was going to guess it was serious. Apollo wore a serious
look as he rubbed his hands together. “As you know, you'll be working again
tonight.” Nico nodded. Apollo nodded as well, but gave Nico a look to let him
know there was more. “Your full job. And you'll still be doing that when Gaea
arrives.”
“Is there a point to this?”
“No freaking out.” Apollo reached out to rest a hand on Nico's shoulder. “When
I said no mistakes, that means in everything you do. In the bar, up here
waiting tables, stripping, or even pleasing a client; you have to be perfect.”
“Oh.” Nico looked down at his feet, scuffing them along the floor of the stage.
“Maybe Percy shouldn't put me back there. What if I mess up?”
“You can't.” Apollo licked his lips. “He can't take you out of there.” Glancing
over his shoulder, Apollo leaned closer. “You may not know this, but Percy took
a huge bullet for you when he wasn't putting you to work up here, and another
when he didn't make you work in the back rooms.”
“What do you mean?” Nico furrowed his brow.
“Gaea was not happy when she learned about how Percy was handling you. So
expect her to watch you like a hawk.” Apollo ran his hand along Nico's arm.
“Just stay calm. You can freak out all you want when you're in the comfort of
your own room. But you can't mess up on stage, or freak out while with a
client. No one is going to mess with you, especially not myself.” Apollo let
out a nervous chuckle. “You think it was bad when Percy got mad about what I
did? I would take ten angry Percys over an angry Gaea any day. Not only will
you be in trouble, but whoever messed with you will share in your torture. And
I don't use the word torture as a figure of speech.”
Nico gulped. “She tortures people?”
“Only those that get on her bad side.” Apollo flashed his smile. “So just don't
mess up. You'll be fine. Hopefully.”
“That's so reassuring,” Nico mumbled as Apollo began moving towards the stairs.
They walked to the elevator, where Apollo pulled out his card and hit the
button to their floor. “Just thought it would be a good idea to let you know.”
Nico was thankful, but also extremely nervous now. He had mostly been anxious
for the woman's arrival. But now...now he was just hoping she would not stay
long. His mouth felt dry just thinking about it. What if he fell on stage? What
if he dropped someone's drink? This was going to be a nightmare.
His imagination seemed to get carried away the whole time they were in the
elevator, and it did not help that Apollo was not occupying Nico's attention
with conversation. The silence only made it worse for Nico, as his eyes widened
from the thought of being having his fingernails torn from his fingers. Apollo
raised a brow at him when he cringed.
When they were about to reach Nico's suite, the brown-eyed boy stopped and
touched Apollo's arm. The blond stopped, turning to stare at Nico curiously.
Nico chewed on his lips. “Have you ever had a bad run in with Gaea? When I
first heard her name from Percy, he made her sound almost nice. I thought we
were supposed to like her?”
The blond smiled and patted Nico on the head. “You're too cute when you're
nervous. Like a blushing virgin, only you're not.” Nico scowled at him. Apollo
chuckled. “Calm down. Gaea is...terrifying, but she is also a very interesting
person to be around. Speaking for myself, I do enjoy her visits. But she has
known me for a little over two years now, so maybe I'm being biased.”
“But?”
Another chuckle from the blond. “Not really a 'but'. She can be very helpful
when it comes to your problems.” The taller of the two Lost Boys reached up and
rubbed the back of his neck. “If it weren't for her, I'd probably be exactly
where I was two years ago when it came to my crush on Percy. Still like him,
but not quite as obsessive about it.”
Nico frowned. “I'm not sure if that makes me feel better about her visit or
not.”
“Honestly, I'd be more concerned about Kronos than Gaea. At least with Gaea you
can know how to behave and where to not cross the line. Kronos is...quite
unpredictable.” Apollo's eyes flickered up to lock with Nico's brown ones. “If
it weren't for Percy, we would all be at his mercy.” The blond shook his head.
“Especially Luke. Just don't try not to be alone with him for too long.” Apollo
moved to continue to his room, but stopped and turned back to Nico. “And just
remember that he won't say anything too hurtful around Percy, if you're looking
for safety.”
“Right,” Nico breathed out. “Thanks for the advice.”
Apollo gave him a nod before disappearing into his room. Nico let out a sigh,
his shoulders slumping. This was not feeling like a good Christmas. Nico hit
his head against the wall with a groan. The sound of a door opening caught his
ear.
“I'm not sure that's how you open your door.” Nico turned to find Leo grinning
at him. The boy came to stand beside Nico, leaning a shoulder against the wall.
“What's got you all down, grumpy?”
“Our upcoming guests,” Nico mumbled.
“Oh.” Leo's smile vanished. “Kronos is not really anyone's favorite guest.
Don't talk bad about him in front of Percy, though.”
“So I've heard.”
“Ah.” Leo's grin returned in full force as he dug in his jacket pocket. “I got
what you asked for.” Nico's eyes brightened as Leo pulled out an old pocket
watch. “There you go.”
Nico opened it, letting out a sigh. “It's cracked.”
Leo shrugged. “Percy didn't feel it was important enough to take care of. He
said it reminded him of things that were better left forgotten.”
Nico chewed on his lip. Not what he had been hoping for, but he would take it.
“And the other thing?” He asked, holding the watch up for inspection. Several
fighter planes had been drawn over the front, flying high over an ocean sunset.
Leo grinned, placing his hands behind his head. “Rachel's on it. Trust.”
“And you're not going to tell Percy?”
“Nah, it's for Christmas. I'm no Grinch.” Leo pounded a fist to his chest. “I
got your back, dude. Trust in the Leo.”
The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes, pocketing the newly acquired watch. “It's
when you say things like that which makes me want to worry.”
Leo stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. “That's so hurtful, Nico,” Leo said
dramatically. Nico groaned and rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on.
“Calm down, you're solid.” The curly haired Latino boy grinned before moving to
step away from Nico.
“Leo?”
The boy in question raised his brow, his smile dissipating slightly. “What's
up, buddy?”
“The night Percy found me...” Nico rubbed at his arm. It might have happened so
long ago, but it was still seared into Nico's mind. It was the first time he
had ever seen Percy's eyes, the same memory that haunted his dreams. “When
Percy found me, you seemed hesitant about him bringing me in. Why?”
Leo let out a long breath. He placed his hand on his hip, tapping his lips with
the other. “Well, I mean...” Leo motioned to Nico's body. “You look like that,
man. I thought you might have been like just hitting puberty, or something?”
Nico narrowed his eyes to scowl at the other. “We are roughly the same height,
and you look about as young as I am.” Leo flinched when Nico poked him in the
chest. “You have no room to talk about looking young, baby face.”
“Hey,” Leo whined. “Respect your elders.”
Nico shot the boy an annoyed stare. “You're not even two years older than me.”
Leo waved him off. “I fail to see your point. I'm smart for my age, I'll have
you know.”
Nico pulled his card out of his back pocket. “Too bad you don't have the
maturity to match.”
Leo grinned and began walking backwards down the hall. “You're one to talk
there, Mr. Thanksgiving drunk.”
Nico rolled his eyes as he pushed his door open, turning to go inside. “I
hate...you.” Nico nearly let his card fall out of his hand. He heard Leo
chuckle and take off down the hall. Nico glared into his suite. “Can you please
just put some sort of warnings on the doors?” Jason jumped off of Percy's lap
from where they were occupying the couch. “Or maybe send me a text. Like: We're
fucking, please don't come into this specific room right now.” Percy chuckled
at him, not bothering to put a shirt back on. “I swear, I'm beginning to think
you know I'm coming and are planning these encounters.”
“I wish you had better timing,” Jason grumbled.
Nico rolled his eyes. “At least it was before pants came off.”
Percy jumped off the couch and moved towards the hall, following behind Nico.
“Don't sound so pouty,” he whispered into the boy's ear.
Nico shuddered. He turned to glare at the green-eyed manager. “I'm not.” He
slid his hands into his jacket, paling when he heard the chain rattle. Shit, he
thought.
Percy's eyes instantly flickered down, tilting his head to the side. Well this
was not good. “What do you have there?” Percy asked, slowly moving forward
until he had Nico pressed against the nearest wall. The manager bit down on his
lip. “You seem nervous.”
“N-no reason.” Nico nearly squeaked when Percy reached forward. Within the
blink of an eye, Nico had his jacket off and bunched up behind his back. Percy
just grinned wider. “Behave. You're not allowed to see it until Christmas.”
The tall young man rested his arm above Nico's head, leaning forward. “But I do
so hate waiting.” He slowly cupped Nico's cheek and tilted the boy's head up.
“Don't you want to give it to me now?” Nico's heart was pounding. Percy was so
close to him now, their lips a mere inch apart. “Come on, Nico, show me. I can
always give you something that I know you'd like.”
Nico's eyes were blown wide with lust. It slowly began registering in some part
of his brain that Percy's hand was sliding its way around Nico's back. He
glared and pushed Percy back. “No. You'll just have to wait until Christmas.”
“Besides,” came Jason's annoyed voice, “you said you were making up for the
other day.” The blond crossed his arms and glared between Percy and Nico. “So?”
Percy ran his fingers through his hair, smiling down at Nico. “Fine, have it
your way. And calm down.” The manager winked over at Jason. “I haven't
forgotten, I'm not going to leave you hanging again.”
Nico frowned. Before he could register what he was doing, he grabbed the front
of Percy's shirt and pulled the other back to their earlier position. “But just
because I don't want to spoil your present, doesn't mean I wouldn't like your
company for a little while before work. You could sit with me in my room for a
little bit.”
Glaring was an understatement on Jason's part. He was giving Nico a full on
death glare. There was venom practically dripping from the boy's blue eyes. He
was on Percy in an instant, turning the green-eyed young man's head to press
their lips together. Nico's eyes darkened as he watched Jason slip his tongue
into Percy's mouth.
Grabbing the back of Percy's head, Nico forced the young man's attention back
on himself. He moved to kiss Percy as well, but Percy pushed his fingers to
Nico's lips. “Only during sex,” Percy chuckled.
Nico's brow furrowed. “But-”
“Jason and I are, and were, going to have sex. You walked in on us...again.”
Percy sighed and pushed some of Nico's hair from his face. “Calm down, perhaps
another time.” A dark look appeared in Percy's eyes, his hand slowly sliding
down towards Nico's ass. Nico's heart accelerated. “Unless...”
Jason frowned, holding onto Percy's arm. “Unless?”
Percy leaned in, bring his lips close enough to almost kiss Nico. “I'm open for
a threesome.”
Nico's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. Was Percy being serious? He glanced over
to Jason, expecting a similar reaction. Jason and Nico being involved in the
same sexual encounter? Percy was joking, right?
But Jason did not seem annoyed, or even surprised. The blond just shrugged
after glancing Nico over. “Sure, fine with me. He has a nice ass.”
The tips of Nico's ears felt like they were on fire. Was everyone insane in
this place? “Are you two mentally insane?”
“Probably,” Percy interjected.
Nico rapidly shook his head. “No. No way. I'm not sure how I feel about a
threesome.”
“Pity,” Jason sighed. “Oh well, I still get Percy.”
Percy chuckled as Jason began dragging him towards the blond's room. Nico
frowned. The manager tossed Nico a wink before they disappeared into the room.
Nico sighed and closed his eyes, slowly sliding down the wall. He let his
jacket fall from his grasp, where it lay wadded up at his side.
A threesome. The thought kept running through his mind. Was he stupid for
declining that invitation? He would have gotten to be with Percy again, even if
it was sharing with someone else. And Jason was very attractive, if he were
being honest with himself. If Percy were not in the picture, and perhaps they
had met under different circumstances, Nico might have even ended up crushing
on Jason. He would be lying to himself if he said he had never thought about
Jason sexually.
But a threesome?
Nico raised an arm up to wipe away a single tear. He might have put on a face
the other day to look like seeing Jason and Percy together did not bother him,
but the truth was that it did. It still hurt. This time hurt. But the problem
was he did not know how to get to a point where it wouldn't. Could he? If he
really did care about Percy, then it should hurt, right? The best he could hope
for was that he could keep managing an indifferent mask when he did have to
deal with this.
-----------------------------------------
“My eyes!” Nico nearly screamed backstage. His hands had been brought up to
shield his eyes from the horror that stood before him. It had come out of
nowhere. He had just been minding his own business, getting ready for the final
performance of the night, and then all he saw was vagina.
Thalia cackled at him as she pulled her underwear down more. “Just preparing
you for what lies ahead.” She motioned to her lady parts. “Now then, this is a
vagina.”
Nico scowled at her from between his fingers. Luke rolled his eyes. “Shouldn't
you be getting ready for another performance, or tending to a client?” The
blond asked, straightening the tie he wore.
Thalia just laughed, pulling her underwear up. Nico finally dropped his hands,
scowling at the Lost Girl. She could have at least given him a warning. The
Stolls and Apollo snickered from somewhere behind him. He turned to frown at
them, though paused after a second. The twins had threesomes, didn't they?
Thalia shrugged. She fixed Luke's tie for him before moving behind the blond to
wrap her arms around his neck. Luke grunted and leaned forward, though Thalia
simply held on as she was lifted off the ground. “I swear you're a child,” Luke
mumbled.
“Swing me faster!” Thalia replied in a high-pitched voice.
Luke let out a sigh, leaning forward with a defeated look. “You're impossible,
and I hate you.”
“You love me.”
“I don't know why I put up with you.” The blond managed detaching the short
girl from his neck. Shooting her an annoyed look, he worked on fixing his
clothes. Thalia grinned up at him before skipping off towards the door that led
to the girls' side. “How is she older than Jason?”
Apollo moved over to help Luke straighten his clothes out. The curly haired
blond grinned. Luke narrowed his eyes, but let Apollo help him. They were just
out of earshot, but whatever they were talking about seemed to amuse Luke,
judging by the playful role of the eyes and small smirk on his lips.
Perhaps this was the best time to talk to the twins. Nico blew out a breath,
adjusting the fedora on his head, and stepped over a few feet to be able to
have a private conversation. The twins blinked at him, stopping in the
conversation they had been having. “Something we can help you with there,
Neeks?” Travis asked, plopping down on the couch.
“I was, um...” Nico fumbled with his hands, his mouth not wanting to cooperate.
“Well, you see, I sort of need help.” The twins glanced at each other before
giving him an odd look. “It's just that...I know you two dabble in this sort of
thing-”
“Jesus, Nico, just spit it out.” Connor rubbed his temple. “We have to go on
soon.”
“Nico! Connor!” Apollo called from across the room.
Travis slapped his brother on the ass. “Have fun out there,” he chuckled.
Connor grinned and winked down at his brother.
“Uh,” Nico started flailing his arms. “I need your help with having a
threesome!”
The twins were silent, blinking at Nico with wide eyes. Travis's mouth hung
open in disbelief of what had just come out of Nico's mouth. Nico was just
thankful that Luke and Apollo did not seem to have heard him. The pale Lost Boy
let out a groan and turned back to the twins.
“I-” Nico began.
“Hurry up, we've got a performance to do,” Luke grumbled.
The twins looked at each other, glancing at Nico from the corners of their
eyes. Nico squirmed as they watched him. He was not sure, but he was almost
certain his face was bright red. If not for the little bit of makeup that Drew
had been making him wear during performances, Nico would have probably been
very noticeable on the stage in a second.
Nico's stomach plummeted the second matching grins appeared on the twins' lips.
What had he gotten himself into? Connor moved past him, running his hand along
Nico's cheek as he went. The younger twin circled around to stand over Nico's
shoulder, letting out a small chuckle.
“Don't worry, Nico,” Connor purred into his ear, “we can help you.”
Travis leaned back on the couch, sweat still glistening on his bare chest.
“Feel free to come by our room to get a first hand lesson.”
Nico's eyes widened, his ears now burning. “Wait, that's not what I-”
“Showtime!” Apollo called, tapping his foot in annoyance.
Connor hummed to himself as he moved to join Luke and Apollo. Nico's mouth
fumbled for a few seconds before his shoulders slumped and he dragged his feet
over towards the others, the sound of Travis laughing following him. Apollo
eyed him funny.
“Everything all right there?”
Nico could not bring himself to meet the blond's eyes. Makeup or not, he was
still too embarrassed to look up. “M'fine,” he mumbled.
Apollo arched a brow. He turned to look at Luke for a second, who shrugged. The
curly haired Lost Boy chanced a glance at Connor. “Private conversation,” came
the brunet's short reply.
Apollo shook his head. “Whatever. Let's just focus.”
Nico was shoved forward by Luke, which caused the boy to have to stumble onto
the dark stage. The curtains were still closed, so they could move freely
without the watchful eyes of the customers. Nico raised his hand to flip Luke
off as he took his place next to the blond. Apollo and Connor took their places
a few feet away on the other side of the stage.
Turning so that his back was faced towards the audience, Nico spread his legs
apart. Luke reached out and placed his hands on Nico's shoulder in the darkness
before all four Lost Boys lowered their heads. The curtains slowly opened,
revealing the dark stage to the audience. The infectious whistling and guitar
intro to Maroon 5's “Moves Like Jagger” began blaring across the room.
As the lights slowly brightened, the boys began to lift their heads and move
their hips and a single leg each. The second the first line of the song was
sang, Nico and Connor spun around. Luke and Apollo moved their hands to rest on
Nico and Connor's lower backs. It sort of reminded Nico of a tango as they
moved. Luke took his hand and dipped him quickly before swinging him back up.
Nico jerked away, only to be tugged back by the blond. As he came back towards
Luke, the blond ducked as Nico swung his leg over Luke's head. Nico slowly
moved his hips back and forth, slowly lowering his body to the ground. Apollo
and Luke moved to the front, where both Lost Boys thrust their hips while
facing the side.
Stepping in front of them, Nico and Connor grabbed their respective partners'
ties and yanked them away from each other. Jumping behind Luke, Nico brought
his hands under Luke's shoulder and slid them down Luke's chest. After a short
pause, Nico snapped Luke's shirt open and jerked the shirt from the blond's
body.
Moving back to stand in a straight line along the stage, the Lost Boys tipped
their hats at the audience. They quickly swayed their hips before spinning on
their heels in a complete circle. Once they faced the audience again, all of
them crisscrossed their arms as they were brought above their heads. All four
of them slowly pulled their balled fists down until they hands were level with
their heads, posing for the audience.
Luke and Apollo stepped in front of the other two, yanking their shirts from
their torsos. In the next instant, all four had leaned forward and stripped
their pants from their bodies. Luke took Nico's hand again and spun him out,
while taking his hat off to flip in his hand. Bringing Nico back in, the brown-
eyed Lost Boy found himself pressed flush against the blond. Nico stared up
into Luke's void-like blue eyes.
Nico's breath hitched as Luke's hands slipped beneath the fabric of his speedo
and peeled back the top for the audience's viewing pleasure. It did not bother
Nico as much as it might have a few months ago, but that might have been
because he found it hard to do much besides breathe as he held Luke's sharp
gaze.
As the song neared its end, Nico turned himself around and pressed his ass
against Luke's crotch. His arms reached behind him to hold on to Luke's neck as
he ground his hips against Luke to the music's fast pace. As the song whistled
its end, Luke pushed him forward and Nico had to press his hands to the stage.
The applause filled the air, but Nico was still bent forward. He glanced over
to where Connor was, still bent over like Nico. The brunet gave him a sly wink.
Nico slowly worked on catching his breath, feeling Luke's sweaty hand run down
his back. But that was not the only thing Nico felt pressing against his body.
When Nico was finally allowed to stand up after the curtains closed, he turned
to receive a nod and grunt from Luke, the blond's silent way of telling him
that he did a good job. Nico's eyes flickered down to Luke's crotch, where,
sure enough, the blond was sporting an erection.
“Looks like you have a problem there,” Nico joked as he began to leave the
stage. He yelped when he was jerked back, his arms being held above his head.
Nico hit the floor roughly, the little breath he had being knocked out of him.
Luke's dark eyes stared down at him with a hungry stare. “You know, I did tell
you not to stare. And don't make jokes if you're not going to help me out.”
“Not like you'd do anything anyways.” Nico rolled his eyes, leaning up to try
and get back to his feet.
Nico gasped, his eyes dilating, as Luke bit down on his neck. The raven-haired
boy's eyes met with Connor and Apollo, who were silently watching them. Luke
tugged down the back of Nico's speedo and slid his hand between the boy's legs.
Nico moaned into Luke's shoulder as he felt the blond's fingers press against
him. The older Lost Boy's teeth pressed harder against his skin.
But just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. Nico panted as Luke climbed to
his feet, leaving the breathless brown-eyed boy on the floor. Luke swiped a
thumb across his lips. “Don't tell me what I will and won't do.”
Nico sat there for a moment, still panting. He reached up and rubbed his neck
before climbing to his fee. Was it a bad thing that he had wanted Luke to
continue? Luke was confusing. The problem was that Nico did not really know how
he felt about the blond; let alone how Luke felt about him. Whether it was lust
or real feelings, Nico did know that the feelings were intense.
By the time Nico got off the stage and changed clothes, most of the top floor
was dispersing. A few customers were making last minute arrangements with Percy
and Leo, so Nico sat down at a nearby table to await his fate. Would he get to
go to his room, or was he doomed to spend another night in the backrooms?
The boy's dark brown eyes observed Percy as he chatted with one client,
laughing at something the man said. Nico's heart pounded faster just staring at
him. He looked so handsome in his long sleeve button up shirt. And the dark
pants only accentuated his ass. Or perhaps it was the way Percy's black hair
dusted over his sea-green eyes, which seemed to shine in the low lighting.
But something else managed catching the boy's attention. During decorations,
Drew had hung up a branch of mistletoe at the front of the stage, to allow
customers to get kissed by the Lost Kids. And where Percy was now standing was
not far off from it. Nico chewed on his lip when Percy took a few steps towards
the stairs from where he stood, which might end up taking him under the
mistletoe. Without much more thought, Nico got out of his chair and went to
lean against the stage.
Percy smiled and bid the client goodnight, closing his eyes to let out a breath
as he walked. Nico fidgeted for a second before waving over to Percy.
“Percy?”
The young man's green eyes found him and he smiled. Taking a few steps towards
Nico, Percy now stood just a few inches away, still not under the mistletoe.
“What can I do for you tonight, Nico? If it's about working, you can rest
easy.”
Nico did breathe a sigh of relief. “That's not what it's about.” Nico took a
step back, putting his back against the stage. “Can I talk to you for a
minute?”
Percy's lips tilted up. “I'm happy to talk to you...from over here.”
Nico felt his face heat up. “Um, why over there?”
Without hesitating, Percy pointed above Nico's head. “I'm fairly certain that
your line of conversation has to do with the mistletoe above your head,” he
chuckled. Nico flailed his arms to deny the accusations, but Percy grabbed his
arm and tugged him closer, away from the mistletoe. “You know my rule.” He
winked down at Nico. “But maybe if you behave, you'll get a kiss for Christmas.
And I won't even have to break that rule.”
Now Nico's face was red. He was fairly certain Percy had just told him that he
would be having sex with Nico on Christmas. Which Nico was not going to
complain about. “Are you sure I need to be good? Sounds like you have naughtier
intentions in mind.”
Percy grinned and winked at him. “Perhaps. You know-”
One of the Lost Boys cleared their throat. Nico peered around Percy to find
Octavian standing there. He raised an eyebrow at them. “I need to talk to you,
Percy.”
The young man nodded. “Just a second.”
The blond narrowed his eyes. “It's sort of important. Perhaps I overheard about
some arms dealing that slipped through Demeter's radar.”
That seemed to catch Percy's attention. “All the way from Australia? How is it
going on here?”
Octavian shrugged. “Seems one of Demeter's clients was wanting to cut out the
middle man.”
The manager nodded. Blowing out a breath, he turned to Nico. “I'll just be a
moment,” he assured the boy before walking off with Octavian.
Nico let out a sigh and sat down at the nearest table, watching the two talk
with his chin propped up on his palm. Why did it feel like it was so hard to
get time with Percy? Perhaps he needed to play the Lost Kids' game and work on
discussing his hours with Percy. He just wanted some time with Percy, but it
felt like sex might be the easiest route to get it.
The Lost Boy jumped when a hand touched his shoulder. He whipped around to find
Will sitting down beside him. “Don't look so jumpy,” the blond joked.
Nico narrowed his eyes and swiveled in his chair to face the other Lost Boy.
“Maybe you shouldn't sneak up on people.”
“I like my way better.” Will wagged his eyebrows as he leaned forward. “So, I
see you escaped the horrors of the backrooms for the night.”
Nico eyed the blond. Will had his chin in his palm, grinning wickedly at Nico.
A sleeveless shirt clung to his tan form. One of the blond's nipples was
peeking out from the armhole, which caught the raven-haired boy's attention for
a moment. A pair of loose shorts hung from Will's hips, the blond's dark red
speedo poking out from the top.
“I see you did as well,” Nico finally replied.
“Which is good for me, because now I can sit and enjoy your company.”
Nico rolled his eyes and looked away, smiling. Will was the charmer, he could
not forget that. And that smile, it was infectious and sexy. “I'm surprised
you're not bored of me by now.”
The blond Lost Boy scooted his chair closer, resting his arm on the back of
Nico's chair. “I'm not going to get tired of you.” He cleared his throat. “Um,
actually I was wondering if you wanted to spend the day with me tomorrow?” Nico
arched a brow at him. “I mean, we're both off, so I thought you and I could go
do something. Maybe the beach?”
Nico could not help but smile. “Are you asking me on a date?”
Will gave a small smile. “Maybe. Depends on your answer.” Licking his lips,
Will sat up straight in his chair. “Or maybe spend some time with me tonight?
Unless you're busy.”
“Well-” Nico turned around to find Percy walking down the stairs with Octavian.
Nico's shoulders slumped. He thought Percy was going to come back and talk with
him, but it seemed some things were more important. And Nico doubted it was
still business. He let out a sigh and nodded. “Yeah, tomorrow sounds fun.”
Will brightened. “So you'll go on a date with me then?”
“Yeah, sure,” Nico mumbled. His eyes flickered back over to the stairs. “What
did you have in mind?”
Will jumped up, extending his hand down to help Nico to his feet. He slipped
his hands into his pockets as they walked. “Well, how about lunch and we go
down to the beach?” He grinned excitedly down at Nico. “I can teach you how to
surf, if you don't already know.”
Nico shook his head. “Never learned, so I guess we can try.” The boy rubbed his
arm. “Not sure how well that will go over.”
The blond bumped his shoulder against Nico's own as they got on the elevator.
“Don't worry, I'll be right there the whole time.”
Nico nodded. Will smiled to himself as they rode down. Nico took the
opportunity to stare at the blond from the corner of his eye. Why was he doing
this? Was it the best idea? He was not sure, but perhaps Will had been right
before. Perhaps Percy was too far out of reach. And Will was nice, handsome,
and charming. There was no way that Nico could lie and say there was not any
chemistry between them either.
So why was it bothering him so much?
When they reached their rooms, Will bid Nico goodnight. Nico shook his head
with a smile as Will walked off. The blond still looked like a kid that had
just woke up on Christmas morning. Letting out a sigh, Nico closed his door and
headed for his room.
-------------------------------------------
Figuring out that he was not meant to stand on a board did not take Nico and
Will very long. The blond chuckled at him as he plummeted into the water for
the umpteenth time. Nico coughed up some water upon reemerging from below the
water's surface, splashing the blond upon locating him.
Lunch had been nice. Will had came and gotten him a little before noon, and
taken Nico to a nice little place overlooking the beach. The blond had even
requested that they sit outside. It was...nice. And the best part might have
been that Will had kept it fairly innocent the entire time.
Will grinned over at him before climbing onto Nico's board and extending his
hand down for Nico to take. The raven-haired boy frowned up at him for a moment
before taking hold of the offered appendage. Once Nico was seated with his back
to the blond, Will laced his hands around Nico's waist and rested his chin on
the shorter boy's shoulder.
“So, are you at least enjoying yourself?” Will mumbled. “I mean, aside from the
repeated failures at surfing.”
Nico elbowed the boy, receiving a chuckle in response. “I'm trying, so shut up.
You-” Nico's eyes widened when Will's lips pressed against his cheek. Nico's
heartbeat increased and his cheeks lit up. “Um, thanks?”
Will chuckled in his ear. “You look very cute in your wetsuit. Plus it lets me
easily stare at your ass.”
Nico shook his head, rolling his eyes. “And here I was hoping we could get
through this without a sexual comment.”
The blond tugged the pale boy against his firm chest. “Just had to get one in.”
Nico tilted his head back and Will wagged his eyebrows. “I see your brain is in
the gutter with that one as well.”
“You're a child.”
Will shrugged. “Isn't that what has you in the dog house with Percy right now?
It only makes it more hurtful coming from you, Nico.” The corner of the blond's
lips tilted up. He reached out and took Nico's hands from where they were
resting on the board. “Now then, how about you let me into that pretty little
head of yours?”
“Why?” Nico turned his head to stare at the Lost Boy that sat behind him.
“Well, it could just be me, but you seem more eager to learn about us, and not
so much about sharing your own problems.” Nico frowned. “I see I'm onto
something,” Will chuckled. “Doesn't work that way I'm afraid.” Nico shivered
when Will leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I'll make you a deal. You share
something with me, and I'll let you ask me whatever you want.”
Nico let out a deep breath. He eyed the blue-eyed boy for a moment before
nodding. “But let's get off this first,” Nico said, motioning to the board.
Will chuckled and nodded. The blond jumped off and glided the surfboard towards
the beach. Nico swung his leg over and walked over to where their towels were
stationed on the beach. Will jogged up to him as Nico was sitting down,
carrying the surfboard under his tan arm. Dropping the board down and peeling
the top of his wetsuit off, Will plopped down beside the raven-haired boy. A
grin broke out across Will's lips when Nico's eyes flickered down to rake
across the blond's wet torso.
Will placed his hands behind his head, willingly giving Nico a better view of
his body. “Perhaps you would be more comfortable without that wetsuit.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “So you can stare at me?”
“Like you are staring at me?” Will stuck out his tongue. “Come on, Nico, your
body has developed very nicely over the past few months. Besides, it's just the
two of us. It's not like you're having to show yourself off to a crowd of
people.”
“No,” Nico mumbled, “that would just be horrible if I had to do that.” He
rolled his eyes when Will grinned.
“Come on, Nico.” Will bit down on his lip and hooked his thumbs under the
wetsuit, rolling his hips. “Take it off.”
“You're a horrible influence.” Letting out a sigh, Nico pulled the wetsuit from
his torso and off his body, now sitting there in only his swim trunks. He
licked his lips as he stared over at Will, who only wore the same as well. “So,
what do you want to know about me?”
Instead of answering right away, Will just smiled and tugged on Nico's trunks
until he had the boy sitting at his side. Nico rolled his eyes, but didn't
bother moving away. The blond smiled as he began rubbing the brown-eyed boy's
back.
“Well, what is it you want to do with your life?”
Nico arched a brow down at the blond, who just smiled up at him. Letting out a
sigh, Nico lay down on his back. “I don't know.” Nico shrugged. Will reached
out and draped an arm over Nico's stomach. “Hadn't put much thought on it.”
“I can take care of you,” Will whispered.
Nico rolled his head to the side to stare at the other Lost Boy. “In the
hotel?”
“What, you don't want to stay there?” Will pulled Nico against him, tightening
his grip on the boy's waist. “If you hated it, I think you'd have left by now.”
Nico remained silent, not meeting Will's eyes. Was he happy? Yes and no. He did
not mind the others, and he was sure he would like them even more if they were
around each other in different circumstances. And then he could probably even
be with Percy. He would not be selling his body either.
Will frowned. “You have been thinking about it, haven't you?”
Nico shrugged, still not willing to look at the blond. He began drawing in the
sand with his finger. “Maybe. Don't say anything.”
When Nico looked up, he found Will's face very close to his own. “Maybe I don't
want you to leave,” the blond whispered. “I like your company, and the hotel
seems like a more tolerable place with you around.”
“And I cause problems. I screw up. It would also mean that I wouldn't be
reminding you guys of your issues.”
Will's eyes looked dull and he stayed quiet for a long time. Pursing his lips,
he reached out and touched Nico's hair. “Maybe it's good for us. Before you
came along, they were kind of just buried. But I'm trying to work on my
problems, because I don't want to get annoyed with you. I don't want to feel
disgusted when I look at you.”
Nico propped himself up on his shoulder. Will frowned and dropped his hand from
Nico's hair. The younger of the two stared down at the tan blond. “I don't get
why I have to be made to feel like the outcast simply because of who I am.”
The tan boy pursed his lips and shook his head. “It's not that, not entirely.
It's a lot of reasons. You made it through the streets, and still came out with
a good view of the world.” He poked Nico's chest. “You still see the good in
people. That's one of the reasons you get under Percy's skin, because you keep
seeing the good in him. Even when he can't see it himself.”
“Because there is good there.”
“But he doesn't see it, or doesn't want to.” Will's brow furrowed. “And for
me...” He trailed off and shook his head. “Well, I just wish I was more like
you. Though, I suppose you could do with taking a little after us.”
“I am trying to keep at least one deal I made,” Nico mumbled.
Will smiled. “The one Percy had you make?” He chuckled. Nico nodded. “I don't
think being like us in certain ways is going to jeopardize that. You are
growing up, but you need to mature.” The blond laughed at the scowl that Nico
gave him. “Don't get mad, just being honest. You have a tendency to whine,
especially when it concerns Percy. I'd work on that if I were you.”
“Yeah, well, I'm trying. It's like you guys expect me to just completely become
someone else randomly.” He looked down to where his hand was resting on Will's
chest. The faint beating of the blond's heart could be felt there. “So then, I
answered your question.”
“Well you didn't really give me a good answer, but I'll let that slide. Can't
blame you for not knowing what you want to do with your life yet. You're only
sixteen.”
Nico combed his fingers through Will's hair. “Seventeen next month.”
“Ah, that's right.” The blond grinned. “I'll have to find you the best birthday
present ever.” He wagged his eyebrows and Nico rolled his eyes. “So, what would
you like to ask me? How big is my penis? I can show you, if you want?” He
asked, tugging on the strings of his trunks.
Nico narrowed his eyes. “You know damn well that I'm not going to ask that.” He
sighed when Will placed his arms behind his head. “I wanted to know why you
hated the orphanage so much? You didn't want to talk about it the last time I
asked.”
“Oh.” Will sounded sad, and his eyes only reflected it. His light blue eyes met
with Nico's dark brown ones. Every time that he looked at them, Nico was always
reminded of the sky on a sunny day. “Well, it wasn't exactly the nicest place.
The people who worked there didn't really pay that much attention to the kids,
and the only time we got disciplined was when we misbehaved while there were
adults there to adopt. They were quite hateful at times, and barely saw to
feeding us.”
The brown-eyed boy pulled his legs up to his chest. “And they didn't get in
trouble? You didn't report them?”
The blond chuckled. “What exactly were we supposed to do? They wouldn't let us
talk to any authorities, and when social workers dropped by, we were expected
to keep quiet and out of the way.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Will shook his head. “No, that wasn't the worst part. The workers were
neglectful, but it was some of the other kids that made the orphanage miserable
for myself and the other kids staying there.” Will stared off into space, while
the wind began to whip at the bangs that dusted over his forehead. “I didn't
sleep a lot of nights.”
“Did they beat you?”
Will sat up and faced Nico. Nico's pulse quickened when Will's face came close
to his own. But instead of moving in for a kiss, Will turned himself around,
facing his back to Nico. “Not exactly,” Will whispered. He reached around and
took Nico's hand, guiding it up to his shoulder blades.
Nico's breath hitched when his fingers ghosted over a thin white line that ran
about five inches across Will's back, one end towards the neck and the other
nearly running under his arm. It was barely noticeable, invisible until one was
within Will's personal space, but there it was.
Will tugged on Nico's arm until Nico's chest was pressed to the blond's back.
On the side of Will's wrist was another scar, another that would go
unnoticeable until directed to it. The way the skin had grown back had left a
blemish on the blond's near perfect body. Nico's breathing had become ragged as
his fingers traced the scar. It was so hidden, yet the sunlight seemed to make
it stand out. How could he have not noticed these before?
“Will,” Nico breathed out.
The blond turned his head to stare into Nico's dark eyes. Lacing his fingers
through Nico's own, the blond ran Nico's index finger horizontally across his
wrist. “Only two became permanent.” Nico's eyes drifted down as his finger
continued to trace the blond's wrist. “Most disappeared. And some...well, not
all the scars were left there by the other kids.”
Nico pulled his hand away, falling back onto the sand. His heart pounded in his
chest as he looked up at the blond, who stared down at him with sad eyes. “Did
you try to kill yourself?” Nico whispered.
Will let out a sigh and climbed to his feet. He gazed around them before
brushing some of his hair from his face and extending his hand down for Nico to
take. “Come on, we should get back to the hotel.”
Nico found himself frozen in place. Will had tried to commit suicide? Was he
the one Luke had talked about? Or was this before? Either way, Nico kept
thinking one thing: what if Will had succeeded? He would have never met the
blond.
The next thing he knew, Nico was on his feet. Will's thumbs swept across his
cheek, spreading a wet warmth across his cheek. Nico blinked and touched his
face. He was crying. Will held Nico's shoulders for a few seconds, staring into
the boy's brown orbs before gathering their things. Nico was handed his shirt,
which he silently slipped on. The two slowly made their way across the beach.
Nico stood outside the surf shop while Will returned their gear. When he
reemerged, Will had put his own shirt back on. His keys jingled in his tan hand
as he made his way over to Nico. The raven-haired boy wrapped his arms around
himself as they walked up the stairs from the beach. His eyes unconsciously
drifted over to the ocean, watching as the waves crashed against the shore.
It was not until they got back to Will's car that the blond decided to break
the silence. “I'm sorry I ruined the mood, but I did enjoy spending the day
with you.”
Nico looked up at him from behind his bangs. Without saying anything, Nico
wrapped his arms around Will and hugged him tightly. Will's arms wrapped around
his back and fisted Nico's white sleeveless shirt. “I'm so sorry you had to go
through that,” Nico mumbled into the Lost Boy's shoulder.
Nico felt himself being moved. And when he looked, he found that Will had sat
them on the hood of his car. “Don't be.” He put on a smile and brushed some of
Nico's bangs from his eyes. Will sighed and rubbed his wrist. “It was a very
hard time during my stay there. But, the day I gave myself this is the same day
I met Percy.” He let out a light chuckle. “And sometimes I'm glad I did,
because I think that was what got him to notice me and get me out of the
orphanage.”
Nico fingered his shirt, not looking up to meet Will's gaze. “Can you tell me
about that?”
Letting out a sigh, Will stood up and pushed the button on his keychain to
unlock his car. “Maybe another day. I think we've had enough depressing talk
for one day.”
The car remained silent during their drive back to the hotel, though Will kept
the music on to help drown it out. Nico, for his part, did his best to not turn
and look at Will, opting instead to keep his eyes out the window.
Nico quietly tugged on a strand of his hair while he stared out the window. He
just wished that he could have more moments like this. Not just with Will, but
with all of the Lost Kids. Why couldn't they all be this easy to get along
with, and this tolerable at all times? He also wished he could have moments
like this with Percy.
Sure he had spent plenty of time with the green-eyed young man, and sure the
two of them had shared several stories with each other, but today just felt
deeper. He felt like Percy held back. Percy was honest, he wanted to believe
that, but Nico also knew there was a difference between not lying and being
honest.
And that was his main obstacle with the green-eyed young manager at the present
time.
Percy tended to be honest with his intentions, at least to some degree, but he
did not like to open up about his emotions or his past. At least not the
important parts. And because of this, Nico could not help but wonder if his
feelings were real or not. What if he was just the same as Apollo, eternally
hoping for something that was never going to happen?
“You okay?”
Nico took in a deep breath before turning to face Will. He smiled and nodded.
“Just thinking.”
Will glanced at the boy as he drove. “Looked pretty serious. Is it your mom?”
And now Nico felt sick. How horrible was he? The past few days, he had been so
busy or preoccupied that he had not given much thought to his deceased mother.
Or most of his past life for that matter. Perhaps Dionysus was right. Perhaps
he was becoming like the others. Whether he liked that thought or not, Nico was
not sure.
He eyed Will as the blond pulled into the hotel's garage. Did the others sense
this in him? Was that why they were acting nice to him? They still had their
bitter moments, but they had all been relatively civil lately. Unless they were
just being nice.
Nico groaned and ran a hand across his face, receiving an odd look from the
blond next to him. This was all so confusing. He did not understand these
people he lived with. What was the point in thinking about it, when he could
not even begin to figure it out?
Or perhaps he was just over thinking it all and giving himself a headache in
the process.
Once parked, Will and Nico climbed out of the blond's car. But when the reached
the elevator, Will stopped the other boy. The blond fidgeted for a second
before opening his mouth. “Thanks again, for spending the afternoon with me.”
A small smile graced Nico's lips. “I had fun. Well, aside from you laughing at
me.”
The blond chuckled. He reached out and ran a hand down Nico's arm. “It was
cute.” Blue eyes met with brown. “You were cute.”
With a sharp intake of breath, Nico froze. Will slowly leaned in. Nico's eyes
went wide when their lips connected. He reached up to place hand on Will's
chest, intending to push the blond away, but ended up fisting the Lost Boy's
shirt. Will's hand touched his cheek and drew him closer.
Nico let his body relax with a small sigh. Perhaps it had not been his best
idea, but Nico ended up kissing Will back. With his eyes now shut, Nico could
feel Will smile into the kiss. At some point, Will had placed a hand on Nico's
lower back, and was now using it to pull the boy closer.
The elevator dinged next to them and Will released Nico's lips. Nico cleared
his throat and pulled away, his cheeks burning up. Reyna stood there, eyeing
both of them. Will grinned sheepishly as he attempted to straighten out his
clothing.
“Hey, Reyna,” Will chuckled. “We just got back from the beach.”
“I see that.” Her eyes bore into Nico, giving him a questioning look. “Your
sister is in the lobby. You should probably go see what she wants.”
It took him a moment, but Nico nodded. “Thanks, I'll go right up.”
The two slipped around Reyna, who continued to frown at them. But she did not
say anything else. The elevator closed and Will directed it towards the lobby.
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief. Will smiled over at him, leaning in
again.
“Not right now,” Nico mumbled, pushing a hand to Will's chest.
Giving the blond an apologetic glance, Nico turned his attention to his shoes.
What was he doing? Just moments before, he had been thinking about Percy, and
then he lets Will kiss him. It was just this little voice in Nico's head,
telling him that at least he had a better chance with Will.
Brown eyes flickered up to glance at the tan blond. It would be easier if he
chose Will, and he at least knew that the blond did have feelings for him. That
was more than he seemed to get from Percy. But he was not going to be with
Percy, Nico was not sure if it was the best idea to stay in the hotel. And he
was not sure if Will intended to leave, not after asking Nico to stay.
There was now a pounding in Nico's head. He rubbed at his temple, hoping to
alleviate some of the pain there. Why did he have to think so much? He put far
too much thought into this stuff, and was now apparently jumping ship.
“This place gives me too many headaches,” Nico mumbled as the elevator stopped.
Will chuckled. “You get used to it.”
Sure enough, Bianca was waiting in the lobby. When she saw Nico, she rose from
the couch she sat on with a smile. She hugged him as soon as he was within
arm's reach. When they separated, Nico smiled and motioned to the blond
standing beside them.
“Oh, um, Bianca, this is Will. Will, this is my sister.”
Will smiled and shook the girl's hand, drawing a blush from her. “Charmed.”
Bianca's eyes met with Nico's own, as if to say: he's cute. “I do hope you're
taking care of my brother.”
The blond chuckled. “The best I can.” He slung his arm around Nico, the brown-
eyed boy scowled up at him. “We just got back from the beach. Was trying to
teach him how to surf, didn't go that well.”
Bianca smiled and nodded, patting Nico on the arm. “We barely got him to where
he could swim growing up.” Nico frowned at his sister. “But I'm sure you're a
great teacher.”
Will glanced at Nico and winked. “Well, I'll let you two have a moment,” he
said before turning to walk off. Nico looked down as he felt Will's hand pull
away. His cheeks turned pink. He had not even noticed they had been holding
hands.
Bianca tapped a finger to her lips as she watched Will walk away. Once he had
boarded the elevator, she turned to her brother with narrowed eyes. “Did you
get yourself a boyfriend? Because I'm confused. The way Percy and you had been
acting the first day I visited made me think there was something there as
well.”
Nico sighed. “Nothing is going on between me and Percy,” Nico mumbled. “He's my
boss. And Will...well, we were just hanging out.”
“Uh-huh.” Bianca did not seem convinced. “Whatever you say, little brother.” An
annoying smile plastered across her face. “But he is cute, and seems nice.”
That was how they got people, Nico thought. Will just wanted on his sister's
good side. “What are you doing here anyways?”
Bianca looked hurt by that, but Nico worried about her presence here. Glancing
around, it did not take him long to find several people watching them. The
twins sat in the restaurant, staring at them through a small, glass window that
separated the lobby from the hotel's restaurant. And then there was Thalia and
Apollo, who sat on couches in the lounge, glancing at Nico and Bianca from time
to time.
But from the corner of his eye came the worst. Looking up, Nico found Percy and
Annabeth watching them from the second floor. Percy's eyes were like some
predatory animal, stalking its prey and waiting for it to make the wrong move.
The blonde beside him leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
“I just wanted to see you,” Bianca said, drawing Nico's attention back to her.
“Daedalus told me about the fight, but I never really got a chance to see how
you were doing. And with the funeral, I didn't pay much attention.” Cupping
Nico's chin, she tilted his face up. “You look pretty bad.”
Nico sighed. “It's been healing, but at least nothing was broken.” He rolled
his eyes as she continued to stare at his face. “It's not that bad.”
“That's not what Daedalus said.”
“I'm fine, Bianca.” Nico rubbed his arm, chancing another glance up at Percy.
The young man's lips were pressed into a thin line. “I don't think they are
going to be a problem anymore. Percy took care of it.”
Bianca followed his line of sight. “Well, maybe I should thank him later.” She
smiled and waved up at Percy, who nodded back at her. “He seems to be in a bad
mood today.”
When was Percy not in a bad mood these days? Looking back at the young man,
Nico's stomach dropped. What was he doing with himself anyways? What did he
want? Or more importantly, who did he want?
Letting out a sigh, Nico turned back to Bianca. “So, how are things at home?”
His sister shrugged. “Fine. Dad took up drinking again.”
Nico slowly nodded. The last time their dad had become an alcoholic, Nico had
ended up with several belt lashes to his back. “Has he done anything?”
Bianca shook her head. Nico let out a sigh of relief. “Not yet,” she replied.
“But he only drinks when the woman doesn't come over.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Woman?”
“Oh, I think she was married to the man that was in the other car involved in
mom's accident.” Bianca shrugged. “They talk a lot, drink together some, and
talk a lot about depressing things.”
Nico's expression darkened. “He's already seeing another woman?”
“No, no.” His sister shook her head, sending her long hair flying. “They just
sit in his study and talk a lot.” It did little to make Nico feel better.
“She's a nice woman, though. And at least she keeps him from drinking too
much.”
“Has he said anything else about our encounter?”
“Um,” Bianca rubbed the back of her neck, “there were quite a few colorful
words involved. He destroyed all of the pictures of you in the house.” That
stung a little. “Well, he thinks he did, but I managed to save a few before he
burned them.”
Nico's shoulders slumped ever so slightly as he stood before his sister. “But
you're fine?”
She smiled and touched his arm, though Nico remained serious. A deep frown
marred his features as he stared into his sister's dark brown eyes, the ones
that practically mirrored his own. “Don't worry about me, Nico. I'm fine, and
dad hasn't laid a hand on me.” She pulled him in for another hug.
Closing his eyes, Nico grasped his sister's hair. Her smell reminded him of
home, of days long past with their mother. Were things better now that he was
here and not with his father? That was up for debate. But at least back then he
had his mother still alive and his sister around. “I miss you,” he whispered.
 
---------------------------------------------------------
Nico's final performance for the night ended up being one that would live
forever in his mind. It just so happened that there was a birthday in the
audience, and the woman had requested Nico be the one to give her a lap dance.
Did he want to? Hell no. But what was he supposed to do?
So he walked out on stage, nervously glancing around as he approached the thin
woman in the chair. She looked to be slightly older than his now deceased
mother, and nowhere near as pretty. In a way, she reminded him of an old
librarian.
And the way she looked up at him as he straddled her lap. Nico had the sinking
feeling that he knew where this was going to lead, and he was dreading every
second that was going to pass between now and the moment he entered his suite.
Nico did not know the song that had been chosen for his performance, nor did he
frankly care about it. He did not care about the people watching from the
audience. All he wanted was for this woman to have not made it up to the top
floor that night. If she hadn't, then he would not be in this oncoming
predicament.
The Lost Boy grabbed her shoulders and he ground his hips into her. He was not
sure if he was managing to hide the discomfort that he was feeling, but judging
by the looks the woman was giving him, she did not really care or was not
paying attention. And why would she? All she was there for was to feel good.
Nico was beginning to understand the conversation he and Connor had had what
seemed like forever ago. These people were beginning to truly make him sick. To
him, in this moment, they were the cause of all his problems.
Nico tilted his head back as he leaned back. The appeal of performing was lost
entirely on him for the time being. His skin burned when her fingers touched
his thighs. It took every bit of strength in him to not jerk away from the
woman.
He brought his body off the woman's lap and slapped his own ass, biting down on
his lip. While the lights flashed above his head, Nico ran a hand through his
already messy hair. The woman tried to reach out and touch his chest, but he
wagged a finger at her with a wink. As much as he simply wanted to shove her
away, he still needed to act professional.
The second the song ended, Nico was out of the woman's lap. It could not have
ended sooner, Nico thought. He was already backstage by the time the woman
began to get out of her chair and the applause started. He felt like some
animal on display to be eventually slaughtered.
Nico remained backstage until most of the customers had filtered out of the top
floor. When he peeked out, he did not see the woman anywhere. But a single look
from Percy let him know not to get excited just yet. He let out a sigh, knowing
his fate was already sealed.
He pushed open the door to the bar, where Luke and Reyna were taking up the
couch. Sitting himself down in the chair beside the couch, Nico slumped down.
“What are you guys doing?” He asked.
Reyna was inspecting herself in a compact mirror, touching up her makeup every
now and then. “I've got to deal with a customer shortly, he's just being lazy.”
Luke grunted. “I want to enjoy my night off from dealing with those assholes,”
the blond mumbled. His eyes flickered over to where Nico sat, and Nico could
clearly see that the blond had started drinking. “Or I might come watch the
horror movie that will clearly be going on in your room.” He snorted and picked
up a short glass from between his legs, downing the clear liquid inside. “It
could only be better if you ever watched that movie about vaginas with teeth.”
Reyna elbowed the Lost Boy. “You're not helping.”
“Not trying to,” Luke mumbled while downing the rest of his drink. He rubbed at
his face while sitting his empty glass down. “I wonder if I have time to go get
some popcorn.”
Nico shot him a death glare. “And this coming from the person who nearly
dislocated my last client's arm.”
Luke gave him an amused look, clearly giving in to the alcohol's effects. “I
tripped, and even apologized to the guy,” he replied with a drunken smile.
The brown-eyed boy rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Reyna. At least
she could act like a mature adult and carry on a proper conversation. “What
went on in your mind the first time you went back there? Was it a man? A
woman?”
Reyna's dark eyes flickered up to him, staring at him for a long time. She
eventually shut her compact with a sigh, placing it in her lap. “It was a man.”
She slowly nodded, as if thinking about something. “Percy is at least nice
enough to make our first times working to be with the gender we are more
comfortable with. Unless you're like this guy,” she said, motioning to the
blond beside her.
Luke smirked. That was right, Luke had been bisexual before he came here. The
blond's blue eyes locked on to Nico, making the shorter boy squirm.
Clearing his throat, Nico glanced back at Reyna. “And what about your first
time with another female?”
“Well, to be honest, it's not like the thought had never crossed my mind.” She
shrugged with a small smile. “But it's really not surprising for girls. I think
it's far more common for girls to think about at least kissing another female,
more so than guys.” Luke opened his mouth, but Reyna cut him off. “Not counting
the Lost Boys.”
Luke snorted. Nico glared over at him. “I'm sorry, I keep forgetting you're
incapable of being compassionate,” Nico mumbled.
That only seemed to amuse Luke more. “And I keep forgetting what a whiny girl
you are. Why don't you grow some balls and go show that woman a good time? It
has never bothered me which gender I get, because they all pay the same.” An
annoyed look filled the blond's eyes as he watched Nico. “Because, in all
honesty, it's just sex. Love and romance are dead, and pointless. I have
absolutely no interest in degrading myself to date someone. Just pay me some
cash and we can talk sexual needs.”
Reyna snorted. Luke turned to glare at her before picking up his empty glass
and taking it over for Dionysus to clean. It was surprising, seeing the man
remain quiet throughout their entire conversation. Whether that was good or
bad, Nico was not sure, but he was leaning closer to the latter.
The door opened behind Nico. The raven-haired boy turned to find Leo peering
around the room. The Latino boy took notice of him and frowned. “Sorry, Nico,
but you've got work to do.”
There was a deafening silence in the room as Nico slowly climbed to his feet.
His heart was in his throat and his stomach had plummeted. He stumbled a few
times as he approached the door, his legs feeling weak. It was just like the
other night, Nico tried to tell himself. It just did not help, though. This was
different; there was no way he could get around that.
His hair was standing on end by the time he got to the dark hallway that would
lead him to his doom. But unlike last time, Percy was nowhere to be seen. He
turned back to Leo, who gave him a small smile. “Just ask for some water,” Leo
whispered before closing the door.
What had that been about? Nico gulped and took a small step forward. The sooner
he got this over with, the faster he could go back to his room and try to wash
off the feel of this woman.
When he entered the room, his heart nearly stopped. There she was, the woman
that he had given the lap dance to. “Hi,” Nico said meekly.
The woman just smiled and patted the bed beside her. “Why don't you come join
me, dear?”
Because he would rather jump into a pool of broken glass, Nico thought. But he
did as he was told anyways. What choice did he really have? Her hand instantly
touched his cheek, sending a cold surge through his blood vessels. Nico just
wanted to smack her hand away and leave the room, but he couldn't.
“You are just so handsome. Those dark features, you must get a lot of attention
from the ladies.”
“Yeah,” Nico smiled. He took her hand in his own and placed it on his leg. It
might have been a bad idea, as she started rubbing his leg, but he really did
not want her touching his face. He needed to block this out. There was no way
he would not throw up on this woman if he did not.
His stomach was already starting to lurch.
“You're so pale,” the woman continued, pushing Nico's bangs out of his face
with one of her well-manicured nails.
If Nico had to guess, his lack of color probably had to do more with feeling
sick at the moment, rather than his naturally pale skin tone. This was
something he was not prepared for. Waiting tables, walking around in a speedo,
and even stripping; he could deal with those things. The others had prepared
him for all of that. But this? He was not ready.
And so, closing his eyes, Nico climbed up on his knees and pushed the woman on
her back. She just chuckled at him. “My, you are eager tonight, aren't you?”
She asked in amusement.
Nico just stared down at her, a dark look in his eyes. He found his hand on her
neck, probably from when he pushed her on the bed. But how it was just sitting
there, pressing against her fragile neck, drew him in. It would be so easy to
just snap it, part of his brain voiced. When he found the woman staring at him
questionably, he smirked. “Been looking forward to this all night.”
Instead of continuing, Nico just sort of hovered over her. He had no clue what
he was doing. There were so many things running through his head, things he
knew he needed to do for her, but none of them sounded appealing. And his dick?
As flaccid as could be. This was not going to work, he thought.
He leaned back and let out a breath. “Um, is there any water in here?” He asked
suddenly.
The woman blinked up at him, like he had grown a second head. Slowly, she
pointed across the room. “They usually keep things like that stocked up. Get
the lube and condoms while you're over there, dear.”
The words made Nico's stomach do a flip. But he got up from the bed, his legs
wobbling. Across from the bed were two dark cabinets with a white counter top.
On the counter were two glass bowls: one with assorted condoms and the other
with different varieties of lube.
Letting out another breath, Nico crouched down and opened the cabinet. He
blinked a few times, reaching out. On the back of the door was a white post-it
note. Thankfully, there was a light that had turned on inside the cabinet when
Nico had opened the small door..
In case of you're having 'performance issues', grab the white, unmarked
medicine bottle. You're welcome in advance.
-Percy
Nico glared down at Percy's handwriting. Wadding up the piece of paper and
tossing it aside, Nico reached into the cabinet and began his search for the
bottle. Not that it was hard. It was at the very back, in the corner and out of
sight. When he opened it, Nico found small pills. Grabbing one for himself,
Nico grabbed a bottle of water. Without hesitation, Nico popped the pill in his
mouth and swallowed it with a mouthful of water.
Sighing and climbing back to his feet, Nico pilfered through the bowls on the
counter. Grabbing one of each that he thought would work, Nico walked back over
to the bed. “Well come on, dear, I haven't got all night.” While the woman's
voice was sweet, her tone was grating on Nico's nerves.
She should go get herself a dildo and go fuck herself with it if she's so
impatient, Nico thought. As he pulled his shirt over his head, Nico rolled his
eyes. He wondered if it was possible for him to make her keep her bra on?
Perhaps if he were the one undressing her.
So, when he saw her moving to undo her shirt, Nico stopped her. “Let me,” he
said with a sly smile. She offered no resistance as he stripped her of her
garments, leaving her only in a bra and panties. Unfortunately, she took that
time to yank down Nico's track shorts.
She reached out and groped his crotch immediately. Nico felt violated and
nearly gagged. Thankfully, she was too preoccupied with his manhood to notice.
It was during this moment that Nico took a moment to thank modern medicine for
their fast acting drugs, already seeing it take effect. As long as she thought
it was her doing, Nico thought. But he felt so sick, his stomach twisting far
worse than he had felt in a very long time. Not since the night he was kicked
out of his house.
During his mental struggle to not hurl, the woman had taken the opportunity to
rid him of his briefs. And by this time, the pill had taken its full effect. He
focused back on his client and shoved her back on the bed. “Let's get started
then,” he practically growled.
Blindly, Nico pulled her panties from her body, tossing them over his shoulder.
He ground his teeth as he stared down at her with his dark eyes. This could not
end quickly enough. Taking in a deep breath, Nico ripped open the condom.
After rolling it onto his shaft, Nico spread the woman's legs. At least he had
the general gist of what he needed to be doing. It was just going to be like
sex with a man, he tried to reassure himself. A man with boobs and a death trap
between their legs, another voice countered. He grunted when he finished lubing
up his shaft.
Spreading and lifting the woman's legs, Nico put himself into position.
However, he could not bring himself to insert his erection. Pill or no pill,
his brain was still functioning properly. And this was not him. This made him
want to throw up, and he had not even started.
Nico's body practically spasmed when the woman took the initiative and pulled
him forward, forcing his dick to penetrate her. Nico's eyes shut on instinct.
He hovered over the middle-aged woman, frozen in place. His face contorted like
it was in pain. There was a wet warmth around his manhood. Nico could barely
think. He could not even figure out how to adequately describe what he was
feeling down there. It was just not to his liking.
“Honey, you're going to have to move at some point. We don't have all night.”
Nico's dark eyes flickered open to stare down at her, his dark bangs falling
into his eyes. Whatever she saw when looking at him, the woman shut up. He
slowly began rocking his hips, the feeling of a knife cutting into him with
each thrust.
But unlike the last time, this encounter was not so easily shut out. He
actually had to move and do things this time around. And it was the movements
that kept drawing him back to reality. This sick feeling kept building up in
his stomach each time he thrust into the woman. He needed this to end, before
he threw up on this poor woman.
The woman let out a sharp hiss. Nico opened his eyes to find his nails digging
into her legs. That did not stop him, though. She could deal with a little
pain, for what he had to be put through. Not that she seemed to complain about
it. If anything, it only seemed to turn her on more.
Going five minutes, Nico did not understand how guys enjoyed being tops,
especially in a gay relationship. There was so much stamina involved, and so
much work. Nico was already sweating and exhausted. But, unfortunately, the
woman did not seem to be close to her climax.
And so he kept thrusting, simply wishing for this experience to end. He was
beginning to think he had done something wrong to have Percy put him through
this. How did Apollo ever get used to this? That was a conversation he needed
to have. Soon.
Nico's eyes scrunched shut as the woman dug her nails into his back. Unlike
her, he was not enjoying the feeling. “More,” she breathed beneath him.
Nico glared down at her while the woman's eyes were closed. Fine, he thought,
let her have more. The faster he went, the sooner they could be done. So the
Lost Boy slammed his hips into her, only managing to cause himself to nearly
hurl. Thankfully, her eyes were still closed.
He closed his eyes, trying to picture a hot guy underneath him. Not that it
would probably be going this way if it were a guy. Nico had accepted his
preference as a bottom a long time ago. He thrust faster and faster, working
his body into a deeper sweat.
And after ten more minutes of torture, Nico was given release from his hell.
The woman cried out and latched onto his back, her nails digging into his skin.
Not that he cared. Nico just sat there, his hair hanging in his face and his
eyes empty.
Once the woman had caught her breath, she shifted out from under Nico. While
she got dressed in silence, Nico sat on the edge of the bed. He stared down at
himself. He never even got close to finishing, not that he minded. He did not
care, nor did he want to get off to her. Nico did not want to give her the
satisfaction.
He yanked the condom off and threw it into the trash. After she was dressed,
the woman turned and smiled at him. “Thank you for that.”
Nico tilted his head up to look at her. The hateful look in his eyes made her
draw back, pursing her lips. Without another word, she grabbed her purse and
left the room. Nico raised a hand to wipe at his eyes. He would hate that woman
the rest of his life. His stomach lurched again, and this time he could not
stop it. Grabbing the trashcan, Nico lost the contents of his stomach.
After no more came up, he let out a long, loud sob. But he kept going, slowly
transitioning it until he was yelling. He grabbed at his hair, his eyes tightly
shut. He knocked over the table, shattering the small lamp that was kept there,
tossing the room into near darkness.
His dark gaze turned upon the camera in the corner of the room. Letting out
another yell, Nico grabbed the broken lamp, not caring that it was cutting his
hand, and threw it directly at the camera. He hunched over and sobbed, falling
to his knees. He felt disgusted with himself, at what he had done. But this was
what he had damned himself to.
The door opened while Nico was still hunched over in the floor. And the second
a hand made contact with him, Nico smacked it away. “Nico,” came a soft voice.
Again, the hand tried to reach out for him.
Nico shot up and shoved the intruder against the wall, wrapping a hand around
their throat. “Leave me alone,” he hissed.
Apollo stared back at him from the shadows of the room. Only a portion of the
blond's face made it into the light. The way he looked at Nico...it made him
draw back. The blond looked hurt, simply reaching up to grab Nico's wrist.
“I get it,” the blond Lost Boy whispered. “It's okay.”
Nico stumbled back a few feet. “What's happening to me, Apollo?” He sobbed into
his hands. When he was met with silence, he looked up to find the blond
gathering up the glass from the lamp. “I'm sorry, I didn't-I shouldn't have
done that.”
“It's fine.” Apollo was being surprisingly calm. Piece by piece, the blond
picked up the shards of glass and deposited it into the trash. He glanced at
the main part of the lamp, which Nico had used to knock the camera off the
wall. It sat there in shards and wires, right next to the busted camera. “We'll
clean that up later.” He gave the Lost Boy a small smile. “I'm going to take
you back to your room, okay?”
Nico nodded. Apollo reached down and handed Nico something. Looking down, the
brown-eyed boy realized it was his clothes. It had not even dawned on him that
he was still naked. But at the moment, he really did not care that Apollo was
seeing him like this. It was not like Apollo had never seen him naked anyways.
And Apollo was not making it uncomfortable by staring or making some stupid
sexual innuendo.
Nico rubbed at his nose, taking the offered clothes. He slowly slipped them on,
keeping his head lowered. “Are you going to come check on me after every
client?” He mumbled.
Apollo opened the door. Once they stepped out the door, the blond replied.
“Just doing my job. You looked pretty upset.”
“You were watching?” Nico looked up to glare at the blond.
Apollo returned his gaze, not seeming bothered by the look he was receiving.
“Until you are more comfortable with this, yes. Percy and Annabeth were in the
room with me.”
“Where are they?”
“Percy said he needed to talk to Annabeth, so he sent me in to get you back to
your room.” He reached out to touch Nico's shoulder, but stopped himself. The
blond slipped his hands into his pockets as they headed for the elevators. “I'm
not trying to baby you, I'm just trying to look after you. I know we had our
fights and shit, but I tried to look out for you when you first got here, and I
mean to do the same now.”
Once onboard the elevator, Nico stood in the corner with his arms around
himself. He felt cold. The boy took in several deep breaths, Apollo looking on
silently. Brown met with blue as the two Lost Boys stared at each other. Nico
was scared. And even worse, he was scared of himself. What had come over him
back in the room?
“You're going to be okay, Nico,” Apollo sighed.
Nico pursed his lips and stared down at his feet. He had to wonder how he got
here. If he had not been such a stupid kid, he would have never gotten into
this mess. This was not going to impress Percy, or make the young man think he
was an adult.
Apollo's hand touched his arm, causing Nico to draw back. The blond sighed.
“Come on, the elevator stopped.”
Once back in his suite, Nico fell on his couch. Apollo sat down at the island
in the kitchen, rubbing his temple gently. It was quiet; probably meaning Jason
was either asleep or not there yet. Nico had fallen on his side, watching the
blond at the small island. At most, that was his fate, to become like them.
That was how he was supposed to survive in this place, right?
“How do you do it?” Nico murmured into the cushion pressing against his face.
Apollo looked over at him. Raising a hand to rub his neck, the blond shrugged.
“Get used to it, at least the best you can. You never truly feel good about it,
though.” The curly-haired Lost Boy shifted in the chair. I cried a lot when I
first started, drank a lot, too.” There was a brief pause, where the blond
leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “You just sort of endure,
there is no enjoyment. It's money, a job, and a place to stay, but it's far
from a perfect life.”
Nico's eyes resembled broken glass as he stared across the room at the blond.
It did not make him feel any better, listening to the blond. “I just feel...I
don't even know. Weak? All of you deal with this, go back in those rooms and do
your job, and I can't even figure out how to cope with what I'm feeling.”
“It takes a lot,” Apollo chuckled dryly. “I think you should do what we talked
about and leave. If you can't now, then definitely when you finish high
school.” He shook his head and met Nico's eyes again. “I don't...” A broken
smile found its way onto the blond's lips. “I don't want another version of
myself walking around here. Seeing you, especially when you first got here, it
was like seeing myself. I kept thinking about the boy that I was back then, and
how optimistic I was trying to be. I knew everything was fucked up...I knew I
was fucked up. But I just wanted to hope, hope that things would work out.
“And there was Percy.” Apollo wiped at his face, his eyes getting red. “He...
That's what he is. Hope, in a way at least. You want to hope that he can make
things better, that your life will improve in this place.” The blond Lost Boy
let out a long breath and stood to his feet. “But in the end, you just find
yourself disappointed. But then you came along,” Apollo said, motioning to
Nico. A few tears streamed down the blond's cheeks. “And you just brought back
this glimmer of hope in this dark place. Hope that there was still good out
there in this world.”
“I-I'll miss you guys if I leave,” Nico nearly choked out. He sat up and stared
down at his lap. “You all deserve an escape just as much as you claim I do.”
Apollo shook his head. “You really don't get it. Myself, the others, we're too
damaged. I can't even form a healthy relationship with Leo because I'm too
fucked up to think I deserve a committed relationship!”
There was a silence in the room. Nico stared at Apollo with wide eyes. It did
not take long for Apollo to realize what he had said and clamped a hand over
his mouth. Nico fumbled with his mouth. “Apollo, I-”
“Don't. Forget what I said.” Apollo's eyes had lost their sad quality, and were
now as hard as sapphires. “It's not like it matters.” He let out a sigh and ran
a hand through his messy curls. “Look, I think we both need some sleep. Get
yourself a shower and then I suggest going to bed. You have tomorrow afternoon
off, so sleep as late as you want.”
Nico quietly nodded. Apollo left, leaving the boy to his own thoughts. Apollo
liked Leo? Matters for another time, Nico told himself. For now, Apollo was
right, he needed rest. And a very, very long shower. He wanted to wash the feel
of that woman's nails from his back, and the best way he could think of was
with scalding hot water.
And so, when he emerged from the shower over twenty minutes later, most of the
skin on his back and chest was a pinkish color. But it did not really bother
him. At most, it felt like a dull ache. Not even bothering to look at himself
in the mirror, Nico made his way into his room.
He had almost unfastened his towel to let it drop to the floor, when he looked
up to find Percy sitting on his bed. The Lost Boy tightened his grip and let
his eyes dull. What was he doing here? Nico let out a sigh and walked over to
his dresser, pulling out a pair of cotton shorts.
Percy remained quiet, watching Nico slip on his shorts underneath his towel.
Once the shorts were on, Nico let the towel drop to the floor. His hair was
still wet, clinging to his forehead. Nico stretched his arms. “Can I help you?”
The manager arched a brow. “As you've told me before, cut the crap. You're not
fine, so stop acting like you are.” Nico frowned as Percy stood up. The young
man maneuvered closer, running his fingers along Nico's scalded back. When Nico
turned his head to glance at Percy, he found a frown on the young man's face.
Green eyes flickered up to stare into Nico's brown ones. “You looked pretty
upset, so I thought I'd come and check on you.”
“Yet you couldn't be bothered to come get me from the room.”
Percy smirked. “I was afraid you might throw something at me,” he replied
cheekily. The manager cleared his throat. “But in all seriousness, I had
something important to discuss with Annabeth.” When he pointed a finger at
Nico, the boy frowned. “And actually, that is part of why I'm here. You know
Gaea will be here in a few short days?”
Nico nodded. “What of it?”
Percy ignored the lip Nico gave him. “We usually have a business meeting during
her time here, with the other managers.” He smiled and moved some of Nico's wet
bangs out of his eyes. “So, we usually have one of our Lost Kids or secretaries
sit in on those meetings. Sort of to see to us during the meeting. Get us
drinks, food, keep track of notes, and things like that.”
Nico bobbed his head up and down, not really following. “So, what does this
have to do with me?”
“Oh.” Percy cleared his throat, placing his hand on Nico's dresser. “I was
wanting you to attend me during the meeting.” Nico's eyes widened, his mouth
feeling dry. He was going to have to sit in a room with Gaea and the other
managers? What if he messed up? “Since you're taking some business courses, I
thought it might be a good educational experience,” Percy continued.
Nico's eyes flickered to Percy's hand. Percy's pocket watch was in the top
drawer. He really did not know where else to put it, so he just slid it under
some of his underwear. The green-eyed young man cleared his throat, bringing
Nico's dark eyes back to Percy. Nico pursed his lips, his eyes slightly wider
than normal. “Um, yeah, if you really want me to.” His eyes flickered back to
the drawer. “Are you sure you want me?”
A wicked grin touched at Percy's lips. “Of course, Nico.” Why did Nico feel
like he was missing something? Percy rested his hands on Nico's shoulders. “But
you are doing okay, yes? You'll definitely need to at least hide your
discomfort with your new line of work by the time Gaea gets here.”
“I'm fine,” Nico mumbled, rubbing at his arm.
Percy did not look convinced. There was a cold look in the young man's eyes,
reminding Nico of a lake in the cold winter. “If you're sure.”
No, he was not, but he needed to at least try and act like he was. If what
Apollo had told him yesterday was anything to go by, there was no time like the
present to start acting like he needed to. Nico's eyes focused back on Percy as
the young man moved to the door. Nico's hand shot out. “Wait.”
Percy turned back to face the Lost Boy. “Something else?”
“Um,” Nico chanced a glance at his dresser, “did you dislike your biological
family?” Percy blinked at him. The manager had broken the watch, what if he
hated Nico's gift? “I mean, you don't really talk about your mother or her
family, and you didn't sound too fond of your father's family.”
“Well, he did cause the death Sally,” Percy whispered. Nico gave him an odd
look. “My mother, her name was Sally.” Percy ran his tongue across his lips. “I
never got to meet any of her family. From what I remember, her parents had died
in a plane crash shortly before I was born.”
“I'm sorry.” Nico fiddled with his hands, not sure what to do with them. Why
should he have expected anything happy to come out of someone in the hotel's
past life?
Percy shook his head, an uncertain look in his eyes. “Which is ironic,
considering my grandfather and great-grandfather were both pilots. My great-
grandfather actually fought in World War II as a pilot, still have his jacket
around here somewhere, I think.” He scratched the back of his head. “Don't
really have an opinion of either of them, since I never met them. But my
father?” His eyes locked with Nico's brown ones. “I hated that man until the
day he died.”
The Lost Boy was quiet for nearly an entirely minute. What was he supposed to
say to that? Finally, he glanced up at Percy from behind his dark bangs. “You
remember that deal you offered me about my father?”
The green-eyed young man nodded, slipping his hands into his pockets. “Yes.
What about it?”
“Um, how many of the other Lost Kids did you make a similar deal with?”
Percy was quiet. He frowned before tapping his chin. “Let's see...quite a few.
Most actually. Not many took the offer, though.”
“Do you wish any of them had accepted but didn't?”
The young man scrunched his lips. “Yes, pretty much all of them. I don't really
care much for knowing that most did not get what they deserved. I care about my
Lost Kids. Honestly, while I am happy you declined, part of me wished you
hadn't.” There was a dark look in Percy's eyes, making them hard to distinguish
between green or black. Percy slowly brushed some of Nico's hair behind his
ear. “I would have made him suffer until he begged for death.”
Nico pulled away, feeling uncomfortable under Percy's touch. “He doesn't
deserve to be tortured or killed.”
“I suppose that's where our opinions differ.” Percy let out a sigh. “I don't
think you've seen the last of him either.”
Nico pursed his lips, looking away. “He doesn't know where I am, and Bianca
isn't going to tell him anything.”
Percy slowly nodded. “I suppose we'll see. Just...you never know what surprises
life might have in store for you.” He smiled and tilted Nico's chin up, forcing
the boy to look at him. “I just want to protect you, and keep you away from
him. You don't deserve to be trapped here, but you definitely don't deserve to
have to be around that man.”
Nico didn't pull away this time. “And your brother? That was your own doing.
Why kill him?”
“There were a few reasons.” Percy kept his voice quiet, yet almost soothing. It
was calm while he spoke, like they were talking about something completely
normal. “Apparently he had gotten himself into some financial situations. And
after my father's death...well, his family was not left with much money.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Your father was well off?”
“He did pretty well for himself.” Percy reached a hand up to rub his face. “But
when Gaea had him killed, it was pretty much like pouring salt on a piece of
ground to keep things from growing. And so, when he needed money, he worked on
tracking me down.”
Nico shook his head, confused. “You mentioned it was your half brother?”
The corners of Percy's lips tilted down. “My father, Poseidon, had an affair on
his wife. But unlike most wealthy people, he didn't pay to keep her quiet. He
pretty much threatened and ruined her life.”
Nico leaned against his dresser. “So why would your brother think you would
give him money?”
“Because he was going to blackmail me.” Percy sighed and took a seat on Nico's
bed, his gaze on the floor. “Triton was dumb enough to walk into my hotel and
threatening to expose me for murdering our father. He left the hotel in a
garbage bag, no less than he deserved.” The young man shrugged. “I don't like
being threatened. But I was also finishing what Gaea started, pouring more salt
on the earth.”
The Lost Boy moved across the room to sit next to Percy. He glanced at the
young man, who would not take his eyes off of the floor. “Why did it matter so
much to do that?”
“Because I told her I didn't want to have to be reminded of my father's image.
And it was always bad enough for me that I had to look like him.” Percy was
clutching his pants tightly, jaw locked. “I hated the way I looked for years,
and got harshly disciplined each time I tried to disfigure myself.”
Nico stared at the young man in disbelief. Why would Percy do that? Hating his
father or not, Percy was beautiful. When Nico had first laid eyes on the young
man, he had been reminded of the angels that his mother would always tell him
about as a child. “Well,” Nico cleared his throat, “I'm glad you didn't.”
Percy shot him a dark look. “So you can stare at me. Because that was always
what people cared about while I was growing up, save for Gaea and Kronos. I
sometimes wonder if that's the only reason you think you like me.”
“I-I-No!” Nico was on his feet in an instant. “That's not it at all! I think
you're beautiful inside and out, whether you choose to see it or not. You think
you're a monster, but you're just doing what you need to in order to protect
us. You're being protective over the things you care about.”
Percy's eyes were dull as they met with Nico's livid ones. He looked uncertain.
Perhaps there had been a time where Nico's feelings were more based on his
physical attraction to Percy, but those times were in the past. He had gotten
to know Percy, and could honestly say that he cared for the young man. Even if
it was to just remain as friends. But Nico still did not understand where this
self-hatred for what he had to do bothered Percy so much. If this was what Gaea
had raised him into, then why did he seem resilient to it at times?
“What do you think? About what I did, I mean.”
Nico was startled by Percy's calm voice. He stared down at his feet, an
overwhelming feeling of sadness suddenly coursing through him. “I don't think
anything. I'm not going to judge you based on it, if that's what you're
wondering.” The boy shifted his weight, not wanting to meet the young man's
eyes. He could already feel the intense gaze he was receiving, he was not sure
he could handle actually staring into those deep green eyes. “It's not my place
to judge.”
“Then who is to judge the wicked people like myself?”
Nico frowned. He hated when Percy talked like that. “I don't know. I gave up on
believing in a god a long time ago. I could never understand how one could
exist and let all of this suffering occur.” He gave Percy a quick glance, his
heart pounding in his chest the moment he made contact with those green eyes.
“But I don't think your soul or whatever deserves to be damned, if that's what
you think.”
Percy had that predatory look in his eyes again. It made Nico worry that he was
about to be eaten, and not in any sexual way. “Would you say the same about
someone that gunned down a family?”
“Well, no-”
“I have, you know.” The two continued to hold eye contact, causing Nico's pulse
to quicken. The boy's breathing was nearing a ragged state. “And yet I don't
deserve the same punishment?”
“Stop,” Nico whispered. He frowned and broke eye contact, looking down sadly.
“I don't care about what you had to do, because I know it was asked of you. You
wouldn't have done it otherwise.” He gulped, his mouth feeling dry. “I don't
think that whoever the family would have been innocent either.”
Percy took in a deep breath, sitting up straight. The room fell quiet, neither
of the room's occupants looking at each other. When Percy finally spoke, it was
barely above a whisper. “I wasn't told about the mother or child, I didn't know
they would be there.”
“Why did you have to kill these people in the first place?”
“Loyalty.” Percy's eyes were no longer looking at him. Nico was not quite sure
what they were staring at. “Gaea needed to know I was loyal to her, that she
could trust me unquestionably.” Percy pursed his lips before meeting Nico's
gaze again. “So she didn't tell me about the mother and child. She wanted to
see what I would do.”
Nico swallowed a lump in his throat, dreading the question that he was about to
ask. He already knew the answer by what Percy had already said. “And?”
Percy's brow furrowed. “And? And what? I pulled the trigger, three times.” The
young man sighed and climbed to his feet. “Gaea saved my life, there's nothing
I wouldn't do for that woman.”
The manager was almost to the door when Nico spoke. “And she killed your father
for you? It didn't...bother you?”
“No,” Percy replied nonchalantly. He turned to face the brown-eyed boy again.
“I watched the entire thing.” Percy motioned before him. “He was brought in
front of me and forced to get on his knees, hands cuffed behind his back. I
could see the fear and panic in the man's eyes the second the black bag was
taken off of his head.” There was an animal-like quality in Percy's eyes, Nico
noticed, as he spoke. “He recognized who I was. How could he not, considering I
look just like him?”
It was hard for Nico to find the words, let alone get them out of his mouth.
“Did he...say anything to you?”
“Pleaded with me.” Percy shrugged. “He started to cry and kept begging me to
let him go. I don't even think he knew my mother had died. And so, when he
wouldn't shut up, I put a bullet through his leg.”
“But I thought Gaea killed him?”
“She did.” Percy let out a long sigh. He seemed to be thinking about something.
And considering their subject, Nico had a good idea of what it was. “She stood
there beside me, running her fingers through my hair and whispered to me. All
the while, I just kept staring down at my father in disgust. It made me sick
just breathing the same air as that man. He begged me for mercy when Gaea began
torturing him. And all the while, I just laughed.”
Nico felt sick. He could feel his stomach lurching again. “I'm not sure I want
to know the rest.”
There was a frightening look in the young man's face when Nico looked up again.
“Well you did ask. Might as well hear the rest,” Percy replied in a dry voice.
It only served to make Nico fidget more. “She started with cutting out his
pinky bone. And I mean literally cut it out, peeling the skin back and then
cutting off the top portion of the finger bone.”
Nico's stomach twisted in a not. “Percy, please...” Nico practically sobbed.
“Please stop.”
Percy stepped closer to him. “I tried to tell you, I'm not a good person.”
Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Nico's forehead. Nico scrunched his eyes
shut, tears threatening to spill out. “Get some sleep.”
He sat down on his bed when Percy left, closing the door behind himself. Nico's
eyes carried an empty look as he stared off into space. Nico buried his face in
his hands as everything from that night hit him all at once. In the quiet of
his room, Nico let out a single choked sob.
***** The Arrival *****
There were times Nico truly had to question his own decision making skills. Why
did he keep putting himself into these situations? That was the single question
that ran through his mind as he sat on the edge of Travis and Connor's bed.
The twins were pacing in front of him, tapping their fingers to their chins.
Nico could only shudder to think what was going through their heads. The days
had been flying by rather quickly at the hotel, though his job was not getting
any easier. He was just thankful that, in the past week, he had only had to
visit the backrooms one time. And now it was the fourteenth of December,
exactly eight days before Gaea arrived at the hotel.
“So,” Travis began, “you want to know about threesomes?”
“I-” Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. “I was just curious. I'm not, like,
expecting...you know, to have a threesome.”
Connor grinned down at him. “Aw, but, Nico, you'd be welcome to try it out with
us.” The brunet lifted the hem of his shirt up to expose his tan stomach to the
raven-haired boy. “It'd be fun.”
“Uh...” Nico licked his lips, his eyes trained on the exposed flesh. He quickly
shook his head and looked up into the brunet's blue eyes. “I didn't come here
to have sex.”
“No,” Travis grinned, “you came to us because you want to have a threesome with
Percy and Jason.” Nico's mouth fell open. “Oh please, we're observant, Nico.
Percy's been attentive of Jason, and you're jealous.”
Connor crawled behind Nico and draped his arms over the youngest Lost Boy's
shoulders. “But, in our honest opinion, it might be better to let Jason get the
attention.”
Nico frowned at the boy behind him. “Why's that?”
Travis smirked, patting Nico on the head. “Because, our dear Nico, Percy's
behavior as of late will not go over so well with Gaea. As I'm sure you've
heard by now, she's not been the happiest with news concerning you. So, keeping
the spotlight off of you might not be a bad idea.”
“But I have to be at the meeting with her,” Nico mumbled.
“Just do a good job.” Connor lifted his hands in a shrug. “Show her you can
handle yourself. But the real person to watch out for is Kronos.” The Lost Boy
ran his fingers through his wavy brown hair. “Kronos loves making people
miserable, especially those around Percy. Apollo, Luke, Annabeth; they've all
had to endure his torture. But Luke, he has it the worst. Kronos wants to see
if he can break Luke, the valiant hero that tries to shield those around him
from the problems they have.”
Travis nodded. “You don't want him coming after you.”
“And if he thinks you're making Percy soft...” Connor's eyes flickered up to
meet his brother's. “Well, I'd rather deal with Gaea in that circumstance.” He
trailed his index finger along Nico's shoulder. “You see, Gaea can be
understanding, and tries to be a good mother to Percy. She likes him having
people close to him, people that can lighten his mood. But Kronos, he despises
people getting close to Percy.” Connor and Nico's eyes locked, the brunet's
eyes reminding Nico of a cat. “He tortured Apllo relentlessly until blondie
backed off. It's not that Kronos has a crush on Percy, so much as Percy was the
only friend he really had as a kid.”
Travis let out a sigh, sitting on the floor, between Connor's legs. “He won't
even see you as human. At most, you'll be a toy to him, just like Annabeth and
Luke.” The brunet tilted his head back. “But never human, no customer or
employee is significant in his eyes. There are only two people that matter to
Kronos, Nico: Gaea and Percy.”
Nico fell back on the bed, letting out a heavy sigh. He was beginning to hear
more and more about the infamous Kronos, but every bit of information only made
him dread the other manager's arrival all the more. He was truly beginning to
wish that Percy had not requested him to be the one to sit in on the meeting.
Why not Leo or Rachel, or even one of the other Lost Kids? Sure he knew Percy
had good intentions by doing this, he wanted Nico to better his education and
understanding of the business world, but it now put him in a threatening
position. Besides, surely Leo or Rachel were the most qualified. But no, Nico
was going to have to sit in a room with the world's most dangerous people.
Connor laid down beside Nico, smiling over at the brown-eyed boy. “Cheer up,
Nico, it won't be so bad.”
Travis chuckled from the floor. “Yeah, you're doing the rest of us a favor.
Now, none of us have to go to the meeting.”
Nico's face deadpanned. “You know, I thought all of you loved attending to
Percy.”
“Oh, we do,” Connor replied. “However, the meetings are always met with a
mixture of emotions. We do hope to be chosen to attend, but we aren't
disappointed if we aren't.”
Travis crawled onto the bed and draped an arm across his brother's chest.
“Because we don't enjoy having to sit in with those managers. Kronos is the
worst, but Atlas is not the most enjoyable to be around either. You should like
Athena, though she's a very blunt woman. Demeter is pretty cool, just be
careful about what she serves you.”
Nico quirked a brow. “What is she going to serve me?”
The twins suddenly looked rather sick. Connor stuck his tongue out, like he
tasted something bad. “Nothing,” the younger twin mumbled. “But most of us
really enjoy Frank. He's a big teddy bear, at least if you're on his good side.
He's sort of like Percy, and can be formal and informal. His informal side is
the best, though.”
Travis patted his brother's stomach. “But now we're off topic. You wanted to
know about threesomes, yeah?”
Nico bit down on his lip. “I mean, we don't have to talk about that.”
Both twins grinned. “Nonsense,” they both chimed.
The brown-eyed boy pursed his lips, turning his eyes to the ceiling. “It just
seems like a lot of work, satisfying two people at the same time.” Feeling
adventurous, Nico decided to press deeper. “I mean, if it involves someone I
care about, I'm not sure if I'd feel comfortable sharing them with someone
else. How do you two do it?”
The room was quiet for almost a full minute before Travis let out a sigh. The
brunet propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at Nico. “I guess we
haven't been doing the best job of keeping that a secret.”
Connor reached up and touched his brother's face. “It's just been a habit,
whenever someone new arrives at the hotel. You never know when someone might
have a problem with our situation.”
“I understand,” Nico whispered. He rolled his head to the side to look at the
twins. “But it doesn't bother me, just so you both know.”
They both smiled at him. Travis leaned down and pecked his brother on the lips.
It did feel a little strange at that moment, but not because it was incest.
Nico had just never seen them openly kiss outside of business hours.
Travis rolled onto his stomach, crossing his arms on his brother's stomach and
resting his chin on them. “If it's someone you're in a relationship with, then
you both need to be comfortable with the threesome.” He cleared his throat as
Connor began running his fingers through Travis's brown locks. “Take Silena and
Beckendorf for example. The only person they usually include in their sex lives
is Percy, but that is more business oriented.”
“Though, it's not very often,” Connor continued. “Percy understands them.
Silena and Beckendorf would be much better off if they left the hotel, we all
know that, even if we don't want to admit it to each other.” The younger twin
turned to observe Nico, possibly waiting for a reaction. When one did not come,
he continued. “They're strained here, and Percy usually doesn't require sex
from them that often. And the only time one of us gets involved with either of
them is when they are having a major fight.”
Nico rolled onto his side, propping himself up with a frown. “So why don't they
just leave?” He did not understand really. “Why stay if they suffer for it?”
Both pairs of blue eyes locked with Nico's brown orbs. “Why do you?” They said
at the same time. He would never get used to the way they did that.
“There's a fierce loyalty to Percy inside each of us,” Travis added.
A small smile touched at Connor's lips as he continued to play with his
brother's hair. “We can never repay him for helping us, so we all pledge
ourselves to this life. We're taken care of here. We feel safe here.”
Nico supposed that was true. There was no room for him to talk, not when he
himself was refusing to leave the hotel because of Percy. It just added to the
manager's appeal, in Nico's opinion. He was so easy to follow, to commit to.
Percy radiated an aura that made others want to follow him.
“And what about when you found out what you'd be doing?” Nico asked out of the
blue.
The twins were silent. They stole a glance at each other before looking at Nico
again. “You deal with it,” Travis mumbled. “It is hard when you first start
out, we can all admit to that.” It was so odd, seeing them this serious. There
was a scared look in Travis's eyes, reminding Nico of a small child. “This
place is haunted. Our past will haunt us all until the day we die. We all made
mistakes, choices that we want to go back and change.”
Connor cleared his throat, and when Nico looked at him, it looked like his eyes
were tearing up. The younger brunet let out a small chuckle. “We might have
been on the run from the cops when Percy found us. If it weren't for him, we
probably would have gotten thrown back into the system, maybe even separated.”
Travis grinned as Nico's eyebrows rose. “We might have broken into some rich
asshole's condo while he was vacationing. Yeah, he wasn't happy when he came
back to find us sleeping in his bed.”
Nico realized his jaw was hanging open. He blew out a long breath. “So he
wanted you arrested for that?”
“Well,” Connor began, “we might have broken his very expensive security system
when we broke in.” He chuckled again. “The logo on it said it was the very
best, so Travis and I decided to see if it could live up to it's name.”
“It didn't,” Travis added with a grin.
Connor smiled at his twin. “But, anyways, it was very hard for the first month
or so, doing what we have to do. Before that, the only person I had been with
was Travis. And...” He glanced at his brother, chewing on his lip for a second.
“Well, I wasn't really receptive to the idea of being with someone else at the
time.”
“I felt disgusted with myself,” Nico mumbled.
Connor nodded. “I froze.” Nico looked at the boy in shock. “Yeah, I was hovered
over the woman for a good few minutes. She started to get annoyed with me,
complaining about how she did not spend good money for nothing.” The Lost Boy's
hand had stopped moving in his brother's hair. “I just couldn't do it. Well, I
didn't want to. I didn't really have a choice, so I ended up going through with
it, after I had a few shots. That was the first night I drank.”
Nico rolled onto his stomach. He pointed his legs to the ceiling as he bit on
his lip. “I didn't expect you guys to be so receptive with sharing things like
this.”
“It's good for you,” Travis replied. He smiled over at Nico before frowning and
tracing a circle on his brother's stomach. “A lot of us talked it over, and we
decided it might help you to know what we went through when we first got here.”
Connor nodded. “If it makes you feel better, Neeks, I still freeze.”
“But-” Nico began, but Connor cut him off.
“Expected perfection?” Connor chuckled. “It just takes me a second to gather my
thoughts. But there are times that I freeze when clothes start coming off.”
Time seemed to get away from Nico after that. Before he knew it, it was nearing
four in the morning. He groaned as he sat his phone down. Travis smirked over
at him. Connor had fallen asleep at least half an hour ago, and was now curled
up next to his brother.
“I do hope we helped you make a decision on your threesome issue,” Travis
whispered, stroking his brother's hair.
“I don't know,” Nico admitted. “Honestly, I was never sure if I would do it, I
just wanted to know more about the mental or emotional aspect of doing it.”
The older of the two twins grinned. “Well, if you're curious, Connor and I
would be happy to let you experiment with us.”
The tips of Nico's ears began to burn. “That is a very tempting offer, but I'm
not sure it's a good idea.” Smart answer, Nico thought to himself, use a
neutral response. Though, that would mean that the twins might keep pressing
the issue, if the grin on Travis's face was anything to go by. “The thought had
just crossed my mind when Percy and Jason were about to have sex, and Percy
sort of offered.” Travis quirked a brow at that. “I think it just bothered me
because no one has really done anything to Jason.”
“Sorry,” Travis mumbled. “I guess it does sound personal, but it kind of was
just for you.” Nico frowned at that. That made him feel loved. “Yeah, sorry.
It's...”
“Complicated?”
“No.” Travis shook his head. “It's just that Jason doesn't bother us in the
same way. That part is complicated, something Connor and I have talked about
before.”
“Talked about what?” Nico's brow furrowed as he shifted on the bed.
Travis pursed his lips. “Nothing, forget it.” Reaching up, the blue-eyed boy
ran his fingers through his hair. “You struck a personal chord with all of us,
Jason didn't. It's possible that Jason might come to resent you in ways as
well. But, as you may know by now, we're trying to move past that.”
“Yeah,” Nico whispered.
The brunet shook his head. “Ah, how can I put this? You made us jealous, and we
felt weak.” He smirked at the shorter boy on the bed. “Here comes this kid, who
did what we could not and managed to remain himself during his hardships. When
you're jaded, you just want to see people like that mess up, fall off their
platform.” Nico went to open his mouth, but Travis chuckled. “We were dumb, I
can admit that. I mean, I'll deny it if you tell anyone, though. But it wasn't
easy, still isn't. You ask us how we survive our jobs, but we want to know the
same for how you managed the streets.”
“I...haven't really thought about it,” Nico admitted. And he hadn't, in all
honesty. He did not see it as a big deal, not anything important. But now that
he knew what he did, Nico did not see it as something to look over so easily
anymore. How did he do it? What made him different than the others? Why did
they become jaded and he didn't?
Possibly, for the first time since he arrived, Nico realized how much he had
been focusing on himself. Sure he wanted to know about the others, to get to
know them, but that was not for their sake. He had wanted to be part of them.
And even lately, asking the others about their experiences, that had been about
himself as well. But what about them? They were suffering as well. If he really
wanted to be part of their family, perhaps it was time to show them the same
concern they had been showing him the past few days.
There was so much he had been overlooking. Nico had been upset about their
stunts all those month ago, but he had not really thought about the importance
behind it all. What made them all different from him? Right now, all it did was
make him feel worse. Nico didn't want to feel special at the moment, didn't
want to stand out. If he did, it could mean more backlash or time with
customers.
“But jealousy aside, you don't need to worry about things so much.” Travis's
voice brought Nico from his train of thought. When he looked over at the
brunet, Travis was staring down at his brother. “I hate watching him sometimes.
The way he freezes and his eyes grow dull, it hurts to watch.” He ran a finger
down Connor's cheek. The boy mumbled in his sleep and shifted closer to Travis.
“You know, the reason we occasionally work clients together was because Percy
was concerned about him, as was I. I can be a distraction for him.”
“And he's better with you?”
“A little.” A sad smile briefly appeared on Travis's face. “But, even when it's
just the two of us, his eyes sometimes still become dull. Sometimes, it feels
like he's not fully there.” Travis's blue eyes drifted down to stare at his
brother's sleeping face. “It hurt, you know, watching him change over the year.
Sure, I knew I was changing, but all I wanted was to keep him safe. All we had
was each other out there, and I failed him.”
Nico remained quiet. A single tear drifted down Travis's cheek, which the
brunet quickly wiped away. “Did you two always...?” Nico decided to ask.
The Lost Boy's eyes remained on his brother's face. “No, not until after we ran
away from our last foster family. Before that, we were like best friends, with
the standard twin bonding. But, when you're out on the sleep, sleeping in
boxes, you're left with such little space.” Travis finally looked up and smiled
at Nico. “I couldn't really help it when it happened. Connor had been crying
one day, his face covered in dirt, and I just leaned in and kissed him. He was
a little shocked at first, pushed me away even, but didn't run off.”
“I wouldn't want to leave the only person I had either, especially given the
circumstance.” Nico clamped his mouth shut, realizing how harsh that could have
sounded. “I didn't mean-”
“I know what you meant.” Travis shrugged. “You don't want to be alone during
something like that, and I do feel bad for the others that did.” The brunet
slowly got up, making sure to gently place Connor's head on the bed. He
motioned for Nico to follow him as he left the bedroom.
When Nico got into the hall, he noticed that the other bedroom had been opened.
The light was on, so he stepped across the hall and walked inside. Travis was
standing in front of a small cabinet that sat on top of a small shelf.
The room was not as furnished as the other bedroom. It had the standard bed
that all the Lost Kids' suites had, though it did not appear to be used that
much. There were a lot of storage devices: shelves, cabinets, hampers, etc.
From the looks of it, the twins stored most of their possessions in here, and
only used the other bedroom for sleeping.
“Does this room really get used?” Nico blurted out.
The brunet let out a chuckle, shutting the cabinet he had been poking around
in. Whatever he had grabbed, he placed behind his back. “Only when Connor gets
mad at me. I sleep in here when that happens.” He shrugged. “And for the
occasional sex with the others. If we do have sex with the other Lost Kids, we
don't let it happen in our bed.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he slowly walked around the room. “I'm confused. I
thought you two didn't mind having sex with the others. Why define where sex
happens?”
“Because, while we might venture out and have sex with the others sometimes,
that is our bed.” Serious blue eyes locked with dark brown ones. “I love my
brother, more than anyone else in this hotel. Sex with anyone else has no
meaning to me, it's just business or for fun. But when it's with my brother,
it's special, it means something. And our bed is where we make love.”
“And the others understand that rule?”
The other Lost Boy let out a dry chuckle as he stepped closer to Nico. “Oh
yeah. Butch got to learn the hard way to not try and have sex with my brother
in our bed.” He shrugged and pulled a small bottle from behind his back. “Here,
take this.”
Nico slowly accepted the bottle, eyeing it funny. He frowned and looked up to
meet Travis's eyes. “What is it?”
“Hair dye.”
The raven-haired boy quirked a brow. “Um, I like my hair black, but thanks.” He
went to hand it back, but Travis shoved it back to Nico.
“It's not for you.” The brunet grinned broadly. “Put a little bit in Jason's
shampoo when you get back to your suite.” He tossed an arm around Nico's
shoulder, guiding him towards the door. “Now you can't say we never did
anything for you.”
“But why are you?”
“You said you wanted us to mess with Jason. Well, I'm giving you a tool to mess
with him, and now my brother and I are involved.” He sighed, stopping them in
front of the door of their suite. “Look, you're sort of nice to have around.”
Travis narrowed his eyes. “Don't tell anyone I said that. But it's nice having
you around. It doesn't seem as dark around here since you arrived. And, looking
at the others, I can see a little hope in their eyes. There hasn't really been
any hope here since Akhyls-” Travis quickly shut his mouth. “Forget what I just
said. You never heard that name.”
“I-”
Travis pointed a finger at Nico's chest, backing him against the door. “Don't
repeat that name to anyone.”
“I don't understand,” Nico whispered.
“Good,” Travis breathed out. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “There
are just some things we don't like to think about, Nico. Reminding ourselves of
our failures is one of them. Another would be that we don't want to acknowledge
that we'll probably end up like Ganymede, Aphrodite, or Dionysus one day. But
there are just some names we don't even talk about in private.”
“I won't say anything.” It was a lie, some part of Nico's subconscious told
him. More than likely, he would just end up going to ask Ganymede about it, per
their arrangement concerning past information. Nico smiled and held up the
bottle of hair dye. “Thanks for this, though.”
The brunet nodded, allowing Nico to open the door. “Don't mention it. And don't
worry about what will happen, we'll take care of it.”
Nico wanted to ask what he meant, but Travis had already shut the door. He
frowned and stared down at the bottle. What was that supposed to mean?
--------------------------------------
It was a failure. Apparently, the dye that Travis had given him had not worked
at all. Nico frowned at the back of his roommate's head as they rode the
elevator to the top floor. Jason's hair was still its normal blond color,
completely and utterly fine. And earlier, when Nico had asked Connor about it,
the brunet had said just to be patient.
Once out of the elevator and up the stairs, the roommates separated. Jason
tossed the raven-haired boy a wave over his shoulder. Nico waved back, now
partly thankful it hadn't worked. What had Jason really done to him? A sudden
feeling of guilt washed over him as he dragged his feet towards the bar room.
Percy was fair game, meaning Jason had every right to flirt and have sex with
Percy. The others did it, and Nico was not trying to spite them. But Jason felt
more threatening, even when he was not really doing anything. Perhaps it was
the same reason Apollo had acted against Nico, when Nico himself had not been
trying to do anything.
And there was also the matter of just having promised Percy a few days prior
that he would try to stop acting like a disappointment. And, yet, here he was,
trying to sabotage his roommate.
Realizing he was in the wrong in this situation tasted very bitter. Nico let
out a breath and sat down on the couch in the bar room, not even caring that
Dionysus was watching him. His brown eyes closed as his head fell back against
the back of the couch.
“You really need a new hobby, other than trying to torment others,” Nico
mumbled.
“Why, Nico, I'm quite offended by that remark,” Dionysus replied. Nico did not
believe that for a second. “I just like to take an interest, that's all.”
“Sure, let's call it that,” Thalia snorted. Nico did not even notice her come
in. She smiled at him as she sat down beside him on the couch. “I hope you do
remember to get a head start on sorting out your Christmas costumes. It'll make
it a lot easier when the time comes to deal with them.”
Nico shrugged. “I guess I can do that this week.”
The blue-eyed girl snapped her fingers. “Oh, yes, Rachel wanted me to let you
know that she has something you asked for, and those papers you'll need to be
looking over.”
“Papers?” Nico's brow furrowed.
“Yeah.” Thalia smiled, tilting her head to the side. “What, you expected to
just show up to the meeting and hand Percy a drink when he asked for it?” She
grinned cheekily and smacked his shoulder. “Sorry, buddy, but you've got some
reading to do before that meeting.”
Nico let out a groan. “It won't be that bad, will it?”
Thalia jumped up, eyebrows raised. “I'd rather read War and Peace,” she mumbled
on her way out the door.
That did not make Nico feel good.
And halfway through the night, that was not the only thing causing Nico to feel
nauseous.
“Oh shit,” Nico cursed under his breath, the empty tray in his hand nearly
falling to the floor. His eyes were blown wide in shock as he gaped at the
stage. Luckily, he was not the only Lost Boy caught off by what they were just
seeing. Apollo's jaw was literally hanging open as he poured some water into a
woman's glass, though he failed to acknowledge that it was overflowing. Butch
had frozen while writing down an order from Percy's booth.
Jason's hair was pink. That was all that was going through the brown-eyed boy's
mind as he gaped at his roommate, standing there in nothing but a speedo. Not
only that, but it was fluorescent. It was literally glowing a bright pink
underneath the stage's low lighting.
Jason seemed surprised as well, his ears burning red. He still tried to put on
a performance, but was not doing the best of jobs because of the audience's
reaction. A lot of whispering was going on, even some snickering.
“Oh shit,” Nico repeated.
“Might I have a word with you?”
Nico's blood ran cold the second the words were hissed into his ear. And this
time, he did drop the tray. Quickly picking it up, Nico slowly turned to find a
unhappy Percy standing behind him. There was a calm smile on the manager's
face, but Nico was not stupid enough to think Percy was anything but upset.
The green-eyed manager slid a hand into his pocket, pointing to the stage with
the other. “It seems Jason needs to change shampoos.” His eyes flickered back
to Nico. “Very amusing stunt. However, would you care to explain to me why you
decide to pull this fucking shit right before
Gaea gets here?”
If not for the loud music, Percy probably would have drawn more attention.
Percy did not appear to be as patient as he had been during Apollo's little
stunt. In fact, he looked exhausted, almost sick. Dark circles had appeared
under his eyes, and even his face seemed to be slightly paler. But his voice
was still calm. Well, up until he had decided to throw curse words into his
rhetorical question.
Without even letting Nico answer, Percy grabbed hold of the back of Nico's neck
and dragged him towards the backstage door. Nico's stomach sank instantly.
Great, he thought, now he was going to have to face Jason.
Beckendorf and the twins were snickering as Jason stared frantically at a
mirror. Percy shoved Nico forward, snapping his fingers to drawn everyone's
attention. The room instantly fell quiet, the laughter died and Jason quickly
straightened up.
Percy took in a deep breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose before turning
his dark green eyes upon Nico. “I'm not stupid enough to believe he didn't have
help. I just saw Jason earlier—and even some when he got on stage for his
earlier performances—so I know his hair was fine not long ago.” The manager bit
down on his lip so hard that Nico thought he might draw blood. A chuckle
escaped the raven-haired young man's lips, though it was nowhere near a
pleasant sound. “I am very tired at the moment. Now, I can expect Nico to not
be aware of how stressful things can be right now, but I am very disappointed
in the two of you.”
The twins didn't seem as bothered as Nico was. Travis just held up his hands,
slowly approaching the manager. “Relax, boss, it'll be fine.”
“His hair is pink!” Now Percy was yelling. His eyes nearly became slits as he
stared back at Travis, who still remained calm. Connor, however, was beginning
to look a little uncertain. “Gaea will be here in five days, and I need you all
to look your best. I haven't slept in two days, Travis. Couldn't this have
waited until things calmed down?”
Travis was proving just how daring he was. The brunet actually reached out and
touched Percy's arm. The other four boys in the room's hitched. “It was just to
help out Nico. He's been having a hard time lately, and Connor and I thought
we'd throw him a bone. So don't be so hard on him.”
Percy narrowed his eyes, though Travis's words did seem to pacify him a little.
“Fine,” Percy finally growled. “However, he's not going to get off with
nothing.”
Travis shrugged. “Your call.”
“The same goes for you two.”
Connor frowned. “But it's not even going to last that long. It'll wash out
within three or four days.”
A sigh escaped from the manager's lips. “There was still damage done. I
punished all of you when you pulled your stunt with Nico's first night, the
same will apply here.”
Both twins groaned, but offered no further protest. Percy groaned and rubbed a
hand down his face. He really did look exhausted. Nico felt like shit. He only
managed to add to Percy's stress load. And, once again, Nico screwed up and
Jason was doing nothing wrong.
Percy returned his gaze to Nico. “Come by my room after you're done with work.”
He moved to leave, but stopped before he reached the door. “As soon as you're
off work. You won't be getting any clients tonight. Apparently, you and I need
to have a very long, long...talk.” The way Percy said that made Nico's skin
crawl. He had barely gotten the last word out, only managing it through gritted
teeth.
“And what about me?” Jason finally spoke up.
Percy let out a small laugh and turned around once again. “Nico,
congratulations, you've just nominated yourself as Jason's personal hair washer
for the next few days. You get to shower with him and everything” He smiled at
Jason. “Feel free to torture him as much as you want, I have no problem with
him getting the worst blue balls possible right now.”
Nico let out a quiet whimper as Percy disappeared out the door. This was going
to be painful, and he had not even gone to see Percy in his room yet. He turned
to look at his roommate, expecting the blond to lash out at him, but Jason just
frowned and let out a sigh. Nico was not sure which response was worse, the
possibility of Jason yelling at him or the one that never came.
Jason did not say anything as he got ready for his next performance, never
spared Nico another glance. It was not helping Nico's nerves.
Connor slung his arm around Nico. “See, now you got to torture Jason a little,
and nothing really bad happened.”
Nico frowned. “But he's going to punish me. I can only shudder to think what
he's going to do when I go to his room.”
“Maybe it'll involve whips and handcuffs,” Travis teased. Nico gave him an
unamused look. The brunet just grinned. “Oh lighten up, Neeks, you'll be fine.
Besides, he already gave you your punishment, you get to be tortured sexually
by Jason.”
“Then why am I going to his room?”
Connor let go of him. “Probably for a talk, like he said. I doubt he's going to
do anything, he's probably too tired.”
“Yeah,” Travis added, “none of us have really been able to discuss business
hours with him over the past week now because of how swamped his is.”
“And exhausted,” Connor mumbled.
Nico frowned, wrapping his arms around himself. “So why help me with this if
you knew he might get severely irritated.”
Both twins grinned. Travis motioned between Connor and himself. “Because we
like chaos, it adds flavor to things. Besides, we know Percy pretty well, so we
knew he wouldn't be too harsh. He's too busy right now, so most of our problems
have to be overlooked by him during this time.”
Connor nodded in a agreement. “Though, this will probably be the only stunt to
happens, so as to not 'poke the bear'. All that is expected of us right now is
to do our jobs and go see Circe before the twentieth.”
Nico groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I didn't mean to stress him out more. I
guess I should have been paying better attention to him.”
Both twins shrugged. “Guess you should have thought about the consequences of
putting the dye in Jason's shampoo then,” Connor mumbled.
Nico sighed and shook his head. Turning around, he headed back to work. It
seemed like he was not done screwing up and making the wrong decisions. Why did
things have to be so complicated here. He did not think that normal sixteen
year olds had to worry about as much as he did. Though, in his defense, most
sixteen year olds did not go through what he had, and still would.
Nico was on his best behavior for the rest of the night, not even thinking a
smart aleck remark to things customers said to him. He was polite whenever
possible, but remained mostly quiet. And his nerves only worsened as the hours
passed. By the time he was standing outside of Percy's door, Nico was
practically a wreck.
As he raised his hand to knock, the door swung open and Nico was met with
Percy's blank face. The manager quirked a brow at him. “Are you planning on
just standing in my hall?”
Nico frowned up at him, slipping into the suite. “How did you know I was
there?”
“There's no one else on this floor, and I don't have my TV on, so it's fairly
easy to hear the elevator ding.”
“Oh.” Nico scrunched his lips. “I'm sorry.”
Percy scooped up a glass of scotch from his kitchen counter before heading into
the living room to sit down on his couch. He let out a sigh and spread his arms
across the back of the couch. “I'm not really surprised by this point that
something like this happened. If this is the kind of behavior I can expect,
then maybe I shouldn't let you sit in on the meeting.”
“It won't happen again, I promise,” Nico quickly stated.
“I can't have things going crazy right now, Nico.” The manager sipped on his
drink before sitting it down in front of him. “I need you to be on a better
behavior. Gaea will be here in just five days, four technically, so I don't
need things like this happening. If the dye had lasted longer, you'd be much
worse off. I can't tolerate screw ups right now, do I make myself clear?”
Nico rapidly nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
Percy leaned forward, frowning at Nico. “I know you know better than this. I
know you're still young, but I need you to act more like an adult. Especially
right now.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered, casting his eyes to his feet. “I wasn't thinking.”
Percy was quiet for a while, much longer than Nico would have liked. But he
finally pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke. “I know you've had a rough
time this month, so I am going to look over this for the most part.” A
dangerous spark briefly appeared in Percy's sea-green eyes before he smirked.
“I gave you part of your punishment already, but there is something else.”
The Lost Boy did not like the sound of that. “Um, okay? Extra weekend shifts?
Cut my time on stage? Give me a-”
“Bend over my knee.”
Nico's mouth fell open. “What?”
Percy did not even bat an eye before responding. “You heard. Come over here,
pull down your pants, and bend over my knee.” He leaned back, spreading his
arms across the back of the couch again. “You want to act like a child, you're
going to get punished like one.”
The boy's hands shot around to cover his backside. “Percy, you can't be
serious.”
“Completely.”
There was no amusement in Percy's eyes as he stared at Nico. The Lost Boy
fidgeted for a brief moment before shifting his hands to his waist. Pursing his
lips, he slowly pushed down the cloth pants that he had on. Percy arched a brow
and Nico let out a groan. He hooked his fingers under his speedo and lowered
them to his knees.
Nico was sure his entire face was red. He was so embarrassed. This was
humiliating. The only good thing about it was that it was just the two of them
to see it happen. With his head down, Nico moved closer, until he stood in
front of Percy. When the manager remained still, Nico felt his heart drop
again.
With a small whine, Nico positioned himself across Percy's lap. Percy shifted
and wasted no time in what he intended to do. A sharp pain spread throughout
Nico's ass, soon followed by another. Nico buried his face against the couch as
Percy smacked him on the butt. His face was burning. He just wanted it to stop.
Nico blinked. Percy was laughing. He quickly rose up and stared at Percy in
confusion. “What are you laughing at?”
“Just enjoying your reaction,” Percy chuckled. He grabbed Nico's waist and
shifted the boy into a sitting position on the couch.
Nico frowned and raised his underwear and pants. “That wasn't funny, it was
unpleasant.”
The manager laughed again before taking a sip of his drink. “I know. I figured
you wouldn't like it.”
“Are you into that, or something?”
A low humming came from Percy, his eyes closed as he rested his head against
the back of the couch. “Never really thought about it. Can't say I really have
any fetishes.” He let his body relax, lightly rubbing his neck. “I guess
dealing with all of the different fetishes of other people sort of deterred me
a little bit from developing any of my own.”
Nico frowned and stood up. He peeled back his pants and underwear to inspect to
butt. His breath hitched when he found a bright pink handprint across his pale
ass. “Then why did you do it!” His arms flailed wildly as Nico sat back down.
Percy shrugged. “Quite a few reasons, actually. First, because of exactly what
I said. You want to act like a child? Fine, I'll treat and punish you like
one.”
Nico pursed his lips, staring down at his lap in shame. “I'm sorry. I'll do
better next time.”
“But it was also to see if you would actually do it.”
The brown-eyed boy's head shot up to glare at the manager. “Are you fucking
kidding me?” He shouted.
“Such a potty mouth for a little boy,” Percy mocked him with a stretch. He
winked and stuck out his tongue before slipping a hand behind Nico's back to
pull the boy closer. “But, also because you need to be more comfortable with
things like that happening to you. If a customer wants it, they'll probably get
it, as long as it doesn't bring you any harm.”
Nico's head fell onto Percy's shoulder. The boy let out a sigh and closed his
eyes, exhaustion hitting him. He cracked an eye open to stare up at Percy, who
was taking another sip of his drink. How was the young man not passed out? Nico
could not see how the manager was not passed out. Not even the Lost Kids tried
to stay up all night. In a place like this, everyone tried to get sleep
whenever possible.
Percy caught Nico staring at him and smiled. “Sleepy?”
“Mmm,” Nico replied with a small smile.
The green-eyed young man brushed some of Nico's hair from his face. “You know,
as much as I know you won't like it, experimenting with one or two of the Lost
Kids might not be a bad idea for you,” the manager whispered. Nico instantly
sat up. “I don't mean it to sound like I want you to just go around and have
sex every second on the spot. I just know that you're still uncomfortable
having sex with people you aren't wanting to have it with. I would also
recommend you try it with one of the girls.”
“I'd rather just feel sick after every customer,” Nico mumbled.
Percy shrugged and stood up. “Suit yourself.” He briefly stepped into the
kitchen before returning with a second glass, this one a golden color that
reminded Nico of syrup. Nico frowned as it was placed on the table in front of
him. “Want some?”
The brown-eyed boy eyed his boss hesitantly. “Is this some other test?”
Percy simply shrugged before taking his place beside Nico once again. “I was
just offering you something to drink. I know things haven't been easy for you
the past few weeks, so I thought I might offer you some.”
“Even after I said I didn't like wine?”
“Well, that's why I said you might like liquor more,” Percy replied casually,
picking his drink back up. “No catch, no disappointment, just offering.”
Nico eyed the drink, tapping a finger against his leg. “You're so...confusing.”
He looked up to meet Percy's eyes, who raised his eyebrows in response. “This-
you said you wanted me to stay innocent, but now you're encouraging me to
drink. That's the opposite of what you said.”
A small chuckle emitted from Percy's throat. “I think you've misunderstood what
I mean, at least to a degree.” He sat his drink down and shifted on the couch
so that his right leg was underneath his other one. The young man sighed as he
slouched. “I will be an adult and admit that I was partly wrong, believing that
you had to remain as pure as snow. It was an impossible task, and I see that
now. I shouldn't have expected so much from you, it was a lot to put on your
shoulders.
“But I started to realize that you would never really grow up that way. The
world, the experiences that you have during your time on this planet, they
define who you are. And I think I am partly to blame for your poor decisions of
late. It would be like keeping you as a child forever if you fulfilled what I
asked to the letter.” He turned to Nico with a smile before brushing Nico's
cheek with the back of his hand. “And you have potential to make something of
yourself, Nico. I wasn't lying when I said you're strong. You see, you just
might be stronger than all of us.”
It hurt to hear Percy tell him that. Not because it was not because it was
something he did not want to hear, but because it felt like Percy, for the
first time, was really praising him. “So...what do you want from me?” The boy
whispered.
Percy cleared his throat. “I want you to grow up, that's what I want. Can't
have you being a kid forever, you'll never get into a good university that
way.” The young man smiled again, melting Nico's heart. “I want you to be
responsible and get a good education, because that's what you deserve.”
Nico's fingers gripped the couch. “And what...what do you mean by 'keeping my
innocence'? If it's not staying a virgin and never drinking, what am I supposed
to do?”
“I guess I should have explained things better from the beginning,” Percy
sighed. “You see, I saw hope in you.” Green eyes turned upon Nico, piercing
through him like a sword. “When I look at you, I see hope in the world. It
makes me want to believe that maybe, just maybe, there is still hope for the
people in this world. Being here, being around the people that do business on
our upper floors, it makes things seem rather dim. And growing up around it and
on the streets, I always just thought the world was too far gone and all that
you could do was make your life better by doing whatever you needed to.
“I've done...a lot of bad things in my time after coming into Gaea's care, and
even some before that. Because it needed to be done, and some because I wanted
to put the people you see here in their place. It's what Gaea promised me when
we first met, that I would look down at all these rich and powerful people and
be able to completely shatter their lives with a single command.” Percy leaned
his head back and ran his hand through his hair. “But having you around gives
me hope that not everyone is corrupt in this dark, dark world.” Nico blinked as
Percy reached across the couch and placed his index finger against Nico's
chest. “And what's what I want you to hold onto, Nico,” the manager whispered.
“It's not about refusing sex anymore, it's about doing what's right and being
hopeful, seeing the good in people.”
There was a swelling in Nico's chest, as well as the desire to cry. But it was
not because he was sad, not completely anyways. It was sad, hearing these
things from Percy. It had to make him wonder how dark and hopeless this hotel
was before he got there, or even what went on through Percy's mind over the
years of being brought up under Gaea's care. The hardness that Nico found in
Percy's eyes spoke more words than anything the young man probably ever could.
Swallowing a heavy lump in his throat, Nico nodded. “Okay,” he whispered.
Percy's eyes widened as Nico leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the
young man. “I won't.”
--------------------------------------
Nico sighed and stretched his legs, pulling the bottom of his shorts down to
cover more of his pale legs. He placed his hands behind his head after
adjusting the sunglasses he wore on his face. Everything seemed so much better
today, but that could be because he was done with school until after New Year's
Day. And, as far as he could tell, he had done exceptionally well on all of his
midterms.
So, to reward himself, he had gotten a smoothie from Ganymede before heading to
the pool to relax. Apollo and Silena were lounging on either side of him,
caring about as much as Nico was about what was going on around them. Which
meant they did not care at all.
For the first time in a very long time, Nico was not feeling overwhelmed while
at the hotel, and it was glorious. Now if only he could get a tan. The boy
lifted his sunglasses and stared down at his torso. Nope, still as pale as
ever.
The only bad thing that currently came to mind was what came tomorrow. Tomorrow
all of the Lost Kids would be taken to Circe and be styled to perfection before
Gaea's arrival. Which brought him back to another reason he felt the need to
relax. If Nico was going to die tomorrow, he meant to enjoy his last day on
this earth.
Nico opened his eyes when someone cleared their throat. Clarisse was standing
in front of Silena. Nico and Apollo had to stop for a second, both boys raising
their shades to get a better look at the girl. Clarisse was dressed up...like a
girl. Well, she still had jeans on, but her hair was brushed and her shirt did
not have anything masculine on the front of it. She even looked like she might
have makeup on.
“I'm about to leave,” Clarisse mumbled.
Silena jumped up with excitement. “Okay. Just make sure to tell me all the
details when you get back.”
“Clarisse, I didn't know you were a girl,” Apollo joked, earning him a glare
from Silena and the bird from Clarisse. The blond chuckled and reclined in his
chair.
Nico frowned as Silena dragged Clarisse away from the two Lost Boys. “Do you
know where she's going?” He asked, turning his head to look at the blond.
“Probably out with Chris. I saw him earlier, smelled like he was wearing
cologne.” The blond shrugged. “About time they went on a date, they've been
trying to flirt long enough.”
Nico supposed that made sense for why Clarisse got upset after Chris's
promotion. He sat back in his chair, bending his knee upwards. With a brief
glance over to the girls, he noticed that Silena was being very animated with
her hands as she spoke. “What's up with Silena?”
Apollo did not even move to look, simply shrugging. “Just the way she is. If
she thinks there's even a shred of a chance that something might come of two
people, she'll latch onto them and play matchmaker. But, she also likes
Clarisse, has since Clarisse first got here.”
“So why hasn't she tried to fix you and Le-” Nico shut up when Apollo glared at
him over the top of his sunglasses. “Um, never mind.”
“Because,” Apollo began, “she doesn't know.” The blond relaxed again, shifting
to get comfortable. “And let's keep it that way. I'd rather not have her
lecturing me before giving me tips for trying to 'swoop Leo off his feet'.”
Nico frowned as the blond stretched his arms above his head. There were two
girls sitting across the pool, giggling as they eyed Apollo's half-naked body
over, though the blond chose to ignore them if he noticed. “Like I said, she
needs to think there's hope for things to work out in order for her to jump in.
I mean, why don't you think she's tried fixing you and Percy up?”
Nico had to frown at that. “Thanks a lot,” he mumbled.
A lopsided smile appeared on the blond's face. “Just being real. So, I hear you
got yelled at?”
“Well, not exactly.” Nico sat up more, rubbing his arm awkwardly. “He was very
upset, though he did yell at the Stolls.”
Apollo finally looked over at him, his eyes shining like sapphires over the top
of his shades. “It was amusing, if not a little amateurish and juvenile.”
“It wasn't my idea.”
“Yes, well, the Stolls don't care as much about being caught,” Apollo admitted.
“I think he was just stressed out, Percy that is.” Nico let out a sigh and
twisted one of the laces on his trunks. “I mean, he never yelled at you when
you pulled your stunt.”
When he was met with silence, Nico glanced at the blond. Apollo's mouth
slightly hung open. The blond shook his head, as if he was coming out of some
trance. “Oh, that's right, you don't speak French.” The blond blew his lips.
“Well, he brought up the deal I had made with him not long before that.”
“Thanks, by the way.”
Apollo arched a brow at him.
“For at least trying to take it back,” Nico explained.
“Ah.” Apollo shrugged. “Didn't really make a difference in the end.” He let out
a sigh and rolled onto his side to get a better look at Nico. “But I was
terrified when Percy talked to me that night about screwing up your
performance. To you, it might have seemed like he was just having a cordial
conversation with me, but you didn't understand him. You see, in reality, he
was letting me know what would happen to me if I ever tried jeopardizing the
hotel's business again.”
“Like what?” Nico whispered, leaning closer to make sure no one overheard their
conversation.
“Um, well, to understand that, you'd need to know that this hotel works a
little different than some of the other branches. Percy, Frank, and Athena run
things nicer than the other branch managers.” Apollo removed his shades,
allowing Nico to see his eyes better. “You see, there are just some requests
that Percy has to turn down out of the goodness of his heart. But, people like
Kronos, might be open to allowing these certain requests. Perhaps things like
hunting other humans for sport, or finding them a live body to perform acts of
torture on.”
Nico suddenly did not feel so good. He was hoping Apollo was not about to
suggest what he thought the blond was going to. “And Percy was going to...allow
people to...torture you?”
“No...” It was all the blond said for a while. Apollo chewed on his lip,
sitting up and pulling his knees to his chest. Finally, he let out a sigh and
buried his face in his knees. “He's promised to keep all of us safe, so he
would never permit me to be physically harmed like that. I wouldn't be getting
tortured, I'd be doing the torturing.” He looked over at Nico, licking his lips
and moving to sit on Nico's lounge chair to be able to talk quieter. “You see,
some people that go to the kink rooms in other hotels, very much enjoy watching
torture, but don't like getting their hands dirty.”
Nico had to swallow a lump in his throat before he could speak. “Percy was
going to make you torture someone for a customer's enjoyment?”
Apollo nodded his head. “He also mentioned that it might involved me spending
some time in the Middle East, at Kronos's hotel, so that I could do that.” He
sighed and laid down next to Nico, placing a hand on the boy's stomach. Nico
glanced at the two girls, who did not seem as pleased anymore. “So, yes, now
you know what Percy told me that night.”
Apollo's skin was very warm and soft. It was also a little distracting. Nico
soon found his hand resting against the blond's abs. “You know,” Nico
whispered, “if you hadn't pulled your stunt, you might have been my first
time.”
The blond grinned and began tracing his fingers along Nico's stomach. “Oh
really? Well, it seems I'm not as crafty as others like Octavian or Annabeth.”
“But, perhaps it was for the best,” Nico continued. “Though, either way, I
probably would have ended up where I'm at now.”
“I used to think you had a real crush on me.”
Nico chewed on his lip before looking up to meet Apollo's eyes. “I did,” he
admitted. “I might have considered dating you, if things had continued like
they had, instead of me getting hurt.”
“Then it's for the best, because I wouldn't have deserved it,” the blond
mumbled. Nico frowned at him. He reached up and pushed the blond's curls away,
but Apollo would not look at him. Instead, the blond was distracting himself
with the hemline of Nico's trunks. Nico probably should have stopped him, but
he also knew that Apollo was not being serious with his current action. “It's
something that I've thought about ever since we had our talk on the balcony.”
“What's that?”
Apollo let out a heavy sigh. “Just that maybe you would have been better off
the way things were, and maybe it was better that Percy was trying to resist
you. I still would like you to leave, and try to find a better life for
yourself. Every day you stay here now, I feel the guilt. It's not the same as
before, where I felt bad because I was not able to keep myself together while
on the streets.” Nico blinked as his trunks came undone. Perhaps he had been
wrong as well. Apollo's palm rested just underneath his trunks, flat against
his pelvis. “But now I just feel guilty because it was my request that made
that deal, and now has you in this situation. Somewhere along the way, I
realized it would have just been better for you to leave than have you be like
us.”
Nico's eyes continued to watch the blond's hand. It was not moving lower, so he
was not in immediate danger of being groped by the other Lost Boy, but it still
made him feel better to keep an eye on it. His breath hitched when Apollo
buried his nose into the crook of Nico's neck. “Um, Apollo?”
“Hmm?” The blond mumbled against his skin.
“I'm not sure if we should be doing this in public.”
“It's fine,” the blond assured him. “The two girls that have been staring over
here probably think we're dating now.” He pulled back to look Nico in the eye.
“We're not completely unlike you, you know. Some of us, most of us, don't
always like receiving attention from the people around here.” He sat up and
pulled Nico against his chest. “Though, normally, when I wanted a distraction,
I'd find one of the other Lost Kids and have sex. However, I don't feel like
making you a distraction anymore. You do deserve better than all of this,
Nico.”
Nico adjusted himself until he was sitting in Apollo's lap, his hands pressed
against the blond's chest. “Are you about to confess your love for me? Because
that's what it sounds like.”
That got a laugh out of the blond. “No, no, nothing like that. Like you said,
you're like a brother to me. A very sexy brother that I might like to get
naked, but a brother nonetheless.”
“How touching,” Nico said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
The corner of Apollo's mouth tilted up in a smirk. His hands rubbed against
Nico's hips. “You know, I do recall that you might let me have sex with you one
day.”
Nico's eyebrows rose at the blond. Biting down on his lip, he rolled his hips
into the blond's crotch. When Apollo moaned, he leaned in to whisper in the
blond's ear. “Emphasis on the one day.” He chuckled and pulled back. “And I did
say maybe, which does not guarantee you anything.”
Apollo leaned back and chuckled, placing his hands behind his head. “Careful
now, I might start thinking you're becoming like Percy if you start teasing
like that.”
“I don't think I could do what he does,” Nico whispered. His eyes roamed across
the blond's flawless skin, trailing his fingers across the Lost Boy's tan
chest.
Both boys nearly jumped when someone cleared their throat. Nico slowly turned
around to find Rachel standing there, arching her brow at them. “Am I
interrupting something?”
Nico's cheeks flared up and he jumped off of a laughing Apollo. “We weren't
doing anything,” he mumbled.
“Of course not.” The way Rachel smiled made it seem like she did not believe
Nico. “Either way, I have some documents for you.”
Nico's face scrunched up. “Don't want them. I just got out of school, and now
I'm having to do more studying.”
The red-haired girl pulled a briefcase from behind her and shoved it at Nico.
“Trust me, you'll miss school by the time you're done with this.” She glanced
over Nico's shoulder, at Apollo, before returning her eyes to Nico. “I also
have that other thing for you.”
“Oh.” Nico tapped his finger against the briefcase before turning around. “I
need to talk to Rachel about these documents I need to study, so I'll talk to
you later.”
Apollo looked between the two of them before shrugging. “Sure, I'll catch you
later.”
The two walked until they got up to the second floor lounge. Nico sat the
briefcase down on a table that the two decided to sit at before opening it up.
He felt sick just looking at it. “I have to read all of this?” Nico nearly
yelled.
Rachel patted the two stacks of paper with a smile. “It won't be that bad.” She
reached in and pulled out a handful of papers. “Look, I even marked the more
important ones for you,” she said, flipping through until she found one with a
post-it note on the corner. “You'll have to bring those with you to the meeting
and hand them to Percy when he asks for them. Just make sure to keep the note
on the paper so you know which one he is talking about fairly easily.”
Nico groaned and picked up the top sheet of paper. “I feel like he should have
picked someone else for this. Anyone would have been a better pick than me.”
“Well, he's not wrong in assuming it would be a good experience for you. Sadly,
you won't be able to use it as extra credit in your business classes.”
The boy let out a sigh, placing the paper back in the briefcase. “How long do I
have to study all of this?”
Rachel smiled and put the papers she had picked up back where they belonged
before taking a seat across from Nico. “The meeting will either be January the
first or the second, depending on Gaea's mood. You'll know by Christmas Day.”
The red-haired girl reached over and patted his hand. “Don't worry so much,
Nico, I'm sure you'll done fine.” From a small pocket in the briefcase, Rachel
pulled out a small envelope. “And here's the other part of Percy's present.”
At least that made Nico smile. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“I'm sure he'll like it.” Rachel smiled again before standing up again and
patting her hair. “Though, he'll probably question how you got your hands on
all of it.”
If he didn't, Percy was probably going to be upset. Nico was going to hope that
he made the right decision in this present. That would just be the icing on his
cake of the worst December of his entire life.
---------------------------------------------
Nico let out a groan from where he had face-planted onto the bar. Without even
pausing from the drink he was making, Chiron reached over and patted the boy on
the head. One afternoon of reading those documents had left Nico with a
migraine. How was he supposed to have all of this studied with only two weeks
to do it? There were hundreds of documents in that briefcase, all in small
print and multiple pages.
On the bright side of things, he was working the bar, which meant a less
stressful environment for the night. But on the downside, it also meant that
Gaea would arrive in a little over twelve hours.
Nico rolled his head to the side to be able to see the bartender. “I'm going to
make a fool out of myself, Chiron.”
The man smiled and pushed the drink he had been working on across the bar to a
customer. “You worry too much, my boy.”
Perhaps he did, but Nico also felt he had good cause to do so. If Gaea did not
strike him down, Kronos would probably do it himself. Nico's stomach was in
knots. He had barely managed to eat anything at all for dinner, too nervous to
hold anything down.
By the time Nico got to take his break, he felt like a nervous wreck. He
collapsed on the couch in the break room with a loud groan. Will chuckled at
him from the chair next to the couch. “Rough time there, Nico?”
“I don't want to talk about it,” Nico mumbled.
The blond Lost Boy hummed and slipped over to the couch, lifting Nico's legs
and placing them in his lap. “You know, you can always tell Percy you don't
want to sit in on the meeting.”
The thought had crossed Nico's mind. However, he would also feel like a
disappointment again if he did. “I can do it,” Nico whispered. He yelped when
Will smacked him on the ass.
“Good, 'cause no one likes a quitter,” Will chuckled.
Nico lifted himself up to glare at the blond. “Sir, that is my property.”
Will bit down on his lip, leaning towards Nico. “Maybe I want it to be mine.”
The brown-eyed boy stuck out his tongue. “Too bad.” Will continued to grin at
him, though. Nico sighed and rolled onto his back, propping himself up so that
he could see Will better. “You know, there's something I'm still confused about
with you.”
The blond winked at him. “How did I get this sexy?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Conceited. No, that's not it.” Will smiled and shrugged,
rubbing Nico's legs. “I don't get what happened with you. When we met, you were
just friendly, and then Apollo pulled his stunt and you seemed to despise me,
and now you seem to have a crush on me.”
“I do have a crush on you,” Will chuckled. He sighed and slouched on the couch.
“Why must everything have an answer with you?”
“Because I know there is one.”
Will's blue eyes sparkled as they stared at Nico. “I suppose that is true. It
was a little out of the ordinary for all of us, I will say that.” He shrugged
and leaned his head back. “Sure some of us found others that we didn't like
that well in our ranks. I mean, look at Octavian and Annabeth, or Luke and
Beckendorf.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “Leo and Apollo?”
The blond snorted. “Sure, if you want to believe that.” When Nico gave him an
incredulous look, Will winked at him. “What? Apollo tells me everything. Well,
for the most part. He was still mad at Ganymede when I got here and got roomed
with blondie, so Apollo turned to me for a shoulder to lean on.”
“But why the change from back then?” Nico sighed.
Will frowned and ran his hand under the leg of Nico's pants. “You know,
sometimes I wish that we had met under different circumstances.”
Nico's eyes drifted down to where Will was rubbing his leg. “Why is that?”
“Because, I think things would have been different between us. Maybe I'd have a
better chance with you.” Blue eyes flickered up to study Nico's reaction. “You
remind me of someone I used to know. This boy from the orphanage, he was really
sweet. I was around...fourteen or fifteen, I think, when we had our first kiss.
He was my very first, and I was very happy. Even if the place sucked, it wasn't
that bad with him around, and it was much better than when he left.”
“What happened to him?” Nico whispered.
Will sighed and removed his hand from Nico's pants. He smiled and patted Nico's
leg. “He got adopted.” The blond's lips tilted down. “Though, after I came
here, I found out that he had later died. Apparently, his foster parents had
abused him.”
Nico frowned as Will got up and wiped his eyes. “I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. He
reached out and grabbed the blond's hand before Will could leave. “What makes
me remind you of him?”
Will gave him a sad smile before cupping Nico's face. “Because, even in a bad
place, you want to see the good in things. He was what kept me going, and it
got so hard when he was taken. Up until I found out, I just imagined that he
was living such a good life. And now...now I just wish he was still living.” He
smiled at Nico again. “But, to answer your question, I realized I shouldn't
blame you for not being like us. That's not your fault, and you shouldn't be
held accountable for it.”
Nico got up and wrapped his arms around the blond. “Will...”
He felt the blond's arms rub against his back. “I'm fine,” the blond whispered.
“And you'll be fine as well.” Nico shivered as he felt Will's breath against
his ear. “You see, I'm not going to let you end up like him. That's why I want
you here, because I'm scared your father will end up getting you and then
something bad might happen.”
Nico remained quiet, not knowing how to respond. How did one reply to that? He
did not even know the answer himself. Would he stay here, or would he try to
find a life away from all of this? Truth be told, he knew things might be
better if he went to live with Daedalus, but at the same time, he did not want
to burden them.
All too soon for Nico's liking, his break was at an end. With a smile from
Will, the two headed back to work. At least he only had a few more hours to go
before his shift was over. Though, given the circumstances, Nico knew he would
probably be up even later, just reading over those documents.
As Nico was passing by, he caught sight of Piper laughing and chatting with a
female customer, sitting alone at one of the tables. He slowed down, slowly
looking the woman over. She did not look that old, possibly early thirties. And
friendly, unlike most that Nico had the displeasure of meeting. Her dark hair
had been tied up into a tight bun and a pair of glasses sat over her warm brown
eyes.
Nico took the table next to the woman, doing his job, while being able to watch
Piper at the same time. Piper smiled and handed the woman back her card before
leaning in for a hug. It surprised Nico a little. Aside from Mr. Boreas, Nico
had never seen a customer that the others had liked, and they did not even hug
Mr. Boreas.
So, as soon as the Lost Boy was done taking his table's order, he quickly
darted over to where Piper was heading for the bar. “Piper,” he called out to
her.
She turned around and smiled. “What's up, Nico?”
“Um,” he motioned over his shoulder, where the woman was getting up, “who's
that? I've never seen any of you be friendly with a customer before.”
“Oh.” Piper's eyes widened a little. “That's Mellie, and I've known her since I
was about thirteen.”
“She knew your parents?”
Piper rubbed her arm. “Well, my mom walked out on my dad when I was real
little, but Mellie there works for my dad. She's his personal assistant.”
Nico turned to raise a brow at the woman's retreating form. “Aren't you...I
don't know, worried that she might relay this to your father?”
The Lost Girl nearly snorted. “Oh, that's funny. Well, firstly, she's not going
to. She's more scared of Percy than she is loyal to my father. Secondly, my
father probably wouldn't give a damn.” She sighed and went to start walking
again, but Nico grabbed her arm.
“Wait, what does that mean?”
The girl sighed and shook her head. “This isn't the best time, Nico. I'll just
say that there is more than one way to abuse your child.” She gave the boy a
nod before turning and heading over to Chiron with Mellie's signed receipt.
At the end of the night, Nico was so bored. Maybe it was just the holiday, but
it seemed like the hotel had slowed down a little. But perhaps this was a good
thing. If it was going to slow down for a few days, then Nico could relax a
little. However, the others were not acknowledging it, so perhaps it was not
something to get excited over.
After leaving the bar, Nico headed back to his room, where he was greeted by a
surprise visit from Percy. The manager and Jason were standing in the living
room, and it seemed like they had been in the middle of a conversation. Jason
was still smiling when Nico opened the door, though he frowned upon seeing
Nico.
To say the last few days had been unpleasant for both of them was an
understatement. It was so awkward, at least for Nico. Sure he had been curious
about Jason's body, but he had not wanted such an intimate and up close
experience with the blond's junk.
But at least Jason's hair was already blond again. The twins had not been lying
when they said it was temporary. Still, the blond narrowed his eyes upon seeing
Nico.
“I see you two have been having fun,” Percy chuckled.
Nico let out a sigh. “Am I off the hook yet?”
Percy hummed and tapped a finger to his lips. “I don't know, perhaps a few more
days. Maybe if something happened in the shower, I'd end it on the spot.”
Nico's jaw practically hit the floor. “I'm starting to wonder if you're into
voyeurism.”
The green-eyed young man shrugged. “Actually, I was thinking about both of
you.” He motioned to Nico. “You're not comfortable with having sex with anyone
but me.” He then turned and glanced at Jason, who was scowling at Percy. “And
you're still not over associating sex with bad emotions. So, I thought I could
kill two birds with one stone. Jason finds you attractive, and you find Jason
attractive. I don't see the problem with this.”
Nico felt his eyebrow twitch. “You have some serious issues.”
The manager scratched his cheek. Looking at the young man, he reminded Nico of
an innocent toddler, though Nico was no fool. “It was just a thought. Think
about it the next time you're in the shower. I need both of you to be more
comfortable with sex and other people. Now, if you both can do that without
sex, then by all means, don't have sex with each other. I figured it might be
easier this way, rather than picking Lost Kids at random.”
This was a nightmare. The two roommates glanced at each other, eying each other
carefully. Jason reacted first, shrugging casually. Nico let out a sigh and
nodded his head. “Fine, if something happens, we'll go with it,” the brown-eyed
boy mumbled.
Percy let out a sigh and smiled. “Well, now that we have that settled, Jason,
you need to get to bed. Both of you do, but you have an early appointment with
Circe tomorrow, so I guess Nico gets off the hook for another day. And, Nico,
you need sleep as well, but I wanted to talk to you, and I know you're going to
make me proud by studying some of those documents before you sleep.” He flashed
Nico a bright smile before stepping aside to allow Nico to pass by him.
“I hate you sometimes,” Nico mumbled as he walked by the raven-haired young
man. Jason laughed as he disappeared into his room and shut the door. When Nico
turned around from shutting his own door, he found Percy laying down on his
bed. “Can I help you?”
The young man grinned mischievously. “Well, we haven't really discussed hours
yet.”
“Too tired.”
Percy only continued to grin. “That's actually what I was wanting to talk
about,” the young man said. Nico tilted his head to the side, not following. He
sat down and began to take his shoes off. “I've noticed something about you,
Nico, as of late.”
“What's that?” Nico sighed, tossing his shoes aside and undoing his pants. Once
he was out of them, he sat back down on the bed, near Percy, and pulled his
legs up to his chest.
“It's that...as of late, I haven't really seen you trying to have sex.” The
young man sat up and sat cross-legged, facing Nico. “No major blushing when
someone makes a pass at you, no requesting to have sex with me, not even much
of lustfully gazing at the other Lost Boys. I'm not sure if I should be
impressed, happy, or worried.” He smiled when Nico glared. “But you're still
cute when you do that. In all seriousness, though, I'm just surprised, but in a
good way. I mean, you even turned me down for sex the other week. I'd say I'm
pretty happy with your development in that regard.”
Nico's eyes fell to his sheets, where he simply shrugged. “Just haven't really
wanted it.”
“I guess I'm also surprised you didn't come to me for some comfort after all of
that.”
Brown eyes flickered up to meet the young man across from the Lost Boy.
“Comfort doesn't always have to involve sex. It was just nice having you
around.” Percy smiled at him so brightly that Nico could feel his heart begin
to melt. Percy was just too much sometimes. “Or maybe even just to be held.”
Before Nico could even blink, Percy had slid in beside him under the covers. He
smiled and pulled Nico close to him. “I don't have a problem with cuddling or
holding you whenever you might need it.” He rested his head on top of Nico's,
taking in a deep breath. “Actually, that's all I had intended to do after your
mother's funeral.”
Once again, Nico found himself face to face with his failures. If only he had
put more thought into his actions, perhaps he would not be in this mess. The
boy's eyes slowly closed. He could hear Percy's heart beating in his chest, and
the sound of it was mesmerizing. There in Percy's arms, Nico felt like the most
important person in the young man's life. He knew that was not true, which only
made it hurt more.
“You know,” Percy said, “I've been thinking about something else.” The young
man's voice rumbled in his chest, vibrating against Nico's ear. “Aside from not
fully comprehending why you like me, I don't understand why you see me as
perfect. I don't really like it either. It's like a verbal slap to the face
when you say that about me.”
Nico's fingers tightened in Percy's shirt. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “If it makes
you feel any better, I'm starting to not think that as much.” He leaned back,
allowing himself to get a better look at the young man beside him. “Being
perfect means there's nothing to improve upon and without flaw. And to be
human, you're going to have flaws. And that's what you are, human.”
The young man smiled and started stroking Nico's hair. “Well, I can rest a
little easier now that I don't have all that expectation to live up to.”
“You are attractive, probably the most attractive person I've ever laid eyes
on, though.” Nico felt his cheeks burn as Percy grinned at him. Why did he have
to stick his foot in his mouth sometimes? But it seemed that his mouth had
developed a mind of its own. “I know you're not perfect, I see that now, but I
don't think the things you do make you a bad person. A bad person would not
carry guilt with them, would not seek to help people. You're still desirable,
even if you choose not to see it. You're human, and I think that's better than
perfect. If you were perfect, I'd have to drown in my own sorrow because I'd
have absolutely no hope of having a chance with you.”
Percy chuckled and continued playing with Nico's hair. “Well, I'm glad you
decided to tear down the pillar you managed to place me on.” He shifted their
positions, so that one of Percy's legs was resting between Nico's own legs. A
hand slipped up Nico's shirt, where it traced circles around the boy's
bellybutton. “Though, who said anyone had a chance with me to begin with?”
Nico had to let out a groan. Leave it to Percy to ruin the mood. “You couldn't
just let me have that, could you?”
“Why, Nico, I take pride in torturing you, I'll have you know.”
A more true statement had never been said.
---------------------------------
Circe had to be a witch. That was really the only explanation that Nico had for
how a woman could make each of the Lost Kids look so good, even him. Nico
tilted his head to the side and ran a hand down his cheek. Circe's girls had
just finished giving him a facial, something he had been very much opposed to,
but was not minding it so much now. His skin felt so soft...well, softer than
before. His nails were perfectly manicured and his hair had been done to near
perfection.
His bruises had disappeared, thankfully, leaving Nico with a face even had him
looking stunned. Circe was smiling behind him as she continued to primp his
hair. “Now, I let you keep a slightly messy look to your hair, while making
sure it is acceptable for Gaea's liking,” the woman told him. “Make sure that
you spend a little extra time in front of the mirror in the mornings until
Gaea's departure. As I'm sure you've been made aware by now, you need to look
your best as long as you're out of your suite.”
None of this was helping Nico's nerves. Percy and Rachel had left just over an
hour ago to wait at the airport. The boy's brown eyes kept flickering over to
the clock, watching it slowly tick and move. On the bright side, he had around
half an hour before his life potentially ended.
He nearly jumped when Circe's hands squeezed his shoulders. “Well, I believe
you're all done here. Scamper along and brace yourself for the coming storm.”
“Thanks,” Nico mumbled, shooting Circe a weak smile.
Jumping out of his seat, Nico nodded in Circe's direction before heading into
the rest of the hotel. He stopped and looked around, debating on where he
should go. It would not be long until he had to come back to the lobby, so his
room seemed like a bad idea. Swimming was out of the question, unless he wanted
Circe to decapitate him in his sleep. And most of the other activities around
the hotel would involve getting sweaty, so Nico opted for getting a snack from
the cabana.
As luck would have it, Ganymede was still there, and not off getting ready like
most employees were. Though, the man was cleaning up, which meant he was
probably going to temporarily close until after Gaea had arrived.
Ganymede looked up with a smile when Nico sat down across from him. “Well hello
there. What do I owe the pleasure of your company on this beautiful day?”
Nico rolled his eyes, though he could not hide the smile that covered his face.
“Just waiting until our guests arrive.”
The man wagged his eyebrows and leaned forward. “I bet you're just so excited
about that.”
“Oh, you have no idea. I'm just plain ecstatic.” Nico leaned his elbows on the
bar. He watched as Ganymede went back to cleaning and organizing. It was
probably for the best, seeing as how everything needed to be absolutely
perfect. “Is Piper's father famous?”
The ex-Lost Boy stopped and turned around to blink at Nico. “Um, if you
consider being a well-known actor famous.” He tilted his head to the side when
Nico gave him a confused look. “Piper's last name is McLean, yes?”
“Yeah?” Nico nodded, not following the man's words.
Ganymede rolled his hand slowly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the
world. “You know, like Tristan McLean, the movie star.”
Nico's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Okay, so maybe it should have been
obvious. “That's her father?” He practically yelled.
The man chuckled, nodding his head. “Yep, that would be her father. Though, I
wouldn't try bringing him up or asking for an autograph.”
That was very curious, though. Piper had to have been brought up in a fairly
luxurious life. So, how did a girl like that go from movie premieres and fame,
to stripping under Percy's hotel. Why choose this life over something like
that? Yet, Piper did not seem too happy to talk about her father last night,
which truly made the question that much more confusing.
The dirty bond-haired man slapped his hands onto the counter, nearly causing
Nico to fall off his stool. “So,” Ganymede said with a bright smile, “I hear
you're going to be Percy's little assistant boy during the manager meeting.”
“Unfortunately,” Nico mumbled.
“How goes the studying?”
Nico let out a groan, burying his face in his palms. “I don't understand why he
would pick me. Sure it's some good educational experience for my classes in
school, but I'm pretty sure any of the other Lost Kids would be better suited
for this.” He shook his head in sorrow. “They all know this stuff better than
me, especially Leo and Rachel. I mean, I was even shocked to learn that the
hotel rooms here were decently priced.”
Ganymede smiled and patted Nico's shoulder. “Well, you have to keep in mind
that a lot of the guests here are just that, guests, and they don't know about
the other things that go on here.” The tall man shrugged. “But then you also
have people that simply come here to eat at our restaurant or get an
appointment with Circe. You'd be surprised at some of the simple sources of
income that Gaea's hotel chain has.”
Nico simply shrugged in response. His shoulders were slacking a little, but
that would probably be because of his nerves and depressed mood. Something was
going to go wrong, he could just tell. “I just don't know what to expect from
this.”
“Well, I got to sit on a meeting once,” Ganymede replied. Nico brightened up a
little. “Actually, it was the first time I ever had the pleasure of laying eyes
on our dear Percy.” The man smiled when Nico leaned forward. “He was maybe a
year younger than you at the time. He was just so...beautiful. Though, he was
fairly quiet during the meeting. I did have the honor of having him wink at me
when he caught me staring.”
“He had never come with Gaea before during her visits?”
Ganymede shook his head. “No, not really. And, during the rest of their time
here, Percy was practically attached to Kronos's side, which helped deter most
of us Lost Kids from trying to speak to him.” At the mention of Kronos's name,
Ganymede made a face as if he tasted something sour. “They may seem similar, in
a lot of ways, but Percy and Kronos could not be more different. Like, if Percy
were the color white, Kronos would be black.”
Nico slowly nodded his head. “So, did anything else happen during their time
here.”
Ganymede nodded, lightly chewing on his lip. “Oh yeah,” he replied. “You know,
but they could never prove it had anything to do with Kronos. And now that
Percy is manager, nobody would dare ask, because that would be like insulting
Percy himself.”
Nico checked to make sure they were alone before turning back to Ganymede.
“What happened?”
“Well, we've had similar cases before and even after this happened, but this is
possibly the first time it was caused by someone from within the hotel system.
At the time, Kronos was probably around sixteen, perhaps seventeen; you know,
not really the age where you'd suspect something.” Ganymede let out a sigh.
“Well, there was this girl at the time, pretty young and fairly fragile. In all
honesty, I didn't see how she was going to make it.”
“I don't like how you keep saying 'was'.”
The man shrugged in response. “Were you expecting anything other than a tragic
ending? I mean, do I need to remind you of where you're at?”
“No,” Nico sighed. He motioned for Ganymede to continue.
The ex-Lost Boy checked his watch before looking up at Nico. “Let's just say
that Kronos is known to have a way with words, and can be fairly persuasive.
Which, if you are aware of that about Percy, then you already know what I'm
talking about.”
Nico nodded.
Ganymede cleared his throat. “I don't really want to get into great detail
about it, but Aphrodite swore she saw Kronos and the girl talking. And then she
turns up dead, though everyone is fairly certain it was suicide.”
“Do you believe that?”
The man rubbed at his mouth. “It probably was, though I feel confident in
saying that Kronos probably said something to her to make her do that.” This
was not helping Nico's nerves. “Just be aware of Kronos while he's here, okay?
He's very good about getting into your head and making you do what he wants.”
“I-”
Nico was cut off by the sound of his phone. And it seemed that Ganymede had
also got a text, as the young man reached down to pull his phone out of his
pocket. Nico's eyes flickered down to his screen. The text was one word from
Leo: Lobby!
“Well,” Ganymede chuckled, “looks like that's our cue to get into position.”
There was a heavy lump in Nico's throat, one that he could not manage to
swallow. He was no longer sure who he should be more nervous about meeting.
Both seemed pretty intimidating to him at the moment, though.
He was so rigid as he walked. Ganymede just laughed, tossing an arm around the
boy to speed him up. As they walked, Circe came bursting out of her spa like a
bomb was about to go off. “Hurry, hurry!” She called after them as she took off
towards the lobby.
“You'll get used to this,” Ganymede assured him. Nico was not so sure if that
would be the case.
The other Lost Kids were already standing in the middle of the lobby when they
arrived. Even Chiron, Dionysus, Esperanza, and Chris were there, though they
stood at the back. Nico gave Ganymede a pleading look before he was pushed away
by the laughing blond.
Staring at his feet, Nico took his position next to Jason, who was practically
bouncing on his heels. Which Nico could understand in all honesty. Jason was,
after all, the son of Gaea's late rival. The others, however, could not have
looked more relaxed unless they were given pajamas and a bed.
Leo came bounding out of the elevators, shuffling rapidly towards them with his
cell phone in hand. He took a deep breath as he positioned himself at the door.
Nico felt the color drain from his face as soon as Leo turned towards them. The
Latino raised a hand to his mouth before he yelled, “Gird your loins! This is
not a drill!”
Several of the Lost Kids rolled their eyes, but all the humor was lost on Nico.
He felt his shoulders tighten and his stomach do a flip as the Latino boy
slipped his phone into his pocket and placed his hand on the door.
There, in front of the hotel's front door, was a long, black limousine. Percy
emerged first, with Rachel following quickly beside him. The young man dashed
around to the other side and opened the door, while smiling at whoever was on
the other side of the door.
Reaching out, Percy took a feminine-looking hand. And out from the door came a
dark green high-heel. Nico's stomach plummeted. There was no more waiting,
there was no more time to prepare. His fate had been sealed, though that had
probably happened the moment he had been brought into the hotel. Nico could
think of a million of other things that he would rather happen at the moment,
some of which included one of the several terrorist customers the hotel had
showing up and threatening to blow them up. But none of that really mattered at
the moment because of one simple fact.
Gaea was here.
***** In the Face of Evil *****
Chapter Notes
     So, I've almost caught up to where I'm at on fanfiction.net. Which
     means that you guys will have to get used to longer periods between
     updates. Just hopefully not super long periods. But I wanted to say
     that when I'm done updating the chapters here, I'm going to start
     uploading a few of my other stories. I'll probably start with some of
     the shorter stuff, though most of the requests were that I upload
     House of the Wicked over here. Which I'm going to, especially with
     the growing possibility of having mature content in that fic. So I
     just wanted to get that announcement out of the way.
Seeing a picture of Gaea had not really prepared Nico for seeing the woman in
person for the first time. It felt so surreal, watching the tall woman walk
through those doors in front of him. There was an air of grace and elegance
about her as she walked, like she was so far out of reach, yet the true
embodiment for the life Nico had been living for the past few months.
There was simply no distinguishing age just by looking at the woman, she could
have been immortal for all Nico could tell. Her face was beautiful, more
beautiful than any woman—even a model—that Nico had ever laid eyes on. She was
tall and slender, with a thin back dress covering her figure. She walked with
perfection in her heels, like she might have done it her whole life. Her hair
was flowing freely behind her, as black as night itself. And then there were
her green eyes, hard as stone and as green as freshly grown grass.
The woman had Percy on her arm, and the young man seemed happier and less
stressful than Nico had seen him in quite a few days. Rachel tailed after them,
spouting off details about what had been happening at the hotel as of late. But
on Gaea's other side was a woman that Nico had yet to see.
Like Gaea, she had long, black hair, though she kept it in a tight bun. Her
eyes were as grey and stormy as a raging thunderstorm, with the same hardness
that Nico could often see in Percy's own green eyes. She wore a business suit
and skirt, which showcased her long legs. Though she walked gracefully, the
woman was busily reading over something on the tablet in her hands.
But the thing that Nico found himself thankful for was the lack of Kronos.
There was absolutely no sign of the infamous young man as Gaea was brought
inside.
Once Gaea was standing before them, the Lost Kids straightened their posture,
though many of them still smiled. The only other person besides Nico that
seemed uneasy about the woman's presence was Jason, who kept fidgeting
nervously.
Gaea laced her fingers in front of her as she glanced them all over. For Nico,
it was an uncomfortable silence, where he could distinguish nothing about what
the woman was thinking. As hard as it was to figure Percy's thoughts at times,
this woman took it to a whole new level.
“Hello, children,” came Gaea's almost harmonic voice. It was so soft, so
captivating, that Nico could have mistaken her for a siren from myth. She moved
to the end of the line that the Lost Kids had formed, thankfully opposite from
Nico. Unfortunately, it also meant he would be last to be seen. “Annabeth,
Thalia, Luke, Apollo, Octavian, Zoë, Silena, Charles, Butch, Piper, Calypso,
Travis, Connor, Reyna, Hazel, Will, Leo, Clarisse, and Ethan.”
This now brought her in front of Drew and Juniper, which left the woman with
only three Lost Kids until she reached him. To say his heart was going into
overdrive would have been an understatement for him.
“Drew and Juniper, I trust the move has been pleasant for you both?” Gaea asked
the two girls.
“Yes, ma'am,” both girls replied. It surprised Nico, to see Drew so polite to
someone that was not a customer. Even to Percy, the girl could be irritable at
times.
And then Gaea was on Jason. The blond clenched his hands at his sides,
swallowing a lump in his throat as he stared back at the woman. Gaea narrowed
her eyes slightly before opening her mouth. “You must be Jason, son of Zeus and
Thalia's younger brother. I trust that you have been adjusting and that I won't
have any trouble for you?”
Jason wasted no time in shaking his head. “N-no, ma'am,” he barely managed to
whisper.
A beautiful smile sprung out across Gaea's full, perfect lips. “Good. Then I
will enjoy having you as one of my employees, as I'm sure Percy has enjoyed
having you here for the past two months. Don't cause any trouble and you won't
have anything to fear from me.” Smiling again, she patted the blond's cheek and
moved on.
Unlike Jason, Nico could not even manage to swallow the lump that had been
forming in his throat. It felt as if his heart had decided to lodge itself
there. The raven-haired boy stared up at the woman with wide eyes, trying his
hardest not to shake. All traces of the woman's smile seemed to slip away as
she laid eyes on him.
“And you,” she began, “you must be the Nico that I've been hearing so much
about.” She gently reached out and grabbed hold of his chin, tilting it up so
that she could get a better look at him. Her nails pressed against the boy's
pale skin, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to cause a slight
discomfort for Nico. “I've heard quite a good deal about you, my child.” The
way her emerald green eyes pierced him, Nico could only hope that it had been
nothing bad. “I must say, I don't believe I've had someone cause such chaos in
my ranks since your boss found his way into my care.”
As Nico slowly opened his mouth to attempt to respond to the woman, someone
burst through the door and practically jumped on Percy. Arms were wrapped
tightly around the green-eyed manager's neck as a pale cheek was pressed
against Percy's tan one.
A young man around Percy's age and height now stood at the green-eyed young
man's side, nuzzling against Percy fondly. “Percy!” The newly arrived male
exclaimed happily. “I have missed you so much!”
Percy chuckled and shook his head. “You've been seeing me since you arrived,
Kronos.”
The lump in Nico's neck was gone. His heart had sank into his stomach, the
color draining from his face. He had been hoping that Kronos was not going to
arrive with his mother, but that did not seem to be the case after all.
And if to make matters worse, Kronos opened his eyes to reveal his light brown
orbs. They shimmered in the light, reminding Nico of pure gold. He would have
been drawn in by them, if they were not piercing him like a knife. The way the
young man stared at him was like a predator stalking its prey, a lion hunting a
weakened gazelle.
Still holding on to Percy, Kronos smirked. “So, this is the boy that you've
been talking about, brother.”
Unlike Gaea's voice, Kronos sounded as cold as ice. The very sound of the young
man's voice caused a chill to run down Nico's spine. And with a quick glance at
the others, Nico could tell they felt the same. The happiness they had
displayed at seeing Gaea was completely gone, replaced instead by an
overwhelming tension. And many of the Lost Kids even refused to look up from
the carpet.
Kronos let out a sigh, his head falling onto Percy's shoulder. The pale young
man's lips tilted down into a frown as he picked at his shirt. “I must say, I'm
a little disappointed. After hearing about you, I just expected more.” Nico's
blood ran cold as the young man detached himself from Percy and bent forward to
look Nico directly in the face. A manic grin slowly crept its way across
Kronos's face. “But here you are, and you don't seem like much at all.”
“S-sorry,” Nico barely managed to get out, his eyes falling to the floor.
Kronos narrowed his eyes. Cold fingers touched Nico's chin and forced the boy
to look up. Leaning in, Kronos lost his smile. “It's not nice to disappoint
people,” he whispered.
“Already picking on the new kid?” Luke mumbled from down the line.
Kronos bit down on his lip, a look of excitement appearing in his eyes. Pulling
away from Nico, the raven-haired young man opened his arms with a smile. “There
he is. And a record time at that.” Kronos tapped his chin. “You know, it's been
a while since I've seen you come to someone's defense so quickly.” Yet another
grin appeared on his pale lips. “How's your mother doing these days, Luke?”
Percy rolled his eyes and shook his head. Glancing at Gaea, the green-eyed
young man arched a brow. Gaea snapped her fingers in Kronos's direction.
“That's enough,” she said softly, “let's settle in to our rooms.”
“Yes, mother,” Kronos said, still smirking at Luke.
Kronos headed for the elevator, Gaea and the woman that Nico still did not know
following after him. Nico swallowed the lump in his throat as he turned to
watch them board the elevator. When he noticed someone standing beside him, he
looked up to find Percy smiling at him. Raising his hand, he patted Nico on the
head.
“That wasn't so bad, was it?”
Nico wanted to say yes, but he figured it was not the best course of action.
“Not at all,” Nico lied. “But who was that other woman?”
“Oh.” Percy smiled. “I guess I forgot to introduce her. I'll correct that later
tonight then. But for now, that would be Athena, the European branch manager.”
Patting Nico on the head again, Percy, Leo, and Rachel headed for the elevator
that Gaea, Kronos, and Athena had boarded. Once Percy was inside, Kronos
attached himself to the green-eyed young man once again. Nico narrowed his
eyes, feeling a surge of jealousy.
“You okay?”
Nico turned his head away, avoiding Luke's gaze. “I'm fine,” the boy mumbled.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Funny, because you didn't look fine. If you're going to
act like a scared little girl, you might as well paint a target on your back
for Kronos.” The blond let out a grunt. “Well, at least there's someone from
the Middle East branch that I can stand.”
Nico quirked a brow and looked up at the blond, only to find him staring at the
front door again. Following Luke's gaze, Nico found a tall, lanky brunet
directing some of the hotel's employees with some luggage. He had a small,
wispy goatee on his chin and unruly curly hair.
“Grovie!” Juniper exclaimed excitedly as she latched herself onto the brunet's
neck.
So that was Grover. Looking at the brunet now, Nico had to wonder how Grover
managed to survive under Kronos. The way the guy smiled as he hugged Juniper
back, he did not appear to able to harm a fly. How had Kronos not eaten him
alive?
Before he knew what was going on, Luke was dragging Nico towards Grover and
Juniper. Annabeth and Thalia were already hugging the brunet, and Nico got the
feeling they Grover better than some of the other Lost Kids.
Smirking, Luke lifted a hand to clasp Grover's held out one. “Hey, man,” the
blond greeted the brunet. “How was the flight?”
“Not too bad.” Grover smiled at Juniper as he finally managed to pry her off
his neck. “A little relieved to be here finally. At least now Kronos has
someone to distract him...not you of course.” Luke shot the brunet a dirty
look. The brunet's eyes finally landed on Nico. “This the new kid?”
Thalia grinned and held Nico's shoulder, pushing him forward. “Yep. Grover,
meet Nico. Nico, this is Grover, the most awesome person in Gaea's employment.”
Grover smirked and held out his hand, shaking Nico's pale one enthusiastically.
“You know, I was originally going to get posted here, but Percy ended up
finding Leo and Rachel.” He let out a sigh. “And Kronos requested me first
anyways.” The smirk returned as he placed his hands behind his head. “I hope
you're surviving okay. I know that these three can be a handful at times, not
to mention you have Percy walking around. Nothing but trouble that one is.”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Please, like you weren't encouraging most of his
stunts back in Germany. As I heard, you were the reason he ended up with a
broken leg that one time, when you convinced him it would be perfectly safe to
ski down the flight of stairs at Gaea's hotel.”
“You know,” Grover began, “there are a lot of versions of that story flying
around these days. However, since Percy is not around to say otherwise, I'd
like to say that mine is the honest one.”
“Uh-huh,” Annabeth replied, unconvinced.
Grover smiled innocently. “Anyways, I've got to get upstairs before Kronos has
me hunted down.” The brunet nodded at Nico. “Nice to meet you, dude.”
Nico turned his head lightly to watch the brunet head to the elevators with
Juniper attached to his arm. He frowned to himself. It must suck for Juniper,
having to be so far away from the guy she liked. And Grover seemed like a
pretty good guy, at least from Nico's first impression.
------------------------------------------------
Nico quirked his brow as he entered the bar room on the top floor. Annabeth
stood at his side, shaking her head. Nico tilted his head to the side. “Is he
okay?” He whispered to the blonde.
“Hard to say,” she whispered back.
Luke was splayed out on the couch, his eyes narrowed at nothing in particular.
In a way, he reminded Nico of a child that had just been put in timeout. Taking
a chance, Nico poked the blond with his foot. Icy blue eyes instantly shot over
to him in a murderous glare. The brown-eyed boy quickly held his hands up in
defense.
Luke sat up, still glaring. “What do you want?” He growled.
Annabeth let out a sigh. “You need to get backstage. And I'd recommend going
now, before Kronos gets up here.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Luke grumbled as he stumbled up from the couch. Had he been
drinking?
Annabeth shook her head with another sigh as Luke managed to get himself out
the door. “I'm already awaiting the end of this meeting. I don't mind seeing
Gaea, but Luke does this to himself every time he has to see Kronos.”
A faint chuckle drew Nico's attention to Dionysus, who was already busy mixing
drink. “I don't know what all the fuss is about. Ever since I met him, I have
found Kronos nothing short of effective and quite the conversationalist.”
“That's because you're both despicable human beings,” Annabeth shot back.
Dionysus's beady, dark eyes sparked in amusement as they shot over to the
blonde. “Careful, Annie, or some secrets might slip,” the man grinned. Annabeth
narrowed her eyes. “Oh yes, I've known for quite some time now. You see, unlike
our most esteemed manager,” he said in a mocking tone, “I actually do see
everything that goes on in this hotel.”
The blonde continued to glare daggers at the man before she grabbed Nico's arm
and dragged him out of the bar room. Once the door was shut, she let out a
heavy sigh. “I truly wish that man would just leave. At least once a year, I
beg Percy to send him somewhere else.”
“You okay?” Nico asked.
The Lost Girl nodded her head. “Never trust him, Nico. I know we've told you
that before, but you need to hear it again. The man is a liar and a deceiver,
who will stop at nothing until he's gotten under your skin. On numerous
occasions, he's tried causing divides amongst us.”
Nico frowned. “Why does he even stay around?” Nodding his head to the door,
Nico locked eyes with the grey eyes of the blonde in front of him. “He seems to
like Kronos, so why doesn't he go work for him?”
Pursing her lips, Annabeth pushed herself off the wall she had propped herself
against. “Because, he is waiting for something. And if I'm correct, may be
something soon.” Her eyes were no longer staring at Nico, but rather the floor
to the side of the boy. “He has always resented Percy, but is still hoping that
something will come out of biding his time. And he thinks he knows what I want,
but he's wrong.”
“And what do you want?”
Grey eyes flickered back over to Nico. Straightening herself, Annabeth patted
his shoulder. “Time to get to work,” she said with a small smile.
Nico let out a sigh and followed after the blonde as she weaved her way around
the tables. For the duration of Gaea's stay at the hotel, the wall had been
taken down that separated the boys and the girls. Apollo had told him that it
was for efficiency, which pretty much meant that they were doing it so that
Gaea wouldn't have to move around so much. Thalia had mentioned that in Germany
the boys and the girls all performed on one stage, like they did here on big
weekends.
Out of nowhere, Nico was yanked away by his arm. Letting out a small yelp, he
nearly fell on his face. Luckily, there was another hand that caught him.
Looking up, he found Percy's smiling face. And it would have made him smile as
well, if not for the other hand that had originally pulled him. Alongside Percy
were Gaea and Kronos, the latter having yanked him.
“Just who I was looking for,” Kronos said, the hint of a smirk on his face.
“Why don't you wait on our table tonight, Nico.” Placing his hand on the pale
boy's back, he guided Nico towards the booth Percy always sat at. “After all,
I've been so looking forward to meeting you.”
For some reason, Nico had the feeling that was not a good thing. “I'd be happy
to,” Nico managed to reply. He felt cold all of a sudden, and he tried to look
to Percy for support, but the young man was busy talking with Gaea.
A few of the other Lost Kids took notice of Nico being dragged to Percy's
booth, but they did not look upset like they did on the first night Nico
managed getting Percy's table. They looked a little worried, as well as
relieved. Not that Nico could really blame them for the last part, as he
himself wished more than anything right now that he was not the one serving
Percy's table.
Placing Nico in front of the table, Kronos slid into the booth and stretched
his arms out across the back of it. Nico glanced at Percy with panic in his
eyes as the young man came up beside him. His were not answered, though, as
Percy just smiled and ruffled Nico's hair before sliding in beside Kronos.
After Gaea was seated, Nico pulled out the pen and pad he kept tucked in the
waistband of his speedo. “So, what can I get for you three?”
Inspecting his nails, Kronos quirked a brow. “What kind of greeting is that? I
do hope you try harder with the customers.”
“I do.” Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. “I just didn't think it would
matter as much at this table, since I'm not soliciting business.”
“Now that you're working the back rooms,” Gaea interjected, though she was not
bothering to look in Nico's direction.
Nico bit down on his lip and glanced at Percy, who just shrugged. He was now
understanding what he had been told recently: Gaea really was not happy about
Percy's original decision concerning Nico's employment.
Finally coming to Nico's rescue, Percy smiled. “I'll just have some water for
now, Nico, and maybe have some salsa chips sent up from the kitchen.”
Nico nodded, scribbling it down on the pad. Propping his chin up with his palm,
Kronos stared at Nico with a bored expression. “I'll have a Black Russian, and
make sure Dionysus adds an extra shot of vodka,” the young man ordered. “Oh,
and get some cheese dip for those chips Percy ordered. Salsa is good, but I'm
craving some cheese dip.”
Nodding his head quickly and scribbling down Kronos's order, Nico glanced up at
Gaea. The woman had her fingers laced under her chin as she watched Nico with
an unreadable expression. Nico's whole body tensed on instinct. “A-and what can
I get for you, ma'am?”
In silence, Gaea continued to stare at him for a few long seconds. She finally
smiled and relaxed into the booth. “Well, at least he has manners.” Waving a
hand casually, she continued. “Just call me Gaea, dear. I'm not old enough yet
to let people like you call me ma'am.”
Nico glanced at Percy in question. The manager chuckled. “She means working as
a Lost Kid, you're one of the few people she'll let call you by her name.”
“I gave the Lost Kids their name,” Gaea continued. “I started this business
before Percy or Kronos were even born, so the kids I took in were essentially
just that, my children.” Nico was uncertain if he should be relieved or not by
hearing that. It was a nice sentiment, but the woman still made him nervous.
“I'll just have a martini, sweetie.”
Nodding, Nico headed for the bar room, scribbling down Gaea's order as he went.
Pushing the door open, Nico tore of the piece of paper and slipped it across
the counter to Dionysus. The man grabbed it and lifted it to his face, where he
nodded and placed it back on the counter.
“I see you haven't been eaten alive yet,” Dionysus said, keeping his eyes on
the drinks.
Nico scrunched his lips. “Disappointed?”
The man pouted his lips, placing his hand on the bar as he turned to face Nico.
“Now, Nico, I'm offended. I would be very dismayed if some form of harm were to
come to you.” The man went back to his drinks, while Nico typed in the order
for the chips to be sent up from the kitchen. “Besides, it's inevitable that at
least one of the two of them will eat you alive before they leave.”
As much as he hated to admit it, the comment managed to get under his skin.
Nico paused, his finger hovering over one of the buttons on the small computer.
“You're not going to get to me,” he whispered.
“Run all you like, the hotel always claims its victim.”
As he poured Percy's water, Nico's fingers tightened on the pitcher. “Well,
maybe one day you'll have that satisfaction. However, for now, I'm still
surviving.” Putting the pitcher of ice water back in the fridge, Nico grabbed a
tray and put all the drinks on it. “You're not going to get to me, Dionysus.”
There was a smirk on the man's lips as Nico balanced the tray. “You say that
like I'm intentionally trying to sabotage you, Nico. If I do recall, I'm not
the one who did anything to you, that would be your latest 'family'.” As Nico
headed for the door, the man sat down in his chair. “Besides, trying to ruin
all of you would be too much work, and isn't necessary anyways. Everyone in
this hotel ends up destroying themselves eventually.”
Nico headed back to Percy's booth, where he dropped off the drinks. “The salsa
chips and dip should be up shortly,” he informed them.
“Do hurry, I'm hungry,” Kronos mumbled.
Percy arched a brow at him. “You just ate an hour ago.”
Kronos shrugged. “And now I want chips.” Raising his drink to his lips, he made
a face. “You call this a drink?” Rather roughly, the pale young man shoved the
drink back in Nico's direction. “Take it back, and have me another made.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico mumbled, picking the drink back up. Chewing on his lip, he
headed back to the bar room. Sighing as he opened the door, he walked over and
deposited the drink on the counter. “Kronos didn't like it.”
Dionysus nodded, though he simply filled the drink back up. “There you go.”
Nico arched a brow as he held the refilled drink in his hand. “Aren't you going
to redo it?”
Turning to the boy, Dionysus blinked at him. “And why would I do that? It's not
that Kronos didn't like the drink, it's because he doesn't like you. Sadly for
you, you've got the worst time to serve Percy's table. The Lost Kids avoid it
like the plague when Kronos is here.” Nodding to the drink, Dionysus went back
to work on more drinks. “Now go on, tell him I put more alcohol in it this time
to make him happy.”
Letting out a sigh, Nico slowly made his way back to Percy's table...again. He
was getting the feeling that this was going to become routine as the night went
on. As long as he did not have to do this every night for the rest of Kronos's
visit, Nico could probably survive. Hopefully.
As the night went on, Nico was only proven right in his assumption. It seemed
like Kronos went out of his way just to torment Nico in every way he could, and
get away with it without making it seem like he was doing it intentionally.
First it was the drink, then he complained about the cheese dip. And then when
they finished the chips, Kronos complained about not having enough. Towards the
end of the night, it seemed like Kronos was just trying to be an ass when he
said the color of Nico's speedo didn't suit him.
Nico narrowed his eyes over at the raven-haired young man, who had somehow
managed to corner Luke near the stage. The room was mostly empty now, save for
a few customers trying to talk with Gaea, but were being blocked by Clarisse
and Ethan.
Smiling warmly, Juniper patted Nico's shoulder. He sat at a table with the girl
and Grover, waiting to be dismissed. Nico frowned as he watched Kronos and
Luke. The blond narrowed his eyes at something Kronos said to him, which only
made the brown-eyed young man grin wider. Before walking away from the blond,
Kronos patted Luke's cheek rather harshly and laughed lightly. Octavian hurried
over to his brother, placing his hand on Luke's shoulder before the other blond
could go after the smug manager.
“You know,” Juniper began, “if I didn't know what a sadistic bastard Kronos
was, I'd say he has a thing for Luke.” When she received odd looks from the two
boys at the table, she rolled her eyes. “Like boys when they are younger, and
they pick on girls that they like, since they aren't intelligent enough to know
how properly act on their feelings.”
“Hey!” Nico and Grover replied, slightly offended.
“Don't get mad over the truth.” Juniper smiled. “But, as we all know, Kronos is
not the affectionate type.”
“He actually might be getting engaged soon,” Grover mumbled around a sandwich
he had brought up from the kitchen. “Rhea.”
Juniper's eyebrows rose. “Oh really? Well, she's a nice girl, so maybe she can
straighten him out.”
“Good luck to her,” Grover muttered under his breath.
“Grover!” Kronos shouted from the stairs.
The brunet stiffened and scarfed down the rest of his food. “Got to go,” he
said quickly, pecking Juniper on the cheek as he dashed off.
Juniper sighed and rolled her eyes, attempting to clean up the mess that Grover
had left behind. “I worry that Kronos is going to send Grover to an early
grave...in one way or the other.”
Nico scrunched his lips as he let his face fall onto the table, resting his
cheek on the surface. “How do you do it?” He asked. Juniper arched a brow at
him. “Being with Grover, I mean. Are you two dating?”
“Um, it's complicated.” Juniper let out a sigh. “The distance is rough, and I'm
not sure we'll ever get to be near each other. Grover owes a lot to the hotel,
and Gaea, so he's sort of bound to it for life. Unlike the rest of us, he
doesn't have as much of a choice in the matter.” Slouching in her chair,
Juniper laced her hands across her stomach. “I've asked Percy to transfer him
here, and I asked Athena when I was back in Europe, but they both said there's
nowhere to really put him at the moment. He's a good secretary, and good at
keeping things organized, so they don't want to just put him anywhere.”
“And no one wants to send Leo or Rachel over there.”
Juniper nodded. “Exactly. Percy says if he finds an opening, he'll talk to
Kronos about it.” Running through her fingers through her hair, Juniper let out
another sigh. “It's just not exactly what a girl dreams about when she's
growing up.”
“I'd imagine not.” Nico sat up and grabbed the bottle of water he had grabbed
before leaving the bar room for the night. Yawning, he took a swig. He was so
exhausted, but he knew it would be another hour or two before he got any sleep.
Nico had managed reading over a great deal of the material Rachel had given
him, but he still had a huge pile sitting beside his bed. Though, to say the
least, he was learning a great deal about the hotel.
Juniper smiled at him. “So, what did you always dream up for your prince
charming?”
Nico barely managed to smile, feeling his eyes beginning to droop. “Well, after
I came to admit to myself I was gay, I would imagine up these insanely hot guys
that would come along and say all the right things to make me melt.”
The Lost Girl let out a chuckle. “You know, just looking at you, people would
think you're all doom and gloom. And, yet, underneath it all, you're just a big
softie and romantic.”
The boy narrowed his eyes. “Don't repeat that!” He hissed. Letting out a sigh,
he glanced over to where Percy was smiling and talking with Gaea. “I was
younger, and I just wanted the fairytale ending that everyone got in those
movies. As I got older, though, I went through a long phase where I thought
simply because I was gay that I didn't deserve such an ending.”
“And then?”
“I realized that was just my father talking in my head.” Nico's eyes grew dull
as he watched Percy walk in their direction. “And, sadly, I don't see myself
getting an ending like that in my future anymore.”
Following Nico's gaze, Juniper smiled again. She reached across the table and
squeezed his hand. “Don't say things like that. I think you'll end up happy,
and with someone that really cares about you.”
“Just not Percy,” Nico mumbled.
“I never said that,” Juniper chuckled.
Nico stiffened when he felt something touch the back of his chair. His breath
hitched when he felt lips press against his ear. “Don't go to sleep too early,
I want to come see how you're doing with everything,” Percy whispered into his
ear.
Nico shuddered. His eyes had closed as soon as Percy began speaking, and now he
was feeling too tired to manage opening them again. Nico simply nodded, letting
out a breath when he felt Percy let go of his chair.
Juniper smiled at him from across the table. Standing to her feet, she nudged
him with her foot. “Come on, sleepyhead, we'll get you back to your room.”
Nico let out a groan, but managed standing up. His legs felt like lead as he
dragged himself towards the stairs. “You mean so I can do more work.”
Taking Nico's arm, Juniper led the boy down the stairs. “Look on the bright
side, Percy's going to be stopping by your room shortly, and I figure he'll be
willing to help you if you're lost on anything.” Boarding the elevator, Juniper
hit the button to their floor after sliding her card through the slot. “And you
know, you'll have him all to yourself.”
“Percy and I actually haven't done anything since my mother's funeral,” Nico
mumbled.
“A little fucked up way of looking at it, ain't it?”
Nico shrugged. “No more so than anything else in this hotel.”
When they arrived at their floor, Juniper was pleasantly surprised to find
Grover standing outside her door. Nico smiled at her as she released his arm
and headed down her hall. Once she was inside her suite with Grover, Nico's
smile slowly fell off his face. At least they were open with their feelings
with each other, and were able to see each other a few times a year. At this
point, Nico would have given anything to be like that with Percy. Just not as
far away from each other.
Upon entering his suite, Nico found the lights off, which meant that Jason was
either not back yet or he was already asleep. Either was fine with Nico, as he
was finding it hard to fully stare his roommate in the eye the past few days.
Having to stand naked in the shower with an also naked Jason—while enjoyable
for Nico—was also slightly uncomfortable.
Sure he had seen some of the Lost Kids naked by this point, and sure he was now
technically a prostitute, but he was not yet fully comfortable being so
vulnerable with the blond. Perhaps it was the blond's indifference while they
were in the shower. Jason barely spoke, and rarely looked Nico in eye during
the shower. He was so different from the other Lost Boys, who even now still
made passes at Nico.
But it truly sucked for him in the regards of finding Jason appealing. Jason
was attractive, there was no doubt about that. And perhaps, if put in a
different situation where their lives had not been so fucked up—and Percy was
not involved in the situation like he was—Nico might have found himself
romantically interested in Jason. The blond was interesting and fun to talk to,
at least when he opened up to Nico. And he was probably one of the more
attractive guys at the hotel.
But, whereas Apollo felt like an older brother to Nico, Jason felt like a very
close friend. A friend that some part of Nico's mind wanted to have benefits
with. And having to see Jason naked on a daily basis now sort of made it hard
to not try anything, even if he was being coerced into doing something by
Percy. How fucked up was that anyways?
It was a little after three when Nico heard the door to his suite open.
Footsteps drew closer, until they came to a stop outside of Nico's door. The
brown-eyed boy rolled onto his side to look at the door when it opened.
There stood Percy, who walked inside and closed the door behind him before
plopping down on the bed with Nico. The manager picked up a sheet of paper and
looked it over, propping his chin up on his palm. “So, how goes it?” The young
man asked.
Nico let his head fall onto his arm with a groan. “I've lost a lot of extra
sleep, just trying to be prepared for this meeting. I'm still not sure if
picking me was the best idea.”
Nico sighed when he felt fingers rake through his hair. “Maybe you should have
faith in yourself.” Percy smiled at him. “Is there anything I can help you
with?”
Nico shuffled through some pages, trying to remember any questions that he had.
“Um, well, I didn't know that there were other hotels like this one in North
America.”
“Yep,” the green-eyed manager replied. Nico's heart skipped a beat when Percy
rested his head on Nico's back, the young man's fingers slipping up the back of
Nico's shirt. “I mean, that would just be unfair that our clients had to come
all the way out here just to see performances. But there are a lot of just
normal hotels around.”
“And they outnumber the ones like this one?”
Nico felt Percy nod against his back. “Makes it a little harder for law
enforcement or the federal government to crack down on the right one.” Percy's
index finger trailed down Nico's spine. “Because, let's face it, none of the
clients are brave enough to rat us out, and those that snoop around learn
really quickly that they shouldn't go poking around Gaea's business.”
Finally finding the paper he was looking for, Nico scanned it over quickly.
“And Gaea's funding a movie?”
Percy grinned and slid his hands around to wrap around Nico's stomach. “What,
Gaea can't like movies?” The young man asked, sliding up so that his nose was
buried in the crook of Nico's neck. “You know, Gaea is planning on dropping by
the set. I could bring you along, if you'd like.”
Nico perked up slightly. “I could see a movie set, and meet the actors?”
“More than likely,” Percy mumbled. “I'm sure Gaea wouldn't mind if I asked her.
It'll be shortly after the meeting, a few days before Gaea leaves to go back
home.”
Nico opened his mouth to reply, but stopped and gasped when he felt Percy kiss
and suck on his neck. The boy let his head fall onto the papers in front of
him, his eyes fluttering closed. Percy's arms tightened around him, pulling the
boy closer. Slowly, Percy slid a hand down the side of Nico's shorts, rubbing
Nico's soft thigh.
“Percy,” Nico breathed out.
In response, Percy pulled Nico onto all fours and yanked Nico's butt into his
crotch. With a hand still on Nico's stomach, Percy leaned forward and bit down
on Nico's neck. A gasp escaped Nico's lips as the back of his shorts were
pulled down.
Nico felt Percy grin against his throat. “You know, I didn't take you for the
type to go commando,” Percy growled against his skin.
Nico's cheeks lit up. “I was just trying to get comfortable,” he mumbled.
Percy's fingers brushed lightly against Nico's entrance. “Aw, and here I was
hoping you did it with the knowledge that I was dropping by.”
Nico maneuvered his upper body so that he could look at Percy. He narrowed his
eyes. “Don't flatter yourself so much.”
Percy simply grinned and crashed their lips together. Nico let out a moan when
Percy took his bottom lip into his own, rocking his hips roughly against the
brown-eyed boy's butt. When Percy pulled away, he pushed between Nico's
shoulders, pushing the boy upper body against the bed.
Nico frowned at seeing the paperwork he was supposed to be studying strewn
about, some of it partially crumpled. “Percy, maybe we should-”
He was cut off when the green-eyed young man took hold of his balls. “I think
it's kind of hot,” Percy whispered into Nico's ear. “In fact, you're more than
welcome to come to my office at a later time and try out my desk.”
Percy chuckled when Nico just narrowed his eyes and ripped their shirts off.
With a quick nip to Nico's bottom lip, Percy removed his pants and underwear
before taking his place behind Nico once again. Nico frowned against the papers
his face was pressed against when he heard a popping noise.
Turning his head, he found Percy with a thing of lube. Nico arched a brow. “And
where did that come from?”
Percy stared back at Nico with raised eyebrows. “What? I figured you didn't
have any lube and condoms yet.” Smirking, he applied some lube to his fingers.
Nico let out a gasp as Percy's coated finger slowly slid inside of him. “You
should really stock up on some, especially if I have to keep checking up on you
like this.”
Some part of Nico wanted to be annoyed with what Percy had just said, but at
the same time he was happy. He was happy because the young man was implying
this might become a normal thing. And while Nico knew it was not what he was
wanting, it was still more than he had when he first got to the hotel.
By the time Percy was done stretching him out, Nico's face was flushed. Percy
pulled him back onto all fours before pulling out a condom he had brought.
Sliding it onto his member, Percy pressed it against Nico's entrance and slowly
began to push in.
Nico bit down on his lip and scrunched his eyes shot as Percy's manhood slowly
penetrated him. But, unlike his past few sexual experiences with people, Percy
entering him did not bother Nico in the slightest. Well, save for the slight
discomfort due to Percy's size.
Once fully embedded into Nico's ass, Percy pulled on the boy's shoulders,
biding him into getting on his knees. Placing a hand on Nico's cheek, Percy
pressed their lips together and took hold of the boy's hips. With a light
thrust, Percy managed to draw a gasp out of Nico. Seizing the opportunity,
Percy slipped his tongue into Nico's open mouth.
After a few more thrusts, Percy broke their kiss, letting Nico fall back onto
his hands. Percy pressed a hand between Nico's shoulder blades, shoving him
roughly into the paperwork and Nico's mattress. And while normally Nico might
have objected to something like this, being treated like this sexually, he
found it hot.
Percy's hands gripped roughly on Nico's hips, keeping the boy's ass securely in
place as it jutted out for Percy to have his way with. One of Percy's hands
reached up to grip Nico's shoulder, squeezing it tightly as the young man
leaned his body forward to angle himself better. Nico let out a string of loud
moans as the green-eyed young man quickened his pace, slamming his tan hips
into Nico's pale ass.
Without warning, Percy flipped Nico onto his back and placed the boy's legs
onto his shoulders. Nico stared up at the young man with wide eyes as Percy
slowly slid back into Nico. Percy just stared down at him with dark, lust-
filled eyes, briefly leaning down to claim Nico's lips. He pulled Nico more to
the edge of the bed, lifting Nico's legs higher.
Nico's mouth fell open and he saw white when Percy began rapidly slamming into
him. Every single time, Percy hit his prostrate dead on. Nico screamed out in
pleasure as Percy gripped his legs tightly and slammed into him as hard as he
could.
And as Nico's head rolled to the side, he suddenly became very thankful that he
had left his closet door open. The door's mirror was opened just right, giving
the brown-eyed boy the perfect view of Percy's tan and toned butt as the
manager rolled his hips into Nico's ass.
It was kind of hot, being able to see himself get fucked like that.
It did not take long after that for the two raven-haired males to build up a
sweat. Nico's eyes were drawn back to Percy's actual form, his eyes raking over
the young man's sweat-covered chest. His brown eyes dilated as he took in
Percy's sweaty, lean form , watching as Percy's abs tightened . He reached out
and ran his hand down the manager's torso, which glistened from all of the
sweat. From above him, Percy grinned, his eyes partially covered by his wet
bangs.
Gripping Nico's legs again, Percy lifted Nico's lower body once again and
rapidly thrust in and out of the Lost Boy. Nico's head fell back, his mouth
agape. His vision turned white as Percy continued to pound into him
relentlessly. And, without touching himself, Nico released himself across his
stomach.
Percy slowed down until he was moving at a snail's pace. Readjusting Nico's
legs, he wrapped them around his waist as he leaned in to press their lips
together. Pushing Nico's sweat-covered bangs out of the boy's eyes, Percy
smiled. One of Percy's hands rested around Nico's throat as he slowly continued
to thrust in and out of the boy.
Nico's mouth fell open in a moan as Percy managed to brush against his prostate
once again. In response, the young man smirked and took hold of Nico's still
hard penis. With half-lidded eyes, Nico attempted to prop himself up,
ultimately failing.
“I already came,” Nico barely managed to whisper.
Biting down on his lip, Percy continued with his thrusts, all the while still
sliding his hand up and down Nico's shaft. “Which was hot, since you didn't
touch yourself. I was just curious if I could get you off a second time before
I finished.”
Nico's cheeks flared up again, but he did not stop Percy. Taking that as a sign
to continue, Percy grinned wider and went on with his agonizingly slow thrusts.
But when Nico went to open his mouth to ask Percy to go faster, the young man
slammed against his prostate. Looking up at the young man, Nico caught Percy
smirking again. That bastard was doing it on purpose!
But before Nico could object to anything, Percy leaned down and slid his tongue
into Nico's mouth. Nico let out a moan as Percy's erection brushed against his
prostate. It was so slow, and definitely not the pace Nico had been wanting,
but it felt so good as Nico could feel every inch of Percy's arousal brushing
against him.
With a last slow thrust into the boy, Nico released himself a second time onto
his stomach and Percy's hand. Percy moaned into Nico's mouth, letting Nico know
that he too was climaxing. With a cocky smirk on his face, Percy pulled back.
And if not for the sight of Percy's long and lean torso in front of him, Nico
might have been irritated. And then Percy did something that made Nico hard all
over again.
With his smirk still in place, Percy raised his hand to his mouth and licked a
portion of Nico's semen off him. Nico's mouth hung open as Percy removed
himself from Nico and deposited the used condom in the nearby trashcan. Leaning
back down, Percy pecked Nico on the lips.
Nico frowned as Percy began gathering his clothes. He knew there was no point
in asking the young man to stay with him for the night, but he still wanted to
try. But he didn't. Letting out a sigh, Nico stood to his feet, where his legs
wobbled. Grabbing his shorts, Nico turned back to his bed, his eyes widening.
The material he had been given was everywhere. There were some crumpled up from
where Nico had been laying, while some had been pressed inwards in the shape of
fists from where Percy had hovered over him. And even worse, some had managed
to tear during their activities. Some of the pages had even been knocked off
the bed altogether!
“Fuck,” Nico hissed under his breath.
Percy pressed his lips to Nico's temple as he buttoned his jeans. “It's not a
big deal, I can get you more copies. Or I can just run you through summaries of
everything during our downtime.”
Nico buried his face into his palms. How could Percy be so calm about this? If
Nico messed up, it would only make things worse with Gaea and Kronos. Kronos
was obviously after him already, but he was uncertain of how Gaea was going to
approach the situation. She was unhappy, Nico did know that much, which meant
that he needed to tread carefully.
“As long as I get everything covered before the meeting,” Nico sighed.
Smiling, Percy kissed along Nico's neck, his hand squeezing Nico's ass through
the boy's shorts. “Well then, you're more than welcome to drop by my office for
a more...private session on the affairs of the hotel.”
--------------------------------
“I feel like there's a joke about not dropping the soap in here somewhere,”
Jason chuckled while Nico massaged his scalp.
Narrowing his eyes, Nico intentionally let some of the shampoo get in the
blond's eyes. Nico smirked when Jason winced. “You're the one standing in
front,” the boy reminded his roommate.
“This is true.” Jason shrugged. “And I'm sure you're enjoying the view from
back there.”
“When will this torture be over?” Nico mumbled. Though, the blond was not wrong
in his assumption. If he were being honest with himself, Nico would admit that
he had taken to staring at Jason's perky, pale ass every time he had to get in
the shower with the blond. And while he had not intentions of fucking Jason, it
did not mean he could not admire the blond's backside.
Once Nico was done, Jason ran his head under the water, making sure to get all
of the shampoo out. After that, the blond shook his head, slinging some water
at Nico. Nico's roommate playfully stuck out his tongue at seeing the raven-
haired Lost Boy's displeased expression. Grabbing some body wash, Jason began
lathering his body up in front of Nico.
The raven-haired boy sighed and grabbed his own shampoo, swapping places with
Jason so that he could wet his hair. He let out a yelp when he received a slap
on the ass. Spinning around, he glared at his roommate. “I thought you didn't
go for sex unless it was business or with Percy?”
The blond shrugged. “Yeah, but it's fun to watch your reaction. Besides, I
thought we were supposed to be messing around. No offense, but I kind of like
being alone during my showers.”
“You and me both,” Nico mumbled.
Jason reached around and washed his ass, which brought a small blush to Nico's
cheeks. “Well, in response to your comment a second ago about torture, I'd like
to point out that we are both in this mess because of your little stunt.”
As bad as it might have been to argue this point, Nico did so anyways. “Well
how would you feel when a new Lost Kid comes along and does everything just
right, when you messed up all the time and keep making mistakes?”
Jason's face deadpanned as his hand stopped. The blond rolled his eyes and
crossed his arms over his bare chest. “Oh yes, how dare I be good at something
I've been forced to do since I was thirteen,” the blue-eyed Lost Boy said
sarcastically. Shaking his head, the blond ran his fingers through his wet
bangs. “In case you have forgotten, I was sort of put into this by my own
father as soon as I hit puberty. And unlike you here, I got hit when I messed
up under my father's business. That or he'd let my brother handle me.” The
blond let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, and I guess I should mention that my brother
always handled me by raping me when I tried to sleep at night. But you know,
it's completely understandable to get upset for me being good after I come
here.”
All of Nico's resentment seemed to instantly dissipate. Nico suddenly felt two
inches tall as he fidgeted in front of the blond. And to make the boy feel even
more vulnerable, they were still naked. “I'm sorry, I didn't know,” Nico
mumbled. “I've been messing up a lot lately, I guess. Not sure I can do
anything right at this rate.”
Letting out a sigh, the blond did something that surprised Nico a little. He
wrapped an arm around Nico and pulled the boy to his chest. Opening the glass
shower wall, Jason sat them down on the edge of the tub that bordered the
shower, the shower head spraying their feet.
“You know, it doesn't make you stupid or a bad person for messing up. People
make mistakes every day. We mess up, and it often costs us. And even sometimes
we mess up and it is counterproductive to what we initially were trying to
accomplish.” The blond squeezed Nico's shoulder. “But it doesn't make you a
failure. You shouldn't worry so much about pleasing others either.”
“And what if I never fully get the hang of things? I'm being watched like a
hawk.”
Jason shrugged. “Then maybe you should try to move on with your life. I'm not
gonna tell you to leave or stay, but I do think everyone deserves to find there
place, somewhere or something that makes them happy.”
Nico's lips tilted down in a frown. “And how do you separate what you want from
all of that?”
“Who says they can't be the same thing?”
“Because life isn't so kind,” Nico mumbled. He glanced at the blond from the
corner of his eye. “Why didn't you get mad at me after I did what I did?”
Jason shrugged with a sigh. “I guess I figured Percy had already tore you a new
one, so you didn't need me adding onto your guilt trip that I'm sure you were
inducing upon yourself.” Reaching up, the blond scratched at his cheek. “So, do
you mind if we get things over with and do as Percy asked?”
Nico frowned and fidgeted. His eyes flickered over to Jason's crotch. While
Jason was not currently hard, his cock was still impressive. Nico would also be
lying if he said the thought had never crossed his mind. “Can't we just not do
anything and tell Percy we did?”
Jason chuckled. “Do you think you are capable of getting away with lying to
Percy?”
“Fair point,” Nico mumbled.
“It's not like it'll be that bad. It could just be like a handjob, if you're
not comfortable with anything else yet.”
Nico slowly reached over, but stopped himself. “And why does it have to be me
doing all the work?”
Jason shrugged, leaning back slightly. “Well, this is your punishment, not
mine. Plus, I think it's more for you to get comfortable doing things with
other people, rather than them doing stuff to you. But, if you want, I can
return the favor.” Nico jumped when Jason reached over and grabbed his hand,
placing it around the blond's cock. “And, besides, you've stared at my ass and
crotch every time we've been in the shower, so I figure you wouldn't mind that
much.”
Nico narrowed his eyes, but did not pull his hand away. Pursing his lips, he
slowly began to stroke Jason. The blond placed his hands on either side of his
hips, letting Nico take over. Blood slowly filled the shaft, filling it until
it reached full size. While Nico did not have a ruler, he would estimate it to
be a little over seven inches.
“I wish I could be more like you,” Jason whispered. “You know, still shy and
hesitant when it came to sex.”
Still stroking the blond, Nico looked up at his roommate. “Well, you're not
unlike me. I don't see you jumping into bed with everyone around here.”
With a flick of his head, Jason flung his short bangs out of his eyes. “Give it
a few months, I'm sure you'll come to dislike sex as well.”
“So you hate this?”
Jason shrugged. “Not really. You're cute, and you're not really trying to do
anything.” The blond stared down to where Nico was touching him. “I don't know,
it just feels different...like with Percy.”
Nico hummed in response, taking a more firm grip on the blond's shaft. Jason
watched him with dull and unfocused eyes. The blond really was a sight, with
his lean, wet body. The Lost Boy had a long and beautiful torso, the little 'V'
shape included at the hips.
Nico blinked when he felt water hitting his back. Without realizing it, he must
have gotten down between the blond's legs. And there Jason's cock was, sitting
right in front of Nico's face. His mind seemed to be working on its own today
as Nico leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the head.
Jason let his head fall back with a sigh of contentment. “For not doing this
very long, you're not bad,” he breathed out.
Nico hummed around Jason's head, causing the blond to shiver. The water from
the shower head beat against Nico's back as he took more of Jason's shaft into
his mouth. Nico's eyes widened as Jason still up, his dick still in Nico's
mouth. The blond reached over Nico and turned off the shower before picking
Nico up and straddling the brown-eyed boy's legs around his waist. Carefully,
the blond carried Nico into his bedroom and sat the boy down on his bed.
But, before Nico could really look around his roommate's room, Jason had his
dick in Nico's face again. Leaning forward, Nico opened his mouth and let Jason
slide his erection in. Nico's hands drifted around the blond, groping the
blond's firm ass.
Jason's head fell back in a moan as Nico took the last inch into his mouth. The
blond placed his hand behind his head, which Nico found very hot to look at.
Pulling back until he only had the head in his mouth, Nico flicked his tongue
against the erection's tip. Another moan was Nico's reward for his action.
Sliding out of Nico's mouth, Jason plopped down on the bed. When Nico arched a
brow at him, Jason motioned to his crotch. Rolling his eyes, Nico slid down
between the blond's legs. Jason laid down on his back, spreading his legs for
Nico to get better access. Nico reached out and took hold of the blond's shaft,
running his tongue down the bottom of the shaft.
Jason propped his head up by placing his arm under his head. He stared down at
Nico with eyes filled with lust. In response, Nico simply stared back at him
while sucking on the blond's head. Jason moaned again. “You look really hot
like that.”
Nico let Jason's dick pop out of his mouth. “Like what?”
“Just with those dark eyes of yours, hiding behind your bangs, all the while
having my cock in your mouth.”
Nico rolled his eyes and slid the erection back into his mouth. This was not
exactly how he imagined things going when he found out he was going to have a
roommate.
After several minutes, Jason's hips bucked up into Nico's mouth, nearly causing
him to gag. Grabbing onto Nico's dark locks, Jason thrust into the boy's mouth
a final time before shooting his load. Nico scrunched his eyes shut at feeling
the hot liquid feel his mouth. He pulled back, which only got him hit in the
face.
Jason fell back on the bed with a sigh, placing his arms beneath his head.
“That was really good, dude.”
Nico rolled his eyes. He stuck his tongue out and smacked his lips at the
taste. It was not bad exactly, just an odd taste. Noting this, Jason grabbed a
bottle of water from beside his bed. Nico took a sip and washed Jason's seed
down his throat. Reaching up, he swiped some of the white liquid off his cheek.
“That looks hot as well,” Jason said with a grin.
“Not sure I like swallowing,” Nico said before taking another swig of water.
The blond shrugged. “Some of the male customers might not give you a choice, so
you might want to get used to it.”
Nico handed the water back to his roommate. “Yay,” he droned.
Jason collapsed on the bed again with a grin. “I could return the favor, but I
think we both need to start getting ready for the day.”
With a glance at Jason's clock, Nico confirmed that they did indeed need to
hurry and get dressed. Jason's room was not as messy as it usually was, Nico
noted. The few times that Nico had been into the blond's room, it was usually a
total disaster area. “Then I guess you need to get up.”
The blond chuckled. “My legs are a little shaky at the moment.”
“I thought you didn't like sex with other people?”
“Yeah, but that wasn't bad. Besides, like I said, you're not really trying to
push it on me.” Nico's eyes trailed down the blond's nude form as he listened
to his roommate talk. “Not really sure, I'm still trying to figure you out.
You're different from everyone around here. Though, I also find it amusing that
you see me as a threat that might stand between you and Percy.”
Nico froze. “Wh-what are you talking about?”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Please, I know that's why you did what you did. I've
seen the irritated looks you've given me.” He smirked up at Nico. “I think some
friendly competition might be good for you.”
Nico crossed his arms. “So you do like Percy.”
“Who wouldn't? He's a great guy, and everyone that comes here eventually
develops something for him. You know, even if it doesn't last long.” Jason
pointed to his cheek. “You might want to clean that off before it dries.”
Nico grunted and went to wipe Jason's cum off with his arm, but Jason tossed a
towel at him. Mumbling his thanks, Nico wiped at his face. Slightly annoyed by
the blond's smirk, Nico faced away from his roommate. Though, that might not
have been the best idea.
Jason surprised Nico by sitting up and grabbing both of Nico's ass cheeks in
his hands. Spreading the boy's pale cheeks, Jason leaned in and ran his tongue
along Nico's entrance. While Nico's eyes had shot open in surprise, the boy let
them shut with a moan. And just like that, Jason pulled away, slapping Nico on
the ass afterward.
Nico turned, ready to snap at Jason for teasing him like that, but the blond's
serious expression caught him off-guard. Pushing his blond bangs out of his
eyes, Jason glanced up at Nico. “You know, I was kind of attracted to you when
I first met you. Well, I thought you were cute, I should say. And, while I
think that if things might have been different, I might could have seen myself
with you, I don't see things that way anymore.”
Nico simply nodded, sitting down beside the blond. “I've been thinking the same
thing. Don't know, I just see you as more of a-”
“Friend?”
Nico nodded. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
“Yeah.” Jason sat up, his hands propping him up behind him. “If my life hadn't
been so fucked up before meeting you, and maybe if the hotel had of never
become part of our lives.” Blue eyes glanced over at Nico. “And if Percy
weren't involved.”
“You would have dated me?” Nico glanced at his roommate, pushing his dark bangs
out of his eyes.
The blond Lost Boy nodded a single time. “Possibly. I think I could see myself
with you. But, yeah, things have kind of been fucked up in my life. I'm not
really... never mind.”
“I probably would have liked that,” Nico said with a smile, bumping shoulders
with his roommate. Standing up with a sigh, he stared down at Jason. “But, I
guess things weren't meant to work out that way. And I think, at least for now,
I'd like to keep this a one time thing.”
Jason's lips tilted up. “Doesn't bother me. My sex drive is usually rather low
anyways. You probably weren't the only one that was surprised that I got into
it so much. You interest me a little bit, I'll just leave it at that.”
Standing in the doorway, Nico stopped and turned to look at his roommate again.
“Thanks.”
Jason cocked his head to the side. “For what?”
Nico shrugged. “Just...being a friend. I think I really might need one right
now, and one that I don't have to worry about trying to get into my pants.”
“Then we have a mutual understanding, that's good.” Jason stood up and grabbed
a clean pair of boxer-briefs. “Just do me the favor of not becoming me. I think
you're in a fragile state right now, Nico, and that could be bad. I don't think
everything has fully set in for you yet.”
Nodding, Nico went to leave again, but stopped. “Just one thing, though,” he
said. Jason glanced up at him. “Why did you just lick my ass then, if you're
not really trying anything. I mean, I get that you were doing this because I
don't bother you and Percy requested it, but why rim me?”
Jason simply shrugged, letting the waistband of his underwear pop against his
hips. “What can I say, you have a really nice ass.”
Nico rolled his eyes and headed for his room to get dressed. That had certainly
been interesting, Nico thought as he shut his door and tried to find some
clothes. He did enjoy it, and part of him did kind of want to try it again, but
he also doubted Jason would let him. Since the blond's arrival, other than
customers, Nico had only seen Jason have sex with Percy. The blond just was not
sexual like the other Lost Kids.
Nico frowned to himself as he slipped on some underwear. He felt bad for all
that he had done to Jason, and even what he had simply thought about. The had
been a worse life than Nico had originally thought. Did Thalia know about what
their older brother had done to Jason? Surely she did, judging by some of those
past conversations they had. It must have sucked for Jason after Thalia had
left, not having anyone there to really lean on. No one to make him feel safe.
After getting dressed, Nico grabbed his wallet and his phone before exiting his
room. Stretching his arms above his head, Nico contemplated making something to
eat, but he would probably end up finding something with some of the other Lost
Kids. With that in mind, Nico opened the door to his suite.
“I was just going to suggest-”
Nico quickly stepped back inside his room. During the split second that he had
his head in the hall, he had caught sight of Percy and Rachel heading towards
the elevators. While he did not know what was going on, Percy did not seem
happy.
“Do not bring me into this, Rachel!” Percy shouted. Nico peered around the door
frame to see if he could get a better look. Percy had stopped walking and had
blocked Rachel's route as well, using his height to tower over the girl.
“But-”
Percy slammed his fist against the wall. “I said 'no'!” With his nostrils
flared, Percy stormed off to the elevators.
Nico gulped. He had never seen Percy angry like that with one of the Lost Kids,
and he was not sure he wanted to know what it pertained to. He knew that asking
Percy would definitely be out of the question. Quietly, Nico slipped out of his
suite.
“Hey, Rachel,” he called out when he was nearly to the elevator.
Rachel looked dazed. She shook her head, realizing that she was no longer
alone. Clearing her throat, she straightened herself out. “Hey there, Nico.
Where you off to?”
Nico shrugged. “Not sure. I don't have to work until tonight, but Octavian
wanted me to come see him before then.”
Which was true. At dinner last night, the blond had asked Nico to drop by his
room again for another lesson in adapting to the ways of the hotel. And while
his last lesson had not been very enjoyable, Nico also knew it was probably
necessary. As much of an asshole as Octavian could be, he was still perceptive.
Rachel checked the time on her phone. “Well, I was just about to grab lunch
with Zoë, if you want to tag along.”
The Lost Boy smiled. “That would be great, I'm pretty hungry.”
As the two Lost Kids rode the elevator down, Nico kept stealing glances at
Rachel. Was she needing help? Why did Percy not want to help her? But it was
probably best to stay out of it, he reminded himself. Look at all of the
mistakes he had been making lately, and they were usually due to him not being
able to keep his nose out of things.
When the elevator came to a stop, Rachel led Nico into the hotel's restaurant.
Zoë was already waiting there by the time the two arrived. “I see you found
Nico,” the dark haired girl stated.
Rachel sat down across from the other Lost Girl. “Yep, he caught me as I was
boarding the elevator.”
“It seems we weren't the only ones wanting to eat down here,” Zoë mumbled with
a nod behind her.
Rachel and Nico followed where the girl had nodded, finding Gaea and Athena
sitting at a table nearby. Rachel chewed on her lip as she picked up the menu.
“He'll probably be joining her shortly.”
The other Lost Girl nodded. “I was thinking the same. We can always go
somewhere else, if you want.”
“Oh, don't leave on my account.”
All three Lost Kids froze. A chill ran down Nico's spine as he turned to find
Kronos standing a few feet behind him. Nico's eyes drifted away as he caught
sight of Percy heading over to Gaea's table. Returning his eyes to Kronos, the
young man smirked down at Nico.
The raven-haired manager placed his pale hands on the chair next to Nico. And,
unfortunately for Nico, Kronos was looking directly at him. “Still enjoying the
sights around here?” He grinned down at the boy. “I've actually seen some
pretty interesting things since I arrived,” he said in a mocking tone. And to
Nico's great displeasure, Kronos leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Some very
unpleasant things that need to learn where they belong, and when certain things
are too good for them.”
“Kronos!” Percy called across the room. The green-eyed young man had his arms
crossed and was tapping his foot. “Hurry up, we need to eat.”
Kronos stared down at Nico with a manic grin covering his face. Reaching a pale
hand up, he brushed some of his dark curls out of his face. “Coming, Percy,” he
called back. Patting Nico roughly on the head, the young man began to head over
to his table, but stopped short and snapped his fingers. Rachel paled as the
young man pointed to her. “Oh yes, that reminds me, Rachel, I got to have lunch
with your father not long ago.”
“I don't care,” Rachel whispered.
Kronos tapped a finger to his chin. “You know, I tried bringing you up to let
him know you were doing okay, but it was like he had no memory of you at all.
In fact, he even went as far as to say he didn't have a daughter.” The pale
young man's lips tilted up again. “Strange, don't you think?”
And with that, Kronos turned back around and went over to his table, having
fully accomplished ruining the Lost Kids' moods. The more and more Nico got to
be around Kronos, the more he was already beginning to see what a horrible
person the guy really was. And that just made him all the more thankful that it
was Percy's hotel he was at and not with Kronos.
Zoë let out a sigh as she looked through her menu. “Just ignore anything he
says, Nico, he's just trying to get under your skin.”
Rachel cleared her throat, trying to recover from her own encounter with the
young man. “And be thankful that you're not Luke or Annabeth. He singles them
out a lot during visits.”
“And be thankful that you didn't have to live with him,” Zoë sighed. She put
down her menu and propped her cheek up by her palm. “When I was living in
Germany, he was a nightmare. I mean, he still is, but at least now I don't have
to see him all the time.” She held a hand up to signal to a waiter that they
were ready to order. “Back then, I did everything I could to avoid the son of a
bitch.”
After they had all ordered, Rachel smirked. “You just essentially called Gaea a
bitch.”
The other Lost Girl took a sip of water. “Well, someone needed to do a better
job raising that asshole. I love Gaea, she's been good to me, but her son
turned out to be horrible.”
The red-haired girl let out a sigh. “No argument there.”
Nico frowned, glancing over to where Percy and Kronos were talking to each
other. How could the two of them be so close? Percy was a good person, even if
the young man didn't want to admit it, so how was it that the two could hit it
off so well? Scrunching his lips, the Lost Boy turned back to the girls. “Why
is he like this?”
Zoë simply shrugged. “Nico, some people don't need a reason to be sick and
twisted. There are some people out there that are just messed up in the head.”
She stared at the glass of water in her hand, swirling it lightly. “And that
would be Kronos. You don't need to give him a reason to be cruel to you, he'll
just do it because it is fun for him. I've seen him do some very sick things to
people that crossed his mother, some things I wish I could forget.” She let out
a sigh. “However, I have also witnessed him show some genuine acts of
kindness.”
Their waiter brought Nico and Rachel their drinks. After thanking the guy and
he walked off, Rachel took a sip of her drink. “Well, I mean, we've all seen
him be nice. And after all, he does keep Grover around, so he has to be nice to
the guy sometimes.”
Zoë gave Nico a lopsided smile. “The point is that one never knows how Kronos
might react. He's got a few screws loose in the worst way imaginable.” She
cleared her throat and stared down at the table. “I never got to see what he
was like as a child, but there were rumors that he brought half-dead animals in
after playing. Like a baby bird after having broke its wings. That story I
heard quite often. Apparently, when Athena told him to take the bird back
outside and get rid of it, he simply broke its neck right there in the middle
of the lobby.”
Well that had certainly helped Nico's appetite. A chill ran down his spine as
he thought about what some of the Lost Kids had talked about before. What if
Kronos did take over for his mother one day? Did he really want to be here when
that happened?
When they were nearing the end of their lunch, Nico decided to voice his fear.
“Does he...take over for Gaea, you know, if something were to ever happen to
her?”
Rachel pursed her lips, surprisingly choosing not to say anything. Zoë wiped
her mouth before shrugging. “We're not sure. He is a likely candidate, should
it ever come to that, but before Kronos got old enough, I know that Athena was
supposed to be the one to take over.”
Reaching out, Rachel took a sip of her drink. “And that will hopefully still be
the case,” she mumbled, sounding slightly bitter.
Nico chewed on his lip for a second before speaking again. “What about Percy?”
The dark-haired Lost Girl shrugged. “As far as I'm aware, he doesn't want the
job. Though, in his mind, I'm sure he thinks Gaea is going to live forever.”
Nico simply nodded. Wiping his mouth, he stood up. “Well, I guess I need to go
see Octavian before I have to get ready for work.”
The two Lost Girls smiled and waved as Nico pushed his chair under the table
and headed for the exit. His ride up the elevator was rather quiet and
uneventful, since he was alone. When he reached their floor, he knocked on Luke
and Octavian's door.
Usually, Luke was the one to answer, but today it was Octavian. “You're here
early,” the blond mumbled.
Nico shrugged. “Had nothing better to do, so I thought I'd get an early start.”
Octavian motioned to the hallway. “We'll be going into my room. Luke had a long
night, and he's still trying to get some sleep, so be quiet.”
Nico nodded and followed the blond back to his room, where Octavian shut the
door. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the blond motioned for Nico to sit on
the bed. Doing as he was instructed, Nico slipped out of his shoes and sat
down.
“You look tired yourself,” Nico pointed out.
Octavian shrugged. “I didn't get to sleep until around six, so that might be
why.” He sighed and began pacing. “As much as he hates showing it in public, my
brother gets irritated very easily around Kronos. And the asshole that he is
decided he wanted to talk to my brother last night.”
“About what?”
Octavian stared down at his feet. “Nothing,” he whispered. “Just our mother,
which hopefully Percy will not agree with.”
“That Percy will disagree with your mother, or Kronos's wish?” Nico asked.
“The latter.” Octavian plopped down on his bed, rolling onto his stomach.
“Percy already hates our mother, and I doubt he's going to go along with what
Kronos was suggesting, but one can still worry.”
Nico frowned. By the sounds of it, Luke and Octavian's mother was someone
important. Well, Piper's father was a movie star, so maybe he should not be as
surprised by this if it was true. “Who is she?”
From behind blond bangs, Octavian's blue eyes narrowed at Nico. “No one that
matters. I hated that woman from the day she made Luke run away.”
Nico pulled his legs up to his chest, resting his cheek on his knee. “Why does
Kronos hate your brother so much? I mean, is it just because Luke stood up to
him?”
Octavian let out a sigh and rolled onto his back. Some of his bangs slid off to
the side as blue eyes stared up at the ceiling dully. “It's not like that. It's
actually quite the opposite, really.” Octavian reached a hand up, like he were
trying to touch the ceiling. “In Kronos's eyes, my brother, as well as
Annabeth, are held higher than most other people. Myself, you, and the others,
we're all just worthless excuses for living organisms. But my brother...he's a
dog in Kronos's eyes.”
Nico quirked a brow. “A dog?”
“Dogs are capable of being trained, and dogs are protective of what they care
about.” Octavian sat up and pushed himself against the headboard. “As much as
Kronos would like, I don't see Luke being broken in to his wishes.”
“What would he even want from your brother?”
“Oh, there's quite a few things that I could think of.” Octavian glanced next
to him, to where Nico was sitting. “For one thing, I think Kronos wants my
brother to become like him or perhaps Ethan and Clarisse. My brother was very
violent, or so I hear, when he first arrived here from the streets. Percy took
to him easily enough, seeing as how Percy was also pretty savage when Gaea
first found him, but Kronos just found him fascinating. And when Luke stood up
to him, it only made Kronos more fascinated. And by stood up to, I mean Luke
almost punched Kronos.”
Nico scratched his head. “Were you here by that point?”
“No,” Octavian whispered. “I didn't get to the hotel until a little over a year
ago, where as Luke has been here for two full years now. I guess I should have
stayed at home, though. Running away only made it harder for Percy to track me
down.” Octavian looked down, some of his hair falling in his eyes. “I guess I
should be thankful for what ended up happening, though.”
“What happened?”
Octavian remained silent for the longest time before he finally pushed himself
off the bed and walked around the bed. “That really doesn't matter, it's in the
past. The point is that you don't want to be like my brother, because ever
since he stood up to Kronos, Kronos has gone out of his way to torment my
brother at every turn.”
Nico swung his legs over the edge of the bed, staring up at the blond Lost Boy.
“I'm sorry,” he whispered.
Octavian's eyes darted to the side, visually hardening. Pursing his lips, the
blond turned back to Nico. “Sorry for what?” Clearing his throat, he motioned
to Nico. “I have to sharpen your senses before work, and we have a lot of work
to do.” He narrowed his eyes. “Now, how good are you at knowing when you're
being lied to?”
***** In the Midst of a Crumbling Foundation *****
Sex in Percy's office had not been how Nico pictured his Christmas Eve going.
But shortly after his lunch shift had ended at the bar, Nico had found his way
to Percy's office under instruction from Leo. It did not take long for Percy to
get to the point of the matter. “You need to start negotiating hours like the
others do,” Percy had told him.
If this had happened back a few months ago, Nico probably would have turned red
and gotten very nervous. However, now was a bit different. After hearing this,
Nico stood up from his chair and walked around behind Percy's desk.
Percy scooted his chair away from his desk to allow Nico to sit down on the
desk in front of him. Nico bit down on his lip and yanked his shirt over his
head. The manager let out a chuckle. “Well, I said persuade me, but it looks
like someone is already in the mood,” the young man joked.
And perhaps he was. But it was not his fault, honestly. It was Percy's own
fault for wearing a dress shirt and tie today.
Without giving Percy a reply, Nico grabbed the manager's tie and pulled him
forward, slowly sliding into Percy's lap. Percy leaned back, running his tan
hand down Nico's smooth torso. When his fingers reached Nico's waistline, Nico
got up and turned around.
Percy quirked a brow as Nico bent over his desk, peeling back the top of his
pants and underwear. Okay, so Nico was very horny today. But it was better to
act on it with someone like Percy, rather than wait until one of the customers
requested his time and managed to kill his boner.
While Nico was bent over, Percy yanked the boy's pants down, exposing Nico's
ass to the young man behind him. Percy let out a chuckle as he got to his feet.
“I'd be more worried about how eager you were, if I didn't know it's primarily
just for me.”
Nico turned to glare at him. The cocky bastard. But if Nico stopped him, the
brown-eyed boy would be the one suffering. Just endure and have your needs
taken care of, Nico told himself. He was brought out of his thoughts when he
shivered from Percy in the middle of his shoulder blades.
Percy opened a drawer next to Nico and pulled out some lube and a condom. Next,
Nico heard Percy's zipper. He turned to look back at the young man, but Percy
grabbed the back of his neck and pressed Nico's face to his desk.
Nico let out a moan as he felt Percy slide into him. Without preparation this
time, it did sting more than usual, but no more than when he was with some of
his clients. At least Percy had the decency to slide in slowly, unlike the rich
assholes.
When Nico was comfortable, Percy began thrusting into him. However, that
quickly got put to a stop when Percy was forced to sit his computer monitor
onto the floor to prevent it from falling off the desk. Without warning, Percy
slammed into Nico as soon as the monitor was safely on the floor.
Nico moaned and buried his face into the desk, his fingers scratching at the
surface. He did not think he would ever get tired of sex with Percy. The boy
turned his head to try and catch a glimpse of the young man, which only aroused
him further.
While thrusting into Nico, Percy had his hands behind his head. Nico was not
sure why, but it was hot to look at Percy like that. The young man grinned at
him and leaned down to bite Nico's shoulder, earning himself a gasp. There
would not be a hicky, though. After their first time, Percy had made it clear
that marks would not become a recurring thing, not even with the other Lost
Kids. Not even the clients were allowed to mark them. Their bodies were to
remain perfect and without blemishes.
Percy rolled Nico over and picked the boy up. Nico yelped as the desk fell out
from under him. Percy chuckled and playfully stuck out his tongue, holding Nico
in the air. The brown-eyed boy locked his legs around Percy's waist, his arms
holding on for dear life.
Nico's heart calmed down when Percy sat down in his chair, Nico now in his lap.
The young man sat back and placed his hands behind his head again. He arched a
brow when Nico just sat there. “Well? Get to it.”
It took Nico a moment, but he eventually realized what Percy wanted. His hands
slipped around Percy's neck as he worked to raise and lower himself onto
Percy's manhood. After a few minutes of this, Nico buried his face in the crook
of Percy's neck. Percy's skin was a little salty from the sweat that was
starting to form on their bodies. Not that Nico minded, he actually kind of
liked it.
Nico pulled back and kissed Percy full on the mouth, sliding his tongue into
the green-eyed young man's mouth. He felt Percy smirk into the kiss. Nico
gasped into Percy's mouth when the young man began to thrust up into him as
fast as he could.
A loud moaned escaped Nico's lips just as the door flew open. Nico's face
turned red and he did his best to cover himself, which proved harder than he
would have liked. Sitting in someone's lap doesn't really offer a modest
position when naked.
Percy let out a sigh and gave Kronos a slightly annoyed look as the other young
man shut the door and sat down on the other side of the desk. “Kind of in the
middle of something here,” Percy said casually.
Kronos just waved it off, bored. “I didn't say you had to stop.” Nico chanced a
look and the young man gave him a dark look. “But I did need to talk to you,
and it is important.”
Percy sighed and worked on buttoning up his shirt, which was the only piece of
clothing still on the young man. He lifted Nico off of his lap and let the boy
stand in front of him. Nico was not sure if it was possible, but his face
turned even more red. As it stood, he felt more comfortable with exposing his
ass to Kronos than his front, not that it stopped him from trying to cover his
butt with his hands.
From in front of Nico, Percy smirked up at him as he slid on his boxers and
pants. Slapping Nico on the ass, Percy sent the boy away. “Get dressed and go
enjoy the rest of your afternoon off,” Percy told him. Nico nodded and slid his
boxer-briefs on. “I'll see you tonight.”
With a quick glance at Kronos, who gave the boy an amused look, Nico left
Percy's office. Rachel looked up from her computer monitor and whistled. “Damn,
nice underwear, Nico.”
The boy glared at her as he stumbled his way into his pants. “Can't Percy lock
his door?”
The girl chuckled. “Sorry about that. There's really no stopping Kronos, sorry.
I tried to tell him Percy was busy, but he just kind of went in anyways after
he heard your cries of 'more, more. God, yes!'”
Nico's face turned red all over again. “I did not say that.” His brow furrowed.
“Did I?”
Rachel pinched her fingers together. “Little bit. And in Italian, too. I was
unaware you even knew Italian.”
“Jesus Christ,” Nico whispered as he managed to get his shoes on. “Um, I only
know a little, but I don't even usually realize it when I use it.” Nico found
it hard to look at the Lost Girl as he walked by her desk. “I'll, uh, see you
later.”
“Have fun finishing up by yourself!” Rachel called after him.
Nico groaned as he shut the door, internally dying all over again. Sure he knew
that some of the others had seen him naked by now, whether it be from his own
choosing or from the security room, but it felt different when it wasn't from
him being observed by cameras. At least none of the others had made a joke
about seeing him naked or have sex while watching the video feeds.
If anyone would ask Nico what he did the rest of his afternoon, the boy would
firmly deny taking a nap until he had to wake up for work. But that nap that
certainly did not happen was so good and much needed. He had not even realized
how exhausted he was, or how much sleep he had been missing, until he laid down
to try and figure out something to do for the rest of his day.
He had quickly gotten a shower and threw on some lazy clothing to head upstairs
in, a bag of his wardrobe changes for the night thrown over his shoulder.
Stripping in front of a crowd had never really been how he had pictured he
would ever spend a Christmas Eve, but it was certainly what happened.
And so, Nico found himself changing with the rest of the Lost Kids into his
first piece of Christmas attire: the Santa suit that he had picked up the day
he had gone with Thalia and Ethan to see Aphrodite. He still did not fully like
it, but that was because he was fearful that his junk would fall out of one of
the small legs that reached halfway down his thigh.
Luke popped one of his suspenders as he walked past the boy, casting a grin
back when Nico turned to glare at him.
“Here you go, Nico,” Annabeth chuckled after Luke was gone off to get dressed
himself. Without even waiting, she placed the Santa hat she carried on top of
the brown-eyed boy's head. “There, now you look adorable.”
Nico pouted at her. “I don't want to look adorable.”
The blonde snorted. “And I don't want to be smart.”
“She's lying!” Luke called over to them.
Annabeth shrugged. “I am. And I don't think you mean it either,” she said to
Nico. “No, your looks give you power, something you need to start remembering.”
She adjusted his hat. “Remember that next time you feel weak when a client is
having their way with you.”
Nico looked down at his feet. “I'm in their to steal their secrets, possibly
ruin their lives.”
Annabeth let out a breath, taking a step back to look Nico over. “You're in
there to do a job, but that job gives you so much power over them. Besides, it
only ruins their lives if they cross Gaea or Percy.” She smiled and gave him a
thumbs up. “Perfect.”
Nico felt far from perfect.
Annabeth winked at him and opened her mouth, like she was about to say
something else, but her face paled as she glanced over Nico's shoulder. The boy
turned to follow her gaze, his face draining of color as well. Percy had
entered the backstage, which would have normally been a good thing, if not for
the fact that Kronos was at his side.
The green-eyed manager came up to Nico and Annabeth. “Everything ready to go?”
He asked. Annabeth gave a nod, her grey eyes not leaving Kronos. The other
manager did not even seem to acknowledge her existence, though, as he stared
around the room like he was bored. “Good.”
Percy's eyes drifted over to where Nico stood. The young man smiled and looked
the boy over, leaning back to finish off his examination by looking at the
boy's ass in the tight cloth shorts. Nico glared at the manager when he
straightened and wagged his eyebrows.
“Santa, I think I've been a very bad boy this year,” Percy joked. Nico rolled
his eyes. Seeing this, Percy only grinned and leaned in. “But, then again, I
suppose I could say the same to you. And naughty boys do need to be punished.”
Nico's pulse quickened as Percy's breath hit his ear. He was also very much
aware of the young man's hand holding onto one of his suspenders. “I, uh, need
to get ready,” Nico blushed.
Percy bit his lip. “Looks like those shorts are pretty tight. Let me know if
you need help getting out of them later.”
Nico chose not to respond. He might have, if not for the fact that Kronos was
staring down at him. It wasn't an annoyed or angry look, not even an amused
one, Kronos just was staring. The young man blinked and tilted his head to the
side, his eyes drifting over to Percy for a brief moment. When he looked back
at Nico, his lip curled into a sneer.
Nico left Percy and Kronos standing there with Annabeth, the green-eyed young
man giving him a curious look. But Nico did not like being around Kronos, not
at all. There was something about the other manager that just did not sit right
with Nico, but he could not quite place it yet. Something about the way Kronos
smirked and the look he would sometimes get in his eye.
And then it clicked as Nico stared at them from across the room.
Kronos reminded him of Percy, but only when Percy was scary. It was like
someone had taken that aspect of Percy and completely made a whole new person.
Kronos was the dark, Percy the light; complete mirror opposites of each other,
yet so similar.
It was already scary enough how similar the two looked. Their hair was both
black, though Percy kept his more messy than Kronos did. Their eyes were both a
sort of mixture of colors, shifting the longer Nico stared. They were even the
same height and nearly the same build, though Percy definitely had more muscle.
Percy and Kronos were already seated by the time the first performance came.
Nico stood with the others performing tonight: Luke, Annabeth, Jason, Will,
Juniper, Connor, Silena, Drew, and Calypso. They were all dressed fairly
similar in Santa costumes, and all fairly revealing.
The Lost Kids were already on stage when the Mariah Carey version of “All I
Want For Christmas Is You” started playing. Each of the Lost Kids had a unique
pose, slowly beginning to move as the jingling played. Several of the girls
placed their hands over their breasts, which probably did not help with the
fact that their Santa dresses looked like they might fall off at any moment.
Nico liked the routine, for the most part, because it was a lot of shimmying
and sliding back and forth. Nico spun around and ran his hand up the back of
his leg and then his ass. When Mariah started singing about how she “didn't
care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree”, Nico began popping his
ass. He caught Will smirking at him and he stuck his tongue out at the blond.
Perhaps that was not the best idea, as the blond saw it as an invitation to
deviate from the routine. Will got down on his haunches, spreading his legs as
he knelt in front of Nico. The blond winked up at him as he unfastened one of
Nico's suspenders and squeezed the brown-eyed boy's crotch. Nico's eyes were
wide with surprise as he gaped down at Will, though he knew he could not really
stop the blond from doing what he was doing either.
Looking at the others, Nico found that Will was actually a nice distraction, as
Annabeth and Drew had let the tops of their dresses fall down. They weren't
wearing bras. Nico sighed and unfastened his other suspender before pushing
Will forward and climbing over the blond.
When he came up, Connor grabbed him and twirled Nico around with a grin. Luke
ended up catching him and brought him to a stop so that his back was to the
audience. Nico went bright red, thankful that his back was to the audience, as
Luke peeled the back of Nico's shorts and slapped the boy on the ass.
At the end of the song, they all found themselves huddled together, smiling and
point at the audience as the song faded away. Nico placed his hands on his
hips, trying to catch his breath while they received some applause. As one
might expect, it was not all that crowded tonight because of the holiday.
Nico was silently hoping that he would not have to spend time with any
customers due to that.
-------------------------------------------
During Nico's break, he found himself standing at Percy's table, after the
green-eyed young man had pulled him to the side. Nico had said he was tired and
wanted to relax in the bar room, but Percy had given him some puppy dog eyes
that Nico could just not refuse. And, so, he found himself standing in front of
four very intimidating people. And, yes, he was including Percy in that group.
But it also marked the first real conversation that Nico had with Gaea since
her arrival. “I do like his features,” the woman said with a small wave of her
hand in Nico's direction. “His eyes are appealing, and I like that I can see
the emotion in them.” She pursed her lips at him. “You have no idea how many
Lost Kids I have out there that just look dead when you gaze into their eyes.”
Nico offered the woman a small smile. At least she was not trying to intimidate
him tonight.
“But,” the woman continued, “I suppose I shouldn't expect less from my Percy's
hotel.” She smiled and patted the young man's cheek, who was beaming up at
Nico. Nico sort of felt like he was being brought home to meet the
parents...except much more intimidating and Percy and Nico weren't dating. “You
also have a nice smile. Though, I must say I was a little...baffled when Percy
told me you were only working the bar when you first arrived.”
Nico turned to Percy for help, but the young man offered him none. “I didn't
even know what this place really was, ma'am, until a month later.” Nico's eyes
subconsciously turned on Kronos, who was tapping his fingers on the table in a
bored fashion while he narrowed his eyes at Nico. “Um, but I'm just thankful
that Percy found me. It was very kind of him to offer me a place to stay and a
job.”
A spark of amusement appeared in the woman's eyes. “And you didn't...harbor any
resentment for what he's made you do?”
Nico briefly looked at Percy, who shrugged. “No, ma'am,” Nico mumbled with a
shake of his head. “I mean, he's just been doing his job.”
Gaea leaned forward and began tapping her fingers together. “I admit that I
have been very curious about you, Nico. It started out when I first heard about
you and that you wouldn't be like the others, especially after I was emailed a
picture of you. Such a beautiful boy and he's not contributing like the others?
I was shocked.” She took a sip of her drink. “And then I did my research on
you.
“Father immigrated from Italy to try and make a better name for himself. Not a
very impressive or compassionate man, I must say. A kind and loving mother,
though quiet at times when possibly needed,” the woman started citing off
Nico's profile. “You have my condolences. Two very bright children, though one
currently is reported missing.” Her lips tilted up. “I could not possibly
imagine where he might be. And it seems that your father is spending a lot of
time with a new woman already. A man with such little respect for his late wife
might fit in nicely here, though I couldn't say much for his character as a
person.”
Nico was left speechless. She had done her research. And as he stared at the
woman, he had to wonder if that was all she knew about him. Doubtful. Percy
probably knew more about Nico, he just did not say or perhaps wanted Nico to
tell him instead.
“A very nice performance,” Gaea continued. Nico let out a breath, his heart
beating rapidly in his chest. “I do love this time of year. And I'm sure you're
eager for tomorrow, what with all the expensive presents that will probably be
coming your way.”
Nico looked to Percy again. The young man wagged his eyebrows, letting Nico
know that he would, in fact, enjoy the present Percy had gotten him. Nico
chewed on his lip. “I wouldn't mind if it was just something homemade,
honestly. Christmas at home was usually small, and I think my presents were
usually just from Mom and Bianca.” For some reason, Nico felt like she was
accusing him of hungry for money. Not that it was unlike some of the others
around here: Drew. “I'm just really thankful to be here and not on the streets.
The presents are really just like a bonus.”
The woman stared at him for a moment, studying him for any sign of a lie in
what he had just said. But there was none, so Nico felt a surge of confidence
as he let himself be examined under the microscope. She finally smiled. “A
lovely sentiment.” She brushed her hand against Percy's cheek. “Percy, do you
remember the present I got you four years ago?”
The young man nodded, taking a drink of his alcohol. “How could I forget? The
bitch of a wife that my father had married got to lose her house on Christmas
Day.” He grinned and looked at Gaea. “They never really did recover, did they?”
“I imagine that's why your brother showed up on your doorstep not long ago,”
Athena said as she busied herself with the contents of her tablet.
“True enough,” Percy agreed.
Kronos snorted, putting his drink down. “Oh, don't forget what happened to that
bitch. She got disowned after trying to pawn all her parents jewelry off.” The
young man leaned back with a content sigh. “Good times.”
Athena quirked her eyebrow at Percy. “Didn't she end up going to jail when Gaea
offered her parents some money to press charges?”
Percy nodded, taking another sip of his drink with a smirk. “That she did.” His
eyes flashed up to Nico. “She hung herself a month after being put there.”
Nico suddenly felt very exposed. Well, more than just because he was standing
there in nothing but his Santa shorts. “Oh,” he finally managed to choke out.
He managed forcing on a smile. “That was very nice of you, Gaea.”
The woman's eyes gleamed with amusement. “Well, I won't keep you any longer.”
Nico nodded and bowed slightly. “Oh, and, Nico?” She called after him. The boy
turned around. “I do look forward to seeing how you handle the meeting in a
week.”
Nico counted himself lucky at the end of the night, and not because of the hot
blond attached to his lips. No, because he was simply not in the back rooms.
Since the crowd was smaller than usual, most of the Lost Kids got to count
themselves lucky, just not all of them.
Nico sighed and pulled back from Will, who beamed at the brown-eyed boy when he
opened his eyes. Nico rolled his eyes. “I feel like you took advantage of me
talking to Juniper.”
Will shrugged. “Perhaps. It's not my fault that I noticed you standing under
the mistletoe.”
The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes and held out a hand when Will tried to
lean back in for another kiss. It was partly because he was still undecided on
his Will dilemma, but also because their current audience consisted of a
certain brown-eyed manager.
Kronos stared at the two Lost Boys from across the room, not even moving when
Nico stared back at him. The pale Lost Boy pursed his lips and took a step away
from the blond, who seemed confused by his actions. Percy leaned on the table
that Kronos was at, leaning in to whisper in the other manager's ear. The
corners of Kronos's lips tilted up and he finally tore his eyes away from Nico
to give Percy his full attention.
Nico did not stop staring when Will touched his shoulder. “You okay?” The blond
asked. Nico just nodded. The other Lost Boy frowned and patted his shoulder.
“Well, I guess I'll see you in the morning. I hope you like my present.”
Nico let out a sigh. He bit his lip and cast his eyes towards Will's retreating
form. He really needed to sort through his feelings. It sounded so easy, if he
were being logical about it all. Will was tangible, within reach, while Percy
was so far out there. Why was it even a competition?
And then Percy caught Nico's gaze and smiled at the boy, reminding the boy
exactly why it was not an easy matter.
“If I were you, I'd work on keeping a low profile,” came Ethan's voice from
behind Nico. The brown-eyed boy turned to find the security guard sitting down
at the table next to him, a cup of coffee in his hand. “Looks to me like Kronos
wants to toss you in front of an oncoming train.”
Nico sighed, sitting down beside the other Lost Boy. “I'm sure if he wanted me
dead, he'd find a more painful way to do it.”
“I see you already have an idea of what Kronos is like.” Ethan's eye shot over
to where Nico sat, amusement plastered all over his face. “Unlike Percy,
though, you'll easily know if Kronos is upset with you, and you'll know exactly
why.”
“Maybe I should like him better,” Nico mumbled. Percy was just a headache
waiting to happen for anyone to try and figure out what was bothering the young
man. His eyes roamed back over to where Percy and Kronos were carrying on their
conversation. They seemed so...normal and comfortable with each other. “Have
they ever...?”
Ethan quirked an eyebrow at him. It took a second, but realization finally
dawned on his face. “Oh.” The Lost Boy sipped at his coffee. “Not that I'm
aware. From what little I've heard, Kronos just sort of took an instant liking
to Percy when Gaea first adopted Percy. Been very close ever since.” The Lost
Boy shrugged and placed his coffee on the table, crossing his legs. “But, ever
since I've arrived, I've never seen them do anything that was more than
platonic.”
Nico's eyes watched as the other Lost Boy's hand traced the lid of his coffee.
“Isn't it a little late for coffee? Don't you want to get some sleep?” Ethan
just blinked at him. “I mean, tomorrow is Christmas.”
“Well,” Ethan took another sip, “technically it already is past midnight.” Nico
rolled his eyes and Ethan grinned wickedly. “Nah, I've just not cared much for
the holiday for a few years now.”
The shorter of the two leaned on the table with a small smile, probably
reminiscent of a child waking up on Christmas morning. “But you get presents,
and Leo said there will be lots of food.”
Ethan snorted. “Yeah, food is good I suppose.” The Asian Lost Boy leaned back
in his chair, nodding at Percy as the manager left with Kronos. He rolled his
eyes when he caught the longing gaze Nico gave the green-eyed young man. “You
have some issues.”
“So do we all.”
“True enough,” Ethan agreed. He held out his coffee for Nico, who shook his
head. Ethan just shrugged and took another sip. “Just never really put many
happy memories with the holiday.”
Nico realized that Ethan was staring down at the coffee mug in his hand. “You
get kicked out on the holiday?”
“Not quite.” Ethan's voice was quiet, with a hard edge layered underneath it.
His one good eye glanced around them and Nico realized that they were alone on
the top floor now. “My mother died.”
“Oh.” Not the best response he could have given, Nico realized. “I'm sorry,” he
quickly added.
Ethan's lips tilted down, like the coffee had left a bad taste in his mouth.
“Not like that. I just watched her die.” Another sip of coffee. “I got one of
the most lasting Christmas presents that year.”
There was no confusion going through Nico's head. He fully understood that
Ethan was talking about what happened to his eye. So, instead of asking
questions, Nico just let Ethan talk.
“I wish that my dad had never walked out on us, looking back on things. And we
were sort of by ourselves, my mother and myself. Just the two of us living in
Austin, Texas.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “She was a
very...disturbed woman. Perhaps if someone else was there, maybe they would
have seen how crazy she really was. And, you know, Asian kids have it pretty
bad with living up to the expectations of their parents, so it's not like I had
the best childhood growing up with this woman.
“But, I don't know, this night had just felt different. I mean, I could feel
something wrong as soon as I walked into the room.” Ethan just shrugged,
chuckling dryly. “I even got some nice presents, and she just stood there and
smiled while I opened them all.” The boy's jaw tightened and Nico could tell
that Ethan was starting struggle with what he wanted to say.
“We don't-”
But Nico was cut off. “She pulled out a gun while I was trying to open my last
present. And by the time I saw it, she already had it in my face.” Another dry
chuckle came from Ethan's throat. “And, so, there I was, standing in front of
our Christmas tree with a gun pushed up against my eye.” Nico can feel his
stomach tighten. He knows the ending. How could he not? “She just keeps
repeating what a failure I am, because my grades were not perfect,” Ethan said
in a mocking tone. “Blamed me for her depression and her drinking. But that
woman had her own issues, none of which I could ever try blaming myself for.”
“Ethan,” Nico whispered.
The other Lost Boy gave him a cold look to shut him up. “I tried jerking away,
but she pulled the trigger.” Ethan pointed a finger to the edge of his eye.
“Caught me right at the edge. My body ended up going into shock and I fell back
into the Christmas tree. A lot of the decorations broke and ended up getting
embedded into my skin.” Nico swallowed as Ethan held his arm out for
inspection. “And then she turned the gun on herself and blew her brains out.”
The other Lost Boy didn't even bat an eye as he picked up his coffee and looked
across the table at Nico, waiting for a reaction. “So, how's that for a
Christmas?”
Nico finds that he has a lump in his throat when he goes to respond to what he
had just heard. Clearing his throat, he still finds it hard to come up with any
words. What was he supposed to say to that? “How did you survive?”
Such a simple question, and possibly not the response Ethan had been expecting.
But to Nico, it was what felt more important to ask.
Ethan leaned back in his chair. His lips finally tilted up. “Well, she missed
my brain by a margin. The doctor said if I hadn't moved, I probably would have
died. But, as luck would have it, our neighbors heard the gunshot and called
the cops.” The Lost Boy shrugged. “Wasn't anything they could have done for my
mother, but I didn't really care anymore. And it seems like she ended up
torturing me even from the grave, because after that, I just couldn't stand to
look at a woman. Had to go to counseling for a while after that.”
Nico rested both of his elbows on the table, leaning in towards the other Lost
Boy. “I suppose saying that my dad beat me sometimes as a present doesn't
really compare, does it?” Nico said, trying to lighten the mood. Ethan smirked
at him. “I'm sorry.”
The Asian boy shook his head. “Don't be. I'm happier here.”
Licking his lips, Nico frowned. He motioned to Ethan's face. “Does it...ever
bother you? Was it hard to learn to shoot with the eyepatch?”
That seemed to amuse Ethan. “A little, at first.” He picked up his coffee and
finished it off before tossing the empty cup into the nearby trashcan. “The
doctors fixed me up the best they could, and Percy even paid for me to have
some reconstructive surgery. After a while, I guess I just got used to it, you
know?”
Nico felt his throat tighten as Ethan reached up and pulled his eyepatch up.
His whole body stiffened. He wasn't quite sure what he had expected to see
under there, but Nico had definitely not prepared himself for it.
The eyelids had nearly fused together from when it must have healed. As far as
he could tell, there was no eyeball inside the socket. But the rest of Ethan's
face looked perfectly fine, and would continue to look as such whenever the
Lost Boy wore his eyepatch.
Nico covered his mouth with his hand to fight back a sob. “Ethan,” he breathed
out.
“Pretty gross right?” The other Lost Boy chuckled as he slid the patch back
over his eye. “Shouldn't have shown you, sorry.”
Nico shook his head, his mouth slightly agape. “I am so sorry that it
happened.” There was a slight pain in his chest as Nico watched Ethan stand to
his feet. Without thinking, Nico got up and hugged the other Lost Boy.
To say that Ethan was surprised by this was an understatement. His whole body
locked up as soon as Nico's arms were around him. “Um, what are you doing?” The
taller boy asked.
Nico rubbed his nose as he pulled back. “Sorry, I just thought you could use a
hug.”
Ethan eyed him funny. Shaking his head, he patted Nico on the head. “You're all
right, kid.”
--------------------------------
In his sixteen years of living, Nico had never seen so many presents before.
Thirty-two presents for each of the thirty-three people that occupied the
conference room. That was a lot of presents. Nico just stared in awe at the
mountain of presents that had been placed in his pile. He was even surprised
when Dionysus and Kronos had dropped gifts onto his stack. Even Drew was in the
spirit, wearing a Santa hat and passing out her presents with a smile. Okay,
that was a little scary for Nico, to be honest.
But all in all, it was good. It was nice having everyone together and
exchanging presents.
Ganymede came to sit down beside him, and Nico was pleasantly surprised to find
the blond's contacts were not in. He would never get over how sexy Ganymede's
two different eye colors looked. The blond handed him a small wrapped
rectangular package.
Nico blinked before reaching back and handing Ganymede the wrapped cologne he
had gotten the blond. Nico grinned as he tore into his present. Ganymede just
pulled his legs up to his chest and watched Nico's face glow with excitement.
A copy of Perks of Being a Wallflower now sat in Nico's hand. The brown-eyed
boy turned to the blond. “I thought it reminded me of you a bit,” the blond
admitted. “You kind of remind me of Charlie. You know, you have your own
problems, but you focus so intently on everyone else's problems that you forget
sometimes to take care of yourself.”
Nico wrapped his arms around Ganymede's neck. “Thank you,” he whispered.
When he pulled back, Ganymede ruffled Nico's hair and stood up. “Take care of
yourself, kid. And Merry Christmas.”
Nico smiled and tossed a wave to the blond as he walked across the room to hand
off his next present. A large package fell into his lap from his pile of
presents, causing Nico to wince. What was in this thing?
Frowning to himself, Nico worked on getting the wrapping paper off, noting how
neatly it was done. A lot of books had been tied together, ranging from
business, psychology, history, and even Calculus. Nico found Athena's name on
the side of the package.
Putting the books aside, Nico rose to his feet and made his way to the table,
where the manager was sitting down. He was just thankful that she was not
sitting with Kronos. Nico sat down beside her. “Thank you for the present. You
didn't have to get me anything,” he told her.
Her stormy grey eyes peered at him from over the top of her tablet. “Well, the
way I figured, you were likely to buy me one, since you probably wanted to make
a good impression on everyone.” She glanced back at her work. “That being said,
I was under the impression that you might go ahead and graduate early.”
Nico's eyes shot over to where Percy was talking with Annabeth and Silena. So
Daedalus was correct in his assumption of Percy's intention with arranging
Nico's schedule. “I suppose I could. Not sure if I will, though.”
She quirked an eyebrow at him. Placing her tablet in her lap, Athena crossed
her legs and leaned back in her chair. “You seem to be a smart boy, yet you're
willing to toss away a head start at a good education.” She looked at him
expectantly. “And for what, a crush?”
“I, uh...” Nico really didn't know what to say. “I'm just not sure what I want
to do yet.”
“Well, that is what the liberal arts are for.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “I used to want to study abroad,” he admitted.
Athena gave a small nod. “Europe does have some good programs. Though, you then
run a chance of having to learn a foreign language.”
“Can I ask something?”
Athena pursed her lips, studying the boy carefully. “Proceed.”
Nico looked over to Gaea, who was handing out presents to Travis and Connor.
“What's it like...at the Germany branch I mean? I just imagine it being
different, what with it being the hotel Gaea stays at.”
“And here I thought you were going to ask for my entire life story,” Athena
sighed. She picked her tablet back up and tapped on the screen. “The structure
and grounds are much larger over there, as you can probably imagine. The hotel
I manage houses a resort on its grounds, as well as the hotel itself and Gaea's
mansion.”
Nico scrunches his lips. “She doesn't live inside the hotel?”
The woman shook her head. “After she got pregnant with Kronos, she had a home
built within the hotel boundaries. Other things that cover the premises
include: a golf course, volleyball area, and a overly large pool. There's even
a lounge and nightclub on the roof of the hotel.”
Nico's brown eyes searched the room for Percy. He really wanted to see if he
could get Percy to take him to Germany all of a sudden. Why couldn't Percy
manage that hotel? It sounded like heaven, even if Nico would still be doing
the same thing he was here.
Speaking of Percy. Nico nearly jumped when the young man cleared his throat
behind the brown-eyed boy. Nico chuckled nervously as he turned in his seat to
look up at the young man. “Having a nice chat?” The green-eyed manager asked.
Athena smiled at Percy. “Just informing your employee here of what it's like
over in Germany.”
“Hopefully not telling him too nice of things.” Percy chuckled and placed a
hand on top of Nico's hair. “Wouldn't want him to request a transfer.” His
bright smile was then turned on Nico. “I got you something,” he said, holding
out an envelope. Nico reached out for it, but Percy jerked it away. “You can
bring my present and we'll head upstairs.”
Nico stared at the young man in confusion. Why couldn't they just do it here?
Regardless, Nico got up and walked over to where his presents were. He dug out
the one that had Percy's name on it and slipped it into the hoodie he had on.
The two got a few looks as they slipped out of the room, though Nico found
himself mostly concerned with the dark look he received from Kronos. If looks
could kill, Nico would have probably be already dead. When they were close to
the elevators, Percy came to a stop and turned to face the Lost Boy.
And there was that stupid grin of Percy's plastered all over his face. The
young man bounced on his heels. “So, what did you get me?”
“Really?” Nico asked, crossing his arms. “You drag me out here, and you want
your present first?” Percy shrugged, looking at Nico expectantly. The boy
sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a
small square box with a blue ribbon. “Here.”
Percy turned the box over in his hands before looking up to give Nico a
questioning look. Nico was just thankful when Percy did not shake it. The boy
eagerly waited as Percy undid the ribbon and pulled the lid off the box. And
then Nico's heart stopped as Percy pulled the golden chain out and lifted his
present in front of his face.
It was the pocket watch that Leo had gotten him, but all cleaned and repaired.
It was so clean now that Nico could see his reflection in the service. There
was even a little clicking noise when Percy opened the watch. Nico felt his
blood run cold as Percy stopped when he noticed the two pictures Nico had
placed inside the watch. Rachel had given him two small photos: one of Gaea and
Kronos, the other of Percy's biological mother. The watch was one thing, but
Nico had been constantly worrying over the second picture he had decided to
have put in the watch.
With an unreadable look on his face, Percy ran his index finger over the
picture of his mother. “Where did you get this?” He whispered.
It took Nico a moment to find his voice. He hoped he had not made a mistake
with this. “I had some help,” the boy managed to get out.
Percy's green eyes were a sea of emotion as he glanced up to look Nico in the
eyes. With a sigh, Percy closed the watch. “I told you her name was Sally,
didn't I?” Percy asked, holding up the watch in his hand. Nico gave a small
nod. “She was a nice woman, from what I can remember, I think you would have
liked her.” Popping the watch open again, Percy stared down at the picture
again. “I don't remember much about her, to be honest, but I do remember she
smiled a lot whenever she knew I was looking at her. Didn't want me to think
anything was wrong.”
Nico fidgeted with his hands. Just being in front of Percy at the moment made
him uncomfortable. “I'm sorry if you don't like it. I can always get you
something else.”
Nico was surprised when Percy gave a small chuckle. “Don't like it?” His voice
was soft and a sincere smile graced his lips. “Thank you.” He squeezed the
watch in his hand. “I really do appreciate it.” Clearing his throat, he pulled
out an envelope and handed it to Nico. “And I hope you like your present.”
Nico stared down at the envelope in confusion. He didn't mean to seem
ungrateful, that wasn't it at all. It was just that, after seeing the large and
extravagant gifts that Percy had given the others, the last thing Nico had been
expecting to get was a tiny envelope.
That train of thought was quickly put to rest as soon as he had it opened.
Nico thought his heart might stop beating at any second. His mouth fell open as
he stared down at the contents of the envelope. With eyes wide, he looked up to
Percy for some answers. This couldn't be real.
The young man just smiled. “Do you like it?”
“P-Percy!” Nico pulled out the two checks that Percy had put inside. “These are
blank checks for me and Bianca!” His brow furrowed in confusion. “I don't
understand.”
“What?” There was that cocky smirk on the green-eyed young man's face,
partially serving to irritate Nico. He would have been more irritated by it, if
he wasn't holding two blank checks. “They are for you and your sister to use
for your education. Bianca graduates this year, and you have the choice to do
the same, and I want to pay for your tuition.”
“For the first semester?”
Without missing a beat, Percy replied, “No, for the entirety of it.”
Nico wasn't sure he had the capability of moving. He nearly forgot how to
breath, the boy was in such a shock. Percy was willing to spend at least a
million dollars on him and his sister to go to a university? Looking down at
the checks again, Nico found that his hands were shaking.
“I-I don't know what to say?” Nico's eyes were still wide as he looked up at
Percy again.
The green-eyed young man smiled. “You don't have to say anything.” He reached
out and ran his fingers through Nico's hair. “Merry Christmas, Nico.”
Without hesitation, Nico flung his arms around Percy's neck and clung on
tightly to his boss. Perhaps it was a bit unprofessional, but since when had
that ever mattered? “Thank you! Thank you!” Nico kept repeating as he held onto
the young man's neck.
Percy chuckled in his ear, though Nico could feel that Percy's body had locked
up on initial contact. He was just relieved when Percy finally wrapped his arms
around Nico's waist and pulled the boy closer. With his mouth pressed into
Nico's hair, Percy mumbled something that Nico failed to catch.
The brown-eyed boy pulled back and looked up at Percy. “What was that?”
Percy raised a brow at him. “What?”
“You said something?”
The young man simply shook his head. “You must have been hearing things.”
Giving Nico a final squeeze, Percy removed himself from Nico. “I better get
back, as should you.” He smiled. “Take your time to collect yourself.”
Nico had not even realized that he had been crying until Percy wiped a thumb
across his cheek. The boy laughed and wiped at his face, thanking Percy again
as he disappeared back into the conference room. This was amazing, he thought.
And then he was brought crashing down. “You know, it's been a while since I
found something that made me want to throw up, but that was just so sickeningly
sweet,” came Kronos's cold voice from behind Nico. Turning around, the boy
found the manager closing the door behind him. “I didn't actually want to
believe what I had been hearing about what you're doing to Percy, but I guess
it's true.”
Nico slid the checks back into the envelope and placed it in his pocket. “I
don't know what you're talking about. Nothing is going on with me and Percy.”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.” The taller of the two narrowed his eyes
down at the Lost Boy like he was some rodent. “I don't like the way Percy looks
at you, and you just look like some love-sick puppy when you even get a scent
of him.”
“I do not!”
Unlike normally, Kronos did not seem to take enjoyment out of frustrating Nico.
Instead, he just stared down at the boy that could have managed to freeze over
hell itself. “Maybe you could do a better job if you didn't ignore your
responsibilities to gaze longingly at my brother.”
“Maybe you're just being jealous,” Nico mumbled before he could stop himself.
As soon as the words had left his lips, the boy clamped a hand over his mouth.
“I didn't-”
There was such a cold laugh that came from Kronos, one that chilled Nico to his
very soul. Even though the hotel was always kept well lit and at room
temperature, Nico found himself shivering at the sound of Kronos's laugh.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, you jealous little brat, but I don't see Percy in
that way. Contrary to what you might believe, but I have absolutely no desire
to long after the 'hero figure' that is Percy, nor do I wish to be seen as a
hero myself. I don't want people trying to worship or idolize me like he has
all of you. No, when my employees are done, I'm ready to see them go.”
“Then I'm glad Percy's my boss and not you,” Nico mumbled.
Kronos arched a brow at him. “You should be thankful indeed. Because, if I were
Percy, I would make quick work of this little crush you think you have on him.”
The manager tilted his head to the side when Nico wouldn't look up to meet his
gaze. “Oh, what's that? You know, I had wondered if it's true, and maybe it
is.”
“What?”
The young man's sinister smirk crept across his lips. “Are you in love with my
brother?”
Nico's entire body tensed. “O-of course not.”
“That was so convincing,” Kronos replied, his voice laced with sarcasm. “How do
you even manage with your job?” Reaching one of his pale hands up, Kronos
tapped a finger to his lips. “Though, I can't help but wonder if you really do
love him, or is it just some emotion you've concocted in your head? Come now,
you don't really love Percy. I mean, you barely know him.”
Nico clenched his hands at his side.
Kronos tilted his head to the side, still smirking. “Did I hit a nerve there?
My sincerest apologies, little boy. But tell me, how old was Percy when my
mother found him? When did he start stripping? Why did he start stripping?”
That damned smirk only continued to grow. “Who taught him before he started at
a university? Where was his favorite vacation spot?”
When Nico remained quiet, Kronos just laughed and turned to head back to the
conference room. Glaring up at the back of Kronos's head, Nico growled. “He was
fourteen when your mother found him. And he did it because it was required of
him.”
Nico had felt so confident with his answers, yet it was all knocked out of him
when Kronos turned around with a smug look. “You really have no idea about his
past, do you?” Kronos crossed his arms, staring at Nico in amusement. “He was
about to turn twelve when my mother found him. What, you asked him? Percy
barely remembers anything from that time in his life.” He quirked a brow at
Nico. “And you think my mother made him strip? Percy volunteered. My mother was
going to let him live a life of luxury the rest of his life.”
Nico was stunned. That couldn't be true, could it? Why would Percy want to
strip? And how could Percy have told Nico so confidently an age that wasn't
even accurate? What did he really know about Percy?
Kronos was now biting down on his lip to try and hide his amusement. “Oh, this
is good. I didn't think anyone could give me more satisfaction than Luke
normally does.” Another icy laugh. “You see, your great hero chose his life,
and yet I'm sure you've done nothing but pity him this entire time.”
There was not a doubt in Nico's mind that Kronos was taking great satisfaction
of the devastated look that was plastered on Nico's face, but he really did not
care at the moment. Did he know anything at all about Percy that was true?
“See,” Kronos continued, “you don't really love him, you just think you do.”
“No.” Nico's eyes darkened and he clenched his hands into fists. “You're wrong.
Percy's past doesn't matter.”
Slowly stepping backwards, Kronos smirked. “You don't really believe that, do
you?” And with that, he left Nico standing there in the hallway alone.
Nico fell against he wall, covering his mouth with his hands. Slowly, the boy
slid down until his ass came in contact with the carpet. Was it all just a lie?
Did he even really love Percy? It did not seem like he knew anything real about
the young man, so perhaps he didn't. Did Percy just not trust him enough to
tell him the truth?
Nico was not sure how long he sat there, but he barely moved when his phone
started to ring. He already knew who it was. It wasn't hard, since only two or
three people outside of the hotel had his number. Without even looking at the
screen, Nico put the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Bianca,” he mumbled.
“What's wrong, grumpy? You should be happier, it's Christmas.”
Nico let out a sigh. “It would be better if we were off for the holiday and I
could just barricade myself in my room.”
Nico heard Bianca's car door shut. “Well, I don't know if I can get you off of
work for the day, but how about you and me spend some time together?”
Nico wiped at his face. “When?”
“Now.”
Nico pulled his phone back and stared at the screen. He frowned and put it back
to his ear. “Are you at the hotel?”
He could practically feel Bianca's grin. “Maybe,” she sang back to him. “So,
how about it?”
Nico bit on his lip. Letting out a breath, Nico got up and headed towards the
conference room. “Let me clear it with Percy first.” Bianca hummed in response.
Opening the door, Nico found Percy sitting on the edge of the table with
Kronos. “Percy?”
The green-eyed manager looked over at him, eyebrows raised. “What can I do for
you?” A split second later, he frowned. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.” Nico forced himself to smile with a nod. “So, um, I was wondering if I
could go out with Bianca for a few hours? Is that okay?”
Percy just shrugged. “I mean, as long as you're back for work, I don't have a
problem with it.” Nico grinned at him. The young man leaned back on his palms.
“Stay out of trouble,” he called as Nico shut the door.
When Nico got to the lobby, he found Bianca sitting on one of the couches. She
jumped up when she saw him, holding her arms open for him to come hug her. And
he did just that. Nico breathed in Bianca as he held her close to him. How easy
would it be just to go with her and not come back to this place? He was not
going to lie, the thought was seriously crossing his mind at this point.
“I missed you,” Bianca said as they let each other go. She motioned to him.
“Come on, I've got your presents in the car.”
“I got yours on the way down,” Nico told her as they walked out into the city.
There weren't many days that Nico just came out in front of the hotel, and some
days he almost forgot that there was an entire city surrounding them at the
Lotus.
Nico blew out a breath as he watched the slow Los Angeles traffic move by in
front of the hotel before following his sister down the street to where she had
parked. Before Nico could try and climb in the passenger seat, Bianca already
had the door open and was pulling out a package and an envelope.
Nico frowned as he took the envelope from her. “I didn't know what your pay was
like, so I got you two gift cards. One is for food, the other for any clothes
you might want,” Bianca said quickly.
Nico just smiled and pocketed the gift cards. If only she knew the half of it.
“Thank you,” he said, taking the small package from her.
The boy's smile slowly melted off his face as he stared down at an old picture
of his mother holding him and Bianca when they were little. A small lump formed
in his throat as he ran a hand down the glass frame. Looking up, Bianca just
smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
And then Bianca motioned to the back seat and Nico's jaw dropped. “So, I
brought these from home.”
“Bianca,” Nico breathed out.
Sitting there, in his sister's back seat was his entire book collection from
home. It had taken three boxes to fit them all in, but Nico was certain that
they were all there. Without hesitating, Nico wrapped both of his arms around
his sister.
“Thank you,” the boy whispered into his sister's ear.
She smiled and pulled back. “So,” Bianca began, “what did you get me?”
Nico rolled his eyes and pulled out a long, thin rectangular box. Bianca eyed
him funny as she took it from him and pulled back the lid. The look on her face
was enough for Nico. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as Bianca gaped at her
brother.
Reaching into the box, Bianca pulled out a necklace with a heart made up of a
bunch of tiny emeralds. “Nico!” She exclaimed. “Where on earth did you get
this?” She shook her head. “Now, how did you get this?”
He just smiled sheepishly at her. “Don't worry about it. Do you like it?”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Of course, dummy.” She blinked at the
necklace, contemplating if it was really there. Nico laughed when she grabbed
it with her other hand to check. “I just...” Blowing out a breath, she placed
it back in the box. “I don't understand how you were able to afford that.”
“I did tell you that I was taken care of here,” Nico said with a grin. Reaching
out, he took the necklace and stepped behind his sister. Bianca lifted her hair
and allowed Nico to place it around her neck. “I just wanted you to have
something nice.” Then he remembered what Percy had given him earlier. “Oh, and
Percy wanted you to have this.”
Bianca stumbled against her car when Nico placed the blank check in her hands.
“Percy gave this...to me?” Nico nodded. “Is he sick? Is he dying?”
Nico just laughed. “No. Um, Percy's kind of loaded.” He smiled and showed
Bianca his check. “I have one, too. Percy's going to pay for both of us to go
to any university of our choosing, for the entire duration of our time there.”
Bianca actually pinched herself. “Okay, sorry, just had to make sure I wasn't
dreaming.” She looked between the check and her brother. “Can you like marry
this guy? I mean, how does a guy like this even exist?”
“He's my boss,” Nico reminded her.
“Right, right.” Bianca placed a hand over her mouth. “Just...wow.” She hugged
her brother again before walking around to her side of the car. “Okay, so if
Percy is trying to win me over, let him know he's succeeded in doing so.”
Nico chuckled and climbed in the car as well. “He is something, isn't he?” Nico
whispered as Bianca pulled away from the curb. His sister missed the distant
look on Nico's face as the boy stared up at the hotel as they drove away.
***** To Die Would be an Awfully Big Adventure *****
Unlike with Gaea and Kronos, the Lost Kids were not required to show up to
greet the other managers. However, since Nico had never even seen them, he
stood on the second floor balcony with Ethan and Clarisse, while the three
remaining managers entered the lobby.
Atlas had been the first to arrive, and the man had immediately made a lasting
impression on Nico. The man was terrifying! He had to be around six-foot-five
and with arms that could probably have broken Nico in half. Clarisse had
laughed at the pale look Nico had gotten on his face at seeing the man. He even
towered over Percy! But that did not stop Percy from smirking and shaking the
man's hand after Atlas had dropped his bags.
Demeter had arrived almost twenty minutes later, not intimidating Nico as
badly. In fact, she reminded Nico of his grandmother back in Italy. She had
even brought some cookies, which she handed over to Percy. Percy had eyed them
and then asked something, which had ended up getting him smacked on the back of
the head.
Now, Nico was just waiting to get a look at the Asian branch manager, Frank. He
rested his arms on the balcony railing and carefully watched the door.
“The most amusing thing,” Ethan mused while watching Leo peek at the cookies
that Demeter had brought, “is watching the others freak out when Demeter offers
to cook or bake.”
Nico turned his attention to the other Lost Boy. “Why's that?”
Clarisse, who had been chewing her nails, spit a piece of her thumb nail across
the lobby. “Because, she has to dispose of bodies somehow.” Nico paled at that.
“Not that she's ever fed any of us that stuff, but it makes the others a little
nervous to wonder if the next piece of food they eat from her might include a
organ or finger.” Clarisse gave a lazy shrug. “I know Kronos and Atlas buys
some off of her on occasion, and the two of them and Demeter both offer them to
clients they despise.”
Nico made a face at that. “Sounds gross. People don't notice?”
“Not really.” Ethan let out a sigh. “You'd be surprised at the taste of human
flesh.”
That made Nico feel a little uneasy. Had Ethan ever tried some of Demeter's
special delicacies? That was a little disturbing to think about. He made a
mental note to himself to steer clear of anything the woman had to offer. He
would rather not take the chance of swallowing an eyeball.
Approximately fifteen minutes after Demeter had left the lobby, a tall young
man with a crew cut walked into the lobby with two Asian girls following behind
him. He was handsome, with a strong jawline. His shoulders were broad and his
physique reminded Nico of some war hero in an action movie. His eyes reminded
Nico slightly of a wolf.
Almost immediately, Hazel appeared and threw herself at the guy, who smiled
warmly as he hugged her. That would have to be Frank, if Nico had to guess.
Frank spun Hazel around as Percy walked over to them. After letting Hazel down,
Percy and Frank hugged.
Nico barely was able to catch what was said. “So, about Hazel,” Frank said with
a smile.
Percy rolled his eyes. “Not even here a minute, and you already have the nerve
to ask.” The American manager smiled and threw his arm around Frank. “Afraid
I'm going to have to decline.”
Frank reached out and cupped Hazel's chin. “It never hurts to ask.”
Nico had to wonder how this guy was a manager. He looked like a teddy bear. A
teddy bear that could snap Nico like a twig, but the point still remained. Even
so, Nico did try to keep in mind how he had been deceived by Percy's appearance
as well. If the green-eyed manager could pull off the look of a sad seal, then
the teddy bear could probably stab someone through the heart just as easily.
“So, how is Drew treating you?” Frank asked as the three headed towards the
elevator.
Percy has caught sight of Nico by now and was staring quite intently. Frank
seemed to notice and followed Percy's gaze up to the balcony. Rolling his eyes,
the Asian young man gave Percy a shove. Percy returned his gaze to Frank.
“What?”
“I take it that is the new kid we've been hearing about?”
Percy motions for Nico to come downstairs. Ethan and Clarisse grinned broadly
and patted Nico on the back as he stepped away from the railing. Nico jogged
down the stairs until he was standing in front of Frank, Hazel, and Percy.
Percy motioned to Frank. “Nico, this is Frank, the district manager of Asia.”
Frank gave a slight bow before reaching out to shake Nico's hand. “A pleasure
to meet you.”
Nico just sort of gaped at the young man. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
The brown-eyed young man chuckled. “Please, don't call me 'sir'. I'm not old
enough for that yet.” He did a quick glance over of Nico's appearance. “Ah, but
I've been looking forward to meeting you. Not as much as Kronos probably was,
but I figure you have slightly less to worry about with me.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “You're all overreacting.”
“We'll see,” Frank said with a smirk. He gave Nico a nod. “Anyways, it was nice
to meet you.” Taking Hazel by the arm, Frank and his two girls entered one of
the elevators.
Percy slid his hands into his pockets. “So, what are your thoughts on all of
them?”
“I'm not planning on trying anything that Demeter offers me,” Nico mumbled,
looking over his shoulder to make sure the woman was not nearby.
Percy cracked a grin at that. “I see the others already told you about that.”
He reached out to ruffle Nico's hair. “It's nothing to worry about, she isn't
out to feed any of you that stuff. In fact, she tends to like most of the Lost
Kids that get brought into the business. Aside from the fear of her baking,
most of the Lost Kids find her enjoyable.”
Nico took a moment to just stare up at Percy. After returning from spending
Christmas Day with Bianca, Nico had not gotten to see much of Percy. Between
Nico's work schedule, preparing for the meeting, and Kronos and Gaea occupying
most of Percy's time, Nico had barely caught a glimpse of Percy all week. And
now it was New Years, which according to Thalia, was a very big night at the
hotel. Since the big meeting was the next day, several clients apparently took
the opportunity to stop by the hotel to talk arrangements with the big lady
herself.
Finally, Nico smirked. “So, I've never really gotten a kiss at midnight
before.”
Percy grinned and brushed some of Nico's hair out of the boy's face. He moved
forward. And, as he passed by Nico's shoulder, leaned in to whisper, “Don't
hold your breath.”
Nico turned to glare at the young man's back. He kept thinking he was getting
somewhere with Percy, but it really did not seem like it during times like
these. How did anyone think there was something between Percy and Nico,
especially when Percy kept doing things like this?
With a quick glance at his phone, Nico silently cursed and jumped in the first
elevator that arrived in the lobby. It was almost time for work, and Nico still
needed to get a quick bite to eat and get ready for tonight. Since it was New
Years' Eve, that meant it was also the night for the number that number that
Apollo had been preparing them for, the one that everyone was still slightly
ticked off with him about for him getting to head the number with Annabeth.
After an hour of eating and getting ready, Nico slung a bag that he kept his
wardrobe changes in and headed up to the top floor. All of the Lost Kids that
were performing tonight were dressed the same: the boys wearing simple black
vests, some black pants, and bowler hats; the girls wearing golden dresses,
lace stockings, and long strings of pearls.
Luke sneered at Nico as he placed his bag down in the corner with the others.
“You better not screw up tonight, twerp.”
“Thanks for the motivational speech,” Nico grumbled as he put his bowler hat on
top of his head.
The Lost Kids stepped out onto the stage to get into place while the curtain
was still closed. While Annabeth had been surrounded by the other Lost Boys
performing tonight, Nico found himself surrounded by the other Lost Girls. Nico
placed one of his arms on top of his head, where his hand reached out to hold
onto his other arm, which was straight up in the air.
The music and lyrics to “Show Me How You Burlesque” began to play while the
curtain opened. Two spotlights found their way onto Annabeth and Nico. As soon
as the music truly started, the Lost Kids came alive, shifting around Annabeth
and Nico. The girls worked to hold onto Nico, all the while leaning back as far
as they could. Meanwhile, the Lost Boys knelt around Annabeth and raised their
hands up towards her face. During all of this, Nico and Annabeth snapped their
fingers along to the music's beat.
The Lost Boys picked up Annabeth and carried her over to Nico. The girls
scattered and spun around the pair as Annabeth leaned back against Nico and
placed her hand around the back of her neck, Nico's hands placed on her waist.
Lights appeared on certain tables out in the audience, and the Lost Kids
working the floor got up on them and moved along with the music, shimmying up
and down to the guests' great enjoyment. The Lost Kids pointed up to the stage,
and in response, the Lost Kids on the stage swung an arm back and forth above
their heads.
As the chorus played, the Lost Kids on the stage moved to stand behind Annabeth
and Nico. The two had split apart by this point and were standing next to each
other. They shot one arm up in the air, followed soon by the other and taking
the first one down. Nico and Annabeth curved in their lower backs as they
brought each of their knees up, one at a time, to their hip level.
Behind the pair and on the tables, the Lost Kids were spinning their arms in
circular patterns above their head, working in running their hands through
their hair as they did so. At the end of the chorus, all of them hopped from
one foot to the other, while making the 'come here' motion with both of their
hands.
The Lost Kids then divided up, the girls going to one side of the stage and the
boys going to the other. Slowly the Lost Kids on the stage worked their way
towards the edge and shimmied lightly to the audience. Nico placed his hand on
Will's back—who was slightly bent forward—as the group of Lost Boys slowly
moved towards the Lost Girls, Annabeth doing the same to Hazel on the other
side of the stage.
Nico and Annabeth made the 'come hither' motion again to the audience, while
slowly turning around to face away from the crowd. The pair placed their hands
above their head and jutted their hips from side to side. Moving their faces
close together, Annabeth and Nico lip-synced the words, “Here come the ladies,
about to give a little show.”
After that, the Lost Kids on the tables, flipped their way onto the stage and
everyone stood in a straight line, waving their arms back and forth above their
heads. All of them snapped their hands back and forth from their chest to
behind them, all the while shaking their asses at the audience.
Everyone circled around Annabeth and Nico, and all of the Lost Kids placed one
of their arms above their heads, slowly snapping along with the music. Everyone
but Annabeth and Nico crouched down when the beat picked back up and the two
pointed out at the audience. Nico reached out and Annabeth took his hand, and
the two strutted their way towards the back of the stage.
At the final part of the song, the Lost Kids positioned themselves around Nico
and Annabeth again, while they all kicked their knees up from side to side.
Spinning around, they all shook their asses again. On the last line of the
song, everyone paired up with someone of the opposite gender and grabbed each
other. When the final words rang out, the girls tore away the boys' vests and
the boys practically ripped apart the girls' golden dresses. The lights
immediately went dark on the stage.
The Lost Kids all took a moment to catch their breaths as the audience stood up
to clap for them. Annabeth gave Nico a small smile as the two stepped away from
each other. “Good job,” she managed to breathe out.
After the curtains were closed, the Lost Kids got off the stage and worked to
cool off. Grabbing cold bottles of water, the Lost Kids that had been on the
floor headed out the door to get back to work. Nico plopped down on the nearest
couch, not caring that his head was on Hazel's leg. The girl smiled down at him
and put her cold water bottle to Nico's forehead.
After nearly finishing off their bottles of water, the twins headed back onto
the stage for the next performance of the night. Nico groaned and closed his
eyes. No matter how many times they practiced that number, it always left him
feeling completely drained and sweaty.
“Frank seems nice,” Nico said with a yawn.
Hazel smiled down at him. “He's sweet. I've seen pictures of him from before he
got involved with all of this, he looked even more like a teddy bear.” Nico
chuckled at that. “But, like Percy, he still has a good heart, even if he has
to do some unpleasant things.”
“I guess we all have to do things we don't like around here.”
“You get used to it,” Hazel replied.
Nico shifted on the couch to get a better look at the Lost Girl. “Hazel?” He
began. The girl looked down at him. “How hard was it for you anyways, to go
from the life you had into all of this? I mean, you escaped it one place, and
then just ran back into the same life.”
“Not exactly the same.” The Lost Girl stroked Nico's hair. “Percy's nicer than
my mother was, and so is Gaea. Sure they can be cold and can be ruthless when
they need to be, but they try to take care of us. That's more than my mother
ever did.” She leaned her head back with a sigh. “And, besides, at least I'm
getting paid here.”
“That's a sadistic way of looking at it,” Nico mumbled. He rolled onto his side
and pushed himself up to sit beside Hazel. “But, I mean, you could leave. All
of you could.”
“I suppose.” Hazel dropped her hands into her lap. “But I guess we all just
feel like we need to stay here. We feel like we belong here, like we finally
have a real family. And isn't that what everyone wants in this world, to feel
like they belong somewhere?” She offered the boy a weak smile. “I know someone
looking in on us probably thinks us all insane, but we just finally feel safe.
Out there, and back where we came from, there was no feeling of comfort,
family, or safety. Back at home, I cried myself to sleep most nights. Here?
Here I just feel dirty after I'm done with work and take a shower.
“But, to better answer your question, I guess I just got used to it. Sure I had
a lot of trouble accepting it when I first came here, realizing that I'd still
be selling my body to strangers, but I think we all had issues when we first
got here,” Hazel continued. “Ask anyone, especially Percy, and he can tell you
that each of caused a commotion on our first day of work here. And, by the time
I got here, Silena was already here, and she helped me get through it.”
“Not Thalia, Annabeth, Apollo, or Luke?”
Hazel slowly shook her head. “Silena and I....we could relate.” She glanced
over at Nico. “I'll just leave it at that.”
Nico looked up as the twins made their way off the stage. Connor frowned
heavily and reached into his speedo to pull out some dollar bills. Looking like
they disgusted the brunet just to hold them, Connor shoved the money at his
brother.
Nico jumped up, since his performance was next, and walked over to his bag to
get ready for his next performance. Travis crouched down beside him and slipped
the money the two had accumulated on stage into his bag. Nico glanced over at
him. “What was up with that?” He asked.
Travis did not look at Nico, just let his hands drop after placing the money in
the bag. He sighed and stood to his feet. “Just another issue Connor has with
the job. He's fine accepting his paycheck, but he's never touched the money
customers give him personally.” The brunet shrugged. “No big deal, I just put
it all up in the bank, so that we can use if we need to ever leave here.”
“I guess that's smart.” Nico yanked his open vest off his body and stuffed it
into his bag. Sitting on his butt, Nico pulled off the black pants and swapped
them for a pair with suspenders. “But doesn't it worry you, with Connor, I
mean.”
Travis was looking at his brother when Nico glanced up at him. The brunet
frowned and scrunched his lips. “I always worry about my brother, but we all
have issues, Nico, it's nothing uncommon around here.” He cracked a grin and
playfully hit Nico's shoulders. “It's the ones that try to act normal around
here that you need to watch out for, my friend.”
Nico furrowed his brow as he watched Travis walk off. As he got to his feet,
Nico adjusted his suspenders onto his shoulders. Blowing out a breath, Nico
slowly walked onto the dark stage and got into place.
The song that he and Apollo had picked out for his solo performance tonight was
a bit different than his usual choices, but the blond had been working with
Nico pretty frequently to make sure he moved just right with the dubstep song.
As the lights slowly lit up on the stage, Nico started to let his hips bounce
from side to side as Nostalgia and Aami's “Bad Machine” began to fill the room
light beats. When the lyrics started, Nico slowly worked his arms and hands
down from his head, slowly letting them trail down his body. As he turned to
face the audience, Nico played with the suspenders on his torso. The main thing
he had to remember, as Apollo had told him, was to keep bouncing his hips from
side to side.
At the part where the song kept repeating the words “make you”, Nico brought
his fists to his chest and popped out his ass to each utterance of the word.
Placing his hands behind his head, Nico arched his back before sliding one of
his legs out and crouching down. Biting down on his lip, he reached out and ran
a hand along his outstretched leg. As he came up, Nico unhooked the suspender
on his left shoulder.
Jumping around, Nico smacked his ass and threw his head back. Leaning forward,
Nico moved his upper body in a crescent arch, making sure to bring his head as
close to the floor as he could. After coming up, Nico removed the other
suspender and slid a hand along his torso, making sure to bite his lip when his
hand ghosted over his crotch.
Nico rolled his upper body along with the music, slowly getting his pants off.
When they finally came off his legs, Nico tossed them to the side and turned
around to gyrate his ass to the audience. Reaching behind him, the Lost Boy
hooked his thumbs under the fabric and slowly jerked the speedo from side to
side as. At the end of the song, Nico slid one of his hands under the material
of his speedo and turned his upper body. Placing a hand on the back of his
head, Nico struck a pose while biting his lower lip.
Nico's bad news came right before the final performance of the night. Leo poked
his head through the door and made his way over to the brown-eyed boy. Nico
instantly paled, knowing exactly why Leo was there.
Nico slumped his shoulders. “Which room?” He sighed.
Leo gave him a sad smile. “First room on the right.” As Nico turned to head
there, Leo patted him on the back. “Don't freak out too much.”
But, before Nico could even ask what Leo meant, the Latino boy had already
vanished. Nico let out a little groan and pushed open the door to the back
rooms.
The room was empty when Nico arrived, so he just sat down on the bed for a
minute. With a quick glance at the cabinet, Nico contemplated if he needed to
take another pill. So far, the boy had just waited until he saw the customer to
decide. If it was a woman, Nico always took a pill; but if it was a guy, the
circumstance depended on what the man wanted.
The bottle of alcohol that was also kept in every room also sounded appealing
to him most nights that he found himself in these rooms. Not that he ever drank
it, but he admitted that it did sound appealing. What was not to like about
getting so shit-faced that he could not remember his encounter with the client?
Nico had begun to see the appeal the other Lost Kids had for it.
But, as always, Nico opted against it. With a heavy sigh, Nico leaned back
against the wall. He just wanted to get this over with. At least he had managed
to stop crying.
Nico frowned when the door opened and Octavian slid inside. “What are you doing
here?” Nico asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Octavian narrowed his eyes. “Just giving you a quick reminder of your job.” The
blond nodded to the door. “Percy sent me back here, said that Gaea's going to
have Kronos sit in the security room and watch. She wants to make sure you're
handling your job.” Nico fidgeted slightly, glancing over to the camera in the
corner. “So, just do your job. Just remember to get the information out of the
client as he or she is having their way with you. That's all she cares about.”
Nico sighed and nodded. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
Octavian rolled his blue eyes. “You're such a girl. This is part of why I've
been working with you, so you can do what you're back here to do.” He placed a
hand on his hip. “I haven't been doing it to enjoy your company, you know. It
doesn't matter that you're being watched, the bottom line is that it's about
time you got your act together and pulled your weight. Get what information you
can, and show the bastard in the security room that you're not some easy
target.”
Nico frowned up at the blond. “That almost sounded like you were trying to help
me.”
The blond scoffed. “Please. I just dislike you less than I despise Kronos.”
The brown-eyed boy hugged his knees. “Thanks,” he mumbled. “I'll...try.”
With a small nod in Nico's direction, Octavian disappeared from the room. Nico
glanced at the camera again. He did not like the idea of that snake watching
him, even if Kronos had saw him naked the other day. All of a sudden, Nico felt
extremely vulnerable.
The door opened a little under five minutes later. Nico prepared himself to try
greeting the client like he was supposed to, but as soon as he caught sight of
the client, Nico froze.
“A pleasure to see you again, Nico,” Senator Johnson greeted him. He smiled at
the boy as he removed his coat and put it in a chair that was at the foot of
the bed.
Nico closed his mouth and cleared his throat. Smiling back, Nico jumped up and
played with the loose shirt on his torso. “So, I see you finally decided to
spend some private time with me.” Nico's skin crawled just at having to utter
those words.
He did his best not to cringe when the man ran the back of his hand along
Nico's cheek.
The senator smiled at Nico again before reaching over to dim the lights. “Oh,
I've been waiting for this for some time now.”
--------------------------------------------------
Ever since Percy had asked him to sit in on the meeting, Nico had ran dozens of
simulations in his head on how he thought it would go. None of them had
involved getting his ass groped by Percy, while the manager sat there like he
wasn't even doing anything.
Each of the managers had one of their Lost Kids at their sides, while they all
sat at the large conference table. All except Frank, who had requested that
Hazel attend to him.
Nico stiffened when he felt Percy's finger press against his entrance through
the fabric of his pants. Percy actually had the audacity to give a smug smirk,
keeping his eyes on Gaea as she spoke to the managers. But the only one who
seemed to have a problem with Percy's behavior was Kronos. Though, it did not
take long for Nico to realize that the Lost Kids from the different hotels were
merely there to serve food, drinks, hand the managers documents, and be their
plaything. In all honesty, Nico shouldn't have been surprised, especially since
it seemed to easy for Percy to teach him everything that would be covered at
the meeting.
“You want to pay better attention,” Kronos mumbled in annoyance.
Percy tilted his head to the side, a small smile on his face. “Have you looked
at yourself?”
It was true. Kronos had actually gotten his attendant, a girl named Rhea, to
sit across his lap. The young man only made Nico dislike him more by having the
girl feed him grapes. How stereotypical of someone with power, Nico thought.
“How much are you feeding that boy?” Demeter said plainly, bringing Gaea's line
of discussion to a halt for a moment. “He looks like a corpse.”
Percy looked up at Nico briefly. “I think he's attractive. Just because he's
skinny, doesn't mean he's unhealthy.” The young man gave a light shrug. “He
eats fine, though his eating habits are not enforced by me.”
Nico's cheeks were a little pink by the time Percy was done talking. This was
also not the first time that Demeter had commented on his appearance since her
arrival. This time was number three. The second time had been at breakfast,
when Nico and Hazel had bumped into the woman at the hotel's restaurant.
“It's just the way she is,” Hazel had told him as they had sat down at their
table. “She fusses over everyone. Well, aside from those like Beckendorf and
Butch.” She had grinned broadly. “In fact, she nagged Frank so badly about his
weight that he started working out. And, well, you've seen the result.”
Nico's eyes flickered over to where Gaea was seated. He did not like being the
object of discussion that derailed her meeting. But she sat there calmly, her
green eyes staring blankly back at Nico. He wasn't sure what it was about the
woman, but she seemed to get under his skin worse than Kronos.
Perhaps it was due to the fact that she was Kronos's mother. Nico had to wonder
if she had raised her son to be so cruel. Or perhaps it was due to all the
information that Nico had accumulated on the woman since he had arrived. She
was powerful, there was no doubt in Nico's mind. In fact, he had to wonder if
there was anything she could not achieve, could not make happen.
Either way, her calm demeanor did nothing to make Nico feel safe around her.
“As I was saying,” Gaea finally continued when no one else seemed to want to
discuss Nico, or the fact that the boy was being fondled by her adopted son, “I
feel like it would be beneficial to the Lotus to offer some specials to the
average guests.” She spun her chair to the side and crossed her legs, lifting a
sheet a paper up for examination. “Add in a family plan, or something.”
Athena had a finger tapping against her lips. “What about at the main hotel? I
feel we could make some profits if we offered the resort area for use to
students or their parents. Charge admission to use the pool on the facility.”
The woman at the head of the table waved a hand absently. “See to it that is
done.” She looked up at the other managers. “Any other ideas?”
Percy leaned back in his seat, finally removing his hand from Nico's rear.
“Zeus's businesses are in our possession now. In their current state, they make
a very small profit. Well, at least compared to a lot of our other sources of
incomes.” The young man tapped a pen against the table's surface. “We could
just shut them down, cut off funding them and let them collapse. Or, we could
do some redesigning on them.” He shrugged. “Perhaps turn his old headquarters
of operation into something community related.”
“Thoughts?” Gaea asked.
Percy scrunched his lips. “Community center for kids to go to after school?”
The young man suggested. Gaea simply scribbled something down on the piece of
paper she was holding. “It would need some cleaning up, but it's a nice way of
keeping certain politicians off our backs.”
Atlas gave a scoff. “What are they going to do, storm the hotel? With what?”
The man grinned wickedly. “We own most law enforcement wherever we have
businesses set up.”
“Still,” Percy sighed, “it does help with politicians that aren't so easily
bought.”
“And keep them off our doorsteps with annoying comments,” Frank mumbled.
Gaea crossed her arms and swiveled her chair back and forth a few times. “Fine,
see to it that it's taken care of.” Percy nodded with a smiled. The woman
placed the paper that was in front of her to the side. “Next order of
business.”
“Can you get me some water?” Percy whispered to Nico, leaning back slightly so
the others wouldn't hear.
Nico nodded and reached behind him to pour Percy some water from the ice-filled
pitcher that sat on a small table. The young man smiled when Nico handed it to
him. After taking a sip, Percy made Nico sit on the arm of his chair.
Kronos stared at the two of them in annoyance. “We have a few clients seeking
protection,” the young man said, finally looking over to his mother.
Gaea was busy reading over a new document. “Valuable ones?”
Frank gave a grunt, scribbling something down on a sheet of paper before
handing it to Hazel. “Most of them. All of them are offering large sums of
money, though we do have one in the files, as you can see, that isn't
as...beneficial as the others. His usefulness has expired, in my opinion.”
Percy flipped through a few files in front of him, stopping on one with a photo
of a man. Nico frowned and leaned in. “Is that the man?” Nico whispered. Percy
gave a slight nod.
Athena let out a sigh. “He has a bounty on his head?” Athena asked for
confirmation. Frank nodded. The woman shook her head. “Cut the loss. He's not
benefiting us anymore. Hell, give them his location.”
“Will do,” Frank mumbled, scribbling something else down under the man's photo.
Gaea flipped to the next page. “What about File #138459?”
Percy flipped to the page and found a scary-looking woman with a scar on her
chin. “Wanted for treason,” Atlas offered. The man leaned back and crossed his
arms. “Wanted for smuggling in both Argentina and parts of North America.”
Percy gave a small chuckle. “I'd hand her over. She's not doing anything for us
if she's having to hide all the time.”
“But she was making some good money for us not long ago,” Atlas pointed out.
“True.” Percy looked over to Gaea. “But, in my opinion, she'd be more of a
financial loss in her current state. It would take her several shipments of her
very, very expensive merchandise to pay us back for erasing her criminal record
and having both governments look the other way for her.”
“Not like someone couldn't just replace her,” Kronos agreed, running a hand
underneath Rhea's short skirt.
“Fine,” Atlas grumbled as he scribbled something down. “I'll see to it that
it's taken care of.”
Kronos pushed Rhea out of his lap, a frown marring his face. “I feel like we
should discuss certain events.”
“Not important,” Gaea replied, not looking up from some documents.
“Mother-”
Percy let out a sigh. “We're just worried,” the young man jumped in. All of the
managers nodded. “We all think they are brain dead, but still.” Percy rested
his chin on his hand. “Surely we can all remember what usually happens when
people in power grow careless and feel they can't be touched.”
Gaea cut her eyes over to where Percy sat, silencing him with a cold stare. “I
am not underestimating anyone.” The woman waved a hand absently. “They want to
try and take all of this? Let them try. I built this, and I'll be damned before
I see someone try and steal it all.”
“I could-”
“We both could go,” Kronos jumped in.
Gaea rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “That will not be necessary. I can
manage things myself, thank you both very much.”
Percy and Kronos both smirked, offering no further objections. Nico, however,
felt extremely lost. There was no files that he could recall that sounded
familiar to this situation. Percy had also not flipped to a particular file,
which probably meant there was not one. He wondered if Percy would inform him
later.
“Next order of business,” Gaea finally said after a long moment of silence.
The managers all sat up from their lazy positions and flipped through some of
their files. “Next meeting location?” Demeter offered. Her assistant, a short
Lost Girl that Nico had not caught their name, handed Demeter some documents.
The woman passed them to Percy. “I believe Australia would do.”
Nico's eyebrows rose as he took one of the photos from Percy. It looked so
gorgeous. Percy rolled his eyes at Nico and took the photo back before passing
it down to Frank. “Works for me,” the green-eyed young man said with a yawn.
Nico's eyes widened and his cheeks flared when his stomach growled, drawing
attention from most people in the room. Kronos rolled his eyes.
Percy chuckled. “I guess we've been in here a while.”
Gaea's face was blanked. She stared at Nico for a moment before returning her
eyes to the contents of the document in front of her. “We'll get him some food
on the way to the movie set.”
Nico perked up at that. He looked to Percy, who smiled and nodded. At some
point, Percy must have run it by Gaea that Nico tag along to see the movie that
the woman was funding. And, apparently, Gaea had agreed to it.
After fifteen more minutes of discussion, Nico was tapping his leg in
anticipation. He wanted this to hurry up so he could eat and go meet
celebrities. From the cast list that they kept on file, Nico already knew
several autographs he was going to try and get. However, the managers kept
finding different things to discuss.
Nico nearly fell off of the arm of Percy's chair when the green-eyed young man
cleared his throat. The Lost Boy quickly looked up to find everyone staring at
him. Atlas was tapping his fingers in annoyance.
Percy raised an eyebrow at him. “Can you hand me that file?”
Nico's face went red as he scrambled up from Percy's chair. “Oh. Sorry.” As he
flipped through the files that had been placed behind Percy, Nico realized that
he had no idea what he was even looking for. Biting his lip, the Lost Boy
turned to look at Percy for help.
The young man sighed and stood up, lightly pushing Nico to the side to simply
reach and grab a particular file with a red label across the front. Percy
leaned in to Nico's ear. “Calm down, you've been doing fine. The meeting is
almost over, just pay attention.”
Nico hung his head in embarrassment as he sat back on the arm of Percy's chair.
Hazel flashed him a smile, mouthing “relax”. The Lost Boy was partially
startled when Percy grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled Nico into his lap.
Percy leaned his chair back and slid his arms around Nico's waist, holding the
file out in front of both of them.
Nico's brow furrowed. He had only seen this file once while studying with
Percy. After seeing Nico pick it up, Percy had taken it from the Lost Boy's
hands and told him not to worry about that file. The only thing Percy had said
was to know when to hand it to him, which Nico had managed to fail at. A
wonderful way to end his first attendance to one of these meetings.
Gaea laid her copy of the file onto the table, spreading some of the contents
out in front of her. “Is everything here in order?”
“For the most part,” Athena supplied. The woman laced her hands together in her
lap. “We still need some funding on particular political candidates on the
United States' front.”
Nico felt one of Percy's hands slip under his shirt. “Leo's going to be writing
the checks later today,” the green-eyed young man added.
Gaea gave a nod. “Good. And the justices that we were going to have nominated?”
“Since someone's president thought he could nominate who he wanted,” Kronos
mumbled, cutting his eyes over to Percy.
“Also being taken care of.” Percy stuck his tongue out playfully at Kronos, who
rolled his eyes. “And I'll make sure that the senate passes the particular one
that we selected to make it through. They-”
Percy stopped in the middle of his sentence when there was a commotion out in
the hall. Nico could hear Rachel say something about “not being a good idea”.
There was a male voice on the other side of the door, insisting to be let in.
After a few seconds, the door opened and Rachel poked her head in.
“Sorry to interrupt, but there's a client here with payment.” Her eyes flashed
over to Percy, a hidden message being relayed to the young man. “Should I let
him in?”
Gaea closed her folder, and the managers soon followed her example. The woman
motioned to the door. “Show him in.”
Rachel stepped aside and a tall, thin man brushed past her. A pair of glasses
rested on his nose, the light in the room reflecting in them to hide the man's
eyes. He wore a red bow tie with his grey coat and black shirt. The hair on the
top of his head was grey, though Nico could see that it was starting to thin
out. In his hand was a briefcase.
Gaea stuck her nose up at the sight of the man as he walked around the table to
stand closer to the woman in charge. As he was halfway around the table, Gaea
held up a hand to make him stop. The man placed his briefcase on the table,
next to where Kronos was sitting.
Kronos looked like he had just been touched by something diseased, scooting his
chair a few inches away from the man. The way Kronos looked at him, it was like
he was staring at a rodent. To Nico's surprise, this was the reaction the man
was earning from all of the managers in the room.
“Dr. Thorn,” Gaea said with a great distaste in her voice, “what do I owe the
pleasure of your interruption on our very important meeting?” She looked the
man over before lacing her hands together in her lap and spinning her chair
slightly to the side. “Your situation has already been discussed, I'm afraid,
and we've already come to a decision.”
“Ah, well, I was hoping I could just have a moment of your time.” The man
nervously reached for his briefcase, opening up the locks on it. “Perhaps I
could persuade you to change your minds. I know business has been bad lately,
but I think I can give you something valuable.”
Atlas snorted and elbowed Kronos, who leaned back in his chair and watched the
man with amusement. Percy leaned his cheek on his palm, which was propped up on
the arm of his chair. Nico fidgeted lightly in Percy's lap.
The room fell silent when a bag of pure white powder was pulled out of the
suitcase. Nico did not have to be a genius to know what it was. The hair on the
boy's arms stood up as he glanced around at everyone else in the room. The Lost
Kids were deathly silent. Rhea gulped and leaned in to whisper something to
Kronos, who moved his chair farther away from the man and allowed Rhea to get
out of his lap to stand in the corner of the room. Even Hazel looked nervous,
looking stiff and refusing to look up from the floor.
Several managers had their jaws locked. Percy, for his part, had a fire of
annoyance in his eyes, as if to say: you have the audacity to bring that here?
Nico looked down when he felt Percy's hand slide along his head. Percy reached
for something under the table, and Nico's eyes widened drastically when he saw
the back of a gun. Percy let it rest on his knee, his finger on the trigger.
“You're not very bright, son, are you?” Demeter said, breaking the silence.
Dr. Thorn chose to ignore her. He slid the briefcase down the table, where Gaea
could get a better look at it. As the briefcase came to rest in front of her,
Gaea drew her hands away from the table, like the object carried some disease.
All the while, Dr. Thorn was grinning, like he was very pleased with himself.
Gaea's jaw locked and she reached out to pick up one of the many bags of white
powder inside the briefcase. “Ah, yes, your best merchandise.” Her eyes grew
hard as knives and she dropped the bag back into the suitcase, placing her
hands into her lap. She let out a sigh and looked out the window, bringing one
of her hands up to prop up her chin. “This is why I hate amateurs, they never
know how to pay properly.”
“Huh?” Dr. Thorn drew back, stunned. “But this is some of the finest-”
“I get that by the truckloads, son,” Atlas sneered.
With dull eyes, Gaea reached out and picked up a back of powder. “I take money,
Dr. Thorn. It's my businesses that sell this stuff, and I don't care to have
more of it as a form of payment.” Dr. Thorn's eyes widened as Gaea tore the bag
and poured its contents onto the rest of the pile. “Does this look like cash to
you?”
Dr. Thorn placed his hands on the table, his face red in anger. “What are you
doing? Do you know how much that bag was worth?” He demanded.
“Not even half of what we make in a month,” Kronos mumbled, inspecting his
fingernails. With a dark look at the man, Kronos reached underneath the table.
Nico stiffened when Percy's finger tightened on the trigger and he began to
lift it above the table.
Nico was startled when a loud gunshot filled the air, his ears now ringing. He
sat there, stunned, as Percy placed his unused pistol onto the table. Dr. Thorn
now lay on the floor, blood gushing from his neck as he gasped for breath.
Kronos sighed and placed his cheek into his palm, grumbling as he placed his
unused gun on the table as well.
Confused, Nico looked around to try and find which of the managers had shot the
man. With snake-like eyes watching the dying man, Gaea stood to her feet, a gun
in her right hand. She placed it on the table and walked behind her to get
herself a glass of water.
Once she was satisfied, she sat back down and took a sip. “Percy, could you get
someone in here to remove this filth?” She asked, motioning to the man on the
floor.
Percy nodded. He looked to Rachel, who nodded and stepped back outside. A
moment later, Ethan and Clarisse came in and picked up the guy, dragging him
out as blood trailed behind him. Nico gulped as the door was closed.
Percy sighed and shook his head. “Now I'm going to have to redo the carpet.”
The meeting continued for nearly thirty more minutes before Gaea called it to a
close and said that everyone was dismissed. After that, Nico had gone to his
room to get things he felt he would need to go see a movie set: pen, some
paper, and his phone for photos. He also used this time to a a break freakout
over the first murder he had ever witnessed.
Percy showed up a little before it was time to go, and just shook his head and
told Nico not to freak out when he met the actors.
And now Nico found himself in a limo with Percy, Gaea, Athena, Rachel, and
Kronos. Just looking out the window, Nico was in awe. There were so many people
running around, so many props being moved around. They even had a safe being
lifted up on a crane to be loaded in a truck, though it looked like the driver
was taking a break.
As they got out, Gaea let out a sigh and placed a pair of sunglasses over her
eyes. With a purse of her lips, she leaned in towards Athena. “Remind me to
fund them some more money.”
Rachel chuckled when she caught the confused look on Nico's face. “She's not
too pleased,” the Lost Girl supplied.
What? This was amazing, how could anyone not be impressed. Nico just continued
to stare up at everything as they walked through the studio lot. It was so
magical, even though it was just an average workplace for these people. Percy
slipped his hands into his pockets and nudged Nico along when he thought the
boy was slowing down.
As they walked, Nico turned to Percy. “So, can I ask something?” He asked
quietly. Percy gave him a nod. “What was up with that final topic back in the
meeting? I mean, you can't seriously guarantee that those people will take
office, can you?”
The young man tilted his head to the side and arched a brow. “No, they will
definitely be taking office, most within a year.” The green-eyed Adonis smirked
when Nico stared up at him in confusion. “I don't think the world, politics
especially, works the way you think it does, Nico.” He gave a casual shrug.
“Money makes things happen, and it's important to keep people in power that can
benefit your interests. Political parties don't even matter, in all reality.
Either candidate for whatever position they are going for can be of use. You
think your vote actually matters?”
“Well that's just corrupt, especially since America is supposed to be about
freedom.”
Percy shook his head with a smile. “You have the freedom to believe that your
vote counts for something. You have the freedom to go about your day and pretty
much do whatever you want. You can do a lot with this 'freedom'. However, no
one is truly 'free' on this planet. People in power, no matter what country you
are in, decide just how 'free' you are.”
Nico let out a sigh and looked over to watch someone direct around some men
carrying large props. “And what happens to these politicians when they have
outlived their usefulness?”
Nico jumped when he felt someone grab his shoulder. Letting out a yelp, he spun
around to find a grinning Kronos. Percy chuckled and shook his head. Kronos
smirked creepily. “They get removed. Permanently.”
Percy shook his head. “Don't scare him,” the manager said. He smiled down at
Nico. “Not always, but some do give us problems when they are being taken out
of power.” Percy reached up to scratch his brow. “Where do you think a lot of
political assassinations come from? Or perhaps a senator gets into a automobile
accident, and he or his family doesn't make it. Simple threats can work just as
good as putting out a hit on them.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “I wouldn't call making someone wreck a 'simple threat'.”
Percy smiled down at the boy and pulled Nico closer, which did not seem to
please Kronos very much at all. “That's cute, Nico. Don't worry, you won't ever
have to worry about things like this.”
Nico grumbled under his breath and let Percy lead him farther into the studio
lot.
Nearly two hours later, Nico emerged from one of the buildings with a big grin
on his face. Percy shook his head lightly as Nico thumbed through all the
autographs he had gotten. Rachel handed the boy back his phone, just having
taken a photo of the boy with Emma Stone.
“I will treasure this one forever,” Nico sighed contently.
“I'm going to begin questioning your sexuality,” Rachel chuckled.
Nico held the phone close to his chest. “What? I would totally go straight for
Emma Stone?” The boy narrowed his eyes when he spotted Percy snickering at him.
“She's hot!”
“She also has a vagina,” Percy pointed out.
“Okay, so there would be some issues that would have to be worked out.” Nico
sighed at the photo. “Also, her boyfriend is hot. I might have that threesome.”
Rachel nodded sagely. “He was very hot in that Spider-Man costume.”
Nico looked up at Percy. “So, what's the name of this movie going to be?”
Athena beat the young man to it. “Gangster Squad.” She was reading over
something on her tablet. “It's based on a true story, in fact.”
As they walked back to the limo, the group fell into a silence. Percy walked
beside Nico, looking over the boy's shoulder as he kept flipping through photos
of himself with the celebrities that had been on the set. He was so distracted
that he did not even hear the low groaning noise coming from above him until
there was a loud scream.
The next thing Nico knew, he had the wind knocked out of him as Percy came
barreling into him, sending the boy flying through the air. Nico's eyes widened
as he landed on concrete, though the hard impact to his head never came.
His eyes became filled with panic a second later when the large safe he had
seen on their arrival came crashing down where he had been standing just a
second ago. Nico just laid there in shock, his body shaking. His face was
pressed against Percy's shoulder, the young man's arms in a vice grip around
Nico's body.
A second later, the two were surrounded by the rest of their group, with quite
a few other people running over to check on what happened. Kronos was yelling
down at Percy, though Nico was still in too much of a shock to make out what
the young man saying. The only words he could decipher were “you idiot” and
“worthless trash”.
And then Percy pulled back and allowed Nico to see his face. Nico was frozen by
what he saw. There was pure panic in Percy's green eyes, his eyes wide as he
looked Nico over. Kronos reached down and jerked Percy to his feet, though
Percy only continued to stare down at Nico, like Nico might actually not be
laying there unharmed. It was also then that Nico noted that the back of
Percy's hand was bleeding, having taken the impact instead of Nico's head.
Gaea was eerily quiet, letting Athena and Rachel handle the crowd around them,
and letting Kronos yell at Percy for how stupid that was. Nico just laid there,
unable to get his legs to work for him. He gulped and jumped a little when
Rachel reached down to help him up.
“You okay?” She asked, looking Nico over.
Nico gave a shaky nod, his eyes still locked with Percy. It wasn't until Gaea
insisted they head back to the hotel that Nico looked over to the safe. It had
smashed into the ground, and Nico could have been underneath it, if it had not
been for Percy.
As they walked back, Percy kept his head down and his eyes hidden behind his
bangs. Nico frowned, though he was not able to get near Percy, due to Kronos
glaring daggers at him any time he even took a step in the young man's
direction. Even in the limo, Kronos demanded that Nico sit as far away from
Percy as possible.
As the limo pulled away from the lot, Nico looked out the window. This felt
bad. He had been so scared of something happened, so determined and self-
assured that there was nothing for anyone to worry about. He had wanted
everyone to see that there was nothing there with him and Percy, that Percy was
not in fact changing over him. But Percy had thrown himself in harms' way for
Nico, and the boy had a feeling that was not going to end well for either of
them.
The ride back was deathly quiet. Percy refused to even look at Nico, his eyes
lowered the entire time. At the beginning of the ride, Kronos had been snapping
at Percy, but soon gave up when he saw that Percy was not going to say
anything. Nico shifted uncomfortably, fully aware that Gaea was switching her
gaze between Percy and Nico, almost as if she was making a decision.
As soon as they were back, Kronos jerked Percy's arm and dragged him out of the
limo. Gaea quietly got out and headed into the hotel. Rachel followed after
Athena, shooting Nico a sad look. The brown-eyed boy bit his lip, trying to
fight back a wave of tears. Something bad was about to happen, he just knew it.
And would all be his fault for not paying attention.
They rode the elevator up to Percy's floor. Nico had gone to push the button to
his floor, but Kronos had smacked his hand away from the button. The other
managers are waiting there when they arrive, all of them immediately demanding
to know what happened at the movie set.
Without saying a word, Percy is ushered into the conference room by Gaea.
Kronos crossed his arms and walked in beside the green-eyed boy, sitting down
on the edge of the table. But when the other managers moved to go inside, Gaea
blocked their entrance.
“I need to talk to Percy privately for a moment.”
“But Kronos is in there,” Atlas grumbled.
Frank rolled his eyes. “You sound like a child.”
Atlas shot the young man a glare, but shut up when he noticed Gaea's cold eyes.
“All of you can go find something else to do until I'm done,” she stated. Nico
looked down and slowly turned to head down the hall, hopefully back to his
room. But Gaea's cold voice stopped him in his tracks. “Not you, Nico. You and
I need to have a word when I'm finished with this talk.”
Nico felt a chill run down his spine, but he managed to nod in response. While
the other managers dispersed, Gaea shut the door. Nico slid down the wall and
planted his butt on the floor. He felt like he was sitting outside the
principal's office.
It did not take long for word to spread to the Lost Kids, apparently, as
Annabeth, Connor, and Hazel came down the hall. They stood in front of the
small window and watched inside. As the windows were bulletproof, as Nico had
been informed before the meeting, they were not able to hear what was going on
inside.
Connor turned to Nico. “What happened?”
“I was being stupid,” Nico whispered. He managed getting to his feet and stood
beside them to look at the three inside the room. “I nearly got crushed today,
and Percy pushed me out of the way. Well, tackled me, if you want to get
technical.”
The Lost Kids were silent, choosing to watch what was unfolding inside the room
instead of commenting on what Nico had just said. Nico frowned and did the
same.
Percy sat on the opposite side of the table from Gaea and Kronos, facing
towards the window. He kept his head down, unmoving. No matter what Gaea said,
Percy did not look up at her. When she apparently got no response from Percy,
Gaea got livid. She slammed her hand down on the table and yelled something at
Percy. The glass was very thick, as Nico could only hear that she was yelling
and not what she was actually saying.
Kronos sat there, smirking as he watched everything unfold, like he had just
won something. Though she does not look, Gaea pointed in the direction of the
window as she continued to lecture Percy. Even so, Percy continued to sit there
like a statue.
Finally, Gaea let out a sigh and sat back down in her chair, rubbing her
temple. Whatever she said, it caused Percy to finally look up and shoot out of
his chair. He went to say something, but frowned and looked away. When Gaea
said something else, Percy's fists clench.
Percy shook his head, finally answering Gaea. He motioned with his hands a lot,
his eyes wide and pleading. Gaea just shook her head. She walked around the
table and cupped Percy's chin. She seemed calmer now, as did Percy. The young
man looked up at her with a look of unhappiness still in his eyes.
Percy lowered his gaze and said something to Gaea, which she nodded to. Percy
finally looked up and gave the woman a nod. Kronos grinned wickedly as he stood
up. Percy narrowed his eyes and pointed his finger against the surface of the
table, looking as if he was demanding something from Kronos. The pale young man
held up his hands and smiled, responding calmly to Percy.
Kronos walked over to the door and opened it. As Percy came out, his eyes met
with Nico's for a brief moment, a sad look filling his beautiful green orbs.
Behind him, Kronos grinned wickedly, like he had won whatever they had
discussed. In silence, Percy walked towards his suite.
“Nico, please come in here,” came Gaea's calm voice.
Nico gulped and walked forward. Kronos grinned and bumped the boy's shoulder.
Leaning in, Kronos whispered, “What would you like inscribed on your coffin?”
Nico looked nervously around the room as the door was shut behind him. Gaea sat
there, watching him patiently. But when Nico just stood there, she motioned to
the chair in front of her. “Sit,” she ordered.
And Nico did as he was told.
Gaea crossed her arms, arching her brow at the boy. “You can relax now, Nico,
I'm not going to yell at you.”
Nico gulped. “Y-yes, ma'am.”
A small smile touched at her lips. “I'm just concerned, that's all,” the woman
explained. “I've never seen Percy put himself in danger like that, aside from
some small accidents when he and Kronos were younger and Percy shielded
Kronos.” The way she watched Nico, it was like she was studying him for
dissection. “I am not mad at you, it was not your fault. I just do not like
Percy endangering himself in such a way.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
The tall woman let out a sigh, pushing her chair away from the table slightly.
“I do hope that Percy decides to settle down some day, I really do.” She laced
her hands together in her lap. “I want him to be happy, as any parent would
wish for the child they raise”
Helped raise, Nico thought to himself.
“But, I'm also not sure if Percy's what is best for you.”
Nico was a little startled by that. “Excuse me?” He said quietly.
You are a problem for Percy, which makes you a problem for me as well. However,
I'm not quite sure how bad this problem is just yet.” While her face was blank,
Gaea looked very intimidating to Nico as she sat there staring at him. “I'm
just not sure if you should be with Percy. Perhaps you should look to leave the
hotel, perhaps stay with your sister's boyfriend and his family.”
Nico found himself at a loss for words. Normally, if someone had said something
like that to him, he probably would have found himself angry. However, Nico was
fully aware of who he was talking to at the moment.
“Ah, perhaps I should explain.” Gaea leaned her chair back. Nico swallowed a
lump in his throat, already certain he would not like where this was going.
“What I just said was, in fact, not about Percy at all, but rather what is best
for you, in my opinion.” Her head slightly tilted to the side as she observed
the silent boy. “You remind me a lot of him, in some ways. Some of your
choices, they reflect similar choices that he made.”
Nico clenched at his jeans. “Is it true?” He decided to ask.
Gaea blinked at him. “Is what true?”
“Kronos-” Nico bit down on his lip. “Kronos said a lot of confusing things, a
lot that contradicted things that Percy had previously told him.” Gaea gave a
simple nod. “Like how old he was when you found him.” His brown eyes found
their way to his lap. “Or that he chose to do the things he did, and wasn't
forced into it.”
“Ah,” was all that Gaea said at first. She stood to her feet and walked around
the table, letting her fingers trail along its surface. She came to sit down
next to Nico, turning her chair to face the boy. “Percy's childhood was very
traumatic for him, and he still has trouble remembering a lot of details the
way they actually happened.” She smiled and brushed some of Nico's hair to the
side. “It does not make him a liar.”
Nico looked up at her. “So, what is the truth?”
A light smile touched at her lips. “The stories are true about you. Curious
little thing, aren't you?” Nico just swallowed a lump in his throat. Gaea
sighed. “He was eleven when I found him on the streets. A poor, sick thing,
just lying there. And, yet, when I crouched down to get a better look at him, I
could see a fire in his eyes as he grabbed at a broken knife he was using as a
weapon. After I had him taken care of at the hospital, forging a few birth
certificates along the way, I took him back to Germany with me.
“Kronos took to him right away, though he did look at Percy like a new toy when
they first met. I think Percy was just in awe at everything, and so he did most
of what Kronos asked him to. Even after I told him he did not have to, Percy
insisted that he did not mind.” Gaea shook her head with a sigh. “The two of
them were such a handful, always getting into trouble and causing the staff to
chase them down. Never ask Athena about the office incident.” She chuckled as
she thought back to the event. “But he never wanted for anything during this
time. I gave him everything he could possibly want, and more.”
“So,” Nico quietly began, unsure if he even needed to say anything, “what
happened?”
Gaea let out a long breath and looked back at Nico, like she was coming out of
her memories. “Several months after he turned fifteen, Percy came into my
office one day and demanded that he go to work for me.” She shook her head. “I
told him that it wasn't necessary, but the boy was very persistent and
determined. And, as you've probably seen by now, it's hard to say no to
Percy...especially when he pouts.”
Nico did know, all too well.
“I never asked, though I felt I did not need to, but I'm quite certain that, in
Percy's mind, he felt like he owed me. Which, of course, is preposterous, as he
has never owed me anything.”
“Then why did you have him murder a family?” Nico blurted out. He quickly
clamped a hand over his mouth.
Gaea just smiled, her eyes not as pleased. “I see Percy has told you some
things.” She ran her fingers through Nico's dark hair. “That was a different
matter, a test of loyalty. It was before I even told him that he would become a
district manager, but I already had the idea in mind. And it wasn't anything
uncommon, as every manager before him had to do similar trials.”
Nico let out a huff, his brow furrowed. “But if you told him that he didn't
have to do all of this, why did he keep insisting?”
She raised a brow at him. “Why did you demand to be a stripper?”
Nico opened his mouth, unable to find the right answer. He frowned and thought
for a moment, until he came up with only one answer. “Because, I felt like I
owed him,” he whispered, his shoulders slumped.
Gaea slowly nodded. “And now you have your answer about Percy. As you might
know, Percy is fiercely loyal to his friends and those that he calls family.”
Standing up, Gaea rested her hands on Nico's shoulder. “And perhaps now you see
why I see similarities in you and him.” She hummed lightly. “But will you turn
out like him? There's so much uncertainty about you. You're not like most that
come through the doors of this hotel to be placed into the role of a Lost Kid.”
She smiled and brushed his hair to the side. “I think I'll keep my eye on you.”
Nico looked up at her with a gulp. Slowly, Nico got to his feet and headed for
the door. His legs felt like jelly as he struggled to stay on balance.
“Oh, and, Nico?” Gaea called out to him as he was about to shut the door. “What
I did was for the best.”
Nico stared at her in confusion, but the woman was already looking out the
window, done with their conversation. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Nico
shut the door. What had that been about?
---------------------------------------------
The rest of Nico's night showed no sign of improvement. When Percy had come up
the stairs to the top floor with the other managers and Gaea, Nico had barely
taken a step before stopping. Kronos shot him a venomous look, daring the Lost
Boy to serve their table. He had already experienced the pleasures of serving a
table with Kronos when the manager was in a good mood, Nico was not brave
enough to attempt his luck with it with a pissed off Kronos.
The Lost Kids were uncertain about what they thought about the day's events.
Most said that Nico didn't need to worry, and that Gaea had probably just told
him to not put himself in danger again. But the unreadable looks from Luke,
Octavian, and Annabeth did not allow Nico to relax. While none of those three
had said anything, their silence had caused Nico's nerves to plummet.
And as if his luck was not already bad enough, Nico ended up serving a table
with Robert. The blond man had a drink already in hand, looking partially
intoxicated. His eyes were trained on the stage, where Apollo was dancing along
to some club-like music.
“I see you already got a drink,” Nico said as he came to stand next to the
table.
Robert smirked. “Just came up from the bar, thought I'd watch the show.” The
man returned to his staring at the blond Adonis on stage, watching as the blond
Lost Boy ran his hands all along his body. “Still flexible. Apollo was very
good in bed.” He smirked over at Nico. “Though, perhaps you already know that,
if the lot of you really do have sex with each other.”
“Afraid not.” The brown-eyed Lost Boy placed his hands on the table. “Can I get
you anything?”
Robert held up his drinks. “Just keep them coming.” He tilted his head to the
side, eyebrows raised, as Apollo bent forward and peeled back his speedo.
“Surprise me, just make sure it's got a lot of alcohol.”
After returning with the man's drink, Nico tried to stay away from Robert's
table as much as possible. On the fifth drink, though, Robert grabbed Nico's
arm.
“Get me Leo or Rachel, I need to make an arrangement with Percy,” Robert said.
Nico stared back for a moment, casting a glance in the direction of the stage.
Apollo was performing again, this time with Silena and Thalia. “If he'll even
let you.”
Robert smiled at Nico. “You know, you've got the same lip and dark look in your
eye that he had for a few months after living here.” The man leaned on the
table. “You've already changed a lot since the first time we met, I have to
wonder how much more you might change with a few more months under your belt.”
Nico narrowed his eyes down at the man. Even if he was a client, Nico did not
like being talked to like that. And that was the second time today that he had
been told that he reminded someone of another person at the hotel. Was it too
much to ask that he just be his own person?
“But,” Robert continued, “you're still very attractive in your own way, Nico.”
The man patted Nico's hand on the table. “Perhaps I'll be requesting some time
with you in the near future.”
Nico smiled a cold smile and stood up straight. “I'll be right back with Leo,”
he said, forcing the words out of his mouth.
Nico caught Leo as the Latino was weaving his way through the tables. “What's
up?” Leo asked when Nico grabbed his arm.
“Robert wanted me to fetch you. Apparently, he wants some time with Apollo.”
Leo glanced over Nico's shoulder with a nod before heading over to where Percy
and the others were sitting. Nico sighed and shook his head, making his way to
another table. His was already feeling exhausted, but during his break, Leo and
Rachel had gone around and announced that there would be a meeting around
three, to allow for everyone to finish up with work and clients.
Nico groaned. That meant that it could be after four before he got to see his
bed.
When Nico went into the bar room to pick up an order, Dionysus stopped him
before he could take the tray. “I was so relieved to hear that you weren't
crushed today, Nico. That would have been most unfortunate.”
“You know, if I didn't know you better, I'd think you might have tried to have
me killed,” Nico mumbled. Dionysus smiled and sat down in his chair. “But
that's not your style, at least not from what I can tell.”
“And what would be my style?”
“Mental and emotional abuse,” Nico grumbled as he headed for the door. “I can
see why you and Kronos might get along.” He heard Dionysus laugh as the door
swung shut.
Nico slowed down a little when he noticed Apollo leading Robert towards the
back rooms. His brow furrowed as he watched Apollo smile and take his ex-
boyfriend's drink from him. Nico stared darkly at Robert's back as the two
disappeared from sight.
Once he had the drinks dropped off at their respective tables, Nico caught Leo
again. “I thought Percy didn't let Robert have time with Apollo, unless there
was punishment involved.”
Leo typed something into his phone before pocketing it and letting out a sigh,
his eyes staring over to the door that led customers to the back rooms.
“Depends on Apollo's mood.” The Latino Lost Boy locked his jaw with a shrug.
“They say you never really let go of your first love, and I suppose that's the
case with Apollo.” He rolled his eyes. “Whatever,” he mumbled, though his eyes
were once again on the door.
“Oh.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck. “I just didn't think Apollo would want
to.”
“It seems he's horny tonight,” Leo grumbled. He arched a brow at Nico. “I'd
lock your door, if things don't sour his mood by the time we all get to go to
bed.”
Nico slowly nodded. “Wasn't planning on it. I was just surprised Apollo even
had a choice. I mean, I just thought Percy-”
“Percy didn't okay it,” Leo said plainly before leaving Nico standing there.
Nico's brow furrowed as he stared after the Lost Boy. What did he mean by that?
Percy had the final say on these things, didn't he? Or perhaps Gaea was making
the decisions while she was here. Either way, Leo's words felt a little odd to
him.
Luckily for Nico, he didn't find himself with a client tonight. However, that
just meant he was stuck in the conference room with most of the other Lost
Kids, while they waited for the rest and Percy to join them.
“So, I see you're not a pancake,” Will said, grinning as he sat down in the
chair next to Nico and propping his feet up on the table.
“Lucky me, since I'm obviously just a damsel and need someone to protect me,”
Nico mumbled with a yawn.
“Maybe next time, Percy won't save your ass then,” Luke grumbled as he took a
seat with his brother, glaring across the table at Nico.
Will rolled his eyes. “Don't mind him.”
“Someone's panties seem to be in a wad tonight,” Thalia chuckled as she entered
the room. Jason came in behind her and sat down on the other side of Nico.
Will leaned forward. “So, Jason, you still on for a small basketball game
tomorrow?”
“You take me surfing and make me embarrass myself, and you take him to play a
sport he's good at?” Nico narrowed his eyes at Will, who grinned at him.
“It's not a date.” Jason smirked and shook his head. “We were just talking
about some recent NBA games, and we decided that it might be fun to play a
little one-on-one.”
“In jockstraps and nothing else,” Will added with a grin. When Nico perked up a
little, he chuckled. “Nah, but I'm sure you'd enjoy watching that. Perhaps we
can do that for you another time.”
“You know,” Jason began, “we could probably make that into a performance.”
Will snapped his fingers. “I like the way you think, Grace.”
Nico shook his head with a sigh. He looked up when the door opened again and
the remainder of the Lost Kids poured inside. Apollo sat down a few chairs away
from Nico with a long yawn. Leo and Rachel were the last to step inside, and
they closed the door behind them. The two did not look as calm as most of the
other Lost Kids, and Annabeth quickly noted this.
“What's going on?” She asked.
Rachel shrugged casually, taking a seat. “Nothing,” the Lost Girl said simply.
“Something you want to share with the rest of us?” Luke growled. “Because, some
of us get the feeling that we're not about to get the best of news.”
Rachel let out a breath. But, before she could say anything, the door opened
again and Percy stepped inside. The Lost Kids fell quiet as the manager shut
the door and walked around the table, though he did not sit down anywhere.
“We're all getting raises, aren't we?” Travis said with a grin, placing his
hands behind his head.
Percy remained solemn, chewing on his lip and deep in thought. He sighed and
sat down on a small table against the wall. Several of the Lost Kids
straightened in their chair, all of them realizing there was about to be some
bad news.
“Not a raise then,” Connor whispered.
Thalia's brow furrowed. She stood up. “What's going on, Percy? You haven't
looked this serious since Akhlys died.”
Percy rubbed his hands together in his hands, as if he were cold and trying to
get warm. When he looked up, his eyes reminded Nico of a river or pond after a
heavy rain. The young man ran his hand through his hair, causing it to become
disheveled. Letting out a sigh, he began.
“There is something that I need you all to be aware of, some news that will
change some things around here.” The room was silent for a brief pause, no one
even moving an inch. “I'm not sure how you guys will take of it, but I trust
that you each will find a way to make due.” He let out a sigh. “As of tonight,
I will be stepping down as district manager of this hotel and the North
American branch for an undetermined amount of time. I will be returning to
Germany with Gaea until that time comes.”
“What?” Was yelled by several Lost Kids.
“You can't!” Annabeth shouted, jumping to her feet and placing her hands on the
table.
Clarisse clenched her fists. “What the hell, Jackson?”
Luke glared over at Nico. “Is this because the twerp nearly got crushed?” The
blond jumped to his feet as well. “What the fuck, Percy, you can't seriously
have agreed to this?”
There was a lot more yelling, though Nico remained silent. His hands were
shaking, but he did not care. He stared over at Percy, but the young man
refused to look at him. He cradled his head when Jason and Will got to their
feet to join in the angry yelling.
“Who's going to be in charge while you're away?” Annabeth yelled over the
commotion.
Percy held up a hand to get everyone to settle down. It took a moment, but Luke
yelled very loudly for them all to “shut the fuck up”. The green-eyed young man
let out a sigh and looked down, his eyes becoming hidden from everyone's view.
What Percy said next left the room in complete silence.
“Kronos will take my place while I'm away.”
***** Never Let Me Go *****
There were no words to express the pain that Nico felt inside himself right
now. His chest hurt, and he did not know how to make it stop. For the most part
of last night, the boy had cried in his room. As much as he wanted to deny it,
Nico felt like this was his fault. If he had been paying better attention,
perhaps Percy would not have to leave.
And, so, with sad eyes, Nico looked up at Percy for what he was scared would be
the last time. Percy just smiled back at the boy with his usual smile that
could melt the coldest of ice. Nico tried to control his breathing, fully aware
that his face was still red from when he had been crying. But he did not care
at the moment.
“Please, don't go,” Nico whispered, looking down at his feet.
They stood in the middle of the hotel lobby, surrounded by the other Lost Kids,
Gaea, and Kronos. But at the moment, Nico did not care who was watching them.
What more could they do? Gaea was already ripping Percy away from all of them,
and Kronos was going to be horrible to them no matter what they did. Nothing
mattered except what he needed to say to Percy.
Percy reached out, hovered his hand over Nico's head for a moment, and then
patted the boy on the head. “You'll be fine, I know you will.” He smiled,
tilting his head to the side to catch Nico's gaze. Nico finally looked up,
holding back a fresh wave of tears. “It's not like I'm dying or anything, I'll
be back eventually.”
Nico pressed his lips together. “And what if you don't?”
Percy raised a brow at Nico, still smiling. “Then I'd expect you to leave the
hotel, rather than stay here.” His fingers brushed through Nico's hair. “Just
don't cause Kronos any trouble, and I'm sure you'll be fine.” His voice was so
calm, so relaxing, but it did nothing to calm Nico's already dwindling nerves.
“I-I could go,” Nico said desperately, his eyes wild as he looked up at Nico.
Percy's eyes darted over to some of the others, who looked over with Nico's
outburst. “What are you talking about, Nico?”
Nico quickly nodded. “I could go, so you don't have to. I could leave, go stay
with Daedalus. Or even be placed at another hotel.” He couldn't help himself,
Nico reached out and grabbed onto Percy's shirt, needing to be reassured that
the young man was still there. “Just, please, don't go. I screwed up, all of
this is my fault. I don't want to put this on everyone else. I-”
Percy pulled Nico against his chest. “Nico, shhh.” The young man stroked Nico's
hair. “You didn't do anything.” Nico breathed in Percy's scent, knowing there
was no way to know when he would ever smell the scent again. It was like the
ocean. And if Nico closed his eyes, he could almost hear the ocean and the
gulls cawing above him. “I need to go, but this isn't your fault. I'll...” He
looked over his shoulder when Gaea cleared her throat. “I need to go. One day,
you'll understand.”
Nico did not see how that would ever be a possibility. As he watched Percy walk
towards the door with Gaea, Nico's heart began to break. It hurt, just seeing
the young man leave. Never knowing when he would see those green eyes again, or
that smile. When would he hear Percy's enticing voice again? Nico would take
Percy being angry with him, if it just meant that Percy would not leave them,
if he would not leave him.
Percy blinked and turned around when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt.
Nico kept his eyes shut, his fingers holding tight to the hem of Percy's shirt.
He didn't want to let Percy go. He knew that the second he let go, Percy would
be gone and Nico might not ever see him again.
“We need to go, Percy,” Gaea whispered.
Percy gave a nod. He smiled and looked down at Nico, tilting the boy's chin up.
“Hey, smile a little,” he told the boy. Nico shook his head. Percy smiled a
little more. “You can still talk to me, just ask Leo or Rachel for my Skype.
Okay?”
Nico's eyes were still closed as he leaned up and wrapped his arms around
Percy's neck. Before he could even process what he was doing, Nico pressed his
lips to Percy's cheek and cried. When Nico pulled back, though his eyes were
now clouded with tears, he was able to make out the stunned look on Percy's
face. The young man's arms hovered in the air awkwardly, like he had been
considering hugging Nico back. Percy's mouth opened, but no words ever came
out.
Gaea clamped onto Percy's wrist. “We don't want to be late for our flight,” she
said before her and Percy left.
Gone. Percy was gone. Nico just stood there, watching as Percy climbed into the
limousine that was waiting for them. He stopped before climbing inside, looking
at Nico through the large, glass doors. He gave the boy a weak smile and waved
before sliding into the back of the limo and shut the door.
A pair of hands were placed on Nico's shoulders. Thalia guided the boy over to
a chair and sat him down, sitting down on the arm of the chair herself. No one
really moved in the lobby, save for the normal guests, but they didn't
understand what had just happened.
Thalia rubbed Nico's back. “I'm not even sure where to start,” she whispered.
Her eyes were not on Nico, though. “But first things first, you need to watch
your back.”
“Why, because the other Lost Kids hate me?” Nico grumbled, wiping at his face.
“No.” Her hands on his back did nothing to calm the boy. “Well, I'm sure some
of them are irritated, but they will get over it eventually.” She nudged Nico.
“But there's something else you need to worry about.” Nico finally looked up
and followed her gaze over to Kronos. “I don't think what you just did was the
smartest idea.”
Kronos had probably never liked Nico, the boy was aware of that. But the look
he gave Nico now, it was one of pure detestation. His lip curled as he stared
across the room at Nico.
Perhaps it would have been a better idea to look scared, perhaps it would have
not painted as big of a target on his back. But Nico could not find the
strength to care at the moment. His dark eyes stared back at Kronos with a
burning hatred. Seeing this caused Kronos's lips to twitch and tilt up into a
smirk.
And if to make it all worse, Kronos stopped the Lost Kids before any could
leave. He herded them all into the corner where Nico and Thalia sat, a smug
look plastered onto his face. Swiping a thumb across his lips, he grinned down
at the group.
“I just wanted to let you all know just how excited I am about getting the
chance to work with all of you until Percy's return.” Biting down on his lip,
the young man slipped his hands into his pocket. “Now, we do still have the
other managers here for a few more days, so I expect you to see to it that they
are taken care of.”
“You can't even look like you aren't enjoying this,” Luke ground out, his eyes
burning into Kronos.
The young man arched his dark brows. “Well now, Luke, that's just hurtful. Of
course I'm happy that I'm going to be staying here. After all, it is one of our
best hotels, and all of you are some of the higher sources of incomes amongst
the groups of Lost Kids.” He held a hand up, his grin returning. “However, I
feel that things can always be improved on, so I think I'll be making some
changes around here.”
Luke growled at their new manager. “You are a horrible excuse of a human being,
you asshole.”
Kronos wagged his finger. “Now, now, Luke, that's no way to speak to your new
boss.” He grinned his wicked, toothy grin down at the group. “Now, as I was
saying before I was so rudely interrupted, there will be some changes around
here. For one, I feel the clients are entitled to a little more than what Percy
had been previously offering them.” There was such a heavy silence from the
Lost Kids that someone could have dropped a needle and heard it. “That being
said, I feel we have a severe lack of Lost Kids in our kink rooms. And as such,
I feel that each of you should participate in working those rooms, no
exceptions.
“You'll all be more open-minded to client demands. And, with that, I feel that
there should be no restrictions on multiple Lost Kids that clients are allowed
to request. Why, just last night, there apparently was a request for the Grace
siblings. But, as it was Percy's last night, I felt his rules should still
apply.” The way Kronos grinned, it was beginning to remind the boy a lot of the
Joker. A very dark and twisted version of the Joker. “And I do believe that
client is staying with us another night. So, if you two wouldn't mind, do a
good job and treat our client right.”
Thalia shot out of her seat. “You can't be serious. He's my brother!” She
hissed. Jason looked rather pale, unable to meet his sister's eyes. “Percy
wouldn't-”
“Percy. Isn't. Here.” Kronos shot the girl a dark look and she sat back down.
“I'm in charge, and you'll do as I say. When I say it, whatever I might say. My
word is law, and you will all abide by it. If not...well, perhaps you'll get to
see if some of those nasty rumors I'm sure you've all heard about me are true.”
The young man sneered at the group. “Try to quit, fail to do your job, or even
if you're stupid enough to run...” He placed his hand on top of Annabeth's head
with a creepy smile. “Do any of that, and I'll hunt you down personally and
break your pretty face. And then...no one will want you.”
Luke was up and out of his seat, putting himself in between Kronos and
Annabeth. “You know why we all respect Percy?” The blond growled. Kronos raised
his eyebrows. “It's because he doesn't feel the need to throw his power around,
and doesn't feel so insecure that he needs to threaten us.”
One of Kronos's hands came up and patted Luke gently on the cheek. “You were
always one of my favorites, Luke. I think that when Grover and Rhea are gone
that you and I are going to have a lot of fun.” Sneering, Kronos squeezed
Luke's cheek rather harshly, and Luke jerked away, rubbing his now red cheek.
“Speak to me like that again, and I'll give you another scar. But how about I
punish you by punishing your brother?” He tapped his lips for a second before
smiling. “I know. I do believe your mother is expected to come to Los Angeles
soon. Why don't I let her know that she is welcome to stay here? After all,
like I said, Percy's rules no longer apply.”
Luke glared back at the young man, but Octavian looked shaken. The already pale
boy looked sick. Connor and Reyna caught the blond when he nearly fell out of
his seat. Kronos just laughed. It was nothing like the warm laugh of Percy,
this one could scare zombies back into their graves. It was cold, and it sent
chills down Nico's spine.
Now it was Annabeth's turn to stand to her feet. She pushed Luke aside and
crossed her arms in front of Kronos. “This isn't how you should go about
getting us to fall in line behind you.”
Kronos nodded his head, like he understood the blonde perfectly. “Wow, I never
thought about it like that.” Drawing back his hand, he sent it flying across
Annabeth's cheek. “Sit down, stupid girl, or I'll talk to some friends about
releasing your stepmother from the asylum. If I wanted you all to like me, I
would let you know.”
Annabeth clenched her jaw as Kronos smirked and walked off, leaving all of the
Lost Kids to sit there in a mixture of anger and fear. Nico looked down when a
few of the Lost Kids looked his way with dirty looks. It was expected, really.
“Way to go,” Drew hissed in Nico's direction.
Nico stood up to go to his room, but Luke's voice brought him to a halt. “Shut
up, and leave him alone.” The blond's blue eyes were glaring over at the Asian
girl. “He's not the enemy, our enemy just got on the elevator.”
Octavian did not look as happy with Nico as his brother did. “But it's his
fault Percy's gone. If he had just listened to us about how things worked with
Percy-”
“It doesn't matter,” Annabeth sighed. She stood back up and squeezed Nico's
shoulder. “Luke's right, we need to remember who the real enemy is.”
There was a grumble from several of the Lost Kids. Apollo smiled and jumped to
his feet. “I think we can all at least appreciate the fact that Nico is not a
pancake right now.”
“I am,” Will whispered. There were a few more nods from some of the other Lost
Kids. Will got to his feet and clapped Nico on the shoulder. “I'm not mad at
you, dude.”
If only the whole group felt that way, Nico thought.
-------------------------------------
If Nico had one thing to be thankful about, it was that Kronos did not feel the
need to come to the bar during the night. In fact, since Kronos arrived with
his mother, Nico was not sure either Percy, Gaea, or Kronos had visited the
bar, save for a rare lunch. And with any luck, that tradition would keep
holding while Kronos was in charge.
Unfortunately, Nico had already been informed that he was not allowed to report
anything Kronos did to Percy. Apollo had taken him aside before work and made
that very clear. “If Kronos finds out, it'll only make things worse,” the blond
had said.
And since Nico did not want to make things worse, he intended to keep his mouth
shut. He did not have to like it, but Nico needed to do his best at recovering
from the damage that he felt he had caused.
Nico stood at the bar for a moment, taking a short break until he needed to
check on his tables. At least it was a quiet night, he thought sadly. In all
honesty, Nico felt drained and unmotivated to do anything. And he was not the
only one. All of the Lost Kids had looked a little lifeless after Percy's
departure. It was like the young man kept the group running, and without him,
they were just zombies. This was what ran through Nico's head as he watched
Will and Drew drag their feet along the floor.
It was a little sad, seeing how the Lost Kids all went from being so full of
energy and seductive, to barely giving a fuck about what was going on around
them. And it was only day one. Perhaps, with a few days, they would adjust back
to their normal selves. Or, at least, that was Nico's hope.
Seeing them like this, it only made him more depressed.
When Nico finally headed to one of his tables, he threw on a decently
presentable face like he saw the others do. It actually hurt his face to smile,
because all he wanted to do with frown. But, if customers noticed, they did not
say anything.
Nico shuddered to think what the others might be going through right now, with
Kronos being upstairs with them. And the new bomb that Kronos had dropped on
them only scared Nico more. He was going to be subject to working in those
rooms that the others had told him about. From the few times he had seen those
rooms from the security room, Nico had mostly seen things like whips, chains,
and bondage mask. He could even recall seeing a rack with leather ropes to tie
someone up. Nico chewed harshly on his bottom lip as he worked on putting
together a table's bill.
“I hope you're happy,” Drew said harshly as she moved in behind the bar.
Nico refused to make eye contact with her. In his mind, he deserved it. If he
had been more careful, or if he had even been paying better attention, none of
this would have happened. If he had even listened and backed off of Percy,
perhaps things would have been different. But he had been too stubborn and
determined.
But where had that gotten him?
“Pay her no mind, my child,” Chiron said once Drew was gone. He sat down his
drink mixer for a moment to rub Nico's back. “Everything will be all right,
Nico.”
Nico shook his head, still staring down. “I don't see how that's possible.” He
printed out the receipt he had been working on. “This is my fault.”
And with that, he left before Chiron could say anything more to him. Will
looked at him with concern as Nico slid out from behind the bar, but did not
attempt to stop the brown-eyed boy.
Whether it be luck or his misfortune, Nico found a familiar face at his next
table. He threw on a little smile as he approached Persephone, who sat alone at
her table. “Well, hello again, Persephone,” Nico greeted the woman.
The woman looked up from her menu and smiled at him. “Oh, hello there, Nico.”
She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “My, you look like
someone shot your favorite puppy. Is everything all right?”
Nico placed his pen and pad on her table, leaning on its surface lightly. “Of
course,” he lied. “All out by yourself?”
Persephone patted Nico on the hand. “I am, sadly. My husband passed away not
long ago, but I wanted to get my mind off things for a while. And, well,
upstairs is just too loud for my liking right now.” Nico smiled at her. “But, I
have been trying to convince this new friend of mine to join me here one night.
He's a very nice man, and very charming, too. And he actually pays attention to
me, unlike my last husband.”
Nico chuckled. “Well, maybe that will work out for you.”
She squeezed his hand. “Perhaps I'll arrange some time with you before then.”
With a wink, she sat back in her chair. “I mean, a girl only lives once, and
you are just too cute to pass up before I try to go off the market again.”
Nico did not find himself as sick as the last few times he had been with a
woman. Maybe it was that he was getting used to it, or maybe he was just
slightly more comfortable with Persephone. She was a nice woman, and Nico
really had nothing against the woman. She was not unpleasant, like most of the
customers he found around the upper parts of the hotel.
After taking Persephone's drink order to Chiron and delivering the drink to the
woman, Nico went on his break. Nico sat down on the couch, his eyes quickly
becoming unfocused as his mind began to race. The room was silent, but inside
his mind was screaming. He felt so cold and empty.
His dark brown eyes flickered up when he noticed the door open. Will pursed his
lips as he watched Nico from across the room. The brown-eyed boy could tell the
blond was concerned, but right now Nico just wanted to be left alone. But he
supposed that was just not meant to be.
Will slowly walked over and took a seat on the other side of the couch, resting
his arm across the back of the couch, but making sure it did not come in
contact with Nico's neck or shoulders. “Hey,” the blond whispered.
“Hey,” Nico mumbled, not looking away from the floor.
“Are you okay?”
Nico's dark eyes gave the blond all the answer he needed. “Does it look like
I'm okay?”
Will let out a breath. “This isn't your fault, Nico.” He spoke so softly and
with such assurance, but Nico couldn't find himself able to believe Will. The
last time he had thought things weren't his fault, it turned out he was
completely to blame. A small smile spread across Will's lips. “I miss seeing
you smile.”
Nico scooted away from the blond. “Don't really feel like smiling right now.”
The blond's shoulders slumped, his eyes turning sad. Will's eyes were starting
to remind Nico of a heavy rain. “Maybe you should talk about it. I just want to
help.”
Nico was up off the couch before Will could blink, his eyes full of anger. “I
don't want to be helped! If you could send me back in time to the moment I got
crushed, that would be great. Or perhaps even before then, so I could smack
some sense into myself!”
“Nico,” Will whispered, lowering his gaze. “Calm down, it's not your fault. I
don't want you getting angry at yourself.”
The blond looked slightly taken aback from the dark look that was coming from
Nico's eyes. Nico's dark bangs fell into his face. “I don't need your pity,”
Nico growled. “Everyone hates me because I got Percy shipped back to Germany.”
“It's not like that.” Will stood up, trying to reach out for Nico, but the boy
jerked his arm away. “No one hates you. Everyone's just upset right now-”
“And I'm to blame.”
“No!” Will's brow furrowed. “This isn't your fault, Nico. Stop blaming yourself
for something that was entirely out of your hands. I don't think Percy would
want you beating yourself up like this.”
Nico scoffed. “Well that doesn't really matter now, does it?” Nico motioned
around them. “In case you haven't noticed, he's not here anymore.”
Will shook his head, staring down at his feet. “You're not thinking clearly
right now. I get it, you're mad, but you need to cool off before you do
something you might actually regret.” Glaring at Nico, the blond shoved his way
past the raven-haired Lost Boy and headed towards the door. “Let me know when
you're done being an ass.”
Nico glared after the blond, until he was left with the door swinging in his
face. What did he know anyways? Will was just mad that Nico was still thinking
about Percy, when Nico knew that the blond wanted Nico to focus on him. Huffing
loudly, Nico sat back down on the couch for the remainder of his break.
When it was finally time for Nico to help close the bar, the brown-eyed boy
felt miserable. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to cry, but he sure felt like
screaming. Even the simple act of a customer trying to touch him made Nico
upset. Before Drew left, the Lost Girl managed to sneer at Nico.
Nico glared back at her, flipping her off once she was standing in the
elevator. Will worked on helping Chiron clean the glasses, while Nico finished
counting the cash register. He was also not looking forward to school starting
in a week, as it would mean that he would be getting less sleep. Nico looked up
once he was finished with the fives to find Will staring at him. The blond
offered him a small smile, and Nico nodded back at him. Will's smile
brightened.
Okay, so perhaps Nico was a little harsh on him, but it did not change Nico's
theory about why Will was upset in the first place. “Looks like we're done
here,” Chiron told Will.
The blond smirked. “All right, good night, Chiron.” On his way out from behind
the bar, Will stopped beside Nico, resting an elbow on the bar. “Would you be
interested in coming my room for a bit? I'm not really tired.”
Nico sighed as he finished another stack of cash. “Not tonight, I just need
some time to myself.”
Will gave a simple nod before he pulled Nico's head towards him and pressed his
lips to Nico's temple. “Okay. Just don't do anything stupid.” Nico rolled his
eyes as the blond walked off. As he neared the elevators, Will turned and
pointed a finger back at Nico. “I mean it, Nico, nothing stupid.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nico mumbled.
Chiron chuckled and picked up the last stack of bills to help Nico finish. “You
look like you have quite a bit on your mind.”
Nico rubbed at his eyes, fighting off a yawn. “Nothing I can't handle.” He
looked up. Chiron wasn't looking at him, but the man was arching a brow. Nico's
eyes dulled. “I'm not sure what's going to happen anymore. Percy was like this
safety net that everyone had, and now it's been ripped out from under us. This
place just seems...less bright, and I feel like the others are just going to
start fighting because of all of this.”
Chiron hummed in response. “I fear you may be right, my boy, but there's not
much that you can do about that. Percy will remain in Germany, due to his
loyalty to Gaea, even if all of you did beg for him to come back on a daily
basis.”
“And what about if we told him what Kronos was doing?”
Chiron finished counting his stack and placed it back in the register, while
Nico worked on putting together the profit they had made for the night. “I
believe that it would not change anything. Percy would still have to fly back
here, which would give Kronos plenty of time to torment all of you as he sees
fit. And Percy and Kronos...I don't see them getting into an argument over it.”
Chiron squeezed Nico's shoulder. “Percy does care about all of you, but he also
does trust Kronos. I feel the others are right in their idea that it would be
better to keep silent over everything.”
Nico let out a sigh as he handed Chiron the sealed envelope with the extra
cash. “So we just have to let Kronos abuse us?”
“I would suggest giving him as little trouble as possible.” Chiron scribbled
the amount they had made on the envelope. “I don't care much for Kronos, never
have, but I would also never speak ill of Kronos to Percy.” The man gave Nico a
stern look. “And physical abuse isn't much of Kronos's style.”
“He hit Annabeth today.”
“Just for some show,” Chiron replied. “I'd be more concerned about his other
threats and the verbal and mental abuse he is capable of.”
Nico nodded. “Thanks, Chiron.”
“No trouble at all, my boy.” Chiron smiled at him as Nico stepped out from
behind the bar. “Try to get some rest, I have the feeling that we will all need
some for the days ahead.”
Nico had intended to do just that, up until the point he got back to his suite.
As soon as he opened the door, Nico's nose picked up on a very nasty and
familiar smell. He knew it all too well from being around all those customers
on the top two floors. Nico wrinkled his nose as he slid into the suite and
found Jason with his back to him, leaning out their open window.
Once the door was shut, Jason turned to look at Nico curiously, a lit cigarette
in his hand. The blond's hair was still wet, so he must have just gotten out of
the shower. “Hey,” Jason said casually.
“Hey.” Nico tossed his keys onto the counter, his eyebrow raised at Jason. “I
thought you quit?”
“I did.” Jason tapped the cigarette against the window before raising it to his
lips and inhaling. Like a professional, Jason casually blew out the smoke. “I
also need it right now.”
Nico slipped his hands into his pockets, walking over to stand next to Jason.
“What happened?”
Jason shivered, causing some ashes to fall from his cigarette. “For starters,
seeing Thalia naked. And then there was the sex with an old woman that reminded
me of my aunt.” The blond put the cigarette in between his lips. “And if that
wasn't bad enough, I was made to have sex with my sister tonight. Let's not
forget that.” The blond snuffed out the remainder of his cigarette and rubbed
at his face, some smoke flowing out of his nostrils. “I really feel like
getting drunk right now.”
Nico blew out a breath. What was he supposed to say to that? “That...really
sucks. How's your sister taking it?”
The blond shook his head, burying his face in his hand. “Last I saw, she was
swapping between gargling mouthwash and downing some vodka. I think Apollo said
he was gonna look after her while she got smashed.” He sighed and looked over
at Nico. “You know, I'm fine with what we've done, I know it's just business
and all that, but there are some things that I shouldn't have to be put
through.”
The brown-eyed boy pursed his lips, nodding lightly. “I know,” he whispered.
Jason lurched, and for a moment, Nico thought he was about to throw up. But the
blond covered his mouth and closed his eyes. “I feel miserable,” the blue-eyed
Lost Boy groaned. He ran a hand through his short blond hair. “It was so
awkward, dude!”
Nico couldn't help but smile a little. Not because he enjoyed seeing his
roommate suffer, but because Jason's reaction was just a little amusing. He hid
his chuckle as Jason began flailing helplessly, until the blond ended up laying
down on the couch. Nico sat down on the arm of the couch, right above Jason's
head. Reaching down, he stroked the blond's hair.
Jason groaned, rolling onto his side. “I don't think any amount of alcohol
could help me forget this.” His blue eyes found their way up to Nico. “I think
I am finally realizing just how much I appreciate Percy. I mean, I already did,
because he treated me much better than my father ever did, but I guess I was
just starting to get comfortable with the way things were around here.”
“Yeah,” Nico whispered. He pulled his knees up to his chest. “I think everyone
is sort of experiencing that right now. I heard some of the others talk about
how Percy treated his employees the best, but I guess I just didn't want to
believe it could have been this bad.”
“And it hasn't even started yet.” The blond sat up, burying his face into his
hands for a moment before looking up at Nico with panic. “What if I have to do
this again? What if there's some other sick fuck out there that has a thing for
a brother and sister having sex?”
Nico placed his hand on Jason's shoulder. “I'm sure there aren't that many
people out there with that fantasy.”
Jason lightly shook his head. “I don't know, the Stolls seem to find quite a
few customers interested in having sex with the both of them.”
“That's because twincest is hot,” Nico smirked.
Jason rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay, I'll let them know you would like some
private time with them.”
Nico grunted and crawled over Jason to sit down on the couch next to him. “I
miss Percy. Everything was much better, and easier, with him here.”
“Yeah,” Jason said quietly before standing up and stretching. “Well, I think
I'm going to try and get some sleep.”
Nico nodded and jumped up. He followed Jason down the hall before waving to the
blond and disappeared into his room. He heard Jason shut his door as he yanked
his shirt over his head. Nico let out a sigh and ran a hand down his chest,
falling back onto his bed. It had been a very long day. He really hoped that
Percy would not be gone for too long, Nico did not know how long he was going
to be able to handle having Kronos around.
Still laying on his bed, Nico lifted his legs and got his pants off, kicking
his shoes and socks off with them. Groaning, Nico ran a hand through his hair
as he got back to his feet. Flipping the light off, Nico collapsed onto his
mattress and crawled under the covers.
But not five minutes later, Nico cracked an eye open to a knock at his door.
Sliding up into a sitting position, Nico quirked a brow. “Come in?”
A second later, Jason poked his head in. “Um, would you mind if...um, if I
stayed in here?” The blond winched. “That sounds weird.” Nico noted how Jason
chewed on his lip. “I just...don't really want to be alone right now.”
Nico pursed his lips before nodding his head. He let out a sigh as Jason smiled
and slipped into the room, shutting the door behind him. Well, it looked like
Nico was not going to be alone tonight. Jason slid into the bed next to him,
facing Nico.
The blond smiled in the darkness. “Thanks.”
Nico rolled his eyes, though he knew Jason wouldn't be able to see it. “Don't
mention it.” He sighed and laid back down.
------------------------------------
Wednesday was not looking better than the day before. While Kronos hadn't hit
anyone, several of the Lost Girls had locked themselves in their rooms in
tears. Something about looking fat. Nico let out a sigh as he stood in the hall
with the other Lost Boys and what few Lost Girls had not locked themselves away
yet, aside from the three Lost Kids that had to work lunch today.
Beckendorf banged on Silena and Clarisse's door. “Come on, baby, talk to me.”
“Go away,” Silena cried out from the other side.
The door opened for a moment and Clarisse stuck her head out, glaring at the
group. “Stop banging on my door, I'm trying to watch a game.” Beckendorf
attempted to move past the girl, but she blocked him. “Whoa there, big guy,
where do you think you're going?”
Beckendorf glared back at the Lost Girl. “I want to see my girlfriend. Move.”
“Can't really let you do that.”
“Clarisse, move,” Beckendorf growled.
Clarisse shoved the Lost Boy. “Make me.”
But before Beckendorf could follow up on that threat, Apollo inserted himself
in the middle of the two. “Calm down, both of you. It's still early, none of us
probably got that much sleep. Let's all just cool off and take it easy.”
Annabeth nodded her head. “No reason to divide, that's just what Kronos wants.”
“He's just sitting up there and laughing probably,” Rachel mumbled.
“Is there anything that we can organize for today?” Annabeth sighed.
Zoë gave a shrug. “I could take a group to see Aphrodite. Never too early to
get a jump on the Valentines attire.”
Annabeth nodded in agreement. “Sound fine to me.” She pushed Nico forward.
“Take him and get him some stuff, if you don't mind.”
Zoë looked between Nico and Annabeth for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Any
takers on joining us?”
Travis and Rachel raised their hands. Travis gave Rachel an odd look. “What do
you need to go for?” He asked, arching a brow at her.
Rachel gave the brunet a look like he was crazy. “Hello, who is the one that
has to be around Kronos all day? I'll take whatever I can get, if it means I'm
away from him for a couple of hours.”
“Fair point,” Travis mumbled.
As Nico followed the other three towards the elevator, he received a few dirty
looks, the main one being from Octavian. The blond bumped his shoulder roughly
against Nico's and sent the boy tumbling into the wall.
“Whoops,” Octavian said causally. “How clumsy of me.”
Luke smacked his brother on the back of his head. “You should clean your room,
it's a mess.”
“Yes, mother,” Octavian grumbled, but headed back towards his suite.
Luke glared after his brother. “At least I didn't abuse you!” He shouted after
the other blond, which caused Octavian to flinch.
Octavian whirled around, his eyes dark with anger. “No, you decided to leave me
there with our bitch of a mother, knowing father was too busy to even pay
attention to what was actually going on at home.” Laughing coldly, Octavian
placed a hand on his chest. “Where were you when she tried cleansing me of all
my impurities, because she thought I was her gay son. When she failed to see
the real bisexual living right in front of her.”
Luke grabbed his brother's collar and shoved him against the wall. Apollo and
Annabeth grabbed onto Luke's shoulders, trying to pry their friend off his
brother, but Luke wouldn't budge. “Oh, yeah, that's right, brat, I never
protected you. I never did anything for you.” Octavian was no longer looking at
his brother's face. In fact, the skinny blond looked close to tears. “I guess I
just never really stepped in, isn't that right?”
“Shut up!” Octavian yelled, tears flowing down his cheeks.
Luke sneered and shoved his brother, letting Octavian fall to the floor. Luke's
eyes widened when Annabeth's hand came in contact with his face. “Stop it,” she
practically cried. Her own eyes looked on the brink of tears. “That's enough,”
she whispered.
Reaching up, Luke massaged his red cheek. “Whatever,” he mumbled before going
to his suite and slamming the door.
Rachel silently pressed against Nico's back, urging the boy to move. Pursing
his lips, Nico followed after the others until they were inside one of the
elevators. Travis blew out a breath once they were inside. “So, who wants to
stop off by a bar while we're out? I feel like a drink all of a sudden.”
While there was a grin on the brunet's face, Nico could tell it was a fake. The
brunet's eyes were worn and tired, a sad look feeling their blue depths. No one
laughed, though.
Nico looked over at Rachel. “Wait, so Octavian wants to get into politics, but
I get the feeling that at least one, if not both, of their parents were in
politics as well.”
Rachel looked around the elevator. No one said anything. She turned back to
Nico with a sigh. “Both of them are, yes. Their mother is a member of the tea
party, while their father is in the senate.”
“Not really a difference so far,” Travis mumbled.
Rachel gave a nod. “That's true, but their father is more of just a Republican,
not really a tea party member. Their mother is currently a governor.” She
rubbed the back of her neck with a frown. “As you can imagine, there was a lot
of time where their father wasn't home, and when he was, he just sort of shut
himself in his study.”
“I don't think they'd want you telling this,” Zoë.
“Luke's going to tell him soon,” Rachel replied with a shrug.
“He told you this?”
Rachel ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, no, but I can just tell. He's
been contemplating it.” Her eyes twinkled at Nico. “I think you'll find it
quite enlightening about why Luke has yet to touch you.”
Nico let out a breath. “Let me guess, everyone else around here already know
the answer to that.” The other three grinned. Nico nodded. “Well then.”
The car ride to Aphrodite's shop was much needed, in Nico's opinion. The
tension seemed to be left behind, and the four of them were just relaxing
during the entire ride. Rachel and Travis even sang along to the music that was
playing, at least until Zoë got annoyed and turned the station.
However, Nico's tension instantly returned to him once he was inside the
woman's shop and she practically shrieked upon seeing them. He did not have the
energy for her happiness. She practically slid across the counter to greet
them. “Welcome!” She shrieked, placing a hand on Travis's back to guide him and
the rest of the group inside. “Let me tell you, it has been so slow today, I
don't know what to do with myself.”
“There's a change,” Rachel mumbled.
The woman blinked at her in surprise. “Oh, Rachel, what brings you here?”
The Lost Girl let out a groan. “Needed to get away from Kronos, he's turning
the hotel into a nightmare.”
It wasn't already? Nico thought to himself. The woman pressed a finger to her
lips. “So it's true what Ganymede told me yesterday.” She cursed and went back
around on the other side of the counter to check something on her computer. “I
do hope he doesn't decide he wants to check in here.”
Rachel gave a shrug. “Haven't heard anything about it yet.”
Aphrodite breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, good.” She groaned and let her head
fall onto the counter. “That guy gives me the creeps. I thought it was bad
enough when he was just visiting.” Standing back up, she looked at the group
frantically. “When will Percy be back?”
“We don't know,” Zoë told her. Nico looked down when her dark eyes flickered
over to him.
Aphrodite motioned to her store. “Well, have a look around. Take as long as you
like, just make sure you're not late for work. Wouldn't want you guys to get in
trouble.” She smiled at Nico, though it only managed to make him worry. “Nico,
would you like my help finding anything? I don't believe you've gotten any
Valentines attire yet.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I think I can manage dressing myself.”
“Fine, just ruin all of my fun,” the woman sighed.
Zoë, Travis, and Nico poked around the store for about fifteen minutes, while
Rachel sat behind the counter with Aphrodite. Nico blew out a breath as he
followed along behind Travis, letting the brunet make a few suggestions for
him. None of them sounded that appealing, as about ninety percent of the
choices involved very revealing attire.
Nico frowned at the latest one. “But part of my butt will be showing,” he
grumbled.
The brunet winked. “That's the point. Show a little skin,” the taller Lost Boy
chuckled, pushing up against Nico. “Have a little fun with the job, or it'll
just tear you apart.”
While he was smiling, Nico could tell Travis was being serious. So, with a
heavy sigh, he took the outfit that the brunet was holding. He had to question
if his ass would even fit into the thing, what with how small it looked.
“Here,” Travis said, tossing a long strand of wide, red ribbon at Nico.
Nico attempted to unravel it, but it was longer than both of his arms. “What am
I supposed to do with this?”
The brunet chuckled. “Tie it around your body, duh!”
Nico's eyes widened as he examined the ribbon. “What if it falls off?”
“Well,” Zoë called over to them, “I guess you better make sure it is secure.”
Giving Travis a dark look, Nico accepted the ribbon with no further question.
After a few minutes of silence, Nico decided to break it. “Travis?” He asked.
The brunet grunted, still poking around some of the racks. “Did you and Connor
ever find out who your real parents are?”
The brunet looked at him curiously. “No, not really.” He shrugged. “We stole
our birth certificate from our last foster home, but we never looked into it.
We had each other, and it wasn't like they probably wanted us.” The brunet
tossed an outfit into his growing pile. “And, I mean, we already knew our
surname anyways, so it wasn't like we needed anything from them. I wouldn't say
I'm angry at them, but I don't really feel anything for them. They just sort
of...don't exist to me.”
“That's sad,” Nico whispered.
Travis smirked at that. “Not really. I mean, look at some of the others with
their parents. Not like anything good came from their parents. After getting to
the hotel and finding out about the trend in all of us, Connor and I decided it
wasn't worth looking into. I mean, look at Will. The guy got into fights at
school, mostly in attempts to make himself not look like his father. I didn't
want that potential damage put on Connor if we had the same results from our
parents.”
Nico had not known that much, it sort of made him feel guilty for not knowing
that about Will. But it was not like he made no attempt to find things out
about the Lost Kids. Sure some of it was to understand when he was walking on
eggshells, but Nico had been wondering lately if it was his subconscious’s way
of keeping the attention off of him.
But with that, Nico also had to realize that the others were uncomfortable with
sharing things, just like he had been in his early time here. And especially
when they started asking him about his past life. Even when Percy had done it,
Nico had felt very awkward. It was like an old wound being torn back open.
Travis nudged his shoulder. “You okay?”
Nico shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He blinked up at Travis. “Sorry,
was just thinking.”
The brunet grinned. “Well come on, we need to try on our selections.”
And so the three Lost Kids all picked a changing room and slipped inside. Nico
was in the middle of getting his pants off when Zoë spoke up. “If I didn't need
him here, I'd feel jealous of Percy. God, there are just some times that I miss
being in Germany.”
“Never got to see it myself,” Travis called back from his changing room.
“I heard it was nice,” Nico added.
“Oh it is,” Zoë sighed. “It's practically a resort, but the business is about
the same as it is here. There's just more to do around the hotel there. Like,
on break, Percy and a few of us would sneak off to ride around in some of the
golf cars. It was very awkward to explain to Athena how Percy and I managed to
get one stuck in a tree.”
Travis snorted. “Oh, I'd loved to have seen that.”
“It was fun.”
“No, I mean that you were actually trying to have fun.”
Nico heard Zoë's door swing open right before a hard smack filled the air.
Travis yelped. “I know how to have fun,” Zoë grumbled.
“And yet you won't assist me or Connor.”
Nico slid himself into the outfit that Connor had picked out for him, groaning
slightly as he struggled to get the material up to his thighs. Holy shit, how
tight was this thing? There was no way it was him, he knew full well that he
was as thin as a toothpick. But damn, who did they expect to wear this thing?
Once he was done, Nico turned around to inspect himself. As expected, the lower
halves of his ass cheeks were exposed.
Blowing out a breath, Nico put his hands on both of his lower cheeks. He did
have to admit, though, the outfit did make his ass look good. The one drawback
was the lack of circulation to his balls. Nico let out a silent groan as he
worked to tug the fabric down a little, seeing if it would help any. It did
not.
As he looked at the mirror again, Nico asked, “So, what was Percy like back
then?”
A small chuckle came from Zoë's room. “Not as charming as he is now. As I
mentioned before, Percy was a troublemaker, who would sometimes get into at
least one fight a week at school. Though, I will say that he almost always one
the fights he got in.” The girl cursed her under breath, which made Nico wonder
what she was doing. “Anyways, none of the Lost Kids at the hotel got to see
much of him. From what I heard, it was even worse before he started stripping.
The others told me that Gaea practically kept Percy isolated in her mansion
behind the hotel, and would rarely let him come watch the shows with her.”
Nico's eyebrows shot up, his hands freezing in place from where they were
attempting to straighten the material that was cutting into his hips. “Wait,
Gaea let him go to the shows? At what age?”
“Um, I believe early on. I think around the time she found him.”
“Wow,” Nico sighed.
“Not something unusual,” Zoë replied. “From what the others told me, Kronos
came with her to work even when he was eight or nine.”
A red and black speedo was slung on top of the dividing wall between Nico and
Travis's changing rooms. “Did you ever get to see the inside of Gaea's
mansion?” The brunet asked.
“Only twice,” the Lost Girl chuckled. “Since it's not actually attached to the
hotel, just on the grounds, we didn't really have a reason to go over there.”
Nico wished he could get the chance to see it some day, the whole place sounded
amazing. “And the first time I got to, Percy and Kronos had just finished
breaking an antique piano.” The girl let out a sigh. “Don't ask me how they did
it, I never got an answer. I just know that there was some skateboards and a
broken window from the second floor.”
Travis let out a sigh. “I miss Percy already.”
“Yeah,” Zoë whispered. There was a brief pause before she continued. “But while
I was there, Percy actually spent most of his time with Kronos. During most of
the day, Gaea kept him inside with a professor that she had hired to be Percy's
tutor. It was at night when we saw the most of him, since he was already
stripping by this point. But, even being different than the rest of us, Percy
got along great with the majority of the Lost Kids at the hotel.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “So, he didn't get to go outside at all?”
The Lost Girl let out a small chuckle. “Oh, no, he got time outside. But I
think part of the reason Gaea kept him inside most of the time was to keep us
from being distracted.” Nico actually stopped what he was doing at what the
girl said. Zoë let out a light moan. “Hot days were the best, because Percy
would often be out at the pool or playing a sport, so pretty much all of us
stood by the windows to watch him stand around shirtless.”
“Sucks he doesn't do that here,” Nico mumbled.
Travis laughed and stuck his head up to look over the dividing wall, which had
Nico covering himself as he finished getting on his boxers. “Oh, he does, but
you just missed it. It's mostly during the summer, when he tries to fit a
little more free time into his schedule.” The brunet shrugged. “Percy actually
spends days at the pool during the summer, or even goes off with our groups on
their days off.”
Nico stuck his tongue out at Travis, feeling slightly jealous. “So, if it was
so nice over there, why did you move back here?” Nico asked the Lost Girl.
Zoë opened her door and poked her head inside Nico's changing room. The raven-
haired Lost Boy glared at both of the others, not even caring that he was still
changing. “Well,” she began, “Percy asked me to.” She gave a shrug. “But, I
mean, I was still unsure, so he made me a deal.”
Nico quirked a brow. “Which was?”
“To crash my family's finances.”
“Oh.” Nico slid his shirt over his head. “That's...something. Why did you want
that?”
The Lost Girl had a sharp look in her eyes as she looked him over. “Because,
they abandoned me. Just tossed me out, like I no longer mattered to them. Just
because I was willing to give out information against our money hungry father
and his dirty dealings. But I felt my old boyfriend deserved the same, as he
just used me to get the information. So, I had Percy return the favor to his
family as well.”
Travis crossed his arms on top of the dividing wall. “I'm surprised you didn't
ask the same of Percy with your father, Neeks. The man seems like a real
asshole...no offense.”
“Yeah, it doesn't really bother me,” Nico mumbled. He worked on getting his
socks and shoes on. “I know he was a lousy father, but at least he takes care
of my sister. I don't want Bianca to end up at the hotel like I did.”
“You sound like Apollo,” Travis mumbled. Nico looked at him curiously. The
brunet nodded. “Yeah, blondie turned down Percy's offer as well, for the exact
same reason you did. Though, I will never understand why he doesn't at least
try talking to his sister. She doesn't even know he's still alive, much less
that he got tossed out onto the streets after Robert dumped him.”
As Nico and the other two exited the changing rooms, a tall girl with legs that
seemed to stretch on forever came out from the back with a distressed look on
her face. “Aphrodite, we're running pretty low on some change. Would you mind
if I borrowed some from back here?”
Aphrodite smiled and motioned to the cash register. “Sure, Gwen, grab as much
as you need.”
The girl gave her thanks and scooped out a handful of quarters and nickles. She
looked up as Travis, Zoë, and Nico approached the counter. “Hey, Travis and
Zoë, How have you guys been?”
It was at this point that Nico noted that Rachel was no longer behind the
counter. He frowned and looked around, until he spotted the girl's red hair
outside on the phone. Arching a brow, Nico deposited his clothing onto the
counter.
Travis smiled, leaning in on the counter. “We're good. How's Aphrodite treating
you these days?”
The girl blushed slightly and finished gathering up the coins she had come for.
“We're doing good. Business is just hectic today.” She let out a sigh. “I think
I've learned my lesson about suggesting that we have a sale a few days after
New Years.”
Aphrodite sighed with contentment. “But it'll be so good for business,” she
said dreamily.
Gwen smiled and nodded to the two before disappearing into the back again. Nico
leaned forward to watch her leave. “Um, what's back there anyways?”
“Ah.” Aphrodite jumped up from the stool that she sat on. “I run a normal
clothing store on the other side of the building, but I prefer to stay back
here. Makes it more convenient for you guys, since my girls don't know what
kind of business you lot actually do.”
Nico nodded in understanding. “I see.”
“And it makes it much more simple when I don't have to explain why I'm closing
down the store when you guys come in.”
As Travis was checking out with Aphrodite, Rachel came back inside, chewing on
her lip. “What's up?” Nico asked her.
She looked up, stopping in her tracks. She regarded Nico for a moment before
looking down at her phone. “We need to get back to the hotel. That was Leo.
Apparently, Calypso, Piper, and Drew are about to kill each other.”
“Not seriously, though, right?” Travis asked. However, the look on Rachel's
face seemed to say otherwise. “Right,” the Lost Boy sighed.
Aphrodite smiled as she moved on to dealing with Zoë's small pile of outfits.
“Sounds like fun. I'm thankful that I'm safely here all of a sudden.” Travis
narrowed his eyes at the woman.
On the way back, Nico sat up front with Rachel, while Travis and Zoë took a
short nap. The Lost Boy looked over at the girl as she drove. “Are you sure we
shouldn't tell Percy?”
The girl pressed her lips into a thin line, keeping her eyes on the road.
“It'll be a while before any of us even get to talk to Percy probably. At least
a week, if not two.” She finally glanced over at the boy, and Nico took quick
note of the worry that was filling the girl's eyes. “I'm just concerned if
we'll be able to hold together or not.”
“Isn't that Apollo, Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke's job?”
The Lost Girl nodded. “Normally, unless they start bickering.” She let out a
sigh as she looked back to the road. “Annabeth struck Luke today, she's never
raised a hand to him before. None of them have actually had a physical fight of
any degree. I can only imagine what it might be like if Percy doesn't come back
soon. We've never had to deal with Kronos for more than two weeks before.”
Nico pursed his lips. “But he runs his hotel, and he has Lost Kids there.”
“Yes, but Grover does a good job of looking after them. Kronos's hotel also has
the highest suicide and quit rate of Lost Kids. I heard one Lost Girl decided
she'd rather live on the streets than work for Kronos.”
Nico gulped and looked over at Rachel. “But...we'll be okay, won't we?”
Rachel's eyes darted over to him. She reached out and squeezed his hand. “I
don't know,” she whispered.
Once they were back at the hotel, Rachel left them to go help Leo sort out the
latest incident. When they were pulling into the garage, Leo had called again
and told Rachel that Frank had barged into the office and demanded that Hazel
left with him. Nico let out a sigh as he rode up the elevator with Zoë and
Travis. It was going to be a long day, he could just tell.
The elevator stopped on their floor and the three gathered up their bags and
headed to their respective halls. But as they passed by the first set of doors
on the right hall, the door on Nico's left opened and he felt a hand grasp the
back of his neck.
“I need to have a word with you,” Luke practically growled before slamming the
door, trapping Nico inside with him.
***** Welcome to Wonderland, Nico *****
Being locked in a dark room with a guy that normally wore a scowl on his face,
one would think that Nico would have had other things at the front of his mind.
But the first thing that came blurting out?
“You're in your underwear.”
Luke shot him an irritated look before tossing Nico onto his bed and pacing the
room. Nico blinked, his eyes trailing up and down Luke's long body. Though he
was nowhere near as muscular as Butch or Beckendorf, Luke's body was pure
muscle. A fact that Nico could attest to from seeing what a simple punch from
the blond could do to Cal's face. However, Luke was lean and built like a
baseball player or swimmer. The fact that Nico preferred guys with that kind of
build was completely irrelevant. It also had nothing to do with the fact that
it probably explained why he found some of the others pleasing to look at.
Also, Nico had a hard time getting over how good Luke's ass looked in those
tight, dark blue boxer-briefs. So distracted that he almost missed what Luke
said. “Because I feel you need some more lessons,” the blond grumbled.
Nico frowned, pulling himself completely from his ongoing fantasy. “But I
already have to put up with your brother. Who are you trying to stick me with-”
“You're taking lessons from me.” Nico's eyes widened as Luke hovered over him,
leaning down so that his face was in very close proximity to the Nico's own
face. Before Nico could register fully what was happening, he heard a faint
clicking noise.
Nico quickly looked up to find that his wrists were handcuffed to the bed.
“What the hell, Luke?”
The blond pulled back with a wicked grin on his face, resting his knees between
Nico's flailing legs. “Now then, if you're a good boy, I won't have to break
out the whip.”
This was not what Nico exactly had in mind for what it would be like to be
sexually involved with Luke. Nico narrowed his eyes. “Can you let me go now?”
Nico's answer came in the form of his lower half being rolled over and a palm
making contact with his ass. “You do not get to make the demands here, I'm
afraid. I hold the power. You can be in control if a clients asks that you
dominate them. But, for lessons, I find this much more entertaining.” Nico
narrowed his eyes further, struggling to slip his wrists out of their cuffs.
For this, he received another swat to his ass. “Care to keep going?”
The brown-eyed Lost Boy let out a sigh, shaking his head in defeat. “But is
this really necessary?” Nico asked, nodding up the the handcuffs above his
head.
Luke wagged his brows, placing his hands on either side of Nico's head. “I
think I prefer you this way.” Nico felt his face heat up. Luke smirked and
leaned down to whisper in his ear. “Now if only I had a gag to put in your
mouth, I wouldn't have to listen to you talk.”
“Fuck you!”
Luke chuckled and pulled back. “All in due time.” He sat back, allowing Nico to
have some space. The blond took in a deep breath. Nico gave him an odd look,
though Luke seemed to be distracted by his own thoughts to notice. “There's a
lot of things down in those rooms that you might find yourself uncomfortable
with, but you're going to have to deal with it.”
Nico blinked. This was the softest that Luke had ever spoken to him, and he
managed to do it with no trace of annoyance in his pale blue eyes
Finally, Luke let out his breath and looked up from the mattress. “You're just
going to have to deal with whatever demands that the clients ask of you down in
those rooms.” Nico opened his mouth, but Luke pressed on. “It doesn't matter if
you don't like it, you have to comply with whatever it is. And even if your
body starts to get uncomfortable with any device found in that room, you keep
quiet.”
“Devices?” Nico asked.
Luke crawled on top of the boy. His icy blue gaze slowly trailed down Nico's
body, while his hand reached under his shirt. “Collars, whips, racks and
leather harnesses, things like that.” Nico hissed when Luke's fingernails dug
into the skin of his back. “And the clients can sometimes be rough.”
Nico frowned when Luke pulled back and sat between Nico's legs, one of his
knees pulled up to his chest. Nico blew at some of his bangs that were falling
into his eyes. “And if they leave a bruise or scratch pretty hard?”
“That's what Will is around for,” Luke whispered. The blond pursed his lips,
looking Nico over. “While we can't today, I do want to take you down there
tomorrow or the next day. If you're lucky, no one will ask for you to go down
there before then.”
Finally, Luke leaned above Nico and unlocked the handcuffs. Nico frowned as he
sat up, rubbing gently at his wrists. “Why don't we just tell Percy about this?
We could be subtle.”
Luke shook his head. “Don't,” he whispered, his eyes no longer looking up to
meet Nico's own. “Kronos always finds a way to make you miserable for doing
things like that.” This time, when Luke looked up, Nico noted how tired the
blond looked. With all of the chaos going around right now, Nico wondered if
Luke, Apollo, Annabeth, and Thalia were running themselves rampant trying to
keep the others under control.
Nico's lips tilted down in a frown. “But-”
“Percy cares too much about Kronos, I've never seen them get angry with each
other.”
Gripping the sheets, Nico's brow furrowed. “How can Percy consider someone like
Kronos to be a friend? How can Percy put up with someone like him?”
Luke let out a grunt. “Perhaps because Kronos was Percy's first real friend.”
That made Nico look up in surprise. “Yeah, Percy never had a friend before
Kronos. His father abandoned his mother while Percy was still a baby, so Percy
never got to experience growing up with kids his own age.” Luke rubbed at his
face with a yawn. “And when Gaea took Percy in, Kronos took an immediate
interest in Percy. Sure, at the time, it was probably that Kronos saw Percy as
another toy; but to Percy, it stuck with him. And in Percy's mind, it sort of
always made Kronos a good person, no matter what the other did.”
Nico had a hard time believing that. Sure Percy might, but there was no way
Nico could accept that Kronos could have a decent side.
Apparently, Nico's face was easy to read. Luke smirked over at him. “Hard to
believe, yeah? Well, believe it or not, even someone as horrible as Kronos can
have a...somewhat decent side to him.” The blond shook his head. “But that's
about as good as it gets, unless you are Percy or Gaea. At most, he'll just be
indifferent towards you.”
Again, Nico had his doubts about this. After seeing what he had of their new
manager, Nico did not see how Kronos could be anything other than a despicable
human being. “Wasn't really expecting you to say something decent about him.”
Luke's smirk grew as he got off the bed and walked over to grab a pair of
cotton shorts from the floor before slipping them on, much to Nico's
disappointment. “Don't get me wrong, I still loathe the guy.” He turned around
with an eyebrow raised. “But do you think he could be a manager if he didn't
have some decent people skills? I could also say that he's very bright, went to
one of the best universities on the planet, and that he has great management
skills. None of that would change the fact that he can still be sickening to be
around.”
“How did he even get to be a manager anyways?”
“Ah,” Luke began, sitting back down on the bed, “he killed his predecessor.”
Nico's eyebrows rose at that. “Yep, cut his throat in front of his mother. Not
sure how Gaea completely feels about Kronos, I've never asked. Obviously, she
loves him, as he will always be her son, but I'm not sure she always approves
of his actions. But you have to keep in mind the type of business we're all
involved with.” Luke cocked a brow at the other Lost Boy. “If you were Gaea and
running a dirty business like she is, would you want someone nice and honest,
or someone who is willing to get the job done and has the potential to be
ruthless?”
“Fair point,” Nico mumbled.
Luke gave a shrug. “Goes double for South America and the Middle East. Atlas
and Kronos have to be extra cold, as they tend to deal with less...civilized
customers.” Getting back up, Luke retrieved a shirt from his closet.
“Still, Kronos is a monster.”
“Not arguing with you there,” Luke replied, slipping the shirt over his head.
Nico wasn't sure what it was, but Luke seemed a lot more sensitive today.
Perhaps the blond really was exhausted, and just didn't have the energy to put
forth his usual irritable demeanor. “Just keep in mind that Kronos rarely uses
that 'decent' side of his.”
Nico gave a slow nod before climbing to his feet. “Okay,” he whispered. He
nodded again before moving towards the door. “Are we done here? At least for
now? You look like you could use a nap, or something.”
Luke got up and narrowed his eyes. He opened the door and Nico walked into the
hallway. In the living room, Nico leaned down to pick up the bags he had
dropped when Luke had yanked him into the suite. But when Nico was about to
unlock the door to the suite, Luke placed a hand against the door.
“One more thing.”
Nico looked up and blinked. “What's up?”
“There's a lot of...things down in those room, more than what I mentioned a
moment ago.” Luke chewed on his lip. “While Percy doesn't like us to do certain
things, he does still offer clients those options.” Nico felt lost. “So, like
upstairs, you will find alcohol in the rooms. Which, isn't really a big deal.
But cigarettes are kept in stock within each room.”
“Okay,” Nico said slowly, still not really following. He had never felt the
desire to take up smoking.
But Luke looked serious still, so Nico decided to be quiet. The blond chewed on
his lip for a few more seconds, his eyes scanning over Nico's face. “There are
also drugs, most of which are kept in supply by Dionysus.” The blond Lost Boy
reached up and ran a hand through his hair. “Sometimes, the clients might try
to offer you some, do not accept any of it. Just be careful, is what I'm
saying. Right now, we don't need a disaster like your first night stripping to
add onto the amount of stress that is filtering around the hotel, so I thought
I'd let you know.”
“Thanks.” Nico regarded the blond carefully for a moment. All that he could see
was the look of someone that was on the brink of passing out. He frowned. “You
should really consider taking a nap.”
Luke rolled his eyes and shoved Nico out of the door. “Wish I could, but got
all these sorry asses to check up on.” With a simple nod, the blond shut the
door in Nico's face.
Though, as soon as it shut, Apollo's door swung open and out stormed Leo.
Apollo leaned against the doorway, a small smirk threatening to show on his
lips. Leo spun around and glared up at the blond. “You are insufferable. Do you
have any idea what a selfish asshole you are?” The blond in question just
shrugged. This only fueled Leo further. “I try to have one civilized
conversation, and you just use the time to find ways to get me out of my
clothes.”
To Nico, it looked like Leo was on the verge of rearing back and punching the
blond in the face. As amusing as that might have been to see, Nico also doubted
Leo could take Apollo in a fight. The blond might look like a beautiful model,
but Apollo was lean and muscled. Apollo also did not look threatened by the
shorter Lost Boy.
In fact, Apollo seemed to ignore Leo, picking at his curls instead. Finally,
the blond looked down at Leo. “I'm sorry, were you saying something. I'm sure
it has something to do with my body, as I catch you staring at it so much.”
“Ass!” Leo growled. Nico moved forward, but Leo pointed a finger at him. “Stay
out of this.”
Nico held up his hands defensively. Apollo smirked. “Temper, temper, Leo.”
Leo shoved his finger in the blond's face. “You... You self-centered, jealous,
pretty boy...asshole.” Leo clenched his teeth, his fists shaking at his side.
Apollo just smirked at him. Will poked his head over Apollo's shoulder to get a
view of what was happening, waving over to Nico when he noticed the boy's
presence. Leo just growled up at the curly-haired blond. “Don't just stand
there, you fucking ass!”
Apollo shrugged and Leo let out a huff before storming off to his room, the
door slamming behind him. Apollo arched a brow in the direction Leo had gone
before smirking at Nico. “Well, that was entertaining.”
“What did you do this time?” Will mumbled, rubbing his eyes. It looked like he
had been woken up from a nap.
The eldest of the trio simply shrugged. “We were just talking, and then I
offered him sex.”
Will shook his head with a sigh. “Yeah, because that has gone over so well in
the past. I don't think he's quite let go what happened the last time you two
hooked up.”
Apollo's response was in the form of a grunt. Nico blinked up at Apollo. “Why'd
you just stand there and let him yell at you? It looked like you were biting
your tongue.”
“Oh, I was.” A smirk crept across Apollo's lips as he propped an arm against
the frame of the door. “It's just kind of hot to see him get riled up like
that.” His attention turned to his roommate, where he gave Will a lopsided
smile. “Sorry if we woke you up with the yelling.”
Will waved it off. “S'all good, I needed to wake up anyways.” Though he was
addressing Apollo, Will's eyes had wandered over to Nico and was smiling at the
pale Lost Boy. “So, what are you going to do until work?”
Nico held up the bags in his hands. “Unload all of this and try to relax.”
Will moved out from behind Apollo with a grin. “I could help with that.”
“I bet you could,” Apollo mumbled. He coughed and looked away innocently when
Will and Nico both shot him dirty looks.
Nico regarded Will for a moment. “I-”
Without letting him finish, Will shot forward and grabbed Nico. “Excellent,
it's decided then.”
“I don't recall deciding anything,” Nico mumbled as Will fished Nico's wallet
out of the raven-haired boy's back pocket, making sure the give Nico's ass a
squeeze in doing so.
Before Nico could protest further, Will had the door open and Nico inside.
Shooting Apollo a grin, Will shut the door. “It's no problem.” Will smiled and
took one of the two bags Nico was carrying before heading to Nico's room.
Something caught Nico's eye on the edge of the couch, though. While Will went
on to his room, Nico stopped and walked over to the couch, picking up an empty
pack of cigarettes. He let out a sigh. This was not good, Nico thought. From
what he had seen last night, Jason's pack had been nearly full last night, and
now it was completely gone. But as he headed down the hall, Nico noticed
Jason's light was off, which ruled out talking with his roommate at the current
time. Pursing his lips, Nico made a mental note to talk to Jason later about
it.
When he entered his room, Nico found that Will was already storing his new
outfits with the rest of the ones Nico already had. Without even saying
anything, Will took the other bag from Nico. “I can do that myself, you know,”
Nico mumbled.
Will just smiled. “It's no trouble.” Nico sat down on the edge of the bed,
watching the blond move around the room to organize everything. After a few
moments, though, Will found him staring. “What?”
Nico quickly shook his head. “Nothing.” Will smiled. Nico frowned and furrowed
his brow. “Will?”
“Hmm?”
“How long have you been here?”
Will paused, scrunching his lips. “I don't know, probably around a year and a
half now.” He turned back to face Nico. “Why?”
“Just thinking.” Nico pursed his lips and tapped his fingers against the
comforter. “Was that girl here while you were? The one that committed suicide,
I mean.”
Will slowed down, slowly placing a few outfits in a drawer in the closet. “Why
are you wanting to know about her?” His blue eyes looked over to Nico
curiously. “You shouldn't ask about her...or any of them.”
“'Them'? There have been more?”
Will cursed under his breath. “Um,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “I
don't know how many. I did know Akhlys, but not very well. It wasn't long after
I arrived that she killed herself.” Will shut the drawer and stepped out of the
closet, regarding Nico carefully. “But ever since then, there haven't been any
more cases. From what I've heard from Apollo or Luke, there were a few more
cases. I think that's why they're on edge right now, because they don't want
anyone doing something like that again. But, I mean, that's just our hotel,
there are the other hotels that exist out there, and they each have suicides.”
“I just...” Nico tried to choose his words carefully. He fully understood that
this was a delicate topic, and didn't want to go further than he needed to.
“I'm just concerned, with Kronos currently in charge.”
Will nodded and laid down on Nico's bed, propping himself up on his side. “I
understand.” His blue eyes refused to look up, too busy picking at Nico's
comforter instead. “Just try not to ask anyone else about it? I think Ganymede
and Aphrodite knew her pretty well, from what little I gathered during the time
I was here. It, uh, happened maybe a month or two after Hazel and I first
arrived here.”
“You arrived together?”
Will smiled sadly and shook his head. “Not far apart, though. Perhaps, at most,
a couple of weeks.” He let out a long sigh and reached over to run his fingers
along the back of Nico's hand. “Kronos was visiting.” Will chuckled at seeing
the pale look Nico gave. “I know, right? A great way to start off our time here
at the hotel.” Another sigh escaped the blond's lips. “Surprisingly, though,
Kronos didn't bother either of us. Perhaps he acts more decently towards new
arrivals? I'll probably never know for sure.”
This was the second time today that someone had said that Kronos was capable of
being at least indifferent towards people. If only Kronos could be like that at
all times.
“But I could tell that Kronos wasn't liked,” Will continued. “He creeped me out
when I first met him.” Will smiled as he ran his fingers across Nico's arm.
“Not as an enjoyable place before you came along.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Can we get back on subject?”
Will smiled, his eyes flickering down to Nico's lips, but never did anything.
Letting out a sigh, Will's smile slowly faded. “I'm not sure what Kronos did
exactly, but I never saw him threaten her or anything. Apollo claimed that
Kronos didn't have to. I didn't really understand what that meant at the time,
but I think I do now.” He shook his head. “I'm pretty sure Kronos brought up a
lot of sensitive stuff with Akhlys, things like he used against Luke, Octavian,
and Annabeth yesterday.”
That actually brought Nico to another question he had. “Is Annabeth's
stepmother in an asylum?”
Will opened and closed his mouth a few times, apparently having a difficult
time finding the the right words. “I'm not sure if I should answer that.
Annabeth doesn't like talking about it, so don't bring it up.” Will's blue eyes
narrowed at Nico. “I mean it. Not to anyone.”
Nico quickly nodded. “I promise.”
“Good.” Will let out a breath. “Anyways, on the morning that Kronos had to
leave, they found her body. Or, at least, what was left of it.” Nico gave a
curious look. “She sort of...jumped off of the top of the hotel.”
Nico was speechless. “That had to be...oh my god.”
“Yeah,” Will muttered. He licked his lips, his fingers trailing back down to
Nico's hand. “It was definitely not the best way to get inducted into the
hotel.” Will rubbed his head with the hand that wasn't busy touching Nico.
“Kronos didn't seem bothered at all by it. And some of the Lost Kids suspect
that Percy knows that Kronos coerced her into doing it, and never did anything
about it. It just goes to show how far Percy is willing to overlook the
atrocities of his 'brother'.”
“I...” Nico glanced down at his sheets, his eyes hypnotized by the soft
movement of Will's hand on his own. “Percy-”
“Is not a knight in shining armor,” Will chuckled. He nudged the boy next to
him lightly. “We tried to tell you from the very beginning. It wasn't just
about the fact that Percy never took an interest in his employees, but also
because Percy is dangerous. Being around Percy is dangerous. One of the reasons
I never tried to pursue something like you or Apollo did was because it was too
nerve wracking. Think about it, what would happen if Gaea didn't like you? Or
just Kronos in general being involved in the situation.”
There was a long silence in the room. Nico refused to look up at the blond. He
wasn't angry, not exactly anyways. It was just...hard to swallow.
After several long minutes, Nico looked up. “Did you ever...accept an offer
that Percy gave you?”
There was a dull look in Will's eyes. Slowly, the blond sat up. “You mean, did
I have him kill my parents? No, they are still alive. I think we've covered
this.”
Nico shook his head. Briefly, the boy looked down. “Not them,” he whispered.
“Did you ever...have him target the other kids from the orphanage? You said
they were bad to you.”
When Nico was met with silence, he looked up. Will's eyes were hidden behind
his short bangs, a deep frown marring his face. “They deserved to die,” Will
whispered. “Mitchell's adopted parents, too. They deserved to die for abusing
him and letting him die.” Nico reached forward and attempted to brush the
blond's bangs away, only to have his hand swatted away. “They raped me, the
kids in the orphanage. Said I was too pretty for my own good. And, afterward,
they beat me. The adults that ran the orphanage didn't do anything.”
“But you had them killed,” Nico whispered. “You can't hold Percy accountable
for something, when you asked him to do things like that.”
Will pulled away from Nico, his eyes still completely hidden. “They weren't
nice people. I trusted them. The adults, the kids at the orphanage. I trusted
them when I arrived, and they all hated me.” Nico swallowed a lump in his
throat as he watched Will's fingers tighten as they clung to Nico's comforter.
“Most nights, I woke up to a knife or something pressed against my throat,
telling me that they'd kill me if I screamed.” Will reached up and touched at
his lips. “I can still feel where I had to bite down to keep quiet, can still
taste the blood that I drew.”
Will pulled his legs up to his chest and buried his face against them. Nico bit
down on his lip before slowly reaching out and running his fingers through
Will's hair in a soothing motion. This was so unlike Will, Nico had never seen
the blond so...dark.
But that was how the hotel felt now. Dark, void of all light and hope. Perhaps
it wasn't just nerves that were dwindling, perhaps the willpower of the Lost
Kids were faltering. And with so many of them suffering, Nico had to wonder how
Apollo, Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth were going to manage taking care of
everyone.
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “I didn't mean anything by it.” He stroked Will's
hair again. “I don't think you're a bad person for asking Percy to do that.”
When Will finally looked up, Nico found himself wishing he hadn't. Nico wasn't
sure how to describe what he saw in the blond's normally happy eyes. Pain.
Suffering. Anger. Heartbreak. Misery. A hopeful look that might come from a
small child, and perhaps Will was that small child once upon a time. But seeing
Will now was very painful, and Nico found himself swallowing a lump in his
throat.
Will ended up leaving not long after that. But fifteen minutes after the blond
was gone, Nico still found himself sitting on his bed. He had a bad feeling
about everything right now. Sure it was to be expected, what with Kronos being
in charge, but he also had the feeling that some very dark days were ahead for
everyone at the hotel.
When his phone went off, Nico climbed off his bed and picked up his phone from
where it sat on his dresser. He was surprised to find his sister's name on the
screen. Running his finger across the screen, Nico inspected her text.
She wanted him to meet her in the lobby. Apparently, she had more stuff for
him.
Letting out a sigh, Nico grabbed his wallet and slipped his shoes back on
before heading out the door. The elevator ride was quiet and felt longer than
usual. Well, longer than normal for the ride down over sixty floors.
Bianca was already in the lobby when he arrived, three boxes sat beside her on
the couch she had taken residence on. When she noticed him coming towards her,
she got up and motioned excitedly towards the boxes. Ta-da! Look what I managed
to confiscate before father could toss it out!”
Nico chuckled as he pulled one of the lids off the box on top, which contained
some of his clothes from back home. The one underneath that contained his and
Bianca's old Gamecube and the games they had managed to collect for it. And
underneath that was a box that contained some old photos and a few things that
belonged to their mother.
A small smile appeared on his face as Nico looked through the last box.
“Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Don't mention it.”
Nico's eyes flickered over to Bianca's wrist. He frowned and put down a photo
of him and his mother that he had been holding, his hand reaching out to grasp
his sister's wrist. “Where did you get this?”
On Bianca's wrist was a diamond charm bracelet with tiny silver figurines
attached to it. Bianca blushed and pulled her wrist away, rubbing it gently.
“Um, yeah, about that. Dad's new friend got it for me.” She shook her head, a
look of annoyance covering her face. “I don't know, I feel like Dad is moving
on a little too fast, he's already going out to dinner with this woman and
staying out late.” Her eyes inspected the bracelet on her wrist. “But she gave
this to me for Christmas, probably as a bribe to like her.”
Nico gave a grunt. His father was earning a whole new low in his books right
now. “I take it she's loaded?”
“I guess,” Bianca mumbled. “I'm not really trying to get to know her. I usually
just go over to Daedalus's house when she's around.” Something must have caught
Bianca's attention, as the girl waved at something behind Nico. “Annabeth!”
Sure enough, the blonde was exiting the hotel's restaurant with a carryout box,
probably about to go eat in her room. The Lost Girl stopped and turned in their
direction, a small smile crossing her lips as she noticed them. She came over
to them and gave Bianca a one-armed hug, making sure to keep her food held away
from the two of them.
“Nice to see you again, Bianca.”
Bianca smiled and slipped her hands into her pockets. “I hope you've been doing
well.”
Annabeth smiled and nodded. “As well as I suppose I can be right now.”
Bianca gave her a curious look before placing a hand on Nico's shoulder. “I was
just checking on Nico and dropping a few things off. He's not being any
trouble, is he? Eating okay?”
“Ah.” Annabeth looked between the two siblings. “Well, he's eating just fine,
though I've noticed he's eaten less over the past few days.” Nico scowled at
her. How could she have possibly taken notice so quickly? “But we have all been
under a lot of stress lately.” The blonde shifted her weight, holding her food
with both hands. “Right now, the hotel is under temporary new management.”
Bianca quirked a brow before looking around. “Percy's not here?”
“No.” Grey eyes flickered over to where Nico stood, causing the boy to fidget.
“Percy was called away due to...personal reasons.”
“Oh,” Bianca replied. “I take it you don't like the current manager?”
“That's one way of putting it,” Nico muttered.
Bianca gave him a curious look before her eyes widened and she reached into one
of the boxes behind her. “Oh, I almost forgot.” Digging around, Bianca
eventually pulled out a bottle of perfume. “I wanted to give you this,” she
said, handing it to Annabeth.
The blonde blinked before she looked up in confusion. “What for?”
“Well, I don't plan on using it, and I still have another bottle for memory
purposes, but Nico told me how nice you've been to him, so I just wanted to get
you something as a way of saying thanks.” She offered the blonde girl a warm
smile before continuing. “It belonged to our mother, something she picked up
from one of our trips to Italy a few years ago. I suppose you can count it as a
late Christmas present.”
It took Annabeth a moment, but she eventually smiled and placed the bottle in
her hand that was underneath the food. “Thank you, I'll try it out and let you
know how I like it.”
Bianca gave a chuckle. “I thought it might help you rope in that guy you
mentioned back at the water park.
“Yes,” Annabeth said, a stoney quality lacing her words. “That.” The blonde
pursed her lips. “Thank you.”
Bianca smiled again before nodding. She patted her pants before letting out a
breath. “Well, I suppose I better head home.” Leaning in, she kissed Nico's
forehead. “Behave yourself,” she told him before waving and heading towards the
door.
After his sister was gone, Nico turned to stare at the blonde next to him. He
had almost forgotten that Annabeth liked, or had liked, someone. “Were you
serious when you told her you liked someone?”
“Yes,” was the only reply that Nico got.
Nico slowly nodded. “Okay, I guess you don't want to talk about it.” Annabeth
didn't say anything. Nico fidgeted. “Um, so, I wanted to thank you as well, for
being nice to my sister.”
“She's a nice girl.”
Nico nodded again. “Yeah, she is. But, I mean, everyone has been great to her.”
He smiled a little. “And Percy even paid for her tuition, wasn't that amazing
of him?”
Annabeth's brow furrowed. “What?”
“Oh.” Nico blinked twice. “Um, yeah, Percy's present to me was to pay for mine
and Bianca's tuition.” He smiled with a shrug, rubbing the back of his neck
sheepishly. “It was very nice of him.”
There was a blank expression clouding Annabeth's face before she shrugged. “I
suppose, but I wouldn't put much thought into it. It was probably just Percy's
way of hinting that he still would like you to leave the hotel with as much of
yourself still intact as can be managed.” That was a blow to Nico's stomach.
The boy rubbed his arm. The blonde shrugged again. “Just giving my opinion. I
mean, it's still nice of him, yes, but I wouldn't look at it as a romantic
gesture.”
“Oh.” Nico nodded, his head down. “I guess you're probably right.”
Annabeth let out a sigh, reaching out to pat Nico on the shoulder. “Like I
said, just giving my opinion.” She let out a breath. “As much as I hate to tell
you this, Kronos wants to see you in his office. He was having a word with
Jason not long ago, probably wants to have a word with the new additions.”
Nico nodded, letting out a groan. This was not a good day. Annabeth nodded back
at him before heading towards one of the elevators. Nico let out a sigh before
turning around and staring at the boxes that Bianca had brought him. As eager
as he truly was to be alone with Kronos, Nico felt it couldn't hurt to put off
that talk a little longer by dropping his boxes in his room first.
When Nico finally arrived in the office, Leo directed him to go ahead in the
office that was supposed to belong to Percy. Opening the door, Nico found
Kronos sitting behind the computer, rubbing his temple. Without looking up or
speaking to Nico, Kronos pointed towards the chair directly across from the
desk. Not needing to be told twice, Nico sat down.
Kronos let out a sigh. “As much as I'm sure you'd be shocked to learn, I cannot
wait for Percy to get back.” Nico did find that hard to believe. “Because while
he's getting to relax and listen to mother, I'm stuck running two hotels.”
Another sigh escaped the young man's lips. “Which is why I sent Grover back to
the Middle East, though I still get to manage the details from the computer.
And this is on top of what I have to deal with here, since I can't very well
trust those two out there to finalize documents.”
Nico frowned. “You wanted to see me?”
Kronos typed at the computer, ignoring Nico for a few moments before he pushed
the keyboard away and leaned his elbows on the desk. “I did.” His eyes stared
coldly over at the boy. “I'm fully aware that you've been doing this job for a
few months now, but your recent change in job description could prove
concerning.”
It wasn't Nico's call! If Kronos was so concerned about Nico screwing up, why
was he throwing Nico into the kink rooms?
“Because it's not about what you want, it's about what you should be expected
to do,” Kronos stated, like he could very well read Nico's mind. “I don't like
it when clients are disappointed by their time purchases.” Kronos leaned back
in his chair, slouching heavily. Closing his eyes, the young man rubbed his
face with a yawn. “I expect you to do your job, regardless of how uncomfortable
you are. I also expect you to make your clients happy.” Once again, Kronos
leaned on the desk, burying his face in his hands.
Was it just Nico, or did Kronos look exhausted? He also had yet to really say
anything truly insulting, which Nico found the most concerning. He glanced over
his shoulder, unsure if there might have been a laser pointed at the back of
his head from some sniper attack, or perhaps a hidden knife under his chair
that might trigger and stab him. Kronos just rolled his eyes before resting his
head on the desk.
“Um,” Nico shifted in his seat, “is that it?”
Kronos sat up and buried his face in his hands again. “Your voice is beginning
to give me a headache.” Nico wanted to point that he had barely said a word
since he had entered the office. Kronos let out a sigh and motioned for Nico to
leave.
Nico continued to sit there for a moment, unsure if he was truly free to go or
not. Slowly, he rose from his chair. “That's it?” Nico asked curiously. Kronos
shot him an irritated look. “No hurtful comment to make me cry at work?”
Kronos popped his knuckles with a glare. “I can always change my mind, kid.”
Nico swallowed a lump in his throat. “If you don't mind, I have more pressing
matters to deal with, rather than concern myself with insufferable people in my
office.”
“Sorry,” Nico mumbled, reaching for the door.
But before he could go. “I'm just amazed that you have adapted so quickly.”
Nico found himself smiling, slowly turning around. “Thank-”
“Frankly, I'm surprised you're even still surviving in this hotel, what with
how pathetic I truly find you.” There it was. Kronos tapped his fingers on the
desk as he gave Nico a look that made the Lost Boy feel like he was lower than
scum. “And I still think you're a fool for turning down a free ride through the
hotel and disappointing Percy by volunteering to do this job.”
Nico slowly took in a deep breath, nodding his head in silence. Responding that
would only put a bigger target on his back, and Nico did not need that. Kronos
went back to typing and Nico slipped out the door, releasing the breath he had
been holding once the door was securely shut.
-----------------------------------------
Luck was not on Nico's side today it seemed. Halfway through the night, Leo
took Nico aside and told the pale Lost Boy that Nico was expected to go to the
kink rooms towards the end of his shift. That had not helped Nico's nerves the
rest of the night. And unlike his first few times being in the rooms upstairs,
Kronos had not allowed any of the other Lost Kids to accompany Nico into these
rooms.
They were a lot different than the ones upstairs. There was a bit more
lighting, but the room he was currently in used a red bulb. The fact that there
was a bondage rack in the corner of the room did not help his nerves either.
Luke had been right about what they kept in stock down here. The cabinets and a
table in the room were stocked with various alcohols, packs of cigarettes, and
various forms of—what Nico could only assume was—drugs. The walls also seemed
to be thinner down here, as he could hear a client screaming in one of the
other rooms, though considering the nature of these rooms, Nico was uncertain
if it was out of pain or pleasure. Perhaps a mixture of both.
But perhaps the most concerning thing was the fact that there was a chain and
collar attached to the foot of the bed.
The one thing that did catch Nico's eye, though, was a glass bowl next to the
small bed that was kept in the room. From the looks of it, the bowl was stocked
with various candy. Most looked a lot like Skittles or M&Ms. Scrunching his
lips, Nico picked one up for inspection. Not exactly what he had been expecting
to find in a place like this.
The door opened, startling Nico, and Nico found himself staring at a rather
young man, probably only a few years older than Percy or Luke. On the bright
side, the guy was attractive. Just not Nico's usual type. He was too pretty.
Which would sound very odd, since Nico had a crush on Percy. But this boy
reminded him of some of the rich kid that walked around the school that he was
currently enrolled in. The way the guy dressed made Nico think he went to Yale
or Harvard. If Nico had to guess, this guy was not here because of his own
money.
And for the first time, Nico didn't really feel as intimidated being in a
situation like this. Aside from selling his body, there was one important job
that he was here for. Information. If this college kid was allowed up to the
top floor or down into these rooms, he had to have some information that Gaea
would value.
Perhaps it was just way for Nico to take out all of his bully frustrations from
the past, but he wanted to make the guy squirm until he gave Nico all the
information that he could.
Smirking, Nico stood up and yanked his shirt over his head. “So, how do you
want to do this?”
The fact that the guy seemed rather bored only added to Nico's irritation with
the guy. A simple shrug was all he got. “I like it rough, so let's see if I can
get my money's worth.”
Nico shoved the guy onto the bed, a dark look inhabiting his dark gaze. “You
mean daddy's money?”
The guy fidgeted. “Yeah, I'd prefer he didn't know I was here, especially with
a male prostitute.” Nico knew what he technically was, but hearing the words
from someone else still stung. “Don't need to get cut off.”
Nico crawled onto the bed, biting down on his lip. With a wag of his brows, he
cuffed one of the guy's hands to the railing at the head of the bed. “Your
secret's safe with me,” he practically purred against the guy's brown curly
locks.
A grin crept across the brunet's lips as he reached over into the bowl and
popped a piece of candy into his mouth. Nico's gaze flickered over to the bowl
while he slowly worked on getting the young man's pants off. Maybe the rich
snob had requested a bowl of candy be put into the room? It would make sense,
Nico supposed, since these rooms were more about catering to the desires of
clients.
Nico bit down on his lip as he stared at the bowl. “Can...can I have some?”
The brunet's eyebrows rose before he slowly sat up. “Um, yeah, sure. I didn't
offer you any, though.”
Nico arched a brow as he reached over and popped two red ones into his mouth
and chewed. “Okay,” he mumbled. Rolling his eyes, Nico fastened the guy's other
hand into the other cuff. With a huge grin, Nico grabbed a short whip from the
side table. “I hope you're ready.”
Nico did not wait for an answer before cracking the leather across the guy's
stomach. The young man let out a yelp, but did not ask Nico to stop, so the
Lost Boy could only assume that the rich jerk liked it. The only enjoyable part
for Nico was getting to inflict pain on someone that could have once bullied a
kid like Nico. That was quite satisfying.
“So,” Nico began, deciding to pry a little, “what does daddy dearest do?”
The brunet rolled his blue eyes. Compared to the blue eyes of most of the other
Lost Boys, they weren't anything special. In fact, Nico thought they were
rather dull compared to the different shades of blue that Connor, Luke,
Octavian, Will, Jason, Travis, and Apollo had.
“Not around a whole lot, never was.” Nico wanted to motion for the kid to hurry
up, he had no interest in hearing this guy's life story. “Most of the world
thinks he's an entrepreneur, but he actually smuggles valuable cargo around the
world for the right price.” The brunet smirked up at Nico, raising his knees to
bring the Lost Boy closer to him. “In fact, I guess I can thank him for turning
me onto this place, as he gets most of his business from the other people here.
He let me go up to the bar with him over this past summer, and even up to see a
show. But I thought I'd come back and have a little taste of what else you had
to offer here.”
Nico smirked and leaned down to nibble on the guy's ear, raking his nails down
the young man's chest. This earned him a low moan. Leaning back, Nico had to
admire his handiwork on the guy's chest. There was no way this guy was going to
be taking his shirt off anytime soon, not with all those red marks on his
chest.
Nico had to shake his head, realizing that he was swaying a little. He must
have been zoning out.
Clearing his throat, Nico climbed off of the rich asshole. Walking over to
where a lit candle was, Nico picked it up. He held it up to the guy. “How about
this?” The smirk that Nico got appeared to be his answer. Shrugging, Nico
sauntered back over to the bed and bit down on his lip, holding the lit candle
over the brunet's chest.
The rich young man hissed and Nico watched as his toned muscles contracted from
the sting of the wax. Placing the candle on the bedside table, Nico straddled
the brunet's lap, grabbing the back of the guy's hair rather harshly to get the
guy to lean up towards Nico. The Lost Boy crashed their lips together, making
sure to bite down on the rich snob's lip as he pulled back. The guy moaned and
attempted to kiss Nico again, but Nico smirked and leaned back, just out of the
guy's reach.
Perhaps it was a little fun to toy with the clients.
As if he was part cat, Nico slid out of his shorts while hovering over his
client. The brunet licked his lips at Nico's nude form. This made Nico smirk.
Getting information from this one would be too easy.
Nico pressed his nude form against the young man's bare chest. “I'm sure your
father must trust you then, since he let you come here to play with the big
boys and girls.” Nico grinned at the irritated look he got.
“I'm pretty sure I'm older than you, kid.”
Nico smirked. “Well, I won't call the cops if you won't.”
That shut the guy up. Once again, he raised his knees to situate Nico into his
lap before rolling his hips against Nico's ass. While Nico felt no real
pleasure from the action, he closed his eyes with a moan. Biting down on his
lip, Nico raised a hand to run through his hair.
Feeling something wet, Nico stopped and pulled his hand away. He was sweating.
He looked back at the young man tied to the bed and found that his vision was
getting a little fuzzy. Shaking his head, Nico went back to work on getting the
guy out of his expensive looking boxers.
“And, um-” Nico had to blink to get his vision to focus. He was starting to not
feel so great. A bead of sweat rolled down his nose and dripped onto the guy's
chest. “So, do you ever, um, get to meet with any of your father's clients?
Would be exciting.” Nico worked on looking sexy, biting down on his lip, though
his head was spinning.
“A few,” the brunet mumbled, rolling his hardened member against Nico's butt.
“We can discuss that all you want, if that's what gets you in the mood, baby.”
“Um, yeah,” Nico muttered. Nico's eyes widened as he nearly fell off of the
bed, barely catching hold of the sheets to gain his balance back. What was
wrong with him?
But Nico did not have any time to question it as the brunet requested that he
be let go. Doing as he was told, Nico found himself with a collar around his
neck and the brunet's length inside of him. But the weird thing was that Nico
could not feel any of it. It wasn't that the guy was small down there. No, Nico
had seen the guy's penis, and it was, unfortunately, not small like he had
hoped it would be. There just was no feeling anywhere on Nico's body.
Even the collar, even though Nico could barely feel it digging into his skin,
offered no pain. The room began to spin as Nico's hazy gaze stared up at the
red lights above the bed. Even his client was a blur, and Nico was no longer to
make out anything that the young man was doing.
Nico's head rolled back, his mouth open. Fear started to overtake him, but his
body did not want to cooperate. Instead of pain, Nico's body was flooded with a
euphoric sensation, every inch of him feeling as if he was on fire.
And it all kept going, the room spinning faster and faster, until Nico's head
rolled to the side and he blacked out.
To say that Nico's dream was weird was a bit of an understatement. From what
little he could make out, the dream involved a unicorn that was offering to
take him on a ride through a forest made out of bacon and hotdogs. And there
was something about a pirate guarding a treasure chest full of bananas that
really made no sense to Nico, even while he was dreaming. It wasn't until the
sun fell from the sky and landed on top of him that Nico woke up.
And he did so with a scream. He nearly ended up smacking Will in the head, but
luckily the blond was quick enough to pull away. As it turned out, the sun from
Nico's dream had actually been Will shining a flashlight into his eyes.
Nico looked around him in confusion. He was definitely no longer in the kink
rooms. It took him a moment, but he soon realized that he was in his own bed.
“What—what happened?” Nico asked groggily.
Will smiled and turned off the flashlight, dropping it into a small medical bag
that Nico would often see in the blond's room. It was only then that Nico took
notice of the fact that Clarisse and Jason were also in the room. Clarisse
stood at the foot of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest, while Jason
leaned against the frame of Nico's bedroom door.
The blond Lost Boy that currently sat on the edge of Nico's bed smiled and
leaned in, tilting Nico's chin up and holding Nico's eyelids open. “You passed
out,” finally came his answer.
To put it mildly, Nico felt like shit, like a building had fallen on top of
him. Nico let out a groan and rubbed his face while Will took his other wrist
and checked his pulse. “Well,” Will began, “we can only assume you consumed
some of the drugs that were in the room.” He gave the smaller boy a weak smile.
“Lucky for you, Clarisse was keeping an eye on you from the security room.”
“Asshole didn't even say anything before he left,” Clarisse mumbled.
He had just left Nico there? Nico pulled his legs up to his chest, a frown
marring his face. What if he had died? Swallowing the lump currently in his
throat, Nico gave Clarisse a nod. “Thank you.”
But the Lost Girl smirked a cocky smirk back at him. “Looks like you broke
Percy's cardinal rule. No drugs.”
Will let out a sigh before turning his attention back to Nico. “What happened
Nico? You were unresponsive and just laying there when I arrived.”
Nico rubbed his head. He felt weak, barely able to move. His throat hurt and
felt raw, like he had thrown up. “I don't know. I remember starting to have sex
with the client, but then I just passed out.”
Will gave a slow nod. “Yeah, okay. Um, so, I was afraid this would be the
case.” He cleared his throat and felt Nico's head before pressing on. “First
off, Luke wanted me to apologize if this was the case, which it is. He sort of
forgot to mention that some of the drugs we keep in stock look a lot like
candy, and the guy from last night had requested a lot of it.” Will pressed
against Nico's chest when the other Lost Boy attempted to get up. “It can also
taste like candy. You wouldn't know it was actually a drug until it was taking
effect in your system.”
Even though he felt weak, a hint of anger flowed through him. Had this just
been another stunt against him, this time by Luke? Nico stumbled to his feet,
pushing Will's hands away when the blond moved to catch him. “I'm fine,” he
mumbled. He stumbled against, but Jason managed to catch him.
“Don't be mad,” his roommate whispered. “Luke feels bad, so don't be upset with
him.”
Luke? Feel bad? Nico scoffed. He wasn't sure feeling bad was actually in the
blond's vocabulary.
Will got up and closed his bag. “I promise this isn't like what Apollo did,
Luke really did forget. We just don't think about it, and I guess he thought
you'd realize what it was. We forget sometimes what it can be like for someone
new to go down there without experience.”
Nico took in a deep breath. “I need to wash my face,” the boy muttered before
moving past Jason and entering the hall, where he stopped.
Sitting against the wall of the hallway was Luke. The blond looked up with a
pained look and all of Nico's anger dissipated. Had the blond been concerned
about him enough to come wait until Nico woke up?
“Hi,” Nico whispered.
“Hey,” Luke mumbled back. The blond's brow furrowed as he climbed to his feet.
“Listen...I just forgot how easy it can be to not know what that stuff is for
someone new. I had planned on showing you everything in those rooms when I took
you down there myself, but I guess you got a client before I could get the
chance.” The taller Lost Boy nodded, looking anywhere but at Nico's face.
“Anyways, I just wanted to say that...” Luke muttered the rest under his
breath.
Nico tilted his head to the side. “What?”
“I said, I'm sorry,” Luke mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
A small smile touched at Nico's lips as he took a step towards the blond and
wrapped his arms around the blond's neck. Luke blinked in surprise, frozen in
place. He pushed Nico back with a scowl, but Nico just continued to smile.
“Thanks,” Nico finally replied.
Luke scowled at him and crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, don't get used to it,
twerp.”
***** You're Just a Painful Reminder *****
School had started back up in full swing, something that Nico was nowhere near
ready for. It had already been more than a week since the drug disaster, but he
still had a hard time looking at candy the same way. Something Daedalus noticed
as he held out a bag of Skittles.
“Something wrong? You look pale.”
Nico shook his head. “I'm fine.” He swallowed a lump in his throat and pushed
the bag away. Jason arched a brow at him, his hand paused in the middle of
finishing up some last minute homework. “Just a late night.”
Jason went back to his work. “He probably ate something that made him sick.”
Nico tossed the blond a glare. Jason smirked, not looking up, but aware of
Nico's action. After Will, Clarisse, and Luke had left that night, Nico had
spent some time hunched over the toilet, trying to get any remnants of his
drugs out of his system. When Jason had found him, the blond had assured his
roommate that Will said he would be fine. But to Nico that did not really
matter.
It wasn't about the fact that he would be fine, Nico had consumed drugs.
Technically by his own choice, even if he didn't know what they were at the
time. The fact remained that Nico could add another thing to his list of things
he had disappointed Percy with.
And what if Percy did find out? Would one of the other Lost Kids tell him?
Would Kronos? Nico chewed on his lip. How mad would Percy be?
That was if anyone could contact Percy. As far as Nico was aware, only Kronos
had spoken to Percy since the green-eyed young man's departure. It sort of made
Nico depressed, not that he wasn't already. Why hadn't Percy contacted any of
them, or more specifically, Nico?
In the past week, Nico had barely done anything besides work and school. He
just didn't have the energy. Even if most of the others weren't openly blaming
him for Percy's removal from the hotel, Nico still blamed himself.
Not that Nico would have been able to do anything if he weren't depressed.
Slowly, the Lost Kids had begun to tear themselves apart. There were very few
not in a feud over something, and some of the latest fights had been very petty
and trivial. So far, Nico had made a pretty detailed list in his head for who
was fighting.
Silena was fighting with Beckendorf, which caused Beckendorf to fight with
Luke, since that was who Silena went to talk too after her and Beckendorf
started not talking. Even though they were living together, Luke and Octavian
were currently not on speaking terms, which got very awkward when Nico had to
go see either of them for their lessons. And then the more worrisome fights
begun. The ones that Nico had hoped would keep it together.
Annabeth and Luke had gotten into another argument, which had ended in a lot of
heated words and their refusal to be at practice with each other. Luke had then
snapped at Apollo for his childish actions with Leo, which had resulted in
Apollo and Luke giving each other black eyes. From there, Leo refused to even
breath the same air as Apollo, forcing Rachel to deal with the blond when
needed. After Luke and Apollo's spat, Thalia came to Apollo's defense and got
mad at Luke, lecturing the blond about minding his own business. Luke found it
funny, since Thalia was being a hypocrite. And then, even though they were
fighting, Annabeth had gotten angry with Thalia for snapping at Luke. That one
had resulted in Thalia sleeping in Zoë's room for two nights, until Zoë got
irritated with Thalia about some things that Nico was still not clear on.
Late last week, a fight had broken out between Calypso, Piper, and Drew. That
one had woken up their entire floor in the middle of the night. While Calypso
and Piper weren't fighting, the two had apparently had enough of Drew's
attitude. The very same day, Clarisse had given Beckendorf a very long lecture
on being a better boyfriend to Silena, which had nearly resulted in another
fight. Then there were three fights that Nico still was unsure how they
started, one between Reyna and Octavian, another between Apollo and Butch, and
the other between Butch and Will.
And, just over the weekend, Jason had gotten into an argument with Thalia about
her abandoning him. While Thalia didn't really argue back, she didn't seem to
want to talk to her brother either. And the last fight had been between Will
and Luke, and neither had been willing so far to tell Nico why they were
arguing, even though he had caught his name being thrown around.
All of that had happened...in a week.
The remaining few that weren't fighting apparently had no desire to make any of
it stop. Travis and Connor had said they found it amusing, and Nico had caught
them eating popcorn when Clarisse and Butch had nearly gotten into their fight.
Ethan said he simply didn't want to get involved. “I finally get to be left
alone,” the Lost Boy had said. No one was willing to listen to Rachel, even
though she was trying her best to deal with all of them at once. And Juniper
was too soft spoken to get anyone to listen to her. Needless to say, things did
not look good for their group.
And Kronos? Well, he had actually been fairly quiet in the past week. Nico
could only assume he was taking great satisfaction in seeing the Lost Kids tear
themselves apart. It was so frustrating and unnecessary that they were all
fighting, when the real enemy was just getting to relax and enjoy the show. But
what was he going to do? Nico was still new around the place, and was to blame
for Percy's absence. Who would listen to him?
To say that Nico had a headache and his patience was near its end was probably
an understatement.
Which probably did not help matters when he met Cal and Zethes in the hall
later.
To be honest, Nico had just assumed that his problems with them were over. Oh
how wrong he was. Cal's strong shoulder made contact with his and sent Nico
into the nearest locker. But, unlike the last time this happened, Nico did not
just keep his head down. His eyes darkened as he looked up to see Cal and
Zethes laughing at him. Jason reached down to help him, but Nico shot up and
barreled into Cal.
Zethes stepped in, pulling Nico off of his brother. When Cal cracked his
knuckles and tried to punch Nico, Jason stepped in and sent a fist into the
brute's stomach. Nico broke free from Zethes and grabbed the asshole by his
throat. Zethes's head collided with the floor as Nico straddled him. Pinning
the guy's arms down with his legs, Nico sent his fist flying into the jerk's
face. Zethes started yelling threats, which Nico ignored. But he couldn't stop
either.
His fist made contact with Zethes's nose and Nico heard a crack in the back of
his mind. And to make it worse, Zethes spat in Nico's face. Seeing red, Nico
drew back and sent his fist flying as hard as he could. In the fog of Nico's
mind, he could barely hear Jason calling his name, but it was too dull for him
to acknowledge. Nico's eyes took on a terrifyingly dark tone to them as he
wrapped a pale hand around Zethes's throat and tightened his grip.
“St-stop!” Zethes wheezed out, struggling against Nico.
“Nico!” Jason called out from behind him.
Nico's cold eyes continued to stare down at Zethes, his lips tilting up into a
cold smirk. His nails dug into the skin of Zethes's neck, blood pouring from
the guy's mouth. It was here that Nico truly realized just how fragile life
really was. Just a little longer, or a snap of the neck, and Zethes's life
force would have been gone. It would be so easy to just...
“Nico!” Daedalus's voice yelled, yanking the raven-haired boy off of Zethes.
Nico blinked, startled. He stared down at his hands, which were partially
covered in blood. Looking up with wide eyes, Nico stared at Zethes as he
coughed and wheezed for breath. It was then that Nico also noted a tooth on the
ground beside the bully. Quickly reaching up a hand, Nico inspected his own
mouth, quickly finding out that it was not his tooth.
Daedalus spun him around. “Nico, what the hell was that?”
Nico glanced over to Jason, who released Cal. The large bully ran over to his
brother. But before anyone could say anything further, two teachers came
running down the hall. “What is going on here?” One yelled.
Zethes pointed a shaky hand towards Nico. “He knocked out my tooth and was
trying to strangle me!”
Jason held out an arm in front of Nico. “They were harassing him first.”
The two teachers shook their heads and snapped their fingers towards the
office. Nico shut his eyes, letting out a breath. Things just got worse.
Jason and Nico both ended up getting suspended for two days, and Nico would be
serving detention with Cal and Zethes upon his return. Apparently, the
principal was tired of having the two bullies in his office.
He now sat in the passenger seat of Jason's car, not willing to look at his
roommate. Jason had yet to speak to him since they left the office, which
probably meant there was going to be another fight to add to the list. Nico
pursed his lips and looked at his lap. “I'm sorry,” he mumbled.
Jason briefly glanced over at him. He reached over and brushed Nico's bangs up.
It took Nico a moment to realize the blond was looking him over for any sign of
injury. “You don't have to apologize,” Jason finally said. The blond returned
his hand to the steering wheel. “At least you're okay, though I think you went
a little overboard.” When Nico didn't answer, he glanced over again. “You okay?
I've never seen you get like that before.”
Then Jason hadn't seen him in the backrooms, Nico thought bitterly. Now that
everything was over, Nico was scared. Not about what Kronos might do to him,
though that was worrisome, but his own actions. He was getting worse, and Nico
didn't like it. Was he just going to end up like the rest of them at the hotel?
A year ago, Nico probably wouldn't have even thought about raising his fist to
get into a fight, and now he had nearly suffocated a guy.
And that was not even the worst part. So what could have been worse than all of
that?
He. Had. Enjoyed. It.
It had been so satisfying to see Zethes squirm like that, after all the
tormenting that he and his brother had caused Nico. It was deserved, but it was
also something that Nico should have never done. Kronos was going to kill him.
When they got back to the hotel, Nico was scared to even get out of the car.
Jason shook his head and forced Nico out of the car. The blue-eyed Lost Boy
headed for the elevator. “Why don't you just hide if you're so nervous?” He
suggested.
That was a great idea!
So Nico did just that. And it was not as easy as it sounded, as two hours in,
he started hearing Kronos calling his name in the various places he tried to
hide. This was what brought Nico the cabana. While Ganymede was dealing with
two girls, Nico ducked behind the counter.
“That will be ten doll-” Ganymede blinked down at him, furrowing his brow.
“Dollars.”
The two girls peered over the counter at him. “He's cute.”
Nico chuckled and waved at them. Ganymede shook his head and took the money
from the girls, who walked off chuckling to themselves. Ganymede nudged Nico
with his foot to get farther under the bar. Nico wasn't sure what was going on,
until he heard the last voice he wanted to hear right now.
“Have you seen Nico?” Kronos's eerily calm voice asked.
Nico peered up to get a look at the bartender's face. Ganymede scrunched his
lips and shook his head. “Can't say that I have. At least not today. You want
me to tell him that you're looking for him?”
“Yes, and send him to my office. I got a call from his school.”
The bartender gave a nod. “Will do, boss.” After a few moments of silence,
Ganymede crouched down. “Why is the devil looking for you?”
“I got into a fight,” Nico mumbled.
Ganymede arched a brow and tilted Nico's chin up. “You look fine to me. Who was
it with, a bunny?”
Nico scowled and knocked the man's hand away, crawling out from under the bar,
but staying on the ground. “No! I got into a fight with those assholes from the
last time.” Ganymede gave a surprised nod. “I sort of knocked one's tooth out.”
That made the man laugh. “It's not funny! I nearly killed the guy.”
“You? Kill a guy?” Ganymede sat down beside Nico. “Cutie, I'm not sure I could
believe that.”
“Well, I did.”
“So what's the big deal?”
“Their dad is a client here,” Nico mumbled.
“Oh.” Ganymede popped his lips once. “Well...I suppose that would be a bad
thing. I feel like you may have a lot to worry about, should Kronos tell Percy
about how you've been while he's been gone.”
The Lost Boy buried his face in his hands. “Don't remind me,” he groaned. “I
just need a place to lay low for a few hours. I guess I'll have to face him
during or after work.”
Ganymede gave a nod, chuckling. “Well, I'm about to get off my shift. I can
smuggle you out of the hotel, at least for a few hours.”
Nico's eyes widened as he gripped the man's shirt. “Really?” He exclaimed. “I
would love you forever.” The man grinned at him. “Not like that!” Nico sighed
and shook his head. “There's too much sex going on around here.”
Ganymede stood up, holding up a finger. “There's never too much sex to be had,
my dear Nico.” He smiled and finished up his shift, cleaning up the cabana
area. After he had the money put away and everything in a safe place, he led
Nico into the hotel.
They traveled back to the garage, where Ganymede smuggled Nico into a silver
mustang. “Why can't I get a nice car like everyone else?” Nico whined.
The ex-Lost Boy chuckled as he pulled out of his parking spot. “Got to get your
license first.”
---------------------------------
 
When Nico and Ganymede arrived back at the hotel, Nico had his arms full of
arcade prizes. As Nico got to learn, Ganymede was very good at the dancing
games there. He had also made a teenage girl cry. After he parked, Ganymede
looked over at Nico with a smile, spinning the little pinwheel that the boy had
stuffed in his arms.
Nico narrowed his eyes and attempted to stuff what he could into a bag they had
been given. “Here,” the boy mumbled.
“But I wanted to win your affection.” With a pout, the man batted his eyelashes
at the Lost Boy.
Shoving the bag towards the man, Nico climbed out of the car. “There are a lot
of days I feel like a sheep amongst wolves in this hotel.”
“Come now, Nico,” Ganymede began as he followed after the boy, bags in hand, “I
think we both know that you have your own wolf side to you as well.” Nico shot
the man a dirty look. “Just speaking the truth. I mean, I hear you did pretty
well with that young man the other night.” The ex-Lost Boy grinned. “You could
always tie me up to my bed.”
“Only in your dreams.”
The man's mouth fell open in mock shock. “Who told you?”
Nico shook his head with a sigh. He frowned and glanced over Ganymede's
shoulder when he noticed something. Luke was uncovering his motorcycle, tossing
the tarp into his car and grabbing his helmet. The raven-haired Lost Boy pursed
his lips and came to a stop. He blinked, not looking back to Ganymede. “You go
on ahead, I need to talk to someone.”
Ganymede glanced over his shoulders, shaking his head. “You have fun with
that,” the man said before heading towards one of the elevators.
Nico made his way over to the blond, who did not look all too happy at the
moment. “What's the matter with you?” Nico asked, leaning against one of the
concrete pillars that supported the garage. “Did you find out Kronos beat you
for the biggest asshole award?”
Luke briefly looked up at Nico before reaching into his car for a second
helmet. “Had a fight with Octavian, wanted to get out for a while.” The blond
held out the second helmet. “Want to come?”
Nico blinked. “But-” He pulled out his phone to check the time. “It's literally
twenty minutes until we're supposed to be upstairs. We need to change, so that
we-”
“Not going to work,” Luke grumbled as he threw one leg over the motorcycle and
sat down. He arched his eyebrow at Nico. “Want to come or not? Work means
facing Kronos.”
“You're going to get in trouble.”
There was a dull look in the blond's eyes as he blinked at the other Lost Boy.
“I don't really care right now.” He leaned forward with a smirk. “You really
need to learn to live a little, kid.”
“I-”
“Oh, Nico!”
Nico clamped a hand over his mouth at the sound of Kronos's peaceful voice. It
was far too calm for his liking, and the young man was somewhere in the garage.
Far too close for Nico's liking. He would be alone with the manager, with no
one but Luke as a witness. Unless Luke left. Which, judging by the looks of
things, the blond was getting ready to do. Nico doubted that Luke wanted to
stick around for Kronos to find them. He would probably abandon Nico to be
tortured by their boss.
Eyes full of panic, Nico turned back to Luke, who silently held out his spare
helmet. That cocky smirk of his was plastered across his stupid face as he
waited for Nico to make a decision. Inhaling deeply, Nico cursed under his
breath and climbed onto the motorcycle, taking the helmet as he did so.
By this point, Nico can hear Kronos's footsteps over the soft purr of the
motorcycle. As Nico fastened the helmet, he wrapped his arms tightly around
Luke's waist. “Go!”
Luke didn't need to be told twice. The ground shot out from under them and the
two soared towards the exit. Unfortunately, Kronos found them and yelled at
them as Luke zoomed onto the exit ramp.
“Hey! Where do you two think you're going?”
Feeling bold, Luke reached back and flipped the young man off before shooting
away. Nico shut his eyes as he felt the ground fall out beneath them upon
breaking surface. He tried to open his eyes, only to find that they were
weaving in and out of traffic. When he heard a horn blowing at them, the brown-
eyed Lost Boy tightened his grip on the blond's torso.
“Open your eyes, you fucking pansy!” Luke called back to him.
Nico was not sure he honestly wanted to. The wind was hitting his body very
harshly, and there was no telling how fast Luke was going. But when there was
the sound of tires squealing and another horn blowing, Nico felt he had to.
They had apparently ran a red light.
Nico was ready to snap at Luke to be careful, when the lights of the city
caught his eye. The sun had already set and the lights of the city had all come
alive. Car lights moved by them in a blur, and the lights on the sidewalks were
almost hypnotizing.
They zoomed in between cars and felt adrenaline start to pump through his body.
It was all so mesmerizing, the way the lights moved and stopped at the whim of
a light. When they finally did hit a red light that Luke decided to stop at,
Nico took the opportunity to look up at the buildings. He had seen them plenty
of times during his time on the streets, and back then he had merely wanted to
be able to be inside one of them. But now, Nico just stared at them in awe,
marveling at the way the lights stood out in comparison to the night sky above
them.
And then the light turned green and they zoomed between the cars to break out
in front of the traffic. Unfortunately, there had also been a police car at the
light. Their lights blared behind them and Luke tightened his grip on the
handles.
“Um,” Nico frowned, “shouldn't we pull over?”
“Only if you let go.”
Nico was about to question the blond, when the motorcycle shot forward onto the
opposite side of the road. Nico screamed as they just barely dodged an oncoming
car to turn down an alleyway. The cops did go around, but unfortunately met the
two on the other side. This, however, did not deter Luke. The blond bobbed and
weaved between cars on either side of the road with ease, nearly causing the
police behind them to wreck into several cars.
The light up ahead of them turned red and Luke began to turn the motorcycle to
the left. They passed to the center of the light, with the oncoming traffic
coming at them from both sides. And, at the very last second, Luke rapidly spun
the handles to the right and sent them flying between the two lanes of oncoming
cars. The police car squealed to a halt before two cops climbed out and yelled
after them. But they were long gone, and Luke didn't even seem concerned about
them catching him.
They ended up driving through some older buildings, some that might have even
been vacant. The city wasn't as packed and condensed here it seemed, as Nico
could see several blocks around them in some directions. And, to Nico's
surprise, Luke pulled up to one and stopped. Nico blinked a few times as the
other Lost Boy pulled off his helmet and climbed off the motorcycle, after
smacking Nico's hands away from him.
“Um, where are we?” Nico asked as he slowly got off the motorcycle. Frowning,
the boy removed the helmet. The building they were standing in front of looked
like it hadn't been used in a few years. All the lights were off, and some even
had the windows knocked out. Luke didn't answer, though, instead walking up to
the door and kicking it open.
Nico just stood there for a moment, looking between the door and the street. He
wasn't sure if they should just leave their mode of transportation just sitting
around, but Luke didn't seem too concerned, so perhaps Nico didn't need to be
either. Slowly putting the helmet down, Nico followed quietly after the blond.
The building appeared to be an old apartment building. He found a door open on
the second floor and poked his head inside. There was absolutely nothing in the
place of interest, save for a dirty mattress that had been stuffed in one of
the small closets in the corner. Nico ran a hand through his hair, his eyes
finally coming to rest on the blond that had his back to Nico, currently too
busy looking out the window to even notice Nico standing there.
One of the windows had been broken. On the floor, close to the closet with the
bed, was some old and nearly destroyed magazines and newspapers. Moving closer,
Nico kicked at a black spot in front of the closet. It was like a fire had once
burned there a long time ago, used so many times that it had left a spot behind
that wouldn't come out. And then it hit him, a cold chill running down his
spine.
This was where Luke stayed during his time on the streets.
That was the mattress that Luke had probably slept on, and the magazines and
newspapers had probably been his attempt to keep warm at night. Nico swallowed
a heavy lump in his throat as he returned his eyes to Luke's back. The blond
was still being quiet, and was still not looking at Nico.
Nico let out a short breath. “How long...did you have to, you know, stay here?”
Luke turned his head, like he had just realized Nico was still there. “A little
over a year and a half,” the older Lost Boy muttered. He let out a breath and
fully turned his body to face Nico. “Took most of the money I had just to get
out here.” Without warning, the blond moved forward. Nico stumbled back, until
he tripped and fell on the old mattress. Luke pinned him down with a frown. “I
want to hate you...so bad. I want to hate everything that you are, everything
that you represent...everything that I lost.” The blond shook his head. “But I
can't get myself to do anything to you without consent. I can't hate you, and I
can't bring myself to harm you either.” Sitting back on his haunches, Luke sent
his fist into the wall above Nico's head. “I want to hate myself, for feeling
so...so weak. I can't even bring myself to do anything to you without consent.”
Nico stared up at the young man with wide eyes. “Consent for what?”
“You're a problem for me,” Luke hissed. Nico swallowed a lump in his throat
when he felt one of Luke's hands slide underneath his shirt. “I want—no, I can
feel that I want you, but when I look at you, all I see is him.”
Nico felt paralyzed beneath the older Lost Boy. The blond's touch was like fire
across his stomach. “I-I thought you didn't like me like that?”
“I don't,” the blond growled. His icy gaze was piercing and full of lust as he
slid Nico's shirt up higher. Nico gasped as the blond pressed his knees against
Nico's crotch and moved in to bite Nico's neck. Luke moved a hand to lift
Nico's hips and reach around to grope the boy's ass. When Nico attempted to
lean up, Luke pinned his arms above his head with a growl.
“Luke,” Nico gasped.
To be honest, it was kind of hot, having the blond on top of him like that,
with his hand pinning Nico's arms above his head and attacking his neck. And
then there was Luke's other hand, which was roaming from his ass, all the way
around to the brown-eyed boy's crotch, where it just sort of hovered for a
moment. Rolling his hips, Luke elicited a moan from Nico's mouth.
But, just as rapidly as it had begun, it ended. Luke pulled away, and refused
to meet Nico's eyes. Nico's breathing was heavy as the boy sat up, his hair
disheveled. He looked down in surprise to find that his jeans were partially
undone.
“Wh-why did you stop?” Nico panted.
Luke scooted against the wall opposite Nico, pulling his legs up to his chest.
“Well, there's my problem, now isn't it? I can't bring myself to touch you,
because you remind me of him.”
That was completely understandable, Nico thought sarcastically. Luke made no
sense with what he had just said. Nico sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“You just said you don't like me.”
Luke gave him a dark look. “I don't. This isn't some romance thing, twerp. I
can't bring myself to have feelings for you because of how you are. So, here I
am, finding myself stuck with a desire to have my way with you, but being
unable to do anything about it.”
Nico opened his mouth, only to blow out a breath. “I really don't understand
what you are saying. If you don't like me, why do you want to have your way
with me so badly?”
“Because I want to like you,” Luke ground out. He clenched his fists and looked
away. “If things were different, if you were different, perhaps I wouldn't feel
so conflicted with touching you. I feel like I'd be breaking the one thing I
once tried to protect at home.” When the blond looked back, he looked so
different. There was no anger in his blue eyes, only the shattered youth that
he truly was. “I failed once, I didn't want to fail a second time. It's why I
made the deal with Percy, it's why I tried to prevent Apollo's stunt. I don't
want to lose my brother again.”
Nico honestly did not know what to say. Some if it was beginning to make sense,
but a lot was still uncertain to him. “Luke,” Nico whispered.
“Shut up.” Luke let his shoulders slump. “You know, I wasn't always such an
asshole, but now I just don't care. I turned out to be a lousy brother in the
end, and I failed in my duty as one. I was a lot happier back then. Not because
I had a good mother or father, but because I had Octavian.” Nico watched as the
blond chewed on his lip, his eyes staring off to the side. “He smiled a lot
more back then. And he always looked for the good in people, even our mother. I
never understood it.” The blond shook his head. “I stopped loving my mother at
a young age, but Octavian, he just kept telling me that she wasn't as bad as I
made her out to be.
“It made me happy, just seeing him be happy. I never understood how someone
could be so cheerful, especially since he argued so much with our mother. Our
parents...they were both in politics. Father was rarely home. A senator. He is
in the Republican party, but our mother...she's on a whole different level,”
Luke continued. He picked at his jeans with a dull look in his eyes. “She is
basically one of the faces for the Tea Party, and a member of the House of
Representatives. She had just gotten in that role right before everything
happened.” The blond let out a sigh, briefly glancing up to gauge Nico's
reaction to things. “She was a bitch,” Luke whispered, a frown now marring his
face.
“I don't understand how that could make you hate your own mother,” Nico
whispered. He debated moving closer, but a glare from Luke made him reconsider.
“Because, she let all of her beliefs come before her son's own needs. Her job
came first.” The blond practically spat it out with venom, his eyes practically
glowing in the low lighting. “As you might imagine, she despised homosexuality
and gay marriage.” A faint chuckle escaped Luke's lips as he ran a hand through
his hair. “It's funny, I was the favored son back then. She didn't know...about
me. Our mother clashed, nearly on a daily basis, with Octavian. He never meant
anything by it, just trying to change her opinions, but she severely objected
to most of what he had to say. She couldn't—wouldn't see his points.” The
blond's knuckles were white as they gripped his pants. “Father gave her
permission to force Octavian into sports and more 'manly' activities. Because,
well, she didn't want her son to turn out gay.
“I helped him out when I could, made up excuses for why he couldn't attend
practice. Octavian just preferred his books to anything sport related. I played
sports back then, but I was happy with him doing what made him happy.” Luke
shook his head. “Even through all of that, he still smiled and seemed to like
our mother. He just couldn't see her as a bad person, didn't want to accept the
mental abuse she was putting on him.”
Nico pursed his lips. He had been there, with his own father, at one point in
time. “What changed?”
The older Lost Boy let out a sigh. “One day, she came home in a rage. I was not
home at this point, so I only know what Octavian told me later. Apparently,
someone had seen her son kissing another boy earlier that day, and they had
told our mother. Naturally, she assumes it was Octavian. Octavian has never
been physically imposing, he was actually quite a bit shorter back then. Around
your height.” The blond looked up with sad eyes. “I should have been there, but
I wasn't. She cornered him in the kitchen, and yelled at him to confess his
sin. I made it home while she was still yelling, and I quickly ran to the
kitchen. He was curled up in the corner, crying, so I jerked her away and
yelled at her to leave him alone.” The blond looked down again. “She demanded
Octavian confess his sins to the Lord, or he would be no son of hers. I didn't
understand what they were arguing about, until Octavian cried out that he
hadn't done anything with another guy.” At this point, Luke shut his eyes and
tightened his grip on his pants. “It was my fault it was happening,” he
whispered.
“Luke,” Nico whispered. “It wasn't your fault, you didn't know what would
happen. And your mother shouldn't have gotten mad at either of you for
something that isn't wrong.”
“She didn't see it that way,” Luke growled. His eyes blazed with anger when he
met Nico's gaze. “She was so crazy, so consumed with her religion, that she
actually pulled a knife on her youngest son.”
Oh, Nico thought. No. He had the horrible feeling that he knew where this was
going. Just looking at Luke's face, Nico knew.
Luke was shaking by this point. He was angry, far angrier that Nico could ever
really recall seeing him. “She called him an abomination! Her own son!” The
blond Lost Boy slowly reached up, touching at his pale scar. “I jumped in
between them. I was scared that she was going to do more than just try to scare
him into admitting something he hadn't done. So...I confessed. It was me, I
told her. I had kissed the boy. My boyfriend at the time.” Luke chewed on his
lip, looking away again, but continued to cover his scar from Nico's gaze. “I
told her I was bisexual. She started...she started wailing, her arm flying
wildly out in front of her.”
Nico felt a lump in his throat, doing his best to fight back some tears. This
was Luke. The Luke he had always known to be an asshole since his arrival at
the hotel. The same Luke, who was now telling him that it was his very own
mother, the woman that had given birth to him, that had given him that scar.
Luke, who had just been trying to be a good brother at the time. It was stories
like his, Hazel, and Ethan's that Nico thought hurt the most to hear, because
their parents had done awful things to them.
“And, well, she caught me right here,” Luke continued, rubbing at the long,
pale scar on his face. “She started yelling, telling me that she wanted me to
get out of her sight. And I just sort of stood there for a while, stunned.
Perhaps it was hearing her say that, or the fact that she had actually done
that, but I hadn't felt the pain of the knife cutting me. It wasn't until I
felt the blood dripping down my arm that I reached up and noticed.” Luke
swallowed a lump in his throat and clutched at his head. “Octavian tried to
clean it for me, but I just shoved him away out of anger. I left the room, ran
up and got a few clothes and some cash, and left the house. Smashed my phone
against the side of the house before getting into my car.”
It was really hard, by this point, for Nico to hold back his tears. Luke could
be an asshole, he had always known him to be one, but Luke had also proven
himself to be a very good friend. Sure he wasn't soft and emotional like some
of the Lost Kids were when he needed them to be, but Luke was always there when
Nico needed him most. He had watched out for Nico, even when the youngest Lost
Boy hadn't known it. He knew deep down that Luke and Octavian had a rough past,
that was why they never wanted to talk about it, but he had never really
connected the dots to how Luke had ended up getting the scar.
Nico swallowed the lump in his throat. “I-I'm sorry,” he whispered.
“For what?” Luke looked up with a dull look. “Not like you did it.” Nico bit
down on his lip to fight back a sob. “Don't cry for me, kid, I'm not worth the
tears. I'm not worth anyone's emotions.” He let out a dry chuckle and ran his
hand through his hair again. “I'm just a broken little kid, stuck this way for
all eternity. Never going to be like I once was, never going to able to be
fixed. Incapable of loving anyone.”
“I don't believe that,” Nico whispered.
Luke chuckled again. “Yeah, well, shows how much you know.”
Nico hated hearing Luke talk this way about himself. He might not have been in
love with Luke, but he still did believe that he loved the blond. Like a
brother, because that was what he was. If Apollo was the brother he had always
wanted, Nico liked to think that Luke would have been the brother that he
probably deserved. Luke, like the rest of the Lost Kids, was family, and family
didn't deserve to be treated like this. Family shouldn't hurt family.
And here, in this new light, Nico felt he saw the Lost Kids for just what they
really were. Sure he had revelations about them before, but this one felt more
real, more personal. It was just like Luke said, they were bound to be these
broken children, possibly for the rest of their lives. And, as Luke stared back
at him, Nico's heart hurt because he could see the scared little boy that Luke
once was hurting and struggling to hold himself together. And, right then and
there, the first tear slid down Nico's cheek.
Nico ducked his head, rubbing at his eyes. Luke scoffed. “Come on, kid, I
thought you were tougher than this by now.” But, to Nico's surprise, he felt a
movement beside him on the mattress. Looking up, he found the blond sitting
next to him, his head lowered and his eyes hidden behind his bangs. “You remind
me of him,” Luke whispered. “When I saw you the day you bumped into me outside
of Percy's office, I thought, for a moment, that you were him.”
Nico wiped at his face. “You mean Octavian, don't you?”
Luke gave a short nod. “Back when he was happier. I see him every time I look
into your eyes. I just see his smiling face looking up at me. And, well, I
can't ever go through with doing anything with you because of that.”
“But you have sex with Octavian, don't you?”
Luke looked slightly in pain, cringing. “That's a...long story. It wasn't like
that when he first got here. He's different now, and he was the one that made
the advance on me.” Luke let out a sigh, running his fingers through his soft,
blond hair. “It was just a comfort thing back when he first got here. I let him
sleep in my bed every now and then, so that he wouldn't feel alone. However,
one night, he just sort of rolled over and put his head on my chest. Not a big
deal, right? Yeah, well, when I look over at him, he leans in and kisses me. I
ask what he's doing, and he just says that it's normal for us as Lost Kids now.
I don't know really what came over me that night, but I let it go further. It
still happens, on rare occasions, that we do have sex. I don't know, he's still
my brother, but it doesn't bother me anymore. It's not anything romantic,
though. I have no desire to 'be' with my brother. But sex is sex.”
“That's very confusing,” Nico mumbled.
“No shit.” Luke sighed and leaned back on his palms. “Look, Octavian and I are
sort of just in between the Graces and the Stolls. We don't love each other in
that way, but we don't find it sickening to have sex with each other. And, like
I said, it's not very often that we do.” The blond fell back on the mattress
with a groan. “I feel so fucked up when I think about this, I hate it.
Sometimes, when I initiate it, I just want to be a good brother, trying to make
up for not being there for him when he needed me.”
Nico pursed his lips. “Why didn't you take him with you?”
Luke flung his hands in the air. “I don't know! I was stupid! I was being dumb
and not thinking clearly!” He grunted and fell back on the mattress again,
letting out a lout cry of frustration. “I just thought that, since he didn't
come to me and say he wanted to go with me, that he wanted to stay at home.”
Luke closed his eyes, his entire body slumping. “Maybe I was just angry and
thought that, if he liked our mother so much, that he could just stay there
with her,” the blond whispered. “I fucked up, and it's my fault that he ended
up the way he did. Maybe...maybe he could have still been his normal, happy
self if I had taken him with me. And then, sometimes, I wonder if he would have
starved if I had taken him with me.”
Nico reached over and squeezed the blond's arm. “It's okay, Luke.”
The blond let out a heavy breath. “It's not, but I've come to accept that I
screwed up as an older brother.” He finally looked at Nico again, his eyes no
longer carrying their usual fire or anger. “You just remind me so much of him
when he was younger.”
Nico bit down on his lip. “Why does this bother Octavian?”
“I think that's a topic better suited for you and Octavian. Just tell him that
you know about what happened the day I left home,” Luke whispered, climbing to
his feet. Nico watched as the blond dragged his feet towards the broken window.
“I never lied when I said I didn't like you romantically, because I don't. Too
many old memories seem to be there whenever I look at you. Because of that, you
and I could never work out. I can never have more than just physical feelings
towards you. I don't love, I can't. Not anymore. I have no desire to 'get you',
as mini-blondie puts it whenever he gets mad at me.”
“Wait.” Nico shot to his feet. “That's why you two are fighting?” Nico
practically growled. Luke arched a brow at him. “I'm going to fucking kill
him.”
Luke rolled his eyes with a smirk. “There you are, brat, I thought you might
have regressed on me.” His lips tilted up into its normal, usually irritating,
smirk. “Octavian just has some issues to work through. He feels like a shadow
now. He's worried that I'm trying to replace him with you.”
“I don't want that,” Nico whispered, shaking his head.
“Good,” Luke scoffed, “because I'm not trying to.” His head fell back with a
sigh. Looking back at Nico, he motioned around the old building. “So, what do
you think of my awesome home on the streets?”
Nico arched a brow at the blond. “Why did you bring me out here anyways?”
The blond shrugged. “Just wanted to see the place again.” His head quickly
looked around the small room. “Not much has changed, but it looks like some
people got some of the clothes I had gathered over my time here. That's good, I
suppose.”
“Luke,” Nico said softly. The blond turned back to him and blinked. “I'm sorry,
for everything that you had to go through. You didn't deserve to be put through
that.”
Luke's brow furrowed as he stood there for a moment, just staring at Nico.
“Thanks,” he mumbled, his expression softening just a little. He closed his
eyes, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer. “I just...wanted a second
chance. I thought I could make up for being such a shitty brother when it came
down to it.”
Nico slowly made his way over to Luke, where he attempted to hug the blond. But
his eyes widened as his ass roughly hit the floor when Luke shoved him back.
“What do you think you're doing?” The blond asked, a tone of annoyance in his
voice. “What have I said about touching, cuddling, or anything like that,
brat?”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “You are the moodiest person I think I've ever met,” he
growled.
Luke smirked and nodded towards the door. “Come on, twerp, we'll get something
to eat before going back. No sense of going back until we can assume Kronos
will be safely on the top floor.” He grinned as they walked out of the old
apartment. “Just hide in your room and don't open the door for anyone when you
get back, maybe he won't attempt to break down the door.”
Nico shook his head. “I really find myself appreciating Percy in a whole new
light now that I've experienced management under Kronos.”
“Well,” Luke said as he climbed onto his motorcycle and lifted his helmet,
“I'll give him one thing. He's efficient with business and keeping everyone in
line. Doesn't mean it's the best way to go about it, though.”
Nico slowly climbed on behind Luke, looking down at the helmet that was now in
his hands. “Luke?”
“Hmm?”
“If I didn't remind you of your brother, would things were different between
us?”
Instead of answering, Luke cranked the motorcycle. Nico let out a sigh and put
on his helmet before wrapping his arms around Luke's waist and letting himself
be carried off into the night.
---------------------------------------
When they got back, it was half past ten. They quickly boarded the elevator.
Nico glanced up at Luke every now and then, though the blond seemed to ignore
him. It was not until halfway up that Luke spoke. “Come see me tomorrow, we
need to get you more adjusted to this temporary job. You know, unless Percy
doesn't come back, then it's either a full-time job, or you get the fuck out of
this place.”
Nico let out a long sigh. “Yeah, okay,” he whispered.
When the doors opened, they were greeted by the last person they wanted to see.
Kronos stood there, smiling quite calmly at them. He had his hands laced in
front of him, a friendly smile if ever there was one plastered on his face.
“There you both are, I was getting worried.”
Luke pushed Nico behind him. “I took him out, so blame me, not him.”
Kronos blinked innocently. “Blame?” The young man placed a hand on his chest.
“Of course you're not in trouble, Luke. What would ever make you think that?”
The way he smiled during all of this made Nico feel extremely uncomfortable. “I
completely understand, everyone needs some time to relax every now and then.
And, if there's one thing I enjoy, it's offering people some relaxation.” The
man let out a breath before smiling down at Nico. “Nico, I'm going to need you
to come with me, it seems I need your help with something in the office.”
Nico gulped and glanced up at Luke, who was glaring at Kronos. The manager
smiled at the blond, who kept his mouth shut. Kronos slipped his hands into his
pockets and boarded the elevator, grabbing Nico's arm to prevent him from
leaving and pushing Luke out. Once the doors were closed, a dull and
emotionless look overtook the young man's face.
The floor that normally belonged to Percy seemed less welcoming to Nico now
that the green-eyed young man was gone. He bit on his lip as he followed behind
the dark haired manager in front of him. Kronos was being too quiet now. There
was no one in the front part of the office, but Nico could see that the lights
were on in Percy's old office. The one that Kronos was now calling his own.
When the door was opened before him, Nico found Zethes and Cal sitting on the
couch, with their father, Boreas, sitting in one of the chairs in front of
Kronos's desk. Ethan and Clarisse were there as well, standing silently behind
the large, wooden desk. Boreas drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair,
while Cal and Zethes looked absolutely bored. It seemed clear that they did not
fully understand what this place was.
Kronos calmly sat down at the desk, his smile once again plastered to his face.
He motioned for Nico to take a seat and the two bullies looked up to glare at
him. Nico had to bite back a smile as he caught sight of the missing tooth in
Zethes's mouth. This only made the platinum blond bully glare at him more.
Kronos reached into the desk and pulled out a thing of cigars. “Care for one?”
He asked, politely offering it to Boreas. Nico recognized them as a gift from
Atlas.
Boreas smiled and nodded, accepting the offered cigar. “Thank you,” he replied.
Kronos's wicked smile only turned more frightening as he leaned forward to
light the cigar for the man. How did they not seem concerned about their lives?
“Now then, I believe this young lad owes my boys at least an apology. He broke
Zethes's nose and knocked out a tooth. And, let's face it, the boy doesn't have
much else going for him.”
“Dad!” Zethes whined.
Boreas sighed and motioned for Zethes to be silent. Kronos just looked on in
amusement. Nico did not like this, not one bit. “I completely understand,”
Kronos sympathized. “Nico was very...violent with your boys.” His eyes grew
dark as he sat back in his chair, his smile slipping away. “But, as I hear it,
your boys have repetitively harassed my employee here.”
“What's a kid even do at a hotel?” Cal mumbled. Boreas snapped his fingers to
shut him up, still not clearly seeing how fucked he probably was.
“How about I propose a deal?” Kronos laced his hands together in front of his
face.
The bullies' father arched a brow. “I'm listening.”
“How about...I break a bone on your boys' bodies for each bruise they ever
think about leaving on one of my employees again.” Nico sank in his chair as
the young man's eyes practically turned to slits. “I have a business to run
here, Boreas, and I prefer to have as few hindrances as possible. Do you not
find things suitable when you come here? Are you displeased with the service?”
Now Boreas seemed to understand. The cigar slowly began to droop in his mouth.
“I-”
“Furthermore, I feel that your comfy life in that big house of yours could
easily be changed if my mother wished it.” Kronos sneered at the man. “I do not
wish for Percy to return to his hotel, only to find that his,” Kronos gave Nico
a look of detestation, “things are damaged.”
At the snap of Kronos's fingers, Ethan and Clarisse walked over and they each
grabbed a hand of Cal and Zethes. When the two struggled, they found guns
pointed at their heads. Boreas had gone pale, slightly out of his chair, but
unwilling to chance moving in to save his sons. Cal and Zethes, with wide eyes,
let the two security workers take their hands. This only led to Clarisse and
Ethan bending their fingers back to excruciatingly painful positions. Nico
covered his mouth as the two screamed, cringing as he heard a bone or two
crack.
Kronos put back on his friendly smiled. “Do I make myself clear?”
Boreas quickly nodded his head. “Y-yes, of course. They won't be any more
trouble.”
“Good.” Kronos leaned back with a content sigh, snapping his fingers. Clarisse
and Ethan released the boys, who rubbed their hands. Nico gulped and looked
back to Kronos. “I trust that you can see yourselves out.” The man nodded and
got up, motioning for his kids to go to the door. As they were about to leave,
Kronos stopped them. “And, Boreas?” The man gulped and turned to face the
manager. “I do trust that I won't have the pleasure of enjoying your company in
this office again. If I do, I might just decide to break all of their bones at
once. I hear the roof is pretty good for helping with that.”
Boreas quickly shut the door and Nico sank in his chair, turning to face the
demon in front of him. Kronos smiled back at him. “I'm...sorry,” Nico
whispered.
Kronos stood up and walked around the desk. He leaned down and patted Nico on
the cheek. “My dear sweet Nico, what could you possibly have to be sorry about?
I know that you would only ever be on your best behavior with me.” His lips
turned up. “As for them...well, I just love bringing family together when they
are having issues.”
The way Kronos said that made Nico's face pale. He covered his mouth as the
manager squeezed his shoulder and left the office. Nico couldn't move. He just
sat there, frozen. What had he unleashed upon himself?
***** Family Reunions *****
The next morning, Nico was rudely woken up when a hand came down and smacked
him in the face. Startled, Nico shot up. He was confused, until he remembered
he was not alone in bed. Nico turned his head and glared at the sleeping face
of Jason, who was mumbling in his sleep. Nico rolled his eyes and laid back
down, only for the hand that had grabbed him to pull him up against the blond
next to him.
Since they were suspended for a few days, the two didn't have to be up early,
but Kronos had also sentenced them to cleaning up the top floor during those
days. On the bright side, though, Nico was going to be able to do some studying
for some tests he already had coming up.
Nico closed his eyes as he rested his head on his roommate's chest. It had been
fairly common for them to sleep in the same bed after the first night that they
had, at least once a week. But, so far, nothing physical had gone on between
them during those nights. He blew out a breath and cracked an eye open to look
up at the blond's sleeping face.
The did need to get up soon, even if they weren't going to school. Or, at
least, Nico did. Jason pretty much had the day off, save for cleaning and work
later that night. Nico, on the other hand, had to clean, see Octavian, see
Luke, try and sort out something to do during lunch and dinner—since the
majority of the Lost Kids were no longer speaking to each other—and then
finally go to work. Better to get started, he supposed.
Prying himself from the blond's grip, Nico sat up and stretched. The bed
shifted behind him and he heard Jason let out a loud yawn. Turning his head,
Nico found that his roommate was stretching from where he lay on the bed.
“Morning,” the blond mumbled groggily.
“Morning,” Nico mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. On instinct, Nico's eyes roamed
down when Jason stood up and stretched again. Jason really did have a nice
body. Ever since their talk about them, Nico found himself wondering what it
would be like to be with Jason. But that was just pointless thinking. They were
both right that they would not work out, not in their current state. But, after
Percy's departure, Nico had once or twice considered running away, possibly
with Jason.
It had also been the only time he had thought about it. He felt bad, thinking
like that with Percy barely having been gone but two weeks. The way Nico looked
at it, Jason was what could have been, but was too far gone for anything to
come of it.
Jason turned around and blinked at him, noticing the way Nico was staring at
him. “Would you prefer I lose my underwear?”
Nico narrowed his eyes and got off the bed. “No!” He frowned and bent over to
pick up the clothes he had worn last night. “Well...maybe.” Jason chuckled. He
stretched again, giving Nico a lovely view of his lean torso. And there Nico
found something that drew his attention, something not very sexy at all.
“Jason, what's that?”
Jason simply looked down at the red cut on his hip and shrugged. “I was just
feeling stressed,” the blond mumbled.
The pale Lost Boy shook his head as he deposited his clothes into his closet.
“You don't need to cut yourself to relieve that.”
“Yeah, well,” Jason began, “that's sort of what I had Percy for.” Nico looked
at him curiously. “That's why Percy and I had been having sex. Partly to get me
comfortable with it again, and partly to help me relieve stress.” The blond
rubbed the back of his neck. “And, well, he's not here right now.”
“Oh.” Nico pursed his lips and frowned. “Um, well, if you need help...”
Jason let out another chuckle. Nico scowled at him. “You're actually offering
to have sex with me? I told you it wouldn't be long.” The blond grinned when
Nico grew red. “Although, I did call it that it wouldn't be a month before you
sucked my dick.”
“Shut up,” Nico mumbled, digging in his closet for some fresh clothes. “I mean,
we've already messed around, and I just...sort of feel more comfortable doing
it with you than the others.”
Jason blinked and sat down on the bed. “Really? Not even with Luke or Will? I
mean, I've seen the way you and Will are around each other-”
“No.” Nico frowned and exited his closet with his clothing selection. “I don't
know, I got betrayed by them when I first started stripping, and I guess that
has stuck with me a little bit.”
“So, why me?”
“You're not after sex.” Nico sat down beside his roommate and brushed some of
his hair out of his face. “You don't really go around trying to get into
anyone's pants. And, well, I don't even think I've seen you have sex with any
of the others.”
“Once or twice,” Jason mumbled. “Percy asked me to try. I did, and I didn't
feel very comfortable with it.”
Nico let out a breath before nodding. “So,” he began, motioning to the door,
“shower?”
A sly grin crept onto the blond's lips. “Well now, that is quite the
proposition. It's funny, since you were embarrassed the first time I walked in
on you while you were showering.” He chuckled when Nico glared at him. The
blond stretched and got up. “What about Percy, though?”
Nico looked down at his lap. “I don't know. Just...after something Kronos said-
”
“You shouldn't listen to him.”
The youngest Lost Boy shook his head. “I know, but it still bothered me. And,
to be honest, we're not even sure if Percy is coming back. None of us have even
heard from him since he left.” He frowned and looked up. “But, even if he does,
what's it really matter? Percy was trying to get me to sleep with the others
anyways, wanting me to get more comfortable. Why would he object? It's like he
said before: We're not dating.”
Jason scratched at his cheek, silently staring down at Nico for a moment.
“Nico, you're sort of worrying me lately. First the fight, nearly killing
Zethes, and now you're saying these things. Don't get me wrong, you might be
the only one around here that I'd consider having sex with aside from Percy...I
mean, outside of business.” He sighed and placed his hands on his hips. “I just
want to make sure you're okay.”
“I'm fine,” Nico mumbled, though he refused to meet his roommate's gaze.
Jason decided to take pity on Nico by letting the topic drop. That was also not
the only thing he dropped. Nico's eyes quickly dropped to Jason's ass when the
blond turned around and let his underwear drop to the floor. Nico's mouth hung
open a little as he stared at the bubble butt of Jason Grace, at least until
the blond headed for the door.
“Coming?” Jason called out to him.
Nico shook his head rapidly, clearing his head. Without saying anything, Nico
just nodded and took off after the blond, stumbling out of his own underwear on
the way.
Nico soon found himself pinned up against the shower wall, the hot water
pelting their naked bodies. Nico had to wonder what it looked like from the
outside of the shower, with his ass pressed up against the glass. However, they
weren't really doing anything sexual.
Yes, Jason had him up against the wall, and Jason was pressed against his body,
but the blond was innocently washing Nico's body with his hand and a cloth.
Well, perhaps not so innocently, all things considered. Nico let his head fall
back against the glass with a moan, letting Jason massage his shoulders.
The cloth fell to the floor as Jason turned him around and continued to rub the
brown-eyed boy's shoulders. Another moan came out when Jason pressed his lips
to Nico's back. He slowly worked his way down, running his tongue along Nico's
wet back, all the way down his spine. Nico's breath hitched when Jason reached
a hand up to squeeze the younger Lost Boy's ass.
Nico let out a gasp when Jason's tongue slid against his entrance. Nico turned
around and Jason pinned him to the shower floor, their lengths now pressed
together. Nico clung to Jason's back as the blond thrust against his body.
Unfortunately, Jason ended it there. Nico pushed himself up on his elbows,
breathing raggedly. “Why did you stop?” The raven-haired Lost Boy asked.
Jason smirked and pushed his wet hair out of his face. “Just making sure you
think this through.” He let out a breath and stepped out of the shower. Nico's
eyes raked down the blond's back, watching as water droplets trailed down the
Lost Boy's spine. “Think it over and make sure you are really okay with this.”
He smiled and winked down at the flustered Lost Boy. “I'll see you upstairs
after a while.”
Nico collapsed on the shower floor with a groan, not even caring that the water
was practically spraying him in the face. “Jerk!” He yelled out.
Not a second later, Jason poked his head back into the bathroom. “If it'll make
you feel better, I'll sleep naked tonight.”
That only made Nico groan. That did not help his current situation, now did it?
But Nico got to his feet and turned off the water. That was just cruel, he
thought to himself. But Jason did have a point. Nico's problems usually came
from not thinking things through, which was something he needed to work on.
Getting out of the shower, Nico grabbed his towel and used it to dry his hair
as he made his way back to his room.
As soon as the door opened and he stepped out into the hall, Nico received a
whistle from the direction of Jason's room. Nico spun around and flipped off a
grinning Jason before going to his room. Closing the door, Nico sat down on the
edge of the bed and dried off his body. He slowly got dressed, but decided to
lay there for a moment. He wasn't sure what to do with himself at the moment.
It was still early, so about half of the Lost Kids were gone to college for the
day, and three of the few left would be upstairs for the lunch shift soon.
As it turned out, Nico was left bored until Jason dragged him upstairs to get
their punishment out of the way for the day. “I suppose it's better to get it
over with early,” Jason mumbled as they mopped the floor.
Their jobs were to sweep and mop the stage and floors where the customers sat,
make sure all the glasses were clean for Dionysus to use that night, make sure
the tables were organized and had an even amount of chairs, scrub down all of
the tables and then dry them off, and make sure that the dividing wall had been
taken away. The last one had seemed strange, since it wasn't a big weekend, or
even the weekend, for that matter. But, nevertheless, the two Lost Boys made
sure it was done.
“I'm sorry about getting you into trouble,” Nico mumbled as they finished
wiping down the tables, their last objective for the day.
Jason let out a sigh, his eyes roaming over to the clock. It was nearing noon,
which was good, because Nico was starving. “It's okay,” the blond finally
replied. “I mean, that's what friends are for, right?” He shook his head with a
smile. “Besides, you're lucky I was there or Cal would have kicked your ass.”
“Yeah,” Nico muttered.
“Never been in many fights, to be honest.” The brown-eyed boy looked up at
Jason in surprise. The blond just grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, don't care much
for them. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll fight if I have to, but I don't go
looking for them. In fact, I could probably count my total number of fights on
one hand.”
Nico let out a chuckle. “I can count mine with one finger.” He frowned and bit
his lip. “Well, two, if you count the time I punched Apollo.”
“Heard about that.” Jason grinned. He leaned forward to scrub the other side of
the table he was working on. “You know, I got in a fight with my father
once...that didn't go well.” Nico cocked his head to the side. Jason fidgeted.
“He, um...was sort of undressing someone I didn't want him touching.” The
blond's blue eyes grew dull as they stared down at the table. “Got sent to the
hospital when he hit me and my head hit a brick wall behind me.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “You were close to another employee that worked for
your father?”
Jason let out a breath. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Before she ran away and left me
there.”
Nico was stunned. It had immediately hit Nico that Jason had been referring to
Thalia. Zeus had sexually abused Thalia? He frowned. Perhaps it made sense from
a few past conversations he had with the girl a while back. The very few times
she had ever spoken of her father. It must have been hard, Nico thought as he
watched his roommate, getting molested by your older brother, while having to
watch your sister getting treated the same way by your father.
As the two of them were finishing up, Travis and Connor showed up and collected
the two younger Lost Boys, dragging them down the game room on the second
floor. When Nico asked what they were doing down there, Travis simply said that
there was a huge fight going on upstairs between Calypso, Piper, and Drew.
Apparently, all of the Lost Kids, save for the three fighting, had abandoned
the floor due to the noise. Connor said something about glass breaking.
After an hour of playing, Travis went and picked them up some lunch from the
restaurant downstairs. It was kind of nice and relaxing, getting to eat while
they tried to beat each other at the arcade games. Though, Nico had to drag
Connor away when the brunet made a kid cry after beating him at one of the
games for the fifth time in a row. And since it was still early in the day, and
not many kids were off vacationing with their families right now, they mostly
had the room to themselves.
Which turned out not to be such a good thing when Travis pantsed Nico while he
was playing Connor at a dancing game. “That was cheating,” Nico mumbled as he
shimmied his hips back into his jeans.
“Aw, have a little fun, Neeks,” Travis grinned.
“Yeah, at least he didn't take your underwear, too,” Connor added.
Travis tapped a finger to his lips. “Very tempting, now that you mention it.”
This continued until Nico decided it was time for him to go see Luke and
Octavian. After bidding the twins and Jason farewell, Nico exited the hotel's
arcade and pulled his phone out. He began to call Luke, when he looked up and
found the very blond he was looking for standing against the edge of the
balcony. However, the strange part was that Octavian was with Luke, even though
the two were fighting.
They were being very quiet, and neither had seemed to notice Nico standing
there yet. Octavian had his lips tightly pursed, while Luke's knuckles were
white from where they were squeezing the railing. Whatever was down stairs
clearly was not making them happy. A little curious, Nico moved closer and
peered over the edge.
Kronos was standing in the middle of the lobby with a woman, who had several
men in suits surrounding her. Her blonde hair had a few white streaks in it and
was done up in a messy perm. She wore a very nice pantsuit, though. She had
small, green eyes, reminding Nico of a mouse or rat. Her smile was that of the
standard politician, clearly fake. She reminded Nico a lot of a scarecrow from
how thin she was, and her laugh was very unpleasant to his ears.
Nico's brow furrowed as he looked to the two blonds next to him. Was it just
him, or did the woman's face look a lot like theirs? She had the same high
cheek bones that Octavian had, and her blond hair was the same color of Luke's.
Luke even had a similar nose to her, and roughly the same height.
Realization soon dawned on the brown-eyed boy's face.
Because it was their mother.
If it wasn't clear enough, the way the two looked at her was good enough
confirmation for Nico that he was right about who she was. Luke sneered down at
the woman, who didn't seem to notice them standing above her.
“I was so thrilled when I was informed I got a reservation here,” the woman
admitted to Kronos. “I've tried to stay here when I come to Los Angeles on
business, but the normal manager usually informs me that they were booked.” She
shook her head with a sigh. “I think it only made me want to stay here more,
knowing that a hotel as large as this one is capable of being filled.” She
smiled at Kronos again. “I've heard nothing but good things about the place.”
Kronos just smiled back at her, though his was far more convincing of being
friendly than hers was. Honestly, if Nico was not an employee here, he probably
would have thought Kronos to be a saint. “Well, I am so pleased that we could
finally have you here.” Mrs. Castellan held her hand out, and Kronos slowly
reached out to shake it. “Let me know if I can be of any assistance to you.”
Drawing his hand away, the manager rubbed his fingers together, like he was
trying to get something off of them. “And feel free to look around the hotel.”
He grinned. “Let me know if you find any...concerns around the premises.”
The woman placed a hand on her chest with a smile. “Thank you so much.”
How could she buy Kronos's bullshit? Nico wanted to bang his head against the
railing, but Luke reached out and stopped him by pressing a hand against Nico's
forehead. Nico paled as Kronos bid her farewell and headed for the stairs. The
stairs, not the elevator, like most people would normally do.
As feared, Kronos appeared beside them a few seconds later. He placed his hands
on the railing and stared down at Mrs. Castellan with the Lost Boys. Nico noted
that he wiped his hand very fiercely with a handkerchief from his pocket.
Kronos smirks after a while, leaning in to Luke's ear and hissed, “Perhaps now
you'll learn not to go around making rude gestures at people, eh?” Luke didn't
even bother looking at him. Nico bit down on his lip. This was bad. He had
never seen Luke so unwilling to rise up to an argument. Smirking to himself,
Kronos pulled back and continued to wipe his hand. “You should be thankful,
really, that I'm not making either of you have to actually tend to that bitch's
needs while she's here.”
Nico stood there, waiting patiently for Luke to make one of his usual retorts,
but it never came. Kronos smirked when he saw this. Pocketing his handkerchief,
Kronos glanced down at Nico. Nico paled as the manager's lips tilted up into a
sinister smile before walking off.
This was not good.
Octavian ended up having to drag both of them up to their suite. Nico sat down
on the edge of Octavian's bed, while Octavian yelled at Luke from the older
blond's room. But he never heard Luke argue back. When Octavian returned, there
was a heavy frown marring his face.
For about five minutes, the room was silent. Nico just sat there, while
Octavian paced back and forth, chewing on his thumbnail. Everything was falling
apart, Nico could feel it. Kronos didn't care if the Lost Kids fought or tore
each other apart, not like Percy did. Kronos just cared that they showed up to
work and did their job.
Taking in a deep breath, the slender blond turned towards Nico. “I trust you're
not dense enough to not know who that was?”
“Your mother.”
Octavian gave a short nod. “May Castellan, our mother,” he ground out, like it
left a bad taste in his mouth. “I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to sue me
for stealing money from her when I left home.” He let out a sigh, running his
fingers through his hair, and sat down next to the other Lost Boy. “Luke...told
you about what happened the day he left, didn't he?”
Nico gave a small nod.
Octavian nodded as well. “I could tell. He looked a little upset when he got
back, so I could only assume he had gotten into another fight or he had finally
had the talk with you.” Octavian no longer looked at Nico, instead staring at
the wall. “I guess you can blame me for that, as I did not feel that you needed
to know about what happened.”
Honestly, that didn't bother Nico to know that. It was understandable. “It's
fine,” he mumbled. “He only told me about how he left. Never really talked
about his time on the street, or how he met Percy.” He glanced over at the
blond, even though Octavian wasn't looking at him. “And he didn't feel like it
was his place to tell me what happened with you.”
Octavian let out a breath, pressing a hand to his face. “Fuck,” the blond
hissed. “She's going to be here a while, I just know it.” With a curious look
from Nico, Octavian shook his head. “She would usually stay away for a week or
so when she went on trips. At least I won't have to worry about running into
her upstairs. And I suppose Rachel and Leo will make sure we don't bump into
her anywhere else.”
To Nico, it looked like Octavian was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He
was not sure he had ever seen the blond so on edge. “Luke's cooling off, so I
suppose I'll cover a few a few things before you go to him.” The blond shifted
on the bed. “I will say that you've improved, and I'm impressed you're not
tripping over your words while talking to the customers. Just don't go fainting
on them anymore.”
“I didn't!”
Octavian arched a brow. “Yeah, well, don't go taking drugs either.” Nico shot
the blond a dark look. “Just saying.” Chewing on his lip, Octavian glanced over
at Nico. “I-” His brow furrowed. “Look, I don't like talking about this, so
let's not try bringing it up after today.”
“Okay?” Nico wasn't really sure, but it seemed like Octavian wanted to confess
something to him.
Drawing his legs up to his chest, Octavian faced partially away from Nico. “I
stayed at home for nearly a year after Luke left. I guess part of me didn't
want to just leave her alone. Dad still was rarely home, even with Luke running
away. The worst part? Mother said she didn't even want him to come home, not if
he was going to be a 'faggot'. I told her once that she shouldn't call him
that, ended up getting slapped for it.” The blond's head fell back, his eyes
lightly closed. “Since Luke was gone and Dad was always gone, she got to
dictate everything in my life. She was very adamant that I toughen up and start
acting more like a 'real man'.
“I was nearly forbidden from spending time with any of my female friends. My
mother said that if I wanted to spend time with a girl, I should date her. So,
she pretty much required that I spend time with only guys.” The blond chuckled
coldly and shook his head. “Funny, right? You're afraid your son might turn out
gay, so send him to be alone with a guy or two. In all honesty, I had no real
interest in guys or girls.”
Nico arched a brow. “At all?”
“Not really,” Octavian mumbled. “I was more career oriented.” He shrugged. “But
if I ever complained about any of it, I got hit with a belt, which sometimes
included the metal part. I usually was just wanting to stay home and read, but
my mother always got angry that I was not doing more 'guy things'.”
Nico shifted on the bed, sitting cross-legged. “So, what finally got you to
leave?”
The blond's cold blue eyes flickered up to him. “We ended up getting into an
argument one night. I told her that I just wasn't interested in anything she
tried to force me. I tried telling her that it wasn't that I was gay, it was
just that I wanted to focus on school. She didn't believe me, and I ended up
getting several bruises that night.”
Nico could relate to that.
Octavian pushed his back against his headboard. “So, while she was sleeping, I
snuck into her study and opened her safe, using a few tricks I picked up from
Luke.” He grinned. “Stole a couple hundred dollars before leaving with some of
my things. I might have also stolen her car.”
Nico chuckled at that. “Now I can see why she might be upset with you.”
Octavian just shrugged, smirking. “Yeah, well, she's a bitch.” He let out a
breath and pulled his legs up to his chest again. “I wanted to find Luke, but I
had no idea where he was. I hoped he had come out here, since he always wanted
to see Hollywood, but mother would never take us.” The blond began to chew on
his lip. “Well, one night, while I was sleeping in a motel room, something woke
me up. I ended up finding a gun pointed at my head.”
Nico's eyes went wide. “What?” He practically yelled. When Octavian glared, the
boy covered his mouth. “Sorry,” he whispered. The brown-eyed boy frowned. “Did
he shoot you?”
“Well, obviously he didn't kill me,” the blond mumbled sarcastically. Reaching
up, Octavian rubbed his face. “He ended up taking everything I had, including
the keys to the car. And, so, that began my voyage of catching a ride in the
back of trucks and trains on my way out here. Glamorous, right?”
“I'd just say that you're lucky that guy didn't shoot you,” Nico mumbled.
The blond shrugged. He was very casual about it. “Not a big deal, it was just
money. But, I suppose it would have made getting out here easier, and I could
have had a nice place to stay for a little while after getting here. But,
instead, I stayed on the streets.” Octavian made a face. “Though, those train
cars were pretty dirty.”
It didn't have to be asked, but Nico still felt that he should. “But you never
found Luke, did you?” If stories matched up, the answer would be no.
Sure enough, Octavian shook his head. “Not until I got brought here.” The blond
chewed on one of his nails. “He was actually the first thing I saw when I woke
up here. Percy told me he had stayed by my side the entire time I was passed
out, and didn't want to even believe I was actually there.” Octavian pursed his
lips. “But that was later, and I spent several months on the streets before I
was fortunate enough for Percy to find me. I ended up getting to Los Angeles
and found myself lost. I knew how big the city was, but I had still hoped that
I would be able to find Luke somewhere. It was a dumb hope, but it was all I
really had. My very first night in the city was probably the most memorable.”
Maybe this was good. Nico figured that, maybe, something good had happened for
the blond Lost Boy that night. Memorable was good, right?
“I got raped.”
Not so good then.
Octavian ran a hand through his fine locks of hair. “I ended up running into
this couple, who seemed to take pity on me. I was pretty thin already, so I
suppose I looked pretty pathetic with some dirt added onto my face.” Those icy
blue eyes of his glanced up at Nico, who had his lips tightly pursed and
gripping his jeans tightly. “The woman seemed nice, but the guy got on my
nerves. His laugh was obnoxious, a real sleazeball. But, you know, when you
haven't eaten in several days, you begin to see anyone offering you food and a
place to sleep as a god among mortals. In all honesty, I was being stupid and
not thinking.”
“No,” Nico interrupted. “You're not stupid for trying to survive. I think
everyone can attest to how desperate you can get out there. Don't blame
yourself for what they did to you.”
Nico got a smirk in return. “You sound like my brother.” He chuckled and let
out a sigh. “After we got back to their place, the guy made a comment about the
fact that my clothes were 'too nice'.” Those blue eyes grew dull. “They didn't
even let me finish eating before they had taped my mouth and hands. I ended up
on some dirty mattress. There was some blood on it, so I can only assume I was
not the first person off the first victim they had ensnared.”
Nico just sat there, letting Octavian think. There were some stories that he
wasn't sure he would ever get over. This was one of them. Perhaps he truly was
lucky, mainly to never have encountered these people that had found Octavian.
The blond chewed on his lip, staring absentmindedly into space. “That was my
first time. I lost my virginity to some creepy couple, but I'm just thankful
that I didn't catch anything from either of them.” A dark look appeared deep
within Octavian's blue eyes. “At the same time, too. He penetrated me, while
she slid herself onto me.” The blond looked away. “It made me sick, and I got
hit because I couldn't get hard for them. She dug her nails into my skin, which
took quite some time to heal.”
“How did you...get away?” Nico asked softly.
Octavian let out a breath. “It's not like they kept me. After they were done,
they left me in a gutter, bloody and beaten. I tried to go to the hospital,
but...well, I didn't have any money. And the free clinic I tried said my
clothes were too nice to be some kid living on the streets.” He let out a dry
chuckle, his crazed eyes looking up at Nico. “And, just my luck, the gutter I
had been tossed in had water in it. I had been unconscious when they tossed me,
so there was no telling how long I had actually been laying in that water.
Needless to say, I didn't bother trying to go do a rape kit.”
Nico rubbed his arm, suddenly feeling cold. He couldn't help but feel a little
responsible for Luke and Octavian's current plight. Not what happened to them
before he had arrived at the hotel, but for the fact that their mother was
there. If Percy had never left, she wouldn't have been allowed in the hotel.
And Nico still blamed himself for Kronos being there in the first place. It was
his fault that Kronos was torturing all of them and that the Lost Kids were now
tearing themselves apart.
Nico wiped at his face, trying to hide the fact that he wanted to cry. “Why do
you even want to go into politics then, if you dislike your parents so much?”
He whispered.
Octavian let out a long breath before opening his mouth. “Because, at one point
in time, I wanted to prove that not all politicians were corrupt, and that some
actually did try to help people.” He looked down, shaking his head. “It was
stupid, I was stupid.” A small laugh escaped from the blond's lips. “It was
just a dream, and I'm in no shape be looking at a political position.”
Nico's brow furrowed. He debated reaching out for the blond, but remembered
what had happened when he tried to hug Luke. “I think you could, if you set
your mind to it.”
The blond snorted. “Oh yes, I can see it now. Headlines: Senator leaves life of
prostitution behind him.” He rolled his eyes. “Great campaign marketing right
there.”
“Percy could cover it up.”
“Because that's not like every other politician,” Octavian mumbled.
Well, he had Nico there.
Letting out a sigh, Octavian got off the bed. “Enough about me, we need to work
on you. It is extremely pertinent that you master handling clients. You have
been doing fine, and you might could have pulled more info from that snob of a
college kid, if you hadn't passed out.”
“Not helping,” Nico mumbled.
The blond shrugged. “Oh well. Perhaps next time you will think about things
before you do something stupid.” He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Now then,
always remember to try and find out their importance first. Then you can start
molding your inquiries to fit them better.” He grinned at Nico. “What do you
know, something you might be good at.”
Nico frowned. “What's that?”
“Pestering people with questions.”
Nico's shoulders slumped. “Jerk.”
“But you need to also make sure you are watching out for knives to the back.”
The blond ruffled his hair. “Since everyone is fighting, it might do you well
to check and see if anyone is out to stab you in the back. Since, you know,
this is your fault.”
Nico pursed his lips and stared down at his lap. Octavian was right, it was his
fault. It was all his fault. He should have just listened and backed off of
Percy. Maybe then none of this would have happened. Maybe if he had never come
here. Maybe if he had died on the streets instead. Nico wiped at his eyes as a
tear slid down his cheek.
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “You're right, it is all my fault. It's my fault
everyone is fighting, and that Percy is not here.” Octavian arched a brow at
him. “I'm sorry. Everyone's right to blame me. I was too stupid to listen to
everyone, and now Percy is gone. I'm so stupid. I'm not smart, like everyone
seems to think. It's my fault. I-”
The full force of Octavian's palm made contact with Nico's cheek. Brown eyes
widened as the youngest Lost Boy gawked up at the frowning blond in front of
him. Slowly, Nico reached up to caress his red cheek. It stung, a lot.
Octavian stared down at him heatedly. “Stop whining like some teenaged girl,
who just got broken up with after two weeks.” The blond huffed and shook his
head. “Stop apologizing. Fucking hell, grow some balls, because I sure as hell
know you're tougher than that if you nearly broke some dude's neck at school.
And defying Kronos by running off with my brother? I know you're not this weak,
so start acting like you need to. Stop being scared of yourself.”
Nico just blinked in astonishment. He was still having a hard time wrapping his
brain around the fact that he had just been slapped. He wanted to be angry
about what Octavian was saying, if it weren't all true.
Shaking his head, Octavian glared down at him. “It was you that said that
people make mistakes, and that is what makes them human.” He poked the pale
boy's forehead. “That was you that said that, wasn't it? Or am I mistaken?”
Nico blinked, his eyes drifting down to his lap. He stared at his hands,
searching them for an answer he knew wasn't there. He was scared. Nico was
scared that he was going to turn out like Luke or Apollo. Perhaps Octavian or
Jason. The list could go on. But mostly, when he had his hands wrapped around
Zethes's throat, he had been scared of turning into Percy or Kronos. He could
have killed Zethes, it would have been easy with just a snap of his hands. And
that though had terrified him.
Before Nico could answer Octavian, the door swung open. Luke stood in the
doorway, glancing between his brother and Nico. Octavian narrowed his eyes.
“What do you want?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “I need to have some time with him.” He rubbed the back
of his neck as Nico slowly got up. “Seeing as how we don't know when Percy will
be back, he could find himself back in the kink rooms. And if last time is
anything to go by, I need to work with him some more.”
“Yeah,” Octavian mumbled. He leered at Nico, who sheepishly looked away. He was
right about Nico, and that was what stung the most.
Nico was weak.
Luke looked at him curiously once they were safely in his room. “What were you
two talking about?” The blond inquired.
“Nothing.” Nico shook his head.
The blond continued to stare for a while after that, but Nico refused to meet
his gaze. When he saw that he wasn't going to get an answer, Luke let out a
sigh. “Fine, whatever, kid.” Slowly, a grin crept onto Luke's lips and Nico
narrowed his eyes. What was he up to? Without warning, Luke lunged forward and
cuffed Nico to the bed.
Nico let out a sigh, blowing at his bangs. “Really? This again?”
Luke shrugged. Nico's expression slowly turned to surprise as the blond lifted
his shirt over his head. And, if that wasn't enough, Luke ripped Nico's shirt
in half down the middle.
“Hey!” Nico whined. “I liked that shirt!”
“Tough,” Luke grumbled as he crawled between Nico's legs, spreading them apart.
A sly grin was on the blond's lips as he raked his nails down Nico's torso,
drawing a hiss from the brown-eyed boy's lips. “Suck it up, you baby, you're
going to have to get used to this down there.”
Oh, Nico thought, it was going to be that kind of lesson. His cheeks grew a
little red as Luke undid his pants. He couldn't lie and say that he had never
wanted something like this to happen, but it did not make it any less awkward.
His first time having sex with Luke...and it was going to be because Luke
wanted to make him more comfortable with his new line of work. Nico was not
sure how he felt about that. But it was not like he could really object, seeing
as how his hands were bound above his head.
Once Luke had them both down to their underwear, the blond just sort of hovered
over Nico, his fingers looped into the top of the boy's boxers. Nico quirked a
brow as he watched Luke just sit there, frowning in silence. Oh. That was
right, Luke wouldn't do anything without his permission. Well, he supposed that
did leave him in a position of power then.
Nico bent his legs and wrapped them around Luke. The blond looked up, his brow
furrowed. “It's fine,” Nico whispered.
Luke looked at him for a moment before he gave a nod. Slowly, the blond pulled
Nico's underwear off and tossed the discarded fabric over his shoulder. Nico
immediately shut his eyes as Luke attacked his clavicle with fairly harsh
bites. Not that Nico was complaining. It was rough, but it felt good. Really
good.
Nico's head fell back against the pillow, allowing Luke better access to his
neck. During all of this, Luke slid out of his own boxer-briefs and lifted
Nico's legs up slightly. Nico let out a moan and wrapped his legs around Luke's
waist. It got a little more rough when Luke reached up and forcefully turned
Nico's head to the side, delivering a harsh bite to the boy's neck. And when he
leaned in to press their lips together, Luke tugged roughly on Nico's bottom
lip.
The boy moaned and strained to wrap his arms around the blond, but remembered
that he was still cuffed to the bed. Luke pulled back with a grin, and Nico
could feel the blond's member pressing against him. It sort of intimidated him
with what was about to happen, considering that Luke was above average size and
probably would have been the largest he had yet to have inside of him.
Luke slid down Nico's body, biting and sucking along the boy's torso. Nico let
out a yelp as the blond delivered a sharp bite to his side. Though, his breath
hitched when Luke sucked on a spot on his upper thigh.
Without saying anything, Luke reached up and unlocked one of Nico's arms from
the bed. Yanking the boy up, Luke positioned Nico onto his knees before
latching the handcuff onto the one that was bound to Nico's other hand. Nico
let out a gasp when Luke took a firm grip of his hair and jerked his head back,
crashing their lips together.
Nico gasped into Luke's mouth when he felt Luke probe his entrance. When Luke
had applied lube to his fingers, Nico had no idea. But, nevertheless, the
youngest Lost Boy moaned into Luke's mouth as two fingers slid into him. It was
different from his time with Percy, mainly due to the lack of gentleness he was
receiving from the blond behind him.
When Nico slid backwards onto Luke's fingers, the blond grinned into their kiss
and pulled back, tugging Nico's lip as he did. Shortly after that, Nico felt
something much bigger than two fingers press against his entrance. His head
dropped, attempting to reach the pillow, but was unable to. Luke bit his
shoulder, drawing a gasp from the boy. Nico's eyes grew hazy. It hurt a lot
more than his first time with Percy, or really any sexual encounter than Nico
had experienced yet. While Percy was a little above average down there, Luke
was still bigger and was not as gentle. It hurt, but Nico supposed that was
part of the lesson.
Customers weren't going to be gentle down in those rooms.
While Percy had taken his time slowly inserting himself into Nico, Luke had
wasted no time pushing himself in to the hilt. Nico wrenched his eyes shut from
the pain. His ass felt like it was on fire, or like he was being split in half.
“Don't be such a girl,” Luke growled into his ear. “They aren't going to go
easy on you down there. Toughen up.”
Nico just grit his teeth, unable to form a sentence at the moment. Luke did
take a little pity on him by not slamming in and out of the boy straight off
the bat. Nico's mouth fell open as inch by inch, Luke slid out of him before
going back in. Maybe he should have never let this happen. Why did he have to
have such a bad habit of getting himself into situations that he wasn't ready
for?
Luke delivered a sharp bite to Nico's shoulder before pulling back and gripping
the boy's shoulders with his hands. Nico could already feel the sweat forming
on his body, and a few of his bangs were already sticking to his forehead. It
was at this time that Luke delivered the first hard thrust into him. Nico's
mouth fell open in a silent cry. It did hurt, but it had also felt good. He
would give Luke one thing: the guy was good at finding a prostate.
Luke's fingers were tightly gripped to Nico's pale shoulders, using them to
pull Nico back onto his manhood. He kind of wanted to see Luke's face, but
their current position did not allow for it. He could, however, hear the blond
let out a few grunts.
The headboard had started to hit the wall by this point, which probably meant
that Octavian probably knew what they were doing in Luke's room. Not that it
seemed to bother Luke at the moment. The blond just shifted his grip down to
Nico's thin waist and slammed himself into Nico. The brown-eyed boy, for his
part, had a hard time seeing anything. His vision was slightly blurred. It no
longer hurt by this point, but he felt an overwhelming amount of pleasure
coursing through his body. He took back what he said earlier, Luke was amazing
at hitting the prostate.
Letting out a growl, Luke reached up and dug his fingers into Nico's dark locks
of hair. Nico hissed as his head was yanked back and Luke smashed their lips
together. There was a sharp pain at the back of his head where Luke was still
tugging on his hair. All the while, Luke slid himself in and out of Nico. But
they were pressed up against each other now, and Nico could feel how much Luke
was sweating. He could feel Luke's stomach muscles tighten against his back,
and it only made Nico moan into the blond's mouth.
Using his other hand, Luke gripped Nico's neck and pulled back from their kiss.
His normally icy blue eyes were filled with heavy lust and Nico moaned as he
felt Luke's hand around his neck. In normal situations, Nico would have been a
little more concerned by the fact that someone could have easily broken his
neck in this position, but it was kind of hot.
Luke removed his hand from Nico's neck and slid it around the raven-haired
boy's stomach, his other hand still gripping Nico's hair. Nico wanted to let
his head drop, but Luke's grip prevented him from doing so. Luke growled into
his ear and picked up his pace, if that was even possible. Nico could feel his
legs start to give out on him, and began to slowly slide down.
Luke bit down on Nico's shoulder and unfastened the cuff that was bound the the
headboard. Nico's hands, still chained together, were placed behind his back,
where Luke kept them hooked. Nico whined, knowing that he was going to be
unable to touch himself. Luke just growled and positioned the boy into his lap.
The blond now sat on his haunches, Nico's back still facing him.
Every time Nico's body tried to collapse, Luke would just tug on the handcuffs
and force Nico to straighten his body. Using his other hand, Luke worked Nico
up and down on his erection. “Move,” Luke growled into the boy's ear.
Nico felt breathless as he worked himself up and down on Luke, who was still
thrusting into him. Eventually, Nico's head fell back onto Luke's shoulder. The
blond just leaned in and bit down on Nico's neck. Luke's arms wrapped around
him, letting go of the handcuffs. Nico moaned as he felt Luke's tongue slid
across his sweaty skin.
Luke wrapped a hand around Nico's member and worked on bringing the boy to his
release. By this point, Nico was not even able of opening his eyes. He felt
drained, and he knew that he would need a nap before going to work. And a
shower.
Nico's eyes rolled back into his head as he felt himself nearing climax. Luke's
mouth worked around his neck and shoulder, going back and forth between biting,
sucking, and licking. Nico's skin felt on fire and the sweat was making it hard
for Luke to keep a grip on Nico's body. Finally, Nico opened his mouth, but no
sound came out. Luke slowed down as Nico released himself into the blond's
hand.
Nico's body fell limp and Luke let him fall onto the bed. He felt Luke reach
out and unfasten Nico's hands from the cuffs. Managing to roll his body over,
Nico looked up with hazy eyes as Luke reached his hand up and licked some of
Nico's see off his hand with a smirk.
It was hard for Nico move, as his body felt like jello. Yanking off his condom,
Luke straddled himself over Nico. Nico slowly opened his eyes, finding the
blond's erection in his face. He opened his mouth to ask what Luke was doing,
but Luke tossed his head back and shot his semen across Nico's face. The
youngest Lost Boy lay there for a second, slightly stunned that he had just
been hit in the face with Luke's cum. His tongue ran across his lips to get
some of it that had partially gotten in his mouth.
Luke blew out a breath and climbed off of Nico, padding over to his closet and
coming back with a towel. He tossed it at Nico, who picked it up and wiped
Luke's semen off of him. While he was busy doing that, Luke collapsed next to
him and placed his hands behind his head.
Nico narrowed his eyes at the smug look on the blond's face. “You can wipe that
smirk off your face,” he mumbled.
“And you can go,” Luke grinned. “That will be all for the day. I'm starving and
I need a shower, so show yourself out.”
Nico rolled his eyes and tossed the used towel at the blond's face. “You're so
full of bullshit right now. I'm not stupid enough to believe you'd think it was
just some notch to put on your headboard.”
The blond let out a grunt as he dropped the towel onto the floor. “No, but it's
something I can rub in mini-blondie's face.”
Nico made a face as he smelled himself. He smelled like sweat and sex. He
reeked. “I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't. I really don't need all the other
guys knocking on my door for their turn with me.” His nose wrinkled as he
lowered his arm. “I need a shower, but I'll see you at work.” Luke grunted at
him as Nico got dressed. The boy frowned as he watched the blond slide under
the sheets. “Luke?”
“What, brat?”
Nico slid his shirt over his head. “Thanks,” he mumbled. Luke furrowed his
brow. “For talking to me and helping me out. I know it's probably hard on you.”
Luke narrowed his eyes and rolled onto his side, facing away from Nico. “Don't
let the door hit you on the way out, twerp.”
Shaking his head with a smile, Nico slid out of Luke's room and made his way to
the door. Once in the hall, he stopped at the sound of yelling.
“Let me in, dammit!” Beckendorf yelled, standing in Clarisse's face.
Clarisse just puffed out her chest and knocked the Lost Boy back. “Why don't
you make me?” She huffed.
Ethan was standing in the doorway of his and Leo's suite, watching the fight
play out in silence. Beckendorf grabbed Clarisse's shirt, but got knocked back
again. Nico edged further into the hall, closer to where Ethan was. “Shouldn't
we stop them?” He whispered.
Ethan shrugged. “Not my problem, not getting involved.”
The two down the hall glared at each other, but it was clear that Clarisse was
not about to budge from the door. Seeing this, Beckendorf's nostrils flared.
Clenching his fist, he sent it flying into the wall near the Lost Girl's head.
That did nothing more than make Clarisse arch a brow. There was no sign of fear
in her eyes as she stepped back and slammed the door in the Lost Boy's face.
Beckendorf banged on the door for a while before he gave up and boarded the
first elevator that arrived at their floor. Ethan just shook his head, his arms
crossed. “I honestly just wish Percy would come back so we could get some peace
and quiet around here. I can't even manage to take a nap without someone
yelling up here.”
“Why is Clarisse being so defensive of Silena anyways?”
The Asian gave a lazy shrug. “Silena was the first person to really talk to
Clarisse when she arrived, and they hit it off pretty well. Not sure what
happened besides that, but the two have always been close.” He sighed. “But
Beckendorf should know better. Clarisse doesn't respond well to threats or
demands. She never took well to the concept of authority.” He smirked. “She's
not even scared of Percy, she just listens to him out of respect.
Kronos...well, he's too unpredictable not to be intimidated by.”
Nico arched a brow. “And you?”
“Better to not paint a target on my back,” Ethan mumbled. “I just try to stay
out of his way and keep my head down, as you should as well.”
Nico glanced down to Silena and Clarisse's room. “Why does she have such a poor
reception to authority?” He glanced back to Ethan. “Problem at home? School?”
“Home,” was all the reply Nico got. The older Lost Boy rubbed his neck, looking
Nico up and down. “You smell like sex.” Slowly, the boy grinned. “I see Luke
finally had his way with you.”
Nico's cheeks lit up. “I don't know what you're talking about,” the boy
mumbled.
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Nico. None of my business anyways.”
He chuckled as he stepped back into his room. “But I'd get a shower before any
of the others notice.” Nico nodded and Ethan shut the door.
---------------------------------------
After a long nap and a warm shower, Nico ended up at work for the night. He was
just thankful that he was performing and not waiting tables, as he had already
spotted Robert, who he felt it best to steer clear of. However, Apollo did end
up taking his ex-boyfriend's table. Nico wasn't sure what had happened, but
Apollo seemed less hostile towards the other blond.
Perhaps it was none of his business, but it did not sit well with Nico. Robert
had tossed Apollo aside like trash. Regardless of if the blond had gotten Percy
to find Apollo and taken him in, Robert was still a jerk in Nico's book.
As far as he could tell, their music selection was set to be loud all night
long, which made it very hard to hear anything, even backstage. Quite often, he
would have to yell for anyone to hear him, unless they were directly in front
of him.
But after one performance, Nico decided to go find something to drink. The
number had left him drained, and he was still recovering from his time with
Luke earlier that day. Nico winced as he rubbed his lower back. After he woke
up from his nap, he stood up and discovered this sharp pain and nearly fell
back onto his bed. Having to move around so much definitely was not helping
him.
On his way to the bar room, Will waved over to him with his usual adorable
smile. Nico scrunched his lips as he stared at the blond. He still wasn't sure
if he was ready to talk to Will just yet, so he glared at the blond. Will
blinked in mild surprise.
And, right before Nico pushed into the bar room, Will reached him and jerked
the boy around to face him. The blond looked sad, and normally Nico probably
would have melted seeing the blond pout, but this was different. He did not
belong to Will, he did not belong to anyone!
“Um,” Will began, scratching his cheek, “did I do something wrong?” It was such
an innocent question, and Will's appearance only reminded Nico of a small child
that was asking their parent for a cookie.
It didn't soften Nico's resolve, though. “You know what you did,” the brown-
eyed boy hissed and jerked his arm away before storming into the bar room,
letting the door hit the blond in the face.
As usual, Nico got the normal passive torment from Dionysus. “Well now, someone
seems grouchy this evening.” He continued to smile as Nico glared at him. “On,
no, please, don't get upset with me, Nico. I wouldn't you to go and break my
neck. What would our beloved Percy think then?”
The Lost Boy sighed and opened the small refrigerator they kept in the room. “I
wouldn't kill you, even if it is tempting.” The boy gave the man a dull look.
“I'd be too afraid you'd haunt me for the rest of my life.”
“Your sarcasm is always so refreshing.” The man gave the boy his trademark
creepy smile, like he knew something Nico didn't. “Isn't it just wonderful that
you got off the hook for skipping work last night? Luke was so brave, taking
all the punishment like that.” The man sat down with a smirk. “I mean, taking
the punishment of enduring his mother for several days, just so you could not
have to endure whatever sick, twisted torture Kronos could come up with. It's
almost...poetic. Such a shame that Octavian gets punished as well.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Don't even act like you feel bad.”
“Why, Nico, of course I am capable of feeling remorse.” He shook his head with
a sigh. “I just feel so awful that you took some of those drugs I supplied to
your dear client. Such a shame, really.”
“Always a pleasure talking to you,” Nico muttered as he exited the room.
It seemed like Nico wasn't going to get a break either. Halfway back to the
backstage area, Nico was pulled to the side by Persephone. The woman smiled at
him as she touched his hair. “Oh, you look so cute tonight, Nico,” she
practically sang to him.
Nico looked down at himself. His attire was primarily black, with lots of tears
in the fabric to expose a lot of his skin. He also had some black paint on his
face for his next performance. He just rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank
you.”
She smiled and reached up to touch her cheeks. “I would so request some
personal time with you later tonight, but my new friend is with me tonight.”
She cleared her throat. “And, well, he's a very nice man. But I thought he
might enjoy seeing one of the shows. Though, to be honest, I was surprised
Kronos let me bring him so easily.”
Nico slowly nodded his head, keeping his smile on. “Well, enjoy your night with
your friend.” He motioned over his shoulder. “I've got to get ready for the
next performance, but if you change your mind about later, let Leo or Rachel
know.”
He fought the urge to cringe as he walked away. While he still was not keen on
the idea of having sex with women so freely, much less suggesting it, he knew
it was what he had to do. And considering how much he might have pissed Kronos
off with everything that had happened the day before, Nico needed to do the
best he could at his job right now.
Nico chanced a glance over to where Robert sat. Apollo wasn't there currently,
but Nico wanted to keep an eye on the blond. He just didn't understand how
Apollo could practically go running back into Robert's arms. It wasn't like
Robert was just going to sweep him away and they'd live happily ever after.
He nearly yelped when Thalia grabbed him. “Nico, there you are.” She looked
over her shoulder somewhere. “Look, you need to get...”
Nico leaned in. The music had started up again, making it impossible to hear
what the Lost Girl was saying. She looked concerned, so the boy just nodded his
head. “Okay!” He yelled, hoping that she had heard him. She still clung to his
hand, but Nico just laughed and went on his way.
When Nico looked back over to Robert's table, he found Leo standing there.
Neither of them looked happy. Changing course, Nico made his way over. Leo
looked like he might be on the verge of slapping the man, but he never did.
Instead, he practically spat something in Robert's face before he spun around
and walked off.
Nico came to a stop near Robert's table. The blond smiled up at him. “Well, you
don't look as agitated as everyone else around here. I'll take that as a good
sign.”
Nico's eyes followed where Leo went. “What was that about?” He yelled over the
music.
The blond just shook his head. “Couldn't say, childish stuff probably.” He
dropped some cash on the table before getting up. “Tell Apollo that I'm sorry I
couldn't stay, perhaps next time.” He winked as he moved past Nico. “Or perhaps
you and I can work something out.”
Nico frowned and spun around to glare at the man's back. He was a jerk. Not
just a jerk, a sleazeball. Apollo deserved better than this guy. Nico's dark
eyes flickered over to where Apollo was staring between him and Robert
curiously. The blond tilted his head to the side, silently asking what had just
happened. Nico just shrugged.
The next performance was, technically, Nico's performance, though he had talked
several of the others into performing with him. He felt it fit better, as did
Apollo. So, Nico found himself in the middle of the stage, waiting for the
music and lights to turn on, with several of the others surrounding him.
The instrumental opening to Simon Curtis's “Pit of Vipers” began to play the
the Lost Kids on stage slowly began to weave their arms around like a snake.
The lights were kept relatively dark, save for a red light over them. The way
Nico had to move made him feel like some rag doll or puppet, if he were being
honest with himself. He had to jerk his body a lot at certain intervals, sort
of like the Oracle in the 300 movie.
The Lost Kids around him put their hands on Nico, slowly sliding them across
the boy's body. Apollo had set up cans of paint near the edges of the stage, so
when they had all dipped their hands in paint before the song had started.
Different colors of paint was left behind wherever they touched the youngest
Lost Boy.
It was odd, though, because he noticed Apollo trying to flag him down. The
blond was mouthing something and pointing off to the side, but Nico was unable
to find anything strange. The floor was too dark to see any of the people at
the tables anyways.
Eventually, Butch blocked Nico's view of the blond. Some of the fabric was torn
from Nico's body. Nico was lifted up by Butch, and then the others reached up
to pass the boy along in the air. During all of this, Nico made sure to move
his arms and legs in the air like a snake slithering along the ground. His eyes
widened a little when Luke nearly dropped him.
When he was put down, Luke tried to say something to him, but it was far too
loud to make out what it was. However, while it was dark on the floor, Nico did
notice a man standing up at one of the tables. He heard a woman yell something,
and it sounded very strangely like Persephone. Nico frowned and stopped moving
when he thought he heard his name being yelled, followed by a loud cry of
“What?”
The boy's brown eyes widened as the dark figure that had been standing up made
its way towards the stage, very quickly, Nico might add. The other Lost Kids
had stopped moving by this point, and Butch and Luke moved to the edge of the
stage to block the man from attempting to climb up to them. However, this put
the man just barely in enough light for Nico to recognize who it was. The blood
drained from his face, a chill ran across every inch of his body.
It was his father.
Apollo had moved forward with Thalia to drag the man back and prevented him
from getting on the stage. Luke and Butch had jumped off the stage to help
restrain the furious man. His father was angry, far angrier than the night Nico
had came out to him. His teeth were clenched as he glared heatedly up at Nico.
The girls on stage sort of surrounded Nico, acting as a partial shield as
Clarisse and Ethan came running in. Kronos appeared on stage and announced that
everything was under control as Hades was dragged off. But when the manager
turned to look at Nico, the boy knew that he had not gotten off of a
punishment. While Kronos sneered at him, there was a look of absolute pleasure
in his eyes, and Nico knew that this was why he had approved Persephone's guest
so easily.
Speaking of the woman, she looked devastated. Nico quickly jumped off of the
stage, and she immediately grabbed his wrist. “That was your father?” She cried
out to him.
“Um.” Nico chewed on his lips. “It's a long story, but sort of, yeah.”
The woman's face paled as she fell back against her chair. Without saying
anything further, she lifted the drink she had to her lips and downed the
entire glass. But, before Nico could say anything else, Kronos grabbed by the
scruff of his neck and dragged him after his father.
Nico's heart was pounding in his chest as they neared the elevator. His father
was on his knees, his hands bound behind his back. But as soon as he noticed
Nico, his eyes were renewed with hatred. Nico felt sick as he was pushed
inside. Kronos pulled out his card and slid it into the slot. Instead of
pushing the button to the lobby or his office, though, Kronos hit the button to
the roof.
“So this is what my son has become,” Hades began. He spat at Nico's feet. “A
whore. Just look at you, covered in all that paint and barely wearing
anything.” Nico wrapped his arms around himself. “You look disgusting.”
The doors opened, and Clarisse and Ethan dragged the man onto his feet. After
they had Hades walking on the roof, Kronos stepped away from the wall he had
been leaning against. He smiled at Nico as he fiddled with a ring on his
finger. It was very similar to the one Percy wore, though his had a gold stone
in it.
Nico slowly stepped out of the elevator, the air instantly making him feel
dizzy. Hades was still yelling at him.
“You're a whore! A sick whore. What is this place anyways?” He asked, jerking
his head between the two Lost Kids holding him. He sneered at Nico as he caught
sight of the boy again. “You should have just died on the streets, would have
been more respectable than this.”
It stung, hearing his father say these things. He had heard some rough things
from his father the night he had yet, but nothing this extreme. He wrapped his
arms around himself. “You're the one that tossed me out,” he mumbled.
Hades growled. “You show up to your mother's funeral a whore,” the man spat
out. Kronos seemed to be entertained, twisting the ring on his finger. “You
disrespectful, abomination of a son.” He spat at Nico's feet again. “How many
people have you let violate you?”
Kronos nodded towards the side of the building. Nico's heart skipped a beat.
No, Kronos wouldn't do that, would he? He watched in horror as Ethan wrapped
some rope around Hades's leg. Clarisse smirked as she twisted a crank and
lifted the man off the ground.
But all sympathy was thrown over the edge by what Hades said next. “If only
your mother could see you now, you whore.”
Something snapped in Nico right then. Rearing his hand back, he sent his fist
flying into his father's jaw. The man dangled there, just barely at level with
Nico's face, and blinked in surprise. Nico's dark gaze pierced the man. “You're
the reason I ended up here, you tossed me out on the streets! And how dare you
even speak to me about my mother, when you're off fucking the woman that was
married to the man that hit Mom!”
Hades's eyes flashed with anger. “You disgusting, little-” Something dawned on
his father's face as he furrowed his brow. “Who told you that she was married
to the man that hit your mother?”
Nico pursed his lips. Oh no, he thought. What if his father found out Bianca
knew Nico was here? What if he told her what Nico was? He swallowed a lump in
his throat.
“Answer me!” Hades yelled. “Nico di-”
He never finished that sentence. Nico looked up to find Kronos pointing a gun
directly at his father's face. “Your voice is starting to annoy me,” the young
man hissed.
Nico had never seen his father afraid of anything, but a gun pointed at his
face quickly shut him up. He was very quiet, silently watching the gun as he
spun back and forth in the air. Clarisse shifted the small harness that was
tied to Hades, dangling the man over the edge of the building.
Kronos lightly waved the gun in the man's face. “Mr. di Angelo, I don't
particularly care for my business to be interrupted in such a manner. Your son
belongs to the hotel now, and I expect our clients to not break anything that
is in the hotel.” He tilted his head to the side. “I could care less what you
feel like calling your son, just don't interrupt one of his performances. It's
bad for business.”
With his lips tilted up into a disturbing smirk, Kronos pulled a knife out of
his pocket. Nico's eyes went wide as he flipped the blade out. But, instead of
jabbing it into Hades, Kronos offered it to Nico. The Lost Boy looked down at
it like it might burn him if he touched it. When Kronos saw this, he shoved the
blade in Nico's hand with a scowl.
“Here's your options, Nico,” Kronos said in an icy voice. “You're going to use
that knife. You're either going to stab your father or cut the rope that is
holding him up.” Nico looked up at the young man with surprise. Kronos's lips
tilted back up into a grin. “Pick.”
Nico looked down at the knife again. He briefly looked to his father, who was
glaring at him. The gun was still pointed at him, so it was not like Hades was
about to say anything harsh to him again. Gulping, Nico shook his head.
“I...can't.”
“Can't isn't an option.” Kronos pulled the gun away from Hades's face and
slipped it back into its holster. He slowly walked behind Nico. “Just do it,”
he whispered in Nico's ear like a snake. He gripped Nico's face and forced the
boy to look at his father. “Just look at him, so vulnerable. He's done nothing
but torment you, and think about how little he must have cared about your poor
mother. You're just going to forgive him? It would just be so easy to cut that
rope.”
Nico found it hard to breathe as he looked between his father and the knife.
His father was an asshole, but he didn't deserve to die, Nico reminded himself.
If he died, who would take care of Bianca? He didn't want her to end up at the
hotel as well. Nico didn't want that for her, she deserved so much better.
She could always live with Daedalus, a dark voice in the back of Nico's mind
reminded him. Minerva would take care of her. She didn't need their poor excuse
for a father.
Nico's nearly black eyes flickered up to his father's face in a cold stare. His
ears picked up on the noise of the straining rope and he glanced at it. It
strained against his father's weight. Just a small cut would be all that was
needed to send his father to the ground below. Just one.
“Do it,” Kronos hissed into Nico's ear.
Nico shut his eyes. “Shut up!” He yelled. His fist tightened around the hilt of
the knife. When he looked at his father again, Nico saw the fear that was
there. Good, Nico thought, let him be afraid. He looked back to the rope.
“Do it,” Kronos said, more loudly than the last. “Just one cut, that's all it
would take. Do it, Nico. You know you want to. This is what you wanted. Think
about all the suffering he has caused you. He never cared about your mother or
you. He probably doesn't even care about your sister.” The manager gripped
Nico's shoulder. “You're only giving him what he deserves.”
Nico was unable to breath. He shut his eyes tight and clenched the knife tight
in his hand. Letting out a yell, the boy swung his arm out towards his father's
leg.
Hades let out a howl of pain as the dagger was embedded into his leg. Nico
glared in anger at his father, twisting the knife roughly. He gritted his teeth
as he slowly pulled the blade down half an inch. “Stay out of my life,” he
growled at the man.
Kronos smirked and snapped his fingers. Clarisse swung Hades's body back over
the roof and lowered him, where Ethan untied the man. Kronos inspected his
nails. “I trust that you can see yourself out peacefully,” he said to Hades.
When the man began to limp away, the manager turned his attention to Clarisse
and Ethan. “See him out, won't you?” The took a few steps before Kronos added,
“And make sure he takes the stairs.”
Nico still held the knife in his hand. He gave it a dull look before dropping
it to the ground. He felt numb. He wasn't exactly angry anymore, but he didn't
really feel scared about what he had just done. His dull eyes blinked at the
bloody blade on the rooftop.
Kronos reached out and ran his fingers underneath Nico's chin. With a grin, he
tilted the boy's face up. “That's better.” Leaning in, the manager's smile fell
away. “If your father ever becomes a problem for me again, I'll make you put
that knife in his heart.”
Nico smacked the young man's hand away. “Leave me alone. I didn't need your
help.”
Kronos's dull eyes burned into Nico. “You think I was helping you?” He chuckled
coldly. “My dear Nico, I don't help people. You think I cared about those
bullies? They can call you whatever name they want, as long as you are
presentable to work.” He nodded to where Hades had gone. “And your father? That
man is insufferable. I don't understand why you didn't just run away before he
tossed you out. He doesn't belong here.” He gripped Nico's jaw roughly. “But if
he ever causes a problem for me again, I expect you to kill him. People should
deal with their own problems, not rely on someone else to do it for them.”
Sneering at Nico, Kronos hit him with the back of his hand. “If you haven't
learned your lesson from this, feel free to let me know. Do your job, or get
back on the streets.”
Nico glared up at Kronos, wiping at his lip. “Maybe I should let Percy decide
that.” Nico pressed his thumb to his lip before pulling it back. Blood. “You're
only here temporarily, Percy is still in charge here. And maybe I should just
tell him how you've been treating all of us. I don't think he'd appreciate you
letting my father or Mrs. Castellan come to the hotel.” Nico smirked when
Kronos turned his back to him. “Or what about what you just made me do?” Nico
shook his head. “Or maybe even forcing us all into the kink rooms.”
There was a heavy silence between the two of them. Nico's chest was still
heaving as he stared at the manager's back. But all of his resolve crumbled
when he heard Kronos laugh. The young man turned around, laughing. It was so
cold, so heartless. It sent shivers down Nico's spine.
“You could do that, sure.” Kronos stepped closer to Nico and pulled out a thumb
drive from his pocket. “But I could also send Percy this footage from the night
you took those drugs. I feel like he would be very interested to see it.”
Nico's face paled. “It would be so...unfortunate if Percy were to get it, don't
you think?” He stared down at Nico like a snake about to strike its prey. “How
disappointed would Percy be that his favorite toy broke one of his rules?” His
icy smile returned as he leaned in towards Nico. “Go ahead, tell him. See if it
works out in your favor.”
Kronos's laughter filled the night sky in a way that caused Nico to cringe. He
closed his eyes and tried to breathe as Kronos turned around and walked off,
leaving him alone on the roof.
***** Nico Has A Thing For Blonds *****
Nico was woken up even earlier than he normally would during a school day. He
groaned and knocked the hand away that was trying to shake him. “What?” He
mumbled, rolling onto his stomach. He just wanted to sleep. Tomorrow was his
last day of being suspended from school, and all he really wanted to do was
relax as much as possible. Last night had been extremely stressful.
But it seemed it just wasn't meant to be. Once again, Nico felt himself being
shaken awake. He cracked an eye open to find Jason frowning down at him. “You
need to wake up,” the blond said softly.
Rubbing his eyes, Nico glanced towards the window. It was still dark, the sun
barely up. Why was he expected to be up at this hour? Nico didn't even wake up
this early to go to school. Sitting up, the covers fell off of the raven-haired
boy. “What's going on?”
Jason's expression remained solemn. “You need to get down to the lobby.” That
didn't sound very appeasing to Nico. “Your sister is here, and you need to calm
her down before Kronos wakes up and finds her here.”
A heavy lump quickly formed in Nico's throat. Oh no, he thought. His father had
told Bianca, hadn't he? He rubbed his arms as goosebumps slowly formed on his
skin there. Pursing his lips, Nico practically fell out of bed. Jason helped
him up and Nico quickly slipped on a shirt and some cotton shorts. Not even
bothering with his shoes, Nico grabbed his wallet and made a dash for the door.
His pulse went into overtime as he took the elevator down to the lobby. It was
still quiet on the Lost Kids' floor, as most were still asleep. Nico wanted
someone to need an elevator, causing his ride down to take longer. He wasn't
sure he was ready to have this conversation with his sister just yet, if it did
indeed turn out to be because of what his father found out. But there was no
way it couldn't be, Nico just knew it.
And he was right.
Bianca was heavily pacing the lobby when he arrived. Nico's face went pale as
she spotted him and made a straight line for him. This was bad. She looked
angry, just like she had the night their father had kicked Nico out. He
couldn't help but flinch when she stopped a foot away from him.
She let out a long breath, covering her face with her hands. “Nico,” Bianca
said softly, “please tell me it isn't true?”
Nico swallowed the lump in his throat. “I—what do you mean?”
His sister took a firm grip on his chin, tilting Nico's face up to look at her.
“Nico, this isn't a joke.” Her eyes burned into him with an intense fire.
Whether it was directed at him or not, Nico couldn't say. “Are. You.
Stripping?”
It took Nico a moment to even process the question in his head. This was the
last conversation he wanted to have with his sister, but it was also the one he
feared would be inevitable. “I...” Nico closed his eyes and nodded.
Bianca buried her face in her hands and turned away from her brother. “Nico,
why? How could you not tell me?” She turned around, her face red. “You are
underage, Nico!”
“Shh!”
“Don't shush me.” Bianca smacked his hand away when he tried to grab her.
“You're my brother, and too young to be doing something like this. You don't
need to do this! Why haven't you told me?”
“Because, I knew you'd get mad,” Nico whispered.
“Of course I would!” Bianca shook her head. “You could have stayed with
Daedalus! And Percy...” Her eyes narrowed. “He better be thankful that he's not
here.” She pursed her lips as she looked Nico over. “I can't believe he would
do something like this.”
“I-” Nico wasn't sure he could handle telling his sister that it had been his
decision. At least not yet. “Bianca, can we please go somewhere else to talk?”
“Why?” She practically yelled.
Nico flinched. “Because, I don't want either of us to get in trouble,” he
whispered. Bianca didn't budge. “Please.”
Letting out a sigh, Bianca nodded. Nico took her to the second floor's gym,
where the guy's used to practice with him. It was quiet for a long time, and
Nico paced around. He didn't know what to say. What was he supposed to tell
her? When Nico turned to face Bianca again, he found tears streaming down her
cheeks.
“Nico, this isn't you. This isn't what you need to be doing. You're smart, you
have potential, you don't have to go around selling your body. We can figure
something out for you.”
“Bianca, I'm fine,” Nico whispered, rubbing his arm.
“No, you're not. This isn't okay, Nico. Stop making it out to be something
normal.” Her brow furrowed as she looked at him. “I just...I don't even know
what to think right now. To think that I've been blind to this the whole time.”
She let out a breath, grabbing her brother's wrist. “Come on, we're going to go
upstairs and get your things.”
Nico didn't budge when she tried to leave with him. She looked back at him in
confusion. The Lost Boy quietly shook his head, his lips tilted down. “No,” he
whispered. He finally looked up with a firm stare. “I'm not going.”
“Nico,” Bianca began, but Nico cut her off.
“I'm not going, Bianca.” He pulled his arm away from his sister. “I'm fine,
really. I know I could have probably asked Daedalus to let me stay with him,
but I didn't.” Swallowing a lump in his throat, Nico shook his head. “This was
my own decision, my mistake.”
Bianca stood there, frozen. “You...you chose to do this?” Her lips parted in
shock. “Nico, why?” When he didn't answer, she shook her head. “It doesn't
matter. You don't have to live with your mistakes, Nico. We can still get you
out of here.”
Looking down, Nico balled up his fists. “I don't want to go.”
Bianca shook her head. “I just want to take care of you. You don't have to do
this.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
Nico's lips tilted down, refusing to look up at his sister. “I...can't go.” He
bit down on his lip. “This place is a mess right now. I don't want to abandon
the others. They helped and took care of me when I needed it. Sure it's not
ideal, and they've done some things to hurt me, but the others here have sort
of become a family to me.”
Bianca reached out and touched his shoulder. “And what about me?”
The Lost Boy couldn't help but smile at her. “You'll always be my sister, B.
But I just can't abandon them right now.”
His sister let out a long sigh, shaking her head. “I don't like the thought of
you resorting to this kind of thing in order to survive.” Her shoulders
slumped. “What happened to my little brother that wouldn't even let mom take a
picture of him without his shirt?”
A soft chuckle escaped the brown-eyed boy's lips. “I guess I'm
just...changing.” His gaze softened and he hugged her. “I'm fine, Bianca,
really.”
“I'm just...disappointed.” That stung. Yet again, Nico felt like that was all
he was good at. But Bianca hugged him tighter. “But that doesn't change the
fact that I still love you.” She leaned in, wiped her face, and whispered in
her brother's ear. “If you ever change your mind, I'll be here to come and get
you.”
Nico gave a small nod as she pulled away. “I know you would.” He squeezed her
hand. “Thank you.”
A few more tears slid down the girl's cheek as she ran her fingers through her
little brother's hair. “I just want to protect you, but you're growing up. I
suppose it's time for me to let you make your own decisions now, regardless of
how I feel about them.” She blew out a breath. “Just...I don't think I should
be around the others right now, especially not Percy. This is...a lot to take
in, and I don't think I'll be willing to look him in the eye without punching
him for a while.”
Nico gave a nod. “I understand.”
Bianca grabbed his shoulders. “Just do me one favor,” she said. Nico quirked a
brow at her. “Daedalus told me you have the option to graduate early. The
deadline for that is not far off, so please go through with it. Graduate early
and pick a good school with the money Percy gave you. You can leave all of this
behind you and move on with your life.”
Closing his eyes, Nico nodded. “Okay,” he whispered.
The two siblings sat in the room talking for nearly an hour after that. As much
as Nico hated it, he did lie to her on a few things, like when he told her that
he had never gotten fully naked on stage. Or that there was any prostitution
involved. There was no way Bianca would have let him stay if she knew that,
regardless of how much Nico would have argued. Eventually, though, Bianca had
to leave for school. She didn't say anything when he told her that he was going
back to bed, which probably meant that Daedalus had told her about the fight.
When Bianca finally left, Nico dragged his feet back to the elevators and took
the first one that arrived back up to his floor. He let out a yawn on the way
up. He had a lunch shift today, since he wasn't able to go to school today, so
Nico knew that he wouldn't be able to get much more sleep if he went back to
bed. Didn't mean he wouldn't get what he could, though.
But as he got back to his room and went to lay down on his bed, Nico frowned at
a strangely familiar noise. It had been a long time since he had heard it, but
the Lost Boy recognized it as the sound of a Skype call. Quirking a brow, Nico
slowly crawled off his bed and walked over to where he normally left his
laptop. He must have forgotten to close it the last time he had used it. Which
wasn't very often, if Nico was being honest with himself. There were some days
he even questioned why he had gotten it.
Nico moved his finger across the touchpad, which lit up the screen. And, for a
moment, Nico's heart stopped. It was from Percy. Grabbing his laptop, Nico sat
down on his bed and accepted the call via video chat.
The screen of Nico's laptop was taken over by a lot of blue. It took Nico a
moment to realize it was the curtains of a canopy bed. But more importantly,
there was Percy's face. The young man sat back after adjusting something and
smiled at Nico.
“Hi,” Percy said.
Nico's shoulders relaxed. “Hey,” he breathed out.
“I'm not waking you up, am I?”
Shaking his head, Nico smiled. “No, I've been up.”
Percy slowly nodded. “Okay.” His eyes flickered up. “I heard you got in a
fight, wanted to make sure you were okay.” He chuckled. “I didn't believe it
when Kronos told me, but I guess you did come out on top of the fight.” A faint
grin spread out across Percy's lips as he shifted slightly. “Should I be
worried about this new violent streak you have?”
Nico looked down, paling slightly. Had Kronos told him about the incident last
night? “N-no. I was just-”
Percy chuckled. “Relax, Nico. I'm happy that you defended yourself.” He tilted
his head to the side. “I was going to have a talk with Boreas when I got back,
but Kronos assured me that he had the situation under control.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled. He let out a breath. “So, how are you?”
While Percy did smile back at him, Nico could see the dark circles under his
eyes. Percy looked exhausted. “I'm fine, just been busy.” It didn't do much to
ease Nico's nerves. “Gaea's just had me busy, which is why I haven't had time
to call anyone before now.” He smiled, which melted all of Nico's fears away.
“But I just wanted to check up on you, especially after the fight.”
Nico let out a breath, nodding. “Do you...know when you'll be back?”
“No,” Percy mumbled. He gave the boy a lopsided smile. “Are you okay, though?”
Nico nodded, not really meeting Percy's gaze. “Yeah, I'm fine,” he muttered.
The smile slowly slipped off of Percy's lips and the young man tilted his head
to the side. “Are you sure?” He frowned. “Did something happen?”
He tried not to, but Nico found himself chewing on his lip. “No,” he lied. “I'm
fine, I promise.” Percy wasn't convinced, he could tell. “You know, it's just
that some of the others are fighting a little. It's nothing to worry about,
though.”
“Oh.” Percy blinked. “I hadn't heard. But it's not severe?”
Nico forced himself to smile, shaking his head. “No, we're fine. They'll sort
it out.”
Percy looked over the the camera and Nico heard a door open. There was another
voice, but Nico couldn't quite make it out. It did sound vaguely like Athena,
though. Whatever it was about, Percy nodded. “Okay, just give me a minute.” The
door closed and Percy turned his attention back to the Lost Boy on the
computer. “I have to go in a second.”
Nico gave a small nod, trying to hold his smile in place. “I understand. I-we
miss you.”
There was a brief silence, where Percy just sat there. But then he pursed his
lips and offered the boy a lopsided smile. “I'll be back as soon as I can.” He
let out a breath. “I'll talk to you later, Nico.”
“Bye,” Nico whispered.
When the call ended, Nico's smile disappeared. That had been more painful than
he thought it would have been. It already hurt enough, not having Percy here.
If Percy could just come back, the hotel could go back to normal and everything
would be fine. But it didn't seem like that was going to happen anytime soon.
-----------------------------------------
It was inevitable, Nico knew that, but it still did not make him feel any
better at being in the kink rooms again. The entire floor gave him a very
claustrophobic vibe, and it was not easy to see much of anything in the rooms.
Mainly due to the colored lights, which made him have to squint in order to see
anything distinctly.
When he had arrived, there had been a pair of black, leather underwear on the
bed. Not the best way to enter a room, he thought. But Nico still put them on
and waited. Looking down at himself, Nico had to wonder what would happen if
Nico from a year ago walked in right then and saw him like this. There was no
way he would have sat anywhere in just some leather underwear, regardless of if
he was alone or not. But here he was, and it was happening.
The door opened and Nico turned his head to get his first look at his client.
Nico's eyes widened. Oh dear god, she was an Amazon. She reminded him of an
older Clarisse, just not as scary. He paled as she just looked at him and
pointed at the leather rack in the room. “There. Now,” she ordered in a thick
Russian accent.
The color seemed to drain from Nico's face as he stood up. This woman was going
to break him in half. As she strapped him to the thing, Nico had to wonder just
what was going to happen. He wouldn't really be surprised if she got undressed
and Nico found that she had a penis. Wouldn't surprise him at all.
Lucky for him, or perhaps unlucky as she did have a vagina, Nico watched her
get into a leather suit and grab a whipping cane from the table. As she looked
back at him with a grin, Nico felt sick. But he was now bound, so there was
nowhere for him to go. Not that he probably could get away. If he tried, Nico
could only imagine that she'd lift him up and carry him back into the room like
some Barbarian.
“Let's see how red we can make that flesh of yours.”
Nico wanted to cringe, but his restraints didn't allow for it. Lucky for him,
Leo had informed him that there wasn't really anything that he had to worry
about as far as information gathering. He found himself very thankful for that
now, since the woman might rip his head off for asking too many questions.
The Lost Boy gritted his teeth as the thin, black cane cracked against his
stomach. How did people enjoy this? Sure Nico had enjoyed it rough with Luke,
but this was just unpleasant. There was no pleasure for him in this. Another
strike, this time to his chest. From there, she struck him across the back and
on his legs. If she expected anything from him as far as sex was concerned,
Nico hated to tell her that she wasn't gonna get it.
His body was far too sore by the tenth strike to get anything up, even with a
pill. It was at this point that she ripped the back of his underwear and struck
him across the ass. Letting out a hiss, Nico's body attempted to draw away from
the woman the best it could. It didn't get very far, and the woman didn't seem
very happy with.
“Stay still,” she growled, striking him across his butt again. Nico pursed his
lips and nodded his consent. Anything to make her stop faster.
Nico did learn one thing while in the room: the woman seemed to feel superior
to men. It was just a hunch, though.
“Tell me who is better,” she commanded as she struck Nico on the stomach again.
“You!” Nico yelped.
“That's right.” She pointed the cane in Nico's face, narrowing her eyes. “They
told me I couldn't compete with the men, but I show them. I put them all to
shame.”
Nico didn't like being this close to the scary woman. If she didn't break him,
Nico was afraid she might try to have sex with him. He honestly didn't know
which was worse. But by this point, Nico was fighting back tears.
“Bah,” she scoffed and put the cane down. “You puny boy, just like all other
men.”
Nico's body was practically limp as he watched her change back into her
clothes. He attempted to raise a questioning brow, but the Lost Boy honestly
didn't have the energy. His entire body felt like it was on fire. Right before
she left, the woman untied Nico's arms, where he fell to the floor.
The boy groaned as the straps around his legs caught while falling. She just
scoffed at him again and left the room. Nico struggled to push himself up and
he looked at the door. Was that it? He looked around for a second. Was she
trying to trick him, or something? After thirty seconds had passed, Nico
quickly untied his legs and got out of the underwear.
Slipping back into his clothes, Nico let out a hiss. Moving hurt, as did the
feel of his clothes against his body. From what he could make out, his body was
also severely covered in red marks. Whimpering slightly, Nico opened the door
and slipped into the hall.
Clarisse looked up from where she sat behind a small desk, a bowl of popcorn in
her lap. Some action movie was on the small TV she had with her, though the
volume was turned down. “Have a good time?” She said with a grin.
Nico didn't have the energy to even glare at her. “My body hurts.” Nico
practically collapsed on the desk. “But I don't understand, why did she just
leave like that?”
Clarisse gave a shrug. “Just the way some customers are. We got some weirdos
around here, let me tell you.”
The Lost Boy let out a hiss, his hand shooting down to his stomach. “What am I
supposed to do about all these marks? What if they bruise?”
She arched a brow and stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. “Have Will
look at them.”
Nico gave a lazy nod. “Okay.” He tried to leave, but his body wouldn't
cooperate.
“But he's seeing a client upstairs, so you'll just have to wait. Try his room.
I think Apollo already left the top floor.”
“Will do,” Nico whispered, rubbing his neck.
As he dragged his feet towards the elevator, the doors opened and Chris stepped
out. He stopped when he noticed Nico. “You look like you just came from a five
hour run.” The young man tilted his head to the side when he noticed Nico
limping. “Customer must have been good,” he chuckled.
“Didn't even have sex,” Nico groaned.
“He just got whipped,” Clarisse said casually.
Nico let out a hiss as Chris lifted up his shirt for inspection. The brunet let
out a low whistle. “I'd get that looked at.” Nico nodded. The young man smiled
and patted him on the head, which was the only place really safe to touch Nico.
“Have a good night, Nico.”
“Thanks,” Nico muttered as he boarded the elevator.
As the doors closed, Nico's eyes flickered up to watch Chris sit down beside
Clarisse, tossing an arm around her. He smiled a little as the elevator began
to go up. At least there was still some happiness around here. Still, the Lost
Kids as a whole did not look good. Nico wasn't sure what was going to happen to
them. It didn't seem like Percy was going to be back anytime soon, so were they
just going to tear each other apart. Was no one going to stop it?
Arriving on their floor, Nico walked down to Apollo's door and knocked. It took
a few seconds, but the blond eventually opened the door with a green bottle in
his hand. “You look like shit,” the blond greeted him.
Nico mustered up a glare before slipping past the older Lost Boy. “I need to
see Will. I just got through with a client that wanted to whip me.”
“Damn.” Apollo motioned to the couch, which was when Nico noticed that Calypso
was also there. The girl smiled over at the two of them. “He should be back
soon, if you don't mind waiting.”
Nico nodded and sat down beside the Lost Girl. Apollo grabbed a few more
bottles from the kitchen before sitting down on the other side of Nico and
leaned against the arm of the couch. Without saying anything to the other Lost
Boy, the blond pulled Nico to lean against his chest. Nico was about to
complain, but then Apollo began to massage his shoulders. Who was he to
complain then?
Calypso picked up one of the bottles that Apollo had gotten from the kitchen
and uncapped it. Nico silently watched the girl as she raised the bottle to her
lips and took a long swig. Nico was about to fall asleep, when Apollo finally
spoke.
“So, how goes the war?”
Calypso rolled her eyes and took another drink. “Drew is like a child. I mean,
she doesn't even realize when she's being offensive.”
Nico stretched out his legs, letting his head fall onto the blond's shoulder.
Apollo's hand came up and began to massage the boy's hair. “How's Piper doing?”
The Lost Girl let out a breath. “I think she's too angry to feel upset right
now.”
“What happened anyways?” Nico mumbled.
Calypso gave him a warm smile, reaching over to run her fingers through his
hair. “It was just something Drew said to Piper about her father. I was already
irritated with Drew, so I told her that she was probably too insecure to let
people see her without makeup.”
More petty quarreling. From what Nico had gathered, this was the case for most
of the fights between the Lost Kids. Only a few actually had severe and
understandable events that had initiated them. As Nico was not wanting to get
into his own argument, he decided to keep his opinions to himself. “I mean, is
that true?”
Calypso gave him a curious look. She sighed and shrugged. “Possibly. More than
likely.”
Apollo deposited his empty bottle on the table in front of them before grabbing
another. Before uncapping, though, the blond held it out to Nico. “Want one?”
Nico stared at the bottle being held in front of his face. His last drinking
experience had not turned out well at all, and he really didn't want to
disappoint Percy again. But he couldn't lie, the bottle did sound appealing.
The others used it to take their minds off things, so why couldn't Nico?
It was then that something dawned on him. Percy's order had never been to not
drink, had it? No, Percy had only told him not to develop a drinking problem.
And there it was, laying out in front of him. Dionysus was right about one
thing, Percy really did have hidden meanings. It was never that Percy wanted
Nico to refrain from drinking alcohol, but rather that he didn't want Nico to
become an alcoholic.
Nico briefly wondered if Percy knew everything about his father. Did Percy know
that Hades used to have a drinking problem? Nico scoffed. Used to. He said it
like the man had done it so long ago, yet the man had been drinking a few times
during the week that Nico had finally came out to him.
And why would Percy consider drinking wrong anyways? Nico shook his head. He
felt stupid for not realizing this sooner. Percy would never tell him to
refrain from drinking, as it wasn't something Percy viewed as wrong. Because it
wasn't wrong. Nico had never really believed it was wrong himself, but perhaps
he just didn't want to turn out like his father. But as long as it didn't
become an issue, Nico didn't see why he couldn't drink every now and then.
Without saying anything, Nico slowly reached out and accepted the green bottle
from Apollo. It surprised the blond at first, but he eventually smiled and
grabbed another bottle for himself. Nico raised his bottle to his lips. The
taste was a little stout, and burned a little. Nico briefly made a face before
taking another drink.
He had no intention on getting drunk, but it did help the boy take his mind off
things for a little while. And that was really all he could ask for. The hotel
had felt so hectic ever since Percy left, and it was nice to just escape from
it all for a few moments.
“How is it?” Calypso asked after a few drinks.
“Not bad.” Nico tilted his head back to look at the blond behind him. “What's
in it?”
Apollo grinned and slid an arm around Nico's waist. “Some vodka and fruit.
Good, yeah?”
Nico nodded and tilted the bottle back again. He sipped at it mostly. It did
scare him a little, but mostly because Nico didn't want to turn out like his
father. But at the same time, something like that shouldn't keep him from doing
something. He just needed to remind himself that he was nothing like his
father.
After taking another sip, Nico looked up at Apollo. “Can I ask your opinion on
something?”
The blond blinked down at him. “What's up, buddy?”
Nico let out a breath. “Is this fighting going to keep going? Don't you think
it's getting out of hand? You, Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia should put a stop to
it all.”
Apollo pursed his lips and took another drink. “I don't know what to tell you
there,” the blond whispered. “I don't have answer for that, Nico. Probably
whenever one of us can grow up enough to get everyone to put their differences
aside.”
“Not a very easy task,” Calypso mumbled.
The blond nodded in agreement. “On the bright side, at least the blame isn't
being directed at you, Nico.” Nico glared at him. Apollo let out a chuckle.
“I'm just being honest. Now it seems other things are bringing out everyone's
issues.”
“If we don't kill each other before that happens.”
The Lost Boy knocked his bottle together with Calypso's. “True enough.” He let
out a sigh. “I mean, the only other possibility that I can see is that Percy
comes back.”
Yeah, because that was going to happen soon, Nico thought bitterly. Nico shook
his head with another sip of his drink. His eyes drifted up when there was a
noise at the door. The faint click of a keycard unlocking the door was heard
right before the handle turned.
Will stepped inside, arching an eyebrow at the three on the couch when he
noticed them. “Are we having a party?”
“Something like that,” Apollo mumbled, finishing off his drink.
Will smirked at seeing the bottle in Nico's hand. “Having another go at the
whole drinking experience, eh?”
Nico's lips tilted down. “Rough day,” the youngest Lost Boy muttered.
Will chuckled and walked over to the couch. He bent over and plucked the bottle
out of Nico's hands before taking a small sip. Nico glared up at him as the
blond handed the bottle back to him. Nico would have complained about the whole
thing, but Will looked exhausted. He also had a contagious yawn that slowly
spread from person to person in the suite.
Catching Nico's gaze, Will nodded towards his room. “Can we talk for a minute?”
Nico quietly nodded and deposited his bottle on the table. Apollo shot Will a
grin as the blond disappeared down the hall, which earned him the bird in
response. Calypso smiled and waved at Nico before the boy could follow after
the younger blond.
Once inside Will's room, the blond shut the door. Nico's eyes flickered down
when the blond wasted no time in ridding himself of his shirt and shorts. The
blond briefly disappeared into his closet before returning dressed in a
sleeveless green shirt and white cotton shorts. Will plopped down on the bed,
though he did not look at Nico. Letting out a sigh, Will ran a hand through his
hair.
“Are you mad at me?”
Nico leaned back, resting on his elbows. He tilted his head to the side to meet
the blond's gaze. “I talked with Luke.” Will pursed his lips. Nico let out a
sigh. “Why are you fighting with him over me? You shouldn't be jealous.”
“I can't help it,” Will muttered. Nico watched as the tan blond picked at his
sheets. “I just thought that...with Percy gone...maybe I stood a chance.” Will
let his head fall back with a groan. “That sounds horrible, like I'm glad he's
gone. I'm not. I just...didn't feel like I stood a chance with him around.” He
let out a chuckle. “And, I mean, it's Percy. I can't feel jealous of Percy,
he's always looked after me.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Well you shouldn't feel jealous of Luke either. Nothing
is going on between the two of us.” The boy's cheeks lit up at the memory of
the previous day. “Well, nothing serious. Nothing romantic.”
The blond's brow furrowed. “Did you...?” He trailed off. Nico was quiet, but
his blush gave him away. Will's shoulders slumped. “Oh. I just want a chance,
Nico. That's all I'm asking for.” The blond Lost Boy's gaze softened and his
lips formed into a pout. “Just give me a chance, at least until Percy comes
back. If you still want Percy by then, I'll back off.”
Why was it that Nico's love life seemed to be insane ever since he arrived at
the hotel? Back when he was still at home, Nico never really got attention from
guys. And now he was having a hard time keeping up with all of them.
Letting out a breath, Nico collapsed on the bed beside the blond. Will smiled
over at him and pulled the raven-haired boy closer. Nico didn't struggle,
instead sliding his arm around Will's back. The blond's arms engulfed him,
pulling the small boy into the firm chest in front of him. Nico let out a sigh.
He liked Will, he did, but there was just something that nagged at him from the
back of his mind.
It wasn't Percy, Nico knew that much. Well, perhaps part of it was because of
Percy, but there was something else. Nico just couldn't put his finger on it.
Still, Will made him feel warm and safe, and it felt easier than with Percy.
The green-eyed young man was something far from obtainable, something that
there was no way to get unless one worked for it. Will just came naturally. It
was nice, almost peaceful.
Nico hummed a little as Will's fingers slid under his shirt and traced across
Nico's soft, pale back. The blond chuckled when Nico let out a groan. “Your
back is tense.”
“No shit,” Nico mumbled into the warm chest in front of him.
“Do you want a massage?”
Like he would turn that down? Nico wasted no time complying. He rolled onto his
stomach, while Will sat down on his butt. Nico's shirt was tugged over his
head. Will leaned forward and chuckled in Nico's ear, but Nico found himself
too distracted by what was now pressing against his ass. Will hummed lightly as
his hands began to work on the smaller boy's shoulders. A long moan escaped the
youngest Lost Boy's lips as the blond worked his way down Nico's back.
“I see you were in the kink rooms tonight,” Will whispered. Nico gave a small
nod. The blond jumped off his back. Nico frowned and tilted his head to locate
the blond, who was pulling out some lotion. He smiled at Nico briefly before
going to the door. “I'll be right back.”
Nico could hear the sink running from the bathroom. Then there were footsteps,
though Will didn't come back to the room. Judging by the sounds of it, Will had
gone to the living room, since Nico could hear Apollo and Calypso talking to
Will. After that, the blond finally returned with a wet washcloth and a bowl of
ice.
Nico quirked his head. “What's all this for?”
Will slid onto the bed, depositing everything he had gotten next to Nico.
“Well,” the blond began, “the lotion has some epsom salts in it to help you
relax. Then I got this warm washcloth to help improve the circulation, while
the ice is to help reduce swelling and visibility.” The cloth was pressed to
Nico's back. “These need to heal as fast as possible.”
Nico's body felt like jelly as Will went through his routine. He started with
Nico's back. First, the blond pressed the warm cloth to each bruise that Nico
had acquired from the insane woman from earlier. From there, Will applied the
lotion and massaged it into Nico's back. It was a little rough, but Nico
supposed that was from the salts that the blond had said was mixed into it.
Will then instructed Nico to roll onto his back, so that the blond could take
care of the boy's chest. After that was done, Will grinned. He placed a kiss on
Nico's stomach, slipping the boy out of his shorts. Nico just blinked up at
him, not really certain if he wanted it to stop or not. Will reached out and
took an ice cube from the bowl beside Nico's head.
Nico shivered as the ice was trailed down his stomach. Will grinned up at him,
following the cold with his warm kisses. Nico eventually had to roll onto his
stomach again, so that Will could take care of his back. The ice sent shivers
all throughout his skin, while the warmth of Will's mouth sent euphoric
explosions all throughout Nico's entire being. He didn't even notice that Will
was sliding his boxer-briefs off until he felt one of the blond's hand slide
along his bare ass.
Not that he stopped the blond after realizing it.
Will picked up another ice cube and grinned down at Nico again. Nico's eyes
fluttered closed as the ice was trailed down Nico's spine. And then lower. It
kept going until the blond slid it along the crack of Nico's ass. Will's tongue
followed after it, licking at the wet trail the ice had left behind.
Will laid down on Nico's back, though he made sure to keep most of his weight
off of the bruised boy's back. Nico rolled his head to the side and Will
captured his lips with his own. Nico rolled over and wrapped his arms around
the blond's neck, while Will slid his hands along the raven-haired boy's sides.
Nico's hands mindlessly worked on getting the blond's shorts off, while Will
rid himself of his shirt. Nico broke their kiss to get a look at the body that
lay in front of him. And he was not disappointed. Will was lean, but he was
also one of the Lost Boys with the least muscle. Not that Nico minded, he
didn't really care for too much muscle. In truth, Will's body reminded Nico a
lot of Percy's body with its lean and swimmer-like structure.
The next thing Nico knew, Will was on top of him. Small kisses were placed
along the brown-eyed boy's neck as the blond wrapped Nico's legs around his
waist. Part of Nico's mind screamed for him to stop it before it went too far,
the other part told the first part to shut up and let it happen.
Take a guess at which part won the argument.
One of Nico's hands tangled in Will's hair, his other hand trailed fingers down
the blond's lean torso. Will pulled back with a small smile. “Can you get a
condom and some lube from my nightstand?”
Nico quirked a brow, but complied. He rolled onto his stomach and slid up the
bed a little to reach the drawer. As his fingers made contact with a condom,
Nico's eyes snapped open with a gasp. Will had taken the opportunity to spread
Nico's cheeks apart and press his tongue against the boy's entrance. With a
chuckle, Will pulled back and groped the brown-eyed boy's ass.
“You have a really nice ass.”
Nico rolled his eyes and grabbed the bottle of lube. “Here.”
He went to roll back over, but Will held him in place and pressed his tongue
against Nico's entrance again. Nico's fingers tightened in the sheets as Will
prepared him with his tongue. During this time, Will reached out and grabbed
the bottle of lube from where it laid on the bed. Snapping the bottle open,
Will applied some of the clear gel to his fingertips. Pulling back, Will
pressed a brief kiss to Nico's lower back.
Nico was rolled onto his back, where Will inserted the first finger. Perhaps it
was because of the alcohol in his system, but Nico didn't really feel any pain
as Will stretched him out. He wasn't drunk, not even tipsy, but he did feel a
slight buzz.
Will kissed him again. “Do you want to stop? I'll understand, since you had a
client earlier.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “She and I never did anything,” the boy panted. “And
you're one to talk, you literally just got back from your own client.”
The way Will grinned at him made Nico melt a little. “Yeah, but I actually want
to have it with you. Besides, I'm still young.” Nico arched a brow at him.
“Okay, and I didn't actually get off with her.”
Nico chuckled as they kissed again. “Well, maybe we should fix that.”
“I think I like this change.”
After applying a second finger and managing to find Nico's prostate, Will slid
on the condom and spread Nico's legs. There was a dull ache that coursed
through Nico's lower half as Will slid into Nico. The brown-eyed boy opened his
mouth in a moan, which Will used as an opportunity to slide his tongue into the
younger boy's mouth.
Nico's fingers gripped the blond's hair as the other Lost Boy finished
sheathing himself. A moan escaped Nico's lips with the first real thrust. “You
okay?” Will whispered when Nico clung tightly to the blond's back. Nico gave a
small nod. Smiling, Will leaned down and kissed the boy's forehead.
Out of all the sexual encounters Nico had experienced so far, Will definitely
touched him the most. But it didn't feel as calculated as with Percy. Will was
beyond affectionate with his caresses, but something was different. Every touch
from Percy could set a fire within Nico's body. Every little touch and motion
with Percy always had an affect on the boy. It was like Percy knew what Nico
wanted, while Will was just being overall caring. And neither of them were as
rough as Luke. In fact, quite the opposite was the case with Will.
Nico smiled up at the blond. “You can go faster.”
Will kissed his chest. “I don't want to hurt you.”
Wrapping his legs tighter around the blond, Nico pulled Will's hips forward.
The blond's head fell against Nico's chest in a moan. “I'm not made of glass,
Will,” Nico panted.
Will's fingers dug into Nico's hips as the blond thrust forward before pulling
back out. During all of this, Will ran a hand along Nico's inner thigh, slowly
moving to wrap a hand around Nico's member. Reaching up, Nico placed his hand
on the back of the blond's neck and pulled him down for a long kiss.
The slightly older Lost Boy remained at an agonizingly slow pace, though.
Nico's head fell back with a mix of a groan and moan. It was beyond frustrating
that Will wouldn't go faster, but at the same time, it felt incredible. In a
lot of ways, it was what Nico had been seeking all this time. He knew that Will
could probably care for him and look after him, it reflected through all of the
blond's affection towards the raven-haired boy. But that didn't stop the
nagging in the back of Nico's mind.
Though, the constant kisses he received with each thrust was pretty nice.
Running his fingers into the back of Nico's hair, Will finally picked up the
pace a little. Not much, but it was better than nothing. Nico found it hard to
keep his eyes open. Not because it hurt or anything, but because Will stared at
him the whole time. It wasn't a bad thing, it just made Nico feel self-
conscious. Those blue eyes stared down at him with such intensity.
Will finally lifted Nico's legs onto his shoulders and leaned directly over the
boy underneath him. Nico's mouth fell open in a quiet moan as the blond's
erection made direct contact with his prostate. Will grinned before leaning
down for another kiss. Nico moaned into the older boy's mouth as the blond
wrapped a hand around his member and began to stroke him.
With another hit to Nico's prostate, Nico's mouth fell open and Will slid his
tongue in. The blond's free hand wrapped underneath Nico's lower back, using it
to pull Nico onto his cock. Nico's eyes scrunched closed as he kissed the blond
back vigorously. And, with a final thrust, Nico's head fell back as he reached
his climax. At the same time that the door opened.
“Hey, do either of you want-” Apollo froze as Nico let out a moan and shot his
essence on his stomach. Will pressed his hands on either side of Nico, panting
heavily. He tossed his head to the side to glare at his roommate. “Um, never
mind.”
Will dropped beside Nico as the door shut, chuckling lightly. Nico let out a
breath, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't like it was the first time someone
had walked in on him during sex. He supposed it was just karma getting back at
him for walking in on everyone else. Will chuckled and let out a breath before
reaching over the edge of the bed to grab a towel.
Nico reached up for it, but Will batted his hand away. The blond kissed Nico as
he wiped the pale boy's stomach clean. After he was done, Will pulled off the
used condom and tossed it in the trash. With a groan, the blond fell back on
the bed and draped an arm across the raven-haired boy's chest. Nico smiled as
he slid his fingers along Will's arm.
“I feel like I could sleep for a few days,” the blond mumbled into Nico's
shoulder. Nico smiled and rolled his head to the side. The blond laid on his
stomach, his cheek pressed firmly into the mattress and one arm wrapped around
Nico. This also gave Nico a spectacular view of his friend's ass. A perfect
ten, by the way. Nico had yet to find a swimmer or surfer that didn't have a
nice butt.
Nico rolled over, so that part of his chest lay across Will's back. His
fingertips slowly trailed their way across the blond's smooth back. Will hummed
in contentment.
“You're welcome to sleep here.”
Nico smiled. “That sounds really tempting, you have no idea.” He let out a
sigh. “But it's just been a really long day, and I kind of want some time to
myself to do some thinking.”
Will gave a slow nod before rolling onto his back and enveloping Nico into a
hug. “Well, if you need me, don't hesitate to call.”
Nico dropped his head onto the older Lost Boy's chest. “Thanks. And I mean that
for being there and what just happened.”
Will chuckled. “It was my pleasure. I'm just happy to get a chance.”
“I just don't want to lead you on. I don't want to end up hurting someone.”
“I know,” Will whispered. He ran his fingers through Nico's dark locks. “I'm a
big boy, though.” Grinning, the blond's hands came down onto Nico's ass and
squeezed. “I guess you should get going then.”
Nico sighed before getting onto his knees. Will smirked as his cerulean eyes
trailed down the pale boy's body. Just a few months ago, Nico would have found
himself extremely uncomfortable at being so exposed, but it didn't really
bother him at all right now. He quickly leaned down for a brief kiss.
After getting dressed, Nico exited Will's room. Calypso was already gone, but
Apollo sat on the couch with a sheet of paper. Nico quirked a brow. “Whatcha
doing?”
The blond looked up. “Just writing some music.” He shook his head. “Nothing
really important.” A sly grin appeared. “So, you two finally did the deed.”
“I suppose so,” Nico whispered. The boy shook his head. “Now only you and
Octavian can't say you've been with me.”
Apollo winked at him. “Let's keep in mind that I was the first to get you out
of your clothes. Besides, you told me that you'd let me know when you were
willing to try having sex with people other than Percy.”
Nico gave a nod. “I did say that.” He shook his head with a smirk. “We'll see.
I just...” his smile slowly faded away, “need to do some thinking. A lot on my
mind.” He bit down on his lip. “Have you ever felt like you were losing
yourself?”
Apollo tilted his head to the side, setting the paper in his lap aside.
“Everything okay there, Nico?” The blond's lips tilted down. “We've kind of
been getting worried about you, what with your new behavior lately.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled. He let out a sigh. “Maybe I'm just meant to turn out like
everyone else.”
The young man on the couch stood up and rubbed the back of his neck. “I think
that's still your decision to make, dude.”
“Am I a horrible person?” Nico's hand clung tightly to his shirt, unwilling to
look up from the floor. “I'm a little scared of what I'm becoming. What if I
turn out just like my father?”
Nico's eyes widened as a pair of arms enveloped him. “Nico, I don't think you
are capable of turning into your father.” The blond's tan hand griped the back
of the boy's black hair. “No matter what you become, I wouldn't think any less
of you. You're a good kid, Nico, and you have a good heart deep down.” He
leaned back, tilting Nico's chin up. “I think that counts for something. If
it's any consolation, I don't think you're too far gone to turn around if you
chose.”
Nico stared up at the blond with wide. “You think so?”
A small smile crept across the blond's lips. “I do. I think you're stronger
than you give yourself credit for, or perhaps stronger than you realize.”
Rubbing Nico's back, Apollo let the boy go and walked him to the door.
“Just...whatever path you choose, don't come to hate yourself. I think that's
the worst thing you can do. Fall that far and...well, you'll end up like
Percy.”
“Yeah,” Nico whispered. He brushed some of his hair out of his face before he
stepped out the door. Turning around, he offered Apollo a weak smile. “Thank
you.”
Apollo gave a nod. “Take care of yourself, Nico, and get some sleep.”
With that, Apollo shut the door. Nico took in a deep breath before walk towards
his door. As he took out his keycard, the elevator dinged. Quirking his head to
the side, Nico stopped in the hallway.
Butch walked around the corner. “Hi,” Nico greeted him.
The older Lost Boy stopped and blinked at Nico. “What are you still doing up,
shortie?”
Nico blinked. “I could ask you the same question. It's like...” Nico pulled out
his phone, “nearly four. You okay?”
“Yeah,” the muscular Lost Boy muttered. He sighed and turned to face Nico.
“Just been doing some thinking, trying to clear my head. Went for a walk
outside.”
Nico gave a small nod. “Yeah, I know the feeling.” Nico slipped his card back
into his pocket. “Is it about all the fighting?”
A sigh escaped Butch's lips. “Partly. Part of it is my mother. I still feel so
awkward around her. I don't know what to say to her half of the time.”
Nico ran a hand through his hair. “Well, I'm sure she's happy just getting to
spend time with you.” A sad look overtook Nico's dark eyes. “I just wish I
could have something like that with my mother now, even if it was strained.”
“I'm sorry,” Butch muttered.
Nico shook his head. “You don't have to apologize. It wasn't my fault, I know
that. There wasn't anything I could have done. If I had told her, there was a
chance she would have come looking for me. Or worse, she might have told my
father.” Letting out a sigh, Nico looked up at the muscular Lost Boy. “I think
you should keep at it. You might come to regret it if you don't.”
Butch frowned at the younger boy. “Nico, are you okay?”
Nico chuckled, though he kept his eyes hidden from the other Lost Boy. “Yeah,
totally fine,” he lied. He pursed his lips tightly, willing himself not to cry.
The smile remained in place on Nico's lips. “Trust me. I wasn't willing to even
try with my mother.”
“Your father didn't need to find out,” Butch rationalized.
“But it's all okay now.” Nico smiled, his eyes still hidden. He clapped Butch
on the arm before he faced his back to the taller Lost Boy. “My biggest regret
is that I let her go to her grave, believing that her son might have been
dead.”
A hand came to rest on Nico's shoulder. “I think your mother would understand,
Nico. Don't beat yourself up over it.”
Nico finally looked up at Butch. His face was a mask, the smile eerily masking
the feelings behind it. “Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine,” he tried to
reassure the young man.
“Yeah,” Butch whispered. His brow furrowed as he observed Nico's face. “If I
didn't know better, I'd believe you. Nico, you don't need to keep all of this
bottled up, man. It's not good for you.”
Nico slowly nodded, pulling his key back out and sliding it into its slot.
“Yeah, because all of you are just experts at not doing that.”
Butch frowned as Nico opened his door. “I think you're in the worst argument
out of all of us, Nico.” The brown-eyed boy frowned and turned his head to
stare at Butch. “You might not have killed your father, but you're killing
yourself. Beating yourself up is the worst fight to get in, because no one is
going to criticize you as harshly as you will yourself.”
Butch disappeared into his suite, leaving Nico alone in the hallway. The raven-
haired boy frowned and wrapped an arm around himself as he slipped into his own
suite. Reaching up, Nico touched at his face. He felt cold and empty.
Everything had fallen apart.
***** A Birthday You Will Never Forget *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“You're a man now. You've grown up on me. Next thing I know, I'm going to be
bailing you out of jail for being drunk in public.”
Nico felt his eye twitch as he pried himself from Bianca's grasp. “I'm only
seventeen, B.”
Patting him on the head, the boy's sister handed him her present. Nico smiled
as he untied the green ribbon. As soon as he recognized what it was, Nico's
cheeks flared up. From the box, Nico pulled out a small figurine.
Nico gave his sister an odd look. “This is Mythomagic, Bianca.”
The girl nodded with a giant smile. “It was the only one you never got,
remember?”
Jason peered over Nico's shoulder with a raised brow. “What is it?”
“A figurine of Hades,” Nico mumbled. He sighed and scrunched his lips. He liked
it, it was thoughtful. But it just made him think of his father. Nico would
never understand how his grandparents could name their child after a Greek god.
They were Italian, not Greek! Not wanting to disappoint his sister, the boy
smiled. “Thank you.”
“Oh.” Bianca dug in her jeans. “Here, I brought you this, too.”
Nico's breath stilled. He could recognize that ring anywhere. The ring was made
of pure silver, with a skull on the very top and two rubies for eyes. It used
to belong to his grandfather before the man had died. It had since been with
their father. Nico looked up with wide eyes. “What are you doing giving it to
me? Dad would kill me if he knew I had it?”
Bianca scoffed. “Grandad always wanted you to have it, Dad was just too
stubborn to ever give it to you.”
The raven-haired Lost Boy took in a deep breath before he slipped the ring on.
He had always loved his grandparents, they weren't anything like his father.
Back when they were still alive, Hades took them to Italy once a year to visit.
But that had been back before they had died when Nico was like ten.
When Nico looked up, he found that Bianca was giving him an odd look. He
blinked. “What?”
His sister frowned. “Are you limping?”
Nico felt his cheeks heat up. He shot Jason a glare when he heard the blond
snort behind him. Bianca gave the boy a curious look, but Jason quickly looked
away, whistling. As Nico continued to glare, a faint blush dusted over the
blond's cheeks. “I wouldn't know how that could have happened,” Nico ground
out, still glaring at the blond.
Earlier that morning, Jason had given Nico his present. That present happened
to be birthday sex. Twice. Once in the bed, then Jason snuck into the shower
with Nico. When Nico had questioned why Jason had done it after they were done,
the blond had replied that everyone should get laid on their birthday. When
Nico doubted him, the blond admitted that he was a little horny, but didn't
want to go to the others to help relieve it. And so began Nico and Jason's
awkward friendship.
Daedalus clapped Nico on the back with a grin. “Your brother applied for
graduation today.”
Bianca shot her younger brother a knowing look, along with an appreciative
smile. “Did he? Well, that's good to hear.” She slung an arm around him. “Now
you just need to find yourself a university.”
“Yeah,” Nico muttered.
“But, you know, that other option is still open.”
Nico rolled his eyes. He chose to ignore the confused look from Daedalus. “I'm
fine, I swear.”
Nico shot his roommate a look that screamed: help me! The blond chuckled and
pulled out his keys. “Well, we need to get back. I think we're gonna throw a
small party for your brother before work.”
This was the first Nico had heard of this, but at least Bianca agreed to let
him go. She managed in one last hug before Nico could slide into Jason's car.
Jason arched a brow at the box containing the figurine in Nico's lap.
“Dork,” he muttered.
Nico shot him a glare. “Jock.”
The blond wagged his brows. “You weren't complaining about it this morning.”
Nico rolled his eyes as Jason drove out of the parking lot. His gaze fell out
the window, his lips tilting down. It had been about a week since Bianca had
found out that Nico stripped, and he was already worried that she was going to
keep persisting that Nico leave the hotel. Deep down, though, Nico knew that he
probably should. Should was the key word. But Nico already had a history of bad
decisions, so why should he change for this?
No sense in breaking tradition.
Jason tossed his roommate a brief glance. “What was that back there?”
“What?” Nico turned his head to face the blond. “Oh.” Nico let out a sigh. “My
father told Bianca that I'm stripping. She wants me to leave the hotel and stay
with Daedalus until I graduate.”
Those electric blue eyes shot back over briefly. “So why don't you?” He offered
Nico a shrug. “It's not like it'd be bad, you'd be with Daedalus. Minerva would
take care of you, she's a good woman.”
Nico's eyes were locked on his ring, twisting it on his finger. “Why don't you
leave?” He mumbled.
A chuckle escaped the blond's lips. “And where would I go? Sure I could stay
with Daedalus until graduation, but what then? I'm not as smart as you, Nico.”
The boy's eyes grew dull. “You make better decisions than me.”
“That's because there's a difference between street smart and book smart. You
make better grades than me. Hell, Daedalus says you make better grades than
your sister.” He grinned over at his roommate. “You might make poor decisions,
but you're good with school. You could probably get into any school you wanted.
I think the only people smarter than you at the hotel would be Rachel,
Octavian, and Annabeth.” He nudged the pale boy. “Stop selling yourself short,
man.”
Nico carelessly shook his head. “Doesn't really matter. Several of the others
go to college. Any of them could find a future out of here as well.”
“But they don't,” Jason muttered. He sighed and cast Nico a brief glance. “From
what I've heard from the others, there has never been a Lost Kid to leave
Gaea's web once they are in it. I mean, look around. Ganymede, Dionysus, and
Circe are still in the hotel. Aphrodite has her boutique in the city. We have a
bank that caters to our needs, probably because someone in there has worked for
Gaea in the past.
“Where do you think all of the Lost Kids go after they reach thirty? Annabeth,
Luke, my sister, and Apollo weren't the first Lost Kids, they're just the
oldest ones still working here. Thalia told me that one that left last year
went on to become a manager up in Canada.” The blond shrugged. “They don't have
the stripping and illegal business operations, but this is what happens to Lost
Kids at some point.”
The car was silent for an awkward moment before Nico cracked a grin. “Maybe we
should just run away together,” the brown-eyed boy joked. Jason arched a brow.
“Yeah, just live on the road, just the two of us. We can get fake names and
everything. Maybe grow a mustache.”
Jason snorted. “Can you even grow facial hair?”
“Shut up!”
The blond laughed. “And why exactly would we need fake names?”
Tapping his finger to his lips, Nico thought about it for a moment. “Maybe kill
Kronos.” Jason frowned at him. “Not like anyone would miss him. The world would
thank us.”
Jason sighed. “You don't mean that.”
“No,” Nico sighed, “but I'm pretty sure the thought has crossed most people's
minds.” Jason grunted in agreement. “I don't know, I'm not sure I can see
myself out of the hotel anymore.”
“But you don't want this life. I know you don't.”
The boy's lips tilted down. “Maybe not, but I don't want to leave. I think I'd
miss everyone too much.”
As they neared the hotel, Jason reached over and squeezed Nico's hand. “You
realize that we could probably still see you, right?”
Nico's dull eyes met with Jason's blue ones. “Do you really believe that? We
don't exactly get much free time at the hotel, aside from the occasional
weekend off.” He snorted. “And I doubt Percy or Kronos would let me come
upstairs if I left.”
Jason didn't answer, and Nico didn't bother to let the conversation continue.
It felt pointless. If he could leave, why couldn't they? Not like it really
mattered at the moment, since Kronos wasn't letting them run off. He even kept
them pretty restricted during their weekends off. And with Leo's theory that
Kronos was going to implant them with microchips, nobody was really willing to
chance anything. Nico, however, thought Leo was being an idiot.
When they got back to the hotel, Rachel stopped Nico from going into the
conference room. Instead, she directed him to Kronos's office, who apparently
wanted to have a word with Nico. Great, Nico thought, it was bound to be the
best birthday present he could imagine. Not.
Nico took in a deep breath before he knocked. “Come in,” Kronos called from the
other side of the door. Letting out a short breath, Nico stepped inside. Kronos
didn't bother looking up from what he was doing. “Yes, celebrations and all
that.” Kronos let out a breath before he dropped his pen and sat back in his
chair. “As custom, you're getting the night off from dealing with clients.”
Nico felt a wave of relief flood through him at the mere sound of those words.
But he did his best to contain his excitement, least Kronos decide to ruin it
all for him. “Thank you, sir.”
The manager rolled his eyes and rested his elbow on the desk, propping his chin
on it. “Don't get too excited, you're still expected to perform.” Nico gave a
quick nod. Kronos leaned back, resting his hands behind his head. “And here I
am without a present for you. I suppose the ordeal with your father can be
enough of a gift.”
There was a twitch from Nico's lips. “You mean the thing you forced me to do?”
The annoying smirk appeared on the manager's lips as he observed Nico. “I made
you? Did I now?” His grin grew, showing off his teeth. “I didn't make you do
anything, it was your choice to stab your father.”
Nico's eyes narrowed. “You told me I had to,” he growled. “You told me to stab
him or kill him. I'm not going to be a murderer, so I chose to stab him. What
other choice did I have?”
Kronos shrugged. “I never saw you try to put down the knife and walk away.”
Nico felt frozen. A faint chuckle escaped the manager's lips. “You never even
tried to see what would happen if you didn't try either.”
“You said I didn't have a choice,” Nico whispered.
The manager tutted under his breath. “Now that just isn't true, Nico. After
all, didn't my brother always give you a choice?” He grinned again, lacing his
hands together in front of his face. “How could you possibly know, if you
didn't try?” With a roll of his eyes, Kronos pointed a pale finger across the
desk at Nico. “You expected me to just throw you over the side of the building
for not cooperating? I'm a good brother, thank you very much. I don't break my
brother's toys.” Those dark eyes shined in amusement. “How is it my fault that
you didn't even bother trying? Now, who is really to blame here?”
Nico clenched his fists. “You're sick.”
A laugh so cold that it sent shivers all throughout Nico's body came from
Kronos. His eyes were like daggers, just waiting to be thrust into the boy's
throat. “Now, Nico, you really shouldn't go around blaming others for your own
problems.” Finally, the young man stood up and walked around to sit on the
desk. “But if anything, you should be thanking me, Nico.” The young man
frowned, almost passing for sympathetic. It made Nico sick by how scary
believable it was. “I allowed you to stand up to your father, and you repay me
with this hate? I'm hurt, Nico.”
Taking a step back, Nico narrowed his eyes. “What, you did it to help me?” He
scoffed. “I don't believe you have a sympathetic bone in your body. You're a
monster.”
He half expected the young man to hit him, but it never happened. Instead,
Kronos smirked. “You know, Nico, if this wasn't your first job, I might be
harder on you. Hasn't anyone ever told you not to talk like that to your boss?”
His hand shot out so fast that Nico couldn't even react. It gripped him by the
jaw, pulling him closer. “Unless it's my mother or Percy, I don't help people.
Why would I waste my time?” He brought Nico closer, until they were mere inches
apart. “But, at least this way, you aren't so pathetic. You need to grow a
backbone, you ungrateful little brat, and embrace who you are.”
“And who is that?” Nico practically spat out.
The young man's lips tilted up. “Surely you see what you're becoming. Just
embrace it, Nico.” Letting go of Nico's jaw, Kronos fixed some of Nico's hair
with a smile. “This is power we're talking about, Nico. Everyone likes power.
All you have to do is let go of that conscious of yours, it really just gets in
the way. You might think it's wrong, but think about all the possibilities.
Nobody would ever bother you again. Your bullies, even your father. They'd all
leave you alone forever. You can even dictate their lot in life.”
With a frown, Nico smacked Kronos's hand away. “I'm not like you,” he
whispered. He took a step back, reaching for the door. “I don't want to hurt
people like you do.”
The grin didn't fade as Nico opened the door. “You mean like Percy?” Nico
froze. “Your dear, sweet Percy. If I'm a monster, what does that make him?”
Kronos grinned as the color drained from Nico's face. “What, you thought it
didn't get to me about what you told him?” He chuckled. “You're so pathetic.”
The manager slowly shook his head with a wicked smirk. “You think he hesitates
when he kills? You think he didn't enjoy killing his brother? How about how he
seized power, not even caring how it effected the person that was selected to
take over this hotel before him? You know, your sweet Percy.”
Nothing came out of Nico's mouth. He didn't know what to say. With a gulp, Nico
shut the door. Leaning against it, the boy realized he was shaking. He hated
being around Kronos, the young man always had a terrible way of getting under
Nico's skin. If Percy knew what everyone liked, Kronos knew their
vulnerabilities.
Nico quickly made his way out of the office and opened the door to the
conference room. “Surprise!” Everyone yelled as the boy stepped inside.
Nico managed a smile as some confetti fell onto his head. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
With the exception of Drew, Octavian, and Zoë, all of the Lost Kids were there.
Nico never really expected everyone to be there, since it was before working
and three of the Lost Kids had to work the lunch shift at the bar. After his
talk with Kronos, though, Nico found it hard to be in a good mood. He already
knew what he was going to be wishing for.
“Happy Birthday, Nico,” Juniper said to him, smiling as she placed a chocolate
birthday cake on the large table, right next to his pile of presents.
After Leo lit the candles—because he demanded to do it himself—Nico got to blow
out the candles. He leaned in and closed his eyes before blowing out each one.
“So, what did you wish for?” Leo asked eagerly.
Piper smacked the boy upside the head. “If he told, it wouldn't come true.”
Nico chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. “I don't think it takes a mind
reader to know what I wished for.” The others all nodded in a silent
understanding. It was nice to have them all together, though Nico could
practically feel the tension in the room. Everyone that was fighting stood away
from each other, which meant that practically everyone was standing at least
three feet from the next Lost Kid.
Due to all the conflict, the room was deathly quiet after the cake was
distributed. Nico found himself sitting on the edge of the table with Hazel and
Juniper. The Stolls sat a few chairs away, but everyone else practically kept
to themselves, save for the small groups that weren't fighting. Surprisingly,
though, Nico didn't find himself disappointed. In all honesty, he had expected
it to go something like this, since nobody had made up yet.
But the cake was delicious.
Halfway through his cake, a blue box was dropped in Nico's lap. He blinked at
it for a moment before he looked up. Luke stared down at him with a blank
expression. Slowly, Nico opened the box. He practically choked when he pulled
out a Nintendo DS, which contained several games underneath it. With wide eyes,
Nico looked up at the blond.
The youngest Lost Boy got up to hug the blond, but Luke held out a hand. “Don't
go sentimental on me, brat, it's just a present. Maybe now you'll have
something to do, rather than bother me all day.”
Nico just smiled and gave the blond a small nod. There was a flicker of
happiness in the blond's eyes, relief that Nico had actually liked the present.
But after Luke walked off, Nico shook his head. Luke really didn't need to
spend that kind of money on him. Something simple was fine.
Will was next. The boy held out a small box, which made Nico's heart stopped.
It looked like it came from a jewelry store. Sure enough, it was jewelry. A
silver necklace laid within. Two angel wings that hung down, practically
forming a heart. Nico looked up in a mixture of surprise and confusion.
Will grinned sheepishly. “Your last name means 'of angels', right?”
“Something like that,” Nico chuckled. Will moved forward and fastened it around
Nico's neck. The younger Lost Boy held it out to look at. “Thanks.” When he
looked up, the blond leaned in and pecked Nico on the cheek.
The gifts that Nico received were a pretty wide array of different things,
ranging from different sizes to different prices. Thalia had gotten him a pair
of brass knuckles to defend himself with, just in case Nico had anymore trouble
at school. Annabeth had bought him a bound copy of all of Edgar Allan Poe's
work. The most embarrassing had been from the twins: an actual dildo. When Nico
had said it just meant that he'd just be less likely to have sex with any of
them, Will punched Travis in the arm. Jason had purchased the two of them
tickets to Disneyland, which the blond said they'd go see on their next day
off.
He found himself surprised when Clarisse handed him a small box at the end of
the party. Most of the others had left, and the few that remained were cleaning
up. Clarisse was probably one of the least likely people he had been expecting
to get a present from, Drew having achieved the most unlikely. It wasn't really
that much, just a gift certificate to the mall, but it was still nice.
Honestly, Nico probably would have been fine without any form of celebration.
He smiled up at the girl. “Thanks.”
“Yeah, don't mention it.” The girl frowned down at him. “Bring back memories
from home?”
“Ah.” Nico scrunched his lips. “Not really.” He let out a dry chuckle. “My dad
didn't really bother too much with presents...you know, since I was just a
disappointment to him. My mother and Bianca were the ones that gave out
presents. And, well, I wasn't really popular at my old school, so I didn't
really have any friends. Saved some money as far as parties went, though.”
The Lost Girl grunted. “Sounds like my school.”
“Must have been hard,” Nico sighed.
Clarisse gave a shrug. “Got left alone, punched anyone that tried to bother
me.” A grin spread across the girl's lips. “Not that my mother liked it very
much, but screw her.” She kicked the tip of her boot at the leg of Nico's
chair. “Most of us find holiday and birthdays more enjoyable here, compared to
our old lives.”
Nico shrugged. “It could have been better if everyone wasn't fighting.”
“Eh, screw that. It's good to get let people know how you're feeling.” She
grinned wickedly and swiped her thumb across her nose. “You know what my mother
gave me for my seventeenth birthday? Nico shook his head. “Kicked me out of the
house.” Clarisse grunted. “Not that I was planning on staying, the woman was
unreasonable.”
Nico put the gift card with the rest of his presents. He slowly turned his head
back to Clarisse with a frown. “Your mother kicked you out? With nothing?”
“Yeah, well, my dad was the only person that could keep us from tearing each
others' throats out.”
“Oh.” Nico's brow furrowed. “Didn't Percy say you act like your father? Did he
know your father?”
Clarisse's lips tilted down. “No.” Her hands dug into her pockets. “My dad was
in the army, died two years before I got kicked out.” The girl gave a casual
shrug. “She eventually remarried, didn't like the guy. Kept getting in fights
and talking back in class, so my mother and I started fighting.” The Lost Girl
chuckled. “That's when my step-dad decided that he wanted to try his hand at
parenting. So he hit me. And, well, I hit back. Ended up breaking his arm.”
Nico's mouth fell open a little. “Y-you broke his arm?”
“Not that my mother caught the part where he hit me first, but she did see me
snap his arm.” The Lost Girl shrugged. “Kicked me out. Never really looked back
after that. Didn't even try to bother having Percy look into either of them. As
far as I'm concerned, they're dead to me.”
Judging from what he already knew of Clarisse, Nico wasn't all that surprised
by this turn of events. But it did feel unfair to him that Clarisse got kicked
out over a misunderstanding. He didn't feel as sad about it, though. But
perhaps that was due to Clarisse's lack of emotion when she had told the story.
It didn't really seem to have bothered her, unlike with everyone else. Even
Luke had endured a hard time reliving his past with Nico. If anything made him
feel bad for her, it was how little Clarisse seemed to care.
Eventually, Nico tried to take his presents upstairs, though he was quickly
stopped by Rachel. “Don't worry about that, Nico, I'll have them taken up to
your room,” she assured the boy. Turning with a grin, she snapped her fingers
at Luke. “Hey, you want to help me drop these off?”
The blond, who had been wiping down the table, narrowed his eyes. “I'd rather
swallow dirt.”
Rachel smiled sweetly. “I'm sure that can be arranged.”
Luke sighed and shook his head. “Fine, whatever.”
Rachel smiled and grabbed a handful of boxes before heading out the door. Luke
grunted and walked over to take a few more. “So, Luke,” Nico began, “what would
you want for your birthday?”
The blond stared at him for a moment before picking up three boxes. “That all
depends.”
“On what?”
“Are you going to be around for another year?” Luke asked. Nico blinked at him.
“My birthday was at the beginning of the month.”
Nico gaped at the blond. “What? How come we didn't have a party? Nobody said
anything!”
Luke just shrugged as Nico held the door open for him. “I guess we were just
distracted with other things.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “Why what happened?”
Luke let out a breath. “It was the day Percy left the hotel.”
“Oh.” Nico felt his blood run cold. “I'm sorry,” he whispered.
“Don't worry about it,” Luke mumbled as he boarded an elevator.
Nico groaned and hit his head against the wall. That had to of been the worst
birthday ever! He needed to make it up to Luke. The blond had been a good
friend to him, even if he didn't like to admit it, so Nico needed to fix Luke's
lack of a proper birthday. He practically jumped out of his skin when a hand
came down onto his shoulder.
Apollo chuckled at him. “Did someone get put in timeout?” He chuckled. Nico
shot him a glare. Apollo slung an arm around the younger boy, pulling him onto
the elevator. “Come on, Ganymede said he got you a little something.”
Nico frowned. “Apollo, why didn't we do anything for Luke's birthday?”
The blond sighed. “We tried. Annabeth tried to convince him, but Luke was in a
pretty bad mood that day.” He shook his head. “The guy insisted that we not do
anything.”
Except, Nico never made it to Ganymede.
The two Lost Boys made it to the cabana area, sure, but Nico found someone else
there. Mrs. Castellan sat at a table between where Nico stood and the actual
cabana. Deep down, Nico knew it would probably be best to just ignore her, but
something in him wouldn't let him do that. Without even knowing the woman, Nico
felt anger towards her. This would be one of her last days at the hotel, and
something in Nico felt compelled to talk to her.
“You go ahead,” Nico whispered to Apollo. His eyes never left the woman. “I'll
be over in just a second.”
Apollo frowned, following the boy's gaze. “Nico, I don't think-”
The brown-eyed boy finally looked up and smiled. “I'll be fine, I promise. I
won't say anything stupid.”
Apollo stared at him for a long time before he nodded. The blond left the boy
standing there to go over to the cabana. Taking a deep breath, Nico took the
first step towards the woman. From the way she dressed, Nico would have never
imagined her to be so crazy. Nico stood by her table a moment, going unnoticed
by the woman.
Eventually, Nico put on one of his fake smiles. “Excuse me,” the boy began.
Mrs. Castellan looked up at him. “Are you Mrs. Castellan?”
The woman shifted in her seat, so that she now faced Nico. “I am. What can I do
for you?”
Nico's smile never faltered. He rubbed his arm shyly. “I'm just a big supporter
of your work, and I just wanted to come over here and thank you.” There was a
smile on the boy's face, but his eyes were full of venom.
Mrs. Castellan wiped her hands on a napkin before reaching a hand out to shake.
Nico smiled brightly as he shook it. “It's so refreshing to see our youth
supporting the cause.” She let out a sigh as she draped an arm across the back
of her chair. “I tell you, it seems like more and more these days, our youth
are turning towards this ungodly lifestyle.”
Nico quickly nodded. “I completely agree,” he lied. Placing his hands behind
his back, Nico smiled again. “Do you have an children yourself, ma'am?” This
was why Nico wanted to talk to her. He wanted to know what she told people
about her two sons.
There was a long silence, where the woman seemed to be thinking about
something. Her lips formed a thin line as she reached for her glass of water
and raised it to her lips. “I used to, but they are no longer with us.” She
shook her head sadly. “There was an accident, claimed both of my sons' lives.”
Her entire demeanor made Nico want to throttle the woman. She was lying, like
it didn't even matter. She didn't have the courage to tell people she had
driven her own children away? Did nobody know that her own craziness had caused
her own children to run away? Nico's nails dug into his arm from behind his
back. He felt a deep desire to tell the woman that he knew her children. Or
perhaps that Luke was good in bed. That would have surely been a sight to see
on her face.
But Nico knew that he couldn't do that. He wouldn't let the woman know that her
children was somewhere in the hotel. So, instead, Nico just smiled
synthetically. “I'm sorry for you loss then.” He shook her hand a final time.
“Well, I just wanted to come over and say hello, I'll let you get back to what
you were doing.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Castellan said. “Keep up the good fight of spreading the
cause.”
“Will do,” Nico mumbled, his smile faltering once he had his back to her.
By the time Nico got to the cabana, Apollo and Ganymede were already in the
middle of a conversation. The ex-Lost Boy leaned against the counter, a
slightly annoyed look in his eyes. Apollo frowned back at the man. “You need to
let this go. How can you not see that you have something better waiting for you
right in front of your face?” Nico came to a quick stop at Ganymede's words.
Apollo looked away, still frowning. “Because it's stupid and pointless.” He
straightened on the stool with a sigh.
Ganymede rolled his eyes as Nico sat down beside Apollo. The youngest Lost Boy
blinked. “What are you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” both of them quickly stated.
-------------------------------
All Nico wanted to do was go back to his room and sleep. The rest of the night
had been exhausting, but at least he didn't have to worry about dealing with a
customer tonight. However, it seemed that Nico was to be subjected to being
alone with Dionysus for a short amount of time.
Like most nights, the few Lost Kids that were lucky enough not to go deal with
customers helped clean up the top floor. Nico helped out by taking the dirty
glasses to the bar room. Unfortunately, this gave Dionysus a brief window to
speak with Nico. Like clockwork, the man didn't fail to disappoint.
“And how was your birthday, Nico?” The man asked as Nico was about halfway
towards the door.
Nico came to a stop with a sigh. “It was okay, just like any other day.” The
boy turned around, regarding the man carefully. “Why?”
“Well then, that's good to hear.” The man kept his back to Nico, too busy
washing glasses and plates in the sink. “Nasty business with your father, eh?
To think, it was Persephone that your father was seeing this whole time.” The
man's lips tilted up. “Who could have ever seen that coming?”
Nico crossed his arms. “You. But, then again, I'm not surprised. You love
seeing everyone squirm, it's why you get along with Kronos.” The boy narrowed
his dark eyes. “I can't wait until Percy is back. Because dealing with you and
Kronos at the same time is quite the headache.”
At the mention of the green-eyed young man's name, Dionysus's lips tilted down.
“Yes, your little golden boy. Everything is always better with him around,
isn't it?” Scoffing, Dionysus picked up a drink he was still drinking and
swallowed the contents of the glass. “He's nothing to worship. It's disgusting
how he can just charm anyone with just a smile. 'Oh, he's such a hero.'” The
man scoffed. “It was sickening to listen to people talk about him when he first
arrived here.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “What's your problem with Percy? He lets you run your
little business here and puts up with you. Yet you dislike him.” The Lost Boy's
lips tilted down. “I doubt he's even done anything to you.”
The man pointed a finger at Nico. “You see, that's where you're wrong. He stole
everything from me.”
There was a perplexed look on Nico's face as the man turned back to washing the
dishes. “I don't see-”
Nico fell silent as Dionysus's back straightened. Without saying anything, the
man bent over and pulled out a neatly wrapped box from beside the chair he
usually sat in. “I almost forgot,” the man said with his normal smile, “this is
for you.”
Frowning down at the box, Nico turned it over. “You got me a present?”
The corner of Dionysus's lips tilted up. “Don't be silly, Nico.” The boy
blinked up at him. “It's from a customer, of course.”
Slowly, the color drained from Nico's face as he stood there, frozen. A chill
crept across his body, slowly rising from his feet. “O-oh,” Nico stuttered. He
gulped and slowly backed towards the door. “Um, thank you for...giving it to
me,” the brown-eyed boy whispered.
The man only grinned back at him. “Always a pleasure, Nico.”
Nico was gone from the room a second later. His pulse was racing as he stared
down at the box. This was the last thing he had been hoping for. Ever since the
incident with Silena, Nico had hoped this day would never come. Not paying
attention to where he was going, Nico tripped down the stairs.
Letting out yelp, Nico went flying through the air. The next thing he hit was
hard, but not the ground. Pale hands tightened around his shoulders,
straightening him out. Icy blue eyes stared down at him in annoyance. “Why
don't you watch where you are going, twerp?”
Nico sighed in relief, simply thankful that his feet were once again touching
the floor. He nodded his head. Luke's eyes flickered down to the box in Nico's
hand. “Um, thanks,” the raven-haired boy mumbled.
Luke rubbed his jaw. “Where'd you get that?” Icy blue eyes flickered back up.
“I thought everyone already gave you their presents?”
“Um...” Nico looked between the present and Luke. “A customer, apparently.”
Luke seemed to understand, probably from the look of terror in Nico's eyes.
“It's nothing to worry about.” His brow furrowed. “Just keep someone posted if
a client starts acting funny around you.”
Nico nodded. “I ran into your mother earlier,” the boy confessed. Luke
instantly frowned. “Did you know she tells people you and Octavian are dead?”
Luke snorted and gave a nod. “I'm aware.” He rubbed the back of his neck as the
two started down the stairs. “It was actually on the news. That woman should be
on Broadway with all those tears she was able to put out.”
“How could they just say something like that?”
The blond shrugged. “Don't really care. As long as she stays away from me and
Octavian, I'm happy.”
Luke ended up stopping to talk with Ethan at the podiums, while Nico went on to
the elevators. Lucky for him, the twins had just boarded one and he managed to
catch a ride with them. He was also aware that they were staring at him. Connor
grinned from where he had his head on Travis's shoulder.
“You know, Nico,” the shorter brunet began. His blue eyes sparkled over at the
raven-haired boy. “Our offer for teaching you about threesomes still stands.”
Travis wrapped an arm around his brother, pulling Connor closer. He grinned at
Nico from where he perched his chin on Connor's shoulder. “We can give you the
hands on method.”
Nico rolled his eyes and snorted. “I bet you would.” Travis just grinned and
nuzzled his brother's neck. “I just don't understand why you two just sort of
have sex with others? I mean, aside from customers.”
Connor shrugged. “Sex and romance aren't the same.” He patted his brother's
cheek. “I love my brother. I love the others as well, just not like I love
Travis.” At this, the older twin leaned in and pecked Connor on the lips. “But
that's not to say some day we might decide otherwise. We're young, we want to
enjoy our youth.”
“Then why did you two fight before?”
Travis hummed quietly. “That was a different matter. More of a
misunderstanding, really.” He hugged his brother tighter. “But there are days
where we decide that we don't want the other having sex with someone else. It
doesn't usually bother us when this happens, though. It's just sex, after all.”
He smiled over at Nico. “You just have to remember to keep the person you care
about in mind. That's especially true for when threesomes come into play.”
Nico gave a slow nod as the elevator came to a stop. “As long as you two are
happy, I guess.”
The twins bid Nico goodnight and headed down to the end of the hall. Nico
slipped into his suite. Jason's door was open. The blond sat on his bed with
his laptop, headphones in his ears. He looked up when he noticed Nico, tossing
the pale boy a smile and a wave. Nico smiled back before going into his own
room.
Turning around, Nico froze.
There, on his bed, sat a large box with an envelope on top of it. The box
itself was green, while a deep blue ribbon sat on top. Nico frowned and stepped
closer, putting the mystery customer's present down. He slowly reached out and
removed the envelope from the top. His fingers closed around a small card
attached to the box. His name was on the top portion, while the name at the
bottom made Nico's heart stop.
It was from Percy.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico untied the ribbon and opened the lid. His heart
shot into his throat. It was a jacket. An aviator's jacket, to be precise. Nico
reached inside and pulled it out. It was still in good condition, and also
looked like an authentic World War II aviator jacket. But it didn't make sense.
Why would Percy give him a jacket from a war? He frowned and tilted his head to
the side.
Then it hit him. It was the jacket that Percy had mentioned in one of their
conversations, the jacket that had belonged to Percy's actual grandfather.
Nico's throat tightened. Why was Percy giving this to him? None of it made any
sense. Nevertheless, though, Nico felt a pain inside his chest. His fingers
tightened around the jacket, wishing that Percy was there to give it to him,
instead of having it delivered by someone else. He really missed Percy.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico sat the jacket aside. His eyes fell upon the
envelope before picking it up. The Lost Boy frowned as he heard Jason's feet
move down the hall. The door to their suite opened, and then there was silence.
With a sigh, Nico unsealed the envelope and pulled out a letter. It was also
from Percy, but what it said only hurt all the more.
Nico,
I hope that this found its way to you okay. I instructed Rachel to bring it to
you if Leo forgot.
I write this, knowing full well what I'm about to go down the hall and talk to
you about in that conference room. I just wanted to make sure I remembered to
put together your present, so you would have it after I'm gone.
Ever since earlier today, my mind has been racing. But it made me realize how
much I didn't want something bad to happen to you. I'm not sure what's going to
happen while I'm in Germany, but I'm glad that you are still in one piece. I
don't know when I'll be back, or even if I will be coming back, but I want you
to know that none of this is your fault.
I hope you like your present. And, also, I might have realized something in
that moment after pushing you out of the way. You were right.
-Percy
A wet spot formed on the letter, just above Percy's name. Nico reached a hand
up, only to realize that he was crying. For some reason, it hurt more reading
the letter, than it had talking to Percy over Skype. Percy had actually taken
the time to write him a letter before their meeting that night? But the last
thing in the letter, it didn't make any sense.
Nico flipped the letter over, hoping that there was more, but there wasn't.
What did it mean? He was right? Right about what? Another tear fell from Nico's
cheek. He sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling the jacket into his lap.
Nico's fingers tightened around Percy's letter, clinging to it like it was
keeping him from dying. His eyes scanned across each word that Percy had
written several more times before he heard the shouting.
Frowning, Nico looked up. There was a commotion from the hallway, but he
couldn't make anything out. But there was definitely shouting. He slowly got
up, putting the aviator jacket back on the bed. His eyes widened when something
broke. Nico opened his door and stepped into his suite, where he found the
front door open.
Wiping his eyes, Nico headed for the door. It sounded like their entire floor
was out there, and all of them were fighting. Which was completely accurate.
Once Nico was in the hallway, he found ever single Lost Kid standing in the
hall, some still in their work clothes and others in their pajamas.
A picture had gotten knocked off of the wall, which was what Nico had heard
break. It had also barely missed Ethan, who was on the ground in a pile of
broken glass. Nico covered his ears. It was so loud. Everyone was yelling and
in each others' faces. No longer was anyone excluded either, as the twins,
Juniper, Ethan, and even Hazel had somehow gotten dragged into it all.
“Why don't you actually grow some balls and get involved,” Clarisse sneered
down at Ethan.
Luke threw a punch at Apollo, barely catching the other blond in the jaw. “You
can't fucking bruise him!” Leo yelled at Luke. “He has to be able to work.”
Luke sneered. “Yeah, I'm sure that's why you care.”
“You fucking whore!” Piper yelled, probably directed at Drew.
Nico shut his eyes, his hands clinging to his head. Everyone kept yelling, and
it all started to jumble together. Why did they have to fight? This wasn't
solving anything. If anything, it just made it all worse.
“Don't fucking touch him!”
“Bitch!”
“Gonna cut my throat, like she cut your mother's?”
Nico's eyes snapped open at that one. He zoned in on Zoë, who had directed her
comment at Annabeth. The blonde glared back at the other Lost Girl with a
burning hatred. “Well it's not my fault that you kicked my roommate out of your
room because you can't accept the other half of her!”
Nico let out a sigh as the situation continued to dissolved. He felt so
helpless, nobody was even paying him any attention. Perhaps that was a good
thing, though, since he really didn't want to fight with anyone. But this
needed to stop, it had to.
“What do you even know?”
“Why don't you go cry to your mommie while she's here?”
And then, “Shut up!”
The entire hall fell silent. Nico slowly opened his eyes, only to find everyone
staring at him in shock. He blinked a few times before he realized it had been
him that had said it. His cheeks darkened slightly. This was bad. Several of
the others were even glaring at him.
“What did you just say?” Clarisse growled.
Nico's throat felt dry. “Um,” began Nico. He closed his mouth, pursing his
lips. Panic filled his eyes as he stared back at the others. His hands
tightened, which was when he realized what he was still holding. Percy's
letter. Taking in a deep breath, Nico relaxed. “We need to stop fighting.”
Luke looked at him dully. “Just stay out of it, brat.” Octavian gave him a
shove, which caused Luke to glare at his brother.
The boy's eyes darkened. “No!” He shouted. Nico rubbed the back of his neck at
the dark look he got from Luke. “It's just that...no one is really helping the
situation. We need to calm down.” His fingers tightened around the letter.
“Don't you guys see? This is what Kronos wants.” He shook his head. “You guys
said it yourselves on the day Percy left, but it's like you forgot. We need
each other if we're going to survive the rest of our time with him. We're
stronger together, we can have support. Fighting isn't the answer. Letting our
differences and arguments cause this much conflict within our ranks just gives
Kronos satisfaction. He's the real enemy here, not each other.”
Nobody said anything. Nico bit down on his lip. He just waited for someone to
drag him into the middle of their turmoil. They weren't going to listen to him.
Why would they? He had done nothing but screw up, so why would anyone want to
take his advice? Nico looked down. He should have just kept his mouth shut.
“We should-” began Apollo.
Luke nodded. “Cool off.” The blond reached up and ran a hand through his hair,
his eyes locking with Nico's. “Everyone go back to your rooms, take the night
to cool off.”
There was a lot of mumbling, but everyone slowly did as they were told. On his
way to his room, Apollo shot Nico a small smile and nod. Eventually, Nico was
left alone in the hall with his roommate. The blond nodded towards their suite.
Nico gave a nod and followed Jason inside.
“This has been a really exhausting day,” Nico muttered as he shut the door.
Chapter End Notes
     All caught up now! But that means you guys have to wait for chapters
     like everyone else now! Mwhahaha. I guess I'd put updates on a two
     week basis? Depends on things. Anyways, I'm going to start uploading
     other stuff on here now, so you guys can feel free to check those out
     as well.
***** Fallen Too Far? *****
“You can't avoid the subject forever.”
“Twerp, if you don't stop bringing this up, you're going to get tied to my bed
again.”
Nico smirked as he followed Luke down the hall after their daily practice
session. A week had gone by since Nico's birthday, and the boy was relieved
that everything now seemed normal again. Well, as much as could pass for normal
at the Lotus Hotel. At least the fighting had stopped.
Luke spun around outside the door to the manager's office. He narrowed his icy
blue eyes at Nico. “How many times do I have to tell you not to worry about
it?”
Nico huffed and crossed his arms. “Would it kill you to let someone do
something nice for you?” Luke just shrugged. “Jason and I are going to
Disneyland tomorrow, do you want to join?”
A flicker of irritation went through Luke's eyes before he rolled them. “I'm
not going to some park for kids.”
The brown-eyed boy scoffed as the blond reached for the doorknob. “Did you even
have a childhood?”
Luke just grunted as they entered the office. Rachel and Leo were there, as
usual, but it seemed that Kronos had currently stepped out. Not that Nico
minded. Annabeth was also there, sitting on the edge of Rachel's desk. Luke
walked over and dropped a folder that he had been carrying onto Leo's desk.
“Yay, more work,” Leo grumbled.
Nico poked at some of the paperwork. “What is all of this for?”
“Our busiest holiday is Valentine's Day, go figure.” The Latino boy worked to
type something in on his computer. “Lots of paperwork to get rooms and stuff
like that organized. Regular couples come pouring in to get our holiday
specials on rooms.”
Rachel nodded casually. “Which means we have to section off about two or three
floors for redecorating for the theme.” She let out a sigh and flipped the page
of a document in her hands. “Which means that a lot of you will be working
different places, including the cabana. But, lucky for you and Jason, you two
have school.”
Annabeth chuckled at the smirk from Nico. “Don't get too excited, you'll still
be given work once you're back. Plus the hotel's special on the holiday lasts
all weekend, so you will probably end up working that Saturday or Sunday.”
“Or both,” Leo added.
“Joy,” Nico grumbled. He nodded towards the documents Luke had dropped off. “So
what's all that for then?”
Luke sat down in an empty chair. “I was just picking it up for Leo. It's from
the twins.” He placed his hands behind his head. “Just some requests by
customers, plus a few new client requests for access to the top floor.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “What do the twins have to do with that?”
Leo grinned at him. “Remember when we told you that the twins sort of scope out
new clients and all that?” The Lost Boy asked. Nico nodded. “Well that's just
what this is.” Leo held up a page from one of the documents Luke had given him.
“Let's say that one of the clients has a strange request to have one of you
come to their room at night. It's the job of the twins to evaluate the safety
of the request. We obviously don't want to send you to the room of some lunatic
that might try smuggling you out of the hotel and keep you locked in their
basement.”
“Speaking of possible lunatics,” Rachel said. “What did that client get you for
your birthday?”
Nico simply shrugged. “Don't know, never opened it.” He sat down next to Luke.
“I stuffed it in the back of my closet.”
Annabeth ran a hand through her golden curls. “Well, I wouldn't be too worried,
it's just a present.” She held up a finger. “But just keep in mind that
presents are where the obsessions start.”
Rachel tossed a finished folder to the side of her desk as the door opened
again. Reyna popped in with two more folders in her hand. The red-haired girl
let out a groan and slumped in her chair. Reyna chuckled and handed it over to
the other Lost Girl.
“That should be the last of it,” said Reyna. She crossed her arms. “Everything
should be there from Aphrodite, Ganymede, Circe, Chiron, and Dionysus.”
“Yeah.” Rachel let out a groan and rubbed her temples. “Hazel just brought up
the files from the kitchen, Esperanza, and the gym. Why is there so much work?”
Nico blinked. “Where's Kronos?”
“Dealing with some other stuff,” Leo grumbled.
Rachel let out a breath. “Well, the good news is that, if you guys stick
around, we might can talk to Percy.” The room seemed to perk up at the name.
“I've got to call the German branch about some things, so maybe he'll be
around.”
The room quieted down as Rachel dialed the phone. She put it on speaker as it
started to ring. Nico pursed his lips and sat on the edge of his seat. Aside
from the conversation with Nico, Percy had been pretty absent from their lives.
Other than Nico, he had only called the office once or twice to check in with
Rachel and Leo. His excuse was always the same, though: he was busy.
The phone picked up on the sixth ring. “Hello?” Came Athena's voice. The room
let out an audible groan. The woman on the phone let out a sigh. “Nice to hear
from all of you, too.”
“Sorry.” Rachel scanned over something on her computer. “So, I just wanted to
let you know that the files that Gaea requested should be emailed over by
tonight, and we'll fax you over a hard copy first thing in the morning.” The
Lost Girl leaned back in her chair. “There were a few concerns, but I'm sure
Gaea will find them herself.”
“Good, good.” If Athena's voice was anything to go by, she was just as
exhausted as Rachel and Leo sounded. “Is there anything else?”
“Is Percy around?” Leo asked.
“Sorry, not at the moment,” the European branch manager replied. “He probably
isn't going to have any free time today. He's a little tied up in his room at
the moment. I believe he's with our newest Lost Boy.”
Rachel tilted her head to the side. “You got a new one?”
“Not too long ago.” The sound of shuffling paper could be heard from Athena's
end. “He's a natural, I must say. Quite the charmer, and already popular with a
lot of the guests.”
Nico frowned, his brow furrowed. So Percy was too busy having sex with the new
Lost Boy at the German hotel to come talk to them? What else could he be doing
in his bedroom with a Lost Kid? It had to make Nico wonder if that was what
Percy had been doing the whole time. Was that what Percy meant by “busy”?
In all honesty, Nico had been hoping for the best after his present from Percy.
If he was right about something, Nico could only hope it concerned Percy's
feelings for him. But now Nico just found himself irritated with the green-eyed
young man. But, really, what was Nico expecting? Even if, by some miracle,
Percy did like him back, nothing would change between them.
And that was even if Percy ever came back.
“All right,” Rachel sighed. “Well, when he gets done, tell him we called and
that we miss him.”
“I will. I'll call back if we have any questions about your files.”
“Okay.” Rachel groaned as she hung up the phone. “That boy is impossible to get
a hold of when he's in Germany.”
“Always?” Nico asked.
Annabeth nodded. “Whenever Percy visits Gaea, he gets distracted and forgets to
call most of the time.” The blonde Lost Girl shrugged. “But I suppose I can
understand. I mean, while he's here, he has all this work, but he can just
relax while he's in Germany.”
“Yeah.” Nico let out a sigh and stood to his feet. “Well, I think I'm going to
get something to eat and get ready for work.” The others waved at Nico, but the
boy just lazily nodded his head. He knew that he shouldn't let what Athena said
bother him, but it did. Why did things have to be this way? It felt like the
universe was just out to keep him and Percy apart. That was if Percy really did
like him back.
“Nico.”
Nico stopped at the elevator when he heard Reyna's voice. He turned around and
quirked a brow at her. “What's up?”
The Lost Girl seemed a little irritated, it caught Nico off-guard. “Why are you
getting upset?”
“What are you-”
“Back there.” She frowned at him. “You're upset at the possibility of Percy
having sex while in Germany. Don't forget that it's standard over here. I was
starting to think that you were past the concept of romance and sex being the
same thing.”
“I am.” Nico narrowed his eyes. “I'm not mad.”
“Yes, you are.” The Lost Girl blocked the elevator when Nico tried to board it.
“You're being a hypocrite. Why are you getting mad at Percy, when you're doing
the exact same thing? Luke, Percy, Will, and even Jason; are you just going to
string them along?”
Nico opened his mouth to fire back a retort, but nothing came to mind. She was
right, so right. He was mad at Percy having sex while he was away, but Nico was
doing the exact same thing. Nico's eyes slowly fell to his feet. “You're
right,” he whispered. The Lost Boy shook his head. “I don't know what I want
anymore. I don't even know what I'm doing.”
Reyna sighed and shook her head. “Well, if you do manage to snag one of the
boys, try not to cheat on them. Sex is one thing, but you can't really go
around and have it with others if you're expecting your partner to give you a
committed relationship.”
“It doesn't really matter with Percy.” The raven-haired boy let out a breath.
“He's just a hopeless dream.”
Reyna quirked a brow. “I love you, Nico, but you are kind of dumb when it comes
to street smarts. Percy loves us all, but he's never put himself in danger
before. Not to mention that you're the only one that he's called, aside from
Rachel and Leo, which was primarily about business.”
“So, you want me to stop having sex with the rest of them, and just hope for
the best with Percy?”
“Didn't say that.” The Lost Girl crossed her arms. “Sex is fine, Nico, just
don't get irritated if Percy does the same thing you're doing. It doesn't
bother me that you're doing it. What bothers me is that you're getting
irritated when Percy does it. Not to mention that you don't even know for sure
that he is having sex.”
Nico scoffed. “What else would he be doing?”
Reyna tilted her head to the side. “You're talking about the same Percy that
has never propositioned any of us for sex, but only does it to conduct business
with us. What makes you think he would go around doing it when there was no
business involved?”
The elevator dinged behind Nico. The Lost Boy heard the doors open behind him
and Reyna's body stiffened. A chill ran across Nico's body. He didn't even need
to turn around to know who was standing behind him.
“Are you two going to stand around, crowding my hall all day?”
Nico gulped and turned around to face their current manager. Kronos frowned
down at him. For the past week, Kronos had been less prominent in the Lost
Kids' lives. While Nico wasn't sure if Kronos knew that he was the one that got
the others to stop fighting, but Nico had made it his goal to avoid the manager
at all costs. He didn't want to be near Kronos, just in case the young man
figured out who took away his favorite source of entertainment.
“One of you is bad enough to being staring at.” Kronos narrowed his eyes at
Reyna. “Why don't you make yourself scarce?”
Reyna eyed the two of them before putting her arm on Nico's shoulder. “We'll
just be going-”
“No.” Kronos smiled sweetly at the two of them. “You go, he stays.”
Nico gave a silent nod. Reyna pursed her lips and boarded the elevator, leaving
Nico alone with the lion. As soon as the doors shut, Kronos smirked down at
Nico. Nico let out a sigh. “What do you want?”
The manager's lips only twitched. “Now, Nico, that's no way to speak to your
superior. And I mean that in more ways than just the job.” Smiling, Kronos
placed his hands behind his back and slowly paced around Nico. “So, as I hear
it, your friends have set aside their differences and returned to their warm
and fuzzy family nature.” He leaned over Nico's shoulder and whispered in the
boy's ear. “You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?”
“Of course not.” Nico's eyes were dull as they stared at the wall in front of
him. “I'm just pathetic little toy that Percy can play with.” He turned and
blinked at the young man. “That's what you said, wasn't it?”
That didn't seem to bother Kronos at tall. In fact, he looked even more like a
snake than normal. He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders and dusted them
off. “Don't sell yourself so short, Nico. You're quite the valuable little toy.
Well, to my brother. Which is why I'm just concerned about your well-being.”
Nico brushed the young man's hands away. “Please, you don't care about me. You
don't care about anyone, aside from Gaea and Percy.”
Kronos shrugged and inspected his nails. “Well, I suppose you've got me there.”
He snapped his fingers and pointed at Nico's head. “However, I did alleviate
your bullying problem for you.” The young man's lips tilted up. “But, then
again, I do detest damaged merchandise.”
“And that's where you and Percy differ.”
“Please.” Kronos rolled his eyes. “This again? I just find it amusing at how
you try to defend him, but call me a monster.”
“You are a monster,” Nico hissed.
“If I'm a monster, what is Percy?”
“A good person.” Nico clenched his fists. “At least he tries to help people.”
“Uh-huh.” Kronos chuckled. “And how many people before you do you think he
tried to convince to leave?” Kronos leaned in and lowered his voice. “I'm
afraid the number isn't high. Actually, it's more singular than anything else.”
Nico slowly let out a brother. “For someone that claims to love Percy, you sure
do put him down.”
Kronos's eyes practically turned to slits as he shoved Nico up against the
wall. “Don't ever try to insinuate I don't care for my brother.” Clearing his
throat, Kronos took a step back. “I just find it amusing that you can't accept
that Percy and I are the same. You don't think he probably knows I've put you
all to work in those kink rooms? You'd be lying to yourself if you thought he
didn't.” Smiling, Kronos straightened out Nico's shirt. “In fact, he probably
thinks you have encountered drugs while you were down there. Not that I told
him. Or do you think he didn't know Persephone had started to see your father
after your mother died? But he didn't tell you, did he?”
“You don't know that.” Nico glared up at the young man.
“Don't I?” Kronos said slowly. “Funny, since he had it on file. Or what about
the part where he wanted to have Ethan and Clarisse bring your father to the
hotel, so that he could...discuss the fact that it would be in Hades's best
interests to never bother you again. Without your knowledge, of course. But, as
you know, other circumstances came up before then.” Kronos smirked. “But, make
no mistake, Percy was going to beat your father until he was nearly dead, all
without your knowledge. Don't worry, though, because I let him know your father
would no longer be an issue.”
Nico bit his tongue. He wanted to punch Kronos, even though he knew it was a
bad idea. His teeth were clenched as he stared down at the floor. Percy was
nothing like Kronos. Percy didn't go around saying things like this to the Lost
Kids.
Kronos smiled and held up his hands. “Sore spot, eh?” He shook his head. “So
sorry, truly I am.” The young man's dark eyes flickered with amusement. “What
about your present, though? You think he gave you those checks out of the
kindness of his heart? Not what he told me. According to him, he wanted you to
leave the hotel. It was his way of trying to entice you to leave.” The young
man rolled his eyes. “He wanted to protect that little innocence of yours.”
Nico glared as Kronos snapped his fingers. “Oh, but how could I forget your
classes. Have you not figured out that he wanted you to graduate early all
along? Again, he wanted you to leave. He wanted you away from him, out of his
sight.” Kronos leaned in with a grin when Nico glared down at the floor. “He
told you how disgusted you make him feel just at the sight of you, didn't he?”
Nico slammed his hand against the elevator call button behind his back. He
needed to get away from Kronos. He glared coldly up at the young man as the
elevator arrived. “I need to go get ready for work.”
Kronos smirked and slid his hands into his pockets. He leaned in and brushed
some of Nico's hair away from his ear, whispering, “Don't ever get involved in
situations that don't concern you again, little dove.”
Nico shuddered and slid backwards into the elevator. He rapidly pushed the
button for his floor until the doors shut, removing the sight of a satisfied
Kronos from his gaze. Nico let out a breath and relaxed against the wall as he
rode to his floor. He didn't know how much longer he could take being around
Kronos. As the days passed, living with Daedalus seemed more and more
appealing.
When he got back to his suite, Nico found Jason lounging on the couch. “Hello
there, sunshine,” the blond greeted him.
Nico scowled at him as he took a seat on the couch as well. “Fuck you.”
“If you insist.” Jason stuck out his tongue and flipped the channel. He quirked
a brow at the other Lost Boy. “What's wrong with you?”
“As if you even had to ask.”
Jason nodded in understanding. “Kronos tormenting your soul?”
Nico let out a sigh. “The devil should hire him to run hell.” Nico leaned his
head back with a small groan. The aviator jacket sat on the back of the couch,
right where he had left it after school. Ever since he got the present, Nico
had made certain that Kronos would never catch him wearing it. He wasn't sure
if the young man knew who the jacket had belonged to, but Nico didn't want to
chance it. If Kronos saw him in it, there was no telling what he would do to
Nico. Better safe than sorry.
The blond stretched his arms over his head. “So, are you read to journey on our
Disney adventures tomorrow?”
Nico managed a smile as he rubbed his neck. “You have no idea. It'll feel so
good to be away from here for a day.”
-----------------------------------
Nico's dark eyes watched the blond man in front of him as he undressed. Nico
just sat on the edge of the bed in his underwear, uncertain of how he felt
about this. Out of all of his past clients, this one already felt very awkward.
More so than most. Perhaps it was because this client used to date one of his
friends. Perhaps because this client was Robert.
The blond smiled at him. “Excited?”
“You have no idea,” Nico mumbled, arching a brow.
Robert's green eyes shined down at him in the low lighting. “You'll have to try
better than that, if you're going to convince me that you are.” Nico just
stared up at him. Robert shrugged off his shirt. “But that really won't be
necessary.”
“I don't get you,” Nico confessed. He tilted his head to the side, running his
eyes over the blond's firm chest. He would give Apollo one thing, he had good
taste in men—at least as far as appearances were concerned. “You've been so
friendly with Apollo lately, so why request time with me?”
Robert shrugged, stepping out of his pants. “I will admit that you've
interested me since we first met. Something about you just reminds me of the
old Apollo.”
As if Nico hadn't heard that from plenty of different people concerning various
people he knew at the hotel. “So why not just go for the real thing? Unless you
just like them young, which makes me concerned.”
The blond chuckled. “Funny.” He stretched his arms over his head. “Well, Apollo
was still in high school when we first started dated, and I was a sophomore at
my university. I suppose it's not the worst political scandal out there, but
I'm sure it could do some damage to my career.”
“Would it?” Nico smiled innocently up at the man.
Robert chuckled and shook his head. “Really, Nico, you're going to have to do
better than that. I already know what you're after in here. Apollo and I agreed
a long time ago that he would be compliant with my time with him, as long as I
willingly gave up some information.” His smile truly stood out in the dark
room, though Nico noted just how fake it looked. A true politician's smile. “No
need for acting.”
“You're one to talk then, if we're being honest.” Nico leaned back on the bed,
spreading his legs slightly. He bit down on his lip as he stared up at the
blond from behind his bangs. “Politicians don't really have a habit of being
anything but fake.”
“I suppose that's true.” Nico frowned as the man crawled on top of him. “So,
how about this arrangement? You and I do what I paid for, and then I'll tell
you something as we're getting dressed.” The urge to cringe screamed through
Nico's body as he felt Robert's hand slide across his body. “Deal?”
“Whatever you want,” Nico practically purred.
Nico dipped his head to the side as Robert kissed along his neck, all the while
sliding his hand underneath Nico's underwear. Robert was attractive and he
seemed pretty good with this sort of thing—from what Nico had merely seen so
far—but Nico was already not enjoying himself. On the bright side, though,
Robert was probably one of the youngest clients he had endured, and one of the
most attractive.
The blond hiked Nico's legs onto his shoulders and yanked off the Lost Boy's
underwear. Nico smirked and traced his big toe down the blond's chest, stopping
once his foot rested against the bulge in Robert's boxers. At least Robert was
something to look at, Nico thought. Most of the customers at the Lotus were in
their late thirties or above. And the few that were still in their thirties
were very, very few. Robert on the other hand was still new to politics, still
in his late twenties. It made Nico wonder how much Gaea had this guy by the
balls, considering how much of a voice Nico heard Robert had in the political
world.
Nico's mouth felt numb as Robert shoved his tongue into the boy's mouth. The
boy chuckled a little as Robert pressed up against Nico. To be honest, Nico had
not been pleased about this turn of events, and neither had Apollo. And what
Robert didn't know was that Nico had drank a few shots before coming to the
room. Not that many, though, as Nico was still trying to figure out how much
alcohol he could handle.
It also helped to take Nico's mind off of the slight pain that shot through his
body as Robert slid the first finger in. Nico was pulled into Robert's lap as
the blond worked on stretching Nico out. The Lost Boy wrapped his arms around
the blond's neck and moaned into his ear.
Nico could say one thing for Robert, though. He could last a lot longer than
his other clients. Nico figured that the men that came by were too sexually
repressed, or didn't get any at home, so they didn't last long. And the women
were just left unsatisfied by their husbands. Either way, Robert lasted a whole
lot longer than the other customers. Not including foreplay, Robert had lasted
nearly forty minutes after penetrating Nico.
The blond smirked a little as Nico released a breath, running a hand through
his hair. “So, as promised, I owe you some information.” He worked on buttoning
his shirt as Nico sat up and grabbed his underwear. “Gaea wants to look into
that judge that she had Percy get appointed the year before last. He's doing
some deals under the tables that probably don't benefit the woman that put him
there.” He winked down at Nico, slipping on his shoes. “Just a fair warning.”
“Thanks,” Nico breathed out. The Lost Boy leaned his head back. Out of all his
times with clients, this one might have actually been enjoyable. Not that he
would admit it. While it was good, it had left Nico with a weird feeling. Sort
of like his first night. Perhaps it was because he felt like he was sort of
betraying Apollo.
Robert pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and offered Nico
one. The boy shook his head. “Suit yourself.” The blond smirked down at him
before heading to the door. “It's been a pleasure, Nico, we'll have to do it
again. But, if you'll excuse me, I like to have a smoke after good sex.”
The raven-haired boy rolled his eyes as the door shut. Though, he had barely
gotten his shirt on by the time that it opened again. He didn't even have to
look up to know it was Apollo. “Sup?” The brown-eyed boy asked.
“So, how did it go?”
Nico let out a sigh. “Not too bad. I'll give you one thing, you can pick a man
that's good in bed.”
Apollo let out a small chuckle. “Well, he was good at that. Still a jerk.”
“Yet you've been talking to him lately.”
“Yeah.” Apollo wrapped his arms around himself as Nico slid into his shorts.
“We're still a little complicated.”
Nico frowned and stood up. “You're not going to buy his bullshit if he tries to
keep you on the side, like most politicians would, are you?” Apollo was rather
quiet, staring at his feet. Nico narrowed his eyes. “Apollo?”
The blond let out a sigh. “You want to go down to my room? I could use a
drink.” Nico didn't budge. “We can talk down there, come on.”
Nico rolled his eyes, but followed after the blond. While the sex had been
good, it had left Nico with a figuratively bad taste in his mouth. If Robert
had not been involved with Apollo in the past, if didn't know Robert was a
dick, then Nico might have not been bothered by it all. But he was that guy,
which made Nico feel a little unclean.
Apollo's suite was vacant when they arrived, or at least Will had already
passed out. Either way, the two found a quiet suite when they arrived. Apollo
wasted no time in getting two glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel's before
heading to his room, Nico hot on his heels.
The blond flipped on his TV and plopped down on the bed. “So, you enjoyed it?”
Nico shrugged and laid down on the bed. “I mean, not as good as I've had with
Luke, Jason, Will, or Percy, but still good.”
Apollo poured himself a drink. “Much more enjoyable back when he was younger,
if I'm being honest. Letting him take out the stress of the workload from his
university was amazing.” Nico smirked as the blond downed his drink. “And he
had a desk in his room that he liked to bend me over. It was pretty good.”
Nico took the other glass and Apollo poured him some. “How young did you look
back then?” He chuckled. “Robert talked like you looked kind of like me.”
“Not pale, no. But I guess I've always had a youthful face and sort of soft
features, like you.”
Nico wrinkled his nose. “I do not!”
The blond chuckled and winked at him. “It's cute, plus it'll get you plenty of
attention.” Apollo downed another shot. “Especially with the closet cases that
don't want to accept they like men yet.”
“Not helping,” Nico muttered. The boy let out a sigh and took another sip of
his drink.
“Was he at least nice enough to get you off?”
“Yeah, but I was just kind of wanting it to be over,” Nico admitted. He
shrugged at the odd look Apollo gave him. “It just...felt weird. I guess it was
because I knew who he was. I never really imagined myself sleeping with my
friend's ex.”
Apollo let a grin slide across his lips. “And you expected to be taking your
clothes off for money when you thought out your life?”
“You know what I mean.”
Apollo held up the bottle and Nico let the blond pour him some more. “So, would
you have had sex with him if you'd had a choice? I mean, looking back on it,
knowing that it was good.”
Nico eyed his drink for a moment. “Probably not.” Nico downed his drink and
placed a hand behind his head, leaning back against the blond's headboard. “I
just...wasn't comfortable with it. Don't know, I think I'd have been more
comfortable with one of you.”
“Like me?” The blond Lost Boy grinned at him.
Nico knew his friend was teasing, but he still shrugged. “Probably, yeah.”
Apollo downed a good bit of the bottle, making a face afterward. “Well, I
probably am better in bed than him.” Nico snorted at that. “The student has now
surpassed the teacher, or so it would seem.”
“You know, I find it funny that you used to try so hard to get into my pants,
but you haven't tried for a long time.” He grinned over at the blond. “I'd
almost be offended.” Nico downed more of his drink. “To be honest, I had a
pretty big crush on you when I first got here.” Apollo smirked. “I probably
would have let you had your way with me, if you had kept trying.”
Apollo winked at him. “Is that an invitation, my dear Nico?” The blond purred.
Nico eyed his empty glass with a shrug. The older Lost Boy chuckled and poured
him some more. “Well, that is entirely up to you. Sex is still sex, but I'm
content with not getting in your pants. I need to be a respectable big brother,
after all.”
Nico rolled his eyes and tossed his glass back. “Please.” He let out a sigh and
glanced over at the blond. “Don't make yourself sound like the respectable
citizen.”
Apollo actually laughed at that. It was nice to see the blond smile. Nico
always thought Apollo had a beautiful smile. “But, of course, there's the
factor of my roommate,” Apollo brought up.
“I thought sex was just sex?”
“I didn't say it would stop me, if you wanted it.” Apollo rolled onto his back,
twisting the cap back on the bottle. Nico wasn't sure about Apollo, but he was
contently buzzed. “Do you want to have sex with me?”
Nico blinked several times. He smirked, probably from the alcohol. “Well, I did
tell you that I'd let you, if I were to ever start having sex with the other
Lost Kids.”
“And you have.”
“I have,” Nico nodded. He rubbed his face. Without meaning to, he dropped his
head on Apollo's chest. The blond wrapped his arms around Nico's waist, and
Nico let his fingers trail under the older Lost Boy's shirt. “I mean, it
probably wouldn't hurt anything. And you are hot, and I do like to keep my
promises.”
Apollo chuckled at him. “We don't have to if you don't want to, Nico.”
Nico just hummed and tilted his head up to look at the blond. Without saying
anything, Nico leaned in. Apollo reached up and cupped Nico's face, running his
tongue along Nico's lips. With a moan, Nico opened his mouth to allow the blond
entrance.
The next thing Nico knew, Apollo was on top of him. Nico spread his legs a
little to allow the blond to position himself in between them. Pulling back
from the kiss and opening his eyes, Nico was greeted by the truly angelic sight
that was Apollo. Nico reached up and ran a hand through the golden curls above
him.
Nico's shirt was off before he could even blink. Apollo leaned down and trailed
kissed down Nico's chest, stopping to dip his tongue in Nico's bellybutton.
Apollo was a lot warmer than most that Nico came in contact with, like a
fraction of the sun's heat rested underneath the blond's skin. It didn't leave
a tingling sensation like Percy normally did, but it was still very warm.
Nico raised the blond's shirt up, giving Apollo the hint that he wanted the
shirt gone. The blond complied by leaning back and yanking it over his head,
tossing it behind him. The raven-haired boy's fingers instantly reached up to
touch Apollo's chest. Apollo really did have a nice body. While he didn't want
to date Apollo, or really have the romantic crush anymore, Nico would admit
that he saw Apollo as the most attractive guy at the hotel, aside from Percy.
It was like Apollo had literally been crafted to perfection.
And, as Apollo got out of the rest of his clothes, Nico could attest to the
fact that the blond's body was capable of making any mouth water. Apollo was
healthy with a natural glow to his body, but not the muscular stature that even
Luke carried. He had the lean body that gave him enough strength to hold his
own in a fight, but all of that dancing had left the curly haired Lost Boy with
a slim stature.
Though, while Nico preferred his position on bottom, he could admit that he
found himself admiring his friend's ass when the blond turned around. As biased
as Nico probably was towards Percy, even Nico could admit Apollo's ass took the
cake.
Apollo sealed their lips together when he climbed back onto the bed. He hooked
his fingers in the hem of Nico's underwear, slowly rolling them down until they
were off the boy's hips. With a grin, the blond tossed them over his shoulder
and pressed himself against Nico's nude body.
Nico's brain barely had time to process what was happening before the blond
shifted down to take Nico's erection in his mouth. Make that another thing
Apollo excelled at. While he did not beat Percy, Apollo gave incredible head.
But perhaps comparing people to Percy was unfair, since the young man had been
raised to be the best at this sort of thing. Either way, Nico rolled his head
back with a loud moan, his fingers digging into the blond's mass of curls.
Apollo pulled off of Nico's erection with an audible pop. Reaching over to his
nightstand, Apollo pulled out a condom and a tube of lube. Opening the bottle,
Apollo gripped the brown-eyed boy's manhood again and returned to his earlier
activity. Nico bucked his hips up when Apollo's nose made contact with his
crotch. And then the cold feeling of Apollo's finger appeared at Nico's
entrance as the blond slid in the first finger.
“Guess you don't need to stretch me out that much,” Nico joked.
Without taking his mouth off of Nico's erection, Apollo winked at him. Then he
licked it from the base to the tip. “You might consider doing this after your
time with clients.”
“Why is that?”
Apollo licked the shaft again. “Because, let's face it, clients don't usually
satisfy us, and we have our own needs. Besides comfort and fun, one of the
reasons we have sex with each other is to satisfy our needs. Because, we're in
there to satisfy clients, and they're usually not that good. Which means we are
left needing to be taken care of ourselves.”
Nico's fingers dug into the sheets as a second finger entered him. “I suppose
that's true,” he gasped.
When the blond's fingers brushed against his prostate, Nico bucked his hips
again. Taking that as his cue to get to the real stuff, Apollo gave the tip of
Nico's cock a final lick before opening the condom. Once it was on his own
shaft, Apollo positioned himself at Nico's entrance and raised the boy's legs
over his shoulders. Nico let out a long moan as he felt the blond's shaft slide
into him.
Since he had just had sex an hour before that, it wasn't painful. Which was
sort of a relief for Nico, seeing as how he was able to move straight into the
pleasure portion of the bottom's sexual experience. Which was why Nico did not
complain when Apollo immediately began to slide back out of him, only to slide
forward again a moment later. Nico's legs were pointed straight at the ceiling,
while the boy on the bed enjoyed the sight of Apollo's muscles tightening. The
blond sat up straight on his knees, holding Nico's legs in place, all the while
thrusting in and out of the shorter boy.
At first, the pace was on the verge of being agonizingly slow, but still
hitting all the right spots. But Apollo slowly worked his way into a faster
pace, eventually putting both of Nico's legs onto one of his shoulders and
slamming forward into Nico. When Nico reached up to touch at the blond, Apollo
leaned in and pressed his lips to the side of Nico's hand.
It kind of made Nico's heart melt.
Apollo was adorably romantic, there was no denying it. In that moment, Nico
wished things could have just stayed the way they were before the incident with
Apollo all those months ago. He wondered what it would have been like if things
had gone differently between them. But there was no way that would have
happened, and Nico realized it was for the best.
Apollo finally leaned down and pressed a kiss to Nico's forehead. He adjusted
Nico's legs, so that one was on each shoulder, both hovering over Nico's head.
The raven-haired boy's hands were pinned on either side of his head, Apollo
giving them a squeeze as he intertwined their fingers. All the while, Apollo
had sealed their lips together in a very passionate kiss. Nico opened his mouth
to allow the blond entrance as the blond's erection brushed against his
prostate.
One of Nico's hands was brought up to Apollo's lips, where the blond proceeded
to trail kisses along Nico's wrist before running his tongue against the
sensitive skin.
From there, Apollo pulled Nico into his lap, sitting back on his haunches. The
blond took a firm grip of Nico's waist and thrust into the boy. Nico's nails
raked across the blond's sweaty chest, while Apollo reached up to brush the wet
bangs from Nico's eyes. The brown-eyed boy wrapped his legs tightly around
Apollo's waist and clung to the tan back. One of Apollo's hands reached down to
stroke Nico's erection.
Apollo kissed along Nico's neck, slowly working his way up until their lips
met. Nico's fingers tangled into the blond's curls as he was brought down onto
the cock inside of him. He moaned into the blond's mouth as Apollo hit his
prostate at the same time that he squeezed Nico's erection.
Nico's climax hit him out of nowhere. Apollo just managed to hit his spot just
right and then Nico saw white. He moaned loudly as Apollo placed him back on
the bed, kissing Nico softly. With another thrust, Apollo moaned back and
released himself.
The two took a moment to catch their breaths before Apollo rolled off of Nico
and collapsed on the bed beside him. With a groan, Apollo reached down and
removed the condom, tying it up before tossing it in the trash. Apollo rested a
hand on his chest, wiping at the sweat that was there a little. To say that
Apollo looked good after sex was an understatement. It should have bordered on
illegal.
The blond's chest glistened and his curls were matted to his head, while his
penis lay limp against his lower abdomen. And the way Apollo placed his arm
above his head only made Nico think even more that the blond should have been a
model.
But the moment was brought to an end when Apollo got out of bed. Not that Nico
complained, since he got to watch Apollo's ass as the blond walked out of the
room. Upon his return, Apollo held two bottles of water in his hands. He
offered one to Nico with a smile.
“Thanks,” Nico mumbled, sitting up to fetch his underwear. After they were on,
Nico sat down next to the blond, who merely covered himself with the sheets of
his bed. Nico took a long swig of water. “Well, I guess you are better in bed
than your ex.”
Apollo chuckled. “Thanks.” He let his head fall against the headboard. “I'm so
tired, though.”
“Same.” Nico took another drink. “So, do you want to talk about what I said
earlier? About you and Robert, I mean.”
A sigh escaped Apollo's lips. “I don't know.” For a second, Nico thought the
blond meant that he didn't know if he wanted to talk about it, but that didn't
seem to be the case when the blond continued. “I guess first loves are hard to
get over. You know, back then, I was so stupid. I actually thought Robert and I
would last forever. A hopeless dream, I suppose.”
“It doesn't have to be.”
Apollo let out a soft chuckle. “Not with him, as much as part of me still wants
him.” The blond shook his head. “No, Robert hurt me too much. But, at the same
time, I just want to go back to the way things were.” The blond looked up from
his water bottle to frown at Nico. “Is that weird of me to say?”
“I don't think so,” Nico admitted. “But Robert wasn't who I meant.”
Apollo smirked at him. “Do you want me?” Nico narrowed his eyes, which made
Apollo slump in the bed. “Look, I screwed up with Leo a long time ago, and I
was dumb enough not to fix things after it happened. That bridge got burned a
long time ago.”
Nico didn't seem convinced. “I doubt that.”
“Look, I'm not healthy, Nico.” The blond motioned to himself. “Luke and I
aren't so different. Perhaps not in the ways you might think, because we are
different, but I don't think I'm capable of sustaining a healthy relationship
anymore.”
A frown formed on Nico's lips. “You can't think that. It's not true, because
you're still a sweet guy.” He nudged the other Lost Boy's shoulder. “I think
things could work out if you just tried.”
Apollo sighed as he stared at his bottle of water. “I don't know,” he muttered.
“Leo gets mad if I even mention that night.”
“What happened anyways?”
There was a pained look in Apollo's eyes. Was it that bad? Letting out a
breath, Apollo glanced up at the TV. Nico had honestly forgotten that it was
still on. “Where do I even begin? I sort of used Leo as a distraction from both
Robert and Percy when the kid first arrived. I flirted him, perhaps not so
differently than I flirted with you originally. At first, he just wanted to
kiss, even though I tried to get more out of him. I spent time around him,
mostly to try and convince him to come back to my room.”
“But?”
The blond flinched. “Well, I sort of...started to like the kid. I don't know,
he was quirky and upbeat, and I liked it. But I suppose it's now my fault that
he's angrier than when he first arrived. I mean, he used to joke a lot more,
but now he's...” Apollo motioned a little at the air. “Well, you've seen him.
That's my fault.”
Nico frowned. “I've never heard him blame you for that.”
“No, he's never come out and said it, but he definitely is mad about what
happened between us.” The blond scrunched his lips. “Anyways, I finally got Leo
to have sex with me one night. The problem was that I just wanted to lay there
and stare at him while he slept.”
Nico just arched a brow. He didn't see a problem really. “And?”
The blond let out a sigh. “I got scared. So, I ran, figuratively speaking. I
kicked him out of my room that night and didn't speak to him for several weeks
after that.” Apollo reached up and ran a hand through his curls. “The hurt look
on his face was painful to see. I felt horrible, but I couldn't get myself to
do anything about it. I was still angry about what happened between myself and
Ganymede, all under Percy's orders. I was angry at both of them, and I just
wanted to get back at them. And it didn't help matters for Leo that I nearly
got him in trouble with his job.”
Well, that part Nico had already heard from Ganymede. Not that Apollo needed to
know that. “Why don't you just explain things to Leo?” He shook his head. “He's
an understanding guy, Apollo.”
Apollo took in a deep breath before resting his head against the headboard. “It
doesn't matter.” He gave the other boy a weak smile. “Don't worry about it,
Nico, I'll be fine.”
“You're not really convincing me with that.”
Apollo chuckled and shrugged. “Well, I guess I can't really fool you anymore.”
He ran his tongue along his lips, staring down at his lap. “It's really not a
big deal, don't worry about it.” Nico frowned, standing to his feet and putting
the rest of his clothes on. “You know, perhaps we should make room for another
brother.”
Nico quirked a brow, slipping his shirt over his head. “What do you mean?”
“Annabeth, Luke, Thalia, and I were all fighting, yet you managed to get
everyone to see reason, including us.” He brushed some of his curls out of his
face. “Just a suggestion, but I think we can all agree that everyone is
starting to confide in you a lot more. You've comforted and given advice quite
a bit recently, so I wouldn't mind having you as another support system. Lord
knows that we have our hands full while Percy is away.”
Nico smiled a little. “Thanks.” The raven-haired boy slowly walked over to the
door, pulling his card out of his pocket. “I guess I wouldn't mind, if it's
what you guys want. I guess I just don't really feel like I should be
considered one of the siblings of the Lost Kids, since I'm one of the newer
ones.”
Apollo stood up, sliding into his own underwear. “I don't think that really
matters, especially not if you manage to keep your head while the rest of us
are off fighting.” He reached over and squeezed the boy's shoulder. “Look,
Nico, whether you want to see it or not, if you hadn't stopped us, we might
have continued to fight until Percy came back. And I can promise you that it
probably would have only gotten uglier as time progressed. You did a good job.”
----------------------
Nico had only ever been to Disneyland once in his life, and that had been when
Bianca had taken him during summer break four years ago. Jason had woken Nico
up pretty early on Saturday and had dragged Nico to the theme park. The two had
spent most of the day there, but would soon have to go back within a couple of
hours. The two had made an agreement not to purchase any merchandise until they
were ready to go, as well as to refrain from the water rides until the very
end.
Chasing after his roommate, Nico glared and tried to swipe the picture from
their last ride from Jason's hand. To little avail, since Jason was still
several inches taller than Nico. “I look horrible, get rid of it!”
“No,” Jason chuckled. He smirked and examined the picture above his head. “I
think I'm going to put it on our fridge.”
“Not if I burn it first.”
“Rude.” Jason stuck his tongue out as he pocketed the vile picture. “So, how
about a water ride before we have to go back?”
Nico let out a breath, already trying to think of the ride he wanted to go on
the most. “Fine, but I'm also okay with just living out the rest of our days
here.” Jason chuckled. “How about Grizzly River Run?”
“Sounds good to me.” Jason placed his hands behind his head as he walked in the
direction of Nico's selected ride. Jason's attire for the day consisted of a
loose, light blue tank top and a pair of khaki shorts. The blond's sandals
clacked against the concrete as they walked. Jason had been getting a good bit
of attention over the course of the day, but Nico couldn't really blame the
people from staring. Even he had to admit that his roommate was wet fantasy
material.
The line isn't too bad when they arrive, but they do find themselves standing
there for a little over twenty minutes. Nico rubbed his neck as they waited. “I
feel like I need more days like this while Kronos is here.”
Jason grinned. “It is nice. But I think I'd expand that to just every now and
then in general. It is much more relaxed when Percy is at the hotel, but it's
great to have a day completely away from the Lotus.”
Nico took a few steps forwards when the line moved. “This was very awesome,
though. Thanks for bringing me.”
Nico might have felt like a twelve year old boy again when him and Jason
emerged from the ride. The two came out soaked after the ride was over. Not
that Nico was complaining, since Jason's shirt now clung to his body. He sort
of found himself distracted by that fact as they shopped in one of the stores.
After nearly forty-five minutes of shopping, Jason and Nico headed out of the
park. They were still wet, but the sun was already working on drying them.
Luckily, Jason had brought two towels along to place in the seats.
When they finally got back to the hotel, Nico had started to feel cold. The air
in the elevator didn't really help matters either. So, by the time they got up
to their suite, Nico was shivering. Jason smiled at him as he closed the door.
“Cold?”
Nico narrowed his eyes, rubbing his arms. “Gee, I don't know, what do you
think?”
The raven-haired boy frowned and worked on pulling his shirt over his head. As
it was still wet in some places, it got stuck coming over his head. Nico heard
Jason laugh again before a new pair of hands helped him pull off the shirt.
Nico's eyes widened as Jason's lips met with his the second the shirt was off.
Nico's eyes slowly opened as Jason pulled away to pull off his own shirt.
Smiling, Jason walked down the hall. “You coming?” He called back to Nico.
Unbuttoning his shorts on the way, Nico followed after his roommate. Jason was
already out of his clothes by the time Nico arrived in Jason's room. Jason
wrapped his arms around Nico and pulled the shorter boy onto the bed, sliding
them under the covers.
“Better?”
Nico attempted to glare, but he was pulled too close to Jason's chest for the
blond to see it. “Maybe,” he mumbled instead. His eyes closed as Jason's hands
rubbed softly at his back. Since they were both naked, Nico could feel Jason's
manhood press against his abdomen. “I don't want to go to work.”
Jason chuckled against Nico's neck. He rolled them over, so that he was on top
of Nico. “Well, we can take a nap, if you're tired.” Nico let out a small moan
as Jason pressed against him. “Or we could do something else before that nap.”
Nico spread his legs, bending them at the knee. “You do make a compelling
argument.” His manhood hardened as Jason's erection brushed against his
entrance. “Condom, now.”
Another chuckle escaped Jason's lips as he fished out a condom and a bottle of
lube from his nightstand. Spreading some lube on his fingertips, Jason slid the
first finger into Nico's entrance. Their lips met as Jason rubbed their
erections against one another. Jason's skin was soft from his still drying
skin, something that drove Nico a little wild. His hands tangled into Jason's
short, blond hair. The blond chuckled as he slid in a second finger,
immediately hitting the boy's prostate.
Out of all the Lost Kids, Nico expected Jason to be the most familiar with his
body, since this was not the first time they had messed around. Unlike Will,
Luke, or Apollo, this made the fourth time that the two had messed around. And
Jason never disappointed. While Nico and Jason had both agreed that they didn't
think that they could have a romantic relationship, Nico could admit that it
felt more natural with Jason than it did with even Will. Percy, on the other
hand, was different, something that made Nico feel complete.
Nico let out a small whine when Jason removed his fingers, only to replace it
with the head of his cock a few seconds later. The raven-haired boy's nails dug
into Jason's back as every inch of Jason's length entered him. Jason propped
himself up, while Nico made sure to keep his leg bent to give Jason access.
With hazed eyes, Nico watched as the muscles on Jason's arms and chest
tightened with each thrust.
When Nico rolled his head to the side to let out a string of moans, Jason moved
in to suck at the boy's neck, which only made Nico moan all the louder. With a
direct thrust to Nico's prostate, Jason bit the boy's neck. He felt the blond
smirk at the near deafening moan that escaped his lips from the combination of
the two actions.
Gripping Jason's hair was the only thing that stopped Nico from cumming right
there.
It had felt really good, okay? Jason pulled back, and the look in his blue eyes
was enough to make Nico moan again. The blond leaned down and captured Nico's
lips as his hips moved in a rhythm in and out of Nico. Jason slid his arms
under Nico's legs and raised them on top of his shoulders. Jason crouched above
Nico, raising the boy's hips, so that he could thrust directly downwards.
Hard, quick thrusts were delivered to Nico's prostate. He would give Jason one
thing, the blond could remember where Nico's prostate was. Every single thrust
managed to hit. This was exactly how it was after Jason found it during their
first time having sex. During the second time in the shower, Jason had managed
to go without missing the raven-haired boy's prostate a single time. And it
seemed Jason was going for a repeat, as every single thrust he delivered to
Nico's increasingly sweaty body made direct contact with his prostate.
Nico placed his hands under his head as Jason's fingers dug into his hips,
using it as a way to slap deeper into the boy beneath him. Nico let out a moan
as a bead of sweat dropped off of Jason's forehead and hit him on the chest.
Another thing Jason was good at was that he could make Nico cum without being
touched. This time proved to be no different. The second Nico attempted to
reach down and stroke himself, Jason pinned the boy's hand against the pillow.
Nico let out more moans as the blond rapidly thrust into him. Jason's thrusts
were wild, and those blue eyes reminded Nico of a wolf as the blond stared down
at him with a dark, lust-filled gaze.
Nico's legs tightened around Jason as he tossed his head back with an
incredibly loud moan. His seed shot out of the tip of his erection and splashed
across his stomach. Jason let out a grunt and delivered three more harsh
thrusts before he too climaxed.
The blond leaned down and kissed Nico before pulling out and removing the
condom. Nico's eyes drooped a little as he watched Jason pad across the room,
admiring the blond's nude form. When Jason returned, he handed Nico a towel.
The boy mumbled his thanks before rubbing his stomach and ass clean. He handed
the towel back with a heavy exhale. Jason smirked as he tossed the towel aside
and collapsed onto the bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.
One of Jason's arms draped across Nico's stomach as the two laid there. Nico
ran his fingers across the blond's arm, though he did not choose to remain
above the covers. When he looked over, Jason had already dozed off. He smiled a
little. Jason looked a lot more childish when he slept, something that Nico
thought was cute. It made him a little sad to think about, but Nico sort of
wished things could have been different for the two of them.
In another life, one where Jason hadn't endured what he had, Nico wanted to
think that perhaps the two of them could have gotten together. Jason was a nice
guy, and Nico had no doubts that Jason would have made him happy. But it wasn't
to be.
Figuratively, Jason would always be the one that he would always wonder what
could have been. Perhaps even the one that got away, even though Jason was
right there in front of him.
Perhaps this was how Luke felt towards Nico. The feelings should be there, but
there was just something that kept them from actually having romantic feelings
towards each other. It sort of sucked, because Nico knew that it would have
been easier to be with Jason than even with Percy. Jason just came naturally.
Nico was shaken awake almost two hours later. The boy rubbed his eyes, only to
find Jason's wet form above him. “Hello, sleepy. You should hurry and grab a
shower, it's almost time for work. If you hurry, we can still go get something
to eat.”
The raven-haired boy yawned and sat up. Jason padded over to his closet,
removing the towel that was around his waist. Nico rolled out of bed and left
the blond's room, making his way towards the bathroom. He still didn't want to
go to work, but he knew that he had to.
The two ate dinner in the hotel's restaurant, enjoying their last thirty
minutes before work. On their way back up to the top floor, Jason smiled at
Nico. “So, did I do a good job for a present?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “I feel like your present was more about sex, since we
had sex twice on my actual birthday, and then again today after we got back
from Disneyland.” He narrowed his eyes at the smug look on the blond's face.
“But it was fun, yes. I had fun at the park.”
Jason winked at him as the elevator came to a stop. “Well, maybe we'll see
about a round two today, but only if I'm not tired after work.” The blond slung
his hands behind his head as they exited the elevator. “But, either way, I
might come by your room, unless I'm dead on my feet.”
Nico ended up stuck at Kronos's table. It was not that he tried to get the
table, it was more that Kronos called him over to ask for a drink before even
sitting down. Either way, Nico was just relieved that Kronos was pretty passive
tonight. He barely even looked at Nico, keeping his eyes on either the stage or
the paperwork in front of him.
“Oh, Nico,” Dionysus greeted him upon entering the bar room, “always a
pleasure.”
Nico tilted his head to the side, inspecting the man. “Are you drunk?”
Sure, Dionysus usually drank during work hours, but Nico had yet to see the man
actually intoxicated. But here the man was, red eyed and swaying a little. He
hadn't seemed very pleasant since the Lost Kids stopped fighting.
“Are you just a disappointment?” The man frowned at Nico. “And here I thought
you'd end up being the ultimate entertainment, but you just disappointed me.”
Nico let out a sigh as he dropped off a few orders. “But I'm glad Kronos is
here, this hotel can finally see the potential I wanted it to have.”
Wrinkling his nose, Nico took a step back. The man's breath reeked of alcohol.
“What are you even talking about, Dionysus?”
Not like he needed it, but Dionysus downed another drink. “That little
brat...Peter Johnson...” The man narrowed his eyes, like he lost Nico for a
second. “He had to come along and ruin what was promised to me.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Wait.” He pointed over at the man. “You. You were
supposed to be the manager of this hotel?”
Dionysus took a small bow. “At your service.”
It was very hard, but Nico managed not to roll his eyes. “Well then, I'm
thankful that you didn't get the position. And with any luck, we'll be free
from Kronos soon enough.”
The man motioned to Nico, sloppily pouring a drink for one of the orders Nico
had brought him. “Who needs Percy around when the others have you to quell
their fights?” He blinked over at the boy. “Surely you are capable of handling
things.”
“Percy didn't steal anything from you.” Nico crossed his arms. “You probably
didn't deserve it. He's a good manager, and he handles us a lot better than
Kronos does. People like him better.” Dark eyes narrowed at the man. “And you
especially don't deserve the position now. I'm sure you'd have done nothing but
torture everyone until Gaea was forced to remove you.”
Dionysus rolled his eyes, shoving a tray of drinks to the side. Nico eyed him a
moment before walking over to pick it up. “You probably don't even see how far
you've fallen. Do you really want Percy to come back?”
Nico debated ignoring him as he made his way to the door. That urge did not win
out. “Of course I want him back.”
“Even if he was disappointed with what he saw?”
A cold spike shot down Nico's spine, though he fought the urge to shiver. He
pursed his lips tightly as he glared at the door. Dionysus was just trying to
bait a reaction out of him. Taking in a deep breath, Nico pushed out the door,
ignoring the smug look on the man's face. Dionysus was just bitter, Nico
wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
The majority of Nico's night was actually rather quiet. Dionysus kept to
himself after his talk with Nico. If he gave the others trouble, they didn't
show it. None of the customers gave him any trouble, and one lady even gave him
a big tip because she thought he was “the cutest thing that I've ever seen”.
Nico had smiled and happily accepted the twenty bucks.
Kronos had pretty much ignored Nico, keeping it to simple requests for the
duration of half the night. He actually thanked Nico when the Lost Boy dropped
off a drink for him. Honestly, it left Nico more than stunned. Perhaps Kronos
was just swamped with work, which Nico wasn't about to complain about.
All of that changed halfway through the night.
After getting off the phone, he sent Rachel away. The girl had sat there for a
moment, just blinking, but finally got up. As she left, Kronos's dark eyes fell
on Nico. “So, I was thinking about our little conversation earlier.”
Great, Nico thought to himself. He managed to put on a smile. “And?”
“And...I completely forgot to mention how little you know about Percy's past.”
The young man put on an obviously friendly smile as Nico frowned. “Like I said
back at Christmas, you barely know about half the things he's done. Yet, for
some reason, you think you love my brother. It's touching, really it is, but I
can't really see how you think you're in love with him.” The corners of
Kronos's lips turned up even. “I mean, I get how easily it is to fall for him.
Percy is charming and attractive, always drawing attention. I think you're just
suffering from a simple crush that you need to get over. Because, let's face
it, you can't really expect to love someone that you barely know.”
Slowly, Nico nodded his head. Kronos smiled for a moment, until Nico opened his
mouth. “Yeah, I don't really care about what he's done in his past. I like the
Percy I know now, and that's all that matters.” As Kronos narrowed his eyes,
Nico shrugged. “I'm sure Percy has done some horrible things, but the
difference between you and him is that I can see that it bothers Percy. I'm not
sure if you're capable of even feeling emotions.”
“Is that so?”
Nico nodded a little. “Percy's past is where it should be, in the past.”
With a smirk, Kronos looked down at his phone with a content sigh. “Nico,
you're always a breath of fresh air.” The glint that was in the young man's
eyes when he looked up sent shivers down the Lost Boy's spine. “Goodbye, Nico.”
Pursing his lips, Nico walked off with a huff. Once again, he was reminded how
infuriating the manager could be. It was to think about how someone could take
so much satisfaction from just pulling a reaction from someone. Nico had to
wonder if he had only fulfilled what Kronos wanted by giving the answer he had.
At the end of the night, Nico got back to his room a little after two. He had
ended up with a client at the end of his shift. Thankfully, a woman that was
incredibly easy to satisfy. But none of that changed that fact that Nico felt
completely dirty.
He chewed on his lip as he walked from his bedroom to the bathroom. Nico hadn't
thought much about it at the time, but he had experienced a lot of sex over the
past two days. This made the fourth time he had sex during that time frame, all
with different people. He had also been scratching at his arm since he left the
top floor. Needless to say, he had ended up with red skin and a small cut.
Running his tongue along the inside of his mouth, Nico shut the mirror after
getting out a band-aid. He barely recognized himself anymore. His head fell
back, letting out a long breath. Who was he anymore? He wasn't Nico, at least
not the same Nico from his old life.
He wanted to be scared, but the boy barely felt anything. He felt empty inside,
completely numb. It was that fact that actually did scare him. Well, Nico
thought, at least he got what he wanted. Nico wasn't an immature little kid
anymore. Yanking off his shirt, Nico stared at his reflection.
It pained him to think that he could see his old self staring back at him,
smiling. Perhaps that kid was dead, never coming back. Reaching up, Nico
lightly touched at his face. What was he doing? This wasn't him. The old Nico
would have never been so careless about sex. It was the main reason he attached
himself so fiercely to Percy to begin with.
Back then, Nico had just wanted one guy that could make him happy and take care
of him. If that Nico could have only seen him now. Did he even care that he was
becoming exactly what the others had said he would, the thing he had insisted
that he would never become? Was it too late to save himself?
Perhaps Percy would be disappointed with what he saw, if he ever came back.
Nico's chest hurt as placed a hand over his heart. And, when he looked up, it
only hurt worse. For the first time, Nico wasn't crying. His body felt like it
was, or at least wanted to, but there were no tears that came out. His eyes
weren't even watery. They were just...cold.
Closing his eyes, Nico let out a sigh. He stepped out of the rest of his
clothes before getting in the shower. Right now, he really just wanted to try
and wash this unclean feeling off of his body. For the most part of the shower,
though, Nico just sort of leaned against the wall and let the water run down
his body.
What was he supposed to do? Was it too late for him? How could he fix this? It
felt so dark around him now, like he was lost. Nico really wished he had that
flashlight Chiron had talked about a while back, because things were looking
pretty grim for him.
After a good twenty minutes, Nico stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel
around his waist. He slowly made his way back to his room, where he slipped on
some cotton shorts. A good portion of his body was now pink from the hot water,
though he had barely flinched under it.
Scrunching his lips, Nico turned out the lights and climbed into bed. He let
out a sigh as he curled up under the covers. The door opened a few minutes
later, which made Nico let out a small groan. He had been on the verge of sleep
when the noise brought him back to reality.
To be honest, Nico had forgotten that Jason said he was going to drop by after
work. So, Nico just snuggled closer to his pillow. “Not in the mood for sex,
Jason,” the boy mumbled as he heard a zipper.
Slowly, Nico heard clothes hit the floor, and then the bed shifted. Even in the
darkness and with his back turned, Nico could feel the smile that the blond was
giving him. If he wasn't so exhausted, Nico would have rolled over and shoved
the guy out of his bed.
Nico took in a deep breath as a body pressed against him. Arms wrapped around
Nico, and the boy began to hear the faint sound of breathing against his ear.
Whatever, he thought, as long as Jason didn't try to have sex. Not that he
should have expected it, since Jason wouldn't try and initiate sex if Nico
wasn't in the mood.
However, Nico was thankful for the warmth that he felt. Jason was very warm
tonight, and the faint breaths was very soothing. It did not take Nico long to
drift off into a deep sleep.
***** The Bedroom Guest *****
The next morning, Nico was pulled from his deep sleep when the bathroom door
hit against the wall. The raven-haired boy groaned and rolled onto his stomach.
He cracked an eye open when he realized the warmth from last night was gone.
As predicted, the bed was empty. Nico supposed that was to be expected,
considering his roommate was around the bathroom. Letting out a yawn, Nico
stumbled out of bed. He opened his door and scratched his head. A cabinet in
the kitchen closed. Grumbling to himself, Nico headed in that direction.
Jason was dressed solely in a towel when Nico found him. The blond's hair was
soaking wet, signaling his roommate's recent shower. When the blue-eyed Lost
Boy turned around, he smiled when he found Nico there. “Morning.”
“Morning,” Nico grumbled, taking a seat at the kitchen island.
Nico's dark eyes drifted down to where Jason's towel barely held at his hips.
On top of that, there was a droplet of water that slowly made its way down
Jason's appealing stomach. Running his hand through his hair, Nico let out a
sigh. “So, what time did you wake up?”
Jason shrugged. “Maybe thirty minutes ago?”
“And you didn't wake me up?”
The blond blinked at him. “Um, no?” Jason replied. “It's not like you have to
work today.”
Nico rubbed his temples. Even though he hadn't drank at all last night, the boy
felt like he was suffering from a hangover. “Well, thanks for stopping by last
night.” He shook his head. “Last night was just sort of rough for-” Nico
stopped when he noticed the confused look on his roommate's face. “What?”
“I didn't come by your room last night,” the blond admitted.
Nico's brow furrowed. “Um, yes, you did.” He motioned to his room. “You came in
my room and curled up behind me.” Jason just shook his head. “Dude, I felt your
warmth. I mean, it was warmer than usual, but I felt you.”
Again, Jason shook his head. “Nico, I just got back to the suite before I took
my shower. I crashed in Thalia's room last night. I wanted to talk to her. I
guess what you said last week sort of sank in, thought I'd make amends with
her.” The blond motioned towards the door. “You can ask her yourself.”
Nico rubbed at his arm, suddenly getting a chill. If it wasn't Jason, then who
was it? “So, um, who else can get in here? Leo and Rachel?”
His roommate shrugged. “Well, there's also Kronos.”
“Yeah, saying that doesn't make me feel any better,” the raven-haired boy
groaned. Those were the only three that had key access to suites of the Lost
Kids. Frankly, Nico seriously hoped it was either Rachel or Leo. Because the
son of the devil did not sound like the most appeasing cuddle buddy.
Opening his mouth, Nico was interrupted by the sound of his cellphone. His brow
furrowed as he scanned over a text from Rachel. Apparently, he was needed
upstairs. Had he done something wrong?
“I'll be right back,” Nico mumbled as he went to his room.
Slipping into some loose clothing, Nico grabbed his wallet and headed for the
front door. He felt very uneasy on the ride up to the manager's floor. If it
was Kronos that wanted him, Nico would rather not be going, but he figured he
had little choice. But their last conversation had not gone very pleasantly.
Perhaps Kronos wanted to skin him alive.
Nico rolled his shoulders as he stepped off the elevator and immediately froze.
His brow furrowed as he watched people drag things around. A hotel cart wheeled
some suitcases out of the room Kronos had been inhabiting during his stay. The
sound of a steam cleaner could be heard from within the room. What was going
on?
“Hi, Nico.”
Every fiber of Nico's being froze, his blood running cold. He knew that voice.
But to hear it in person again was like music. Nico was too afraid to turn
around, too afraid that he might not really be there. Taking in a deep breath,
Nico pursed his lips and slowly turned around.
And there he was.
Percy Jackson himself, dressed in casual pair of jeans and a light blue shirt.
The jerk even had a pair of sunglasses on top of his head. The guy didn't look
professional at all, more like he had just gotten back from a vacation. But
there he was, smiling at Nico with his hands in his pockets.
As Nico took a few steps forward, Percy's smile brightened. “Did you miss me?”
Without warning, Nico slapped Percy across the face. To say the young man
looked surprised was an understatement. The young man rubbed his jaw as he
gawked at Nico. The Lost Boy clenched his teeth, his fists tight by his sides.
“That's the first thing you say to me, really?” Nico growled.
Percy chuckled, still rubbing his jaw. “Well, I guess Rachel was right, you
have grown some balls.” When Nico attempted to hit him again, Percy caught his
wrist with a smile. “Striking your boss can get you fired, you know.” Briefly,
those green eyes scanned Nico over. “You're not wearing the jacket I gave you.”
Nico jerked his arm away. “I just woke up.” Frowning, Nico rubbed his wrist.
“Seriously, you couldn't even give us a notice that you were coming back? When
did you even get in?”
“Last night.” Percy grinned and tilted his head to the side. “Well, you know, I
dropped by last night, but you seemed pretty tired. So, I let you sleep.” The
jerk actually had the audacity to stick his tongue out at Nico. “So, Jason's
been sleeping in your bed?”
Nico's cheeks turned pink. “Shut up!” His entire face slowly turned red as he
realized what Percy had just said. It had been Percy in his room last night? It
had been Percy that cuddled with him? “Um, I-I'm glad you're back.”
Percy smiled and ducked his head, attempting to catch Nico's gaze as the boy
hid his eyes behind his bangs. “Good, I was starting to worry.” His lips tilted
down and he forced Nico to look up. “Are you okay, though?”
Did he know what happened? Nico gulped. Attempting his best smile, Nico nodded.
“Yeah, of course.” He cleared his throat. “How was your trip?”
“It was good.” Percy obviously wasn't convinced. The way he kept looking at
Nico gave it away. “I'll have to talk about it later. There's actually some
things that I need to let everyone know.” The smile was gone from Percy's lips,
a dark look in his eyes. But he was no longer looking at Nico. Nico spun around
to find Kronos standing a few feet away. “All packed?”
Kronos's lips tilted up. “Almost. I suppose I'll be glad to be getting back to
my own hotel.” While he kept smiling, the way Kronos looked at Nico sent
shivers up the boy's spine. “I see you two are getting reacquainted.”
Percy nodded. The young man's lips tilted back up, slowly stepping around Nico
to place his hand on Kronos's shoulder. But he didn't speak to Kronos. “Nico,”
the green-eyed young man began, turning to look at the boy, “you can go back to
your suite. We can talk later.”
Nico quickly nodded. “Yeah, sure.” He cleared his throat. “Of course.”
But Percy stopped him before the boy could get back on the elevator. “Come back
in an hour, knock on my door.”
Taking in a breath, Nico nodded again and pushed the button to his floor. His
shoulders relaxed when the doors closed. On the way down, though, Nico started
to laugh. It was over. The nightmare that was Kronos was finally over. Percy
was back and the hotel could finally go back to normal.
When the elevator opened, Nico found Luke and Octavian standing there. The
younger brother quirked a brow at him. “What has you in such a good mood?”
“Percy's back!” Nico exclaimed.
A flood of relief could be seen in both blonds' stunned eyes. Luke pulled him
aside. “You're serious? You saw him?”
Nico nodded. “He's upstairs. Looks like Kronos is going to leave today, too.”
Luke let out a sigh as Annabeth and Piper came up behind them. “What's up,
guys?” Piper asked.
Nico had heard Luke laugh before, but it was usually done to mock someone. This
was strange. The blond's lips tilted up as joyous laughter spilled out of his
mouth. The girls looked at the guy like he'd grown a second head.
Octavian smirked and shook his head. “Percy's back.”
“Yes!” Piper held up her hands. Octavian let out a yelp as the girl wrapped her
arms around him and lifted him off the ground in a giant hug.
After a moment, Nico noted that Annabeth was watching him. When she noticed
this, she smiled and nodded. “I suppose we should let the others know.”
“We should have a party!” Piper suggested, dragging Annabeth into the elevator.
Luke chuckled and stepped in after them, Octavian following in last. Nico
smiled and waved at them before going down the hall to his suite.
As per the young man's request, Nico showed back up at Percy's room an hour
later. After knocking, Nico stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to
watch the last of Kronos's things get taken out of the suite. Relief washed
over Nico as he watched the scene. It was over, Kronos was finally leaving.
Well, this feeling was washed away quickly when Percy's door opened and he
found both Percy and Kronos standing there. The spawn of the devil narrowed his
eyes at Nico, though he quietly brushed past the boy. Percy smiled and tossed
Kronos a wave.
“I'll see you here shortly,” the green-eyed young man said.
Kronos kept staring at Nico. “Of course. I'll see you in the lobby.”
Nico really wasn't sure which was worse from Kronos: the clearly angry side or
the eerily calm one. Either way, Nico shivered as Kronos walked away. Percy
smiled at the boy and motioned for Nico to come inside. Gladly accepting the
invitation, the Lost Boy stepped around Percy and entered the suite. It had
been a while since he had seen the room, which had been unoccupied during
Percy's absence. Everything was exactly as Nico remembered it.
Percy walked back to his bedroom, fiddling with the cuffs of his dress shirt.
While Percy did look good in it, the shirt merely reminded Nico that Percy was
back to his business routine. He kind of liked seeing Percy so relaxed. Nico
sat down on Percy's bed, while the young man dug around in his sock drawer.
“So,” Nico began.
Turning his head slightly to look at the boy, Percy smirked. “So,” he repeated.
His eyebrow shot up. “I see you put on the jacket.”
Nico shrugged, smiling a little as he looked down at himself. The jacket was
slightly big on him, but it didn't bother him at all. “Thank you for it,
though.”
“It was just a present.” Percy ran his hand through Nico's hair before sitting
down on the bed and putting his socks on. “I thought you might like it. But, as
an added bonus for me, I get to look at you in it.”
The Lost Boy's cheeks lit up. “I, um...” He had to mentally slap himself. Nico
had almost forgotten how easily Percy could charm someone. “Did you even stay
the whole night, or did you leave when you realized I was going to sleep.”
“I stayed,” Percy admitted. He shrugged and stood up, walking over to one of
his suitcases. Nico frowned as the young man pulled something out and slipped
it into his pocket. “If you weren't so lazy this morning, you could have
discovered that yourself. I woke up when I heard Jason come in, then I decided
to head upstairs to make sure everything was in order.”
“How am I lazy if you only woke up ten minutes before me?” Nico flailed his
arms with a huff. Percy smirked, moving closer. Nico narrowed his eyes, unsure
of what the young man was up to. “So, Gaea let you come back?”
“Something like that.”
Nico arched a brow as Percy knelt on the bed, one of his legs in between
Nico's. The brown-eyed boy leaned back a little. “Um, so, she doesn't think I'm
an issue anymore? Did you tell her that there's no reason to be concerned?”
A spark flickered in Percy's eyes as the young man pinned Nico to the bed. The
boy gulped when he felt Percy's knee press against his crotch. “Apparently,
there are some that are concerned that you are a problem for me, that you are
making me weak, Nico. Some want me to eliminate this problem.”
Something sharp and cold pressed against Nico's neck. Unsure of when they got
there, Percy had a hand to the boy's throat, and in his hand was a very sharp
knife. A cold, dark look filled the young man's eyes as he stared down at Nico.
Letting out a sigh, Percy sat back and frowned. The knife fell onto the bed.
“The problem is that I couldn't go through with something like that, even if I
wanted to.”
“I thought you were completely loyal?” Nico flinched. He told himself to shut
up, not wanting to push his luck.
“To Gaea,” Percy chuckled. He sighed and placed his hands on either side of
Nico's head. “She didn't ask me to do it. But, then again, I'm not sure if I
could, even if she did.” The young man scrunched his lips. “Maybe when we first
met, but not now.”
Nico rolled his head to the side. “You just want me to leave,” he whispered.
The green-eyed manager let out a heavy sigh. “You say that like it's a bad
thing. Yes, I gave you that money to try to convince you to leave. I wanted you
to graduate this whole time, yes. I won't deny that. But I also did it because
I thought it was what was best for you. Even if you did decide to stay, I would
still pay for your education.” He brushed some of Nico's hair from the boy's
face. “Stop depressing yourself.”
In all honesty, Nico probably should have just smiled and nodded, but
apparently he had developed into a masochist. “Is it true that you were going
to bring my father to the basement and pretty much torture him?” Frowning, Nico
pushed the young man off of him. “I thought I told you to just leave it alone?”
Percy's face was unreadable. “Well, I didn't, now did I?”
Groaning, Nico grasped at his hair. “That's not the point.” He sighed and sat
down in front of Percy. “I just...would rather not have my father involved in
my life, in any form.”
“Fair enough.” Percy gave a slight nod. “But, just so you know, I didn't ask
for him to come upstairs. I never intended for him to find out what you do.
When I found out he was talking to Persephone, I made a note to Leo and Rachel
to instantly decline her request, should she ever ask to bring him to the
hotel.”
There was a moment of silence, where neither of the two said anything. Nico
didn't even meet Percy's gaze. It wasn't until Percy got off the bed that Nico
finally looked up at him. “Did you know about the things that were going on
here? I mean, if you even know now.”
Percy kept his back to Nico. With a sigh, the young man picked up his phone
from his nightstand and slipped it into his pocket. “I had my suspicions.”
“And you were fine with it?”
Finally, Percy turned around with a slight frown. Frustration slowly became
apparent on the young man's face. “It's not like I wanted to leave, you know. I
didn't really have a choice, but I also knew that Kronos wouldn't do any real
harm to you.” He shook his head, rubbing his jaw. “But don't worry, everyone
that doesn't want to work the kink rooms is no longer required.” His eyes
flickered down to where the boy sat on his bed, as if to say: that goes
especially for you.
Nico was happy that Percy was back, he really was, but he also felt
disappointed. He had expected Percy to come back and the two of them be happy.
That was what the note was about, wasn't it? But here Percy was, and he hadn't
even brought the note up. Should Nico ask about it?
He never got the chance, though.
Percy let out a sigh. “For the record, I'm not mad at you.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “About what?”
The young man gave him a serious look. “The drugs, Nico. I'm not stupid.”
“He told you?” Nico muttered.
“No.” Percy shook his head. “Nico, I'm not going to get mad at you over an
accident. I am not unreasonable.” He sighed again and tilted the boy's chin up.
“It really doesn't bother me, you had no idea what the stuff was.” His lips
tilted up. “And, for the record, it was Luke.” Narrowing his eyes, he pointed
at Nico. “Don't tell him that I told you.”
Slowly, Nico nodded. At least that was something off his chest, and it felt
like a relief. Nico had been seriously debating if he should tell Percy when
the young man got back, but was too nervous. “Thank you,” he whispered.
The green-eyed young man opened his bedroom door, but stopped and turned around
when Nico stood up from the bed. “There is one more thing we need to talk
about.” Nico couldn't help but smile, hoping that it was about the note. But
the frown that set in on Percy's face couldn't disagree more. “You are to stay
away from Kronos from this day forward, do you hear me? Do not go near my
brother, under any circumstance.”
“I-”
Percy held up his hand, a dark look in his eyes. “I'm not finished talking.”
Nico pursed his lips and nodded. “Starting from this point, when we go down to
the lobby, do not speak to him. You are not to be alone with him, ever. The
only time you can speak with him is when you have other people around you. Do I
make myself clear?”
Gulping, Nico nodded his head. Fear was clear in the boy's eyes as he gawked up
at Percy. The young man rarely spoke to him with such force, it scared Nico a
little. But why was Percy getting mad at him? Kronos was the jerk that had been
torturing everyone. So why was it that Nico got the heat for it?
“Okay,” Nico finally whispered.
Well then, Nico thought to himself as he followed the young man out of the
suite, this was not how he imagined Percy's return to go.
In the elevator, Percy kept stealing glances at Nico. Not that Nico wasn't
doing the same, he was just having a hard time accepting that Percy was
actually there. Finally, the green-eyed young man tilted his head to the side
and tapped a finger to his lip. “Did you change something about yourself?” He
narrowed his eyes. “You just...look different. Are you okay?”
Pressing his lips together, Nico gave a small nod. “Well, I'm better now.” That
made Percy smile a little. “It's really good to have you back.”
“I bet.”
“But I'm fine, I promise.”
Percy arched a brow. “You're better at lying, but not that good.” He smirked at
the pout Nico gave him. “Keep in mind that I'm a professional liar, I know how
to spot lies.”
Nico just shook his head. “You know, when you say things like that, you make it
hard for others to trust you,” the boy sighed. Percy winked and wagged his
eyebrows. Still as childish as ever, Nico thought to himself. “So, did anything
exciting happen in Germany? I heard there was a new Lost Boy.”
“Yep.” Percy smiled a little. “He's fitting in fairly well, not really any
problems at all. Apparently, he used to do go-go dancer before he ended up on
the streets.”
Nico let out a small grunt of acknowledgment. “So, is that it?” He couldn't
help but fish for information, since he barely got to talk to Percy in the past
month. “Nothing important?”
“Not really,” Percy replied, his lips tilting down.
“Really?” Nico asked, unconvinced.
“Yeah.” Green eyes flickered away as the elevator opened. “It's not important,
so drop it.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he followed after the manager. What was that about?
Clearly, Percy was lying himself. But what could have happened? However, Nico
was pulled from his thoughts as Percy pressed a hand to his chest. Blinking,
Nico looked up to find a frown marring the young man's features. Percy blinked
and pointed over to where the other Lost Kids were standing. Nico let out a
sigh and trudged over to them, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his
aviator jacket.
The second Kronos spotted him, the young man rolled his eyes at Nico. He
clearly knew where Nico had gotten the jacket. But then Kronos just looked away
and smiled at Percy. Nico let out a sigh, narrowing his eyes. That was not
really the reaction he had hoped for. It was the day Kronos was leaving, when
Nico had Percy back. Kronos would be leaving, which meant that he couldn't
torture Nico. And while it probably was stupid, Nico was feeling a little
brave.
Yes, Nico wanted to rub this fact in Kronos's face. He wanted to gloat a little
that Percy was back and that he had held out in the end. But did he get
anything? No! Just that stupid eye roll. It was like the fact that Nico was
wearing Percy's jacket didn't bother Kronos at all.
But even still, all Kronos seemed to think of Nico as was an ant or some toy
that belonged to Percy. However, Nico was pulled from all of this when he
overheard something Kronos said to Percy.
“I guess I'll see you next month.”
“That's the plan,” Percy sighed. He smiled and hugged Kronos, which made Nico
roll his eyes. How could Percy even be friends with someone like Kronos? Even
if the guy's mother had saved Percy's life and been Percy's real friend.
Details.
When Kronos went to leave, his eyes flickered over to Nico a final time with
that annoying smirk of his. That smirk that he always gave when he felt like he
had won something. He must have been so satisfied with himself, and Nico was
just letting him pull his strings. Everything was just a game to the guy. The
fact remained: Nico was just as messed up as Kronos kept saying. As much as
Nico hated to admit this, it was the truth. Percy even noticed it straight off
the bat.
Was he even any different than the others now? Was he just another soul that
wound up trapped in the hotel, bound to wander its halls for the rest of time?
Was it even possible to save himself at this point? Letting out a small sigh,
Nico's eyes roamed over to where Percy stood. Maybe. But what was he even
trying to accomplish for anymore? At least, for now, it was good to have a
little light back in the hotel.
Percy walked Kronos out to the the limo that had been arranged to drive him to
the airport. The second the young man came back into the hotel, however, he was
swarmed. Percy quickly held his hands up in front of him to act as a shield as
the guy was surrounded on all sides.
Since Nico had already gotten time with Percy, he let the others suffocate him.
It was nice to see the others smile again. Relief was apparent in all of their
eyes as they overloaded Percy with their unending amount of questions. However,
it was Annabeth that noticed something about Percy first.
“Are you okay?” The blonde asked. Nico tilted his head to the side. She was
right. Percy had a small frown on his face, and it seemed like he wasn't
entirely there. Was he thinking about something? “Is everything okay?”
Nico went still when Percy's eyes flickered over to him. The young man's brow
furrowed, like he was considering something mentally. “It's nothing.” Percy
finally smiled, letting out a breath. “For the first time in a while, I think
everything is fine.”
Travis let a small grin creep onto his face as he nudged their manager.
“Something happen in Germany?”
The look in Percy's sea-green eyes was very distant, like he was somewhere
else. Had something happened? But then the young man let out a sigh and smiled.
A fake smile that he made no effort to mask. “Well, I can only hope that things
turn out to be good.” He frowned when Annabeth opened her mouth. “I'll talk
about it when I'm ready.”
“Yes, Percy,” the group all mumbled.
To Nico, though, it was just nice to hear Percy's name again. It was nice to
have him back. Whatever Percy had to say could wait, as far as Nico was
concerned. He just wanted to enjoy having the young man back. It was like a
weight had been taken off his chest, like he wasn't on the verge of a panic
attack anymore.
-----------------------------
Unfortunately, the group didn't get to see much more of Percy the rest of the
day. It wasn't until he came to the top floor during performance hours that
Nico got to see him again. Although, Nico didn't get his table. Not that he
could have, since the boy was on stage for the night.
And it was highly unlikely that Nico would be going to the backrooms tonight,
since Thalia had caught him before work and told him that her, Apollo, Luke,
and Annabeth were going to talk to Percy about letting Nico join the “big
siblings” after work.
As Nico was about to go on, Will caught him on the way to the stage. “Good
luck,” the blond mumbled.
It caught Nico a little off-guard. Will seemed unhappy and had barely spoken to
Nico since Percy's return. “You okay?”
Will turned around and blinked, a little surprised. “I'm fine. I just...never
mind.” The blond sighed. “It's not important.”
It didn't take much for Nico to realize why the blond seemed depressed. Yes, it
was nice that Percy was back, even for Will, but he had also made the deal with
Nico. And now Will probably wanted to see what Nico would say, probably
dreading the answer.
But Nico wasn't entirely sure himself. Yes, Percy had been what he had wanted
this whole time, and it was beyond amazing to have him back. But nothing seemed
to change between them. After the note, Nico had hoped... Well, he had hoped
for something different. But all he had really gotten was threats from Percy to
stay away from Kronos. Not very romantic.
At the same time, though, there was something that still bothered Nico about
Will. It wasn't the blond himself, just something felt off about them being
more than friends. He really needed to figure out what was bothering him about
the situation.
Nico let out a sigh as Will walked over to the couch and sat down. The raven-
haired boy took his place on the stage moments before the music started. All of
his problems and concerns had to be put on hold for the moment.
Clearing his head, Nico slowly rolled his head in a circular motion and raised
his arms above his head as Goldfrapp's “Ooh La La” began to play. His hands
slowly worked his way down his body, until the lyrics started and Nico jumped
and spread his legs. Every time the words “switch me on” and “turn me on”
appeared, Nico stopped what he was doing and made sure to shoot his legs apart,
trying to do his best at a seductive expression.
He turned his back to the audience and bent over slightly, running his hands up
his leg. From there, he jumped up and shot his legs apart again, this time
sticking his finger into his mouth. Leaning back, the boy rolled his stomach
and caressed his inner thighs.
As the song continued, Nico found himself on his side, sticking his leg into
the air. The boy actually managed to raise it up enough and grab it with one of
his hands. He was sure the audience enjoyed a nice view of his crotch and ass.
Sliding to the edge of the stage, Nico allowed a woman near the edge to rip the
silk pants he had on off of his body. Tossing her a wink, Nico jumped up and
began to sway along to the music again. Rolling his shoulders, Nico managed to
slide the vest he wore off of him.
Towards the end, when the part with “switch me on” appeared, Nico turned around
during his jump and placed both of his hands on his ass. The boy swayed his
hips around sensually, hooking his thumbs into the top of the fabric that clung
to his body ever so tightly.
Sitting down on the stage, Nico bent his knees and spread his legs towards the
audience. He slowly ran his hands from his feet up to his thighs. Groping his
crotch, Nico let out a moan. Not that the crowd could hear it, but they could
tell from his face what he had done. And, just as the song came to an end,
rolled his speedo down ever so slightly, exposing just a hint of his ass to the
audience as the song ended.
He tossed the crowd a wink as he made his way off the stage, pleased with the
torture he probably instilled upon some of them. And, as a bonus, Nico wouldn't
be going to the backrooms tonight because of what he had just done. It was a
win-win situation. Well, for Nico anyways.
An hour later, Nico found himself sitting at a table with Thalia, Annabeth,
Luke, and Apollo. Most of the others had already gone or were with a customer.
Leo and Rachel were the only others upstairs, save for Percy and Dionysus. The
newly returned manager was talking quite animatedly with Dionysus on the other
side of the room, though it didn't seem to be anything bad. From the few things
Nico could make out, Percy was just running through business transactions with
the man, and Dionysus just nodded his head and answered when it was required of
him. Nico tapped his fingers against the table's surface as he watched the two.
“So, is it true that Dionysus was supposed to be the manager before Percy?”
The other four looked over at him with confused expressions. Annabeth tilted
her head to the side. “Where did you hear that?” She asked.
Nico casually shrugged. “Just something Dionysus said.”
Thalia chuckled a little. “Well, I'm sure he wanted to, but that information
was wrong.” The girl placed her hands behind her head. “Sure, from what I've
heard, the guy wanted to be manager, but Gaea never considered him.”
Annabeth nodded her head lightly. “She's right. When I got here, Dionysus was
bickering with the old manager, mainly because Gaea had just informed the hotel
that Percy would be transferred here. And I think everyone knew what was going
to happen, so Dionysus just got upset.”
Apollo twisted one of his curls around his fingers. “Wasn't Gaea going to
promote him, but then he ruined his chances for anything?”
“Yeah,” Annabeth muttered. She let out a sigh. “Long story, long before my
time.” The Lost Girl shrugged at Nico. “He's bitter at Percy, but he only has
himself to blame.”
Luke was the only quiet one at the table. When Nico looked over at him, the
blond was trying to balance a water bottle on its side, using only his index
finger. The blond let out a sigh, his blue eyes trained on Percy. It must have
been a huge relief to have Percy back, Nico could understand that. It probably
meant a lot to Luke. Nico also had to wonder what might have happened while
Kronos was here. Luke wasn't one to talk about his problems, and Nico had to
wonder if Kronos had said things to the guy when they were alone.
It was what Kronos had done to Nico, so it only made sense that the same had
happened to Luke. The others had said that Luke was basically a toy for Kronos
to play with, so Nico doubted that nothing had happened. So, seeing Percy again
probably meant that a huge weight had been lifted from Luke. The most obvious
was the fact that his and Octavian's mother could no longer visit the hotel.
When Luke noticed him staring, however, the blond got an annoyed look in his
eyes. “What are you staring at, twerp?”
The raven-haired boy let out a sigh. “Nothing. But are you okay?”
“Of course,” Luke mumbled. “Worry about yourself.” His eyes flickered back over
to Percy. “Just be glad Percy came back to save your sorry ass, sunshine. You
got off easy from those kink rooms. The crazy amazon lady was probably the
least of what you could have experienced.”
“Well, it's not like you weren't preparing me for it.” Nico stuck out his
tongue.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because I totally showed you how things really
were. If you thought what we did was rough and kinky, you are heavily
misinformed about what goes on in those rooms.” The corners of the blond's lips
tilted up. “But I'd be glad to show you.”
Rolling his eyes, Nico smirked. “I think I'll take a pass. What we did was
about as far as I'd like to go.”
“Noted for later then.” Luke grinned and leaned back in the booth.
The group all fell quiet when Percy cleared his throat. When had he gotten to
their table? Nico's ears turned pink. Had Percy heard what him and Luke had
just been talking about? As if he could read the boy's mind, Percy arched a
brow at him. Shit, Nico thought.
Unaware of Nico's mental turmoil, Apollo leaned forward on the table with a
grin. “So, about what we discussed earlier. I just think that we've been
underestimating this one,” the blond said, pointing his finger in Nico's
direction. “I think he's finally gotten the hang of things around here.”
“Not everything,” Luke mumbled to himself. Everyone looked at the blond funny,
but Luke just waved it off.
“It doesn't bother me,” Thalia spoke up.
“Same,” Annabeth added. She nudged Luke.
Luke let out a grunt, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I suppose the kid
managed to keep things in order while you were away.”
Percy smiled a little before glancing over at Nico. He scrunched his lips, like
he was considering Nico. “Well, I suppose that's a decision for you guys. If
you feel that he deserves it, I'm fine with it. It's never really been my
decision to make.” The young man gave a casual shrug. “I'm not the one that
gave you the titles you have, may I remind you.”
“Um, but I'm sort of the youngest, so how does that work for me?” Nico asked.
Percy smiled at him. “It's just a title, Nico, it doesn't really mean anything.
It's not like you're getting a raise or promotion.” He rubbed the back of his
neck. “All this means is that the others will come to you with their problems,
and it's your job to help sort things out.” He smirked at the other four.
“Usually behind my back, but I don't mind. That's what you're there for, to
make my life easier. Basically, you want the others to come to you with their
problems, instead of running to me. Although, if you find yourself in over your
head, feel free to come talk to me.”
“Thanks,” Nico muttered. He smiled a little.
Percy reached out, like he was going to touch Nico's head, but stopped and
dropped his hand back at his side. “I just wanted to say that I am impressed.
It did surprise me a little when I heard you managed to talk the others into
putting their disagreements aside for the time being.” The young man slipped
his hands into his pockets. “I suppose it says something about the others
listening to you. Perhaps they feel like they can trust you.”
Nico glanced at the other four. Thalia smirked at him and gave him a thumbs up.
“We'll take him then!” The short girl exclaimed.
Percy gave a nod. “Good. Well then, if you'll all excuse me, I'm pretty
exhausted from getting back into the swing of things today.”
“They got you lazy while you were in Germany, didn't they?” Annabeth teased.
Percy frowned at her before he smirked and rolled his eyes. “Goodnight, guys.”
With a small wave, Percy headed for the stairs. With a small frown, Nico
watched the young man go until Percy was out of sight. Luke practically shoved
Nico out of the booth to allow himself to get up. Apollo chuckled and tossed
Nico a wave, following after Luke.
Thalia stopped and clapped Nico on the back. “Welcome to the club, buddy.”
“Yeah,” Nico muttered. “Thanks.”
Smiling again, Thalia took her leave. Annabeth slowly rose from the booth, her
eyes not really looking anywhere particular. “So, I guess everything can
finally go back to the way it was.” The blonde let out a breath, slipping her
hands into her pockets. “Percy seems refreshed, even if there is something
clearly bothering him.”
“Yeah.” Nico rubbed his arm lightly. He pursed his lips, considering what he
was about to say. “You remember when you used to give me advice on him?”
Annabeth gave a small nod. “I don't suppose I could ask your opinion on
something else, could I?”
Her grey eyes inspected him carefully. “Sure, I suppose. What's bothering you?”
She pulled out a chair and sat down at the nearest table.
Nico pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table. “Um, you remember
the jacket I wore today?”
“Yeah?”
“Um, well, Percy gave it to me. It belonged to his grandfather.” Nico let out a
breath. “Anyways, he gave me a note with it, and ended it with a vague message.
He said he realized something, but never said what it was about. Not even since
he got back has he brought it up. I thought it might have been...” Nico blushed
a little, “that maybe Percy liked me.”
Annabeth's face was unreadable. “So, what's your concern?”
“I just...thought that maybe things would be different when Percy got back.”
Nico frowned a little. “I thought he'd treat me different. I mean, if I'm
correct.”
“I think that's the key factor in this situation.”
Nico let out a groan. “I know. I guess I'm stupid for getting worked up over
something that might not be anything.” The boy began to chew on his lip. “But,
I mean, it sure sounded like he was trying to tell me that he liked me.”
For a long while, the room was quiet. Annabeth stared at the table, her eyes
shifting back and forth. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Okay, let's say that he
is trying to admit his feelings. Percy's not really...the brightest crayon in
the box when it comes to romantic feelings and conveying them to others. The
guy barely realizes when someone likes him.” She shook her head. “He didn't
even catch on that Apollo liked him until I sat him down and explained the
situation.
“My point is that you're going to have to probably take matters into your own
hands. Lay out the cards for him. Let Percy know that this is frustrating you,
he's pretty reasonable.” Annabeth reached over and squeezed Nico's hand. “I'm
sure you can think of something.”
Nico let out a breath. “I'm not really sure.” He scrunched his lips. “Any
suggestions.”
Annabeth smiled over at him before standing up. “Well, there's always your
performances, and I think I know just the song.”
***** Everything Will Change *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“Here, I got you this.”
Nico looked up from his phone to see some mint ice cream with a bunch of
toppings on it. Furrowing his brow, Nico looked up at Will. “What is it?”
The blond smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well, I'm not sure what the
technical term is for it, but Mitchell always liked it. I thought it tasted
good, so I was hoping you might like it.” His smile only grew as Nico raised
the ice cream cone to his mouth. “So?”
“Not bad,” Nico replied, nodding his head a little. Will beamed at that, which
made Nico chuckle.
Will had picked Nico up from school because Jason had been taken to the
hospital during his science class. From what Nico could gather, the idiot had
sliced his hand open and needed stitches. So, when Will had shown up to pick
Nico up, the blond had insisted they do something before going back to the
hotel. The blond had taken Nico to a little ice cream shop that had some tables
outside.
Nico tried some more of the ice cream. While it was okay, the stuff wasn't
really Nico's favorite. Not that he would complain about free ice cream. “Did
you used to come here with Mitchell?”
Will blinked, his tongue running against his own ice cream. “No, not here. The
orphanage I lived at was a few hours from Los Angeles. But whenever we managed
to go get some ice cream, he always ordered that.” The blond's smile wavered a
little. “I'm glad you like it.”
The brown-eyed boy didn't really have the heart to tell Will it wasn't really
the best. It was like one of those tastes that you can tolerate when given it,
but wouldn't really go and request it. He was just bothered by Will's
borderline depressive state. The blond had been like this since Percy's return,
which meant it was obvious as to why Will felt this way all of a sudden.
Letting out a sigh, Nico glanced over at the other Lost Boy. “Are you okay?”
The blond looked a little surprised. “Of course. Why do you ask?”
“It's just...you seem a little down lately. I can't help but wonder if it's
because of what we talked about a while back.”
Will's blue eyes dulled a little. “Oh. That.” He let out a sigh. “I mean, can I
really compete with Percy?” It tugged at Nico's heart as Will forced himself to
smile. “I can't even really feel jealous or upset, because Percy's a great guy.
He's taken care of me, and I don't think I could ever be angry with him. But as
long as you're happy, I'll be fine.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “I doubt anything will ever come of me and Percy.” The
boy looked down at his nearly finished ice cream. “It is nice having him back,
and I did miss him. However, something just feels different with him. Whatever
happened in Germany seems to be bothering him.”
“I suppose so,” Will whispered. The blond shrugged a little. “But he's back, so
it couldn't have been that bad. If it was severe, surely Gaea wouldn't have let
him come back after just a month.”
“Maybe,” Nico muttered under his breath. He wasn't so sure. What could have
happened to cause Percy to act differently. Sure, to the outside eye, Percy
would seem the same. He looked the same and talked roughly the same, but all of
the Lost Kids could see something was different with Percy. Two days had passed
since the young man's return, and Nico had barely seen the guy. Any time he
asked, Percy simply said he was busy catching up with work.
And the green-eyed manager barely spoke to him. Percy talked far more to the
others in the past two days, but seemed to nearly be avoiding Nico. However,
the way he looked at Nico was entirely different, less guarded. Emotions were
more apparent, which let Nico know that whatever it was that was bothering
Percy had to do with Nico. But what was it?
Sure, if it was over the movie set incident, Percy wouldn't have just been able
to return so quickly, right? Or perhaps Nico would have been notified that he
was being transferred or had to leave. It just didn't make any sense.
Will chewed on his lip. “Do I...have a chance?”
Nico's brow furrowed. It took him a few seconds to remember what their original
topic had been. “Oh. Um, I really don't know. I mean, I suppose it's possible.”
He offered the blond a smile, which only grew when the other Lost Boy smiled
back.
He really didn't want to get Will's hopes up, though. Yes, Nico liked Will, but
something still bothered him about the situation. And until he could figure out
what it was, the best solution was to probably keep that answer as vague as
possible. Nico didn't want to hurt Will, it was the last thing he wanted. Will
was a sweet guy, and probably someone that Nico didn't even deserve by this
point. The guy was like a ray of sunshine at the hotel. How the guy managed to
still smile after all the shit he had been through, Nico had no clue.
After they were done—Nico managed to finish his first—Will drove them back to
the hotel. Things were already returning to normal at the Lotus, and Nico
didn't feel the sense of dread that he normally did when Kronos was there.
Everyone's spirits seemed to be back up as well.
Will and Nico parted ways once they were inside the hotel. While Will headed to
the Lost Kids' floor, Nico decided to head up to Percy's office. While he knew
it was a very unlikely possibility, Nico kept hoping that Percy might want to
do something with him on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, the green-eyed manager
was on his way out the door when he arrived.
Percy smiled and ruffled Nico's hair as he walked by Leo and Rachel's desks.
“How was school?” The young man asked.
“Fine,” Nico muttered, running his fingers through his hair to fix it. “So, got
any plans coming up?” He stopped behind Percy, who placed something on Leo's
desk. He was also fully aware of the staring coming from Rachel, the only other
person in the room. “I don't know...maybe in two days?”
Percy turned around, his smile less prevalent. “Nothing really planned. Just
work, like always.” The green-eyed young man shrugged. “Not really my favorite
holiday.”
That was right, Percy did not like the approaching holiday. Still, it was a
little disappointing for him. If Nico could just get some answers, everything
would be fine. “So, you don't even have a valentine?”
“Nope.” Once again, Percy slid his fingers through Nico's hair. “I'll see you
later tonight, okay?”
“Yeah,” Nico muttered. As the door shut, the boy let out a groan of
frustrating. Why couldn't things ever be easy around here?
Rachel let out a small chuckle from behind her desk. “Trouble in paradise.”
“If only it were.”
“Sit,” Rachel commanded, pointing to a chair to the side of her desk. Nico did
as he was told without question. The Lost Girl didn't even look away from her
monitor as her fingers typed rapidly across the keyboard in front of her. “Now
is not the best time to be romantic with Percy.”
Nico let his shoulders slump. “What's his problem with the holiday anyways?”
Rachel's fingers stopped. Her lips pursed as she sat back in her chair. “It's
about his mother, his real one.” The girl finally looked at Nico. “She died on
Valentine's Day, right in front of Percy. I can only imagine how hard it was
for him, because from the little he does talk about her, I know he loved his
mother. After she died, Percy just always associated the holiday with
negativity.”
“How did she die?” Nico whispered.
“Part of it was due to her being sick at the time. But Sally just didn't eat
very much from what Percy says about it. He said she just gave all of the food
they had to him, so that Percy would at least be able to eat.” Her expression
softened a lot more than Nico could ever recall seeing. “It stuck with him. And
I think that pain festered in his heart for so long that Percy didn't even
flinch when he watched his father die. By all accounts, Poseidon was to blame
for her death. She couldn't manage getting a job, and Poseidon put a lawsuit on
her on top of that. As you know now, Percy's mother didn't have any other
family that was alive. She was pretty much alone.”
It was like a knife had been impaled into Nico's heart. It stung to think about
a young Percy that had no one else to turn to. A kid that had to watch his
mother die, and probably felt completely helpless about the entire thing.
Perhaps having Gaea kill Poseidon was Percy's way of doing something for the
mother that he lost. Sally had given everything for him. And then, after she
died, Percy was left alone to fend for himself as a child, at least until Gaea
found him.
“I just,” Nico began, clenching his jeans, “I don't really understand him. He
gave me this-”
“I know,” Rachel said softly. She had a small smile on her face.
Nico's brow furrowed. “He told you?” The Lost Boy asked. Rachel simply nodded,
which caused Nico to sigh. “I just...wish I knew what he was thinking. I don't
know what to think anymore.” The boy shook his head. “When I saw the letter, I
thought that maybe I might have a shot with Percy, but he's pretty much avoided
me ever since he got back. And he hasn't even brought it up once.
Much to Nico's surprise, Rachel snorted. “Why would you think that?”
“Well, for starters, there's the fact that he hasn't brought up the note. He's
been avoiding me.” A frown had started to form on Nico's lips. “Percy's been
acting strange ever since he got back. Obviously something happened in Germany.
And any time that it gets brought up, Percy looks over at me. Not to mention
that he freaked out at me over Kronos. Yeah, forbid me to ever be alone with
Kronos.”
Judging by her expression, it was clear that Rachel had not heard about that
part. “What exactly did he say?”
“Well, he told me to stay away from Kronos. I'm not even allowed to be in the
same room with him unless other people are around.” That frown on Nico's face
had only grown in the past few seconds. This part irritated him a lot, because
he didn't understand why Percy was directing this at him. “Kronos was the one
tormenting everyone else. Kronos threatened me. So, why does Percy come after
me with this?”
Rachel simply shook her head. “Nico, you are still blind,” she sighed. Nico
glared at her. “Percy wasn't saying that to you because he was angry with you.
He said it because he doesn't want Kronos near you.” She actually reached over
and smacked him upside the head. “He's trying to protect you, idiot. Percy
knows some of what happened while Kronos was here by now, and he already
suspected stuff going on, but it's his way of telling you that he doesn't want
Kronos near you.
“Kronos is Gaea's biological son. Which means that, even though she loves
Percy, Gaea would get very upset if Percy did anything to Kronos. Let me put it
this way: If Percy punched Kronos: Gaea might toss him out on the streets with
nothing. She would probably strip him of everything he's earned. Yes, Gaea
loves Percy, but family is family.” She placed her hands of the desk a few
inches apart. “It's sort of like when a family adopts a kid or does a fostering
program. Typically, parents still show favoritism towards their actual
offspring. It doesn't mean Gaea doesn't love Percy, but it doesn't mean Percy
can just go around and do as he pleases to her son.”
“But-”
“And Percy's not stupid. He's not going to risk this Nico. If Percy can find a
way to help you, without getting into a fight with Kronos, he will take it.
Kronos is still his brother by adoption. He still holds loyalty to Kronos over
the fact that Kronos befriended him after Gaea brought him to Germany.”
Nico let out a sigh. Perhaps she was right, but it didn't really help Nico. He
wanted Kronos to be punished for what happened here while Percy was away. It
wasn't fair that Kronos could just get away with it. “But it's not fair.”
“Well, that's life, kiddo.” She let out a sigh when she noticed the pout
forming on Nico's lips. “Look, Kronos isn't going to bother you as long as
someone like Percy or Gaea is around. So, if you ever see him again, just stay
close to one of them. Percy is still trying to protect you, so just take it as
a victory.” The Lost Girl smiled and shook her head. “So, do you still think
things haven't changed?”
“It would just be nice to have some sign that there's hope,” Nico mumbled.
Rachel, who had gone back to typing, quirked a brow. “Oh, you mean like
actually sleeping in your bed the night he returned?” She glanced at Nico from
the corner of her eye. “In case you have forgotten, Percy doesn't sleep in the
beds of the Lost Kids, they go to his bed and sleep. And it's usually just for
sex before they have to go back to their rooms. The only time they get to sleep
with him is when they are upset.” She stopped typing again and laced her
fingers under her chin. “So, do you want to take back what you just said? I'd
say you're doing pretty well.”
Nico let out a sigh. Once again, Rachel was right. And perhaps he could still
get Percy to admit all of this after he followed Annabeth's advice. It was
worth a shot. “Rachel, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, Nico, what's up?”
“Well, you're pretty enlightened as to what goes on around here. And, now that
I look back on it, I think you knew that Percy was going to be leaving for
Germany before he told us.”
“Yeah,” Rachel admitted, her brow furrowing. “Is that what this is about?”
“No, not exactly.” Nico let out a sigh and pursed his lips. “A while back, when
Gaea was here, I heard you talking with Percy. He sounded upset about
something.” As Nico spoke, Rachel's face grew solemn. “Was he supposed to go to
Germany before that thing happened?”
Rachel let out a little sigh. “Gaea wanted to talk to him about something. The
managers had a private meeting, and I got to sit in on it.” She shook her head.
“Something was brought up. I tried to talk to Percy about it, but he didn't
want to listen at the time.” She held up a hand before Nico could ask her
anything else. “He's going to talk about it tonight, just wait until then.
Maybe then you'll understand.”
-------------------------------------
The nights where Nico got to work the bar were probably his more favorable
shifts. The bar didn't feel sexual at all, and Nico didn't have that many
people trying to grope him. Everyone at the bar was just there to get drunk,
make conversation, and do business. It took a load off of Nico, to say the
least.
There was also the fact that Chiron was a much better bartender than Dionysus
was. It kind of said something when Percy allowed Chiron to socialize with
customers, but kept Dionysus in a room by himself until a customer wanted to
purchase drugs.
It also allowed Nico to get to talk more with Percy whenever the young man came
by.
Tonight, the manager came by shortly before Nico's break. He sat at the bar,
talking with Chiron like he normally did. It was nice to see Percy seem more
cheerful after his return. It sort of made Nico wonder why whatever happened in
Germany bothered Percy so much, if he seemed to be in better spirits.
“Hi,” Nico greeted his boss as he finished depositing some cash in the
register.
Percy's lips tilted up as he leaned forward on the bar. “Hello yourself.” Nico
had missed so much about Percy when the young man had been gone, and he had
almost forgotten the effect a simple smirk could have on his body. “How's work
going?”
“Same as always.” Nico smirked as he leaned on the bar. He didn't blush much
these days, but Percy still managed to pull one out of Nico. In the low
lighting, Percy's eyes were so intense. Nico kind of expected Percy to just
push all of the stuff off the bar and take Nico right there. Not that Nico
would mind if that were to happen. “So, I hear you want to talk to us tonight.”
“I do.”
“About?”
Percy smirked and raised his glass to his lips. “You'll see.” The manager
didn't even try to hide it when his eyes roamed down Nico's body.
“So,” Nico began, biting down on his lips, “does that mean you won't have time
for me later?”
Percy's eyes raked down Nico's body again as he bit his lip. “Is that your way
of trying to negotiate hours with me?”
Not really. Nico just wanted Percy to talk about what he had said in the note.
Nico figured getting him alone was the best way to do it. “Something like that,
but I could really care less about hours.”
A smile crept onto Percy's lips. “Well, at least you still got some innocence
in you.” He finished off his drink and gave Nico a final smile before standing
to his feet. “I missed you,” the young man said before he left.
It took Nico a moment to move. Had Percy really just said that to him? That
might have been the most Nico had gotten Percy to admit in person. It was a
small victory, but he would take it. Percy's words had caught him so off-guard
that Nico didn't even realize that Annabeth was standing next to him.
“You okay?”
Nico practically jumped out of his skin. “Yeah, I'm fine.” He cleared his
throat. “Just talking with Percy. Maybe after my performance, things will take
off.”
“Yeah.” She nodded her head towards the break room. “Wanna take your break with
me? We can talk about it back there.”
Nico gave a small nodded and followed after the blonde. She opened the fridge
once they were in the room and tossed a water bottle towards Nico. She sat down
on the couch, while the Lost Boy sat down on the chair next to it. He pulled
his legs up into the chair and opened his water, taking a long drink from it.
“So, do you think you have it all sorted?” The blonde asked.
The raven-haired boy gave a small nod. “I think so. I had Apollo give me a few
ideas, but I kept it quiet.” His lips turned up. “Don't needing it getting back
to Percy, like you said.”
The Lost Girl ran a hand through her long blonde hair. “Then I hope you can
pull it off.” That was the plan, Nico thought. Annabeth tilted her head
slightly. “I'm sure you'll do fine.”
“So, what do you think Percy wants to talk about?”
The blonde simply shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I might have an
idea, but I'll just wait and see.” She smiled over at the boy. “If I'm right,
then I have nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine.”
“Do you think it's bad?”
“I hope not,” Annabeth sighed. “It seems to bother Percy, but that guy can look
miserable about practically anything. If I had a guess, it's something he
doesn't want to do, but knows it's for the best.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Nico mumbled. His lips tilted down and his eyes grew dull. He
was just ready for the secret to be over. Nico didn't like seeing Percy like
this half the time.
When their break was over, Annabeth rose from the couch, dropped her empty
bottle in the trash, and headed for the door. On her way out, she nearly bumped
into Octavian, who narrowed his eyes at her. The girl just blinked at the blond
Lost Boy before she brushed past him and left.
Octavian turned to Nico with a frown. “What was that about?”
Nico gave a casual shrug as he rose from the chair and headed for the door.
“Annabeth was just helping me out with something. Nothing to worry about.”
The blond's lips tilted down as he narrowed his eyes at Nico, inspecting him
carefully. Nico shrugged again and headed for the door. At some point, Nico
really needed to figure out why those two didn't like each other.
It was around three in the morning that Nico found himself back in the
conference room. The last time he had been here had been when Percy announced
he was going to Germany. This room did not hold good memories for Nico. And,
unlike last time, Nico had school tomorrow, so it wasn't like he could be up
all night.
Apollo seemed pretty cranky tonight as well. Nico watched silently as the blond
rambled to Thalia about something that had happened. Robert's name came up,
which only made the issue more concerning. Nico let out a sigh. Nothing good,
he knew that much.
Eventually, Percy came into the room with Leo and Rachel. The secretaries sat
down at the table with everyone else, while Percy paced around to the side of
the room. It was very quiet in the room as all eyes followed the young man. Was
this going to be some more bad news? Percy just got back, more bad news was not
what they needed.
Finally, Percy let out a breath and turned towards the table. “So, I'm sure
you're all wondering what I called you here for.” His lips turned up. “No,
Kronos is not coming back to serve as manager.” A collective sigh went out
through the room. Percy just rolled his eyes and continued. “But something did
happen while I was in Germany. I've been trying to think of the best way to
bring this up.”
“Just spitting it out is a start,” Leo grumbled.
Rachel elbowed the Latino. “Shush, he already told you. Let him tell the
others,” she chastised him. Leo just grumbled and slumped in his seat. If Leo
wasn't happy about it, this couldn't be good.
Percy nodded. “So, there's no easy way to tell you this. But, come the summer,
I'm not longer going to be the manager of this hotel. I will be moving back to
Germany, and I will be staying there this time.”
There was a heavy silence in the room before Annabeth spoke up. “Why exactly?
Have you done something wrong?”
“No.” Percy's brow furrowed. “Quite the opposite, actually.” He cleared his
throat and paced a little more. “Gaea plans to retire over the summer.” The
young man lifted his hands in a shrug. “And, well, she sort of asked me to take
over for her.”
Unlike the last few revelations in this room, what Percy had just informed them
came with a mix of emotions. There were obviously those that were happy with
Percy, but also some that were nervous.
“That's great” Thalia declared.
Beckendorf was the first to get up. He walked over and clapped Percy on the
back. “Congratulations, man. You deserve it.”
Will grinned. “You're like the best person for the job, dude!”
Then came the others. Luke's brow furrowed. “And what about us?”
There it was. Realization finally hit the entire group. Nico had realized it
already. If Percy wasn't happy about this, there had to be more to it. What
became of them in this situation? They were family to Percy, so leaving them
behind would clearly not be easy on him.
Percy gave a small nod. “As you know, there are Lost Kids in Germany, and we
still need Lost Kids here. I'm not sure who will replace me yet. I'm supposed
to gather up some candidates and offer Gaea a name by late March or early
April.” He pressed his lips into a thin line. “I really do wish I could take
all of you with me, though. But I promise you that I'll pick a good manager
that will treat you right. More than likely, it'll be one of you. Probably one
of the older ones, or maybe Annabeth or Octavian. We'll just have to see.”
Gaea was going to retire this summer. Percy would be taking over for her, which
was a fantastic choice, but Nico didn't want to give him up. Was this just a
way to keep Percy and Nico apart? No, probably not. If Percy was being promoted
to head the entire hotel chain, this wouldn't be done for something like that.
But Percy would be leaving them, this time for good.
Percy did not speak again after that, nobody did. Some stayed behind, but most
left. Percy was the first to leave, not saying a word as he went. The Lost
Kids, however, were a mixture of emotions as they left. The twins were very
quiet, not even looking up as they left. Butch seemed angry, punching the door
on his way out. Then there was Annabeth, who cupped her hands around her mouth
and closed her eyes before getting to her feet and leaving calmly. Calypso just
shook her head and got up, placing a hand on Piper's shoulder to pull the other
Lost Girl from her thoughts. Piper pressed her lips tightly together before
nodding and following after Calypso.
The room whittled down until it was just Nico, Luke, and Apollo. The latter was
the first of the three to get up. He rubbed his neck as he walked to the door.
“Well, tonight just keeps getting better and better.”
Luke arched a brow. “Something happen?”
“Just Robert being a royal jackass.” Apollo's lips tilted down. “Wanted to take
me on a cruise and spend the day with me on Valentine's Day. I told him to go
fuck his wife and buy her some roses.”
Luke groaned as he popped his neck. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, I told him that I'd rather not be with him again if he's still with his
wife.” Apollo turned his attention to Nico. “You were right, and I should have
never opened this door again.”
Nico gave a small nod as Apollo left the room. The youngest Lost Boy let out a
sigh and propped his elbows on the table. “Tonight sucks.”
“You're telling me, kid,” Luke sighed.
The raven-haired boy's eyes are still on the spot he last saw Apollo. As a
thought popped into Nico's head, the boy clicked his tongue. A smile crept onto
his lips as he turned his attention towards the only other person in the room.
“Hey, Luke.”
The blond looked up, saw Nico's expression, and narrowed his eyes. “No.”
A pout formed on Nico's lips. “You don't even know what I was going to say!”
“It couldn't have been anything good.”
Rolling his eyes, Nico stood up. “I just think that Apollo needs help. He just
needs to fix things with Leo and be happy,” the boy sighed. Luke glared up at
him. “Don't look at me like that. I have a plan.”
Rubbing his head, Luke let out a groan. “It's far too late and I'm far too
sober to listen to this right now, twerp.”
Slowly, Nico grinned. He sat on the edge of the table, right in front of the
blond. “But you're going to be helping.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “Over my dead body.”
--------------------------------
“I hate you so much right now,” Luke muttered.
Nico frowned as he looked away from Apollo and Leo, narrowing his eyes at the
older Lost Boy in front of him. “But, look, they are talking and spending time
together on Valentine's Day. This is good.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “They are working.”
“It's a start,” Nico reminded him. The blond just grunted and folded his arms
across his chest. Nico smiled and went back to staring at the two across the
cabana area. “We just need to get Apollo to leave Robert alone and make amends
with Leo about what happened.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.”
Nico elbowed the blond next to him. “We're helping, get over it.”
Leaning his head back, Luke let out a loud groan. “Why am I even here?” He
narrowed his eyes at the youngest Lost Boy. “You clearly have this under
control.”
Nico turned an annoyed glare on the blond at his table. “Because, you're
friends with Apollo. You and I are also friends.” Luke went to argue, but Nico
held up a finger. “You can just deal with it, because it's the truth, and you
know it is.” The boy sighed and propped his chin up on his palm. “Besides,
everyone at the hotel deserves to be happy.” Brown eyes flickered over to the
grumpy blond. “And that includes you.”
Luke didn't argue any further, though he did grumble quietly as he watched Leo
and Apollo. Today was already turning into an exhausting day, and Nico had only
been back from school for only thirty minutes. He had never really been a fan
of this holiday, as it served only to remind him of his single status. But it
was nice to see some of the others be happy on this day.
Some roses had arrived earlier for Hazel from Frank. The Lost Girl wore the
biggest smile on her face as she quickly found a vase to put them in. After
coming back from school, Nico had spotted Connor walking around with a box of
chocolates, most likely from his brother. Judging by the limp Connor was
sporting, the two had already celebrated the holiday at least once today.
Finally, there was Chris and Clarisse, who still weren't back from their lunch
date. As long as other people were happy, Nico would find a way to endure
through the fact that he was alone. At least he had company in his misery.
Not even five minutes after Leo and Apollo went separate ways, Luke got up from
the table, announcing that their little spy mission was over. There was talk of
heavy alcohol mentioned under the blond's breath as he walked away. Nico smiled
as he got up and walked over to the cabana.
Smiling, Nico sat down on one of the stools. “So, how's your holiday going?” He
greeted Ganymede.
The man smirked as he wiped down the bar. “Been busy all day. But, unlike the
rest of you, I actually have nights off, so I can have a real date.”
“You have a date?”
“Maybe.” The man smirked as he tossed the rag he had been using onto his
shoulder. “Nothing serious, so don't cry about it. I'll still save a place for
you in my heart, cutie.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Well, I suppose that's the most I'll get for myself
today.” He let out a sigh and leaned onto the bar. “So, I noticed Apollo and
Leo were talking.”
The corner of the ex-Lost Boy's lips tilted up. “Yeah, you weren't obvious at
all with your little stakeout. The real question is: how did you manage getting
Luke involved?”
“Bribery,” Nico grinned. “Well, I forced him, but I know he didn't really
mind.” The boy let out a small breath. “But can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you think there's hope for the two of them?”
Ganymede blinked a few times. “Apollo and Leo?” He asked. Nico gave a nod. “I
suppose.” The man shrugged. “They have some things to work through, but I think
I could see it. Honestly, though, if you want to get them together, you'll have
to get Robert to leave Apollo alone. Until something is done on that front,
Apollo is just going to cling to the past.” He gave a soft smile. “I've tried
talking to blondie myself, but he doesn't want to listen.”
“Lots of work then,” Nico mumbled. He blew out a breath and ruffled his hair.
“I'll just be spending the day alone, worrying about the love lives of others.”
Ganymede smirked, but his eyes flickered over Nico's shoulders. Arching a brow,
the man only grinned more. “Oh, I don't know about that.”
Nico was about to question what the man meant, when someone tapped him on the
shoulder. Spinning around, Nico came face to face with Percy Jackson. His eyes
widened a little as he blinked up at his boss. “Hi.”
Percy gave him a soft smile. “Hi.” His green eyes shot over to Ganymede, who
chuckled and turned around to clean behind the cabana. “So, what are you
doing?”
Nico shook his head. “Nothing at the moment.”
“Good, then you can come have dinner with me.”
Heat quickly rose in Nico's cheeks. Was Percy asking him on a date, on
Valentine's Day? “Um, sure.” The boy quickly nodded his head, climbing to his
feet. “Right now?”
Slipping his hands into his pockets, Percy gave a small nod. “Unless you do
have something that you need to do.”
Nico quickly shook his head. “No, I'm completely free.”
The two ended up in the hotel's restaurant. As they sat down, Nico spotted
Beckendorf and Silena in a corner, sharing a bottle of wine. Since Percy was
the manager, it did not take them long at all to get a waiter to their table.
And, after the waiter left, it was just the two of them. Percy smiled across
the table at Nico.
Nico pressed his lips together, finding it very hard to meet Percy's gaze. “So,
thank you for dinner.”
“It's not like you don't get free food here anyways,” Percy reminded him. Those
eyes were still trained on Nico, unnerving every fiber of the Lost Boy. “But I
actually wanted to talk to you.” He let out a sigh and tilted his head to the
side. “I just sometimes wonder if I'm making the right choice with this
decision.”
“Oh.” Nico fidgeted a little. “Um, well, were there any other candidates?”
Percy's lips tilted up into a smirk. “Well, Kronos, obviously, so not really.”
The young man rubbed his face. “I just feel weird about uprooting my life and
going back to Germany. Everyone is here, and I sort of worry that I'll do a
poor job.”
Really? How could Percy worry about that? Nico frowned. “Percy, you'll be an
amazing boss. You're already the boss of all of us, so what's the real
difference? You have all your district managers to see to everything. What is
it that Gaea does, aside from drop in for the yearly meeting?”
Percy gave a casual shrug. “I suppose you have a point. I'd be free, for the
most part. And I know that, but it still feels odd.” He let out a sigh, running
a hand through his hair. “It sort of just feels like the weight of the world is
suddenly on my shoulders.”
Nico smiled at him, lifting his drink to his lips. “Well, it's not like you
won't have help holding the weight.” He wanted to tell Percy that he would miss
him, but Nico didn't want to put anymore weight on Percy than there already
was. “I think she made the right choice.”
“Thanks,” Percy smiled.
The entire dinner was peaceful and almost natural after that. Percy asked about
what had happened while he was gone, but Nico kept the subject to things other
than Kronos. He told Percy that he was going to graduate early, and that he was
already applying to several universities. Percy felt confident that Nico would
get in wherever he applied, which made the Lost Boy a little suspicious if
Percy had rigged his applications.
But it was nice to have Percy back. It was nice that things were beginning to
fall back into a sense of normalcy, even if it was only for a few more months.
Nico let out a sigh as he finished his drink after he was done eating. What
would he do when Percy left? Should he stay? He was going to be in college come
the fall, perhaps he should just leave and try and live a normal life. Bianca
would probably move out, so the two of them could probably get an apartment
together.
Percy told him a little about Germany, mainly about what he got to do in his
free time. It now made sense why Percy had been so busy. Gaea had probably kept
him swamped with learning how to become the new her. But in his off time, Percy
seemed to get into trouble.
“So, they had to get a truck to pull the golf cart out of the lake,” Percy
finished his story.
Nico chuckled a little. He wanted to look happy for Percy. The young man didn't
need anyone feeling sad for him right now, not with how obvious it was that
Percy was hesitant to take the job. He didn't need anyone to hold him back.
Nico knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Percy would do a phenomenal job.
Eventually, Percy reminded them that they had to get going. On they way up to
his room, Nico was beginning to have second thoughts about his performance.
Rachel was right, perhaps things really were different now. Perhaps Nico didn't
need a flashing sign to let him know this anymore. But Annabeth's words still
worried him. He frowned up at the young man next to him in the elevator. Percy
was dense when it came to romance, right? So, perhaps he still needed a little
clue that Nico needed some reassurance.
Nico needed to talk to Annabeth.
So, when he got upstairs, the blonde was the first person that Nico went to
look for. He had to go to the girls' side to find the Lost Girl, who was
already serving tables. Nico managed to pull her aside after she finished up
with one.
“Hey, can we talk?”
The Lost Girl blinked in surprise. “Of course, Nico, what's up?”
Nico let out a sigh. “I just... I'm sort of having second thoughts about this
performance.” He ran a hand down his face. “I could always not do it, and just
try and figure out another song real quick. It wouldn't be that hard, right?”
“Whoa, calm down there, buddy,” the blonde chuckled. She brushed some hair out
of her eyes before placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. “It's fine to feel
nervous, but I still think you should go through with it. If you don't, you're
just going to risk Percy stringing you along in this back and forth state that
you're in. Do you want that?”
The Lost Boy let out a heavy sigh as he looked down at his feet. “No, I don't.”
She was right, of course. From what Annabeth had told him, this was the best
way to get Percy to see that Nico was getting tired of being treated this way.
He chewed on his lip. It was just that...Nico didn't want to chance ruining the
small changes that had apparently developed since Percy's return. But if this
worked, everything would be different. “You're right.”
Annabeth smiled. “Good.” She spun Nico around and shoved him off. “Now then, go
get ready before it's time for performances to begin.”
By the time Nico was supposed to perform the number Annabeth had picked out for
him, the Lost Boy's nerves were still wearing thin. This was a bad idea, he
could feel it in his stomach. But Annabeth knew Percy pretty well, right? If
she thought this was a good idea, then Nico would just have to trust her.
Fortunately, Percy was on the boys' side during Nico's performance. If he
hadn't been, Nico's entire plan would have been for nothing. Perhaps this was a
good sign then. Letting out a breath, Nico took his place on the stage. The
curtains opened, but the lights remained dark while the opening of The Cab's
“Temporary Bliss” began to play.
The lights came on when the lyrics played. A lot of the performance consisted
of moves that made Nico look like he was having spasms. Sort of. The way
Annabeth had described it, he needed to move like the Oracle in the 300 movie.
He was also instructed to keep a sort of frustrated expression on his face, and
make lots of eye contact with Percy.
As they lyrics to the chorus began, Nico griped his hair and rolled his head in
a circle. Then came the hip pops. Not Nico's favorite move to do during a
performance, but they were required every now and then. Nico wasted little time
in ripping open the shirt he wore and got down on the stage, spreading his
legs. The boy slammed his palms down on the stage, cutting his eyes over at
Percy. Annabeth made it clear that Nico needed to look at the manager during
the part of the song that talked about sleeping in the other person's bed.
At the part about slipping under the sheets, Nico leaned back and rolled his
stomach, running a hand down until it slid underneath the loose shorts he had
on. From there, Nico rolled onto his hands and knees. He pushed himself along
the stage, until he came to the very edge. Nico managed to bring himself up to
his feet without falling off, something he had not really mastered during
practice.
However, Percy did not look that happy. Annabeth had predicted this, though.
The young man practically had slits for eyes as he watched Nico slide across
the stage. Leo looked very pale next to the manager. Gulping, Nico turned his
attention away from Percy's booth and went back to his dance. He just had to
stick it out, Nico reminded himself.
Nico stretched one of his legs out, running his hand along the skin. He slowly
slid down the side of his shorts, letting them fall off when he straightened
his posture. Nico grasped the back of his neck, cupping his ass with his other
hand.
As the song reached its end, Nico leaned back and rolled his stomach again.
Then came the final words of the song. As they played, the Lost Boy raised a
hand and pointed straight at Percy's table. As instructed, of course. The song
ended and Nico stood there, catching his breath. His eyes locked with Percy's,
slight irritation filling his brown orbs.
Though, Nico's confidence was short lived. The boy paled as Percy downed a shot
that was in front of him before getting up from his table and heading for the
backstage door. Nico gulped and gathered up his clothes, making a dash off the
stage.
He really wanted to hide now. Annabeth had said Percy might get annoyed, but
right now Percy looked pissed. And if he was coming for Nico, the Lost Boy did
not want to be around when the bomb went off. Nobody said a word to him as Nico
struggled to get into his clothes. Even Apollo was speechless, his jaw hanging
open slightly. Only one thought kept repeating in Nico's head: This was a very
bad idea!
Unfortunately, before Nico could cross over to the girls' side and make an
escape through there, a hand clasped down the back of his neck. “Going
somewhere?” Percy practically growled in his ear. He roughly spun Nico around,
the Lost Boy finding himself pinned by a pair of intense sea-green eyes. “We
need to talk.”
Percy dragged Nico out of the backstage area. A lot of people stared as they
watched Nico get dragged by tables and booths, though nobody said a word. A
large part of Nico wanted one of them to flag Percy down for some time with
Nico. It was sad that Nico sought refuge with a customer, but right now Nico
was kind of desperate. There was an anger in Percy's eyes that Nico could not
recall ever seeing before.
Even Clarisse and Ethan froze when Percy pulled Nico towards the elevators.
Nico mouthed for some help, but both of the Lost Kids shook their heads. Nobody
wanted to get between Percy and Nico right now, not with that look in Percy's
eyes. It truly said something when even Clarisse was scared of Percy Jackson.
To Nico's surprise, Percy brought them to his suite. The young man practically
tossed Nico inside once the door was open, causing the boy to stumble a little.
Nico flinched as Percy slammed his phone down on the kitchen island.
“What the hell was that?” Percy yelled. Nico had never heard the manager sound
so angry. “What the fuck were you actually thinking, directing a stupid
performance at me? Do you realize all the stupid repercussions you could have
just caused?” Very harshly, Percy reached out and forced Nico to look up at
him. “Do you even realize that you probably just sent some mixed signals to the
customers up there? There are some fucking insane assholes that do business
here, Nico, and you just performed a song that implied that you wanted to stop
playing games and go for something serious.”
Nico flinched when Percy raised a hand, though he used it to cover his own
face. “I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. “I just thought-”
“Clearly you weren't thinking. I haven't taken the time to talk about the note
I left you, so you decide to make a public statement. How about this? If, by
some chance, anyone up there figured out that you were directing that at me, do
you even realize what doing something like that could do to me?” He groaned and
pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don't want people to think that I can't
handle my employees. Do you want Gaea to think I can't keep you in line? I just
had to explain the entire movie set situation to her a month ago. I guess I
might as well turn around and talk to her about this now while I'm at it.”
Nico clenched his fists. His patience were at an end. “I just wanted you to
fucking talk to me about what you said in your note!”
An incredulous look took over Percy's face. “So, you decided to do this,
instead of just coming to me and talking like a civilized adult?”
That hurt. It hurt because Percy was insinuating that Nico was a child again.
But this was just another one of his mistakes, wasn't it?
Percy held up his hands. “Do I actually have to come out and say it? Sleeping
in your bed, saying that I missed you, the jacket, or even the note weren't
good enough for you?” Percy sighed and shook his head. “Fine, how about this?”
He straight his shoulders, though he still looked pretty angry. “I like you,
Nico di Angelo. I realized this when you almost died because you weren't paying
attention to your surroundings. I almost died for you, and I don't regret it.
You make me uncomfortable and sick with myself, but I have trouble imagining my
life without you around the hotel now. I'm...happy.”
The young man let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. He mumbled
something under his breath as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out some
alcohol. Not even using a glass, Percy tossed the bottle back and downed a
fourth of it.
“Why didn't you just tell me?” Nico whispered, rubbing his arm.
The manager ran a hand down his face, exhaustion replacing the anger that had
consumed his eyes. “I've said this before, I don't think I'm good for you. Even
when I started realizing that I had feelings for you, it didn't matter, because
I couldn't give you what you wanted.” He shook his head. The next he spoke,
Percy's voice was much softer. “But Gaea wants me to be happy. We talked a lot
about me doing things for myself, instead of doing what I'm told. If I'm
supposed to be in charge, I need to make my own decisions.” His eyes flickered
over to where Nico stood. “You make me happy.” A dry chuckle escaped Percy's
lips. “Well, when you aren't frustrating me.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered. He let out a sigh and took a seat at the kitchen
island. “I shouldn't have done that. You're right, I should have just talked to
you about it. But, in all honesty, I didn't think you would.”
“Honestly, I wasn't ready to talk about it.” Percy took another drink from the
bottle. Something else was weighing on the young man, Nico could see it. “I
needed some time to think. I wanted to ask you something, but I wasn't sure if
it was what was best for you.”
“It was just driving me a little crazy. The note was a little vague. I hoped it
was what I was thinking, but then you came back and acted like nothing had
changed.” Nico bit his lip. “And I was just too dense to notice the small
things.”
Percy let out a breath, nodding. “Then let's talk about it.” He cleared his
throat. “I want to offer you a choice, Nico.” The young man held out one hand.
“You can choose to stay here at the hotel, and your life will continue as it is
now. You'll still strip and deal with customers. You can also choose to leave,
and go live with your sister when she graduates. You'll never have to worry
about doing any of this again, and my deal will still stand to pay for your
education.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Is that it?” He didn't understand. If that was his only
two options, why was Percy so concerned about this?
“No,” Percy sighed. He placed the bottle of alcohol down and put the cap back
on. Nico's heart pounded in his chest as Percy walked over to Nico. The young
man tilted Nico's chin up. “I do like you, Nico. A lot. You were right about
that. But those aren't your only two options.” The young man took a seat next
to the boy. “I want to give you the option to move to Germany with me during
the summer.”
Nico blinked, stunned. His mouth fumbled for several seconds before his brain
managed to form any words. “I-what?”
“I could take care of you, and anything you would ever need. You'd never have
to strip or sell your body again, if you chose this.” Percy ran the back of his
hand against Nico's cheek. “I mean, this is what you wanted, isn't it? You
wanted me exclusively, and now I can offer it to you.” He smiled a little as he
brushed some of Nico's hair out of the boy's eyes. “Well, once summer gets here
I can.”
Nico's brain felt like it might explode at any moment. Had he heard all of that
correctly? This had to be a dream, right? “You're...serious,” he breathed out.
Percy smiled softly, nodding. “We can get you a tutor to help you learn German
and the other European languages. You can eventually go to a university over
there, if you want to.” He sighed. “But, I mean, you'd obviously be across the
planet from your sister. I just didn't know if you would be okay with that.”
“I-” Nico closed his mouth. The Lost Boy took in a deep breath before he slowly
released it. “It's just a lot to take in. I mean, yeah, I'd like to stay near
my sister.” He pursed his lips. “But I've also wanted you since the moment I
laid eyes on you.”
That made Percy smile. The young man leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to
Nico's cheek. “You can take some time to think about it, if you need to.”
Nico quickly shook his head. “No...I don't.” He ran a hand through his hair,
getting to his feet. The boy nodded his head. “I want that.” He motioned at
Percy. “I want to go to Germany with you. I want to be with you.”
Perhaps today wasn't so bad after all. And, while Annabeth's advice had almost
backfired for him, it worked out in the end. But how was Nico going to tell
Bianca that he was moving to Germany this summer?
All of these thoughts faded away as Percy tilted Nico's chin up. The boy
blinked for a second. His eyes widened as Percy slowly leaned down and pressed
their lips together.
Chapter End Notes
     Probably not my best chapter. I just wasn't feeling that motivated
     while writing it, but I wanted it to be published before Blood of
     Olympus came out. Tomorrow! Also, this story won't change over
     anything that happens in the book. Just try not to put spoilers in
     the comments.
***** The Invitation(Disaster Awaits) *****
The next morning, Nico woke up like he normally did—on his side, curled up. The
only difference was that he was not in his bed. The boy let out a groan as he
heard Percy's voice, which seemed to come in and out, like the young man was
moving around in the rest of the suite. Well, at least until the door was flung
open.
“Yes, I'll make sure he goes to see a doctor. No, we don't need him getting the
other kids infected.”
Nico's brow furrowed as he opened his eyes. This proved to be a mistake, as
Percy flung open the curtains at this exact moment. Nico let out a groan,
shielding his eyes. Percy smirked and held the phone closer to the bed.
“He does sound horrible.” Percy smirked as Nico glared at him. “Okay, thank
you. I'll have him back in school on Monday.”
As Percy hung up the phone, Nico sat up, letting the sheets fall from his
torso. “What was that about?” He asked, rubbing at his eyes.
“Your school,” was Percy's response. The manager sat down on the edge of the
bed, which was fine by Nico, because Percy was only wearing his boxers. “You
slept in, so I called in sick for you.”
Nico scratched his head. “I did? Why didn't you wake me up?”
“I was sleeping, too.” Percy winked and stuck out his tongue. Nico rolled his
eyes. “Anyways, you're fine. Jason will let you know if your teachers have any
assignments for you.”
Nico let out a grunt, rubbing the back of his neck. Last night seemed more like
a dream to him. If not for the fact that Nico was still in Percy's room and
still in his underwear, Nico might have a hard time believing it. His head hurt
a little, but that could have been from the small amount of alcohol Percy
allowed him to have. The young man didn't comment on it, just seemed surprised
that Nico wanted some. However, Percy did cut Nico off when the giggling
started.
Nico crawled onto his knees and moved to sit behind Percy, draping his arms
around the young man. Percy reached up with a smile, squeezing the boy's hand.
Nothing really happened last night, though. Well, that was partially true.
Percy had succeeded in getting Nico out of most of his clothes, and even got
the boy off by fingering him. But that was pretty much the extent of it. They
had both been tired and it had been a long night, so sex was put to the side.
While Nico was in his own thoughts, Percy turned around and lowered them onto
the bed. Nico blinked in surprise. The Lost Boy scooted up to rest his back
against the headboard, while Percy decided to use Nico's lap as a pillow.
“Thanks for letting me sleep up here,” Nico mumbled.
Percy had his eyes closed. Nico might have thought he had fallen asleep, if not
for the small smile that appeared after hearing Nico's words. “You don't have
to thank me.” With a sigh, green eyes blinked opened and focused on the brown
orbs above him. “Do you have any plans for spring break?”
Nico shook his head. “Not that I'm aware of. Why?”
“Well,” Percy began, “I'm supposed to go back to Germany to sign some papers
for Gaea soon, and I was wondering if you wanted to go. If you do, I can move
back the date until you're on break.” He smiled up at the Lost Boy. “So, do you
want to go? You can keep me company, see Germany, meet some of the other Lost
Kids. You will get to relax the entire time!”
Nico chuckled before he let out a groan. That actually sounded amazing. An
entire week without school or work? Sign him up! “You twisted my arm.”
“Awesome!”
Nico smiled and rested his head against the headboard. He would just have to
get through March, and then he could visit Germany. After that, it would only
be two months until he graduated high school. He wondered if that was why Percy
had chosen to take over for Gaea during the summer. Was he hoping that Nico
would accept?
Unfortunately, his mind didn't allow him to remain in his euphoria for too
long. An idea suddenly popped into his head, something he had been meaning to
fix. He let out a breath, glancing down at the young man resting in his lap.
“Um, Percy?”
The manager blinked and tilted his head to the side. “What?”
Nico cleared his throat. “Um, I was sort of wondering if...it would be okay to
bring Luke along?” He asked. Percy quirked a brow at him. “It's just that...his
birthday was the day you left for Germany, and it kind of sucked. He didn't
even want a celebration. I kind of felt responsible, since-”
Percy reached up and covered Nico's mouth with his hand. “That wasn't your
fault, Nico.” He let out a sigh. “If you want him to come, I have no
objections. I'll just have to figure out a schedule that will work with two
guys gone for a week.” With another sigh, Percy sat up. “I feel like you're
just asking to get a target on your back now. I already feel a little nervous
with how the others will react to me taking you to Germany for spring break,
not to mention the eventual move. But I suppose Luke really does deserve
something.” Percy finally nodded. “All right, you can ask him.”
Nico got onto his knees with a smile. He wrapped his arms around Percy's neck.
The green-eyed manager rolled his eyes before leaning down to kiss the corner
of Nico's mouth. It was short, far shorter than Nico would have liked, but he
would take it. Still smiling, Nico jumped off the bed. He couldn't wait to tell
Luke the good news.
A second later, Percy moved to his closet. Nico followed after him, leaning
against the door frame. “So, since I have the day off, what am I supposed to
do?”
Percy now had a shirt in his hands. He arched a brow at Nico, throwing it over
his head. “Um, I imagine whatever you want to do. You're welcome to stay here
and sleep some more. There's the pool, the spa, the arcade, you can get a taxi
and go shopping; you know, for starters.” He let out a small chuckle as he
grabbed a pair of pants. “You can go find something to do in your room, or you
can even come by my office. Doesn't really matter to me. Catch up on homework,
if you need to.” He ruffled Nico's hair on the way out of the closet. “Enjoy
your day.”
Nico chewed on his lip. “You could spend it with me.”
“I can't,” Percy sighed. He grabbed the boy's chin when Nico frowned. “I have
to work, okay?”
Nico slowly nodded. Percy smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. Before he could
leave, though, Nico stopped him. “Wait,” the Lost Boy said. Percy turned
around. “Can I ask something?”
“Of course.”
Letting out a breath, Nico looked up at the manager. “I was just
curious...about Dionysus.” Percy made a face at that. Nico chewed on his lip
for a second before proceeding. “He claimed that he should have been manager,
but some of the others said that Gaea didn't want him to be the manager. What
happened exactly? And why do you even still keep him around?”
Percy let out a sigh. He stepped back into the room and sat down on the edge of
his bed, dragging Nico into his lap. “I didn't choose to be manager in the
first place, Gaea wanted me to do it. I was surprised, but she had faith in
me.” He brushed some of Nico's hair out of his eyes. “As you know, Dionysus
used to be a Lost Boy. He looked a lot different back then.” Percy smirked a
little. “Actually, he was about your size, just a bit taller. But that was
several years ago now.”
“So, what happened?”
“Well, Dionysus originally wanted to leave,” Percy explained. “I mean, it comes
up sometimes with the Lost Kids. Managers tend to have different opinions over
it all, but my predecessor was pretty fine with the idea. The problem was
nobody ever left.” The young man gave a shrug. “As you've seen, the hotel has a
way of getting to the Lost Kids. For Dionysus, he turned to alcohol and
gambling to try and fix his problems. That was fine, until the drugs came into
the picture. Dionysus thought we could have a good business market on it, but
he made the mistake of getting addicted to the merchandise.
“Well, during this addiction, he started selling some of the drugs behind
Gaea's back. So, basically, Gaea saw no profit from it. Half of it was being
consumed by Dionysus, and the profit from the other half was being used to fuel
Dionysus's addiction.” Percy rubbed the back of Nico's hand. “As it tends to
go, Gaea found out about it. As you might imagine, she wasn't happy. However,
she let him stay on as a bartender, so long as he got cleaned up. And you
pretty much know the rest of the story. Dionysus works as a bartender, selling
drugs for Gaea on the side.” The young man shrugged. “Gaea wasn't going to let
a drug addict run one of her branches.”
Just sadistic assholes, Nico thought to himself.
Percy ran a hand along Nico's bare leg. “Can I ask you something now?”
Nico gave a small nod. “Anything.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before Percy finally spoke. “Why do
you want me anyways? I'm not good for you, yet you're so persistent.”
Nico had to frown a little at that. He figured this conversation would come
back eventually. “You remember when we talked about you not being a knight in
shining armor?” The boy asked. Percy nodded, running a hand through his hair.
“If the armor is shiny, it hasn't seen a battle yet, it hasn't been put to the
test. Put them to the test, they might fall.” Nico reached up and touched
Percy's face. “But a knight that has seen action...they're someone you can rely
on. Someone that can look out for you.”
Percy smiled a little, kissing Nico's palm. “I don't think you really need
someone protecting you anymore.”
That made Nico smile. Perhaps it was true, but he still liked that Percy tried.
It was the fact that Percy admitted that Nico didn't need someone to protect
him that made the difference, it was what set him apart. Nico didn't want to
feel like some damsel that needed rescuing, but it was still nice when the guy
occasionally tried.
“I think,” Nico continued, “that you at least try to do what's best for me.”
Percy groaned and let his head fall onto Nico's shoulder. “The best thing I
could do for you is to have you leave. It's what I should have done a long time
ago.”
“Do you really mean that?” In truth, what Percy had just said stung. A lot.
Percy looked at him, a pained look in his eye. “You would have been better off.
However, I find it hard to let you go anymore.” He brushed at Nico's hair. “I
wanted to look out for you, it's why I just had you work the bar. I didn't
think the rest of this would happen.”
Nico slowly nodded, not really meeting Percy's gaze anymore. “Maybe,” he
mumbled. “Perhaps it would have been best, but it's too late now. The hotel is
my home, and the Lost Kids are my family.”
Without warning, Percy let out a laugh. Nico tilted his head to the side,
giving the young man an odd look. Honestly, he didn't see what was so funny.
Nico thought it was a nice sentiment.
Percy's laughter slowly died down, until only a smile remained. “You know, I'm
technically your guardian.” He winked and groped Nico's ass. “How fucked up
does that make our situation?”
Nico let out a small chuckle, nodding. He wrapped his arms around the young
man. “I wouldn't really expect anything less from this hotel.”
-----------------------------------
As it turned out, Nico would be working the bar for the next few nights, at
least until Percy got the mess with Nico's performance the previous night
sorted out. Not that Nico minded, it was actually a relief. Now that he knew
that he would soon be able to put all of this behind him, the boy would take
all the time off of the stage that he could get.
However, Nico was surprised to see a familiar face at one of the tables. It was
just a relief that she was alone. Nico slowly approached the table.
“Persephone?”
The woman turned her head, her eyes widening at the realization of who said her
name. “Oh, Nico, I'm glad I managed to catch you tonight.” She patted the chair
beside her. Hesitantly, Nico took a seat. “I just wanted to apologize about
your father. Had I known, I would have never brought him.”
Nico frowned a little. “Why did you bring him?”
“Well, to be honest, I have been seeing your father for some time now. As it
turns out, your mother was in the other car of the accident my late husband was
in.”
Nico already knew this, but he didn't tell Persephone that.
“I thought he could use something to take his mind off things.” The woman let
out a long sigh. “I didn't tell him about the hotel's influence or the
prostitution, so you don't have to worry. I just thought he could have used a
night of drinks and entertainment. And since the hotel had been featuring the
boys and girls together, I thought it would be a good show for both of us.”
Nico waved her off. “It's fine. I'm fine.” He managed a weak smile. “No harm
done.”
Persephone ran a hand through her hair. “At least not to you.” She held up a
hand at the look on Nico's face. “Your sister has no idea that you injured your
father.” She leaned back in her chair, staring at the Lost Boy curiously. “I
must ask, do you mind that I'm seeing your father?”
Did it? Honestly, Nico hadn't given it any thought. He disliked his father
after everything that had happened, but he also knew that his father could be a
decent man at times. If the man treated Persephone well, then it really didn't
concern him. After all, Nico was trying to put his father out of his life.
“No,” he finally answered. The boy let out a sigh, standing to his feet again.
“Just one thing. Make sure Bianca is taken care of. I haven't told her yet, but
I might not be around her come the summer. I just...want to know that she will
be fine. At least until she can be independent.”
Persephone stared at him curiously. “Won't be around? Are you all right, Nico?”
He let out a small chuckle, rubbing his neck. “Yes, I'm fine. Um...I'm going to
be moving to Germany.” The boy bit down on his lip. “I haven't told her yet.”
The woman nodded. “How much does your sister know?”
“She knows that I strip,” Nico sighed. He pressed his lips together, glancing
off to the side. “She doesn't know about the rest, or even the kind of business
the hotel deals with. I'd like to keep it that way. I don't even want my father
to know more than he already does.”
Persephone reached out and squeezed Nico's hand. “Well, I suppose that is for
the best.” She smiled up at him for a moment before continuing. “Perhaps this
will be my last time to come around here then. Your father doesn't need to know
more, and I don't think he would like me coming here anyways. So, I suppose
this might be the last time we see each other.”
Nico normally did not like physical contact with customers, but he actually did
lean down and hug the woman. She was nice, one of the nicest clients he had
ever dealt with. “Take good care of my family.”
As Nico walked off, Persephone called out to him. “Take care of yourself,
Nico.”
Unfortunately, Percy seemed to have his hand full upstairs. The shift was
nearly halfway over, yet the manager hadn't shown up at all. Normally, Nico
might get nervous that he had done something wrong, but somehow he doubted that
was the case this time. For the first time since they met, Nico felt certain
that he and Percy were on good terms.
At least for now.
During his break, Nico got to enjoy some time with Juniper. He told the Lost
Girl that he would be going to Germany for spring break, so she had gone into a
little detail about her time over there. There were quite a few more Lost Kids
at the German branch, at least from what Nico could gather. Juniper said that
it had both pros and cons to it. Most of the Lost Kids weren't as close over
there, but it made it harder for clients to notice each individual Lost Kid
with so many there. From what Juniper said, she often had an entire week
sometimes where she didn't have to have sex.
“You never really told me what happened with your family,” Nico pointed out.
“Oh.” Juniper closed her eyes with a warm smile. “I'm just trying to help them
out. My family fell on some hard times a couple of years ago. Gaea offered me a
way to make some money for myself and my family.”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “And now?”
“What do you mean?”
“Um,” Nico began, “why do you still do it?”
There was a very long pause from the Lost Girl, and Nico had to wonder if she
had really ever given it much thought. “I just—my dad needs to find a job.”
Oh. Nico pursed his lips together. Sometimes, Juniper was too nice for her own
good. The girl's father was probably taking advantage of the situation. There
was no way the man couldn't have found a job after all this time, right? Still,
perhaps it was best if Nico didn't mention anything. He smiled a little and
nodded. “That's very kind of you.”
Nico rested his chin on his palm, staring off to the side. Was it too much to
ask for to hear at least one semi-happy story from the others? Perhaps he
should just have expected the worst from the start. For some reason, though,
Juniper's bothered him more than some of the others. The girl was too nice to
see the truth. But perhaps Nico was wrong, and he really hoped that he was.
Maybe he should ask Percy about the situation.
Letting out a sigh, Nico's eyes found their way back over to the Lost Girl.
“So, how did it all start?”
“It was kind of a slow process,” Juniper began. “At first, my dad lost his job.
Then, slowly, my mother wasn't able to support us all. We almost ended up on
the streets. I tried to find work, but didn't have much luck. Then I ran into
Gaea, who offered me a job with her.” The girl looked down at her lap with a
far off look. “I didn't really feel like it was even a choice, since my family
was getting to a point where they were looking for food from the trash out
behind restaurants.”
As the night went on, Nico found that several customers did stare at him a lot.
The way they looked at him was what really bothered him, though, like he was
some kind of steak on the table in front of them. Perhaps it was a good thing
that Percy was keeping him down in the bar for a few nights.
Chiron ended up letting them off as the last of the customers were leaving. As
Nico was about to board the elevator, he found one of the men that had been
staring at him already inside. Nico's stomach sank. He sort of stood there for
a moment, unwilling to get on.
He quickly checked his pockets. “Almost forgot my wallet,” he mumbled. He
hadn't really forgotten it, but Nico really did not want to get on that
elevator. The way the man looked at him made Nico very uncomfortable.
“That's okay,” the man's voice said from behind him. Nico stiffened when a hand
clamped down on his shoulder. Nico turned around with wide and panicked eyes.
“You can always just come by my room.”
Nico chuckled a little. “Um, no, my wallet is just back there.”
The man's eyes roamed down Nico's body, causing the boy to shiver. The Lost Boy
felt a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. Even though he was in the
hotel and this was supposed to be his job, Nico was still afraid. The bar was
supposed to be a safe place away from the sex part of the hotel. Nico gulped as
he felt the man's grip tighten on his shoulder.”
Out of nowhere, a hand clamped down on the man's wrist. Nico blinked in
surprise as he looked up at Beckendorf. The other Lost Boy had a scowl on his
face as he stepped in between Nico and the man. “I think he'll be fine,”
Beckendorf practically growled.
Nico and the customer both looked shocked at the other Lost Boy ripped Nico
away and stepped into another elevator with him. Nico blinked up at the
muscular young man. “Um, thanks.”
“Don't mention it, shortie.”
Nico slid his card through the slot and hit the button to their floor. “So,
Beckendorf, why didn't you end up working security?”
The older Lost Boy clutched his chest. “Ouch, shortie. I know I'm not your
type, but I at least like to think I'm handsome.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “I didn't mean it like that, and you know it. Besides,
Rachel and the others are attractive, though I don't think Clarisse would like
to be told that.”
“At least not by anyone that isn't Chris,” Beckendorf joked.
“True.” Nico smiled a little. “It's just that...you don't seem scared by any of
the customers, and you're rather muscular. I know it can appeal to people, but
why not just work security?” He quirked an eyebrow. “Where did you learn to
fight and stuff anyways?”
“The streets.” Beckendorf shrugged a little, stuffing his hands into his
pockets. “Not like the actual streets, like I lived there. But, I mean, more
like the neighborhood I grew up. You had to be tough, or else the other kids
would come and start a fight with you.” The Lost Boy rubbed some of the scuffle
on his chin. “Not the best place to grow up.” As the elevator came to a stop,
he smiled and squeezed Nico's shoulder. “We can talk about it another time,
when I'm not ready to pass out.”
Nico nodded a little, smiling. He followed after the muscular youth, taking
note of Beckendorf's stature. Almost two Nicos could fit across Beckendorf's
back, how sad was that? The boy frowned down at himself, feeling very tiny.
As the two were turning to the corner to their hall, Nico heard voices. Slowly
turning around, he found Luke and Annabeth in the hallway. The two looked to be
in the middle of an intense conversation, neither of which looked very happy.
Annabeth shook her head at something, while Luke looked flat out frustrated.
However, Nico remembered that he needed to talk to Annabeth. Perhaps it was
best to break up their discussion before it turned into a fight? Pursing his
lips, Nico took a few steps towards them. “Um, Annabeth?” He said quietly. The
two snapped their heads in his direction. Annabeth looked surprised, Luke just
looked annoyed by his presence. “Can I talk to you a moment?”
Annabeth looked between Luke and Nico for a moment before she nodded. “Sure,
Nico.” Her gray eyes flickered over to where Luke stood. “I'm done talking
anyways.”
Luke just rolled his eyes and bumped past Nico. The raven haired Lost Boy
frowned and rubbed his shoulder. He would never understand Luke, not in a
million years.
The blonde Lost Girl let out a long, heavy sigh. “What can I do for you, Nico?”
“Um,” Nico glanced over his shoulder as he heard Luke's door shut, “I just
wanted to talk about that advice you gave me.” Annabeth just blinked at him.
“Well, at first I thought it backfired on me, but I think it worked out.”
Annabeth actually seemed surprised, which Nico thought was a little odd. “Oh
really?” She finally smiled, though it too felt strained. “That's good, I'm
glad I could help.” She shifted her weight, her face losing the strain that it
held. “So, what happened?”
Nico stared at her for a long while, baffled by the girl's quick change in
demeanor. He shook his head. “Um, we just talked. He does actually like me
back, which I'm just glad that we finally got that out in the open.” The Lost
Boy rubbed the back of his neck. “He actually, sort of, offered to take me to
Germany with him.”
Annabeth just blinked at him, her face blank. “And?”
Nico shifted a little. “Well, I said yes.”
“Oh.” The blonde nodded for a moment before smiling. “That's good.” She patted
the boy's arm. “I'm glad things are looking up for you, Nico. I guess it is
possible to get a happy ending around here.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled. The two stood there for a moment, until Nico motioned
over his shoulder. “Well, I think I'm going to head to bed. I just wanted to
thank you for the advice. He was irritated about the performance, though.”
There was a soft chuckle from Annabeth. “Sorry about that. I guess my idea
wasn't flawless.”
“Right.” Nico gave a nod. “Well, goodnight.”
Annabeth raised her hand in a small wave. “Night.”
---------------------------
Eight days passed in the hotel, surprisingly pretty quiet. Not completely,
though. Word had seemed to spread around the hotel that Nico would be visiting
Germany for his spring break, which came with mixed feelings.
Silena had been surprised, but didn't really mind—since she was committed to
Beckendorf. Rachel kept giving him looks that said: I told you so. Leo and the
Stolls would make lewd comments and laugh as they passed Nico in the halls.
Hazel and Juniper had been very supportive and happy for him, and he tried to
convince both of them that they could have something like that of their own if
they tried. Even Apollo was surprisingly happy for him. Nico knew that Apollo
used to have a thing for Percy, so it came as a bit of surprise. When he asked,
the blond just said that at least it meant Nico could sort of get out of this
life.
Then there were the not so happy ones. Will had barely spoken to Nico in the
past three days, too busy sulking over the news. Drew, while not really mean,
still gave Nico a hard time about it. She theorized that Nico must be really
good in bed. Clarisse had started to call him the “trophy boyfriend”, though
Chris assured him that she wasn't serious about it. Reyna had tried to talk him
out of it, though Jason seemed to think that she was just trying to look out
for Nico. It was because Percy was “dangerous”. Yeah, Nico knew this, but he
wasn't afraid around Percy anymore. After the stunt with the knife, Percy just
seemed less intimidating to the brown-eyed boy.
Luke had failed to comment altogether. When Nico finally broke down and asked,
Luke just said that he really didn't care what Nico decided to do. Then there
was Octavian and Annabeth, who probably bothered him the most. Neither of them
had said anything to him about it, but it was just the looks they gave him.
Honestly, Nico wasn't sure what to make of it. At most, he figured they might
try bribing him to put in a good word to Percy about getting the manager
position. It kind of scared Nico a little, because he wasn't sure if he could
just have that conversation with Percy.
Nico had finally gotten to go back to work on the stage, after a long lecture
from Percy. He had also received a harsh “do not try my patience again after
getting your ass out of the fire” look from the manager before he had gone
backstage. From what Leo and Rachel told Nico, Percy hadn't gotten a single
comment from the other Lost Kids about the taking Nico to Germany news. It just
went to show that the Lost Kids were still intimidated by the young man.
As Nico was fixing his hair in front of a mirror for his next performance, the
twins popped up behind him with huge grins on their faces. Nico arched a brow
at them. “Can I help you?”
“Actually,” Travis began.
Connor threw his arm around his brother. “We were wondering if we could help
you.”
Nico turned around and blinked in confusion. What were they getting at now?
Travis just grinned at him. “Well, you're getting all cozy with Percy now.”
“We also think we see where this is leading,” Connor said.
Travis nodded. “We figure you're roping Percy into a monogamous relationship.”
Nico's eyes flickered between the two brothers. “And?”
“So it is true?” Connor exclaimed with a wide grin. He leaned against his
brother, who wrapped an arm around the younger twin's waist. “We've thought of
a fun way to go out on your whole life here.”
“Since you're probably not going to be having sex with others anymore,” Travis
finished for his brother.
“I'm not following,” Nico said plainly.
“A threesome!” Both twins cried at once.
Nico just blinked. “What?”
“Yeah, it'll be fun. Besides, you were wanting to try it out.” Travis pulled
his brother closer. “So?”
“Pass.”
Connor pouted. “We could make it a party and include Percy.”
Nico let out a sigh, smiling a little. “Thanks, but I'll pass.” He turned back
around to finish getting ready. “It's not that I'm not curious, or even that I
don't want to have sex with either of you. It just sounds like a lot of work,
to be honest. Pass.”
“Damn,” Travis muttered. The grin on his face failed to falter. “Well, can't
blame us for trying.” Lowering his hand that was around his brother's waist,
Travis squeezed Connor's ass. “Well, I guess I'll just have to have hot sex
with my brother by myself.”
Nico just rolled his eyes as the two walked off. Yeah, the thought of seeing or
being involved with the twins having sex did sound appealing, but a threesome
sounded far too complicated for Nico's liking. Besides, he was trying to stop
himself from falling over that metaphorical cliff into something he wasn't sure
he would ever be able to come back from.
An hour later, Nico got to take a short break before another performance.
However, there was two people blocking the door that led from the backstage to
the floor. Robert practically had Apollo cornered, leaning in really close to
the other blond. Apollo wouldn't look at the man, his jaw locked tight.
“What do you want from me?” Robert finally shouted.
Apollo pushed the other blond away, glaring hatefully. “To stop playing this
fucking game. Either leave me alone, or leaving that fucking cow-”
“Don't call my wife a cow.”
Apollo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, because you clearly care so much about her.
That's why you keep coming back to see me, right?” With eyes full of rage, the
blond reached forward and grabbed Robert's crotch. “We both know who really
pleases you. I'm tired of your stupid game, just because you're too ashamed to
come out from Narnia.”
Robert cleared his throat, adjusting his tie. “I'm fucking offering to put you
up in a place of your own. I could come see you whenever I get the chance.” The
blond motioned to the area around them. “You wouldn't have to work in this
place anymore.”
“No thank you,” Apollo said calmly, holding his ex-boyfriend's gaze. “Make a
decision, I'm tired of your bullshit.”
Robert lowered his head, clenching his fist. His other fist slammed into the
wall beside Apollo's head, though the curly haired blond didn't even flinch.
His eyes flickered over to Nico, though he didn't say anything. Without saying
another word, Robert pushed the door open and left.
Apollo let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “You know, you have
this really bad timing for walking in on people's conversations.”
Nico smirked a little. “Call it a gift.” He nodded towards the door. “What was
that about? Robert trying to make you his mistress.”
“Something like that,” Apollo mumbled. He rubbed his neck, not meeting Nico's
gaze. “It's not what I want, but he doesn't seem to comprehend that.”
“And if he actually left her?”
Apollo remained silent.
“What about Leo?” Nico whispered.
Apollo pursed his lips. “That is never going to be anything but complicated.”
“You were talking to him alone just the other day.”
The blond smiled a little. “Completely business.” He walked towards Nico. “And
don't think I didn't see you. Though, I can't really gather how you roped Luke
into it.”
Nico just smiled. He patted the blond's shoulder as they passed. “I'm sure
it'll work out.” He pushed the open before turning around. “But...you might
want to give Leo some more thought. At least he wouldn't treat you like that.”
When Apollo didn't say anything, Nico exited the backstage area. Now that
things were working out for him and Percy, Nico wanted to believe that the same
could be said for some of the others in the hotel. And Apollo was one of the
main people that he would like to find happiness with someone else. The blond
had been hurt a lot by guys that he liked. True, he had hurt others as well,
but Nico could still see that scared boy inside the blond's eyes. When Apollo
had told him a while back that he didn't think he was capable of being with
someone, it just didn't sit right with Nico. The same could be said for when
Luke had said it, though Nico didn't really think Luke would go for anyone at
the hotel.
When Nico arrived in the bar room, he found that Dionysus was nowhere to be
found. Piper sat on the couch, a mug of coffee in her hand. She leaned back
against the arm, sipping at it, while watching the boy enter the room.
Opening the fridge, Nico pulled out a bottle of Gatorade. “Where's the devil?”
Piper chuckled a little. “Doing business with a client, so I suggest you enjoy
your break while he's gone.”
“Noted.” Nico took a seat at the other end of the couch.
Piper took a long sip of her coffee before placing it in her lap. “So, I hear
you're getting a nice vacation to Germany.” She arched a brow at him.
“Something you want to share with the class?”
Nico blushed a litle. “Um, well, he asked me to go.”
“Uh-huh.” Piper chuckled a little. “Percy is supposed to be going for business,
yet he only takes Lost Kids when it is to one of the meetings.”
“He thought it would be a fun spring break trip?”
Piper didn't seem convinced. “It's Jason's break as well, yet Luke is the other
one going with you.”
“So, why am I the one getting the heat for it?”
Piper shrugged. “Doesn't bother me, I'm just curious.” She slumped further
down. “Besides, we know that you asked Luke after Percy asked you.” She smiled
at him. “Have fun.”
Nico let out a long breath. “Have you ever been?”
“To Germany?” Piper asked. Nico gave a nod. Piper let out a small chuckle.
“Yeah, but it was when I was still living with my dad. Well, I should say
living in the house my dad was supposed to call his home.”
“He wasn't home a lot?” Nico inquired.
“Not really.” Piper sighed and finished off her coffee. “Being an actor, my
father stayed busy a lot. He tried to make it up to me by taking me on trips
around the world, but that was just never my thing. The Hollywood life never
really appealed to me.” She chewed on her lip for a moment before continuing.
“It only got worse when he started to spend the time when he was home with a
bottle of alcohol.”
Oh. Nico's eyes widened a little. That was why Piper didn't like drinking.
The Lost Girl pulled her legs up to her chest. “You know, I just wanted my
father, like any other kid would. That's all I wanted. But then when the
drinking started, I was happy when he wasn't at home.”
Nico frowned. “Did he hit you?”
“No.” Piper lightly shook her head. “No, not like that. It was like I wasn't
even there. Even with him there, it was like I was alone. And I think that was
worse than when he was gone.” The girl fiddled with the braid in her hair. “The
life of the rich and famous isn't all the glamour it is made out to be.”
Nico just sat there for a moment, processing this information. “So, I'm
guessing he didn't kick you out?”
Piper shook her head again. “No, he didn't.” She got up to put her mug in the
sink. “Eventually, I got tired of it all. I guess I wanted some attention from
my father, any kind of attention, just to know he still cared about me.” Her
lips formed a thin line. “He did look for me, but not very hard. He gave up
before a year had even passed.”
“Have you ever tried to get back in contact with him?” Nico whispered.
“No,” Piper replied. “But, then again, I don't think I really want to. At least
here I have a family. You know, people that actually care about me and want to
pay attention to me. People that don't care more about their career.”
After Piper left, Nico sat on the couch and mulled over what he had just
learned. At least until Dionysus returned, then he promptly got off the couch
and left before the man could think of something rude to say. He didn't really
want to sound rude about Piper's past, but he would have taken a father that
ignored him over one that beat him any day. It still sucked and was wrong,
though.
As the night came to an end, the real eventful moment happened. Nico was
getting ready to head back to his room, when the door burst open. Annabeth came
out, shrieking. He had never seen the blonde so angry in his life. Not only
that, but the girl's face had red blotches covering most of it. A customer came
out behind her, looking unhappy.
Percy looked surprised as he got up from his booth and went over to talk to
Annabeth, while Rachel intercepted the customer to talk. Apparently, Annabeth
wasn't having a good night. After the performances were over, Piper had told
them that Annabeth's heel had snapped during her final performance and the
blonde had fallen off the stage.
Flickering his eyes back over to the blonde, Nico was surprised to find
Annabeth pointing angrily at him. He blinked in surprise. Was she angry with
him? What had he done? Whatever they were saying, Percy just looked back at her
and shook his head. He finally sat her down at a booth near where Nico was
sitting. Leo showed up, handing Percy a bag of ice.
Percy sat down beside the blonde and held the ice to her face. “This is twice
in one night, Annabeth.”
The girl glared at him. “It wasn't my fault.”
Percy let out a sigh, not seeming all that amused. “It's your responsibility to
check these things. You should have checked your shoes.”
“Someone tampered with my makeup!” Annabeth practically shouted. The normally
calm Lost Girl seemed to have cracked, a flicker of madness briefly appearing
in her eyes. Nico pitied whoever had done this to her.
Percy drummed his fingers on the table, glancing at the blonde next to him.
“I'm disappointed that you let it happen. You should have kept a better eye on
it. I thought you were better than this, Annabeth.” The girl sat there, frozen,
as Percy got up from the booth. He let out a sigh and offered his hand to the
Lost Girl. “Come on, we'll see about getting that taken care of in my room.”
Now it was Nico's turn to get upset. He was about to open his mouth, but the
manager seemed to be on his game tonight. Percy's eyes darted over to him,
fixing him with a glare. He was clearly not in the mood for Nico's jealousy
tonight. Nico huffed and slumped down in his chair.
So, what, Percy was just going to keep doing the negotiations with the other
Lost Kids? Nico had hoped that it would end, since Percy was about to get a
promotion. Why couldn't they at least be secretly exclusive? The customers
didn't need to know that Percy was seeing Nico just yet, but it would be nice
if Nico didn't have to endure these last few months with his sort of boyfriend
sleeping with the other Lost Kids.
As they passed, Nico froze. Annabeth's gray eyes pierced him like a dagger. As
she passed, Nico got the most hateful look from the Lost Girl. But beyond that
was what really bothered the raven haired boy. It was like her mask had cracked
and Nico finally got a glimpse at the Annabeth beneath the mask. There was a
crazed spark in her eyes as she looped her arm through Percy's and walked away.
Nico sat there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Then it
hit him.
Percy. The person that Annabeth liked was Percy. It was like the floor had been
swept out from under him. Had she been trying to sabotage him? How could he
have not seen it? He didn't even want to believe it!
Slowly getting to his feet, Nico looked up to meet Octavian's gaze. Right
before the blond walked down the stairs, he gave Nico a small nod. It seemed
like Nico wasn't quite finished falling down the rabbit hole just yet.
***** Rivarlies and Vacations(Never Leave Your Enemy Unattended for too Long)
*****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Surprisingly, the hotel remained fairly quiet for nearly a month. It was
definitely not what Nico had been expecting. In all honesty, Nico had expected
Annabeth to come after him with a large knife, judging by the way she had
looked at him on the night of her stage disaster. It had taken a full two weeks
for the blonde's face to clear up from the skin rash, something that not even
the twins had any knowledge about. But from what Apollo and Thalia told him,
Nico was under the impression that Annabeth thought it was him.
It wasn't, though! But could he tell her that? No. Not that he was sure he
wanted to, in all honesty. After seeing her metaphorical mask crack, Nico was
hesitant to be near the blonde. It did help that his relationship with Percy
had improved upon the manager's return, so Nico was able to try to keep his and
Annabeth's schedule separate as much as possible.
Percy asked Nico about it often when the boy had first started, but eventually
the questions had stopped. If Annabeth really did have a crush on Percy, the
manager didn't seem to have any idea about it. Perhaps it was better to keep it
that way, as to not poke the bear more than it already had been.
Speaking of the green-eyed manager, Nico had started to spend most of his free
time in the afternoons in the young man's office. Part of the time, Nico was
just getting his homework done, but the rest of his time was filled with trying
to study the German language.
Spring break would be here in just a few weeks, yet Nico still had barely any
understanding of the language. It was now approaching time for dinner, and Nico
had barely moved from his spot on Percy's office couch since he got back from
school an hour and a half ago.
The book was suddenly plucked from Nico's hand. The Lost Boy looked up with a
pout. “I'm trying to study that,” he whined.
Percy rolled his eyes and tossed the book over his shoulder. “I don't know why
you're focusing so hard on this, it's just for a week.”
“But I will be living there starting in the summer. Don't you think it's best
to learn German?”
The young man shrugged. “I suppose, but there is time for that later.” He
leaned forward and placed both of his hands of the couch, on either side of
Nico's head. “For the week that you are there, you'll have me to translate for
you. Or Luke, should I not be around.” With a grin, he maneuvered the Lost Boy
onto his back, sliding in between Nico's legs. “So, it's not like you'll be
lost the entire time. Isn't there anything else you'd rather be doing right
now?”
Nico just rolled his eyes with a smile. “I thought you were a master at being
subtle?”
Percy's grin only grew. “Oh, I am, but you need to leave soon.” A warm hand ran
underneath Nico's shirt. “You know, I've been back a month, yet you and I
haven't had sex in that time.”
The brown-eyed boy shrugged, wrapping his arms around Percy's neck. With the
news that him and Percy could sort of settle down come the summer, Nico just
hadn't really felt the need to go looking for it. Percy had been more physical
with him in other ways, and that was really all Nico wanted right now. Perhaps
the revelation that Percy would still be having sex with the other Lost Kids
until he took over for Gaea did not help Nico's desires, though. It did bother
the boy, not that he would tell Percy that.
What could he say? “Don't do your job?” Yeah, that would go over great. If
anything, Nico had learned it was best to hold his tongue in most cases. If it
ever came up in a conversation with them, Nico would not hesitate to let Percy
know. Until that time, Nico did not really want to start an argument with the
young man.
Nico was yanked from his thoughts when his shirt was pulled over his head. Pale
fingers tangled into Percy's black locks as the manager kissed and sucked
around his collarbone. With a moan, Nico bent his knee around Percy's waist,
trying to pull the manager closer.
Changing position, Nico pushed himself up and placed himself in Percy's lap.
The young man arched an eyebrow at him, smirking. Nico leaned down and sealed
their lips together. Percy wasted no time at all in sliding his tongue into
Nico's mouth, while the Lost Boy unbuttoned the young man's shirt. Nico let out
a small moan as his fingers ran down Percy's bare chest.
Breaking the kiss, Nico slid out of Percy's lap and onto his knees. The young
man placed his hands behind his head as Nico unbuttoned his pants. Percy lifted
his hips to allow the Lost Boy to pull down his pants and underwear. As Nico
took Percy's hardened member into his hand, his eyes flickered up to the young
man's face. Leaning forward, Nico slid his tongue along the base, watching
Percy's reaction.
The young man bit down on his lip, letting his head fall back against the
couch. Nico smirked and took the head of Percy's cock into his mouth, bobbing
his head up and down on the shaft. He had done this to other people, but Nico
could only recall giving Percy head once or twice before this. When they first
started being sexual, Percy didn't even let Nico try it.
Yet, now here he was, between Percy's legs and the guy's dick in his mouth. He
wondered how much he could keep Percy to their room when they got to Germany.
Perhaps not that long, because Nico really did want to go out and see the city,
or at least explore the hotel. Judging by what he had heard, the German hotel
was supposed to be more of a resort.
Nico slid his tongue around the shaft, while his head continued to bob on it.
Percy's fingers eventually wound their way into Nico's messy hair, gripping
tightly at the black locks. With a smirk, Nico began to hum lightly, which drew
a moan from Percy.
There was just something magical about staring at Percy Jackson completely
naked. While Nico now had an understanding that Percy wasn't perfect, it didn't
mean his body wasn't. From the top of his head, to the bottom of his feet, the
young man was gorgeous. Every inch. Even the seven or eight inches in front of
his face.
Percy pulled the Lost Boy back into his lap, removing Nico's pants in the
process. Nico cupped Percy's face as they shared a deep kiss, though something
did occur to the boy. “Condom?” He panted.
Percy let out a grunt before gripping Nico tightly around the waist. Nico's
eyes widened in surprise as Percy stood up and walked over to the desk. He
placed Nico on the corner of his desk, while using his other hand to move some
things aside. Now that Nico had more room, he laid down on the desk, while
Percy dug around in one of his drawers. After a second, Percy pulled out a
condom and a bottle of lube.
Lifting Nico's legs, Percy applied some lube to his fingers and slid one
inside. Nico bit down on his lip at the feeling of the initial penetration.
There was just something so much more enjoyable when it came to sex with Percy.
After adding a second finger, Percy began to stretch Nico out. The boy let out
a few moans, running his foot along Percy's side and back. The small curve of
Percy's back was particularly fascinating to the Lost Boy. When Percy finally
managed to draw a gasp from Nico, he pulled his fingers out.
Quickly sliding on the condom and putting some lube on his member, Percy raised
Nico's legs onto his shoulders. It was kind of hot, having his boss fuck him on
his desk. Percy leaned down and gave Nico a slow but brief kiss before sliding
into the brown-eyed boy. Nico's nails dug into Percy's hips, though pulled him
closer at the same time. Taking the hint, Percy buried himself to the hilt.
The manager leaned down and kissed Nico in the center of his chest, waiting for
the boy to adjust. Not that Nico wanted to wait. He might not have been seeking
out sex from Percy, but that didn't mean he hadn't missed the feelings that
came with it. And if there was one thing to say about Percy Jackson, it was
that he was damned good at sex.
Percy's face hovered ever so closely to Nico's as he slid in and out of the boy
on his desk. Nico let out a few quiet moans as his hands raked across Percy's
torso. Percy took a firm grip on his hips and jerked Nico back at the same time
that he slammed into the Lost Boy.
After a few minutes of this, Percy bent Nico over the desk and began to pick up
the pace. Due to this, Nico found it extremely hard to remain quiet. The office
felt stuffy now and both of their bodies was beginning to show the signs of
sweat. The desk began to shake as Percy rapidly thrust in and out of Nico.
As Nico got louder with his moaning, Percy chuckled and placed a hand over the
boy's mouth. “I love it when you're loud, but I don't think Leo and Rachel
really want to hear your colorful Italian.”
Nico's face turned red. Well, more than it already was from his current
activities. He really needed to control when he did that. Although, as far as
he could tell, he had only done it with Percy. However, it was kind of hot to
have Percy silencing him like that. Nico moaned rather loudly into Percy's hand
as the green-eyed young man slid in agonizingly slow.
A good ten or fifteen minutes went by with Nico getting pounded into Percy's
desk. The boy felt drenched in his sweat, not that he cared. If he could only
have sex with Percy for the rest of his life, Nico could easily be certain that
he would be more than satisfied.
Nico felt like a rag doll, his bones now mush. His hair clung to his face from
all the sweat, which also made it very hard for Percy to get a good grip on him
anymore. Not that it stopped the young man. Percy had yet to slow down in his
pace in the past ten minutes, nor did Nico want him to. Percy leaned forward
and bit lightly at Nico's neck. Nico let out a gasp, which quickly became a
moan.
Gripping Nico's hair, Percy yanked Nico's head back as he continued to plow
into the Lost Boy. Nico wasn't sure how much longer his legs were going to hold
up for him. And, as if to only torment Nico, there was a knock at the door. It
was like they weren't allowed to have sex in the office, since this made the
second time they got interrupted.
“What?” Percy called out, not even bothering to stop in what they were doing.
Nico opened his eyes, which had him staring directly at the door. As accustomed
as he had got to this life, it still would have been awkward for him to have
someone walk in on him in this situation. Here he was, completely naked and
bent over his boss's desk, while said boss relentlessly fucked him in the ass.
While the door didn't open, Rachel did speak. “Annabeth is here to see you.”
Percy blew at his sweaty bangs. He paused for a second before continuing to
slam into Nico. The brown-eyed boy's mouth fell open in a silent moan. Percy's
hand slid down his chest, while the other continued to grip his hair. Slamming
in as hard as he could, the young man finally replied. “I'm busy at the
moment.”
There was a pause, and then, “She says it's important.”
“When you hear a loud scream or moan, I'll be done.”
Nico turned his head to give Percy a questioning look, but he didn't even
manage to fully look at the young man before Percy began to piston in and out
of him. Nico collapsed onto the desk, his nails scraping across the surface.
Percy was slamming into him with such a force, yet he managed to hit Nico's
prostate with every single fucking thrust.
A few minutes later, Nico couldn't hold it back anymore. He scrunched his eyes
shut and climaxed on Percy's desk. Nico's body crumpled, though Percy held him
up by the hips. With a few more thrusts, Percy seemed to finish as well. As he
pulled out, he placed Nico in his chair while he deposited the used condom into
the garbage. Percy slid on his underwear before tossing Nico his clothes.
Nico's bones felt like putty as he tried to get dressed. Percy wiped up Nico's
seed with a paper towel before he too finished getting dressed. Once they were
finished, Nico shakily got to his feet. Percy smiled down at him before leaning
down and pecking the boy on the lips. Nico gave him a lazy smile as they walked
to the door.
When Percy finally opened it, Annabeth glanced between them. She raised an
eyebrow. “Charming,” she mumbled.
Percy let out a chuckle. “What can I do for you?”
Annabeth glanced at Nico for a moment before she stepped into the office. “It
involves Nico, actually.”
Nico frowned. She wasn't going to accuse Nico of tampering with her makeup, was
she? She didn't even have proof, not that he had done it. Either way, Nico had
no desire to leave Annabeth and Percy alone with him being the topic.
“Oh?” Percy sat back down at his desk, attempting to fix his hair from the
sweaty mess it was still in.
Annabeth closed the door, shooting her cold gaze over in Nico's direction.
“Well, it's gotten out that you plan on taking him to Germany with you when you
take over for Gaea.”
“What about it?”
“Are you sure that is wise?” Annabeth asked, placing her hands on the back of
one of the chairs in front of Percy's desk. “I mean, the only real family that
he has anymore is his sister, and you're just going to pack him up and ship him
across the planet from her.”
Percy's eyes darted over to where Nico stood. Wait, he wasn't actually
considering what she had said, was he? Nico frowned, narrowing his gaze at
Annabeth. “I'm the one that chose to go,” the Lost Boy mumbled.
Annabeth's eyebrow shot up at that. “And that makes it better?” She sighed and
turned back to Percy. “You have to admit, he hasn't had the best track record
for making the right decisions. Bianca is graduating as well, she could take
care of Nico.”
“I don't-”
Percy held up his hand, silencing Nico's protest. The Lost Boy huffed, but held
his tongue. Percy sat back in his chair, lacing his hands together over his
lap. “I get what you're saying.” Percy's lips pressed together until they
formed a thin line. “I'll think about it.”
Ananbeth smiled sweetly and nodded. “That's all I wanted.”
Nico glared as the blonde took her leave. He glanced back at Percy. “You're not
really-”
“I said that I'd think about it,” Percy mumbled, no longer looking at Nico.
Instead, the manager was scribbling something down on a notepad.
Nico frowned. “Whatever,” he mumbled. Pursing his lips, Nico opened the door
and stormed after Annabeth. He was not going to let her do this, just because
she thought he had sabotaged her.
Rachel and Leo both looked up in surprise as Nico slammed Percy's door closed.
With his fists clenched tightly at his sides, Nico stormed out of the office
and marched over to where Annabeth was waiting at the elevators. She turned
around as he approached, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Can I help you?” She asked.
“Funny,” Nico replied, his eyes as cold as ice, “considering I feel like you've
been sabotaging me from the beginning.”
“Like you did the other night?”
Nico pursed his lips. “I didn't do anything. But if I'm right, then I'm glad
your performance got ruined.” He exhaled, blocking her entranced to the
elevator when it opened. “I don't know what I ever did-”
“That's just it, you didn't do anything.” Annabeth's lips tilted down. “You
didn't have to, but Percy took you in and clung to you like some wounded lamb.
I've been there for him since he got here, but Percy barely spared me a glance
beyond friendship. The way he looks at all of us, it's enough to make each of
us feel special. But then there's you. His smile could light up a room whenever
he looks at you. He offered you something that none of us ever got, yet you
turned it down. But did that change anything? No.”
“Why are you mad at me then?” Nico practically yelled. “Why do you hate me?”
“I don't!” Annabeth let out a long breath. “I like you, okay? But I always
thought that if anyone would have a chance with Percy, it would be me. You
didn't even have to try, yet he became smitten with you. But did he even
realize it? No, of course not. Like I said, Percy sucks at realizing feelings.”
Nico's shoulders slumped. “Then why did you try to ruin my chances with him?
What did I do?”
“You trusted me,” Annabeth whispered. Her gray eyes hardened as they focused
back on Nico. “That's what made it easy.” The blonde scoffed at him. “You
practically jumped when I offered my help, even though Apollo had just scorned
you.” She pushed past the stunned Lost Boy. “You'll stay here, because Percy
will realize it's what is for the best. Once that is taken care of, I can
convince Percy to let Octavian run the hotel. That's the thing about being
there for Percy the longest, he trusts me. And maybe when he settles in with
his new life, maybe then he will figure out that I do have feelings for him.”
Nico put his hand in the doorway of the elevator, preventing it from closing.
“That's really fucked up.” Nico's jaw tightened.
The blonde rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, welcome to my world.”
“I've never done anything to you,” Nico practically whispered, a small pain
growing in his chest. He didn't understand why she wanted to hurt him so much.
“I know.” Annabeth studied him a moment before she continued. “I'm sorry, but
it's for the best. You'll thank me one day. You don't have what it takes to be
by Percy's side at the top, Nico.” As if putting her mask back on, the blonde
smiled at him. “Maybe we can be friends after it is over.”
Nico just glared at her as the elevator closed. He seriously doubted that. She
was not going to win. Over his dead body. Nico took in a deep breath before
pushing the button to summon another elevator. Why did this have to happen now?
Things were supposed to wrap up, not spark out of control. Nico had been so
close to the end, but then Annabeth had to come along and ruin it. No, not
right now. She had been doing this for some time now. Nico had just been too
blind to see it.
When the elevator arrived at his floor, Nico found Hazel and Octavian standing
there, waiting. The Lost Girl's eyes widened a little at the sight of him. He
must have looked pretty torn up, because Hazel wasted no time in wrapping him
in a hug. “Nico, what's wrong?” She asked.
“Great, more tears,” Octavian muttered, which earned him a scowl from Hazel.
Nico let out a sigh. “I'm too trusting,” he muttered. “It makes me too blind,
and then I just get hurt.”
“Nico, no.” Hazel squeezed him tighter. “That's one of your best qualities.
Even after being here for so long, you still carry an optimistic outlook on
things. You see the good in people. That is what keeps you even just a little
innocent, and it's a great feature. It's refreshing, believe me.” She gave him
a warm smile. “It's also what Percy admired about you, don't forget that. Even
with the world crashing down on top of you, you still look at people and see
the good in them. I think that's really awesome.”
Nico looked up from behind his dark bangs at the blond Lost Boy. Octavian
arched an eyebrow at him. Nico frowned. “I need to talk to you.”
“Do you?” Octavian shrugged. He rolled his eyes at the dark look Nico gave him.
“Fine.” He grabbed Nico's arm, pulling him away from Hazel. “Let's go talk
then.”
“But we were going to eat,” Hazel pointed out.
Octavian was already opening his suite. “I'll catch up to you.” With that, he
tossed Nico inside and shut them both inside. Turning on the lights, Octavian
regarded the other Lost Boy. “What?”
“You know what I want to talk about.” Nico took a few steps to his right, his
eyes drifting around the room. “You messed with Annabeth's makeup.”
“Oh no, you caught me,” Octavian said dully, rolling his eyes. “It's not like
you were going to see her for what she is any other way.”
Nico let out a sigh, looking down at his feet. “What is her problem anyways?”
Octavian inspected his nails. “Sorry, I'd rather not get into it.” He quirked a
fine eyebrow at Nico. “And I would exactly go up to Annabeth and ask her
yourself.” The blond rubbed his neck. “Talk to Luke while you are visiting
Germany, perhaps he will tell you.”
Nico slowly nodded. “So, what, you've been helping me this whole time? I didn't
think you liked me.”
“I have neutral feelings about you,” Octavian corrected him. The blond crossed
his arms, keeping his cold eyes on Nico. “Besides, it wasn't my idea. Luke was
the one that asked me to help you out. He was the one that wanted me to give
you lessons, it wasn't my idea.” The Lost Boy placed a hand on his chest. “I
thought it was a little amusing to watch you stumble around with Annabeth's
advice, not realizing that she was setting you up.” He finally let out a sigh.
“But even I had to admit that she would have crushed you to a pulp without any
help. Besides, I always do enjoy a not-so-friendly competition with our girl
genius.”
Nico frowned a little, unwilling to meet the blond's gaze. “Why are you so
bothered about my friendship with your brother?”
For a moment, Nico thought he had asked the wrong question. The blond's gaze
was like a sharp piece of ice, threatening to impale Nico through the chest.
But then, right before Nico thought he was going to snap, Octavian let out a
sigh. He ran a hand through his silky hair and scrunched his lips. “Because of
what he calls you,” the blond said softly. Nico quirked a brow. “How many times
has he even called you by your real name?”
Nico blinked. Had Luke ever referred to him by his real name? In all honesty,
Nico couldn't recall a single time. “Um-”
“Exactly.” Octavian chewed lightly on his lip. “He used to call me those same
names, you know. I used to be the twerp. He used to come home from school,
ruffle my hair, and call me names like that.” The blond Lost Boy pursed his
lips. “He only called me by name if I was in trouble or he was being
sentimental. So, yeah, it kind of stung when I heard him calling you those
names all the time.”
Nico just stood there, pursing his lips. He had never considered Luke calling
him those things to be anything special, Nico usually got annoyed by the fact
that Luke called him all of those names. Perhaps it all made just a little bit
more sense now. “I didn't know,” he finally whispered.
Octavian shrugged. “I know.” He let out a sigh. “Stop worrying about what other
people think, Nico, or stepping on toes.” Those blue eyes fixed him with such a
stare that Nico found it hard to move. “If you don't stop, you'll never stand
on equal ground with Annabeth. She might be right about what she said to you,
but so is Hazel. Stop beating yourself up because you're trying to get along
with everyone. Annabeth is going to be out for blood.” He quirked an eyebrow.
“Do you want to screw up what is coming to you? I was just helping you see all
of this.”
“Fantastic job,” Nico muttered. “You drove Annabeth into Percy's bed.”
“Can't win every battle.” Octavian blinked a few times. “If he is yours at the
end of the day, that should be all that matters. Besides, it's only a few more
months. Focus on the Annabeth situation, not about Percy doing his job.”
------------------------------------
Eight days later, Nico found himself waiting in line at a movie theater with
Clarisse, Chris, Will, Thalia, and Zoë. Clarisse and Thalia had picked out the
movie. It was a hardcore action movie, no surprise there. Will had objected
about all the violence, but the two girls quickly shut him down. And now said
girls were trying to raid the concessions stand.
Nico arched an eyebrow at Will, who was slightly pouting beside him. Without
saying anything, Nico held out his box of candy. “Thanks,” Will grumbled as he
took some.
As it turned out, Thalia convinced Clarisse to make Chris carry the snacks they
had acquired. Zoë seemed like she didn't really want to be there, though the
girl never said anything. A day away from the hotel was always good, regardless
of what they did.
Once they were in the theater, Nico sat down next to Will, who offered the
brown-eyed boy some of his popcorn. Nico smiled and took a handful.
The movie wasn't that bad, not particularly Nico's taste, but it wasn't bad. It
wasn't really hard to keep up with either. Clarisse seemed to be enjoying it.
Nico also noticed that Chris put his arm around the Lost Girl halfway through
the movie. Will had to keep telling Thalia to be quiet, because the girl was
persisting that Zoë try some of her chocolate covered raisins.
“Just tell her to try some,” Thalia argued.
“They sound disgusting,” the other Lost Girl countered.
Will rolled his eyes and put a handful of popcorn into his mouth. Nico, who was
still trying to watch the movie, reached over without paying attention. Their
hands brushed for a moment. Nico blinked and looked over; Will just smiled
sheepishly at him. The corners of Nico's lips tilted up. Will was pretty
adorable at times, he could admit that.
It made him a little sad, because he didn't think Will needed to be at the
hotel. True, Nico probably shouldn't be there either, but there were moments
that Will just reminded him of a child. In a good and endearing way, not an
immature way.
Nico wanted him to be happy, even if he couldn't give it to him.
Twenty minutes later resulted in an outburst from Clarisse. “What the fuck?”
She was quickly shushed by several other people watching the movie. “You shut
up!”
As it turned out, the end of the movie concluded with a sappy romance subplot.
Clarisse hated it, apparently. Thalia just sat there and cackled, though Zoë
quickly shoved some popcorn into the girl's mouth to shut her up.
Will finally seemed to be enjoying the movie. The blond just kept stuffing
popcorn into his mouth, sitting on the edge of his seat as he watched the
female lead untie some guy that she had liked for some time now. Nico just
smirked at the other Lost Boy. “Enjoying it now?”
“Yeah, Mitch,” Will replied before stuffing more popcorn into his mouth.
Nico blinked in surprise. Will didn't even seem to catch himself. Had he just
referred to Nico by Mitchell's name? It finally hit Nico what was bothering him
about their whole situation. Was Will just trying to fill the void that
Mitchell had left? Was Nico just some compensation? Did the blond even realize
any of this?
Silently mulling this over, Nico sipped at his drink.
As the credits began to play, their group got up. Clarisse grumbled as she
exited, while Chris tried to calm her down. Thalia slung an arm around Zoë, who
quickly knocked it off her shoulder. When Nico didn't get up, Will turned and
blinked at him.
“You okay there?”
Nico's eyes widened. “What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine.” He smiled for a brief moment
as he got up. “Just taking in the movie.”
Nico chewed on his lip as they walked out of the movie theater. Maybe it was
just a slip. Those happened, right? Still, why did this bother Nico anyways? He
was going to move to Germany with Percy, so why did it bother him? Perhaps some
part of Nico seriously had considered what things would have been like with
Will. And Jason. Nico's life was not simple, okay?
At dinner, Nico ran into Leo at the hotel restaurant. Originally, Nico had been
planning on getting something and taking it up to his room, but the short
Latino seemed rather distracted as he poked at his food. So, Nico just calmly
sat down across from Leo.
Leo glanced up with a depressed look. “Yo,” he mumbled.
“You seem awfully down for someone about to have their boss go away for an
entire week.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Just sad that you'll be missing my awesome party.” He
swirled his straw around in his drink. “Meanwhile, you will be relaxing by a
massive pool and basking in some needed sun.”
Nico let out a chuckle. “If I wanted to freeze.”
“You only live once.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Please, do not use that phrase. I'm about ready to
strangle half the kids at school because they decided to start using it.” A
waiter came by and took Nico's order. After the young man had walked off, Nico
turned back to the Latino Lost Boy with a serious look. “Now, really, what's
bothering you?”
Leo just sat there, staring innocently down at his food. “Nothing in
particular.”
“You're such a liar.” Nico rolled his eyes. “Does this have anything to do with
Apollo?” Leo was about to open his mouth, but Nico cut him off. “You got
irritated that one night that Apollo willingly went to the backrooms with
Robert, so I can only assume it has to do with Mr. Sunshine.”
“He is rather cheerful, even in the morning.” Leo just shook his head with a
sigh. “Rather annoying. Who could possibly like that?”
Nico narrowed his gaze. “You have the exact same energetic level, though you
just have a tendency to make horrible jokes.”
Leo clutched his chest, slumping down in his chair like he was dying. “You
wound me, Nico.”
The pale Lost Boy let out a sigh. “Yeah, he's used that line as well.” He
arched an eyebrow. “Why don't you just talk to him?”
“There's nothing to talk about.”
“Liar,” Nico mumbled. “I saw you two getting along back when you were having
him help you sort out that paperwork. Personally, I think he's beating himself
up too much about the entire situation between you two to bring it up.” Nico
scrunched his lips. “The hotel should be a little calm while we're gone, right?
Primarily just regular families?” Leo gave a small nod. “So, use the down time
to talk to him.”
Leo frowned, his eyes blazing. “Why should I even care?”
“Because, Robert is trying to take Apollo away from here and make him his
'mistress'. He was going through a rough time back then, but we both know that
he's a sweetheart deep down.” Nico ran a hand through his hair. “Just try. If
you don't, it might be too late.”
Leo did not comment further. Nico's food arrived soon after that, and Leo
blatantly changed the topic. He made sure to remind Nico to pick him up a
souvenir from Germany.
---------------------------------
Today was the day. The weeks had flown by, and now spring break was finally
here. Percy had let Nico miss school today, which was perfectly fine by the
Lost Boy. Both Luke and Nico had slept in until close to ten. From there, Nico
finished packing and ate a quick lunch before hopping into a limo to go to the
airport.
Nico was a little more than nervous. Flying seemed a mixture of terrifying and
exciting. He wasn't exactly sure which was the more dominant at the moment.
Still, it would be awesome to be away from the hotel for an entire week. Not
only that, but he would have Percy off the clock, which Nico hoped they could
be more like the couple they planned to be in the near future. Not only that,
but Nico and Luke would be staying in Gaea's personal house, which was behind
the hotel. Nico was excited about it, but Luke wasn't.
It had taken a while, but Nico eventually remembered that Kronos was supposed
to be there. No doubt that this little fact had not slipped Luke's mind. It
would be an interesting week.
Rachel had accompanied them to the airport, finalizing some details with Percy
before the young man departed. Nico leaned lightly against Percy's shoulder as
he ran over those details with the Lost Girl. He watched Luke out of the corner
of his eyes. Luke had barely said a word, and had now taken up staring out the
window.
Nico had talked to Daedalus about the trip yesterday. He had told Bianca a few
weeks ago, though his sister was iffy about the entire thing. In the end, she
realized there wasn't much she could do about it. She had just asked that Nico
take a lot of pictures for her. She also said they needed to talk when he got
back. If anything, she probably had questions about why Nico was getting to go
to Germany in the first place.
He would have to tell her eventually, but Nico was trying to put it off. When
he got back, then they would have the talk. Bianca needed to know that he was
leaving. In all honesty, Nico had no idea what his sister was going to say.
More than likely, Bianca would get upset. Nico would be leaving her to move
around the world. It would probably only get worse when Nico confessed that
he'd be doing the move with Percy. That would be fun to explain.
Once they were at the airport, Rachel walked them inside to say goodbye. She
wiped a fake tear from her eye. Nico and Luke rolled their eyes, while Percy
just smirked at her. She adjusted the strap on Nico's carry on bag. “All of you
better behave yourselves,” she said in her motherly voice. “Don't get abducted
and sold into human trafficking.”
Nico looked up at Percy like it was some joke, but the young man gave him a
look that told him that she was being pretty serious about that part. The young
man leaned in as Nico's face paled. “You'll be fine, nobody is going to touch
you at Gaea's hotel.”
Rachel beamed and waved at them. “Have a safe trip.” As they turned around, she
called out to them. “Make good choices!”
Luke turned around and flipped her off.
They didn't have to wait in line, though they did have to drop off their
luggage. All Percy had to do was flash some ID and the three of them were
cleared to go past security. Percy dropped Luke and Nico off at a waiting area
before heading for the bathroom.
“Excited?” Nico asked.
Luke shot him a dull look. “Ecstatic.”
Nico's lips tilted down. “It won't be that bad. I'm sure you won't run into
Kronos that much.”
“As long as I stay away from Gaea's house and Percy as much as possible.”
That put a knot in Nico's stomach. How much would he be able to see Percy? The
green-eyed young man had expressed his desire for Nico to stay away from Kronos
as much as possible, but Luke was probably right, Kronos would be close to
Percy a lot. That sucked.
Luke slouched in his seat. “Why did you even invite me to go?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Because, you deserved something nice for your missed
birthday.”
“Yay, so you got me a trip to see my least favorite person in the world.”
“A simple 'thank you' would suffice.”
Luke let out a sigh. “Oh, what poor manners I have. Thank you for having me be
tortured for a week.” He leaned forward on the table. “I don't really care
about any of the Lost Kids at the German branch, they get along worse than we
do half the time.”
“They have a new Lost Boy, maybe you could-”
“Oh yay, another scared boy to take care of.” Luke rolled his eyes. “I don't
give a shit about some prat that probably thinks he's better than most of the
people around him.”
“I'm sure most of the Lost Kids there could say the same thing about you.”
“My point exactly,” Luke mumbled. “None of the European Lost Kids like us that
much. We are 'stupid Americans'. The new kid can kiss my ass along with the
rest of them.”
Nico huffed. “You know, it wouldn't kill you to-”
Percy dropped his carry on bag in the middle of the table. “I could hear you
from halfway across the room.” His eyes darted between them. “Do I need to
separate you two children?”
Luke dropped his cheek onto his palm. “Your boyfriend is getting on my nerves.”
Percy just glanced down at Nico and smiled. He ran his hands through Nico's
hair before taking a seat. “Our flight will be boarding soon, so try not to
kill each other until we land in Germany.” The young man pulled out his phone
with a sigh. “Malcolm is picking us up.”
“Who?” Nico asked.
“Athena's secretary,” Luke mumbled.
When their flight started to board, the three of them got to go on first. They
got to ride first class, something Nico never thought would happen in his life.
Percy swapped tickets with him, so that Nico could sit by the window. But,
judging by the slightly green complexion in Percy's face, Nico figured it was a
little more than that.
Luke sat down on the other side of Percy, putting in some headphones. Nico
frowned at the blond as Percy finished storing their carry on luggage. “How do
you even know German anyways?” The brown-eyed boy asked.
Luke grunted as he pulled out one of his earbuds. “Because, I had a smart
brother growing up, who thought it was a great idea to learn every language
before starting his freshman year at high school.” Luke gave a shrug. “But also
because I travel with Percy during the meetings.”
Percy gave Nico a smile as he sat down in between them. “Ready?”
“I suppose,” Nico replied.
The green-eyed manager pulled out his tablet and opened up one of his game
apps. “Try to get some sleep on the flight. It'll be morning by the time we
arrive, so try to go to sleep.”
Nico scrunched his lips. “When would be a good time.”
Percy smiled and rubbed the back of Nico's hand with his thumb. “I'll let you
know.”
The most nerve wracking thing, Nico found out, was the liftoff. Nico had
clenched his seat severely. Though, he felt much better after he looked over at
Percy and found the young man with his eyes shut. Nico smiled at the young man
when those sea-green eyes finally did open.
“Bad experiences with flying,” Percy explained. He let out a breath. “I'll be
fine when we settle in the air.”
Nico wasn't particularly fond of heights himself, but even he was amazed by
what he saw out the window. Once they were in the air, Nico couldn't look away
from the view for over half an hour. It was so beautiful, yet terrifying.
However, Nico couldn't help but feel a little sad. He would only be gone a
week, but somehow this felt like his real goodbye. Nico would have to say
goodbye to not only his sister, but the people he had called a family for the
past several months. All he would have would be Percy. It was enough, but it
didn't make any of it less depressing. He would miss everyone. Sure, they could
see each other, but it wouldn't be the same. Nothing would ever be the same
once June arrived and he graduated.
Nico finally tore his eyes away to glance at Percy. He bit down on his lip as a
thought popped into his head. Unless...
Chapter End Notes
     The next few chapters will take place in Germany. I just needed an
     easy way to do a jump forward in time, without just having it be a
     month or two later, so that's what I've been doing the past two
     chapters. As some of you might have figured out, there is a Annabeth
     and Nico rivalry brewing. It will be one of the two main arcs through
     the remainder of the story. And you'll be meeting a very special and
     important character next chapter. My little French boy. If you desire
     a clue, he appeared a single time in the Heroes of Olympus series.
     Also, if you want to keep up with what I'm doing, feel free to follow
     me on tumblr. http://xsonofhadesx.tumblr.com/
***** Heartbreaker, Dream Maker, Love Taker *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Jet lag sucked. Percy had given Nico a pill to knock him out halfway through
the flight, yet Nico still felt tired when they arrived in Germany. It felt
like Nico had lost his entire Friday, though Percy assured him that everything
would sort itself out when they went back to California.
They got picked up in a limo. Well, more precisely, they were picked up by a
blond kid that reminded Nico a lot of Annabeth. Same shade of hair and they
even had the same gray eyes. Though, when Nico asked, the German Lost Kid,
Malcolm, swore that he had no relation to Annabeth.
Malcolm seemed nice enough, just too distracted by his tablet to really pay
attention to any of them, aside from Percy. The entire ride to the hotel, the
blond kept talking to the green-eyed young man about just about everything that
came to mind.
Luke, on the other hand, had barely spoken a word. When Nico looked over at
him, the blond was busy staring out the window of their limousine. Nico just
hoped that the blond would enjoy himself during this trip, even if Kronos was
supposed to be there.
Germany was chilly, even in April. Growing up in Los Angeles, it didn't really
take much to make Nico feel cold. Percy had chuckled at him when they had
stepped out of the airport to get into the limo, saying that Nico would need to
get used to it, because it got worse in the winter.
Then there was the hotel.
Nico caught sight of it from a few miles away. The main building of the hotel
rose up into the sky, towering above the surrounding trees. The Lotus Hotel
here had been built a few miles outside of Berlin, which was how it allowed for
a resort to be built with the hotel.
And when they did finally drive up to the hotel, Nico had his breath taken
away. The place was massive. The main building was in the very center, towering
above everything to house the lobby, rooms, the suites, the live-in staff's
rooms, two floors for the Lost Kids, the bar where the private clients went,
and then two floors towards the top for the Lost Kids to perform and do
business. And at the very top, with giant glass windows was the floor for Gaea
and Athena's offices.
Attached to the back of the hotel was an indoor pool, while another pool lay
just outside of the glass of the indoor one. The spa was housed in a smaller
building on the resort grounds, which even had a place to do yoga outside. A
large portion of the resort grounds was made up of the golf course—most likely
the one that Percy was infamous for running a golf cart into a lake. A
volleyball court was near the outdoor pool. Then there was an average size
building just to the side of the hotel building.
“What's that?” Nico asked, pointing at said building.
Percy glanced out the window. “Ah, it's the arcade building. You can find video
games, card tournaments, laser tag, and stuff like that there. There's also a
store inside that sells some video games and cards, if that stuff interests
you.”
Nico scrunched his lips. He wondered if they sold Mythomagic cards there. He
hadn't played in years, but it did still peak his interest. Perhaps he could
find some time to drop by there before they left.
Finally, there was a mansion at the very back of the resort. Several expensive
cars had been parked out front, the garage doors that probably housed them were
open just behind them. The lawn and hedges had been trimmed to perfection,
while the massive fountain that sat in the center of the small driveway that
led up to the mansion added a finishing touch to the place. The mansion was two
stories tall, with three wings to it. If Nico had a guess, he could only assume
this was Gaea's house.
The car finally came to a stop in front of the hotel itself. Malcolm got out
first and told them to leave their luggage in the car. After they all got out,
the limo drove off towards Gaea's mansion. Nico was surprised when he felt warm
fingers lace through his own. Looking down, Percy gave his hand a squeeze. And
when he looked up, Percy smiled and nodded towards the steps of the hotel.
Nico's heart was pounding in his chest as they entered the lobby, which was at
least double the size of the one back in Los Angeles. The receptionist behind
the desk looked up from typing at the keyboard, but Malcolm just waved at her
and she went back to work.
Nico would have wandered into some luggage, if Percy hadn't caught the back of
his jacket and pushed against the boy's back to direct him to the elevator. The
place was just breathtaking. The ceiling had been painted to resemble the
Sistine Chapel, though the art looked more Greek than Christian.
The elevators were against the side of the hotel. A portion of them were made
of glass, which allowed the people riding in them to look out at the resort.
Which was something that Nico eagerly took the opportunity to do. The place was
both amazing and breathtaking, he could certainly get used to living here in a
few months.
Percy wrapped his arms around Nico's waist as the boy looked out of the
elevator, resting his chin on the Lost Boy's shoulder. “Enjoying the view?” He
whispered.
Nico gave a small nod. “Yeah, thanks for bringing me.”
“My pleasure.” Leaning in, Percy pressed a quick kiss to Nico's cheek.
Glancing at the other two in the elevator, Nico blushed. Luke just rolled his
eyes, while Malcolm did his best to look like he wasn't paying attention to the
two of them. Nico glanced up at Percy with wide eyes and admired the young man
for a moment. The stress that usually weighed on the young man seemed to have
stayed behind in California.
When Percy pulled back, he glanced over at Malcolm. “Is Kronos here yet?”
Looking up from his tablet, Malcolm lightly shook his head. “He's not due to
arrive until tomorrow afternoon.”
Luke let out a long breath, which only Nico noticed. At least that was
something, right? They got a day in Germany without the devil's presence.
When they arrived at the top floor, Nico had to take a moment to look around.
Most of the main area was a lobby, which contained very expensive sculptures
and paintings. Directly forward was a set of doors that had no handles on it.
Down the left hall was a set of glass doors, which Nico could spot a desk.
Beyond the glass doors was another door that was fairly translucent.
“That would be Athena's office, which is where I spend most of my days, at
least until dinner,” Malcolm pointed out, stepping up beside Nico. He turned
and pointed down the right hallway. “Down there is where Athena lives.” Placing
his tablet under his arm, the blond walked up the door in the center. “And here
we have Gaea's office. She's already expecting you.”
Directly to the left of the door was a thumb scanner, which Malcolm placed his
thumb on. After a faint chime, the double doors slid open. Percy gave Nico a
quick smile before he followed Malcolm inside. With a grunt, Luke followed
after him. Nico stood there a moment, trying not to have a panic attack.
Letting out a small breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding, Nico
stepped forward.
The office felt rather massive. A large glass desk sat towards the back of the
office, just a few feet away from the large, glass windows. There was a giant
TV embedded into the wall just to the left, while the other wall housed an
assortment of liquor and wine. A long black couch had been placed next to the
alcohol, though there were no actual chairs in front of Gaea's desk.
Surrounding both sides of the door that they had entered from was an assortment
of photographs of both Percy and Kronos during their younger years. Percy
looked fairly similar, though he looked a lot less weighed down by things in
the photos.
Then there was Gaea, who had her back to them as she stared out the massive
window of her office. She wore a dark green pantsuit, while her hair had been
tied in a braided ponytail. When Malcolm cleared his throat, the woman turned
around to look at them.
“Percy!” The owner exclaimed, opening her arms up and handing a drink she had
been holding to a Lost Boy that had been in the room with her. She quickly
closed the distance between her and Percy. A smile appeared on Percy's face as
the woman enveloped him in a hug. “How was your trip?”
“Good.” Percy pulled back and crossed his arms. “Sorry for the last minute
addition, but I thought Luke could use a vacation as a late birthday present.”
Nico narrowed his eyes up at the young man. It was his idea. With a grunt, Nico
elbowed the young man, who chuckled sheepishly at him.
Gaea just blinked at them before smiling. “It was no trouble at all.” She
placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. “Besides, Nico here will need someone to
keep him company while we take care of business.”
Figures, Nico thought to himself, he didn't think he would be getting Percy all
to himself the entire time. Besides, they were here for Percy anyways. It
wasn't about Luke or Nico at all.
“Percy!” Came a rich and very French voice.
For the first time, Nico took in the form of the Lost Boy that had taken Gaea's
drink. He seemed rather excited to see Percy, reminding Nico of a fashionably
dressed, giant ball of energy. His skin was lightly tanned, while his hair was
a wavy, light brown that barely cut across his eyes. The boy's eyes were what
truly stuck out, a vivid green color. He had a small nose and a smile that
reminded Nico of a small child. Which didn't seem too far off, as the boy could
probably pass for Nico's age, if not younger. The Lost Boy was just slightly
taller than Nico, with a thin frame to him.
Before Nico could even blink, the boy charged Percy. If Luke hadn't pulled him
back, Nico probably would have gotten trampled. The Lost Boy jumped at Percy,
who caught him with a laugh. Yep, definitely reminded Nico of a child. Dusting
himself off, Nico shot the brunet a glare.
“Good to see you, too,” Percy chuckled. As he put the boy down, the raven
haired young man faced Nico. “So, this is Nico, the boy I was talking about.”
With much excitement, the brunet pulled Nico into a hug and kissed both of his
cheeks. “Bonjour! Percy m'a si souvent parlé de toi. Tu es encore plus adorable
que prévu.”
Blinking, Nico glanced between the strange brunet and Percy. After a moment,
realization seemed to dawn on Percy's face. “Oh, right.” He let out a small
chuckle and placed his hand on the small of Nico's back. “Nico here doesn't
speak French.” With a grin, Percy cleared his throat. “He said that he's
pleased to meet you.”
Glancing at the other boy, Nico slowly nodded. “Um, pleased to meet you, too.”
The brunet just grinned at him, though not the same innocent smile that had
been there a moment ago. There was definitely a deep mischief hidden behind
that grin. Somehow, Nico had the distinct impression that this guy would get
along great with the Stolls.
“Oh.” Percy motioned to the brunet. “I almost forgot to introduce him. Nico,
this is the newest Lost Boy that I mentioned to you, Eros.”
With his grin still in place, Eros ran a hand through his wavy brown hair. “It
is...how to say, nice to meet you, Nico.”
“Uh,” was all Nico could get out.
He had never met a French guy before, but Nico could definitely see the appeal
to them. This guy could probably charm customers out of their money, without
even having to have sex with them. That accent was hot.
Percy chuckled at Nico's flustered expression. “Eros isn't completely fluent in
English yet, so you might have to bear with him.”
It was then that Eros's eyes landed on Luke, his eyebrows slowly rising as he
took in Luke's form. Those green eyes flickered back to Percy in amusement.
“Putain... Quel beau gosse.”
Percy and Gaea let out a small laugh, while Malcolm snorted. Nico and Luke just
sort of stood there in confusion. Well, it seemed like French wasn't a language
that Luke had managed to learn. At least Nico wasn't the only one feeling lost
about what was being said.
Narrowing his eyes, Luke grunted. “Does he have a problem with me, or
something?” He growled.
Percy just patted the blond's shoulder. “I wouldn't worry too much about it.
You'll be fine.” Percy blinked and turned to look at Eros, who was grinning
mischievously. “Actually, I'm not completely sure about that.”
Gaea cleared her throat. “Well then, I suppose I should let you all settle into
your rooms.” She slowly walked the three of them to the door. “But once you get
a minute, Percy, I'd like for you to come back by my office, so that we can run
over a few minor details.”
Percy gave a nod. “Sure thing.”
Placing his hand on Nico's back, he guided Nico and Luke out of the office.
They quickly boarded the elevator, while Percy just smirked at Luke, who had a
grumpy look on his face. “What did that asshole say?” The blond asked in
irritation.
“Nothing to worry about,” Percy chuckled. “Really, I promise. He doesn't hate
you or anything.”
Once they were back on the ground floor, Percy borrowed one of the hotel's golf
carts, much to Nico's hesitation. “You're not going to run us into the lake or
a window, are you?” The Lost Boy asked.
“No,” the young man replied as he sat down in the driver seat. “Well, at least
that's not in the plan.” With a grin, the golf cart shot forward in the
direction of Gaea's mansion. “You two can feel free to explore the resort while
I'm talking with Gaea.” He smiled down at Nico. “Luke knows the hotel pretty
well, so he can show you around.” There was a grunt from Luke, who sat in the
back. “He loves it here, don't let him fool you. You can also make yourself at
home in the mansion, Gaea won't care if you eat the food or mess with the
entertainment stuff.”
The mansion was massive. When they walked in, Nico felt like he was entering a
museum, rather than a home. The place was littered with sculptures and art of
various assortments. A marble staircase was directly in front of the entrance,
while many doors were on both sides of the first floor. Instead of showing them
around, however, Percy just walked up the stairs.
Nico hurried after the young man, reaching out to take Percy's hand. He turned
down the left wing of the mansion, which slowly morphed in artwork. The
paintings that Nico had managed to get a glimpse at in the entrance and up the
stairs had been a vast array of paintings, but this wing seemed to only include
fish and other various aquatic creatures. There was even a giant fish tank
embedded into a portion of the wall that they passed. Finally, Percy came to a
stop.
“Here's where you'll be staying, Luke,” Percy said, pushing open a door on the
left.
Luke was inside and had the door shut in a heartbeat. Percy just chuckled and
shook his head. He motioned down the hall, where Nico followed him. The green-
eyed young man came to a stop in front of a set of double doors, which had a
dumbwaiter directly across from it. With a smile, Percy pushed the doors open.
Nico must have died and gone to heaven. Percy's bedroom was about two or three
of the Lost Kid's suites back at the Los Angeles Lotus Hotel. Suites, not
bedrooms. And there was just about everything that anyone could ever want
inside.
First there was the canopy bed, which had dark blue curtains surrounding the
bed. Many pillows littered the bed, which Nico already had a good idea was
going to be incredibly comfortable. Then there was a massive TV on the wall
directly across the bed, around the same size as the one in Gaea's office. A
closet full of movies had been placed next to the TV. Books on Greek mythology,
marine biology, business, and various other books had been placed on
bookshelves in the front right corner of the room.
Another aquarium was in Percy's bedroom, this one slight bigger and containing
more fish. A walk-in closet that could have been the size of Nico's bedroom
back at the other Lotus was to the left, close to the door to Percy's own
private bathroom. Nico would have to look at that later. Then there was another
door that caught Nico's attention. Poking his head inside, Nico was not
disappointed.
It was a game room. First there was the giant couch and gaming chairs that was
towards the center of the room. Then there was the giant TV, which was probably
only a few inches smaller than the one in Percy's actual bedroom. Directly
under the TV was just about every game console that had ever come out since
Nico had been born, which included an open closet of just about every game that
anyone could ever want beside the TV.
Also included in Percy's game room was a pinball machine, a Foosball table, a
very expensive desktop computer with two thirty-two inch monitors, and a pool
table. There was even a Pac-Man machine!
Nico just stood there, stunned. It was easy to forget sometimes just how rich
people like Gaea and Percy were, and then Nico was brought back to reality when
he was shown things like this. Percy's suite back at the Los Angeles hotel was
already impressive enough, this was just someone's personal heaven. Nico bit
down on his lip and rubbed his arm. All of a sudden, the Lost Boy was aware of
how out of place he truly was. This wasn't his world, yet he was expected to
live in all of this very soon. It was amazing, to say the least, but also very
terrifying.
With a deep breath, Nico stepped back into the bedroom portion of Percy's room.
Percy had already plopped down on the bed while Nico had been exploring. He
smiled over at Nico with his hands behind his head. Slowly, Nico made his way
over and laid down next to the young man, who wrapped an arm around Nico to
pull him closer.
As he stared up at the top of the canopy, Nico sighed in contentment. Part of
him could not wait until summer arrived, because it just meant that he could
have more nice moments like this with Percy. They were going to be a couple, an
exclusive one. That wasn't really something Nico had ever imagined possible
when he had first arrived at the hotel. In truth, it all still felt like dream.
A dream with many nightmares along the way, but still a dream.
Nico rolled onto his stomach to look at Percy. “Is this where we'll be living
when we actually move here?”
“Probably,” Percy mumbled with a smile. “It's not too much, is it?”
“Uh.” Nico glanced around the room. “Well, yes, but I'll get used to it.” He
let out a sigh and rested his chin on Percy's chest. “It's just a lot, and I'm
not used to this, even as a Lost Kid.”
It was totally different. Lost Kids had money, but not nearly enough to afford
places like this. When they retired around thirty, they would still have enough
money to last them almost the rest of their lives. All their needs were taken
care of by the hotel, which only left personal things for each individual to
pay for. But, even so, none of them lived like this.
And Nico...
Well, Nico had never come close to anything like this before he had gotten
tossed out. Back then, or even on the streets, he would have never dreamed that
he would soon be living in a place like this. It just seemed so...foreign.
Percy pulled Nico's hand to his lips to kiss the boy's knuckles. “I mean, we'll
have plenty of privacy. The only other person that would be living here all the
time would be Gaea. Athena lives in the hotel, and Kronos only visits two or
three times a year.” He wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. “You and Gaea can
take up golfing, since you'll both probably end up getting bored without
anything to do.”
“And you?”
“I'll have a lot more time to spend with you than I do in my current position.”
Leaning down, Percy kissed Nico's forehead. “Gaea only really has to oversee
things and get involved when she feels the managers need a little help. Most of
the time, she just gets to relax.” Rolling on top of Nico, Percy traced his
fingers along Nico's stomach. “So, maybe we could travel and see the world.”
“I'd like that,” Nico whispered.
Percy pressed a quick kiss to Nico's lips. “You can have anything you want,
anything at all.”
Nico sealed their lips together again. “I just really want you.” With smirk, he
pecked Percy on the lips. “But I'm sure I can get used to things.”
Chuckling, Percy leaned back. “Glad to hear it.” The young man let out a groan
and rested his head on Nico's stomach. “I hate to do this, but I should go see
Gaea. But I'll be back shortly before dinner. If you want, I can take you and
Luke into Berlin to have some local food.”
Nico bit down on his lip to contain his smile. “That would be great.”
Percy grinned and pecked Nico on the lips before climbing off the bed. “Great!
I'll see you later then.”
Nico rolled onto his stomach and waved as Percy went to leave. When the door
closed, Nico collapsed onto the bed with a sigh. He was enjoying Percy like
this, the young man seemed much more relaxed and happy. If this was what he had
to look forward to, then Nico could find a way to endure whatever the next two
months threw at him.
After about five minutes, Nico got off the bed to go find Luke. Once he was in
the hallway, Nico looked around for a minute. He just didn't understand why
there was so many rooms if only three people lived here. Stepping up to the
room that Luke had disappeared into, Nico raised his hand and knocked on the
door.
After about ten seconds, the door opened and Luke leaned against the door.
“What do you want, twerp?”
Nico frowned at the name. “Can't you just call me by my actual name?”
“I could,” Luke tapped a finger to his chin, “but that doesn't sound very fun.”
He rolled his eyes and stepped back into his room, where Nico followed him.
“Anyways, what do you want?”
Nico fidgeted a little. This room didn't have as much in it, nor did it have
all the different extensions. It did come with the walk-in closet and private
bathroom, though. It also had a giant TV on the wall opposite the bed, which
also had a canopy.
“I was hoping you would show me around.” Nico's eyes slowly drifted across the
room. “Percy said he was going to take us into Berlin for dinner.”
Luke grunted with a nod. “Figured.” The blond let out a sigh as he sat down on
his bed. “I was just getting comfortable, too. I forget that you need someone
to hold your hand in new places.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “You know, we're alone, you don't have to sound like a
jerk all the time.”
The blond just smirked at him. “But I am a jerk.”
“Yeah, uh-huh, keep telling yourself that.”
Luke rolled his eyes and opened up his suitcase. “Go put your swimming trunks
on, just in case I decide we're stopping at the pool.”
“But it's cold outside,” Nico whined.
“The indoor one,” Luke sighed.
Nico's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as Luke undid his pants and let them
drop to the ground with his underwear. Casually, Luke walked over to his
suitcase and pulled out his swimming trunks. Clearing his throat, Nico turned
around and left the room to retrieve his own trunks.
Percy had left the golf cart for them, which Luke insisted they use. “The place
is too big, nobody just walks, unless the place they are going is close by,”
Luke pointed out.
They started off touring the golf course, which was mostly being used by older
men. Nico's face scrunched up as he watched one man hit the small golf ball.
The sport seemed rather dull. “Have you ever played?”
Luke glanced out at the field. “Only if I'm extremely bored. My parents used to
take me and Octavian golfing. Especially my dad, when he spent time with his
friends.” He gave a casual shrug. “It can be relaxing, though I prefer sex if
I'm trying to relieve stress.”
As they passed by the spa area, Nico spotted a very large crowd for yoga
lessons. Teenage girls, young women, older women, and even a few men had formed
a small army there. It seemed a little odd, until Nico spotted the yoga
instructor.
The guy was rather tall and lean, with a smile that could light up the night
sky. Black curls sat on top of his head, while a pair of light blue eyes could
be found hidden behind some of his curls. He had long legs and seemed to be
very flexible.
Nico nudged Luke. “Who is that? Is he a Lost Boy?”
Luke slowed down the golf cart to glance at the yoga instructor. “Yes, his name
is Favonius, he's Italian.”
Nico made a face. “I hope he doesn't expect me to talk Italian with him, I'm
not that good.”
“Fortunately for you, he doesn't actually speak Italian. His parents left Italy
when he was just a baby, and they died when he was pretty young.”
As he stood up from bending over, Favonius took notice of them. He smiled
brightly at them and tossed them a wave. Luke raised a hand in a small wave
before he drove off.
Nico glanced up at the blond next to him. “So, what really is the difference
between our group and the group here?”
“Our group is different than most of the others,” Luke pointed out. “Don't
expect any of them to stick their necks out for each other. They are more like
friends, instead of being a family.” Luke ran his tongue along his bottom lip.
“The German branch has the largest pool of Lost Kids. While they do have close
bonds, they are more like cliques. They only help out those that fall into the
clique they are in. It's very high school.”
As they passed by the game building, Nico convinced Luke to make a stop.
Reluctantly, Luke followed an excited Nico inside the building, which was
primarily filled with teenagers and kids. Bypassing most of the arcade games,
Nico made a beeline for the counter, where he inspected their assortment of
cards.
Sure enough, they did carry Mythomagic. Nico's eyes bulged a little as he
looked over their single cards that were on sale, some of which he had only
dreamed of owning back when he played. Nico reached for his wallet, until he
remembered that he had left it back in Percy's room.
Luke rolled his eyes. “Just tell them to put it on Percy's tab.”
“But-”
With a grunt, Luke placed his hands on the counter. A girl with bright green
eyes popped up from behind the counter. Her long black hair fell behind her
back like a waterfall. She was rather pale, just like Nico was. There was a
small piercing in her nose, while her arm bore a black pentagram tattoo.
Her lips tilted up when she saw the blond in front of her. “Luke! So, the
rumors were true, you are paying us a visit.”
Luke grunted. He motioned between the girl and Nico. “Twerp, this is Lou Ellen.
Lou, this is the twerp.”
Her eyes widened a little. “Oh, so you're Percy's new squeeze.” She reached out
and pinched his cheek. “Cute.”
Nico glanced at Luke. “I thought you didn't like the Lost Kids here.”
Luke tossed him a glare, while Lou cackled. “Ah, well,” she laughed, “I just
happen to be one of the few he tolerates around here.” She leaned on the
counter with a smile. “Some of us are cool, but others can be...less than
pleasant. Michael can be hard to get along with.” Her lips turned up in a
wicked smirk. “Clarisse is actually not allowed here at the moment because the
two practically trashed the laser tag zone over a competition.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Luke grumbled. He let out a sigh. “Anyways, the kid here was
wanting some cards.”
Lou stood up straight and blinked at Nico. “Oh yeah? Which ones?”
“Um, I was just looking,” Nico mumbled. “I don't really play anymore.”
Lou gave a shrug and opened the display case. “No shame in buying cards to
collect. Which ones would you like?”
After picking out five cards, Lou put all of them in protector sleeves and
handed them over to Nico. As they left the store, Nico looked over each of his
new cards in great detail, his eyes wide from excitement. Luke just stared at
him and shook his head as they climbed back in the golf cart. There was a very
small glove compartment in front of the seat that Nico was in, so the boy
shoved them inside. Since Luke had the key to the golf cart, it wasn't like
someone was just going to come along and drive off with it.
“Are we allowed to see the Lost Kids' floors?” Nico asked.
Luke just shrugged. “You'll need to be with one of them. I don't have an access
card to get us up there, and I doubt Percy would just give you one.” The golf
cart came to a stop at the back of the hotel, where the blond climbed out with
a towel that he had brought from his room. “Come on, we're going swimming.”
Grabbing his own towel, Nico followed after the other Lost Boy.
The doors swung open for the two Lost Boys as they entered the indoor swimming
area. The roof and the walls bordering the outside were entirely made of glass,
which made it feel like they were still outside, just in a warmer environment.
The pool wasn't overly crowded, though it would be hard to crowd, since it was
a pool and a half compared to the one they had back in Los Angeles.
Luke motioned over to where two boys were. One happened to be the Eros boy from
earlier, though he was currently too busy on his phone to pay attention to
them. The other seemed to recognize Luke.
The guy had dark brown hair that was cut short, with a pair of matching brown
eyes that screamed trouble. His skin was fair, while his face was dusted with
light freckles. He had a rather lanky body and a toothy grin.
The brunet jumped up from where he was sitting next to Eros. “Luke, so you did
make it!”
At the mention of the blond's name, Eros looked up, his sunglasses falling a
little to reveal his vivid green eyes. He too stood up, leaning against the
other brunet. With his shirt off, Nico could see just how skinny Eros was. He
wasn't unhealthy skinny or lanky like Nico, but his hips were practically thin
enough that someone could touch their fingers if they placed their hands on
both hips. He even had a faint outline of some abs, as well as a 'V' shape to
his hips.
Eros pouted and wrapped an arm around the other brunet. “Tu le connais? Il faut
qu'on parle.”
The other brunet chuckled and nodded. “Ouai, j'imagine. Sois gentil avec lui,
si jamais t'arrives à le baiser.” He winked at Nico and Luke. Grinning, he held
his hand out to Nico. “The name's Cecil. I take it you're this Nico we've been
hearing about.”
“Yeah.” Nico glanced up at Luke, his brows furrowed.
Luke just shrugged. “Don't look at me, your man is the one that talked about
you.” He grinned and clasped hands with Cecil. “How are things?”
“Oh, you know, just keeping everyone on their toes.” The brown-eyed European
boy struck a pose. “They just don't know what hits them most of the time.”
“Sounds about right.” Luke, however, had his eyes on Eros, since the French boy
was grinning at him like Luke was about to be hit with a water balloon. “Can I
help you?”
Cecil snickered. “So, I take it you have already met Eros.” He slung his arm
around the green-eyed boy. “He's a handful.”
Eros pouted, shifting his sunglasses to rest on top of his wavy hair. “That is
so...hurtful, Cecil.”
Nico couldn't help but sigh, a dopey smile on his face. He could get used to
listening to Eros talk, even if he couldn't understand him half the time. He
glanced up at Luke, who was looking said brunet over. The blond quickly cleared
his throat and broke eye contact with Eros, who just smirked.
Eros placed his hands on his hips, which made Nico hyper aware of the fact that
the French Lost Boy was wearing a speedo. A very tight, green speedo. When he
saw not only Nico staring, but Luke as well, Eros grinned and bounced on his
heels. “You like?” With a sly smirk, the brunet turned his body slightly to
give them a view of his ass in the speedo. “Does it not just fit so well?”
“Uh,” Luke fumbled, his eyes still locked on the brunet's very nicely shaped
ass. “Yep, they definitely fit nice.” Coughing, Luke looked over at the pool.
Nico gave the blond an odd look. Was Luke actually blushing? Nico blinked a few
times. He wasn't sure that he had ever seen the blond blush before.
Chuckling, Cecil patted Luke on the back. “Come on, let's go swimming.” He
grinned over at Eros, who narrowed his eyes at the brown-eyed boy.
After a few minutes of swimming, Nico heard Luke let out a growl. Turning in
the water, Nico located the blond, who had a grinning Eros at his side near the
deep end. “What the hell are you even saying?” Luke finally asked, his voice
slightly raised.
Cecil jumped into the pool, where he swam over before emerging beside the two.
Nico made his way over as well, curious about what was going on. Cecil moved in
between the two boys, chuckling. “What exactly did he say, Luke?”
Luke narrowed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “He's like...trying
to ask me for a blowjob in the middle of a public pool.”
Nico arched his brow. “I didn't think you'd turn someone down for sex.”
“It's just weird, because I don't know what he's saying.”
Eros blinked over at Cecil. “He called me weird?” He asked, drawing out the
word.
Cecil just grinned. “What did you say to him?”
Eros turned his grin onto Luke, slowly running a finger down his chest. “BG. Je
ne vois pas pourquoi ceci est un problème. BG.”
Luke huffed and pointed his finger at the green-eyed boy. “There, see, he said
it again.”
Cecil snorted a little. “Ah. Um, yeah, the French 'g' sounds like a 'j'. BG is
short for beau gosse.”
Nico blinked at Eros, analyzing the brunet. “He said that earlier.”
“I bet he did,” Cecil grinned. He patted Luke on the shoulder. “You have fun.”
With that, Cecil swam off.
Grinning to himself, Eros pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge
of the pool. Nico couldn't help but stare a little, admiring the Lost Boy's wet
body. At least he wasn't the only one. Glancing over at Luke, Nico had to reach
over and shut the blond's slightly agape mouth.
--------------------------------------
After dinner, Nico got to watch the performances with Percy and Luke. It was
rather nice, not having to worry about performing or customers. Percy and Luke
ordered some beer, though Nico declined. However, Percy offered Nico some of
his after a few sips.
“You sure you don't want some?” Percy grinned at him. “I mean, you can't just
come to Germany and not try the beer.”
Luke inspected his own beer. “It would be like not trying the wurst.”
Nico frowned as he inspected the golden drink. “Well, the wurst I had for
dinner was pretty good.” Glancing up at Percy, Nico raised the drink up to his
lips. Immediately, Nico's face contorted and he shoved the beer back towards
Percy. “It tastes like horse piss.”
Percy laughed as he took a sip of the beer, not even bothered by the taste.
Nico wrinkled his nose and pushed Percy away when the young man tried to lean
in for a kiss. Not after drinking that stuff.
Luke tossed his beer back, downing half the glass. “And how would you know what
horse piss tastes like?”
Nico rolled his eyes at the blond. “It's just an expression,” he grunted. Luke
grinned at him. “But you already knew that, asshole.”
The two floors where the Lost Kids performed was a bit bigger than the top
floor at the Lotus back in Los Angeles. For starters, there was nothing to
divide the girls from the boys, since they performed together on one big stage.
Apparently, according to Percy, people in Europe really didn't care as much
about sexuality. Percy had agreed to keep an eye on this floor, while Gaea and
Athena were a floor below them.
Luke was right about one thing, there were a lot of Lost Kids here. After about
thirty minutes of performances, Nico still had not seen the same Lost Kid more
than once. According to Percy, they just ran up and down some stairs backstage
to get between the two stages. Sounded rather rough, in Nico's opinion.
Their table quieted down as the guitar intro to Marina and the Diamond's “How
To Be a Heartbreaker” began to play. The lights slowly brightened, revealing
several Lost Boys moving their bodies seductively. The boy in the center,
however, was Eros, who bounced on his hip to the beat of the music, an innocent
smile on his lips.
As the lyrics began, Eros raised his hand with only his index finger raised to
go along with the music. With the word “fun”, Eros leaned back and pressed
himself against one of the other Lost Boys. During the next line, the brunet
added a second finger and shoved the Lost Boy he had been leaning against away.
The stage brightened even more as the chorus began to play. Several Lost Girls
flooded onto the stage as Eros slipped his arms above his head, his lips moving
along with the song. All the while, the other Lost Boys flexed and struck
poses, while Eros moved flirtatiously across the stage.
A pair of very loose, cotton shorts were on his hips. And with each little
movement, it looked like said shorts were about to fall off. One of the Lost
Boys pulled Eros in and dipped the brunet, while Eros looked out at the
audience and mouthed the words “At least I think I do.”
Pulling away from the Lost Boy, Eros swung around on a pole, the back of his
shorts now exposing a hint of his ass. Did he even have underwear on? Once the
chorus began again, Eros actually stepped off of the stage and jumped across
some of the tables. Everywhere he went, people tried to reach out and touch
him, though the boy's only response was to grin mischievously and move on.
A few of the girls joined him, jumping up and down on the tables as the chorus
came to an end. As the song slowed down, Eros reached their table and fell to
his knees. Slowly, the brunet ran his hands through his wavy hair, biting
lightly at his bottom lip. From his hair, the Lost Boy moved his hands down to
the hem of his shorts, which he lightly pulled down to expose a jockstrap.
Smiling innocently, Eros rolled onto his stomach and stuck his right leg up
into the air. He winked over at Percy, who just gave the brunet a lopsided
smile. Nico narrowed his eyes at the French boy, crossing his arms over his
chest.
From there, Eros slid off of the table. Directly into Luke's lap. Nico blinked
a few times, running over what had just happened. Eros had moved like a snake,
slithering its way into the blond's lap. Somehow, he managed to get out of his
shorts, which he dropped on Luke's shoulder with a wicked grin. The blond just
narrowed his eyes and stared back at the green-eyed boy.
Leaning forward, Eros rolled his hips, which drew a sharp intake of breath from
Luke. As the slow part came to an end, Eros began to drum his fingers on Luke's
chest. Jumping up, Eros spun around to give their table a nice view of his ass
in the jockstrap. And damn, did the boy have a nice ass. It could quite
possibly take the cake for the best one that Nico had ever seen, and this
included Apollo and Percy's.
Eros actually strutted back up to the stage, where the Lost Boys were still
flexing, while the girls just laughed and peeled off some of their clothing. On
the final part of the song, Eros stood in the center of the stage and ran his
hands across his torso, crotch, and hair. And on the final words, Eros raised a
finger to his lips with a childish laugh.
Luke rolled his eyes as customers practically threw money at the French Lost
Boy, who was bowing and blowing kisses at the audience. “He seems like a little
shit,” the blond mumbled.
Percy shrugged and drank more of his beer. “He can be an acquired taste.”
Eventually, Nico ended up back in Percy's room with the green-eyed young man.
Nico sat on the bed, watching Percy walk around the room as he got undressed
for bed. When Percy caught sight of him staring, the young man smiled and
walked over to the bed.
As he crawled under the covers with Nico, Percy leaned in and sealed their lips
together in a quick kiss. After the kiss, Nico slowly opened his eyes with a
smile now on his lips. He could most certainly get used to this.
Nico slowly shifted his posture until he sat cross-legged beside Percy. “Can I
ask you something?” He blurted out.
Leaning back to lay his head on the pillow, Percy blinked up at him. “Of
course. You can ask me anything.”
“Why me?” Nico's brow furrowed as he stared down at the sheets. “What makes me
so different? I mean, I get the whole innocent thing we talked about, but why
does that make you interested in me?”
A soft chuckle escaped Percy's throat. The young man wrapped his arms around
Nico's waist, pulling the boy to lay down beside him. A soft kiss was placed
right next to Nico's ear. “That's an easy one. You want to spend time with me.”
Nico blinked in confusion. “What?”
Percy just smiled at him. “It's not always about sex with you.” He grinned and
squeezed Nico. “Much better than when you were a virgin, trying to jump my
bones at every available opportunity.” Percy caught Nico's wrist as the boy
went to smack him. Still grinning, the young man kissed his palm. “You show
concern for my well-being, and I think I started liking you truly the night you
asked me to spend time with you without having sex.” Percy's eyes seemed to
grow distant as they stared up at the top of the canopy. “The other Lost Kids
have never really asked that of me before. I mean, I've spent time with them
and not had sex, but they have never asked to just spend time with me. You
don't seem to have any ulterior motives either, like you don't want me for my
money or power.”
“I don't really care about that stuff.”
“I know,” Percy chuckled, “and that's part of why I like you. You're
different.”
Nico let out a sigh, a soft smile now playing at his lips. “Thank you for
telling me.” Relaxing his shoulders, Nico leaned back against Percy's chest.
“Um, but there is something else that I sorted of wanted to talk to you about.”
“Oh?” Percy blinked at him, waiting for the boy to continue.
Nico let out a long breath. “It's about the others. What happens to the others
back in California when we actually do move here?”
Pursing his lips, Percy shrugged. “I suppose they will remain there. After all,
the German branch already has all the Lost Kids that it needs.” He tilted his
head to get a better view of Nico's face. “Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering,” Nico whispered. He chewed on his lip as Percy reached over
and turned off the lamp beside their bed.
Chapter End Notes
     "Bonjour! Percy m'a si souvent parlé de toi. Tu es encore plus
     adorable que prévu."
     --> Hello! Percy spoke so often about you. You are even more adorable
     than expected.
     "Putain... Quel BG."
     --> Fuck... What a hottie. [BG being short for "beau gosse" = hottie]
     "You know him? We need to talk later."
     --> "Tu le connais? Il faut qu'on parle."
      
     --> "Ouai, j'imagine. Sois gentil avec lui, si jamais t'arrives à le
     baiser."
     Yes I imagine (same meaning as i bet we do). Be nice to him (this is
     said mockingly) if you manage to sleep with him.
     "Je ne vois pas pourquoi ceci est un problème."
     I do not see why this here is a problem.
***** Drunken Insecurities *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It was clear that there were some very enjoyable perks to waking up in Percy's
bedroom for the rest of his life, as Nico quickly discovered upon opening his
eyes the next morning. He cracked an eye open at the sound of the bathroom door
opening, just in time to see Percy's nude form enter the room. The young man
had a towel over his head, casually drying off his hair. He walked over to his
closet and stepped inside, which still gave the boy in bed a perfect view of
Percy's very nice butt.
When Percy emerged from the closet with a fresh change of clothes in his arms
and the towel around his waist, he smiled over at Nico. “Are you staring at me,
Nico di Angelo?” The green-eyed young man asked slyly, grinning.
Nico rolled his eyes and tossed over onto his stomach, crossing his arms under
his head. Percy's bed was extremely comfortable, and Nico really did not want
to leave its warm embrace. Not to mention the silk sheets felt amazing on his
bare body. He had tried to go to sleep with some clothes on, but Percy had
quickly done away with them. They didn't have sex, Percy just had a habit of
groping Nico's ass during the night and in the morning. Apparently, clothes
just got in the way, not that Nico objected.
Percy leaned over the bed and kissed Nico on his forehead. Nico hummed and
rolled onto his back, which drew a smile from Percy's lips as the covers fell
around Nico's waist. “How long have you been awake?”
The green-eyed young man shrugged. “Not long,” Percy replied. “You looked
peaceful, so I thought I'd let you sleep.”
Nico wrinkled his nose. “That was so sappy.”
In return, Percy grinned and winked down at Nico. He sat down on the edge of
the bed and slipped into a pair of boxers. “You should get up and shower,
breakfast will be served soon.”
With a groan, Nico pushed himself up. “Yeah, okay,” the Lost Boy grumbled.
Before Nico could get too far, Percy grabbed the boy's wrist. “Kronos should be
here by now.” There was a serious look in those sea-green eyes as he stared
into Nico's brown orbs. “Don't forget what I said.”
“I know,” Nico whispered.
He wasn't allowed to be alone with Kronos. It was not like he could forget such
a request, nor did Nico want to really be alone with Kronos. The guy made his
skin crawl. Percy released his wrist and Nico stumbled his way into the
bathroom, his legs still slightly asleep.
After his shower, Nico felt amazing. Percy's shower was a unique design. It was
primarily a full body shower, but the shower head above him could be adjusted
to be more like a small waterfall or rain. Needless to say, it was relaxing.
Nico would definitely be getting Percy in on one of his showers before they
left Germany.
When he exited the bathroom, Nico found the room empty. As he got dressed, Nico
stared out the window, which had a nice view of the woods and garden behind
Gaea's mansion. For a while, though, Nico just remained on the bed, not wanting
to go downstairs. It was far too soon, in his opinion, to see Kronos again.
Nico slowly made his way out of Percy's room and down the hall, until he got to
the stairs. Taking in a deep breath, the Lost Boy made his way downstairs. Once
downstairs, he followed the sound of voices from the back wing of the house.
The kitchen was very intricate. The counters were made of white marble, with a
wispy gray pattern across it. The faucet over the sink looked to be touch
activated, while all the cabinets were made of glass, so that people would
always know what was inside. The refrigerator was made of metal and had three
compartments, while there were two ovens nearby. The ceiling also caught Nico's
attention, partly made of brick and curving upwards into an arch. Then there
was a small door that led onto a patio.
Near the patio door was a booth shaped like the letter 'C', which was covered
in food. It was also filled with the occupants of the house. Gaea sat in the
very center, currently buttering her toast. Luke sat on her left, a cup of
coffee in his hand. However, he did not look so happy. Which was probably due
to the person directly across from him.
Kronos looked amused as he stared back at Luke and cut up a pancake on his
plate. Much like Percy since their arrival, Kronos dressed more casual. It
didn't make him any more pleasing to see. Percy sat beside him, currently busy
shoveling food onto his plate. He looked up when he noticed Nico standing
there, smiling fondly at the Lost Boy.
Unfortunately, Kronos also took notice of him. “Well, well, looks like someone
finally decided to join us.” His eyes flashed dangerously at Nico. “Didn't feel
like being on time for breakfast?”
Percy elbowed the young man next to him. “I let him sleep in, so be nice.”
“If that's even possible for him,” Luke mumbled.
Percy picked up a piece of bacon and stuffed it into his mouth. “Can we just
eat in peace?” He let out a sigh and motioned for Nico to sit down next to
Luke. “Get as much as you want.”
Nico quietly obeyed, sitting down and picking up the empty plate in front of
him. It all looked good, so Nico added a bit of everything. He slowly chewed
his food, partially savoring it and partially because Kronos's words just hit
him. Were they expected to eat meals together on a regular basis while they
were here? That would be great, if not for the obvious problem to that
situation.
As Gaea poured some cream into her coffee, the woman's eyes shifted over to
where the pale Lost Boy sat. “Nico, dear, I was wondering if Percy had you
bring anything nice to wear?”
Nico just blinked for a moment. “Um, how nice exactly?” His eyes shifted from
Percy to Gaea, and then back again. “Are we doing something?”
“I was going to have one of the Lost Kids here take him to get something later
today,” Percy replied. He smiled over at Nico. “On me. It will, however, need
to be a suit.”
Nico made a face. “Like black jacket and dress pants?”
Kronos rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Why is he going again?”
Ignoring him, Percy smiled across the table. “We're going to be going to dinner
tonight, so you need to look nice.” His eyes widened momentarily. “Not that you
don't always look nice.”
A smile touched at Gaea's lips as she sipped at her coffee. “Dinner will be on
me, dear.”
“Oh, okay,” was all Nico could get out. He didn't really know what to say. This
was all new to him, perhaps a bit strange. He blinked and then turned to Luke.
“Did you pack anything?”
“Not going,” Luke grumbled as he took a bite of sausage. “Nor do I really have
a desire to go.”
Normally, Nico would think that Luke was just trying to act tough, but
something in the blond's eyes said otherwise. Nico suddenly didn't feel so good
about this dinner. His forehead scrunched a little as he took a bite of his
pancakes. He really did not like dressing up to such a degree.
After breakfast, Percy had Luke escort Nico up to the one of the floors
designated to the Lost Kids. Apparently, they were to seek out Eros, who was
about to start university in the fall for fashion design. Percy seemed to trust
the French Lost Boy to be able to find something suitable for Nico to wear, so
Nico did not object. However, Percy would not be joining them, as he had some
other business to take care of around the hotel.
Miraculously, Luke did not seem to mind going with Nico to go get fitted for a
tux. “More than likely, any store that we go to will serve us wine,” the blond
had explained.
Percy had given them a card to get them onto the floor, so Luke swiped it upon
arriving at the elevator. They had passed a few of the German Lost Kids in the
lobby, and, well, it had not been the most pleasant thing. It was two girls,
and they both gave Nico disapproving looks. It only got worse when Luke tried
to ask for Eros's room number. Later, when Nico asked, Luke said they had
basically told him to fuck off in German. Definitely not as friendly as the
Lost Kids back home. And that was saying something, considering how welcoming
they had been when Nico first arrived at the hotel.
Fortunately, they ran into Favonius as the Lost Boy was leaving his room. His
lips tilted up when he found Luke and Nico looking around in the hallway.
“Lost?” He grinned.
Luke rolled his eyes. “I'm supposed to find Eros. Percy wants him to help this
brat with dressing up for dinner tonight.” Luke shoved Nico forward, which
caused the very tall Lost Boy to look down at him with a smile.
“Ah, so you're Percy's squeeze.” A slight hint of Italian layered the young
man's voice, though nowhere near as thick as some of Nico's family. He nodded
his head at the suite he just came out of. “As fortune would have it, Eros is
my roommate. I believe he's still in bed, though.” Favonius pulled out his
keycard and opened up his suite for them, motioning inside.
The suites here were a bit bigger than the ones back home, and this suite was
definitely decorated better than Nico's was. The kitchen was sectioned off into
its own room, though there wasn't any door between it and the living room area.
There was also enough room for a small dining table. Not only that, but they
had a small balcony. Back home, only Percy's suite had a balcony.
Favonius banged on the wall in the hallway. “Eros, come and get your ass out
here, there's company for you.”
Nico's eyebrows shot up when something hit the floor, which was followed by,
what Nico could only assume was, loud French cursing. “Je suis occupé!”
A second later, the door swung open. Eros emerged from his bedroom, his hair
heavily disheveled and an annoyed look on his face. The boy lowered a loose
shirt over his torso. Aside from that, the only thing that covered him was a
very small pair of black briefs. From behind him came Cecil, who was a little
less dressed than Eros was, only clad in some old boxers.
Eros did not seem to be that bothered by the fact that Luke and Nico were both
staring between him and Cecil. The French boy's annoyed expression slowly faded
away. “Ah, Nico!” His sly grin spread across his lip. “What can I do for you,
mon chéri?”
Nico felt his face heat up. It was just a language, there was no reason to get
flustered. And it wasn't like Nico even felt anything for the French boy, but
that accent was very pleasing to listen to. “Um, I need to get something to
wear for dinner tonight.”
Visible excitement appeared in those green eyes. “And he asked me to dress
you?” The brunet bit down on his lip seductively. “Ça va être amusant.”
Luke just blinked at Cecil. “Were we interrupting something?”
“Nope,” Cecil quickly replied. He grinned mischievously back at the blond.
Eros ran a hand through his wavy hair. “You are welcome to join us.” Green eyes
raked across Luke's body. “It would be my pleasure.”
Luke's brow furrowed. “Can we just get going?”
“Dommage.” The French brunet let out a sigh. “I will have need of a shower and
to change my clothes.” He wrinkled his nose as he turned to go back to his
room.
Favonius shrugged and opened the door to the suite. “Well, I suppose I must
take my leave as well.” He nodded his head. “Enjoy your day.”
Luke let out a grunt. Once the door was closed, he turned his attention back to
Cecil, who stood there awkwardly in his underwear. “I take it you had a good
night.”
Cecil shrugged. “Pretty good. How about yourself?” The brunet chuckled and put
his hands on his hips. “We were talking last night, and I ended up falling
asleep here.”
“Uh-huh.” Luke arched an eyebrow. “I thought you only really went for blonds?”
A grin spread across Cecil's face. “Aw, don't be so jealous, Luke. Your last
visit was quite enjoyable.” With a wink, the Lost Boy brushed past Luke and
Nico. “However, you will have to excuse me, I need to get dressed. Lou and I
have the day off, so we might join you.”
Luke gave a nod as the brunet slipped out the door. With a sigh, he sat down on
the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. Nico
slowly made his way over, sitting down a couple of inches from the blond. A
moment later, the door opened down the hall before another door closed, which
most likely meant Eros was now in the bathroom. This was confirmed when the
water turned on not long afterwards.
For a moment, the room was quiet. Nico just looked around, until he decided to
address the blond beside him. “So, did you and Cecil have a thing?”
Luke rolled his head to the side and gave Nico an irritated look. “No, we
didn't. Cecil and I have hooked up before, but that's about it.” He shrugged.
“I was just surprised, because he usually just prefers blonds, aside from
customers, of course. He reminds me too much of myself when I was younger for
me to ever have an interest in. Besides, I don't date, remember?”
“And Lost Kids get time off here?”
“We do back home, don't we?” The blond countered.
Nico shrugged. “Just for a few hours, and usually just on weekends.”
Luke let out a sigh and placed his hands behind his head. “It's a bit different
here, since they have a lot more Lost Kids. They are given a full day off every
week, around three or four at a time.” Blue eyes wandered up to the ceiling. “I
suppose that's something I wish we could do, but I prefer having closer bonds
with the Lost Kids at our hotel. I wouldn't be surprised if they were to go out
later tonight.”
“Could we go?” Nico asked.
“You'd have to take that up with Percy, kid.”
It took about ten minutes, but Eros finally emerged from the bathroom. However,
he surprised them by coming into the living room in only a pair of dark blue
briefs that hugged his front rather well. Both Lost Boys on the couch just kind
of stared at the brunet, not really saying anything. Eros glanced down at
himself, water dripping off his body.
“They look good?” Eros asked after a moment. He turned slightly, revealing the
lack of a back on his underwear.
Nico had seen the brunet's ass last night, but it had been rather dark. Now it
was in clear view, and it definitely had the ability to catch someone's
attention. Nico felt his jaw drop a little. Luke blinked several times, now
sitting at attention on the couch.
“Holy shit,” Luke hissed, which Nico barely managed to catch.
Eros grinned wickedly. “I imagine that they are good.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “Arrogant little ass.”
The brunet blinked in confusion. He glanced around at his butt. “You don't like
my ass?”
Quickly shaking his head, Luke stood up. “Why are we talking about your ass?”
Grinning, Eros placed a hand on his hip. “You are most welcomed to stare at my
ass, beau gosse.”
A deep growl came from Luke's throat. “What does that even mean?”
Instead of answering, Eros clapped his hands with a smile. “Shall we go?”
Nico pointed down at the brunet's lower half. “I think you need to finish
getting ready.”
Eros's eyes flickered down. His head tilted to the side and he smiled
innocently. “Silly me, I suppose you are right.” He held up a finger as he
headed for his room. “Une seconde.”
As the two were quick to learn, it took Eros a while to get dressed. According
to the French boy, the clothes that he originally picked out were no longer to
his liking, so he had to pick out something else. When he finally emerged
twenty minutes later, the brunet was clad in a gray turtleneck and a pair of
black skinny jeans.
----------------------
They ended up meeting up with Cecil and Lou in the parking area. Lou offered to
drive them into Berlin, which had them piled into a rather small car. Nico
remained quiet through most of the ride, too busy staring out his window. No
matter how long he lived here in the future, he wasn't sure that he would ever
get used to how beautiful the countryside was in Germany. He would definitely
be taking Percy up on that offer to tour Europe.
He asked if they could tour the city a bit while they were out, but Luke
pointed out that they didn't have time. “Percy will probably take you on a tour
later,” the blond grumbled when Nico pouted. Though, his attention was soon
diverted when he had to swat Eros's hand off of his leg. The brunet just
grinned sheepishly and winked. “I'm starting to have a distaste for the
French,” Luke muttered as he crossed his arms.
They ended up parking outside of a stone building with a lot of windows. There
was one word above the doors, and luckily Nico could read it.
Boss.
Instead of looking around downstairs, though, the group was ushered upstairs.
Nico felt a little uncomfortable as he was pushed into an area that almost
resembled a lounge. Luke quickly sat down in a black leather chair and popped
open a bottle of wine that had been placed in a bucket of ice. There was a
changing area in the room, which was sectioned off with a curtain. There were
mirrors practically everywhere, and soft music played in the background. It was
easy to say that Nico felt out of place.
A rack of suits was rolled into the room. A young woman that probably worked
there talked quietly with Eros, who slowly poked through the selection that had
been brought up. Whatever they said, Eros pointed over to where Nico stood. The
girl nodded and took her leave, leaving the five of them alone in the dressing
area.
Eros snapped his fingers, his back to Nico while he looked through the suits.
“Nico, come.” The brunet made a foul face at some of the selections. “We should
choose the dark colors. Black and gray go good on you.” He turned to Nico,
blinking. “Do you agree?”
“Um, yeah,” Nico managed to get out, several suits now being shoved into his
arms. He glanced over his shoulder at Luke as Eros shoved him behind the
curtain. Luke just raised a glass of wine at him and took a drink.
When Nico emerged in the first suit, Eros wrinkled his nose. “Non, pas comme
ça! Les Américains ne savent-il pas comment porter des costumes?” He quickly
moved forward and tried to adjust the jacket on Nico. There was a lot of
murmuring while he fidgeted about Nico, though the pale Lost Boy was unable to
catch any of it. Finally, Eros let out a sigh. “You need more confidence,
Nico.” He grabbed Nico by the chin and directed his face towards the others.
“He is adorable, no?”
Cecil and Lou nodded with smiles. “He's something,” Luke grumbled.
Eros narrowed his eyes at the blond. With a huff, he held out a hand in Luke's
direction, covering the blond from Nico's view. “Do not make attention to him,
mon chéri. You are an image of beauty, and you should flaunt that for everyone
to see it.” The brunet bit down on his lip and placed his hands on his hips.
“You need to attract the attention. For example, you see how your blond oaf is
currently staring at my ass?”
With a grin, Eros turned to look over his shoulder. Blinking, Nico leaned
around the brunet to get a look at Luke. The blond quickly looked up, his brows
furrowing. “I was not,” he grumbled, slumping down in his chair.
Nico let out a sigh as he looked down at himself. “I guess I'm just not that
self-confident. I think I barely manage putting on the act for the customers.”
A sigh escaped Eros and he directed Nico back behind the curtain. Nico's
shoulders slumped as he looked at some of the others that Eros had selected for
him. This just wasn't him. Did Percy expect him to dress like this on a regular
basis? Chewing on his lip, Nico peered at a price tag, his eyes instantly
bulging.
“Holy shit,” the boy hissed. If he converted the price right, the suit costed
over six hundred dollars. That was like a good portion of his paycheck!
When he emerged, the boy let out a sigh as he spun around for the others to
see, his arms stretched out at his sides. Eros slowly shook his head from where
he sat perched on the arm of Lou's chair.
The green-eyed French boy hopped up, pacing Nico slowly. Lou smiled softly.
“Don't be so hard on him, Eros.”
Eros just gave her a dry look. He placed his hands on Nico's shoulders with a
frown. “Why don't you act like a real model for us?”
“I'm not, though,” Nico complained. “I couldn't be.”
Eros wagged a finger. “Do not think such things. Many of the Lost Kids here in
Europe do modeling on the side. I am sure that you could also, if you really
wanted to.”
“I don't.” Nico looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't think he looked that
bad, the suit just felt awkward on him.
While still staring at Nico, Eros snapped his fingers. “Some music, if you
please, Cecil.” He held up a hand before Nico could complain. “You must do a
fashion show for us, Nico. I will not accept a refusal from your part.”
Cecil ended up settling on Madonna's “Vogue”, which made Nico roll his eyes. He
did a little spin before walking forwards with a slight mock to the way he
moved. It managed to make Cecil and Lou laugh, and even drew a snicker from
Luke. Eros, however, was not quite as amused.
The brunet jumped up again with a sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he
moved to stop Nico. “I tell you what, I will do it with you.” He motioned for
Nico to go back into the changing room.
When Nico emerged again, he found Eros missing. He looked around for a minute,
until the changing room beside him swung open and the brunet emerged in his own
tux. Biting down on his lip, the brunet placed a hand on the doorway of the
changing room. Lou let out a whistle, while Eros grinned and seductively
adjusted the cuff of his shirt.
To the music, the brunet moved across the floor, sliding along the tiles with a
huge smile on his face. Every now and then, the Lost Boy stopped and posed for
the group. But when he noticed that Nico was just standing there, the brunet
sighed.
He motioned for Nico to join him. Nico quickly shook his head. “Come, Nico, you
can't be so shy, not with our profession. This should not make you
uncomfortable.” Eros placed a hand on his hip. “Work your sex appeal.”
When Nico didn't move, Eros ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. Pursing
his lips, the French Lost Boy moved behind Nico and swayed the boy's hips. “Wh-
what are you doing?” Nico gasped.
“You need to decontract!”
Nico's brow furrowed as he turned to look at the brunet. “I need to what?”
Cecil fell back in his chair, laughing. “He's saying that you need to loosen
up,” he explained. Eros gave a nod of confirmation.
“He's right, Nico,” Lou chuckled. “If not tonight, you will eventually wind up
in front of the media's cameras. You have to look confident.” She laced her
fingers in front of her face as she leaned forward. “Don't be so tense.”
Over the course of five minutes, Eros worked on correcting Nico's posture. He
forced the boy to stand up straight and worked on teaching him how to stand.
Honestly, Nico didn't see how standing would be important. But, eventually,
Eros let him change again, though this time was a bit different.
Eros came back with him, sitting Nico down in a chair, while he sorted through
the remainder of the suits. He finally handed an all black one to Nico.
However, Eros was unwilling to let Nico dress himself this time. He stood
behind Nico and moved around the boy as he worked on getting Nico into the tux.
The only thing Nico was able to put on himself were the shoes that went with
it. When he was finally content, Eros pushed back the curtain and guided Nico
out for the others to see.
The jacket fit him rather nicely, though the black tie felt a little
uncomfortable around his neck. The black dress shirt was actually comfortable,
much to his surprise. And the dress pants clung to him in all the right places.
Well, for the most part. It was like they knew his size perfectly. Really, it
wouldn't surprise Nico by this point if he were to find out that Percy had
called them with Nico's measurements.
However, Nico wasn't given the luxury of getting comfortable. A woman came in a
moment later and took over for Eros. She guided Nico in front of a mirror,
while the others watched. She had a small cart with her, which contained a
grooming kit.
While the woman worked on fixing Nico's hair, a few other girls came in and
worked on his nails while he was still standing. The boy gulped and looked at
the others for help. This was not what he had signed up for.
Luke, however, was too busy glaring at Eros, who had perched himself across the
blond's lap and had stolen the wine Luke had been drinking. “There are plenty
of other places for you to sit,” Luke huffed, pushing the brunet off of him.
Eros bit down on his lip as he bent forward, placing his palm on the seat
cushion directly between Luke's legs. The blond leaned back with a gulp, his
eyes a little wide as he stared into Eros's bright green eyes. “Don't pretend
that you didn't like to have my ass on your crotch.” His eyes flickered down to
Luke's lips as he leaned in further, until there was only a few inches between
him. “It sure felt like you enjoyed it,” he whispered before pulling away with
a smirk.
Cecil leaned back in his chair with a smirk. “Why don't you two just shag?”
“Shut up,” Luke grumbled.
Nico smirked. “People used to say the same thing to me and him.”
Luke narrowed his eyes at the back of Nico's head, but the Lost Boy caught it
in the mirror. The pale boy winced as the woman working on grooming his
appearance took a brush to his hair, trying to get rid of the knots in his dark
locks. Whoever said that beauty was pain was so right.
By the time they left the store, Nico was starving. Fortunately, the others
felt the same way, so the three European Lost Kids set out on finding a place
for Luke and Nico to try. Nico had a hard time looking away from his reflection
in the mirror. His hair had been gelled to the side, and he had been forbidden
to remove his shirt without help to prevent it from being messed up. His face
still tingled from where the women at the store had washed it for him.
They ended up sitting outside of a restaurant that Nico had an impossible time
pronouncing. Lou described the food for him and even conveyed his order to
their waitress when the time came to order. Nico ended up with something called
sauerbraten, which Lou said was a sour pot roast. Though, the sauerkraut and
dumplings did give him pause for a while.
As luck would have it, the three were planning on going out tonight. “Yeah,”
Cecil nodded, “I think we were going to go out to a club.” He glanced at Eros
and Lou for confirmation. Both of them nodded. “Yeah, you two should come with
us.”
“Um.” Nico glanced down at his plate. “Aren't I a little young?”
Lou grinned. “Not here. Technically, though, you would need to be out of the
club by midnight, but most clubs don't really care.” She shrugged. “You can
even drink, so long as one of us buys it for you.”
He did want to experience things here, so he supposed he might talk to Percy
about the possibility of it later. Nico just hoped that he wouldn't get
separated from the group and lost. That would not go well, especially if Bianca
found out Percy let Nico get lost in Berlin.
When it came time for dessert, all of them except Eros split a small German
chocolate cake. Nico frowned at the brunet as he ate a piece. Eros just sat
there, his chin propped up with his palm. The way he stared at the cake was
like the dessert had publicly offended him. Nico tried to offer him some, but
Eros quickly shot him down.
“Infect,” Eros mumbled in French. The brunet wrinkled his nose and shoved the
plate away from him. “It is not surprising you Americans have a obesity
problem, you eat this stuff.”
Cecil blinked at the green-eyed Lost Boy with a fork in his mouth. “I thought
the French loved chocolate?” He mumbled.
Eros eyed the cake with distaste before standing to his feet and turning around
to place a hand on his ass. The boy gave his buttocks a squeeze, huffing. “This
ass is too good to ruin on such a foul thing.”
Nico chuckled a little at that comment, though Cecil and Lou didn't seem to
find it as funny. Lou's brow furrowed as she stared across the table at Eros,
who refused to meet her gaze as he went back to blankly staring off into space.
Nico glanced over at Luke for some help, but the blond was too busy stuffing
his face with cake. Eros's green eyes flickered over to the blond, his nose
wrinkling and his tongue sticking out in disgust.
“Tu manges comme une vache affamée,” the green-eyed boy muttered as his eyes
flickered back to the streets.
------------------------
That evening, Percy offered to help Nico change into his suit. Percy had been a
little busy when they came back and had been in the process of talking to
someone that was probably very important. Not that it really stopped Eros from
interrupting when Percy failed to comment on Nico's appearance. Nico's entire
face lit up as he was forced to stand there in embarrassment as Percy and the
person at the table with Percy stared at him. Percy's lips had tilted up in a
warm smile. “You look beautiful.”
Now they stood in Percy's bedroom, in front of a mirror, with Percy helping
Nico into his dress shirt. They managed to avoid messing up Nico's hair when
they pulled off the boy's T-shirt, thankfully. With a smile, Percy leaned in
and pressed his lips to the crook of Nico's neck, drawing out a sigh from the
Lost Boy. Percy's arms tightened around Nico's waist.
This forced Nico to bite down on his lip. They didn't have time for this, much
to his disappointment. “We have to go.”
Percy chuckled. “We're fine,” he replied.
Percy was already dressed, and did he ever look like the embodiment of sex. If
they weren't about to go out for dinner, Nico would have ripped the suit right
off of Percy and dragged the young man to the bed. There was just something
about the way that Percy's dress pants hugged him that made Nico want to
constantly stare at the green-eyed young man's butt. The dark blue shirt
conformed to fit Percy's chest to absolute perfection. Though, unlike Nico, his
hair wasn't gelled, just swept to the side. But Nico really wanted to grab the
guy's tie and just yank him down for a kiss.
So, when Percy finally got Nico's shirt on, this was exactly what the Lost Boy
did. Percy's eyes widened momentarily, but his hands soon found their way to
Nico's waist and he kissed Nico back. When he pulled back, the young man hummed
lightly. “It seems like someone is in the mood,” Percy chuckled.
“Maybe.” Nico bit down on his lip, still holding on to the young man's tie.
“Um, I was wondering if you were busy tonight?”
Percy blinked, tilting his head to the side. “I'll be with Gaea and Kronos,
watching the performances.”
“Oh.” Nico released the tie and turned to stare at himself in the mirror.
“Eros, Cecil, and Lou invited me to a club tonight.”
“Oh?” Percy fixed his tie before walking over to a desk, where his jacket was
perched on the chair. “As long as you are careful and don't wander off.”
Swinging the jacket around him, Percy easily slid his left arm into the sleeve
and let it settle across his torso as he worked on getting his right arm in the
sleeve. “And remember not to drink anything that anyone else offers you.” His
eyes narrowed. “Or that Cecil offers you.”
Nico smiled a little. “Thank you.” He leaned up and pecked Percy on the lips.
“But you can't come?”
Percy let out a sigh. “Sorry, I can't. But you should go and have fun.” He
handed Nico his jacket. “Just don't tell your sister I let you wander into a
Berlin club without my supervision, or just in general.” He grinned down at the
boy. “You know, she's probably going to find out that you're about to start
dating your boss.”
Nico glared up at the green-eyed young man as he worked on getting his jacket
on. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Thankfully, there was no media when they walked out of the hotel and got into
the limousine. Gaea and Kronos sat in the very back seat, while Athena took the
seat on the right side of the limo for herself. Percy helped Nico to get inside
and guided them over to the left seat.
The others all seemed so causal about being dressed up and going to some super
expensive restaurant in the back of a limousine, but not Nico. The boy fidgeted
with his hands for most of the ride, while staring out the window in wonder.
Berlin had been beautiful in the day, but it seemed even more so at night.
Unfortunately, though, Percy was kept preoccupied by one of the other people in
the car, so his attention was rarely able to be on Nico.
Not that Nico wasn't used to this sort of thing, it was fairly normal for how
they usually were back home.
 Nico was forced to take deep breaths as time went on. He really didn't think
that something like this would ever happen to him. Never in his life had Nico
imagined that he would end up in front of cameras, but somehow that was exactly
what was about to happen. Maybe they wouldn't pay attention to him, though. It
was Percy and Gaea that they cared about, right? Nico was just a nobody in
their shadows.
Finally, the limo began to slow down in front of a bright restaurant at the
corner of a street. Nico inhaled deeply as he stared out the window at the line
of reporters and photographers that had gathered around the restaurant's
entrance. A little concerning was the fact that there was no rope to keep the
media separated from Gaea and the group. When the limo came to a stop at the
curb, the herd only gathered closer.
Gaea fixed her hair with a sigh, a look of detestation on her face. But as soon
as the door opened, she smiled brightly and climbed out, giving small waves to
the crowd of media. Athena followed right behind her, her face neutral and her
eyes watchful of their surroundings.
Kronos shot a smirk over at Percy before he followed after his mother. The
young man adjusted his jacket once he was standing, smiling like some movie
star and gladly accepting pictures being taken of himself.
Percy gave Nico's hand a squeeze before he motioned for them to get out. Nico
gulped and filed out of the limousine, sticking close to Percy's back. Percy
rolled his shoulders and fixed his jacket like some model at a photo shoot,
throwing on a million dollar smile for the crowd. The questions were
immediately thrown at him, though Nico was unable to understand any of it. Even
if the questions had been English, Nico had the feeling that he wouldn't be
able to keep up with all the questions that were being hurled at the green-eyed
young man.
Percy did his best to answer as many questions as he could, while moving slowly
towards the restaurant. Nico had to cover his eyes most of the time, due to all
the cameras flashing in his and Percy's direction. It was partially why Nico
tried to hide behind Percy the best he could, not that the young man seemed to
notice. The good news was that the media was at least nice enough not to crowd
them, keeping several feet in between themselves and Percy.
As they were nearly there, Percy pulled Nico close for a picture with him,
Gaea, Kronos, and Athena. All of them managed to look so glamorous for the
cameras, but Nico was barely to keep himself from shaking. His eyes were
probably wide, showing how scared he really was.
Gaea finally moved to enter the restaurant, and Kronos and Athena quickly
followed after her. Percy smiled down at Nico, and, with the cameras still
flashing at them, took the Lost Boy's hand in his and headed for the
restaurant. Nico raised a hand to cover his face as more cameras started to
flash.
Nico's nerves only calmed down when they were seated at their table. The
restaurant was dimly lit, much to Nico's relief after so many bright lights had
been flashed in his face. Percy ordered for him, which Nico really didn't mind
at all. He let the others talk, keeping quiet as much as possible.
Was this what his life was going to be like from now on? Something about that
scared him. He knew that the media back home in the United States was much
worse than it was here. Were they going to show up at his school? Why did Percy
have to hold his hand out there? Nico slumped down in his chair.
“Stop worrying so much,” Percy whispered, leaning in close to the Lost Boy. His
warm hand squeezed Nico's leg under the table. “Don't worry about the media,
you shouldn't care what they think.”
That was easy for Percy to say, Nico thought to himself.
“So, what were they asking out there?” Nico asked when the other members of the
table were distracted in their own conversation.
Their food had arrived a few minutes earlier, so Percy had been a little
distracted with his meal. The young man glanced over at him, a little sauce
dripping from his mouth. Nico smiled, remembering why Percy wasn't completely
like the life he lived in.
“Oh.” Percy swallowed his food. “They were just wanting to know how I was
handling the news of my promotion. Um, things like that. A lot of it was them
just asking if they could ask me questions.”
“Really?” Nico arched a brow.
“Yeah,” Percy chuckled, scooting a little closer to Nico. “Um, the media isn't
nearly as intrusive over here, like it is back in America.” He eyed Nico
carefully. “If it gets too bad when we get back, tell me and I'll handle it.”
“What, are you going to shoot them all in the knees?”
“No.” Percy rolled his eyes. “But I might have Jason or one of the others keep
a close eye on you before and after school.” A grin spread across his lips.
“Though, their jobs could come into question if they fail to leave you alone.”
“How sweet,” Nico said dryly with a roll of his eyes.
Much to Nico's relief, the media was gone by the time they left the restaurant.
When they got back in the limousine, Nico leaned against Percy's shoulder as
the young man spoke to Gaea about some business partners that he would have to
contact about his promotion.
Part of Nico just wanted to go back to Gaea's mansion with Percy and help the
young man get out of his clothes. When they arrived back at the hotel, Percy
got out of the limo and began to loosen his tie, which was a little arousing to
watch. However, what they found in the lobby proved to be a little more
entertaining.
“What are you even saying?” Came Luke's angry shouting as soon as they walked
in the doors.
Nico's eyes widened as he came to a stop at the entrance of the lobby. The two
were already dressed to go out tonight. Luke hadn't put much effort into what
he wore, but Eros had. If it was possible, his jeans were even tighter than the
ones he had on earlier, and these were slightly ripped in places in the front.
His shirt was of the same ripped condition, exposing hints of the brunet's
torso. Luke was standing there with his arms crossed and his nostrils flared.
In front of him was Eros, who grinned innocently back at the blond. The two had
managed to cause several guests to stop and stare.
“You know I don't speak French, so why do you persist on following me around
and muttering in the language?” The blond growled.
“On baise?” Eros giggled, sticking out his tongue a little, like some amused
child. He crossed his arms like Luke and imitated the blond's irritated
demeanor. The brunet was a very brave soul indeed to antagonize Luke, even
though it was clear that the blond was on the verge of wringing his neck. “On
baise?”
Right before Luke could get his hands on the brunet, Percy intervened by
stepping in between the two. He glanced over to Gaea, giving the woman a nod.
She blinked once before leading Kronos and Athena over to the elevator.
Percy let out a sigh. “What is going on?”
Luke growled and pointed his finger in Eros's direction. “Tell me what this
fucker said. If he's got a problem with me, I want to know.”
Eros blinked innocently up at the blond, making a show of batting his
eyelashes. Percy just rolled his eyes at the brunet. “Qu'est-ce que t'a dit,
Eros?” The young man asked.
The green-eyed brunet tilted his head to the side and raised his shoulders in a
lazy shrug. “J'ai juste demandé s'il voulait coucher avec moi. Je trouve ça
juste tellement marrant qu'il ne me comprenne pas, cet idiot d'Américain.” He
winked over at Luke, who narrowed his eyes at him. “Il est potable.” With a
grin, he looked the blond up and down. “Je le baiserais bien.”
Percy began to laugh, which caused Luke to drop his irritated demeanor. Nico's
eyebrows shot in the air as he stared up at the young man. What had Eros said?
For a moment, Percy just chuckled and shook his head. Letting out a breath, his
lips tilted up and he patted Luke on the back.
“Have fun at the club,” he laughed before walking towards the elevator, leaving
a baffled Luke behind him.
Nico quickly recovered and walked after the young man. “What was that about?”
Percy glanced down at the Lost Boy. “You should change if you're going to a
club.”
Before Percy could reach the elevator, Nico tugged on his shirt. “Come back to
your room and keep me company while I change.” Really, Nico just wanted some
privacy with Percy for a little while. They didn't have time for sex, but Nico
could still get his message across that they would not be sleeping when he
returned. “So, what did Eros say?” He asked when Percy smiled and motioned for
them to walk.
At the back of the hotel, Percy held the door open for Nico and collected a
golf cart for them. “It's nothing bad,” the green-eyed young man chuckled.
Percy hummed as he started to drive them to Gaea's mansion. “I suppose I should
make sure Luke's room is stocked with some condoms, unless they use Eros's
room.”
Nico's eyes widened drastically. “Wait, Eros wants to have sex with Luke?”
Percy nodded with a smile. “Beau gosse, the thing he keeps repeating to Luke,
is French slang for calling a boy hot. But now he's just tormenting Luke, since
Luke doesn't speak French.” The young man shrugged. “Back there, he was asking
Luke if he wanted to have sex. Probably after the club, if I had to guess based
on Eros's behavior when I was here a few months ago.”
“Oh.” Nico's brow furrowed. “So, did you and him...”
It took Percy a moment, but he eventually turned his head towards Nico, which
caused the golf cart to jerk. “What? Oh! No, we didn't have sex.” The young
man's lips tilted up. “Uh, no, I just got along really well with Eros. At most,
I see him as the younger brother that I never had.” He chuckled at Nico's pouty
expression. “Were you jealous of him?”
“No, don't be ridiculous.”
Percy slowed down as they neared the mansion. “I told you,” he said softly,
parking the car and turning to face Nico, “sex with others is usually just
business. And if I don't have to, I won't do it.” His thumb brushed against
Nico's cheek. “You're the exception to that rule, as I've purposefully sought
you out to have sex.”
Leaning in towards Percy, Nico closed his eyes and pressed their lips together.
With a little help from Percy, Nico climbed into the young man's lap and cupped
his face. They should probably go inside, but Nico didn't want to wait. Percy,
however, still had his senses.
“Not that I really object to messing around out here, but we should probably
get inside so you can get ready,” Percy chuckled. “I imagine the others will
want to leave soon.”
Nico took hold of Percy's tie and crashed their lips together again, rolling
his hips into Percy's lap, which pulled a moan from the young man's lips.
Percy's hands came to rest on Nico's hips as the young man guided Nico's hips
into a rhythm. “Or we could just stay in your room for the rest of the night,”
the Lost Boy whispered.
With a groan, Percy held Nico back by the shoulders. “Believe me, I really want
to, but I don't get that luxury until I take over.” He gave Nico a brief kiss
on the lips. “When that time comes, we can stay in our bed and have sex as much
as you want.”
Nico's cheeks flushed. Our bed, Percy had called it their bed. “What about when
I get back?”
Grinning, Percy lifted Nico out of his lap and got out of the golf cart. “If
you're still in the mood when you get back, and not exhausted, then I'm
perfectly willing to oblige your request.” He winked as he opened the door to
the mansion. “But if that happens, don't expect to get much sleep.”
“Worth it,” Nico muttered as he followed Percy into the house.
------------------------
Nico had never been to a club, but it was not so different than what he was
used to, working the top floors of the Lotus. Just more crowded and even louder
music, and a lot of flashing lights. But there was alcohol and dancing, so it
felt right at home. Not that it made the Lost Boy comfortable in the slightest,
though.
Lou was going to be the designated driver, so it did not take Cecil and Eros
long to find some alcohol upon their arrival. Somehow, Eros had coerced some
guy that looked a few years older than Percy into buying him something to drink
after only being in the club for five minutes. Nico would have to ask the guy
for some pointers later. Not for getting alcohol, but just some tips to make
things more interesting with Percy.
Nico tried to stay close to Luke, who had taken up a spot at the bar. Unlike
normal, Luke didn't complain at all about having Nico stick to his side. Which
Nico appreciated, since they were in a different country and Nico really didn't
want to get kidnapped.
Cecil, Lou, and Eros had gone onto the dance floor, though Nico could clearly
see them from where he and Luke stood. They tried to motion him over, but Nico
just shook his head. Performing was one thing, but Nico had never danced like
this before. He watched with interest as the other three danced on each other.
With his back to Lou, Eros rolled his body against her and let his hands wander
back to feel her head. Cecil was much the same, though the brunet danced behind
the Lost Girl. The way they moved seemed free, almost uncaring of what others
thought of them. But it did look provocative, which Nico supposed was the
entire point.
Eros, however, did not seem content with letting either of them just stand at
the bar. The brunet appeared at their side, his bangs slightly sticking to his
head from sweat. With one swift move, he grabbed the beer in Luke's hand and
took a long drink from it. Luke narrowed his eyes and went to snatch it back,
but Eros disappeared back onto the dance floor. With a growl, Luke went after
him. Nico, with no other option, chased after the two of them.
Nico moved in between people until he found Lou and the others. Luke had
managed to get a hold of Eros, though the brunet seemed like that was his exact
intention as he giggled and held the bottle away from Luke. Eros ground his
front against the blond, which caused Luke to freeze while reaching for the
bottle. Grinning and knowing that he had won, Eros brought the bottle to his
lips and took a swig. He willingly offered it back to Luke when he was done,
though the blond made no move to leave the dance floor.
Lou grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him in to dance with her and Cecil, though
the pale boy's dark eyes kept wandering back over to Luke and Eros. The French
boy now had his back to Luke and an arm wound up around the blond's neck. A
little to Nico's surprise, Luke had a hand in the hem of Eros's pants. Catching
Nico's eye, Eros winked over at the raven haired boy. Using his arm that was
around Luke's neck, the brunet pulled Luke down and stuck his tongue into the
blond's mouth.
“That was fast,” Lou chuckled and held out a hand to Cecil.
Grumbling, the brunet pulled out some money and slipped it into Lou's palm.
As the night went on, they managed to lose Eros for about half an hour. Cecil
didn't seem that worry. “He'll pop up eventually,” he had chuckled. The rest of
them sat at a table, resting so they could do more dancing.
Luke and Cecil had let Nico try some of their drinks, but Nico hadn't really
liked either of them. They offered to buy him his own drink, but Nico had
declined the offer. He knew that he was safe with them, but Nico didn't want to
get drunk in a club in a foreign country.
Nico was, however, the first to spot Eros. The brunet had perched himself in
some guy's lap and was cheerfully accepting the drink offered to him. None of
the other guys at the table even seemed to care that there was another guy
sitting in their friend's lap and flirting with him.
Nico's brow furrowed. “This isn't a gay club, is it?”
Lou blinked and followed Nico's gaze over to Eros. “Oh, no, it isn't. But, I
mean, gays and lesbians do come here.” She waved a hand over at the French Lost
Boy. “You'll find that European boys aren't as homophobic, and a good portion
of them will even kiss other guys. It would probably be much easier to talk a
straight guy out of his pants in Europe, rather than one from back home.”
Nico glanced back over to Eros, who was sucking a lime from the guy's mouth.
The brunet grinned wickedly as the guy groped his crotch. Interesting, Nico
thought to himself.
Twenty minutes later, Eros was with a different guy. This one had not seemed as
willing to accept the brunet's advances, but then Eros had leaned in and
whispered something to him. Nico had watched as the guy's eyebrows rose up and
then eventually hand Eros a drink. And the guy just stuck his hand down the
back of Eros's pant as the brunet happily sipped at the newly acquired drink.
Nico shook his head in disbelief. How the hell did Eros even manage this? Nico
was still amazed he could seduce Percy, and here Eros was getting straight guys
to buy him drinks and hit on him.
After a few more hours of dancing and drinking, Lou decided it was time for
them to head back. The problem was they hadn't seen Eros in a good hour. They
scoured the dance floor and double checked the bar, but the brunet wasn't
there. Lou sighed and pulled out her phone, dialing the brunet. He didn't pick
up.
Nico glanced over at Luke, who was sternly staring at a doorway in the back.
“Where does that go?” He asked.
Lou pocketed her phone. “Oh. Um, people go back there to hook up.”
With a nod, Luke started directly towards the door. Nico decided to follow
after the blond, while Cecil and Lou continued to search the dance floor for
their friend. Luke pushed his way past a few couples in the hallway, and
completely walked between what looked like a threesome about to happen. Their
search, however, was not in vain, as they managed to find their target at the
very end of the hall.
Eros was up against a wall, a guy that Nico had not seen him with sucking on
his neck. The brunet's pupils were heavily dilated and an empty beer bottle
rested lazily in his hand. The guy worked on unbuttoning Eros's jeans as the
brunet tilted the stranger's head to the side and sucked on his lips.
Luke grumbled to himself, rubbing his forehead. “Eros!” He yelled over the loud
music. Neither of them acknowledged the blond's presence. “You fucking French
twat, get your ass moving, we're ready to leave!”
The guy pulled away from Eros. The brunet blinked at Luke, though he seemed
rather dazed. His wavy brown hair was tousled and wet from sweat.
“But...sex...” His eyes were dark with a mixture of lust and alcohol as he
pulled the tall guy back in for another kiss. “And he is...how to say...hot.”
Luke moved forward and grabbed Eros's head, tilting the brunet's chin up. “How
much have you had to drink?”
Eros smacked his hand away, glaring up at the blond. “Leave me alone.”
“You heard him,” the guy latched onto Eros said, his accent a thick German one.
Luke's eyes momentarily flickered to the stranger before returning to Eros.
“You're drunk.”
“I can help him out.”
Luke's eyes blazed at the other guy. “Yeah, I can see that. He's drunk, and
you're taking advantage of him. Where I come from, that's rape.” With ease,
Luke ripped Eros away from the other guy. The brunet stumbled until Nico helped
steady him. They other guy moved to get Eros back, but Luke shoved him away,
shoving a finger in the guy's face. “Don't fucking touch him,” the blond
growled.
“Whatever,” the guy mumbled. Bumping Luke's shoulder, he left and headed back
to the dance floor.
Nico put an arm around Eros, while the brunet loosely hugged him, his body
slumping. Luke's eyes studied the brunet for a moment before helping Nico walk
him back to the others. Right before they left the hallway, though, Eros's legs
crumpled. Before Eros could fall to the floor, Luke had bent down and scooped
the brunet up bridal style.
Lou's eyes widened a little when she spotted them. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah,” Luke muttered. “Can we go?”
When they got back to the car, Eros clung to Luke's neck as the blond tried to
put him in Lou's car. “Do you want me?”
Nico froze at the tone of the brunet's voice, almost like a frightened child.
It was...startling. In the short time that he had known Eros, Nico had never
heard him talk with such a lack of confidence. And the way he stared up at
Luke, like he might break if Luke didn't give him the answer he wanted to hear.
Luke's brow furrowed. “No, you're drunk. Get in the car and shut up.”
With a little help from Nico and Cecil, Luke was able to get Eros in the car
and buckle him in. During the drive, though, Eros's head fell on Luke's
shoulder. The blond glared down at the French boy, but let the boy's head
remain on his shoulder. Nico leaned forward to look at Eros, but the guy's eyes
were closed. Had he fallen asleep?
Once they were back at the hotel, the four of them helped get Eros into the
hotel. Cecil smiled and waved at the woman behind the desk, who had stopped
typing at the computer to gawk at them. They let Lou and Cecil carry Eros the
rest of the way once they were at the elevators.
“He'll crash with me tonight,” Cecil said. “I'll make sure that he is taken
care of.” His eyes flickered up to Luke. “Thanks.”
“For what?” Luke grumbled.
Cecil gave the blond a knowing look. As far as Nico knew, the European Lost Boy
hadn't seen what went on, but it was like he knew what Luke had done. “Come by
in the morning.”
“Why?”
Rolling his eyes, Cecil hit the button to their floor. “Just do it and stop
sounding like a prick.”
Once they got back to Gaea's mansion, Nico opened the door with a key that
Percy had given him before they left for the club. They quietly walked up the
stairs and headed for the left wing, though Nico stopped Luke before the blond
could disappear into his room.
“You never quite cease to impress me,” the younger Lost Boy said.
Luke narrowed his eyes. “We are not speaking about this again.”
Nico's lips tilted up. “It was the right thing to do, and very respectable.” He
tilted his head to the side. “I won't go ruining your badass image, but I
thought you should know that. You're a great guy, even if you don't want to
admit it to yourself.”
Luke let out a breath through his nose as he quietly stared down at Nico.
“Whatever, brat,” he mumbled before disappearing into his room and shutting the
door. Nico stood there and smiled for a moment before continuing to his and
Percy's room.
The room was dark when he opened the door. Checking the time, Nico figured
Percy would be back shortly. Closing the door behind him, Nico yanked his shirt
over his head. He walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick
shower to get the smell of the club off of him.
When he emerged from the bathroom completely naked, Nico was delighted to find
Percy waiting for him on the edge of the bed. He smiled over at Nico, beckoning
him to the bed. Nico closed the gap between them, sliding into Percy's lap.
Percy's hands wasted no time in feeling Nico's naked and still wet ass.
With their lips only a few inches apart, Percy grinned. “I take it you're still
in the mood?”
Nico bit down on his lip and nodded. Percy sealed their lips together, his
finger brushing against Nico's entrance. In one swift move, Percy had Nico on
his back. The young man trailed his fingers along pale, slightly wet skin.
Nico's hand gripped Percy's tie, pulling it loose and letting it fall to the
side. From there, he worked on unbuttoning Percy's shirt, while the young man
entertained himself with Nico's body.
Once they were both completely naked, Percy crawled on top of Nico and slid
their lower halves under the sheets. With a grin, he got up on his knees.
Normally, Nico might complain about Percy pulling away when they were about to
have sex, but not at the moment. Right now, he was just enjoying the great view
of Percy's nude form, taking in every inch of the young man's torso and
eventually letting his eyes wander down to Percy's manhood.
Percy reached over and turned off the light before leaning down and sucking on
Nico's neck. Nico might have been exhausted when he got back, but this was
completely worth losing sleep over. Percy lifted him off of the bed and pressed
the boy's back against one of the posts of the canopy bed. Nico wrapped his
legs around Percy's waist as the young man dug around in his drawers for a
condom and lube.
Wrapping his arms around Percy's neck, Nico leaned in and kissed the young man,
running his tongue along Percy's bottom lip. With a moan, Percy opened his
mouth and let Nico explore his mouth.
Pulling back, Nico grinned as he eyed the contents of Percy's hand. “I do hope
you have plenty of condoms.”
Percy chuckled. “Don't worry, I brought plenty.”
“Good, because I don't plan on going to sleep anytime soon,” Nico whispered
into Percy's ear.
Chapter End Notes
     Translations:
     Je suis occupé!" [I'm busy!]
     mon chéri (my dear/darling)
     Ça va être amusant. [This will be fun]
     Dommage. [Pity]
     Une seconde. [One second].
     Non, pas comme ça! Les Américains ne savent-il pas comment porter des
     costumes? [No! not like that! Do Americans not know how to wear
     suits?]
     Infect.[Revolting]
     Tu manges comme une vache affamée. [You eat like some overly starved
     cow]
     On baise? (Wanna fuck?)
     Qu'est-ce que t'a dit, Eros? [What did you say, Eros?]
     J'ai juste demandé s'il voulait coucher avec moi. Je trouve ça juste
     tellement marrant qu'il ne me comprenne pas, cet idiot d'Américain.
     [I just asked if he wanted to have sex. I just find it amusing that
     he can't understand me, the silly American.]
     Il est potable (He's fuckable. Literally: He's drinkable)
     Je le baiserais bien(I'd fuck him) {Not necessarily meaning Eros
     wants to be the top}
***** Beating the Master at Her Own Game *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Perhaps Nico should not think with his hormones, as the Lost Boy was finding
out the next morning. He definitely did not get much sleep last night, if the
pain in his lower back was any indication. The brown-eyed boy laid splayed
across Percy's bare chest, while the young man had his arms wound loosely
around Nico's waist. Really, Nico didn't want to even up his eyes, let alone
move. He felt exhausted.
Even so, that did not stop him from waking up slightly aroused from being
pressed up against Percy's body.
Five minutes after waking up, Nico finally pushed himself up to try and climb
off of Percy, though he did not get far. “Where do you think you're going?”
Percy mumbled, grabbing Nico by the waist and spooning the younger boy. The
young man rested his nose in Nico's hair. “It's still early.”
Nico's eyes drifted over to the clock. “We're five minutes late for breakfast.”
A hand covered Nico's eyes. “Irrelevant. Go back to sleep.”
With a pout, Nico pushed the young man's hand away from his face. He rolled his
head to the side and pressed his butt against Percy's crotch. “Well, you know,
it might be a bit easier to sleep if I didn't have something poking me the
whole time.”
A grin spread across Percy's lips and the manager finally opened his eyes.
“Just comes naturally when I wake up to someone beautiful.”
Nico rolled his eyes and batted Percy's hands away. “You must wake up hard a
lot then.”
“Hey,” Percy said, reaching out again, “don't be like that.” He pulled Nico
into his lap. Percy grew hard, which caused Nico to bite down on his bottom lip
to suppress a moan. “Do you feel like round number four?”
With a chuckle, Nico shook his head with amusement. “I'm starting to wonder if
your whole business thing just made sure your sex drive was kept in check.”
Percy's lips tilted up in grin as he laid Nico down on the bed. “Can I take
that as a 'yes'?” He asked. With a sigh, Nico nodded his head and wrapped his
arms around Percy's neck. Leaning down, Percy devoured Nico's lips in a heated
kiss, his hand already snaking its way down between them to wrap around the
Lost Boy's hardened erection.
Nico let out a gasp as a finger pressed against his entrance. Reaching over
Nico, Percy grabbed the bottle of lube they had been using last night and
coated his index and middle finger. With another kiss to Nico's lips, Percy
went ahead and inserted his finger into Nico. The boy bucked his hips as he
reached down and worked on rolling a condom onto Percy's erection.
Since they had only had sex a few hours ago, Nico did not need as much
preparation this time. Percy grabbed Nico by his ankles. Nico's eyes widened a
little as Percy pressed his feet to the mattress above his head. In all
honesty, the Lost Boy did not even think he was that flexible; Percy proved him
wrong. With one hand still holding Nico's ankles together, Percy used the other
one to guide his erection into Nico.
Unlike the first time they had sex last night, Percy didn't remain still after
getting it in. Instead, he gave a long thrust that had Nico's toes curl and the
boy's head toss back in a gasp. Grinning to himself, Percy leaned down and
kissed along Nico's neck. And then, without warning, Percy bit Nico's shoulder.
Nico's nails dug into Percy's back as the Lost Boy let out a loud moan that
probably could be heard down the hall. Percy finally released his ankles and
grabbed the boy by his hips. In one swift motion, Percy had Nico on his stomach
and was positioned between the boy's legs. Nico's fingers curled in the sheets.
Percy pressed a kiss between Nico's shoulder blades. “Get on your knees.”
Doing as he was told, Nico got up. He reached behind him to guide Percy's mouth
to his for a kiss. Nico moaned into Percy's mouth as the young man reached
around and stroked Nico a little. Kissing Nico's shoulder, Percy grabbed onto
Nico's hips and slammed into the thin boy. Nico screwed his eyes shut as he
leaned forward and grabbed one of the posts of the canopy bed for support.
Sweat slowly began to form on Nico's brow as Percy slowly thrust into him, the
young man's fingers digging into his waist. Biting down on his lip, Nico rested
his head against the post. This was the fourth time they had had sex in under
twelve hours, yet Nico did not find himself complaining.
Percy's fingers grabbed onto Nico's hair, tangling in his dark locks. With a
small yank, Percy pulled the Lost Boy back by the hair and leaned in to latch
his mouth onto Nico's throat. Nico's eyes rolled into the back of his head as
Percy's teeth pressed against his throat with a deep thrust.
Percy rolled his hips slowly into Nico in long, deep thrusts. It felt amazing,
but so very agonizing. Since it was the fourth time, Nico's legs began to
shake. Percy's hand pressed to the small of Nico's back, urging the boy to arch
his back a little.
By the time that Nico was nearing his orgasm, he was certain they weren't going
to be making it to breakfast. Which partly made him wonder if Gaea or Kronos
would come looking for them. At least Percy's door was locked, which would
prevent Kronos from barging in on them...again.
When it was over, Percy cupped Nico's face with both of his hands and gave the
boy a long kiss before getting off the bed. Nico fell back, his arms spread out
at his sides and a huge grin on his face. He could most certainly get used to
living with Percy in an actual relationship.
Rolling his head to the side, Nico watched Percy's firm ass as the young man
padded into the bathroom. Percy stopped at the doorway and turned back to look
at him. “Care to join me?” The green-eyed young man asked with a smirk.
Nico shot up, but stumbled due to his legs basically being limp noodles. Percy
chuckled and helped the boy up. With a kiss, he swatted Nico's ass and sent him
into the bathroom. A few seconds later, he joined Nico in the bathroom with a
new condom.
“Really?” Nico asked, arching an eyebrow. “Five times?”
Percy just placed the condom on a nook in the shower before turning on the
water. “After you,” he said, motioning into the already steaming shower. Once
Nico was inside, he stepped in and closed the glass door behind them. Percy
took his bottle of shampoo in hand and lathered up his hair. “And it's up to
you. I don't want to wear you out too bad.”
It took about all of two minutes for Nico to get Percy to pin him up against
the shower wall with his legs around the young man's waist. Nico wrapped his
arms tightly around Percy's neck as the young man fucked him up against the
shower wall with hard, rough thrusts. Several moans escaped Nico's mouth, until
Percy leaned in and covered it with his own. Hot water hit them from everywhere
as Percy slid his tongue into Nico's mouth, his hands tightening from where
they held the boy's legs under the knees.
When they were done and went to get out of the shower, Nico's legs nearly
crumpled underneath him. Percy caught him with a chuckle, helping to guide the
boy back into the bedroom. Nico pouted as the young man dropped a towel on his
head.
“Well, perhaps five times was too much for you,” the green-eyed manager
assessed.
“Says you,” Nico replied, rolling onto his stomach and crossing his arms under
his chin. His eyes followed Percy's nude form as the young man dried off and
walked over to his closet. “You're leaving?”
Percy turned to glance at the boy for a moment. “Well, yeah. I have business
that has to be taken care of. You and Luke are the ones on a vacation, not me.”
He smirked at the frown on Nico's face when he emerged from the closet. “You're
very cute when you pout.”
Nico let out a sigh. “When will I be seeing you?”
“Probably after dinner.” Percy pulled out a pair of pants and some underwear
from the drawers in his closet. “Gaea's having dinner with some very important
clients, and I need to be there.” The young man sat down at the foot of the
bed. “You're more than welcome to come, but I didn't want to bore you with all
the financial talk.”
Letting out a sigh, Nico nodded his head. “Yeah, okay. I'll see you after
dinner then.” His dark eyes raked across Percy's torso as the young man worked
on buttoning his shirt. Biting down on his lip, Nico reached out and hooked his
fingers into the hem of Percy's pants.
Percy let out a soft chuckle as Nico slid across the bed, still on his stomach,
and undid the button on his pants. “Still horny?” He laughed. “I thought you'd
be burnt out by now.”
Nico's eyes just flickered up to meet Percy's sea-green ones. “Thought I'd give
you something for the road.” Still holding Percy's gaze, Nico unzipped the
young man's pants and pulled out his manhood.
Percy arched an eyebrow as he went back to buttoning his shirt. “I can't get
undressed again, and I don't have time for more sex.”
“Good thing you don't have to do anything then,” Nico said, flicking his tongue
across the slit of Percy's erection. The Lost Boy tilted his head to the side
as he watched Percy just stand there. “Well, carry on with getting ready.”
Percy rolled his eyes as Nico slid his lips across the young man's arousal. One
of Nico's hands slid up the bottom of Percy's shirt to caress the abs that
could be found there. While Nico serviced Percy, the green-eyed young man
reached over and grabbed his watch from the nightstand and put it on his wrist,
though he really did not seem to be in a hurry anymore.
Nico hummed lightly as he took in as much of Percy's cock as he could. With a
soft moan, Percy leaned over Nico and groped the boy's pale ass before placing
a hand on Nico's head and guiding the Lost Boy down onto his shaft.
Taking it out of his mouth, Nico wrapped a hand around Percy's arousal and ran
his tongue along the base of the shaft, his dark eyes clouded with lust as he
stared up at the young man. But, finally, Percy finished buttoning his shirt.
With a smirk, the young man fixed his hair a little before removing his cock
from Nico's mouth.
Leaning down, he gave Nico a quick kiss. “I really do have to go.”
Nico pouted and sat up. “But you're hard, you should finish.”
“I'll be fine,” Percy chuckled. He buttoned and zipped his pants. “Try to get
some more rest.” He pointed a finger at Nico as he backed towards the door. “I
mean it, you need to rest. Feel free to mess around in the entertainment room.
What's mine is yours and all that stuff.” He smirked as he opened the door.
“And don't forget that you can order room service to be delivered over here.
Also, you look very appealing right now and I'm sorry I have to leave.”
Nico let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. “Well then, I hope you suffer in your
meetings while thinking about it.”
“Ouch.” Percy winked. “That's just so hurtful. What have I ever done to you?”
He asked with a huge grin.
“Ha ha. You're so funny, Percy Jackson.” Nico flopped onto his stomach. “I
wouldn't dare bring up the countless months of torturous teasing you put me
through.”
With a wink, Percy closed the door. Nico groaned a little as he let his
forehead fall against the mattress. Now that his hormones were gone, Nico was
fully aware of how exhausted his body was, not to mention the sharp pain in his
lower back. Perhaps five times really was too much.
A little over five minutes later, the door swung open. Nico looked up,
expecting Percy, only to find Luke. “Haven't you ever heard of knocking?” Nico
asked, flinging the covers over his naked body.
Luke arched an eyebrow and stepped inside. “Not like I haven't seen you naked
before, kid. I know it probably slipped your mind with all the awesome sex
you've been getting from Percy, but we did have sex.”
Nico sat up, straightening out the covers across his lap. “It's not like it's
hard to forget. I did enjoy it, I will not lie there.” He let out a breath.
“Anyways, what's up?”
“I need you to get dressed.”
The raven haired Lost Boy arched a brow. “For?”
Digging around in Nico's suitcase, Luke tossed some clothes at the other Lost
Boy. “You're coming with me to see Cecil, since I apparently have to go check
up on the French lightweight.”
Nico let out a sigh as he scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up. Grabbing
his underwear, the Lost Boy slid them on. “And you need me to come with
you...why?”
“Because, for some reason, the little asshole seems to like you.” Luke rubbed
at his temple. “Just come, it's too early for this anyways, and I really don't
feel like dealing with him. I'm hoping to distract him with your presence.”
For a moment, Nico just stood there and stared at the blond in the room. After
giving Luke an odd look, Nico threw his shirt over his head and then put on his
pants. “Can't you just...I don't know, be sociable with him?” A smirk spread
across Nico's lips. “Who knows, you might enjoying what happens.”
Luke's brow furrowed. “What's that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” Nico chuckled as he slipped on his shoes. He patted Luke on the
shoulder as he walked over to grab the key to Gaea's house from a small table
by the door. “Nothing at all, Luke.”
When they knocked on Cecil's door, the brunet answered it with a glass of water
in his hand. “Bonjour, mis amigos.”
Luke shot the brunet an annoyed look. “That's not even the same language.”
“So you do know some French,” Cecil chuckled as he stepped aside to let them
in. The Lost Boy's head tilted to the side as he stared at Nico. “Did you get
attacked by a dog since I saw you last night?”
Nico's face turned completely red. “Uh, no.”
A sly grin appeared on Cecil's face. “Then I can only assume you had a great
night.”
A door down the hall slowly creaked open and a disgruntled Eros came out,
dragging his feet behind him. He let out a long groan as he rubbed at his eyes.
“Quel heure est-il, Cecil?”
The other brunet checked his phone. “A little after nine.” With a grin, he
handed Eros the water and two pills that had been in the palm of his hand.
“Take this. You need to shower and get something to eat, you have work in a few
hours.”
Eros tossed back the pills and downed them with half the glass of water. With a
very heavy sigh, the green-eyed boy shoved the water back into Cecil's hands.
It was then that his eyes shot over to where Luke stood, his green orbs
narrowing in anger. “You! Qu'est-ce que tu veux, bordel? J'essayais de pécho
hier soir, et t'arrives et tu gâches tous!”
Luke crossed his arms and opened his mouth, though nothing came out. His face
contorted in confusion before he turned to Cecil. “Um, what did he say?”
Cecil just shook his head and patted Luke on the shoulder. “Eros, en Anglais,
s'il te plaît,” the brown-eyed boy muttered.
With a huff, Eros marched up to Luke and poked the blond's chest. “You are a
fucking dick, ruining perfectly good sex like that.” Eros rapidly flailed his
arms. “Did you see the muscles he had, he was going to give me rough sex.
Cecil, tell this oaf how much I love the rough sex.”
It was apparent that Cecil was trying very hard not to laugh. “Oh yeah, it's
his favorite.” He wagged his eyebrows at Luke. “If only we knew someone that
was rough in bed, eh?”
Yet again, Nico was astounded to see a faint blush appear in Luke's cheeks.
Coughing, Luke smacked Eros's hand away from him. “You were drunk, excuse me
for stopping the guy from taking advantage of you.”
“You're excused,” Eros shot back, crossing his arms with a huff. His green eyes
narrowed up at Luke, who was a little under a head taller than the brunet. “And
what do you mean 'take advantage of me'? I seduced him, thank you very much.
What does it do if I was drunk?”
Nico tilted his head to the side as he watched the two. “Congratulations, Luke,
it looks like you've found someone to argue like an old married couple with
now, too.”
Luke nearly choked. He whipped around to glare at Nico, who only grinned.
“Don't fucking compare me to blondie and Santa's favorite helper, twerp!”
Out of nowhere, Eros grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him away from the blond. “Do
not speak to him like that, American swine.” With a final glare towards Luke,
Eros opened the door. “Come, Nico, you can accompany me to find food before my
shift starts.”
Luke's brow furrowed as he took a step towards them. “Wait, wha-”
Eros shut the door, his eyes closed in a smile. “There, that's better.” He
released Nico's arm and headed to the elevator. “Come, Nico, I must dress
myself quickly, then we shall find something to eat.”
The French Lost Boy didn't take as long to get ready today, which was probably
due to the hangover he was probably experiencing. Now that he was not arguing,
Eros clutched his head a lot and hovered over the table they now sat at.
Eros's green eyes flickered over to two passing Lost Kids, at least Nico
thought they were Lost Kids. Resting his chin on a palm, Eros let out a
whistle. “Medea!”
It was the girl that stopped to look at them. She rolled her eyes and said
something to the Lost Boy she was walking with before coming over to their
table. She was very thin, with long, red fingernails. A tight black shirt
rested over her torso, while a short skirt covered her lower half. The Lost
Girl's black hair had been tied up in a bun and her arms were decorated by a
lot of diamond bracelets.
She huffed and placed her hand on her hips. “What do you want, Eros?” She
asked, narrowing her dark green eyes.
With a pout, Eros ran a hand through his hair. “Medea, my sweet, I don't
suppose you would mind covering my afternoon shift for me, would you?” He
batted those long lashes at the Lost Girl, who did not seem to be ensnared by
the boy's charms in the least. “It was a very long night.”
“Aw, I'm sorry to hear that, Eros,” Medea said in a sickeningly sweet British
accent. She ran her fingers through the Lost Boy's wavy hair until she took a
firm grip of the back of his scalp. “Do I look like I give a damn? Get off your
bum and do your own work.”
Eros flipped her off as she left. “Quelle salope.” The brunet cracked his neck
as he raised his coffee to his lips. “I see you have a...” Eros motioned to
Nico, “limp.” The French boy winked. “You had a good night, no?”
Nico speared a pasta noodle and shoved it into his mouth, his ears burning a
little. “Something like that,” he mumbled. Eros arched an eyebrow at him. The
pale Lost Boy rubbed his neck with a sigh. “I was hoping to talk to you about
Percy, actually.”
“Oh?” Eros plucked a strawberry from a crepe that he was eating and bit down on
the tip. “Ask me anything.”
“Well...where do I even start?” Nico sighed. He pursed his lips for a moment,
trying to think of the best angle to come at this from. “Percy told me that he
liked me when he returned in February.”
“Of course, I told him to grow some boules and get it off his chest.” Eros
didn't even look surprised, just waited for Nico to continue.
Nico cleared his throat, his brow furrowed. “Anyways, it feels a little weird
what's going on between us right now. It feels odd, because Percy isn't this
affectionate with me normally. He's acting like an actual boyfriend would.”
Eros blinked a few times before his eyes started to dart around. “I fail to see
the...how to say, dilemma here, mon petit.” The brunet rubbed at his eyes with
a yawn. “Do you not wish for your prince to enter and sweep you off your feet
and ride into the sunset?”
“Uh, in a place like the Lotus, I don't really see things like that happening.”
Nico stared down at his food. “I'm just confused as to what brought it on. You
seem to be good at...getting guys, even straight ones, so I thought you might
could help.”
A smirk touched at Eros's lips as he cut up some of his crepe and placed it in
his mouth. “I would suggest speaking to Percy himself.” The green-eyed Lost Boy
crossed his legs, placing his hands in his lap. “I am quite certain that Percy
is the only one to give you the answer you seek. But I am also certain that it
is nothing for you to worry that pretty little head over.”
“I wish I could have your confidence,” Nico mumbled.
Eros's eyes seemed to dull, his lips tilting down. For a moment, he did not
move, staring blankly into space. And then he cleared his throat and stared
down at his lap. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Well, there is another problem.” Nico let out a breath. “It's about a Lost Kid
from back home. I'm not quite sure what to make of her at this point, she's
confusing.” He poked at his food, though he made no attempt to eat it. “She's
been at our hotel even longer than Percy has, and she has feelings for Percy.
I'm not quite sure how deep they are, but she definitely has feelings for him.
And, well, she wants me out of the way.”
A spark ignited in Eros's eyes and his lips tilted back up into a grin. “So,
you wish to crush her, yes?”
“Uh, well, I wouldn't go that far.” Nico cleared his throat. “I would just like
some...safety precautions. I don't want her trying to ruin anything.” The boy
shook his head. “What I really want is for Percy to bring the others here, even
though I know it's just wishful thinking. Not to mention that Annabeth would
then come with them.”
Eros tapped a finger to his lips. “Well, perhaps you should use your greatest
weapon to get what you want.” The French Lost Boy tossed a wink across the
table. “Perhaps you should use your...how to say, assets,” he stuck his tongue
out playfully at Nico, “to get what you want.”
“You mean, seduce Percy into it?” Nico asked, his brow furrowed. “Would that
work?”
“Ah, perhaps you do not realize the power you have, mon chéri.” Eros tilted his
head to the side. “Percy might have grown up in this life, learned all the
tricks of the trade, but he is still a man. He still has a penis, and he is
very attracted by you. So, I would say, yes, work your magic on Percy to get
what you want.”
Nico leaned on the table. “Well, that doesn't really help me with the more
pressing issue. I couldn't just flat out ask Percy to keep Annabeth in America,
if I wanted to bring the rest here.” His brow furrowed. “Though, she is under
consideration to be the next branch manager.”
A devious smile was on Eros's lips when the other Lost Boy looked up. “That is
quite easy. As you said, she is a potential candidate. However, I would suggest
knowing all you can on your enemy before attacking.”
“Luke's brother suggested something similar.” Nico let out a sigh. “Well, he
wanted me to talk to Luke about Annabeth. Apparently, Luke knows her very well,
but Octavian seemed concerned about her past.”
“Excellente idée. Sounds to me like you already have a plan.” Leaning back in
his chair, Eros lifted his coffee and took a long sip. “Though, I must ask
something on your blond traveling companion.”
“Luke? What about him?”
Without missing a beat, Eros replied, “How is he in bed?”
Nico nearly fell out of his chair. “What?” His eyes bulged a little. “What
makes you think I would know?”
Eros just blinked at him. “You implied it yourself. Yesterday, when we were
dressing you up, you mentioned people told you and him that you two should have
sex. I assumed that they no longer said it because you two did it like two
animals in heat.” The brunet sat up in his seat, leaning slightly against the
table. “So?”
“Uh, well...”
--------------------------
It was a little before business hours concluded that Percy, Nico, and Luke
left. Luke ended up going back to his room, which left Percy and Nico to walk
around the golf course alone. For a while, Nico just stared up at the sky and
admired the stars. It wasn't until he felt Percy lace their fingers together
that the Lost Boy looked down.
“So, how's your vacation going?” Percy asked.
Nico felt his lips tilt up into a smile. “It's great, thank you for bringing
me.” The boy gave a shrug, staring down at the grass. “Perhaps a little
strange, at least with you.”
Percy seemed to be surprised by that remark. The young man came to a halt,
tilting his head to the side. “What am I doing to confuse you?”
“Just, um...” Nico motioned at the young man. “I don't know, just the way
you're acting. You're being very affectionate.”
The corners of Percy's lips tilted up and he took a step closer, wrapping his
arms around Nico's waist. “And that bothers you?”
“Well, you're not usually like this.”
Percy let out a chuckle. “I'm sorry.” Reaching up, the young man brushed some
of Nico's hair out of his eyes. “Well, I don't have any responsibilities right
now, not exactly anyways. I thought I could let you see how things will be when
we move here.”
Nico pressed his lips into a thin line, not looking up to meet Percy's gaze.
“And I am coming here with you?” His brow furrowed as he rested both of his
hands on Percy's chest, taking a firm grip of the young man's shirt. “Or are
you considering what Annabeth said? I want to come here with you, Percy, if
that's what you're worried about.”
Percy tilted his head to the side. “I would just want what was best for you.”
As his eyes grew angry, Nico shoved Percy away. “No!” He finally looked up, his
eyes burning with a deep irritation. “Don't talk to me about the future if you
can't promise me that there will be a future for us! That's not fair to me, if
you're planning on leaving me behind.”
Percy's eyes widened at Nico's outburst. Frowning, he shoved his hands into his
pockets. “I'm not going to stop you from coming with me, even if I think you
might be better off with your sister.” The green-eyed young man reached out and
tilted Nico's chin up. “You make your own choices. If this is what you want,
it's what you'll have.”
“And what about what you want?”
Percy's hand slid up to cup Nico's cheek and he leaned in to press a quick kiss
to Nico's lips. “As I said, I want you. I'm acting this way with you, because I
thought it was what you wanted.” He let out a chuckle. “If you haven't noticed,
I haven't even touched a Lost Kid since we've been here. If I didn't want to
kiss you, I wouldn't. If I didn't want to touch you, I wouldn't. You are what I
want, Nico. You make me happy, and I feel better about things when I have you
around.” Smiling, Percy ruffled Nico's hair. “However, if you do want to come
to Germany, I'll need you to tell your sister. You.” He held up a hand when
Nico opened his mouth. “Those are my terms. If this is what you want, you have
to be the one to lay it out for your sister. If you want to stay with me, I
won't let her take you, but this is something you have to do.”
Letting out a breath, Nico gave a nod. “I know.” He chewed on his lip for a
moment before looking into those sea-green eyes. “I will tell her, I just need
to find the right time.”
Percy kissed Nico's temple. “Don't wait too long. I think it would be better
the sooner you did it.” Taking Nico's hand in his again, Percy started to walk.
“Just...keep in mind things will need to be toned down some when we get back
home. So, enjoy the affection while we are here, but we still have to be
professional back home.”
Nico let out a sigh. “What will be different?”
“This.” Percy held up their hands. “It's not that I'm ashamed of you or don't
want to, but you're still my employee that has to do their job. The closer we
appear, the more certain clients will seek to exploit a weakness. I'm planning
on reducing your time as time goes on, but clients will probably request
ridiculous amounts of time with you. The picture of us together the other night
probably won't help matters, to be honest.”
“I understand,” Nico whispered.
“Good.” Percy's brow furrowed. “No kissing in public, or just don't expect much
of it at all.” He glanced at Nico when the boy came to a stop.
“Why not just let me quit now then?”
A sigh came from Percy and Nico glanced up at him. “Because, I don't want it to
seem like you're just quitting because you're with me now. I don't think you
want the others to think that of you either. But, if that's what you want, I
can allow it.”
For a moment, Nico really did consider it. “It'll just be less as time goes on,
right?” He mumbled. Percy gave a nod. “I suppose I can deal with it for another
two months.”
“Month.”
“What?”
Percy rubbed the back of Nico's hand with his thumb. “I only ask a month. I'll
give you the rest of your time in Los Angeles preparing for finals and getting
things in order.” He let out a sigh. “And, if I'm not busy with one of the
others, you're welcome to come sleep with me.”
That made Nico smile for a little while, until Eros's words from earlier came
back to him. “I'm fine with that, but I have my own conditions.”
“You do?” Percy arched an eyebrow at him. “I wasn't aware that we were up for
negotiations on your part.”
“Well, we are.” Standing strong, Nico crossed his arms and stood up straight,
even though it didn't make him near as tall as Percy. He still just barely fit
underneath the young man's chin. “If you're asking all of this from me, then I
feel it only fair that I do the same to you.”
Percy smiled a little, which made Nico melt. “Okay, go ahead.”
“As this time passes, and my time is reduced, then you have to conduct hour
negotiations with the other Lost Kids less. Well, at least in your usual
fashion.”
For a moment, Percy was his usual unreadable self. He just stared at Nico with
his sea-green eyes boring into Nico's very soul. But then he smiled, which
eased Nico's nerves a lot. “You have yourself a deal.” Reaching out, he shook
on it. “However, you suck at negotiations, since I was already planning on
doing what you just asked of me.”
It was Nico's turn to smile. Percy really was amazing. It was true that the
young man could be terrifying when he wanted to be, but Nico stopped being
afraid of him a long time ago. Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck and
leaned up for a kiss. Percy's hands found their way to Nico's hips and the Lost
Boy let out a sigh of contentment.
Pulling back, Nico opened his eyes to stare into Percy's eyes. Their faces were
still close, Percy even had his forehead resting against Nico's. And, for the
first time in months, Nico said the one thing that he had once been terrified
to say to the young man.
“I love you.”
He didn't care what Kronos said anymore, Nico had moved past that. Perhaps when
he first said it, the Lost Boy didn't know if he truly meant what he said, but
now he did. Nico did love Percy. Not only that, he was in love with him. He
wanted this, his heart wanted it. He wanted all of Percy and to never let him
go.
Percy smiled and kissed Nico's nose. “I know,” he said, adding another kiss to
Nico's lips. “I really do care about you, Nico.”
For some reason, it didn't sting when Percy didn't say it back this time. Percy
had come a long way, and Nico knew he was the first person that Percy had
really had romantic feelings for. He could understand if Percy was still trying
to sort through some of his feelings. This was all new to the green-eyed young
man and Nico would happily wait patiently for it to be said back to him.
And, once again, Nico had to wonder if Percy was able to read his mind. The
young man cupped the boy's face. “I just... I don't want you to think that I'll
never say it back, I just need some time.” With a sigh, he finally released
Nico and took a step back. “You mean a lot to me, Nico, and I promise you that
I will say it to you eventually. But only when I'm ready.”
A wave of warmth coursed through Nico's body. “I know,” he said softly. “Take
your time, it's fine, really.” He offered Percy a reassuring smile. “I do
understand, believe me.”
For a while, Percy and Nico just walked in silence. They didn't hold hands, but
their shoulders brushed from time to time. Given what all he just heard, Nico
had a lot on his mind. It was a lot to take in. Everything was falling into
place, and it looked like he could have the happy ending with Percy he had
always hoped for. There were just two pressing issues that he still needed to
address.
“Um, there's something else,” Nico finally confessed. “It's about the others
back home.” Letting out a sigh, Nico came to a stop and looked up at Percy.
“Would it be possible for them to come here when we move, if they wanted to?”
Percy blinked and scratched his cheek. “Well, I mean, there are a lot already
here. I can't just up and move them, there needs to be Lost Kids back in Los
Angeles. I'm not sure if the ones here would want to leave.”
“But isn't it possible?” The Lost Boy pursed his lips. “You'll be in charge,
don't you make the rules? If they wanted to come, couldn't you arrange for it?”
He lightly shook his head. “I don't want to lose all of them, I don't want to
say goodbye to them. Can't they come? Or at least some of them? There has to be
a way.”
Crossing his arms, Percy looked down at their feet. “Is this what's been
bothering you?” He asked. Nico nodded. Percy clicked his tongue and rubbed at
his jaw. “Nico, you're asking something very big here.”
“Please?” Nico pleaded, reaching out to take Percy's hand. “I really want them
to come. Can you please do this for me? I won't ask for anything else, I
promise.”
Percy chuckled and reached up to run his fingers through Nico's hair. “Don't
make promises that you know you can't keep.” He let out a sigh when the
pleading look in Nico's eyes did not go away. “I'll think about it. I will talk
to them and see what they want. If they do-”
“Yes!” Nico shot his hands into the air.
Percy narrowed his eyes. “If they do, I will try and work something out, so
they can be transferred to the German branch. But you realize that this will
mean rooting up a lot of Lost Kids from here to make this happen, right?”
“Yes,” the brown-eyed boy said softly. “I just...don't want to lose our family.
More family, for me anyways. I know I have to give up my sister, but I'd like
to keep the family I've made at the Lotus.” Nico's eyes sparked with intrigue,
his lips settling into a thin line. There was one last thing he needed to do.
“And what about your position? I was curious if you figured out who you would
choose.”
Letting out a long breath, Percy massaged his neck. “I think you're going to
give me sore muscles from stress, if you keep up with these questions.” He let
out another sigh and fixed Nico with a look. “It's still possible that I could
change my mind, but I think I have my choice.”
“And?” Nico blinked curiously. When he first arrived at the Lotus, there was no
way Nico could have pulled off such a poker face. Yet here he was now, doing
exactly that. If Percy saw through it, though, he showed no sign of it. “I
mean, Annabeth seems like the best choice to me. She's really smart, not to
mention she already works to keep the Lost Kids in line. She's been at the
hotel a long time, and I think she would be a natural at the position.”
“Do you?” Percy arched a brow at him.
Nico gulped. Was Percy on to him? “Yeah, of course. Don't you agree?”
Percy's lips tilted up and he placed an arm around Nico's back, guiding the boy
back to Gaea's mansion. The fact that he didn't say anything, though, worried
Nico a little. This was what he needed. If Nico wanted to ensure that Annabeth
couldn't screw up Nico's relationship with Percy, she needed to be out of the
picture. She needed to be put in a position that kept her far away from Percy,
at least for the majority of the year. All that was left was to uncover her
story, which meant Nico needed to talk to Luke.
As it turned out, that conversation would have to wait.
The amazing night Nico was having quickly came to an end when they found Luke
and Kronos at the foot of the stairs inside the mansion. It didn't matter that
there wasn't shouting, Nico knew nothing good could come from those two being
alone together. And Nico's concern only grew when he saw the dark look in
Luke's eyes and the manic grin on Kronos's face.
“Luke?” Nico called out as Percy shut the door. The blond didn't turn around.
His jaw clenched as he glared at Kronos, his fists tightening at his sides.
“Luke, come talk to me, I need your help with something.”
But as Nico reached out for him, Luke ripped his arm away. “Don't touch me,” he
growled, causing the brown-eyed boy to draw back in surprise.
Instead of saying anything, though, Percy just stood there and watched. His
eyes shifted from Kronos to Luke, his lips tilting down into a frown. Kronos
just smiled innocently back at the young man, as if he had done nothing wrong
at all. However, Nico's concern remained with the blond, who was currently on
his way out the front door.
Without waiting around, Nico went after the blond, leaving Percy to deal with
his brother. Nico doubted Kronos would get punished or anything, but he did
hope that Percy chewed him out a little. Wishful thinking, even if he knew it
probably wouldn't happen.
Luke kicked harshly at the grass beneath his feet. “I don't want to hear it.”
Nico pressed his lips together. “Do you want to talk about it? What did he
say?”
“It doesn't really matter, now does it?” Luke whipped around and glared down at
the other Lost Boy. “Why don't you just leave me alone? You know, since this is
your fault.”
Nico's eyes widened a little. “How is it my fault?” He asked in surprise.
“Because,” Luke yelled, “you're the one that brought me to this godforsaken
hellhole!” With his eyes blazing in anger, Luke pointed back at the house.
“You're the one that had me get invited on the trip, the one that brought me
around him!”
“I-I'm sorry. I just wanted to make up for your lack of a birthday.” Nico
rubbed at his arm, unsure of what else to do. “It's only a few more days.”
“Yeah, and you don't have to deal with him. He's not bothering you.”
That was actually very true. But, if Nico had to guess, it was probably due to
the fact that he was usually around Percy. If not Percy, Nico was usually with
someone, and Kronos seemed to target people more often when he could catch them
alone. And Nico had really not been alone once since he got to Germany.
With a grunt, Luke turned and shoved his hands into his pockets, heading away
from the mansion. Nico blinked a few times before taking a few steps after him.
“Wait,” the raven haired boy called out.
“No.” Without warning, Luke stopped, turned around, and pushed Nico away. “Stay
away. I'm going to the arcade, you can just go back inside and enjoy the rest
of your night. Now get the fuck away from me.”
Nico did not try to follow this time when Luke walked off. He let out a heavy
sigh before he turned around and headed back inside. This sucked. Why did
Kronos have to be here?
When Nico stepped inside, he found Percy sitting on the stairs. The young man
smiled and stood up, offering his hand out to Nico. “Everything okay?”
“No,” Nico whispered. He took Percy's hand and let the young man lead him
upstairs. “Luke is upset, said he was going to the arcade.”
Percy nodded. “He just needs to cool off.” He glanced at Nico from the corner
of his eyes. “If it's really bothering you, we can check up on him in the
morning, after he's cooled off.” A smile spread across the young man's lips. “I
have the day off, so I thought I'd take you around Berlin. You should actually
see the city while we're here, not just see it through a car window.”
Nico let out a breath. “I'd like that.”
--------------------------
The next morning turned out to be quite eventful. Percy had let Nico sleep in,
which meant that Nico missed breakfast. However, the way that Percy finally
woke him up had been very enjoyable. But it was not until Nico and Percy
knocked on Luke's door that Nico got the start to his very interesting day.
It took a few knocks, but Nico finally heard movement from inside Luke's room.
The door finally opened, revealing a dark room and Luke, who was clad only in
his boxers. His hair was a complete mess and...were those scratch marks on his
chest? He didn't look irritated anymore, though, which was a relief.
“Um, good morning?” Nico mumbled, partially looking around Luke's room.
Percy had a slight smirk on his face. “Have a good night there, Luke?”
Stretching his arms over his head, Luke gave a shrug. “I suppose.”
“Uh-huh.” Arching a brow, Percy reached around the corner and flipped on the
lights.
The bed looked like a complete disaster area. The comforter was mostly on the
floor, which also contained clothes. Not just Luke's clothes either, but a
second pair. Which brought Nico's attention to the brown head of hair that
poked out from the mass of sheets that had been bunched up around the person
laying there, who seemed to still be asleep.
It took Nico a moment, but then it hit him just where he'd seen that hair
before. “Is that...Eros?” He asked, pointing to the bed.
Percy slipped his hands into his pockets. “I guess you did have a good night.”
He grinned and kicked at Luke's shirt, which was still on the floor. “Mind
explaining why your clothes are wet?”
Coughing, Luke rubbed at his arm. “We had a late night swim?”
“In your clothes?” Percy replied, unconvinced. “Eros would swim naked, so I'm
not sure I buy that.” With a grin, he shook his head. “But I am glad to see
that you're enjoying yourself.”
Nico was still having a hard time just wrapping his head around all of this.
Luke...and Eros...had sex? The guy that Luke said irritated him? Well, he knew
Eros had been interested in getting Luke into bed, so it seemed like he
succeeded in his endeavors.
“Um,” Nico managed to finally get out, “I was wondering if you wanted to go
with me to the arcade? Percy has some things he has to take care of, then we
were going to go into Berlin, if you wanted to join.”
Uh...” Luke glanced over his shoulder, scratching at his head. “Give me a few
minutes to get cleaned up.”
Twenty minutes later, Nico and Luke were out the door. Eros must have left at
some point, because when Nico came back to fetch Luke, the brunet was gone.
Luke had yet to comment on the whole thing. In fact, the blond barely took his
eyes off his feet.
However, Nico came to a stop when he found the second part of his interesting
morning. Across the way, several men were in the process of pulling a golf cart
out of the pond that was between Gaea's mansion and the hotel. When he noticed
it, Luke's ears turned slightly red. Nico just glanced between Luke and the
pond. Oh yeah, they had a late night swim all right.
They had about an hour to kill in the arcade, which was just fine with Nico.
But it seemed like more maintenance people were in the arcade as well. Lou was
staring at the men as they worked on a pinball machine, which had its glass
barrier cracked, like something heavy had been dropped on it. The back legs had
also been broken, which seemed to be the primary concern of the maintenance
workers.
“Something happen?” Nico asked the Lost Girl as they walked up to the counter.
Lou simply shrugged. “I found it like this when I came in this morning.”
Nico glanced over at Luke, who was not even bothering to pay attention to Lou
or the machine. “Luke, didn't you come here last night when you got upset? Did
you see anything?”
Slowly, Luke shook his head. “Nope, can't say that I did.”
And then walked in the cherry to Nico's morning. Eros came in with a huge smile
on his face, his arms stretching over his head. He walked straight up to Luke
and wrapped his arms around the blond's neck from behind. “Alors, on retourne
sur le lieu du crime?”
Whatever Eros said, Lou narrowed her eyes at the two of them. “Did you...?” She
shivered. “Gross. Come on, Eros, this is my work place.”
The brunet pouted, not even bothering to release Luke. “It's not like I have
never covered for you before. And I didn't stop you when you-”
“Okay!” Lou's face turned a little red. She let out a sigh and rubbed her
temple. “I'm going to have to sterilize that when they fix it.”
Sticking his tongue out at the girl playfully, Eros nuzzled against Luke's
back. Finally, Luke huffed and pried himself free of the brunet's arms. “I
don't recall signing up for all this affection when I fucked you.” The blond's
blue eyes darted over to a woman that gasped and covered her son's ears as she
passed them. “I don't like the touching.”
Biting down on his lip, Eros trailed a finger down Luke's chest. “That's not
how it was last night.” The brunet rubbed at his back. “Though, I am still a
little sore from the first and third time.” With a devilish grin, he winked at
the blond. “Though, you were very gentle when you took off my wet clothes after
getting back to your room. And you seemed to really enjoy the way I used my
tongue to-”
“Shut up,” Luke growled clamping a hand over the brunet's mouth. “No more
talking, asshole.” He glared down at Eros, who seemed much too pleased with
himself. “Anyways, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“Oh.” Reaching under the counter, Lou pulled out a laser tag gun. “Eros
monitors the laser tag area once or twice a week.”
With a grin, Eros pointed his newly acquired gun at Luke. “Pew pew.”
Luke sighed and rolled his eyes. “Why did I have sex with you?”
Eros bit down on his lip and held the gun behind his head. “I thought it was
because I have a great ass and am amazing in bed, which we seem to have in
common.” He only grinned more when Luke shot him an annoyed look. “So, my room
or yours tonight?”
“Neither,” Luke grumbled. “It was just one night.”
Eros just tilted his head to the side. “We shall see.”
“Come on, twerp,” Luke muttered, taking Nico by the arm and taking him to the
other side of the arcade.
Nico glanced at the blond as he started a Pac-Man game. “Um, I didn't think you
would turn down sex.”
“Don't want to talk about it.”
“I mean, if you enjoyed it...” Nico trailed off. His brow furrowed when Luke
didn't answer. “I think Eros likes you, or at least likes having sex with you.
Well, I mean, he's been kind of taken with you since we first arrived.” Still
nothing. He let out a sigh. “You're not interested at all?”
For a brief second, Luke glanced at Nico. “It was just sex, no need to go and
add that feelings shit you're so passionate about.” Cracking his neck, Luke
went back to his game.
Nico actually smiled at that. By now, Nico knew Luke well enough to see through
his little act. Deep down, even if he didn't want to admit it, Luke had to have
some sort of interest in Eros. Perhaps it was just sexual, or maybe there were
real feelings involved. Either way, this was the blond's normal defense
mechanism.
Which then made Nico frown. What was Luke worried about? Why did he feel the
need to feel defensive? The raven haired boy's dark eyes watched the blond
carefully. Well, perhaps there were two things that Nico needed to talk to Luke
about now.
Chapter End Notes
     Translations:
     Quel heure est-il, Cecil? [What time is it, Cecil?]
     You! Qu'est-ce que tu veux, bordel? J'essayais de pécho hier soir, et
     t'arrives et tu gâches tous ! [What the fuck do you want? I was
     trying to get laid last night, and then you go and ruin it!]
     Eros, en Anglais, s'il te plaît. [In English, please, Eros]
     Quelle salope. [What a bitch]
     boules[balls]
     mon petit [my little one]
     Excellente idée [An excellent idea]
     Alors, on retourne sur le lieu du crime?[Back to the scene of the
     crime?]
     ---
     Right, so I will go ahead and confirm that Eros is supposed to be
     Luke's love interest. Originally, the character(I didn't have a name
     for this character back then) was supposed to only show up in the
     last two chapters, but I molded things around a bit. And I know that
     they have had a lot of attention on them, but keep in mind that Eros
     won't be in the story until the last few chapters after the next
     chapter or two. Also, I'm debating writing a one-shot about what
     happened between Luke storming off and then being found in his room.
     We'll see. I don't think I've mentioned it on here yet, but I am
     planning a spinoff after I'm done with Children of Loss, and it'll be
     told through Luke's perspective. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter.
***** Planning For Your Future *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Getting out and actually seeing Berlin had been an incredible experience. He
got a few souvenirs to take back, mainly for Bianca and Daedalus. But it had
been even better that Percy had been the one to show him around. The one
problem had been with Luke, who had pretty much kept to himself the entire
time. Really, it seemed like the blond had a lot on his mind. Considering the
events that had happened earlier that day, Nico could only assume they had to
do with Eros.
Nico let out a sigh and sank further down on the couch, his body pressed firmly
against Percy's as they sat on the couch in Percy's entertainment room. Without
saying anything, Nico reached over and scooped out some popcorn from the bowl
that rested in Percy's lap.
Taking the night off, Percy let Nico pick out some movies for them to watch.
And, well, Nico was not about to let a night with Percy go to waste. Their talk
from last night came to mind. Once they left Berlin, Nico really would not get
Percy to himself like this. Really, they would not get to be a real couple
again until halfway through the month of May. Which, in reality, did not sound
so bad when Nico said it out loud. It was just a month, the brown-eyed boy
could deal with that.
Their movie eventually got interrupted by Percy's phone. Nico groaned as Percy
got up from the couch, handing the Lost Boy the bowl. “Sorry,” Percy
apologized, delivering a quick kiss to Nico's temple.
Nico pouted to himself before he sat up and paused the movie. He tossed a few
pieces of popcorn into his mouth as Percy answered the phone. Nico was not
looking forward to going back home, to be honest. Going back meant his life
would become a war zone.
The smallest issue was probably going to be talking to Bianca about him moving
to Berlin. That was one thing, but from there it got worse. Not only was he
going to have to tell her that, but Nico was also going to have to confess that
he and Percy were having sex. He could not really see his sister taking the
news that his boss was having sex with her little brother that well.
Next was was the media. Europe's media did not seem that bad, but Nico doubted
things would go this smoothly back home. Really, Nico was just glad that he
didn't have his phone on him. Because, if he had, the Lost Boy was scared that
his sister might have seen an article or photo by now. Was he going to be
harassed at school? Nico had to tell Bianca about his relationship with Percy
before it got out. But he did not want the attention, he did not even think
about it when he chose Percy. Would they uncover what he did for a living?
No, surely not.
But then there was the biggest issue of all. Annabeth. There was no telling
what she had been up to while Nico was away, but as long as she did not suspect
him of fighting back, there was no need to worry. She probably did not even
consider Nico a threat, which would probably be his biggest advantage. The most
important thing was getting Percy to replace himself as branch manager with
Annabeth.
“Leo, calm down,” Percy chuckled as he plopped back onto the couch. Nico gave
him a curious look, but Percy didn't notice. “I am listening, but you are
talking very fast. And you're sort of swapping back and forth between English
and Spanish, just so you know.” Percy let out a sigh, rubbing his forehead.
“And why is that an issue? Yes, I know the situation. I think you're being a
little overly dramatic, Leo.” The green-eyed young man let his head fall back
with a small laugh. “It'll be fine, stop worrying about things. No, I don't
think this is just a game. Yes.” Percy rolled his eyes, a smile still on his
lips. “Goodnight, Leo.”
As Percy hung up the phone, Nico settled back against the young man. “What was
that about?”
Percy started the movie back up and took the bowl of popcorn back from Nico.
“Nothing to worry about, just something amusing that came up back at home.” But
the look in Percy's eyes as he stared back at Nico made the boy wonder just
what Leo had said. “Nico, if I wasn't an option, who do you think you'd be
happy with?”
“What?” Nico's brow furrowed. “Why are you even asking?”
“Just curious,” Percy replied, his face unreadable.
Letting out a sigh, Nico looked away for a brief second. “Um, I don't know. I
thought Will once upon a time, but I don't think he's quite over his past yet.”
Nico's eyes scanned Percy's face again, though the results did not improve. “I
guess, if I had to pick someone that wasn't you, I'd go with Jason.”
“Why?”
Really, what was Percy's game with this? “I don't know...we just get along
really well.” Nico's brow furrowed. He just wished Percy would tell him the
reason behind this sudden question. “I think, once he works past his issues,
Jason will be a great guy. I just... I think I'd have a hard time being around
the Lotus and not being able to be with you, though.”
Percy just blinked once. “So, you'd leave?”
“Percy, I don't like where this is going,” Nico replied, slightly irritated.
“Just tell me what this is about?”
Leaning in, Percy kissed Nico's cheek. “It's nothing to worry about, I promise.
I figured you'd pick Jason out of the Lost Kids.”
“Why did you think that?”
Percy shrugged. “Well, there was a time that I was actually hoping you'd pick
Jason. I thought he might be good for you.” Percy smiled at the irritated look
on Nico's face. “I thought he'd be healthier for you.”
“I-” Nico let out a groan of frustration. “Why not Will, though? I said I
wouldn't go with him simply because I already knew the truth. But it sounds
like Jason was your choice for me for some time now.” More than a little
frustrated, Nico attempted to get off the couch.
Reaching out, Percy took Nico's hand. “Sit back down,” Percy said softly. Nico
huffed, but let Percy pull him into his lap. “I figured Will was imprinting his
feelings on you. Don't forget that I know my Lost Kids, I know their issues.
Luke? You remind him too much of a younger Octavian. Apollo ruined your trust,
plus he's not over Robert. Not to mention that he has unresolved feelings
towards Leo. Jason was the only logical choice that I saw.” He squeezed Nico
around the waist. “I just wanted you to be happy.”
Nico blinked a few times, still rather irritated. “So, what changed then?” He
didn't touch Percy in any way, not really sure he wanted to at the moment. He
was just scared that Percy was going to keep him in America, even after their
talk. “Why change your mind? Why did you stop trying to hope I'd choose Jason?”
Percy let out a long breath. “I stopped wanting you to leave. I had every
intention of getting you out of the hotel by this summer when you first
arrived, I thought it would be best for you to be far away from me.” Reaching
up, the young man brushed some of Nico's hair out of his eyes. “I realized that
you do belong at the Lotus...just not how I imagined it. You're good for the
others, and I realize that now. Even if they were hostile about it to begin
with, I think they have realized this as well. You help and look after them,
it's why I let you become a big sibling.”
Nico let his shoulders relax a little, but did not reach out for Percy. “That
does not answer my question, not really anyways. You could have pushed me
towards Jason and not wanted me to leave, you didn't have to reach out for me
yourself. So, what changed?”
“We've had this discussion,” Percy chuckled. “I still don't think I'm what is
best for you, but you make me happy. And I seem to make you happy, which makes
me happy as well.” He let out a sigh, fiddling with them hem of Nico's shirt.
“I'm like venom, Nico, and I constantly worry that you're going to get bitten
one day. This is a dangerous life, one that I'd never pick out for you, if I
was given the choice.”
Finally, Nico looked down at his lap. “I really wish you'd stop talking about
yourself like some kind of monster.”
Percy smirked a little. Letting out a sigh, Nico leaned in and captured the
young man's lips. Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck, letting the young
man lean him back onto the couch. When they pulled back, Percy propped himself
up on his elbows.
“I don't think you give yourself enough credit,” Nico continued. He reached up
and ran a hand through Percy's dark locks. “Even living in this life, being
groomed for running this business, I can still see the real you under all that.
Maybe it's just glimpses from time to time, but I can still see you have a
heart, I can still see that you care. I still see that lost, little boy that
dwells in those sea-green eyes of yours, especially when you get that
mischievous look in your eyes.”
Percy smiled back at him before burying his face into the crook of Nico's neck.
Nico let out a sigh and reached up to run his fingers through Percy's hair, the
movie long forgotten. This was what he had always wanted. Not the being with
Percy part—even though that was a major plus—but because Percy was finally
opening up to him. He wanted to see more of that mischievous boy that he knew
still laid within Percy. He wanted to know everything that Percy was willing to
share with him.
---------------------------
Thursday morning, Nico sat at the breakfast table with Gaea, Percy, and Kronos.
He wasn't quite sure where Luke was, but Percy didn't seem that concerned by
the lack of the blond's presence, so Nico did not bring it up. At least it put
Luke far away from Kronos.
Unfortunately, this still left Kronos around Nico.
It could have been much worse, though. Kronos was being quiet, which actually
did make Nico slightly nervous. For the longest time, Kronos just stared across
the table at him, like he was contemplating all the different ways he could use
a knife on Nico. It had been like this ever since Percy had sat down beside the
Lost Boy.
But the silence could not last forever. After chewing some of her food, Gaea
wiped her mouth. “Nico dear, I was wondering if you had given any thought as to
what you were going to do with your life after Percy moved you out here.” She
smiled when Percy looked over at her. “Will you be attending a university?”
“Well,” Nico glanced down at his food, “I was planning on continuing my
education, but I don't exactly speak German, so I'm not sure how easily I could
do that now. I guess I'm still trying to figure that out. Percy said I could
learn German.” Glancing up at Percy from the corner of his eye, Nico chewed on
his lip. “I suppose I'll figure something out.”
Percy smiled at him and squeezed Nico's hand. This, of course, did not sit so
well with Kronos, who just had to contribute to the conversation. “He will
probably just end up mooching off of Percy's money,” the pale young man added,
cutting up a piece of sausage.
Nico's food turned sour in his mouth. He didn't like to think like Kronos just
suggested, it made him feel like a burden to Percy. But that was exactly what
he was going to be, wasn't it? Nico's brow furrowed as he looked down at his
orange juice in his hand. What was he supposed to do with the rest of his life?
Percy grunted as he drank some coffee. “I already told Nico that he wouldn't be
any kind of burden on me financially.” The young man shrugged. “He only buys
things he needs, I don't think any of us at this table could really say the
same.”
Kronos just rolled his eyes. “Since when have we ever cared about spending
money?”
“I'm just saying that Nico can do whatever he wants,” Percy added. “If he wants
to go to school, he can. I've already agreed to pay for his tuition, and I
don't plan to back out on my agreement. But if he just wants to relax around
here, I'm also fine with that.” Percy shrugged, biting off a piece of toast.
“He's had a hard life, cut him some slack.”
“Whatever you say, Percy,” Kronos muttered, sipping at his coffee.
Later that night, Nico walked over to the booth that Percy had reserved for
them tonight. He had fallen behind Luke and Percy to go to the bathroom, which
left him feeling a little awkward when it came to walking around the floor that
the Lost Kids' performed at. Nico got all sorts of looks, most likely due to
the fact that he looked very young. But Nico really wasn't sure what to think
about most of the stares. It was possible that some were just curious about why
a kid was running around this floor, especially one that wasn't dressed like
the Lost Kids.
“I was going to tell you.”
Nico slowed down until he came to a complete standstill at the sound of Percy's
voice. As people walked by, Nico did his best to stay in place without being
seen. Percy and Luke were talking at the booth, though the blond did not look
that pleased by what was being said.
“When exactly were you going to do that?” Luke asked with a scowl, downing a
glass of beer.
Percy let out a sigh, rubbing his temple. “I was going to wait until we got
home, because I did not want to ruin your potential vacation time.” Pressing
his lips together, the young man sank down in his seat. “It will only be for a
day or two, you have my word.”
As Nico moved closer to sit down, Luke huffed and got up from the booth, nearly
knocking his drink over in the process. Nico pursed his lips together and slid
in beside Percy. “What was that about?”
Percy grunted and took a drink from his own beer. “Personal issues.” He hummed
for a second before offering some beer to Nico. “Want some?”
Nico wrinkled his nose, but took the beer anyways. He had only taken a sip when
his face contorted in disgust and he handed the glass back to the green-eyed
young man. Percy smiled fondly and took another drink. “I don't see how you
like that stuff,” Nico practically coughed.
“I should take you to Russia and have you try their vodka.”
“No thanks.” Nico glanced out at the tables, his brow furrowing. People were
still staring in his direction. “Why is everyone staring at me?”
Percy just shrugged and took another drink. “Probably due to the fact that the
photos from our dinner the other night were released across Europe today. I'm
sure they will get out to the rest of the world within another day, two at the
most.”
“Comforting.”
“Just stating the obvious,” Percy said with a smile. “They recognize you from
the pictures, which means they probably realize that you are with me.”
For a moment, Nico just mulled that over in his head. He had never really
imagined himself getting recognized by random strangers, yet now that was
exactly what was happening. It really did not make him feel better about going
back to work next week, since clients there would probably have seen the
photographs. His only hope was that the special clients at the hotel would not
make the connection that there was something actually going on between him and
Percy.
Managers took Lost Kids with them places, right? Surely that was all people
would think it was. At least, Nico seriously hoped it would be that way. The
Lost Boy shuddered at the thought of what might happen if those customers were
to figure out the truth.
As a little time passed, Nico began to get worried about Luke. His brow
furrowed as he scanned the crowd, but found no trace of the blond. As two Lost
Kids on the stage finished their performance, Nico slid out of the booth.
“Where are you going?” Percy called after him.
Nico leaned back into the booth. “I'm going to look for Luke.” Percy gave the
boy a nod and Nico headed off in search of the blond.
There really weren't that many options. Luke wouldn't just go up to any of the
customers and sit down with them, let alone allow them to pull him aside. So,
it only stood to reason that Luke was with the few Lost Kids that he liked
here, or he had just gone back to his room. Nico figured that he would start
with the first option.
Favonius was delivering food and drink orders, so Nico figured he would start
with him. “Hey,” the boy said, pulling the European Lost Boy to the side. “Have
you seen Luke anywhere?”
Favonius was quiet for a moment, and then he tilted his head to the side. “Not
for a while. I saw him go backstage earlier, he might still be back there.”
Nico gave a nod and a smile. “Thanks.”
It was not really hard to find Luke when he got backstage. Well, it was sort of
hard to miss the guy with his pants undone and another guy on his knees in
front of him. Luke stood behind some curtains, mostly out of view to the Lost
Kids backstage, but it just so happened to leave him in view of anyone that
came through the door.
Luke seemed to be enjoying himself, one of his hands pressed against the wall
beside him, while the other was tangled deep into a mass of hair. It just so
happened, though, that the hair belonged to Eros. The brunet opened his eyes,
his mouth wrapped tightly around Luke, and stared up at the blond. Luke's head
fell back as his body began to spasm. It took Nico a second, but he realized
what was happening when he saw the Adam's apple in Eros's neck bob.
Nico's face reddened a little. Oh. As Eros pulled off of Luke, the blond zipped
up his pants. Wiping his mouth, Eros stood up and winked at Luke. He leaned in
and whispered something to the blond, giving Luke a final squeeze to the crotch
before he went off to get ready.
Luke, watching Eros walk away, nearly tripped over Nico. The brown-eyed boy
grinned up at him as Luke nearly stumbled backwards. “What are you doing back
here, twerp?”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “I was looking for you, since you disappeared
for a while.”
“I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself.”
Nico hummed and tapped a finger to his lips. “Looks more like Eros was taking
care of you.”
-------------------------------
Friday afternoon, Luke and Nico had lunch, while Percy went to some meeting
that Nico didn't really ask about. By now, Nico was learning that Percy was
pretty much just sparing him a few hours of boredom by not inviting him to
these things.
Either way, it was perfect, because Nico seriously needed to talk to Luke
before they went back to the United States. Tomorrow was their last full day
here, and Nico really felt like there was so much left that needed to be done.
And Luke just so happened to be at the center of most of those topics.
So, Nico took a chance and cleared his throat. “Luke?” He asked. The blond
grunted at him, not really paying attention to Nico. The brown-eyed boy frowned
and tried to spot what Luke was staring at, but was unsuccessful. “Luke, I need
to talk to you about something.” He sighed when Luke still did not look at him.
“Luke.”
“Let me guess, this is about Annabeth.” Luke finally turned to face Nico, his
eyes dark as they bore into Nico. “Her and Thalia were my first friends at the
hotel, so why would I want to tell you anything that you might turn around and
use against her?” He narrowed his eyes, pressing his finger firmly against the
table. “I know my brother put you up to this, I'm the one that told him to work
with you. So, yeah, I figured he might turn around and have you seek out
personal information about her. But me shielding you from your own blindness
and me helping you sabotage Annabeth are two different things.”
“I'm not-” Nico shut his mouth, his brow furrowing. “She is trying to keep me
in Los Angeles, trying to get Percy to leave me behind.” Nico leaned a little
closer, lowering his voice. “I just want to know what her story is, that's
all.”
Luke pointed an accusing finger at Nico. “I haven't told her anything that she
could use against you, so why would I do the same for you? I've known her
longer. I haven't even told her that I had Octavian help you out. You're asking
too much this time, kid.”
“She's going to tear me apart when we get back!” Nico hissed, his fist clenched
tightly around his napkin. “All I need from you is her story. I need to
understand why she's doing this.” Rubbing his face, Nico leaned on the table.
“Luke, please, just this one favor, it's all I ask for. She won't find out that
you told me, I swear.”
Luke never answered. He just looked off again, his chin propped up by his palm.
Nico let out a sigh and followed Luke's gaze, not very surprised to find it to
be on a very familiar brunet. Nico's brow furrowed as he looked back to the
blond. They only had two more days after today, Luke needed to sort through
whatever was going on with Eros.
It was a very intense stare that Luke gave the green-eyed Lost Boy, like he was
observing Eros's every movement. Nico glanced over again. Eros chuckled as he
ate with Lou and Favonius, nothing really out of the ordinary.
Finally, Nico let out another sigh. “Why don't you just go talk to him?”
Luke shot Nico a glare. “Shut up, you don't know what you are talking about,”
the blond shot back. Nico opened his mouth to object, but Luke cut him off.
“Look.” He motioned over to where Eros sat.
At first, Nico didn't really notice anything. He watched in silence as Eros
listened to Lou talk, cutting up his food into small pieces. And then those
small pieces became smaller pieces, though they did not go into Eros's mouth.
The brunet just nudged them with his fork and moved them around on his plate.
But it wasn't until Eros got up and went to the bathroom that it really clicked
in Nico's mind as to what it was that Luke was trying to get him to notice.
Nico turned back to Luke with wide eyes. “Does he...?”
“Have an eating disorder?” Luke mumbled, eyeing the direction that Eros had
just gone. “More than likely, anorexia. Not entirely uncommon with Lost Kids,
but Percy has worked to treat any at his hotel that develop an eating
disorder.” Luke's brow furrowed as he turned back to Nico. “We talked for a
while the night we had sex, and it was just something that I noticed.”
“I'm sorry,” Nico whispered.
Luke arched a brow at him. “Why are you apologizing to me?”
Nico let out a sigh. “Because, you like him.” He didn't even let Luke open his
mouth. “I mean, it's a little obvious. You stare at him a lot. I'm just not
sure why you are pushing him away, because it's pretty clear that he likes you
back, or at least desires you on a sexual level.”
“I do not like him.”
Nico held his hands up in defense. “It's fine if you don't want to admit it to
me, but you shouldn't lie to yourself about it. You don't tell anyone, so why
are you resisting this? Even if it's just for the sex, I don't see why this is
bothering you. It doesn't make any sense, really.” Nico smiled a little,
ignoring the glare from Luke. “You deserve to be happy, Luke.”
“It doesn't really matter, now does it?” Luke muttered, tossing a fry into his
mouth. “If you haven't noticed, we sort of live on different continents.”
Nico had to smile a little in victory. He didn't bring it up, but he had gotten
Luke to vaguely admit that he had some sort of feelings for Eros. It was a huge
victory for Nico, considering who he was dealing with. Still...
“Well,” Nico began, “Percy might be considering allowing Lost Kids to transfer
hotels.” Nico quickly picked up his drink and took a sip, looking innocently
off to the side.
Luke frowned, though his attention was soon taken away by Eros's return. His
blue eyes followed the French boy until he sat back down at his table. Lou
leaned over and whispered something that made the brunet frown. Luke drummed
his fingers on the table as he continued to watch the green-eyed Lost Boy.
“And why would Percy consider doing this?” He asked.
Nico chewed on his lip, doing his best to look innocent. “I might have
suggested it to him,” the boy mumbled. He chuckled nervously when Luke narrowed
his gaze in Nico's direction. “I mean, only if the Lost Kid wants to transfer,
it's not like anyone is going to be forced to do it.”
Luke grunted, though his eyes did not return to Eros. For a moment, he just sat
there, tapping his leg anxiously. “You realize that, if Annabeth doesn't get
picked for branch manager, she will want to be transferred, right?”
“I'm aware,” Nico whispered with a nod. “I'll cross that bridge if we come to
it.”
For a long time, Luke just sat there with his jaw clenched. His eyes briefly
flickered over to Eros again before they focused on Nico's face. “Annabeth's
parents divorced when she was little.”
Wha-”
“Shut up, or I won't continue my story.” Luke glared at Nico until he sat back
in his seat and shut his mouth. “Her mother was a brilliant woman, someone that
Annabeth has always aspired to be like. Her father was a smart man, a genius in
his own trade. However, her father remarried. Her father and the new wife ended
up having twins a few months after Annabeth's tenth birthday.” Blue eyes fell
away from Nico, full of betrayal. “Annabeth's stepmother was insane, though
Annabeth didn't really see it until it was too late. She was still young, what
was she supposed to do?
“The new Mrs. Chase wanted Annabeth to refer to her as 'mother', even though
Annabeth was very adamant that she would do no such thing. She was a very
jealous woman, one that pretty much hated Annabeth's real mother. The woman
blew up whenever Annabeth's father even spoke to her, even though they never
took their relationship beyond platonic again.” Luke took a breath, glancing
over at Eros again. “Her parents liked talking about their trades, discussing
architecture and science, or anything else that might interest them on that
given day. But it didn't really seem that way to the crazy bitch.
“Annabeth woke up one particular night to two gunshots. Her father came up the
stairs, yelling, and then she says that there was another gunshot. When she
came out of her room, she found her stepmother standing over her father's body,
while the twins had been shot in their bed.” Luke pressed his lips firmly
together, somehow appearing more vulnerable than Nico had really ever seen him.
“Oh my god,” Nico whispered. “And the stepmother didn't shoot her?”
“No,” Luke whispered, shaking his head. “She said that they could be a family
now, in a place where Annabeth's 'bitch of a mother' could not interfere in
their lives anymore.” Luke let out a long breath before he continued. “Annabeth
was devastated, having to see her father and brothers murdered like that. But
Mrs. Chase said that there was just one thing that needed to be done first. She
waited, keeping Annabeth close to her the entire time. Annabeth says it was the
last time she ever really felt afraid, but it was the worst she's ever
experienced.
“That bitch waited until Annabeth's mother came to pick her up for the weekend,
and then shot her. Annabeth bolted while her mother was dying. She's still
alive, in some asylum.” Luke clenched his jaw again, squeezing his fist on the
table. “Yeah, so, I'm sure you can imagine why she might not want to talk about
her past. I'd also hope that you have enough human decency to not use any of
this information against her.” He narrowed his icy blue eyes at Nico. “Because,
if you do...you won't make it to move to Germany, I'll make sure of that
myself.”
Nico gulped and nodded his head. “Understood,” he replied quietly.
With a final glare, Luke got to his feet. He took a few steps before he turned
back towards Nico. “I do not want to get dragged into the middle of whatever
war is about to unfold between the two of you, and I'd suggest to keep it away
from Percy's ears.” He glanced Nico over for a second. “Don't think I wouldn't
make the same threat to her. In case you've forgotten, I was the one that made
that deal to try and keep you out of our life.”
“You're also the one that tried to bully me into it by calling me a baby.”
“If the shoe fits.” Luke smirked at the irritated look on Nico's face. As the
smile faded, he nodded his head and tapped his hand against the back of the
chair he had been using. “But you have done a lot of growing up, and I honestly
did not think you could handled all that you have. We're supposed to look after
our own, remember that.” He rolled his eyes at the smile that made its way
across Nico's lips. “Do not get mushy on me, twerp,” Luke sighed, slipping a
piece of gum into his mouth, “you're still annoying.”
As Luke went to leave again, Nico stopped him. “Thank you.”
Luke popped his lips and turned back to face Nico. “Do not thank me, because
this conversation never happened.”
Nico nodded, a small smile on his lips. As Luke turned to walk away a third
time, Nico glanced over at Eros. Nico chewed on his lip. “Talk to Eros. Soon.”
Luke stopped at Nico's words. “If you don't do it before we leave, you're going
to regret it.”
Without saying anything, Luke left the restaurant. Nico frowned as the blond
left, but did not pursue the older Lost Boy. Nico let out a long sigh before he
got up and left the restaurant as well. As soon as he stepped out the door, the
boy jerked back when snot flew across his face and chest.
A young boy stood before him, his nose dripping in snot. Nico looked shocked
and a little disgusted as a woman, most likely the mother, came over and pulled
the boy away by his arm, lecturing him about covering his nose as they went.
“Tissue?” Came Percy's voice. Nico looked up, wiping some of the boy's snot off
of his shirt. “Perhaps a change of clothes as well?”
Nico slowly nodded, accepting the box of tissues from Percy. “How was the
meeting?” He asked as he dabbed at his face.
“It was okay. How was lunch?”
“Well, it was going fine, until I decided to leave.” Nico made a face as he
dropped the snot-filled tissue into the nearest trashcan. “I need to be
sanitized.”
Percy chuckled. “I'm sure you'll be fine.”
-------------------------
On their last full day in Germany, Percy pretty much had them take the day off.
Which was fine with Nico, because they ended up at the pool, and that meant
that Percy was shirtless. Nico sat on the edge of the pool as Percy did a few
laps, watching Percy's muscles in the water very intently. Maybe it was a
little sad, since Nico could pretty much seen Percy naked whenever he wanted,
but the Lost Boy really did not care.
Percy emerged from the water, directly between Nico's legs. He smirked up at
the pale boy, resting his arms across Nico's legs. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Enjoying the view,” Nico teased. Smiling, Nico ran his fingers through Percy's
wet hair. “Can't we just stay here?”
Percy took Nico's hand and kissed the boy's knuckles. “Very soon.” Winking up
at Nico, Percy moved slightly to the left and climbed out of the pool. Nico bit
down on his lip as he watched Percy's arm muscles tighten. Percy walked over to
a chaise lounge chair.
Percy did not even have to say anything to get Nico to come over to him, he
just simply patted the space between his legs. Nico jumped up and walked over,
pulling his relatively small swim trunks down around his thighs. Nico's face
flushed as Percy unabashedly looked his body over. Eros had given them to him
after their last pool day, and Nico was not sure how comfortable he felt in
them. They were basically boxer-briefs that gave his ass a nice lift. But Percy
seemed to like them, so Nico would gladly wear them whenever the young man
wanted.
Taking in a breath, Nico turned around and slid in between Percy's legs,
humming lightly as Percy wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. He let his head
rest against the green-eyed young man's torso. It was so relaxing...until Luke
came in.
Nico didn't even notice that the blond was there, until he shoved Eros, who had
been following behind him, into the pool. Nico shot up when water splashed
across his face. Eros surfaced with a pout, while Luke just narrowed his eyes
down at the brunet. Eros climbed out and sat down in the empty lounge chair
beside Percy and Nico. Percy handed the boy a towel, while Luke sat down on the
opposite side of Percy and Nico.
“Is there a problem?” Percy finally asked.
“He is accusing me of vile things,” Luke replied, nodding over to where Eros
sat. “And, now, he's being ridiculous, pestering me about coming to his room.”
“Tu es un sale menteur,” Eros mumbled. He cut his green eyes over to Percy.
“This one was already in my room. He just freaked out when Cecil came in and
found us cu-”
“We were doing no such thing!”
Eros let out a breath. “Cuddling,” he continued. Eros stuck out his tongue when
Luke glared at him. “I do not see why you are ashamed.” Huffing, Eros got up
and dove into the pool.
Nico scowled over at Luke. “Really? You got upset because someone caught you
cuddling with Eros?”
“We were not cuddling!” Luke hissed.
“Were so,” Eros called from the pool. “After sex, you and I were cuddling.”
Luke's body tensed. “Shut up, stop announcing such things to the world.”
Nico stared at the blond in disbelief. “Luke, you realize we are leaving
tomorrow.” He glanced at Percy before he continued. “I thought we talked about
this?”
“About what?” Percy kissed Nico's shoulder blade.
“Nothing,” Luke mumbled. “He's been following me around for the past ten
minutes.”
Nico let out a sigh. “Maybe because he wants to spend time with you on your
last night here.” He narrowed his eyes at the blond. “I saw you eating dinner
with him last night.”
“Cecil was there.” Luke let out a grunt. “It wasn't like a date or anything.”
He glanced at Eros, who was watching them from the edge of the pool. “Maybe
someone should lock their door.”
Eros just stuck his tongue out at the blond. “You were the one that came to my
room last night.” Eros smirked as Luke's ears turned pink. “You were also the
one that initiated sex with me the past two times, also asking me to give you
head backstage.”
Nico glanced at Percy, who was watching the entire thing from over the pale
boy's shoulder. Percy looked rather amused, though it did not look like the
manager was planning to intervene anytime soon. Nico leaned in and pressed a
kiss to the young man's forehead.
“He has also not been complaining about my company,” Eros added. When Luke
chose to not respond, Eros sighed and sank beneath the water.
Leaning over, Nico smacked Luke on the arm. “Ow!” Luke frowned, rubbing his
arm. “What was that for, twerp?”
“For being an idiot,” Nico mumbled. “Go talk to him again. Stop trying to screw
yourself up, Luke, just try and be happy.” He held up a finger when Luke opened
his mouth. “I will not accept 'no' as an answer. We only have one more day
here, and I know you like him. You glanced over at him when we were talking
about that thing yesterday.”
“What thing?” Percy asked, his brow furrowed.
Nico shoved the young man back. “Nothing, don't worry about it.” Percy pouted,
but Nico ignored him for now, focusing his attention on the blond instead.
“Luke, I'm serious, this is ridiculous. Nobody back home has to know, and I
doubt Cecil thinks less of you. Now,” Nico pointed to where the brunet was
swimming, “go and enjoy the rest of your afternoon with him.”
Luke just glared at Nico for a long time. He glanced over at Percy, who just
smiled and shrugged. Letting out a sigh, Luke got to his feet and stripped
himself of his shirt. Without another word, Luke jumped into the pool. Eros
eyed him warily as the blond swam over to him.
Nico let out a heavy sigh and fell back against Percy's chest. “Why must he be
so difficult?”
“It's just the way Luke is.” Percy wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. “I
don't think you need to worry, I'm sure Luke will get things sorted before we
leave. He likes Eros more than I think he's willing to admit, probably because
Eros doesn't actually put up with his bullshit. I'm sure they will be good for
each other.”
Nico glanced up at the raven haired young man. “Maybe Luke could move to the
German branch, then they could be together?”
Percy kissed Nico's forehead. “I'll see what I can do.”
“Goo-” Nico cut himself off with a sudden sneeze, which was followed soon after
by another one. Nico batted Percy's hand away when the young man tried to feel
his forehead. “I'm fine, I'm fine.”
Percy stared at him in amusement. “I do believe that kid from yesterday got you
sick.”
Nico paused for a second and then scowled at Percy. “Don't be ridiculous, I'm
the epitome of health.”
------------------------
Nico sneezed into a wad of tissues that he had grabbed from Percy's room before
they had left the hotel. It was time to go back home, but Nico really just
wanted to go to sleep. He had felt awful when he first woke up, so Nico would
probably just pass out for most of the plane ride back to Los Angeles.
Kronos had left last night, much to Luke and Nico's relief. Not that Nico had
seen much of Luke since they left the pool. In fact, when they left the hotel
had been the first time that Nico had seen the blond in almost a day. It really
did not take much to figure out where Luke had been, especially with the limp
that Eros was sporting.
While Percy said goodbye to Gaea, Nico got pulled into a hug by Eros. “I will
miss you, mon petit.” He refused to let Nico go, which made the brown-eyed boy
smile a little. As loud of a personality that Eros had, Nico had actually come
to enjoy the brunet's company. It was going to suck to not see him for a while.
“Take care of yourself.” Grinning, Eros slid an arm around Nico's shoulder and
had them face where Luke was standing. “And take care of him for me. Be sure he
messages me, or I will jump on a plane and come hunt him down.”
Nico chuckled. “I'll do my best. “So, you two worked things out?”
Eros gave a small nod. “He told me what you told him.” Green eyes studied
Nico's face carefully. “Is it true? He will be able to transfer here?”
“I'm hoping so,” Nico replied.
Eros pressed his lips together, though Nico could tell the brunet was happy. “I
suppose we will see what happens in the summer then.” He winked at Nico. “And I
will see you at the end of May.”
Nico's brow furrowed, titling his head to the side. “Wait, what?” He blinked
twice. “Why will I be seeing you?”
Eros's eyes widened a little. “Oh. Apologizes, I thought Percy had already told
you.” Eros popped his lips and placed a hand on his hips. “There is a political
conference in Los Angeles at the end of May, and Gaea offered your hotel as its
host. So, naturally, Gaea will be there, and I will tend to her while she is
visiting.”
Nico was not that thrilled by this turn of events. It was not that he didn't
want to see Eros again, it was just curious after what he overheard Luke and
Percy argue. “Political,” Nico whispered. “Do you know if Luke's mother will be
attending?”
Eros slowly shook his head. “I am sorry, but I do not know who his mother is.”
Nico let out a sigh and nodded. “It's fine, I'll ask Percy about it later.”
As they were getting ready to board their flight, Eros yanked Luke by his
collar and pulled the blond down for a searing kiss. Nico coughed and acted
like he wasn't paying attention. Luke seemed a little shocked, but he still
kissed the brunet back. Though, when he remembered that people were staring, he
quickly pulled away. Nico just grinned up at him when the blond glanced down at
him.
“Not a word, twerp,” Luke growled as they entered the terminal.
“I wasn't going to say a word.” Nico sat down in his seat. “But I am happy that
you worked things out with him. Did he tell you that he will be coming in for
the conference next month?”
Luke tensed up at that, though Nico was not quite sure it was due to the news
about Eros. “Yeah, he told me. He's going to be crashing in my suite.”
“More like your bed,” Percy teased as he took his seat as well. He grinned
innocently when Luke scowled at him. “You realize that Eros will probably have
no shame in sticking his hand down your pants...in public...regardless of who
is watching, right?”
Nico did not really understand, but it seemed like Luke did. His eyebrows
raised and he soon wandered into his own thoughts. Nico let out a yawn and slid
down in his chair, letting his head rest against Percy's shoulder. It was going
to be a long flight, and, if he was lucky, he would be able to sleep through
the entirety of it.
And that was exactly what Nico did.
When he woke up, Percy was shaking him with a smile. Nico rubbed at his eyes
and looked out the window. They had landed in Los Angeles, by the looks of it.
Yawning, Nico got up and grabbed his carry-on bag.
Rachel picked them up from the airport and delivered them back to the hotel.
Percy, true to his word, did not have as much physical contact with Nico as
they had been back in Germany. It felt so weird being home after a week, though
it was not necessarily a bad thing. Nico had really missed everyone.
However, it was a little awkward when Luke and Nico bumped into Annabeth upon
arriving at their floor. She hugged Luke first, a genuine smile on her face.
She kept smiling when she moved on to hug Nico, but the Lost Boy could see that
it was not so authentic. It was confusing, because it did seem like she liked
Nico, but saw him as a threat at the same time. From what he had pieced
together, Nico felt he could understand why Annabeth had attached herself to
Percy so strongly.
Percy had put her stepmother in that asylum, locked her away so that the woman
could never hurt Annabeth or anyone else ever again. He honestly felt a little
jealous of the blonde, being able to have been around Percy when he was a
little younger. Nico wondered what Percy was really like back then.
“I'm so glad you guys are back,” Annabeth said as she released Nico from a hug.
Before Luke or Nico could respond, however, a door down the hall opened. The
pure sight of it made the two Lost Boys that had just gotten back stare at each
other in confusion. From Apollo's suite came Leo, limping heavily and adjusting
his shirt.
When he spotted them, the Latino's eyes widened a little, like a child caught
opening his presents on Christmas. “Hey, guys! When did you two get back?”
Luke arched a brow. “Just a moment ago.” He blinked a few times. “Were you...?”
Luke couldn't even finish his sentence, too confused by the entire thing. Nico
could easily relate.
As if on cue, a shirtless Apollo emerged from the suite. “Hey, Leo, you forgot
your...” His cheeks flared up at being caught. Coughing, he held out his hand,
handing Leo his wallet. “Um, you forgot this.”
Luke just arched an eyebrow at the other blond. “Yeah, whatever.” He let out a
sigh and shoved Nico in Apollo's direction. “Percy wants the kid to see Will.
Apparently, twerp here has caught a cold.”
Nico glared, rubbing at his runny nose. Apollo chuckled and nodded. “Come on,
Will can fix you up,” the blond said. Pouting as he sniffled, Nico let the
blond guide him down the hall and into his suite.
Once the door was shut, Nico arched a brow at the curly haired blond. “I see
things happened while I was gone.”
Apollo shook his head innocently. “I don't know what you're talking about.” He
pushed Nico onto the couch. “Shut up, I don't want to hear it.” The blond let
out a sigh. “We just worked things out a few days ago, and I really can't say
what's going to happen. I do need to talk to you and catch you up, though. A
lot happened for me while you were gone.”
Nico slowly nodded. “Okay.” Unable to hold it back any longer, Nico coughed a
few times. “Can you just go get our resident doctor?”
Apollo chuckled and disappeared down the hall. Nico heard a door open and then
hushed voices. A few seconds later, Will poked his head around the corner, a
huge grin on his face.
“Nico!” He cried, practically jumping across the couch. However, the second
Nico sneezed, Will lifted his shirt to cover his mouth and nose from Nico's
germs. “Well, you look like crap.”
Nico pouted and slumped down. “Thanks a lot,” he mumbled. Well, at least he was
home. It wouldn't be long now until his real life began, but there was so much
that needed to be taken care of in that time. With another sneeze, Nico
groaned. All of it could wait until he felt better.
Chapter End Notes
     Translation:
     Tu es un sale menteur (You are a dirty liar)
     -------
     I have a one-shot out on what happened with Luke during the last
     chapter, if any of you are interested. You can find it here on AO3.
***** Love is like a Wild Rose *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
One thing that Nico would never understand was why Wile E. Coyote did not just
take his business elsewhere, since the Acme Corporation clearly was not getting
the job done for him. This was what ran through the Lost Boy's head as he sat
on the floor, watching TV, with a glass of orange juice next to him and a
blanket wrapped tightly around him. He was still sick, so Percy had kept him
home from school under Will's orders. It wasn't so bad, at least not until Nico
had to take his medicine.
The stuff tasted like the bottom of someone's foot.
Was it sad that Nico knew what that tasted like? His time with Kronos in charge
had not been a pleasant one, not with some of the weird things that the clients
down in the kink rooms wanted. At least that stuff was over.
Nico broke eye contact with the TV when the door opened. His lips tilted up at
the sight of Percy coming back to check on him. Percy had let Nico sleep with
him the night before and made Nico remain in his suite while the young man was
at work.
Percy sat down on the couch beside Nico and the boy let his head fall onto the
green-eyed young man's leg. “How are you feeling?” Before he even got an
answer, Percy placed a hand on Nico's forehead. “You're still a little warm.”
Nico pouted as he tilted his head back to look at Percy, the blanket falling
off of his head in the process. Percy smiled down at him and leaned in for a
kiss, but Nico pulled back. “Are you trying to get sick?” Nico huffed.
Percy let out a sigh. “Well, not if you don't let me kiss you.” He rolled his
eyes and grabbed Nico's head, holding the boy in place while he leaned down and
pressed an innocent kiss to Nico's lips. “I'll take my chances. But you should
go back to bed, if you're still feeling bad.”
“I'm fine.” Still leaving his head on Percy's leg, Nico turned his attention
back to the TV. He smiled as he watched the coyote plummet off a cliff.
Percy grunted and leaned back against the couch. “Your sister is coming by
after school,” the green-eyed boy announced. A very undignified noise escaped
Nico's throat, which made his face turn red. He sounded like some pathetic baby
animal. “She wants to check on you, since you're sick, and to see how your trip
went.” Percy made Nico look up at him. “If I were you, I'd use this as a time
to talk to her about moving. You're sick, she's not going to get angry with a
sick person.”
Nico whined again, which did not sound any better than the last noise he made.
He pouted when Percy laughed at him. This wasn't funny.
“Especially if you sound like that,” Percy continued.
Nico sighed and removed his head from Percy's leg. Glaring at nothing in
particular, Nico pulled the blanket back over his head. “You're mean.”
Percy fell onto his side, so that his head was now on Nico's other side. From
the corner of his eye, Nico could see the wicked grin on the young man's face.
“And you're very cute when you're sick.”
Nico reached up and rubbed his nose. “Shut up,” he mumbled. The boy let out a
breath and turned to face his sort of boyfriend. Nico really was not sure what
he was supposed to call Percy for the time being. “Can I ask you something?”
Percy's eyes widened a little, blinking at the boy. His grin slowly slipped
away. “Anything.”
“It's about this conference coming up.” Nico fiddled with a fraction of his
blanket to avoid eye contact with Percy. “Luke's mother is going to be there,
isn't she? That's what Kronos was tormenting him about, right?”
When Nico finally chanced a look, Percy had his brow furrowed. The young man
reached and pushed the blanket off of Nico's head, letting his fingers tangle
in strands of Nico's hair. “Yes,” Percy replied softly. “They'll probably see
each other, but I've assured Luke that it would be for no more than a day or
two. Plus, I will make sure they are kept apart as much as possible.”
“She doesn't know that her sons live here, does she?”
Percy slowly shook his head. “Not even an inclination.” He brushed a strand of
Nico's hair out of the boy's face. “You shouldn't worry about it, I have
everything under control.”
As Percy sat up, the young man pulled Nico into his lap. Their lips met and
Nico let out a breathless moan. When they pulled back, Nico smiled a little. He
maneuvered himself so that his head was in the young man's lap, his body
completely relaxing when Percy slowly began to trace his fingers along Nico's
shirtless back.
Later that afternoon, Nico laid on the couch in his suite. Why was he now in
his suite? Because Percy apparently didn't want Bianca to have access to his
floor after she heard Nico's news. So, he sent Nico back to his own suite
around two hours ago with some medicine and the promise that Nico could come
back to Percy's floor after it was over.
Coward.
Not that he was much better. The Lost Boy instantly tensed when there was a
knock at his door. With a deep breath, Nico slowly got up and walked over to
open the door. Bianca smiled at him and enveloped him in a tight hug. “I'm so
glad that you're home,” she said, squeezing him even tighter.
“I feel like we're back to where we started a few months ago,” Nico wheezed
out.
“Sorry.” Bianca chuckled and released her brother. “So, what did you get me?”
Nico rolled his eyes and motioned to the coffee table, where he had placed
Bianca's souvenirs. He got her a coffee mug, a new purse, some postcards, and a
new dress. The last one definitely caught her attention, if the size of her
eyes was anything to go by.
“Nico, how much did this cost?” She asked, holding the dress up to her body.
Her brother just shrugged, rubbing at his neck and keeping his eyes on the
floor. “It's really not important.” He had been smart enough to remove the
price tags earlier. She probably would have had a heart attack if she learned
the price.
Her eyes narrowed and slowly drifted over to her brother's nervous face. Nico
pursed his lips tightly and tried his best to look innocent. This was not good.
“Nico, does this have anything to do with those tabloids that I've been seeing?
Daedalus got harassed at school because people wanted to know where you were.”
She let out a sigh and put the dress down. “You are on the front pages and even
on the occasional news program. Dad was very furious when he saw that, but his
new girlfriend-”
“Persephone.”
Bianca blinked at him. “Right, I forget that she's the reason Dad found out.”
The girl shook her head lightly. “Either way, you can thank her for talking our
father out of calling the police to inform them that Percy is having his way
with you. That's what he thinks anyways.” Her dark eyes narrowed when Nico
averted his own eyes. “Nico...please tell me that your boss is not being
inappropriate with you. Daedalus told me that you had a crush on Percy in the
beginning, is that true? Has he touched you? Is he taking advantage of you?”
Nico gulped. His sister looked ready to murder. “Um, well,” the Lost Boy rubbed
his neck, “I wouldn't really say that he's taking advantage of me.” He chewed
on his lip for a second before chancing a glance at his sister. The look of
madness that they had inherited from their father was there in full force. “I
do like... Um, well, he's being really sweet, and-”
“Is he having sex with you?”
Well shit. This could only end badly. It was nice knowing you, Percy. Hell hath
no fury like Nico's sister. Better Percy than Nico, right? Percy would be fine.
Probably. Hopefully.
Nico's hesitance was clearly not the right answer. Before Nico even realized
what was happening, Bianca had the door open and was heading out into the hall.
The brown-eyed boy shot into the hall and grabbed his sister's arm.
“B, where are you going?” He asked.
She whirled around on him. “To kick your boss in the balls. That way, he will
be reluctant to take his junk out of his pants whenever he sees you.” She
marched onward to the elevator. “He'll remember that my brother should not be
used like this, simply because he offered you a place to live. You can just
move in with Daedalus until you graduate, if that's the issue.”
Nico began to panic. “Bianca, wait!” That got her attention. His older sister
came to a halt and slowly turned to face him again. Nico took in a deep breath.
“It's not like that. Can we just...go back to my room and talk? Please?”
She complied, though the girl was clearly not happy about it. Bianca followed
Nico with her arms crossed over her chest. When they got back to his room, Nico
closed the door. Bianca was already pacing furiously at the foot of Nico's bed.
Nico took in another breath and motioned for Bianca to stop her pacing. “Percy
is going to be taking over the hotel chain, just like the media has been
saying. Yes, I've been working here and doing things that I know you don't
approve of, but the situation has changed. Is changing.” Nico relaxed his
shoulders. “Percy offered me a committed relationship. He wouldn't be taking
advantage of me, I wouldn't even have to keep working like I am. I would be
taken care of.” He searched his sister's eyes, but they were unreadable. “I
care about him a lot, B, and he likes me back. So, I accepted his offer when he
asked. It was my decision, one that he offered me. Percy has never forced
himself on me, or even done anything that I didn't want. If anything, you
should be mad at me. I'm the one that tried to get into his pants to begin
with.”
“You can't be serious!” Bianca replied, throwing her hands into the air. “Nico,
you are underage. He could go to jail, I don't understand why he would suggest
something like this. He could just be using you.”
Nico snorted. “For what? I don't have anything valuable to offer him, B.” The
raven haired boy plopped down on his bed. “And I don't think he's too concerned
about the police, to be honest. Really, it's fine, you don't need to worry.”
Bianca let out a long sigh and sat down beside her brother. “I will always
worry about you, twerp.” She placed a soft hand on his back and rubbed small
circles. “You don't have to do this regardless, because you could just go to
school and leave this place behind. You don't have to have Percy to get out of
this life.” Her brow furrowed as she studied his expression. “Tell me that you
were planning on leaving.”
“Um,” Nico licked his lips, “about that.” He let out a long breath, his shoes
suddenly very interesting. “See, Percy is going to be moving to Germany when he
takes over.”
Bianca just shrugged. “Then you shouldn't worry about him, he'll be half a
world away.”
This was much harder than he realized it would be. “Bianca...”
His sister's face paled. “Nico, please tell me you're not about to say what I
think you are.” When no answer came, she placed her hands over her face and
took a deep breath.
“I want to move, B. It would be a fresh start. I could be so far away from our
father, and I wouldn't have to worry about surviving. Percy isn't going to hurt
me.” Nico pressed his lips together, his brow furrowed. “Well, not
intentionally. He wouldn't mean to hurt me. Really, Percy actually tried to
push me away, thinking he wasn't good for me.”
Bianca had her lips tightly pursed. She didn't look at Nico, wouldn't look at
him. Nico felt a lump in his throat. “I...” Bianca began. “Well, I guess I
can't stop you, and I can't make decisions for you your whole life.” She
lowered her gaze. It hurt a little that she wouldn't look at him, but Nico knew
how hard this probably was for her. They wouldn't see each other but a few
times a year. “If this is what you really want...”
A smile became plastered on Nico's face. If anything, this was the closest he
could get to parental consent. It was really the only family member's opinion
that Nico cared about. “Thank you!” He threw his arms around her and pulled her
in for a tight hug. “I promise that you don't need to worry about me.”
Bianca rolled her eyes and patted her brother's back. “Yeah, yeah. Just tell
Percy that he better take damn good care of you, or I will come hunt him down
in Germany. I don't care how rich and powerful he is, I'll cut his balls off if
he hurts you.”
Nico slowly pulled back. “Are you sure you're okay with this?”
“The Germany part? Not so much.” She let out a sigh. Much to Nico's surprise, a
smile formed on her lips. “However, I am glad that you are happy. With him, not
this place. And he better not have you still strip. You best be keeping your
clothes on now, aside from Percy. No point in telling you not to do that, since
you two have already did the deed.” She ruffled her brother's hair. “He does
make you happy, right?”
Nico nodded with a smile. “Very much.”
Bianca nodded and stood up. “I think I'm going to go for a long walk, maybe
take up drinking.”
Nico snorted. “Thank you, Bianca.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget about how awesome I am.” She smiled and leaned
down to kiss her brother on the top of his head. “Make sure you call or message
me somehow once or twice a week while you are over there.”
“I will,” Nico assured her.
With a final nod and a hug, Bianca left and Nico was left alone in his room.
The boy let out a long breath, falling back on his bed. He needed a massage.
That had been way too stressful, but at least it was over. And Percy still had
his balls. That was always a plus, Nico supposed.
His head fell to the side, his eyes opening on his closet. The boy blinked, his
brow furrowing when his gaze locked on to a small box on the top shelf of the
back portion of his closet. Nico slid off the bed and entered his closet.
Standing on his tiptoes and stretching his arm, Nico pulled the box down. It
was rather small, but Nico still remembered it.
It was strange to think that something so small could cause so much distress.
When he had gotten the box, Nico had refused to open it. The thing just sat on
his dresser, taunting him. When that got to be too much, Nico had stuffed it
into his closet and had long since been forgotten. At least until now.
Scrunching his lips, Nico debated just leaving it unopened. It wasn't like he
would probably use whatever it was. And if it was something out of the
ordinary, Nico would just go back to being afraid that he had one of those
creepy obsessed people for a client.
No, Nico was stronger than this, he was better than this. Without any more
hesitation, Nico tore off the top of the box. His eyes fell upon the object
inside and the Lost Boy just blinked at it. Reaching in, Nico pulled out a
laced red thong.
Nico snorted and dropped it back into the box, sealing the lid back on it. Not
so much something from an obsessed person, but rather someone that just wanted
to see Nico in something perverted. He would not be using them. Nico groaned
and dropped the box in the trash. When all of this over, he would probably toss
out about half of the underwear he had.
The briefs, boxers, boxer-briefs, and things like speedos were fine. Thongs
just were not Nico's thing. Even after adjusting to this life, Nico hated
putting them on. It wasn't about his masculinity, Nico had never really figured
trying to preserve that image was important. No, it was just the simple fact
that Nico did not find thongs appealing.
He would much rather wear something that hugged his ass tightly, than have
something that worked like dental floss when he walked.
------------------------
Nico did not get to go upstairs for the performances that night. Percy had
forbid it, so that Nico did not risk getting the clients sick. Great
priorities. It was so nice to see what was truly important. Percy had just
grinned when Nico had told him all that. But Percy was happy to hear that
Bianca had given Nico her blessing to move to Germany.
Still, Nico was dragged to the conference room across from Percy's office after
all of the Lost Kids were done for the night. It was time to announce Percy's
replacement. Nico could not help but watch Annabeth very carefully as they
waited for Percy to arrive. Her face was blank, but she tapped her finger
insistently on the wooden table. The question was: Was she doing it because she
wanted the promotion, or was she anxious because she was hoping Percy would
pass her up?
The other Lost Kids really did not seem concerned over it, save for Octavian.
The blond had his arm rests in a death grip. The twins had busied themselves
with trying to toss jellybeans into each other's mouths. Then there was Luke,
who was too busy staring at his phone to even look up when Percy entered the
room.
Other than Leo and Rachel, Nico was the only one that knew that Percy actually
had two things to tell everyone. Luke knew that the subject was up for debate,
but the blond did not know that Percy had made up his mind. It would make
things more difficult with Annabeth when she learned. What if she got the
position and gave it up?
Could she do that?
Percy shifted his weight onto his right hip and placed his hands behind his
head. “So, as you know I need to name my replacement.” The young man popped his
lips. “However, it's not the only thing I need to tell you about.” His eyes
flickered over to where Nico sat, and the look in those sea-green eyes let the
Lost Boy know that Percy had not told him everything. “There are two other
things.”
Nico sat up in his chair. Two? Percy had not mentioned anything else. What the
hell did Nico not know? Was this going to screw things up for Nico's plans?
Percy blew out a breath. “So, I guess I should start with the replacement.” He
nodded his head lightly. “It really wasn't that hard of a decision. Annabeth,”
Percy said. The blonde tensed and held her breath. “You will be an amazing
branch manager, Annabeth.”
Nico released a sigh of relief. Everything was good. Annabeth would stay here
and Nico could be happy. He had won. And Annabeth did not look happy about
that. She did smile, but the look in her gray eyes clearly told a different
story.
“But...”
Nico felt his face pale. This was not going to be good. The raven haired boy
buried his face into his hands.
Percy pointed over to Ocatvian. “However, there was something else discussed at
the manager meeting. Athena wants to retire in another year or two.” Percy
lifted his hands in a shrug. “So, Octavian, it might be possible for you to get
that position, if you wanted it. You speak plenty of languages, so it's not
like you aren't qualified.”
Nico was not sure if he wanted to be relieved just yet. While everyone else was
focused on Octavian or Percy, Nico had his gaze trained on Annabeth. The blonde
did not seem so irritated any longer, and Nico had a good hunch as to why.
“But, of course, the position will be picked from all the hotels, so there's no
sure guarantee,” Percy continued. He scratched at his cheek. “The other part is
something for all of you, except Annabeth, since she will be taking my place
here.” A smirk touched at the young man's lips. “I want to open the doors for
transfer. This can apply to any Lost Kid. From any hotel, to any hotel. If you
want to come to Germany with me and Nico, you are welcome to put in an
application.
“I will work with the particular branch manager and work out arrangements for
swapping Lost Kids. Like, say that five of you want to come to Germany, I will
have to make sure five get placed here from the German branch, unless Annabeth
can round five new Lost Kids up around here. Everything still needs to be
balanced, just keep that in mind.” Percy smiled over at Nico, which some of the
Lost Kids did seem to catch. “I want this to be sort of a new day for the Lotus
Hotel. Leo and Rachel will make sure that forms are available in my office in
the next week or two.” Those green eyes slowly moved their way around the room,
giving each of them an unspoken message. “Some of you may finally be able to be
where you want to be, maybe even with someone that you want to be with.”
When he said that, Percy had looked straight at Hazel. The girl did her best to
suppress a smile. She wanted to go be with Frank. It made Nico a little sad to
realize that, knowing that he wouldn't get to see her after they moved if that
was the case. He just hoped that some of the others would take the offer.
“Wait,” Annabeth said, holding up a hand. “You said that you and Nico would be
moving to Germany.”
That definitely caught everyone's attention. Will glanced over at Nico, his
brow furrowed. The twins grinned wickedly. “Is the boss finally settling down?”
They both asked in unison.
Percy let out a sigh and rubbed at his neck. “I was going to bring that up
later. Um,” his eyes flickered up to where Nico sat, “yes, Nico is going to be
moving to Berlin with me. Um, I, sort of...like...him.”
Nico was really not sure if he had ever seen Percy blush like this before. The
young man's cheeks were a bright pink, which really amused Nico. The tables had
turned.
“So, you're going to have an open relationship?” Annabeth asked. “I mean, you
have business to conduct here and all. And what about when you move?”
“Uh,” Percy chuckled, rubbing at his neck. “Well, I guess the way I conduct
business here with all of you is going to be coming to an end over the next few
weeks. Nico and I talked, and it was something we agreed on. And, of course,
there is no need for me to be anything but committed once we move.”
“No more sex?” Drew shrieked. “That is so unfair!” She shot Nico a dirty look.
“Percy's body is too hot to not share with the rest of us. Totally selfish.”
Will looked like someone had kicked his favorite puppy. Nico would have to talk
with the blond soon, clear the air between them. But the majority of the Lost
Kids did not seem that concerned. Thalia even patted Percy on the back,
congratulating him. Beckendorf gave Nico a thumbs up and a wink.
“Okay, everyone settle down,” Percy said above all the commotion. “It's late,
we all need some sleep. Just remember about the forms and be thinking it over.”
He snapped his fingers and motioned towards the door. “Meeting adjourned.”
As they all filed out, Nico managed to catch Luke. “Hey,” the shorter boy said
quietly.
Luke just grunted at him, not even bothering to look up from his phone. “What
do you want, twerp?”
“I wanted to know if you decided on the transfer thing.”
“Not sure.” For a brief second, those cold blue eyes flickered over to stare at
Nico. “It really doesn't matter.”
Nico pressed his lips together. He held his tongue until they were on their
floor and could talk without everyone else listening to their conversation. It
was really just a miracle that Luke didn't leave Nico standing there in the
hall.
The brown-eyed boy tilted his head to the side when the last door closed. “What
about Eros?” He asked, studying Luke's face.
The blond paused. His lips tilted down and he pocketed his phone. “It was just
sex. Why have you been trying to make such a big deal out of it? We only knew
each other a week.” The older Lost Boy shook his head. “Just let it go, kid.”
Nico let out a breath and nodded. “I know, but that doesn't mean you can't like
him. I think you're afraid to like someone.” He shrugged. “It's understandable.
I mean, you got hurt the last time you did.”
“Shut up,” Luke growled.
Nico bit down on his lip, taking a step back. “It's fine, Luke. All of that is
in the past, you don't need to get angry about it.” Nico swallowed a lump in
his throat. He waited for Luke to blow up at him, but the blond just stared
down at him with an icy gaze. “You should at least try. See where it goes. Who
knows, you might actually be happy. There's no harm in trying. If you moved,
there would be nothing stopping you from trying.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “And if nothing comes of it, then I moved for nothing.”
Nico simply shrugged. “You can still have sex with him, since you did seem to
enjoy that.”
Luke just grunted and opened his door. Before he disappeared inside, though,
the blond glanced over his shoulder and studied Nico for a moment. His brow
furrowed, and then he was gone. The door closed gently behind him. Nico let his
head fall back with a sigh of relief. Luke really did deserve to be happy.
Maybe it was just sex, but that didn't mean something couldn't grow from it.
It wasn't long after Nico got back to his room that Percy opened his door. He
smiled at Nico as he closed the door behind him. Nico smiled back, busy working
on getting his pants off. He just wanted to crawl under his covers and pass out
until he felt better.
“Feel better?” Percy asked.
Nico shrugged. “A little.” His fever had gone down, and now Nico was just left
with a mild headache and a runny nose. “Do I have to go to school tomorrow?”
Percy chuckled. “I'll let you have another day off, but you do need to go back
by Wednesday.”
“Technically, Wednesday is tomorrow.”
The young man shrugged. “You're the one that said tomorrow, I said I'd let you
have another day off.”
Nico narrowed his eyes. “Touché.” He let out a sigh and leaned back on his
palms. “So, what do I owe this pleasure?”
“Just wanted to check on you,” Percy replied. He reached out and brushed Nico's
bangs away, feeling the boy's forehead. “I have some business to take care of,
or I'd let you sleep upstairs.”
Nico felt his smile falter. “With one of the Lost Kids, you mean,” he muttered.
Percy let out a sigh. “We talked about this, Nico.” His brow furrowed and he
slipped his hands into his pockets. “Why is it bothering you?”
“Talking about and going through it are two different things.” Nico chuckled to
hide the pain that he felt right now, though it probably did nothing to
convince Percy. “Can't you tell them no and let me come sleep up there? I'm
sick.”
Percy chuckled and shook his head. “You are just trying to play the guilt card
now. That's low.” The young man tugged at a strand of Nico's hair. “Don't be
like this. It'll all be over soon and we can go back to how we were last week,
forever.” Smiling, Percy leaned down and kissed Nico on the lips. “Smile.”
Nico threw on a fake one to appease the young man. With a grunt, Nico rolled
onto his side and turned his back to Percy. It was probably Annabeth, trying to
ruin Nico's victory.
Percy opened Nico's door. He let out a sigh when Nico did not roll over to look
at him. “In case you've forgotten, I don't kiss the others outside of sex. Just
something to think about.” With that, he shut Nico's door and left the suite.
Nico rolled over and frowned at the door. His shoulder slumped with a sigh.
Maybe he was acting like a child. He just really wanted for this to be over and
the rest of his life to begin.
-------------------------
There was nothing Nico wanted more than to stay inside Jason's car when they
arrived at school on Wednesday morning. Not only was nearly the entire student
body waiting in the parking lot, but so were a mass of media and press. Before
Nico could even get out of the car, there were cameras flashing in his
direction.
Nico lifted an arm and did his best to hide from the cameras, but they came at
him from all sides. There was a faint ringing in his ears as the hoard
descended on him, trying to yell over each other to ask Nico an endless stream
of questions.
“Is it true that you are in a relationship with Percy Jackson?”
“Where are your parents? Do they not care?”
“Over here! Are you aware that having sex with you could mean that Percy would
go to jail?”
Nico felted his legs sway as he tried to squeeze through them all. He nearly
walked into a pole because of the blinding lights of the cameras. Escape, Nico
wanted to escape. This was too much. How was he supposed to live like this?
“Is it true that Percy is taking advantage of you as a minor?”
“How did you meet?”
“What is Percy Jackson really like? Give us the scoop.”
If it weren't for Jason and Daedalus, Nico probably would have collapsed on the
spot. The two grabbed him and shoved their way through the crowd, knocking
several reporters over on the way. It didn't get any better, though. After the
media came the students, who all had their phones out to take pictures or
record Nico.
Why were they doing this? Nico was a nobody. He wasn't important, he was just
involved with someone important. Why did they have to harass him? Nico had been
invisible before this.
It did not get better as school went on. Before his classes and in the halls,
people would come up to Nico and ask for a picture with him. Even though he
managed to complete all his missed homework, his teachers all told him not to
worry about it. This new treatment really did not sit well with him. He just
wanted to be normal again.
At lunch, Nico, Jason, and Daedalus were joined by Kelli and her little group.
Unlike before, Kelli and Tammi seemed a little too friendly towards Nico.
“Nico, we're so glad you're back,” Kelli said in a sweet tone.
“We hope you're feeling better. Did you have a fun break?” Tammi added.
“Cut the crap,” Jason mumbled. Kelli shot the blond a dirty look.
Tammi rolled her eyes. “Nico, if you ever need a lift or anything, just let me
know. I can give you my number. I'd be so happy to come pick you up.”
Jason chewed his food, giving the cheerleader a dull look. “They wouldn't even
let you in the lobby.” He glared back at the two when the cheerleaders gave him
another dirty look.
“That's really not necessary.” Nico poked at his food, trying to do his best
not to make eye contact. “I just find it funny how everyone is interested in me
now that they think I'm dating a millionaire.”
“Billionaire,” Daedalus coughed.
Kelli rolled her eyes, inspecting her nails. “I mean, it's not like we didn't
know you were super gay.” The girl tried to reach over and take Nico's hand,
but the Lost Boy drew it back. “My cousin is totally gay, so I'm cool with it.
Dylan, who had too busy eating to contribute, finally decided to weigh in. “I
don't understand why you didn't tell everyone you were dating a rich person a
long time ago. Everyone would have been your friend.”
Jason aggressively bit off a carrot from his fork. “Maybe because he's not
shallow and isn't trying to impress anyone.” He dropped his fork on his tray
and leaned back in his chair. “It's not like anyone would have believed him
anyways.”
“Besides, nobody knew who Percy Jackson was two weeks ago,” Daedalus added.
Nobody unimportant, Nico added in his head. Only people that seemed to matter
to the Lotus's business seemed to know who the branch managers were, and they
also knew to fear them. The general populous did not know that information,
which Nico knew could lead to very dangerous situations for some of those media
vultures that were still circling the school.
Around two, Nico got pulled out of class. Since the press was still outside,
Ethan had been sent to pick Nico up from school. Nico remained quiet through
the entire car ride, his brain too exhausted to think of something to talk
about. He was just thankful to be away from school, at least until tomorrow.
How was he supposed to get by like this until May?
Once he was back at the hotel, Nico stopped by Percy's office. The young man
was on the phone, but Rachel let him go in and wait. Percy smiled across the
desk at him as he finished up his phone call, but his smile slowly fell as he
took in Nico's exhausted appearance.
“I'll have to call you back,” Percy said to whoever he was talking to. Hanging
up, Percy leaned on his desk. “Is everything okay?”
No, not really. Nico's entire body was sore from the stress of today. Nico
slumped down in the chair and groaned. “Are you concerned at all about the
media? They wouldn't leave me alone today.”
“I know, which is why I had you picked up early.” The young man spun his chair
from side to side, giving Nico a lopsided smile. “It'll get easier, I promise.”
In response, Nico dropped the latest tabloid with them on the cover onto
Percy's desk. “I don't see how. They are asking questions about my sex life.”
Percy simply shrugged, lacing his hands together in front of him as he rested
his back against the chair. “I'm not concerned, and you shouldn't be either.
Just don't admit to actually having sex with me.” With a long groan, Percy
propped his feet up on his desk. “Not that I'd be worried if any of the press
did try to insinuate such a thing, it would just mean the end of their career.
The same applies to any cop stupid enough to try and arrest me. However, it
would be easier if they didn't have your statement on the matter. They can't
really do anything about us seeing each other, so long as it's innocent, unless
your father pressed charges. Which, really, it wouldn't get him very far
either.”
“You're so reassuring,” Nico droned. He pouted and dropped his head onto
Percy's desk. “Do I have to go to work tonight?”
“It's just the floor, Nico,” Percy reminded him. “It's not like you'll be
taking your clothes off.”
“But I can still be taken to the back rooms.”
Percy pressed his lips together. “I'll give it another day or two for that,
just to be sure about your cold.” He rolled his eyes when Nico smiled at him.
“You're welcome.”
“Thank you.” Standing up, Nico leaned over the desk and kissed Percy briefly.
“And I'm sorry about the other night.”
Percy waved it off. “Don't worry about it.” He nodded to the door. “Go relax,
enjoy yourself until work.”
Not going to argue, Nico ended up at the cabana to get a smoothie from
Ganymede. “Cutie, you're back!” The man greeted him. “I heard you have been
sick and confined to your room.”
Nico nodded. “Yeah, but I'm feeling better. It's just school, it was horrible
today.” The Lost Boy rubbed at his neck, wincing at the tight muscles he felt
there. He really needed a massage. “The paparazzi won't leave me alone.”
“Oh yeah, I heard about your little media explosion in Europe.” Ganymede
grinned at him as he worked on making a smoothie for the raven haired boy.
“Congrats on reeling in Percy.”
The brown-eyed boy chuckled a little. “Berlin was actually a lot of fun,
though. I made three friends and I'll get to move over there once I finish high
school.”
Ganymede pouted as he slid the smoothie across the counter. “Aw, I'll miss you,
cutie. What will I do without you around?”
“Carry on like normal, I'd imagine.” Nico took a long sip. “I feel like I
missed a lot around here while I was gone, though.”
“Not too much excitement,” Ganymede assured him. “Apollo and Leo seemed to work
through things, though Robert has been around a lot. I feel like tensions are
high right now between the three of them.” He grinned. “Try to keep your head
down. Zoë has had Thalia over for a night or two, or so I hear. Possibly some
romance there, maybe?”
“Really?” Nico scrunched his lips and then shrugged. “Good for them.”
“Annabeth and Octavian were nervous about the job thing, but I think Octavian
has gotten over it.” The dirty haired blond leaned on the counter, resting a
rag on his shoulder. “Jason and Will hung out a lot, mostly basketball.” The
man snapped his finger suddenly. “Ah, yes, how could I forget? So, you didn't
hear it from me, but word is that Beckendorf bought a ring. There might be some
wedding bells in the future.”
Nico couldn't help but grin. “That's great! Nobody has told Silena?” He asked.
Ganymede shook his head. “Do you know when Beckendorf is going to ask her?”
“Not a clue.” The man tapped a finger to his lips. “Probably soon, if I had to
guess.”
While at work, Nico's fatigue did not go away. It was kind of hard to, when
customers were always demanding service and beckoning him over. He really
wanted school to be over, so that this could all be behind him. He could be
relaxing by the pool in Germany right now if that were the case. Instead, Nico
settled for rubbing his neck and dropping off the latest set of drink orders
for Dionysus to fill. He didn't even wait around for the man to make some
backhanded remark to him.
And then came the surprise. He got to his newest table, where a man sat alone.
There was nothing unusual about the guy. His hair had a slight curl to it and
his skin was a light bronze. His hands were also nearly double the size of
Nico's. But it was what he gave Nico that caught the boy off-guard.
Nico blinked down as the man held out a single red rose. “Um, thank you?” He
said with a smile, accepting the flower. Nico turned it slightly in his hand.
“It looks really pretty.”
“I thought you might like it,” the man replied with a warm smile. “You always
look quite handsome, and tonight I felt brave enough to give you that.” The man
chuckled and leaned on the table. “I must confess, I'm not used to places like
this, but I would not mind entertaining you some night.”
Nico smiled and looked down at the rose. The man seemed nice enough, so Nico
let the comment about having to have sex with the guy slide. “Perhaps we can
work that out.” He glanced up again, studying the man's face. “I just don't
remember seeing you around here before.”
It was strange, because the guy said tonight he felt brave enough to give Nico
the rose. Something like that made Nico think the guy had been here for a few
times and had admired Nico, but the Lost Boy had never noticed him. The man had
definitely never requested time with the brown-eyed Lost Boy. Perhaps he had
just admired Nico from afar, maybe even asked one of the other Lost Kids about
him? Hell, for all Nico knew, this guy had given him that present.
“I don't suppose you've given me anything before, have you? Maybe just not in
person?”
The man shook his head. “No, can't say that I have. But I definitely have my
eye on you now.” He smiled warmly again. “I wouldn't expect you to remember my
face anyways, it's not that memorable. Besides, I'm sure you have to deal with
a lot of people around here.”
Nico lifted the rose with a nod. It was true, he supposed, the man's face was
not very unique. He looked normal, not even that old. Judging by his
appearance, Nico guessed that the guy was just a few years younger than his own
father. “Thank you again for the rose.”
He ended up putting it in a glass of water and placing it in the small fridge
they had in the bar room. Nico would probably take it back to his room later.
He wasn't sure if he should really keep it, but the boy did not see any real
harm in it. It was a pretty rose. Standard, but still beautiful.
Octavian took Nico aside later in the night. “What's up?” Nico asked after they
had moved close to a wall.
The blond rubbed lightly at his forehead. “I just have to ask, what happened in
Germany?” Octavian tilted his head to the side. “I just don't understand it.”
“What do you mean?” Nico arched a brow. “I thought Percy told you all, we are-”
“Not about you and him,” the blond hissed. He rolled his eyes at the raven
haired boy and pointed to his brother, who was currently on the stage. “What
happened with Luke? He's barely put his phone down since he got back. And just
yesterday, I caught him taking a picture of his dick. If it was for someone
here, Luke would have just gone and messed around with whoever it was.”
Nico couldn't help but smile. His dark eyes traveled up to the stage to watch
the blond slowly work his way out of his clothes. Nico knew full well who Luke
was messaging, not that Luke would ever admit it. But this was good, very good.
After his long day, Nico felt a little better.
Whether he knew it or not, Luke had given Nico the answer to his question the
other night.
Chapter End Notes
     There, everyone gets to know what the present was several chapters
     back. Like I said, it wasn't really anything important. I never even
     intended to come up with something in my head for what it was, just
     that it wasn't important to the story. And sorry for the wait on this
     chapter, I had other stuff to work on. My other fic, In My Time of
     Need, was giving me a hard time, but it had been two months since I
     updated it, so I had to get a chapter done. And the other part is
     that I've started writing an actual book, which will probably start
     to take up a lot of my time. Just so all of you know why updates
     might be taking a while. However, since CoL is almost done, it'll
     still get a high priority.
***** Before the Fall *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It did not get much easier at school for Nico as the week continued. On the
bright side, it was finally Friday, which meant that Nico could stay out of the
public eye for two full days. He probably should have just gone straight home
after school, but Bianca and Daedalus had convinced him to go down to the beach
with them. Naturally, Jason had volunteered to come along, since he was
actually Nico's ride back to the hotel.
While the others had gotten into the ocean to swim, Nico remained on the shore
and worked on a sandcastle. One thing was for certain, Nico didn't see himself
becoming an architect anytime soon. The boy smiled a little when he noticed
Bianca waving at him happily.
He had almost finished the northeast tower of his castle when Jason sat down
across from him. “You going to join us?” The blond asked, running a hand
through his short blond hair. “Unless you're finally trying to get some color
in your skin.”
Narrowing his eyes, Nico tossed a handful of wet sand at the blond's bare
chest. “Never heard you complain about how pale I am.”
“It does suit you, I suppose.” Jason grinned and adjusted some sunglasses
across his face. Apparently, the blond had also gotten himself some glasses
while Nico had been away, though he only wore them at school or when they
weren't working. Will had claimed it was due to some possible abuse from Zeus,
though it eventually came to light that Jason had once had an accident
involving a brick. Nico felt it best not to question it. “Anyways, you coming
in?”
Nico lightly shook his head. “I think I'll pass. Water and I never really got
along, at least not the ocean. Give me a pool any day.” Letting out a breath,
the brown-eyed boy went back to scooping up some wet sand for his castle. Nico
let out a grunt as Jason placed his sunglasses on top of Nico's head.
As Jason got up to return to the others, Nico looked over his shoulder with a
frown. He chewed his lip for a moment as his eyes scanned over the beach. The
Lost Boy had a very strange feeling, like someone was watching him. But from
what he could see, nobody was paying him any attention. A small group of girls
waved awkwardly at him, but it was probably because he had been staring.
Shaking his head, Nico dumped a pile of sand down for his southwest tower.
“Is Percy Jackson's adorable squeeze having a secret fling?”
Nico looked up as a bright light flashed in his face. What the hell? A second
flash went off, which Nico was lucky enough to prepare himself for. With his
hand over his eyes, the Lost Boy was able to make out a pair of black sneakers
in the sand.
“Is this trouble in paradise?” The same female voice asked as another flash
went off.
Nico reached out to smack the camera away, but his hand just swept through the
air. “Can you stop taking my picture, or at least chill with the flashes?” He
mumbled, quickly lowering Jason's shades onto his eyes.
The woman looked relatively young, her frizzy black hair pulled into pigtails.
A thick pair of glasses rested across her nose, which she quickly pushed up her
nose. But it was kind of the crazed look in her eyes that worried Nico the
most.
“Who are you?” Nico grumbled. With a huff, he reached behind him and grabbed
his shirt.
“Keto George,” she beamed, looking proud. Nico just gave her a dull look as he
slid on his shirt. The woman needed to get out of his personal space. She was
literally just a few inches from him, her left foot touching the edge of his
castle. “And you are Nico di Angelo, the boy that is dating Perseus Jackson
himself.”
Nico smacked the woman's shoe with a plastic shovel he had been using. “If you
ruin my sandcastle...” He forced himself not to growl when she merely took
another picture of him. “You know, I could always call Percy and have him
confiscate that camera.”
“Interfering with the public's right to information.” Another picture. Nico was
seriously getting irritated. Not only would she not leave him alone, but she
would not back away from him. “So, does Percy know about your other man?”
“Um, Jason works at the hotel, so I'd assume that Percy knows who he is.” Nico
blinked. “I'm not seeing Jason, so get that out of your head.”
Keto had a very annoying smirk appear on her face. “Oh! A secret romance! This
will sell quite a few copies.”
He really wanted to smash that camera, but Percy had told Nico to behave
himself around the press. “Sure, if you want to lie.” Nico began to chew on his
lip as his brain ran through ways for him to politely make this woman go away.
Thankfully, he didn't have to come up with anything. “Hey!” Jason barked as he
made his way over to them from the ocean. “Is this reporter bothering you,
Nico?”
“A secret romance right under Percy's nose. How scandalous!” With a manic
smile, Keto snapped a few pictures of Jason's wet and half naked body. “This
could make the front page!”
While Nico and Jason had to behave, Bianca was under no such instructions.
Before Nico even realized that his sister had left the ocean, Bianca had
snatched the camera out of Keto's hands and tossed it over to Daedalus. “Leave
my brother alone, right now!” She yelled. “He is not doing anything wrong, we
are just trying to enjoy our afternoon. Now leave!”
Keto huffed and held out her hand. “Only once that kid over there hands me my
camera,” she said, motioning to Daedalus.
“If you don't leave,” Daedalus took a few steps back, extending his arm over
the waves, “I'll just drop it.”
“But-” Keto pursed her lips together. “That camera costed me a lot of money!”
Jason crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah, well, maybe you shouldn't use it
to harass people.”
With a final huff, Keto spun around on her heel and marched off. “This isn't
over!” She yelled. “I will have my story!” Her exit was ruined after a few
steps, when she tripped in the sand and ate a mouthful of the stuff. She tossed
a glare over her shoulders as Jason, Daedalus, and Bianca burst out laughing.
Nico remained quiet, his lips pressed in a firm line until the woman was out of
sight.
“I want to go home,” he announced.
“But-” Bianca started, but cut herself off when Daedalus rested a hand on her
shoulder. “Okay.” With a small nod, the dark haired girl worked on packing
their stuff up with the help of her boyfriend.
Jason plopped down next to Nico. “You okay?”
“I will be,” Nico mumbled. He looked up at the blond. “Just take me back to the
hotel.”
Jason gave a small nod. He wrapped an arm around Nico's shoulder once they were
both on their feet. “Hey, I'm going to go ahead and take Nico back, if that's
okay with you two.”
“Yeah, of course,” Daedalus answered.
Bianca gave Nico a big hug before he left with Jason. This was never going to
end, was it? At least not until they moved to Germany. Nico could deal with the
press in Europe, they were nice. But all of this would just happen again when
Nico came to visit his sister, or Percy had business here.
Once they were back at the hotel, Nico went straight up to Percy's office. He
wasn't sure if Percy could be affectionate with him at the moment, but the Lost
Boy just felt that the young man could at least ease his nerves. But his nerves
only got worse when the door opened and out walked Annabeth.
“Enjoy another day of getting swarmed by press?” Came a snippy greeting from
the blonde.
Nico felt his eye twitch. “Did you enjoy picking up your application?” His
hands balled into fists. “Oh wait, you can't get one, because you're going to
be stuck here.”
Annabeth's eyes flashed dangerously at the pale boy. “Actually, I just had sex
with Percy. You know, your boyfriend. His desk is very durable, by the way.”
Nico's eyes grew very dark, though he refused to fully look at the Lost Girl.
“Enjoy it while you can, because you won't be getting it much longer.” Nico
spun around when he saw Annabeth about to snap back at him. “Go ahead, say
something. I can always just go in there and tell Percy that I don't want to go
through the remainder of my days as a Lost Kid and for him to stop conducting
his business like that with the rest of you. You know, because he already told
me I could ask that of him back in Germany. Which was amazing, by the way, as
we had a lot of sex. Sex that Percy came to me for, and I didn't even have to
ask him, like you do.” His eyes were practically black as he glared at the
blonde in front of him. “So, keep talking, let's see how that goes for you. I
am not in the mood for you right now.”
Annabeth never even got to try and respond. The door opened behind Nico and
Hazel poked her head out. “Is everything okay out here?” She asked.
“Just fine,” Annabeth replied, her face already back to a neutral mask. “Nico
here is just having a bad day.”
Hazel glanced at Nico, who smiled a little. “Yeah, a reporter showed up at the
beach and got in my face.”
“I'm sorry.” Hazel reached out and squeezed his shoulder, a huge grin on her
face. With much excitement, the Lost Girl held up a piece of paper. “I got my
application. Asia, here I come!”
“Congratulations, Hazel,” Nico beamed, giving the girl a warm hug. She rubbed
his back and headed for the elevator, leaving Nico alone with Annabeth. Nico's
eyes grew dark as they fell back upon the blonde. “I look forward to this being
over. Maybe then we can put all of this behind us.”
“Maybe.” A blonde eyebrow shot up. “However, keep in mind that Athena is
retiring. Perhaps I'll see about getting transferred to take her position.” She
casually waved her hand. “Octavian could just have this position.”
The two separated without another word. Annabeth headed down the hall to the
elevator, while Nico went into Percy's office. Leo looked up at him as the door
slammed shut behind him. “Have a bad day?” The Latino boy asked as he shuffled
some more applications on his desk.
“You could say that,” Nico sighed. He rubbed at his temple. It was noticeable
that several forms had been taken, since only enough for each of the Lost Kids
at the hotel had been printed. Not that many, but Nico could estimate that
around five or six forms were gone. “Is Percy available for a minute?”
“Um, yeah, I believe so.” Leo got up and walked over to Percy's door. Knocking,
Leo poked his head inside. “Nico's here to see you.”
“Send him in,” came Percy's calm voice.
Leo pulled his head out with a grin. “You heard your man.”
Nico rolled his eyes as he stepped into Percy's office. “Hey,” he greeted as he
caught sight of the young man behind the desk. Percy's hair was a little messy
, either from a long day or from what he had just done with Annabeth. “How are
you?”
A smile touched at Percy's lips. “A little tired, but I'll survive.” He leaned
back in his chair, his eyebrow shooting up when Nico let out a sigh.
“Everything okay?”
“A reporter harassed me at the beach, no big deal.” Nico trailed his fingertips
along Percy's desk as he walked around to the other side. He blinked at the
piece of paper in front of the green-eyed young man. “What's that?”
“Oh.” Percy picked up the paper and shrugged. “It's just the guest list for the
conference in a few weeks. I need to look it over and make sure everything is
in order.” Turning his chair slightly towards Nico, Percy let the paper fall
back onto his desk. “What happened with the reporter?”
Nico shrugged as he sat down on the edge of Percy's desk. “Bianca took her
camera and made her leave.” He held up a hand when Percy opened his mouth. “I
was on my best behavior.” Nico rubbed the back of his neck when he got a
disbelieving look from the young man. “I mean, for the most part I was. She was
a little crazy, and I don't think she's giving up.”
With a grin, Percy slid his hand underneath Nico's shirt and traced his fingers
along the boy's stomach. “Would it make you feel better if you stayed with me
tonight?”
“Are you asking?”
“Maybe.” Percy pulled Nico's hand closer and placed a kiss on the back of it.
“Sorry I've been busy this week.”
“Partially with some of the others.”
Percy rolled his eyes. “If you would rather stay in your room...”
Nico groaned pitifully and slid into Percy's lap, letting his body relax
against the young man's chest. With a sigh, he buried his face into the crook
of Percy's shoulder. “Don't be mean, I've had a bad day. Your bed would
definitely improve my current mood.”
--------------------------------------
Getting completely wasted sounded really amazing to Nico at the moment. It
probably didn't help that Ethan and Reyna both had something to drink while
they ate dinner. But, since Nico was still underage, he wasn't allowed to drink
outside of the upper floors. Stupid Percy and his stupid rules. A little
alcohol wouldn't hurt anything.
It was stupid, but Nico couldn't get over what Annabeth had said to him. He had
been right, the blonde was going to try and get Athena's position. Perhaps it
was stupid to worry. After all, it was possible that Percy wouldn't allow it,
since Annabeth just got his old position. Maybe he'd see her as ungrateful.
Still, the two of them had been friends for over two years.
What Nico really needed was to plug the hole in the dam, so to speak. He needed
to find someone that he could get Percy to replace Athena with, someone that
was anyone but Annabeth. Perhaps he should start with Octavian.
“You're staring at my drink like you want to have sex with it,” Ethan mumbled
as he tossed the bottle back.
Reyna arched her eyebrow at Nico as she cut up her food. “Are you okay, Nico?”
“I'll let you know in another month.” Nico groaned and propped his chin up with
his palm. As much as he hated leaving some people he cared about behind, the
boy could not wait to move to Germany. Sure he wouldn't be able to understand a
lot of the people half the time, but at least things would be different there.
“So, have either of you decided about moving?”
While Ethan shrugged, Reyna wiped at her mouth. “I think I will. I think moving
to Europe could be a good experience. And, if I don't like it, I suppose I
could just come back,” the Lost Girl stated. She skewered a carrot with her
fork. “If not, I'll figure something out.”
Several hours later, when performances were over, Nico found himself in one of
the back rooms. The man that had purchased time with him was far from Nico's
type. Not only was the man slightly older than his father, he looked rather
creepy, like someone his mother would have told him to stay away from. Of
course, most of the people that visited the top floor of the Lotus could
classify under that same category. At least he still had a full head of hair,
but he was much larger than Nico in terms of muscular stature. If the man tried
to lay on top of Nico, the Lost Boy was certain he'd come out as a pancake.
On a brighter note, the man had wanted to drink and had offered Nico some wine.
While Nico was still wary from his last experience with the stuff, he gladly
accepted the dark liquid. It just would have been better if the man didn't
stare at him like some creep the entire time Nico drank from the wine glass.
He didn't get to finish.
Apparently, the man got impatient with Nico's slow drinking. He got up and
snatched the glass out of Nico's hand, while working on his zipper with the
other hand. Nico was forced onto his knees by the strange man by his hair.
After opening his eyes from wincing, Nico found himself facing the man's
arousal. As with most cases, the man wasn't that impressive, at least not
compared to the other Lost Boys or Percy. Especially Luke.
“Now suck it and earn your money,” the man commanded, shoving Nico's face into
his crotch.
It was a lot more aggressive than Nico was used to, at least since Kronos left
the hotel and Nico was not required to work the kink rooms. He still had some
bad memories involving a particular Russian Amazon woman.
Nico was jerked out of his thoughts and squeaked, due to the fact that the
fucking asshole of a client had pinched and twisted his right nipple. “Does
that feel good?” The man asked. “You like that, don't you?”
He really did not. “Yeah, it feels great,” Nico lied through his teeth, while
using his hand to reach up and stroke the man's shaft. Whatever it took to
please this man and get him off. Because, really, Nico knew by now that most of
the male clients did not last very long.
Very roughly, Nico was yanked up and forced to bend over the bed, while the man
jerked down the shorts on the Lost Boy's slender waist. Without warning, the
man took a firm grip of Nico's ass and squeezed. But did not stop there. Nico
was forced to shut his eyes and wince when the man shoved a dry finger into his
ass.
Right now, Nico really wished people didn't like his butt so much. Because this
was not enjoyable, not in the least. But it wasn't really about his enjoyment,
now was it? No, this was about the client, who Nico really wished would hurry
the fuck up.
Though, given what happened next, Nico would have preferred the guy kept
molesting his ass. The man was very rough when he got Nico to give him head.
While Nico was just trying to do his thing, the guy pressed on the back of
Nico's head and pushed it all the way down. He did not let Nico pull back for a
while, until Nico was practically choking and tears began to form in his eyes.
And the client kept a firm grip on Nico's hair when the Lost Boy finally got to
pull back. All Nico wanted was to knock that stupid confident smirk off the
man's face. “You want more?” The stranger had the audacity to ask.
Nico breathed heavily, his dark eyes all but glaring up at the man in
irritation. For a brief moment, he debated taking a page out of Ethan's book
and fighting back. He did not like people like this, people who tried to
control other people and make them feel like less than what they were. Because,
unless the other person truly consented that was all it really was.
Unfortunately, due to his current profession, Nico didn't really have the
option of not giving permission.
Well, he did, but he was only supposed to use it if things got too bad. And it
mustn't have been too bad, or someone watching from the monitor room would have
busted in by now and yanked the man away from Nico.
However, just when Nico thought it had been bad enough, the asshole had the
audacity to yank his hair until Nico had to open his mouth from pain and then
spat into the Lost Boy's mouth. For a few seconds, Nico could only see red. He
really wanted to get up and punch the guy right in the jaw. This was not okay.
Nico wasn't allowed to think over the situation much further. The client jerked
on his hair and forced Nico back onto his erection. “That the best you can do?”
The man asked harshly. “Do you not want to get paid? Now suck it like you mean
it, or I'll go get one of the others to do it for you.”
Before he could think, Nico had gotten to his feet and was pulling up his
shorts. “Yeah, maybe you should.” With anger in his eyes, Nico slipped on his
shirt and headed for the door.
“Get back here, we aren't done yet!”
“Yeah, we are,” Nico mumbled and slammed the door.
Before Nico had even reached the end of the hall, the security room opened. Leo
came out with wide eyes. “Nico, what are you doing, man?”
Nico shoved his hands into his pockets. “I'm done.”
The door behind Nico was flung open and out came the asshole, who was now fully
dressed. “Is this the kind of service your boss offers around here? His whore
thinks he's something special because of his publicity?”
Nico must have looked very angry, because Leo didn't even open his mouth. The
Latino quietly stepped back as Nico turned to glare at the asshole. He was
probably already in trouble, so what would be the harm in getting in a little
more?
However, as Nico raised his fist, his arm was grabbed and yanked backwards.
Brown eyes blinked in surprise as Nico was met with Percy. The young man's dark
green eyes stared down at him with a little irritation and just a hint of
amusement.
“Is this the kind of service you offer around here?” The man asked, pointing to
Nico, who was behind Percy.
Percy let out a sigh and adjusted the cuffs of his shirt. “You know, I might
tolerate that kind of talk from Gaea's more important clients, but let's be
real here, Mr. Callahan, your business is not crucial to the Lotus. And since
I'm, technically, in charge now, I don't have to put up with it.” He arched an
eyebrow at the look of fury on Nico's client's face. “I believe I also told you
to keep it fairly simple if you want to reserve a room up here.”
“I paid for some time with that little bitch, and I-”
“Do not speak that way about my employees,” Percy growled, quickly shutting up
the man. “Now, get out of my sight before I have security toss you off of my
balcony.”
While he didn't argue further, Mr. Callahan mumbled under his breath as he
walked past Percy and left. Nico's breath hitched as Percy slowly turned to
face him. Without uttering a word, Percy motioned over his shoulder and Leo
quickly made himself scarce.
Percy blinked once down at the boy in front of him. “Do you want to keep doing
this?” He asked, but continued before Nico could offer a response. “Because,
quite frankly, I can't put up with this behavior if you do.”
Taking in a deep breath, Nico looked down at his feet. “I don't know.”
Nodding, Percy reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “Here.”
He shoved his access card into Nico's hands. “Go wait in my suite until I'm
done. We'll talk more once I'm there.”
Nico slowly nodded and brushed his bangs out of his face. “Thanks,” he mumbled
as he headed for the door.
“Go take a shower, try to clear your head.” Percy was still watching him when
Nico turned around. “Personally, I am not mad at you for acting out with the
client, but you also have to understand that things like this don't need to
happen while Gaea and I transition me to ownership of the entire hotel chain.”
When Nico got back to Percy's suit, he debated making himself throw up to get
the man's spit out of his mouth. Instead, Nico got a soda out of the fridge and
downed half of it in one gulp. Even though Nico had stood up to the man, Mr.
Callahan had made Nico feel rather worthless. Who treated people like that?
Most of Nico's clients at least tended to be polite to him when they were in
the backrooms.
After a few minutes, Nico stripped himself of his clothes and went to the
bathroom. Before he got into the shower, the Lost Boy brushed his teeth. Since
he had been staying with Percy on and off since they got back from Germany, the
brown-eyed boy had bought himself a second toothbrush that he kept in Percy's
room for the nights they slept together.
Nico spat several times into the sink, making the extra effort to try and scrub
his tongue the best he could. He felt a little sick and disgusted with himself.
It wasn't due to what he had done, but the way the client had treated him.
After he was satisfied with his clean mouth, Nico turned on the shower and
stepped into it. He ran his hands through his hair as the water fell over his
body. Letting out a long breath, Nico massaged his shoulder. Did he want to
quit and put all of this behind him? Would it make him look weak? Well, he knew
Percy would allow it, but what would that mean for Percy? Would Percy then not
hold up his half of their agreement. That was definitely not something Nico
wanted, not when he was so close to having their exclusive relationship.
It would only be for a few more weeks, right?
And it wasn't like he would likely get another client like that. Nico could put
up with the average client for a little while longer. Perhaps it had just been
the stress that had gotten to him.
Nico had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door open.
He nearly jumped out of his skin when Percy wrapped his arms around the raven
haired boy's waist. Chuckling to himself, Percy pressed a kiss to Nico's
shoulder. Nico relaxed against Percy's body, humming lightly.
It was a lot different than the first time Nico had set foot into this shower.
That night seemed like a distant memory, in a completely different life. He had
been so scared and nervous that night, completely oblivious as to what really
went on in this hotel. They were also a lot more physical now, compared to how
Percy had professionally treated Nico on the night they first met.
Turning Nico around, Percy cupped the boy's face and leaned in for a searing
kiss. Nico moaned a little as his back was pressed against the shower wall.
With one hand on Percy's shoulder, Nico's other hand traced the muscles of the
young man's chest.
Nico was the first to get out of the shower, while Percy actually worked on
scrubbing himself off a little. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Nico headed
for the bedroom, where he grabbed a fresh, comfortable shirt from Percy's
closet. Nico frowned a little as the shirt practically hung off of his left
shoulder. He had just sat down on the bed, when a dripping wet Percy entered
the room.
Smiling, Percy toweled his hair as he got back into his underwear. He didn't
even bother putting on a shirt, simply sat down behind Nico on the bed. Nico
pressed his lips together and turned to face the young man, uncertain of the
conversation that was about to be had.
“So?” Was the only thing Percy said.
Nico let out a breath. “I'm sorry I did that, it won't happen again.”
Percy shrugged, massaging his neck with one arm. “Well, to be honest, Mr.
Callahan had originally requested you for down in the kink rooms, but was
informed that you don't work down there.” Reaching out, Percy adjusted the
shirt on Nico's shoulders. “So, to be fair, I should have known what was going
to happen when he said he was fine going to the backrooms with you. He's done
this three times in the past, so I apologize for letting it happen.”
“You know, you don't have to talk so professionally to me when it's just the
two of us.”
A smirk crossed Percy's lips as he leaned down and kissed Nico on the shoulder.
“Would you rather I have gotten angry?” He let out a sigh. “I just need to know
what you're going to do.”
Nico pressed his lips together, his brow knitted together. “Can I think on it?”
The Lost Boy fell onto the sheets with a groan. “I'm not in trouble?”
Percy ran his fingers under the shirt that Nico had borrowed, tracing his
fingers along the boy's stomach. “I doubt it. Gaea will probably just ask what
happened, and I'll explain the situation. It'll be fine.” With a mischievous
grin, Percy smacked Nico's stomach. “Come on and get to bed.”
Grumbling with a glare, Nico did as he was told. He let out a long sigh as
Percy got up to turn off the lights. As Percy settled in next to the Lost Boy,
all Nico could think about was how their move to Germany could not get there
fast enough.
-----------------------------
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Will asked as he shut the door.
Nico rubbed at his face as he sat down on the blond's bed. This was not really
a talk that he wanted to have, but it was definitely one the two needed to get
out. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Will had to know the truth of this somewhere
inside of him. Unless he truly did not realize the feelings that he was
displacing on Nico.
“It's about me and you,” Nico finally said gently. He looked up through his
bangs, pressing his lips together. “You remember when we went to see that movie
a while back?”
Will reached up to scratch at his cheek. “Yeah, of course. What about it?”
It would be fine, Nico reassured himself. “You didn't realize it, but you
called me Mitchell.” Judging by the surprise that crossed Will's face, it was
clear that the blond really did not notice what he had said. “It's fine,
really, but it got me thinking about the possibility that you might be
transferring your feelings for Mitchell onto me.”
Will's fumbled for a moment, unsure of what to say. “I'm not- I just...”
Sitting down next to Nico on the bed, Will ran a hand through his hair. “I know
I haven't gotten over him, but that doesn't mean I didn't have an attraction to
you.”
Nico smiled and patted the blond's leg. “I know, and I like you, too. But I
think it's just a small crush. And I think, for you part, your displaced
feelings are making you think that you have more feelings for me than you do.”
Falling back on his bed, Will let out a sigh. “I'm sorry. Maybe you're right.”
A smile touched at his lips for a few seconds. “And, I mean, I think we all
figured you'd end up with Percy. Nobody really had a chance once things worked
out between you two.”
It stung to hear that, but Nico knew it was true. It was always going to be
true. At least until the day Percy started to act like Kronos, then Nico's
feelings might change. It hurt a little to be in this place in his life.
Admittedly, there were several Lost Boys that Nico would have dated if things
were different between him and Percy. And it hurt to have to have this talk
with the ones like Will, who was a very sweet guy that Nico knew that he could
also be happy with.
But first Will would have to move on from his lost love, if he ever hoped to
find happiness with someone else again.
“Are you okay?” Nico asked after a long silence.
Will didn't move from where he lay on the bed. “Yeah, I'll be okay.” His blue
eyes flickered over to Nico. “We all said you were different, but I don't think
any of us actually ever imagined that you'd actually achieve your goal of being
with Percy. Especially in a committed relationship with him.” The blond Lost
Boy's smile crept back onto his face as his eyes slowly closed. “I remember
that movie night forever ago, up in Percy's suite, and I never imagined
something like this would happen. Percy had never shown any interest in any of
us.”
“Well it wasn't exactly a dream come true in the beginning.”
“At least Percy took interest in you. Some of us barely got a few words with
him during the week, yet he usually sought you out nearly every day. Not only
that, but he didn't want you in our line of work. It might have frustrated you,
but he didn't try to have sex with you.”
The corner of Nico's lips tilted up into a smirk. “So, are you going to be
coming with us to Germany?”
“I don't know just yet,” Will sighed. He jumped up and picked up a piece of a
paper from his nightstand, handing it to Nico. It was the form for being
transferred. “I did go ahead and pick the application up. It would be good for
me, I think.” Will slowly blew out a breath. “I think it would be good for me
to get away from everything here, mainly my past. My parents, the orphanage,
Mitchell... Just everything.”
“I'm sure you'll make new friends in Germany, should you come.” Nico smiled and
handed Will the form back. “Plus, you'll have me and some of the others there.”
A few hours after his talk with Will, Nico got to eat dinner with Percy, Zoë,
and the Stolls. It was all going great, until the twins decided to hand Percy a
small gift bag. Percy arched an eyebrow as he shuffled some of the paper around
inside, reaching for the gift at the bottom. His brow furrowed when something
metal rattled inside.
“What the hell?” Percy mumbled as he pulled out a small plastic ball and metal
chain. He placed the gift on the table, where Zoë picked it up and inspected it
for any inscriptions that might be on the ball. “Why did you guys give me
this?”
“Well,” Connor began.
“Because, you're chained down to Nico now,” Travis finished
The twins chuckled loudly, drawing a few stares from the people in the
restaurant. Connor grinned and winked at Nico. “He's your ball and chain,
Percy.”
Percy rolled his eyes and shoved the gift back into the bag. “I shudder to
think what Germany will be like when you two move there.”
Nico perked up. “You two are moving?”
“Of course,” Travis snorted.
Connor stuck out his tongue. “Do you think we'd pass up the opportunity to
terrorize all of Europe?” He shrugged. “Plus, maybe we'll miss you and Percy.
But mostly the first part.”
Resting her chin on her palm, Zoë let out a sigh. “At least things will be
quieter around here.”
It was kind of a bummer to hear that, but Nico realized that he couldn't expect
everyone to make the move. At least it seemed like the ones he was closer with
would be moving. His brow furrowed. But if the rumors were true, and Thalia was
seeing Zoë now, would the other Lost Girl stay here as well?
When it came time to go to work, Percy rode up the elevator up with Nico, who
was working the bar tonight. As the elevator was nearing its stop, Percy tilted
Nico's chin up and pressed their lips together. Nico let out a moan into
Percy's mouth as he was leaned backwards. Fumbling around blindly, Nico managed
to grab the railing in the elevator for support.
Percy pulled back just as the doors opened, grinning. “Have fun at work
tonight.”
Nico was very certain that his eyes were clouded with lust. He really wanted to
grab Percy by the collar and pull him back in for another kiss, which Percy
seemed to catch on to. Chuckling lightly, Percy pressed the button to close the
doors. Wasting no time, Nico grabbed Percy's shirt and crashed their lips
together. And, feeling a little bold, Nico pressed his palm to Percy's crotch.
The young man groaned into their kiss and this time it was Nico that pulled
away with a smirk. “You have fun, too.”
Percy chuckled and shook his head. “There are times I miss your innocent angel
side.”
“We could take the night off and go back to your room.”
“We could,” Percy hummed, “but I really don't need to.” He pressed a brief kiss
to Nico's lips and released the button on the elevator. As the doors opened
again, Percy pushed Nico gently out of the elevator. “But I wouldn't mind if
you came by my suite after work. Just come upstairs after you get off.”
Nico nodded and tossed a wave over his shoulder as the elevator doors slowly
shut. Releasing a breath, the Lost Boy walked over towards the bar to clock-in.
He couldn't help but smile. As annoying as things could be with the publicity
and the job, things with Percy were better than Nico could have expected. Percy
was opening up and letting Nico closer to him.
Everything was fairly quiet at work, until a guy at the bar spoke to Nico.
“You're the kid on the covers of all those magazines, aren't ya?” He asked,
swaying a little in his seat. Nico's eyes flickered down to the half empty
glass in his hand. “Working so hard while dating a billionaire.”
“Um, thank you?” Nico wiped down the surface of the bar, his brow furrowed. “I
think you've had enough to drink, though.”
The man reached out, surprising Nico by grabbing the boy's arm and spilling a
little of his drink. “He must worry about your safety a lot.” The stranger
nodded lightly. “I'd imagine so. With Percy being who he is, and you're close
to him...”
Nico managed to yank his arm free. “Um, I don't really know what you mean.
Percy doesn't need to worry about me, not that it is any of your business.”
“I'm willing to bet that quite a lot of people would do anything to get some
leverage over your Percy.” The man nodded, raising his glass to take a drink,
only to discover it to be empty. “Can you give me a refill, boy?”
Chiron stepped in before Nico had the chance to even touch the glass. Instead
of refilling it, the tall man set it aside and gave the man across the bar a
firm look. “Do not harass my employees, sir. Now, I'm going to have to ask you
to leave.”
The man looked applaud. “On what grounds?”
Chiron waved over to Chris to get his attention. “Because you are threatening
my employee here.”
Chris got the man to his feet, who stumbled in an attempt to get free of the
brunet's grip. “I was just making an observation is all, meant no harm.” He
dusted himself off and narrowed his drunken eyes at Chris. “I'm perfectly
capable of showing myself out, thank you very much, ma'am.”
Chris just blinked and raised a brow as the man stumbled out. “He really did
have too much to drink,” he assessed before going back to his table.
Nico was still a little shaken up when it came time to get off work. Chiron
didn't make him wait around while they closed up the bar, instead sending the
boy upstairs to meet up with Percy. However, he had barely gotten off the
elevator when he froze in place.
Apollo and Robert were standing in the hallway. Robert made to advance closer
to the curly haired blond, but Apollo raised a hand to put distance between the
two of them. “Don't touch me,” the blond Lost Boy whispered.
“You could at least think about it!” Robert shouted. “After what I just did,
it's the least you could do for me.”
Apollo's eyes widened a little, shocked. “I never said I wouldn't.” He rubbed
the back of his neck. “Just let me think, okay?” He motioned towards the
elevator. “Just go. Please?”
For a few seconds, it didn't look like Robert was going to leave, but then the
blond leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Apollo's cheek. “Let me know when
you make a decision,” Robert whispered as he pulled back.
If it hadn't been so quiet, Nico wouldn't have been able to hear half of the
conversation. Apollo took in a deep breath as Robert walked towards the
elevator, which was still occupied by Nico. Robert came to a complete stop when
he noticed the brown-eyed boy standing there. But he didn't say anything, just
gave a small nod to the Lost Boy as they passed each other.
Nico turned to watch the elevator close, slowly backing towards Apollo. His
brow furrowed once the doors had shut. Whipping his head around, Nico turned
his full attention to the curly haired Lost Boy in front of him. “What was that
about?”
Apollo didn't respond. He stood there, chewing on his lip. His eyes darted
around for a few seconds before they snapped onto the raven haired boy in front
of him. “Hey, Nico,” Apollo said softly. “It was nothing.”
Nico tilted his head to the side. “It didn't seem like nothing.”
Inhaling deeply, Apollo ran a hand through his hair. He nodded without saying a
word. As he leaned back against the wall, Nico caught sight of the look in the
blond's eyes. Panic. What had happened? Finally, Apollo cleared his throat and
looked at Nico.
“Robert left his wife.”
Chapter End Notes
     So, I just wanted to let everyone know that I got a new job, so I
     might take a little longer to get chapters out. We'll have to see.
     I'll write whenever I have time. I just wanted to inform you as to
     this change, so you'll understand if it takes a little while for me
     to get a chapter out.
***** So Love Me Like You Do *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
It was the sound of dripping water that brought Nico to consciousness. He let
out a groan as his eyes cracked open, only to be met with darkness. As he
attempted to sit up, a searing pain shot through the back of his head. The
raven haired boy hissed under his breath and pressed a hand to the back of his
head. While he couldn't see anything, his hair was hard and stuck together.
Dried blood.
Well, it was a very likely possibility, given his situation. Nico peered around
the dark room, trying to remember what had happened. His memory was a little
fuzzy at what had happened. Perhaps if he went over what he did remember? Maybe
that would help.
If today was still Monday, then yesterday had been Sunday. Everyone had been
together for Clarisse's birthday party, which Chris and Silena had organized.
And, when it came to an end, Beckendorf took Silena by the hand and asked her
to marry him. Of course, as expected, the answer had been yes. They had also
announced that they would be moving to Europe to get a fresh start with raising
their family when the time came. Percy had also gone on to give Beckendorf a
new job as his personal mechanic for the vehicles around the hotel, as well as
the private jet that Percy would be getting very soon.
Before work, Percy had Rachel sit Nico down and discuss his university choices.
Nico had applied to quite a few over the past months, and nearly all of them
had accepted him. Rachel also went on to point out that Nico could still apply
to universities in Europe, if he wanted, Percy would just need to make a phone
call or two. It was definitely a lot to think about.
And while he hated the thought that he'd get accepted somewhere because of
Percy, did Nico really want to go to school in a different continent from where
Percy would be? It was just amazing to Nico that he actually got accepted to so
many high rated universities. Before he came to the Lotus, Nico would have
never dreamed at being accepted to places like Brown, Berkeley, or even Yale.
It was a lot to think over.
Nico's brow furrowed as he tried to jump forward to Monday morning. He had
gotten up and showered, and then he and Jason left for school. Nico's eyes
snapped open. Police sirens. He remembered police sirens.
There was a cop behind Jason's vehicle. The blond had stopped to see what the
problem was. Nico had never really gotten a look at the man's face, since the
hat was mostly covering the guy's eyes. “What seems to be the problem-” Jason
hadn't even gotten to finish his sentence.
Nico remembered panicking as Jason's head hit the steering wheel when the cop
hit him directly in the head. The brown-eyed boy had bolted out of the car and
tried to make a run for it. As he tried to get his phone out of his pocket,
Nico's body was tackled to the ground. He remembered watching as his phone was
slammed down onto the concrete, where it shattered into pieces. But before he
could even roll over and try to fight back, an electric current made contact
with the back of his neck.
Nico had blacked out after that.
And now he was trapped in some dark room with no windows, and no visible door.
His only source of light came from a small lantern that barely lit a corner of
the room. It was just quiet, other than the occasional drip of water. Nico
shuddered and rubbed at his arms. The room was cold and Nico had not worn a
jacket when he left for school. Well, in his defense, it wasn't like he thought
he'd need one.
Letting out a breath, Nico rested his palm against the ground. His hand balled
into fists, pulling up dirt. There was no actual flooring. Pursing his lips
together, Nico slowly crawled with a hand outstretched until his palm made
contact with a metal wall. Nico pressed his ear against the cold surface,
seeing if he could hear anyone.
Nothing.
“Help me!” Nico yelled as loud as he could. “Someone, please help!” The boy
banged his fists against the metal wall, trying to make as much noise as he
could. “Is anyone out there?”
Silence. There was nothing. He couldn't hear a thing, not even footsteps. He
reached into his pockets for things like his keys and wallet, but they were
gone. There was no point in trying to find his phone, since it had been
smashed. Whoever it was definitely wanted Nico, and didn't want the boy making
contact with anyone.
Nico took in a deep breath to try and stay calm. He could already feel his
heart beating faster. Who would have taken him? There were a few people that
Nico would put on that list. His father was one, but the man that attacked him
didn't fit his father's build. Kronos could have always hired someone, but Nico
highly doubted it. Then all that was left was someone trying to get to Percy.
There was also Mr. Callahan, Nico supposed.
Pressing his back to the cold wall, Nico slid down to the ground. His eyes
closed and his head fell back. “Can anyone hear me?” When he was once again met
with silence, Nico slammed his fist back against the wall. His throat was
already starting to hurt from the screaming.
It was so dry. And that only ended up making his stomach growl. He had no idea
how much time had passed, but Nico was definitely in need of some food and
something to drink. Nico licked his dry and chapped lips. His pulse quickened
and Nico found it hard to breathe. He felt dizzy and light-headed. The room
probably wasn't ventilated that well, which meant his heavy breathing was only
making it worse.
But he couldn't stop. Nico was panicking. What if he never got out of here? Was
he going to die? Even if Nico was supposed to be taken for ransom, would
whoever took him let him go if Percy paid it? Probably not. If Nico was let go,
it would only make it easier for Percy to find out who did it. Nico would
probably be killed if a ransom was paid, and he'd probably be killed if it
wasn't paid. Or he'd just die slowly of starvation or a lack of air.
Was this to be his end?
He had gone through all that he had, finally gotten Percy, only to end up
dying. How shitty would that be? No. He would not die so easily. Nico's eyes
hardened and the boy got onto his knees. Turning around, Nico frantically dug
his fingers into the dirt. He began to rake out as much as he could near the
wall, hoping and praying that he'd be able to crawl under it.
Minutes or hours could have passed, Nico had really no way of telling. Sweat
dripped from the boy's brow, some of it getting into his eyes. Inhaling
sharply, Nico reached up and rubbed to clear it out of his eyes. Nothing. Nico
frantically felt in the hole that he had been making. More wall. It was all he
could find. There wasn't even a hint that he was close to a bottom.
Nico sat back and hugged his knees to his chest. His chest heaved as his vision
clouded with tears. He was going to die down here, and nobody would probably
know what became of him. He would die cold and alone, just like he had always
thought would be his fate during his time on the streets.
In a state of panic, Nico went back to digging. He would not stop, he couldn't.
There had to be a way out. Dig. He had to keep going. And so he did, even when
his head began to spin. He did not stop until his body collapsed from
exhaustion and he once again fell back into unconsciousness.
There was no telling how much time had passed since Nico passed out, since
there was no source of light from beyond the room he was kept in. As Nico sat
up, the boy rubbed some dirt and mud off of his arm and face. However,
something was different about the room when he woke up this time.
Just a few inches beside him was a small tray with a cup of water and some
mushed up substance that was supposed to pass for food. Not about to look a
gift horse in the mouth, Nico pulled the tray closer to him and stuck his hand
into the food. Without a second thought, the Lost Boy shoved the oddly colored
food into his mouth.
He nearly choked.
Nico began to cough, his taste buds on fire. The food had been doused with a
spice. Some sort of pepper. It reminded Nico a lot of what his mother used to
put into the chili she made during the winter months. What had that been?
Cayenne pepper. Nico felt his stomach tie into knots. He looked down at his
food and dropped what was left in his hand back onto the tray. Why would
someone randomly put that into his food? Coughing again, Nico lifted the water
to his lips.
And immediately spit it back out. Nico's face contorted in disgust as he took
another sip. It was saltwater. It finally clicked. Nico was supposed to eat, so
he could stay alive, but it wasn't going to be an enjoyable process.
The food was hot and spicy, which would make him want to drink something. Which
was where the water came in. Saltwater would just make him more thirsty, giving
him something to drink, but never satisfying his thirst. It was sadistic and
cruel.
Nico's stomach growled, only reminding him of his hunger. When had he even
eaten last? He hadn't had time to eat breakfast on Monday, and there was no
telling how much time had passed. Sunday night would have been his last meal.
Nico felt his throat tighten as he pursed his lips and grabbed another handful
of whatever it was his captor had made for him.
It was so bland, whatever it was. The only taste that Nico could really
distinguish was the cayenne pepper, which had him grasping for the saltwater
after a few more bites. Whoever did this must have used quite a bit, because
there was quite a kick to the food.
After he downed most of his water, Nico rested his head against his knees. Was
this going to be common with all of his meals? Would he even get any more food
or water? Nico did know that he couldn't survive on saltwater, not alone
anyways. It basically came down to how slow Nico wanted to die.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico leaned his head back and let it out. Percy would
find him, right? He just needed to be patient. Percy had the resources to find
him, and surely he'd be looking. Jason would have reported what happened.
Nico's eyes snapped open wide.
Jason.
Was he even alive? What if the person that took Nico had killed the blond? Nico
felt sick at the thought. Jason didn't deserve that. He had to believe that the
blond was okay, and that he was trying to find Nico as well.
It was then that Nico's eyes snapped their focus onto something on the ceiling.
His brow furrowed as he got to his feet. Walking over, Nico peered up. “What
the fuck...?” Nico breathed out.
There, on the ceiling, was a small tube, around the size of his fist, poking
out from the ceiling. There didn't appear to be any light coming from the other
side, which either meant that it curved off somewhere or the other end was
closed.
Nico turned back to the wall he had been digging at. Someone had come down here
and delivered his meal, but they had not even bothered to refill the hole that
Nico had dug. That did not bode well for the Lost Boy. Nico's eyes returned to
the ceiling, his lips tightly pursed. There had to be some way in and out of
this room, and that had been confirmed by the fact that someone came in with
food.
There.
If Nico hadn't been looking for it, he probably wouldn't have noticed it. But
there it was, a square sealed hatch on the ceiling, not all that far from the
tube. He crossed his arms. How the hell had someone gotten a tray of food down
from there without spilling it? Jumping would have left the person trapped in
the room as well, while a rope or ladder would have made balancing the tray
rather hard. Nico's dark eyes slowly fell to the floor beneath the hatch, right
where his food had been placed.
Had they lowered it down? Nico frowned. How did he get down here? Dropping him
would have surely woken Nico up, no matter how deep of a sleeper he was. Even
though he knew the outcome, Nico tried to jump up and touch the hatch. Just out
of reach. Nico yelped as soon as his feet hit the ground again, the mud causing
him to slip and fall on his back.
Nico groaned, but made no effort to move. He wished he had some idea of what
was going on outside of this room. At the very least, the boy wanted to know
how long he had been trapped here. He wanted to just close his eyes and wake up
back in his room at the Lotus Hotel. He just wanted this to be a dream. So
close to the end, and it all just got ripped away from him. Or maybe he was
ripped away from it.
With all the silence, it sounded like thunder, but Nico soon realized the hatch
was being opened. He squinted and raised a hand to shield his eyes when a
bright light hit his face. There was a loud bang and then the sound of
footsteps on metal. When Nico pulled his hand away, he found that a metal
ladder had been lowered into the room, where a tall man was now descending it.
He wore black leather gloves and his face was covered by a stitched hood, which
looked like it had been made from an old sack. He stared down at Nico, who was
frozen in place. Was he just going to kill Nico? Better than the slow death, he
supposed.
But then the man thrust out his hand, which contained a metal flask. Nico
arched a brow as the man tossed it onto the boy's chest. Slowly, Nico reached
down and unscrewed the lid. He sniffed it for good measure. With a frown, Nico
tilted the flask over his empty palm. His eyes widened as water poured out and
spilled onto the dirt. Nico quickly raised his palm to his mouth, but he didn't
get much. He tried the flask, but it was mostly empty. All he got was just a
few drops.
A dry laugh from the man reminded Nico that he was not alone. “Figured you'd be
cautious, so I put more than I intended. And you did what I thought you would.”
Crouching down, he snatched the empty flask from Nico. “That was all you were
gonna get, too bad you wasted it.”
That was all? Nico felt the color drain from his face. “What-” He licked his
lips. “What are you going to do with me?” He got onto his knees, ready to
tackle the man if he had to, in order to try and escape. “What do you want?”
Another laugh. “What I want is money, enough to live comfortably the rest of my
life. And you are my ticket to getting that.” From the back of his pants, the
man pulled out a gun and pointed it at Nico. “I wouldn't think about trying
anything, not that it really matters. You see, I'm not stupid. If I let you go
after getting your ransom, your beloved Percy will just find a way to track me
down using whatever details you can give him. And, quite frankly, I'd like to
live to enjoy what I've earned.”
“You're just going to leave me here then?”
The man's head tilted to the side as he backed towards the ladder. “Don't be
stupid, kid, I'm sure someone would find the body eventually.” Nico couldn't
see it, but he was certain there was a smirk on the man's face. “I don't plan
on anyone finding your body.” As he climbed the ladder, he aimed the gun
directly at Nico.
And with the pull of the trigger, a sharp pain coursed through his chest.
Nico's vision faded until darkness took him.
-----------------------
The air felt tight when Nico woke up. But that didn't matter at the moment,
because Nico was just happy to be alive. That bastard had used a tranquilizer
gun. Why would he need to use one of those, and what had the asshole meant by
nobody would find his body?
Nico tried to reach up and rub at his chest, but a solid force prevented him
from doing so. Brown eyes snapped open. The color slowly drained from Nico's
face at what he found.
The boy was still in the dark room, but now he was encased in a clear, solid
box that was barely big enough to fit his body in. “No!” Nico yelled, pressing
his palms to the surface. “Let me out! Please! I didn't do anything!”
The man with the mask came into view. He stooped over the box that Nico was in
and hooked up a hose to the bottom. It did not take long before Nico felt
something moving around his feet. He screamed and banged harder on the box.
Looking down, the boy found several rats moving and sitting around his lower
half.
Standing back up, the man removed the hood on his head, though the lack of a
proper light source prevented Nico from making out a face. “They'll keep you
company for now, but I'm afraid they will get hungry eventually. I hear death
by rats is a very unpleasant way to die.”
Nico slammed his fists against the box. “Someone will find me, even if it's
just my remains!”
“No, they won't,” the man replied calmly. He pointed over his shoulder, up to
the tube that Nico had discovered. “I'm going to bury you down here in that
box. And then I'll just cement the floor directly above this room, so nobody
will ever know it's here. No one is going to find you. You are going to die
down here, cold and alone. While I enjoy a nice, long holiday, paid for by your
loving boyfriend.”
Nico could make out a smirk on the man's face. From a pocket on his shirt, the
man pulled something out and dropped it on top of the box. Nico felt his face
drain of color as he watched it fall and land on top of him. A single red rose.
Panic flooded throughout Nico's entire body as the man that had given him the
rose at the hotel turned and climbed up the ladder. Without any concern for his
hands, Nico banged as hard as he could against the surface, even tried pushing
the lid off. Nothing. Not moments after the man was gone did dirt begin to pour
through the tube in the ceiling. Rocks banged onto the surface of the box just
above Nico's face, as dirt slowly became all that the boy could see.
A ringing formed in Nico's ears as everything began to spin. He was going to
die down here, and nobody would ever find him. Soon the dirt had covered the
box that Nico was in and all that Nico could hear was the sound of more dirt
pouring into the room and the rats squeaking around his feet. Hot tears
streamed down Nico's cheeks as he continued to bang against the hard surface of
the box that would be his coffin, not even caring that his knuckles had started
to bleed.
The boy yelled when one of the rats sank its teeth into his leg. Crying, Nico
did his best to shake the rat off of him. “Please!” Nico sobbed. “Someone help
me, please.”
He didn't want to die like this.
Nico's vain attempts at escapes came to a halt when he could no longer hear
dirt pouring down on top of him. His throat hurt from all of his screaming, but
he remained quiet and still. His breath hitched when something heavy landed
directly on top of him.
He felt like he might hyperventilate when cracks of light broke through all of
the dirt. But just as they came, darkness fell back over him. There was a
voice, but it sounded so far away. Nico's head began to spin more. He could see
light now, but it seemed fuzzy. A rat bit him on his arm and Nico barely moved.
It took him a moment, but Nico soon realized that he couldn't breath. As much
as he tried, there was no air.
How long had he been in the box before he woke up?
Was he going to die so close to salvation?
As light broke through onto Nico's face, a hand pressed against the other side
of the glass. Someone yelled, but the ringing in Nico's ears was too loud to
understand any of it. Nico's head lulled to the side and his eyes closed.
As his thoughts began to drift away, the banging got louder. Something else
must have landed on the box, because it shook three times. Nico's eyes kept
opening and closing. He wanted to hold on. If he could just make it a little
longer. The dirt was ripped away from the lid and it was slid off of him. Dirt
hit Nico in the face as the boy gasped for air.
Before he could properly open his eyes, Nico was ripped out of the box and arms
wrapped tightly around him. “Here, we've got him,” a female voice said as a
blanket was draped over Nico's shoulders.
Tilting his head up, Nico was met by the sight of vivid sea-green eyes and a
smile. “Help me get him upstairs,” Percy said softly. “You're safe, Nico.”
Jason and Luke took Nico from Percy, much to the boy's protest. It took some
effort, but Jason finally helped get Nico onto Luke's back and the blond
climbed up the ladder. Nico was placed on the floor until Percy and Thalia
climbed out after them. Nico shot up into Percy's arms and buried his face into
the young man's chest, not even caring that he was crying in front of other
people.
When Percy pulled back, he tucked Nico against his side. Nico blinked up as he
noticed that they were surrounded by police officers and a S.W.A.T team. “Bring
him to me,” Percy practically growled.
Not two seconds later, the man that had taken Nico was dropped at Percy's feet.
There was a severe gash on the man's head and a bullet hole in his left leg.
“How could you have possibly have found me so soon?” He demanded.
Percy glared down at the man, his arm around Nico tightening. “Which way would
you like? Your purchase of all the dirt, which I had to do several traces to
track back to your real identity? There's the false identification that we
uncovered that you used to gain entry to my establishment. I had someone locate
all the phones in the area during the time that my friend here, who you knocked
out,” Percy motioned to Jason, “provided me. You might have not been using it,
but that doesn't mean I can't track it. It also meant I could track it here.”
“How long was I down there?” Nico managed to get out, his voice hoarse.
Percy continued to glare at the man, who remained silent on the floor. “Answer
him!” The green-eyed young man yelled in a angry tone that Nico could never
recall having heard before. It made even the S.W.A.T team flinch.
“Two days,” the man on the floor hissed.
Pulling Nico back a little, Percy looked down and examined the boy. “Are you
okay?” His voice was much more gentle than it had been a few seconds ago. Nico
just nodded, too drawn in by those sea-green eyes to give a proper response.
Not that his voice would probably allow for one anyways. Percy breathed a sigh
of relief and tucked Nico under his arm. “At least I found you in time.”
Nico closed his eyes and clung to Percy's shirt. He just wanted to make sure
this was real and not his imagination playing a trick on him. As he took in a
deep breath, the smell of the ocean hit him. No, this was definitely real.
Holding Nico close with one arm, Percy reached to the back of his pants. When
Nico's eyes shot open, he found Percy had a gun in his hand. The man on the
floor's eyes went wide, but he was restrained by Luke and Thalia. Nico's breath
hitched as Percy turned the safety off.
“Percy, wait!” Nico tried to yell, but it was too late.
The gunshot rang out and filled Nico's ears. The boy felt like ice ran all
along his body as the sound echoed in his ears, unable to take his eyes off the
man that had been holding him hostage. Luke and Thalia released the man's body,
which slumped to the floor. As Percy pocketed the gun again, his eyes made
contact with one of the cops. With the heel of his foot, Percy kicked the man's
dead body into the hole that they had brought Nico out of. “Turn it back on,”
Percy said darkly.
Briefly glancing at each other, one of the cops reached down and turned on a
machine, which began to guzzle more dirt into the room below. One of the
S.W.A.T. members removed his helmet. “Sir, we could use the boy for some
questioning.”
Percy's arm did not budge from around Nico's back. “I'm taking him back to my
hotel. He was never here, is that clear?” There was a frighting tone in Percy's
voice, but Nico could not pull away. His eyes were still glued to the hole that
the man had just been dropped in. “Are we done here?”
The police all nodded. “The building is condemned,” one of them supplied.
“It'll be torn down and paved over.”
Percy nodded. “Good. Now, if you'll excuse me...” Without removing his arm from
Nico, the young man led the brown-eyed boy outside. Instantly, Nico had to bury
his face into Percy's chest to shield it from the sun.
“Here,” Jason said. Nico looked up and the blond's sunglasses were placed over
his eyes.
“Thanks,” Nico managed to whisper as he was placed into the back of a car.
Percy climbed in beside him and Nico instantly curled against the young man's
side. Jason took Nico's other side, while Luke and Thalia got into the front.
With a brief glance back at them, Luke cranked the car and drove.
As they drove, Nico looked down at his hands. They were shaking. It was hard
sometimes to remember that there was this side to Percy. Yet, for whatever
reason, Nico didn't feel threatened. But it didn't make what he had just
witnessed any easier to deal with. Percy killed people sometimes, Nico needed
to always remember that, but it didn't mean he would hurt Nico. Perhaps he was
delusional for thinking that, but it was what he felt deep down.
Warm hands enveloped Nico's shaking ones. The boy looked up with wide eyes as
Percy placed the Lost Boy's hands against his chest. Letting out a sigh, Nico
leaned over and rested his head on the young man's shoulder. The rest of the
world might have been in danger from Percy, but it didn't seem like the young
man would ever do Nico harm. Nico groaned a little and buried his face against
Percy's shoulder.
He sounded like someone out of some sappy romance novel.
Yet it didn't change his feelings. Perhaps he was a little scared, but fear was
not always a bad thing. He tilted his head to the side to steal a glance at
Percy. Those sea-green eyes were already staring back at him in an unreadable
silence. It was a little frustrating how Percy could do that, even after all
this time. What was going on in that head of his?
Once they were back at the hotel, Nico was handed over to Jason. “Make sure he
stays in your suite and eats as much food as he wants,” Percy ordered without
even looking at Nico. It made the boy frown, though that didn't even get
Percy's attention. “I've got to run and make a few last minute arrangements for
the convention.”
Thalia gave a nod. “Nico needs a few nights off from work. Do you want-”
“He's not working anymore,” Percy interjected, already staring at his phone.
His face was so blank and he acted like he had just announced something
completely normal, but everyone stared at him with the same emotion. Shock. “Is
there a problem?”
“No,” Thalia quickly replied, recovering from her shock. “Um, I'll have Leo or
Rachel contact the school for you, if you want, and have them informed that
Nico will be out of school for the next few days.”
Percy simply nodded and stepped through the doors of the hotel. Luke stared
down at Nico for a moment, his brow furrowed, before he followed after their
boss. Jason nodded to Thalia. “I've got him,” the blond said softly. Thalia
pursed her lips and dashed after the two young men.
Nico's eyes remained on the floor as Jason helped him to the elevator. If it
had been two days, then it was now Wednesday, sometime in the afternoon. This
meant that the conference would be on Saturday, and Gaea would be arriving the
day before.
As soon as they were back in their suite, Jason let Nico collapse on the couch.
The boy just sat there, staring off into nothing. He was still in shock, even
as Jason called down to order Nico some food.
Nico...wasn't working anymore?
His brow furrowed. The date they had set for Nico to quit hadn't arrived just
yet. Nico was supposed to work at the conference, tending to the politicians
and other important people. But that was no longer the case now? It felt
strange, but a relief. It was still weird hearing it from Percy, because the
young man never really made decisions for Nico. But this did not seem to be up
for discussion.
Nico didn't even bat an eye when Jason placed some orange juice in front of
him, too busy wrapped up in his own head.
-------------------------------
“Guys, I'm sure that Nico appreciates all the concern, but Percy will kill me
if I don't have him get some rest,” Jason announced, ushering several of the
Lost Kids towards the door.
Over the course of the afternoon, most of the Lost Kids had dropped by to see
Nico. Even Annaberth, though Nico was not really sure if it was out of genuine
concern or to keep up appearances. The only person that Nico really hadn't seen
was Percy, which rather bothered Nico, if he were being honest. Even Dionysus
had dropped by, offering Nico some alcohol to take any edge off that the boy
might have.
“Why don't you come by and sit with us backstage?” Hazel suggested as she
dropped a thermos full of soup on the coffee table in front of Nico. Said table
was also completely hidden by a layer of food that the others had brought,
which had buried the food that Nico had originally ordered for dinner from the
restaurant downstairs.
“I'll think about it,” Nico sighed. His face scrunched a little as he picked up
a dish that Juniper had brought him. Whatever it was, there was haggis in it.
“Not like I have anything else to do, I guess.”
Annabeth ran a hand through her hair. “Well, you do have your finals coming
up.”
There was that. Nico sighed and nodded. For the most part, the others had not
really commented about Percy's sudden decision. Drew made a few snippy comments
and Nico could tell that Annabeth silently disliked it, but that was about the
extent of it. The others just seemed to be about as stunned about it as Nico
himself was.
Jason had just finished shutting the door behind Hazel and Annabeth, when it
swung open and hit him in the face. Nico's eyes widened a little as Rachel
poked her head in. “Sorry, Jason,” she casually apologized. The blond shot her
a glare as he rubbed his forehead. The girl turned to Nico with a smile,
sitting down on the edge of the couch. “Percy wanted to know how you were
doing.”
Nico's lips quickly tilted down. “Why doesn't he just come and find out for
himself, like he normally would?”
“Ah.” Rachel chuckled nervously, scratching her cheek. “Percy is rather swamped
at the moment, but it was important to him to know how you were feeling.”
Nico grumbled and opened the thermos that Hazel had left him. “Tell him come
see me, if he is so concerned.”
Rachel opened her mouth, but Nico shot her a look that clearly said he'd rather
be left alone. He didn't really mean to be rude, this was just bothering him.
Percy had seemed so affectionate and concerned when he had found Nico, but then
had been so distant once they made it back to the hotel. It was almost like he
wasn't himself. If this had been some science fiction novel, Nico would
probably think a body snatcher had gotten to the green-eyed idiot.
Jason arched a brow as he got up from the floor. His blue eyes drifted over to
the door as Rachel made her way out before they quickly fell back to the raven
haired boy on the couch. “You okay, buddy?”
“Why doesn't he just come see me in person?”
The blond let out a sigh. “Wish I had an answer for you. You know, maybe he
really is swamped. I mean, the conference is this weekend.” Rubbing his cheek,
Jason sat down next to his roommate. “Or maybe something is bothering him.”
“Maybe,” Nico muttered.
Something was indeed wrong.
Nico ended up taking Hazel's advice and going upstairs. Unlike most nights,
Nico dressed in casual clothing, which earned him several looks from people
that had probably seen him working there in the past. Nobody said anything to
him, though, even as he pushed his way up the line.
Ethan let him pass without any questioning and Nico headed up to the left side,
where the girls were. Nico spotted Percy rather easily. The young man was
standing around with a tall man that was probably in his late forties. The
young man's sea-green eyes flickered over to the now ex-Lost Boy. Nico held up
his hand in a small wave, but Percy did not return the gesture. Instead, those
eyes looked Nico over, like the boy was under the microscope. Nico bit down on
his lip and rubbed his arm.
Sucking in a breath, Nico headed over towards Percy.
But he didn't make it very far. Percy leaned over and whispered something to
Chris, who happened to be standing a few feet behind him. The brunet arched a
brow and followed Percy's gaze over to Nico. With a brief cock of his head,
Chris gave a nod and walked in Nico's direction.
Nico could already feel a lump forming in his throat. “Is everything okay?” He
asked, peering over Chris's shoulder to where Percy was sitting down in a
booth. The young man propped his chin up with his palm. “Can I see Percy?”
Chris rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, Nico, but Percy's rather busy at the
moment.” He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. “Maybe you could go backstage
and the others could keep you company?”
Nico couldn't help but huff. “Is he avoiding me?” Brown eyes grew dark. “He's
not doing anything, just sitting there.” Chris didn't budge. “Fine, whatever.
Tell him that if he so unconcerned about me, then perhaps he should have just
left me with the guy that was trying to bury me alive!”
Chris's mouth floundered as Nico stormed off, letting the door slam against the
wall as he went backstage. With a final glare, Nico turned back to Percy as the
door swung back and forth, slowing down every few swings. There was a brief
flash of pain in those sea-green eyes before they broke away from Nico and
found something else to hold their attention.
For most of the night, Nico remained backstage. Some of the Lost Boys came over
and sat with him whenever they could, but it was mostly the girls. Silena kept
offering him water bottles to the point where Nico thought he might drown.
“You're going to want a lot of water,” she kept telling him.
Nico laid down on the couch while the girls went and did a group number. With a
sigh, he propped his feet up on the back of the couch, blinking up at the
ceiling. What the hell was Percy's deal? This was no time to go back a few
steps on the board. And it would kind of be nice to have Percy to lean on right
now. Releasing a breath a breath, Nico held up a hand to his face.
They were still shaking.
He hadn't said anything, but Nico was still expecting to open his eyes and find
himself back in that box. Perhaps that was why he hadn't shut his eyes when
Jason had him lie down for a few hours. He didn't want to sleep, not with the
risk of waking up back in that room.
“You okay, little man?” Came Beckendorf's deep voice.
Nico tilted his head back to look at the Lost Boy. “Just thinking.”
Sitting down on the edge of the couch, Beckendorf handed him a bottle of water.
“I can see that. Care to share your thoughts?”
Nico eyed the water. “Your girlfriend keeps giving me water. I actually haven't
finished the last bottle she gave me.” With a grunt, Nico put the bottle on the
floor. “I'm just trying to wrap my head around things.”
“You should take Silena's advice.” Nico tilted his head to look at the muscular
young man, but those brown eyes were on the floor. “She had to look out for
herself a lot growing up, since her mother was...a bit unpleasant. She got
dehydrated a lot, so I'd imagine she's just looking out for you.” He gave
Nico's shoulder a hard pat. “Heard you made quite the outburst earlier. You're
going to be on edge a lot for a few days.” Leaning forward, Beckendorf looked
Nico over. “You should also have Will give you some sleeping pills, because you
look exhausted. I get it, though, you don't feel safe falling asleep.”
Nico blinked a single time. “Have you ever been in a situation like that?”
“Not exactly like that.” Beckendorf looked down at his hands. “It's just
that... Well, I grew up in a bad neighborhood. I'd often wake up to gunshots
and police sirens.” The young man shrugged. “My brother inducted me into a
local gang when I was a few years younger than you. It got bad. I remember one
night my mother had to come and drag me out of bed, because someone had thrown
a moltav into our front window. I never really admitted it, but I was scared.
Hell, I was scared that I even had to sleep with a gun under my pillow.
“I thought it was cool in the beginning. You know, I was just a kid, I didn't
know any better.” Beckendorf gave a small chuckle. “It wasn't until my brother
got shot that I think it really sunk in. My mother was devastated, begged me to
quit the gang life, but it wasn't that simple. You didn't just quit the gang
life. Besides, I wasn't going to let what happened to my brother go
unpunished.”
Nico slowly sat up, his brow furrowed. “What happened? You ended up on the
streets, right? I mean, Percy did end up finding you, so it only makes sense.”
Beckendorf gave a small nod. “Yeah. We hit up an abandoned factory, shot a few
guys and burned the place down. The bitches had been selling some drugs there,
so we destroyed their merchandise on top of that. But...”
“But?”
“When I got home, the windows of my house had been shot out and the door was
kicked in.” Beckendorf shook his head, his jaw tight. His large fist clenched
around his knee. “The rest of their fucking gang had hit our neighborhood while
we were gone. Of course the cops never showed up, at least not until we got
back there. They shot all of them. My mom had been sitting up, waiting for me,
knitting or some shit. They shot her in her rocking chair. Every house got hit.
And, of course, the cops show up around that time, start doing what they do
best and trying to take us in for murder and vandalism. Being charged for the
shit that happened in our own fucking neighborhood!” Beckendorf let out a
breath. “So, I ran. Left the neighborhood, left the city. Left all my contacts
behind and disappeared.”
Nico frowned. “You never went back?”
“No,” was Beckendorf's reply. “There was nothing to go back to, not with my mom
and brother dead. Before I got into all that, though, I had wanted to do some
mechanic work, like my old man did before he passed away. Didn't think I'd ever
see that happen, until Percy came along. I was about to be arrested for a grand
theft auto when he simply addressed the cops and said that I was with him.”
Beckendorf rolled his eyes. “Wanted to hate him and thank him at the same time.
Back then, I thought he was just some entitled rich kid that wanted me to score
some drugs for him.”
With a smirk, Beckendorf patted Nico on the knee and stood up. Nico rubbed at
his neck, sitting in silence as Beckendorf walked a few paces away. “What
happened to the other gang?”
The muscular Lost Boy came to a stop and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I
let Percy take care of it for me. The same policemen that had come to shoot and
arrest us that night got charged to go to my old rival gang's neighborhood and
return the favor they gave us. After they returned to the station, each of the
cops taken into a room and beaten, and then they were fired.” Beckendorf
shrugged. “Guess we can't really say that Percy doesn't look after his own.”
Nico let Beckendorf leave. With a frown, Nico brought his knees up to his
chest. It was odd to think about how desperate he had been to hear all these
stories almost an entire year ago, and now here he was, wishing they could be
wiped from his memory. He knew all of them now, save for Silena. Back then,
when he first got here, Nico didn't really understand just how traumatic
everyone's past really was. Not that his own had been that great.
Pursing his lips, Nico rested his head against his knees. He had told the
others some about what had happened to him, but not even Percy knew everything.
Some of them had asked or Nico had mentioned some things here and there, but
not really to the extent of what he had always asked of the others.
Releasing one last sigh, Nico got to his feet. He wanted to go back to his
suite. Not to sleep, but just to get away from everyone for a while and have
some actual quiet time. He needed time to think. He needed to get the past off
his chest in order to truly put it behind him. It seemed important now that it
be shared, especially with Percy.
If Percy was ever going to talk to him.
Chapter End Notes
     So, I ended up combining chapter 55 with some ideas I had with 56.
     The reason was that the chapter would have been incredibly short if
     left the way it was. It would have left off with Nico in the box,
     like I had originally planned, but there wouldn't have been much
     content. I could have added Sunday to the chapter, but I felt that
     would have been just trying to fill space. So I did this. Not too
     much more to go.
     Silena's story still needs to be told. Luke and Octavian will get to
     confront their mother...with a little help from someone else. There's
     still a little more I'd like to share about Percy's past, but not too
     much. But I got to thinking about a suggestion someone made, about
     Nico, and I decided that I should add that in. So, as we can see at
     the ending, Nico's past will be revealed before the story comes to a
     close.
     Also, keep in mind that there is going to be a short spinoff. It'll
     be Luke's perspective, and I'll be working on it after CoL finishes.
     There will be an epilogue at the end. The spinoff will take place
     between the last chapter and the epilogue, for any of you that are
     wondering. But I have the rest of the story completely laid out now
     and it feels like a weight has just been lifted off of me. I'll be
     happy to write the ending. Not because I'm tired of this story, but
     because it's like watching my child grow up. I've waited nearly three
     years now to write this ending, not that it even is the same ending I
     originally planned for. But I am ready to finally get to share the
     ending, so all of you can know how it all plays out in the end.
***** Always Hard to Say Goodbye *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
“No,” Nico grumbled under his breath, fighting the urge to rub his temple as he
shut his locker. This was the twentieth time today that he had used that
response to the same question. It was also the seventy-eighth time this week.
His overall average was somewhere nearing three hundred since his return from
Germany.
“But-”
Nico fixed the girl bothering him with a glare. He didn't even know this girl,
so why was she so hellbent on pestering him? “I already said no. My answer
isn't going to change.” He let out a sigh. “I have no desire to go to prom.”
The raven haired girl in front of him pouted and walked off. Nico quickly shot
his worst glare towards a group of girls that had gathered near his locker, who
were all probably about to ask him the same question. This was getting
ridiculous. It seemed like his only time to be left alone was after school. Not
that it was much better, since a certain young man with sea-green eyes was
still avoiding him.
Honestly, Nico wasn't sure when all of this was going to get better. In the
past two days, Nico had seen Percy just once, and it had been with several
others around them. He had barely said two words to Nico. It was frustrating,
to say the least.
Would this get better once they moved?
His only good news had been when Will informed him that he was clean of rabies
or any other diseases from those rat bites. The blond had suggested that Nico
go see a therapist for any trauma that he might have suffered, but the raven
haired boy had assured Will that he was fine. Well, as fine as anyone could be
in the Lotus Hotel.
When Nico met up with Jason in the parking lot, the blond looked up from his
phone and smiled. “I just got a text from Percy,” he said. Nico felt his eye
twitch. Jason just chuckled and climbed in the car. “He said that you're still
expected to be at the conference tomorrow, so don't forget.”
Nico grumbled under his breath as he buckled up. “Great, I get to go play arm
candy and pretend we are just both great and there aren't any problems at all.”
“Well, at least he hasn't broken up with you.”
Nico sunk farther down in his seat. “We aren't, technically, dating.”
“Not with that attitude.” Jason grinned when Nico glared at him. “But,
seriously, it could be worse. Percy probably just has a lot on his mind right
now.” Jason blinked when his phone buzzed. He glanced down at it and arched his
brow. “Also, Kelli wants to know if you'll take her to prom.”
“Isn't she going with Dylan?” Nico asked.
The blond shrugged. “I thought so.”
“Are you going to prom?”
“Yeah, I convinced Piper to go with me.” Jason glanced over at Nico with a
frown. “You still not going?”
“Never had any desire to,” Nico mumbled, glancing out his window with his chin
propped up on his palm. The boy let out a sigh. “Besides, the only reason any
of them are asking me is because of Percy. They probably hope that I'll pick
them up in some super expensive limo and then invite their friends back to the
hotel for some party.”
When they got back to the hotel, Jason made sure to stop Nico before they got
out of the car. “Are you okay? I mean, other than the annoying girls.” The
blond leaned forward a little, pushing Nico's hair out of his face. “You look
exhausted, and you can't really use work as an excuse anymore.”
“I'm fine.” Nico smacked Jason's hand away and jumped out of the car. “I'm
just...not really sleeping that well. I'll be fine.”
Upon seeing his reflection in the window of a car he passed, Nico brushed his
bangs back over his eyes. Maybe Jason was right, he did look like shit. It was
just that, after his abduction, Nico was still having trouble sleeping. He
couldn't help but think that this was all just a dream. Maybe he had died back
in that box, and this was just his own personal heaven or whatever came after
life. Well, more like hell.
As he dropped his backpack off in his room, Nico stood there and stared at his
bed for a long time. His body screamed for him to lay down and get some rest,
but his mind kept screaming at him not to. That maybe, just maybe, this dream
would end and he'd go back to his nightmare.
It didn't really matter, since Nico did not have the time to rest. “We need to
get back downstairs!” Jason called out, jolting the brown-eyed boy back to
reality.
Right. Gaea was due to arrive at the hotel at any minute. Nico's brow furrowed
as he rubbed his neck and turned off the light to his room, shutting the door
as he left. Jason smiled at him and opened the door as the two left their
suite.
“Hey,” Nico suddenly said after Jason hit the button to call the elevator up to
them.
“What's up?”
The raven haired boy let out a breath, his eyes trained on the metal doors of
the elevator. “I was just kind of curious if you knew what you were going to be
doing.”
Jason blinked down at his friend. “With what?”
“Um, moving? Or will you be staying?”
“Oh.” Jason chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Um, I picked up an
application.” The blond exhaled and gave a nod. “I filled it out. Haven't
turned it in, but I filled it out. I think that I—like most of the others—are
just wanting a fresh start away from our pasts. My father and brother might be
dead, but that doesn't really make me forget.” He gave a soft smile and
squeezed Nico's shoulder. “A fresh start would probably do me some good. Plus
you'll be there, and it's not like I can trust you to stay out of harm on your
own.”
Nico narrowed his eyes and smacked the blond in the chest. “Shut up.”
Jason just smiled. “And maybe you need someone to tuck you in at night and make
sure you get enough sleep.” His smile wavered slightly as he tilted his head to
the side and stared at Nico's face. “Seriously, maybe you should ask Will to
give you some sleeping pills.”
Nico chose to ignore the blond's request, letting the elevator fall into a
silence for the rest of their trip to the lobby. He didn't want to ask for
help, because the boy did not believe he needed any. If this wasn't a dream, he
would eventually realize it, right? There was no need for anyone to feel
concerned.
Percy and a few of the others were already standing in the lobby when the two
arrived. The green-eyed young man glanced at them for a moment before turning
his attention back to the door. Nico's gaze turned dark as his fists clenched
at his sides. Jason patted him on the shoulder before he went over to Leo and
Piper.
It was Rachel who approached Nico as the boy went to stand by Will. “Nico, why
don't you come stand over with me and Per-”
“No,” Nico snapped back, causing the Lost Girl to draw back. “I will stand
where I please, and I will only pretend like we are perfectly happy tomorrow.
Gaea can get a good look at how Percy's behaving like a child for all I care.”
Apparently, Percy was perfectly capable of hearing that, because he huffed and
came over to Rachel and Nico. With a faint grumble, he grabbed Nico by the
wrist and pulled the boy to his side. “I understand that you're upset with me,”
Percy quickly whispered in the boy's ear, “but it's for your own good.”
Nico shot the young man a glare. “Explain that to me exactly, because I don't
really get it.” He yanked his arm free, but did not budge from Percy's side.
“Because, as I see it, I could have used you to lean on the past few days, but
you weren't there for me.”
Percy kept his lips pressed in a thin line. “I got you out of there. Did you
really think I wouldn't come for you?”
“That wasn't what I said.”
A heavy sigh came from Percy. “Look, I have my reasons. If you really had
needed me, I felt like you would have come by my room or office.”
If they hadn't been in the lobby, Nico might have hit Percy right then and
there. “You mean like the other night, when you had Chris get rid of me?” Nico
rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can tell you're so there for me.”
Percy's lips faltered a little, tilting down into a frown. It looked like he
was about to say something, but the doors opened to reveal Gaea and a very
intrigued brunet behind her. Eros carried a camera in his hands and was busily
looking over every inch of the hotel's entrance and the surrounding city.
However, upon entering the lobby, those bright green eyes fell upon a very
particular blond.
Before Gaea could even reach and address Percy, Eros shot past her and jumped
onto Luke, who barely managed to balance himself in time. The brunet nuzzled
against the blond and wrapped his arms tightly around the other Lost Boy's
neck.
“Luke, bonjour!” Eros said as he laughed at the blond's attempt to get a grip
on the French boy's tan legs.
Luke let out a sigh. “What about buns?”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “Really? You don't even know a little French?”
Luke glared at her as his brother stared curiously at the brunet in his
brother's arms. “Um, who is this exactly?” Octavian finally decided to ask.
“Yes, Luke, who is this lovely boy?” Thalia grinned.
Luke cleared his throat and tried to pry Eros off of him, though the brunet
just giggled and held on tighter. “No one.” He glared at the brunet. “He is
nobody, but he does need to get off of me.”
Eros pouted up at the blond. “Tu ne m'appelais pas comme ça par textos.” That
wicked grin appeared on the brunet's lips. “You were not asking me to get off
of you in Germany.”
Travis and Connor popped up beside the arguing duo. “Hello, we haven't been
properly introduced,” Connor said with a wicked grin. “My name is Connor. And
you are?”
Eros blinked at them in surprise before he smiled and shook the younger twin's
hand. “Eros.”
Travis slung an arm around Eros. “And my name is Travis. Pleased to meet you.”
He grinned up at Luke. “So then, how exactly do you know Luke?”
“And just how well do you know him?” Connor finished.
The French Lost Boy tilted his head to the side. Before he could open his
mouth, Luke clamped a hand over it and glared at the twins. “Do not pester this
annoying little French...toast.”
Eros arched an eyebrow. Annabeth just shook her head. “Wow, I never thought I'd
see you so whipped. And you've known him how long?”
Thalia was cackling. “Seriously, 'toast' was the best you could come up with?”
She wiped at her eyes. “Oh, my dear Luke, how the mighty have fallen.”
“Shut up.” While Luke looked angry, the blush on his cheeks said otherwise. “He
and I aren't anything.” It wasn't that convincing.
-------------------------
The next morning, Nico went in search of Eros. He got to see the brunet a
little last night, since the French boy kept Nico company while the others were
performing. However, it wasn't long after work ended for everyone that Eros
took his leave to go get some rest. But since the last place for Nico to really
search was a very specific suite, he somehow doubted that the green-eyed boy
had gotten much sleep.
Octavian answered the door, groggily rubbing his eyes and carrying a mug of
coffee. “It is far too early to be seeing your face at my door,” the blond
mumbled before he took a long sip of his coffee.
“Funny story.” A smirk crept across Nico's lips as he tapped a finger to his
chin. “You see, I've been looking for Eros, and I can't seem to find him
anywhere.”
“Did you try his room?”
Nico cleared his throat. “Well, you see, I went down to find his room number,
and was told that he doesn't have a room. So, I came here...where your brother
is...to find Eros.”
Octavian rolled his eyes before he took another long sip of his coffee. “Come
in,” he mumbled as he stepped aside. The suite was still dark. “Luke hasn't
woke up yet, but you're more than welcome to go bang on his door. As far as I
know, Eros isn't here.” The blond narrowed his eyes. “Is all that stuff they
were saying yesterday true? Is that who my brother has been messaging since he
came back from Germany?”
Nico grinned. “Probably.” He let out a sigh as he headed down the hall, where
Octavian followed slowly behind him. The raven haired boy banged on the door to
Luke's room.
There was a loud groan from the other side, so Nico banged again. “Fuck off!”
Came Luke's irritated voice. Nico just rolled his eyes and banged again.
“Goddammit! What do you want, Octavian?”
“I'm not your brother,” Nico called back.
There was a deep growl and then feet hit the floor. In a few short strides, the
door was swung open and a very naked Luke glared down at Nico. “Why are you
waking me up? I had a long night.”
Nico tilted his head to peer past the blond. His eyebrows shot up in amusement.
Sure enough, Eros was in Luke's bed, though the brunet was still fast asleep.
The covers were messily tangled across him and it didn't seem like Eros had any
clothes on either. But it was the dark marks on the French boy's neck and
collarbone that amused Nico the most.
He looked up at Luke in amusement. “I sure bet you did.”
Luke glared and grabbed a pair of boxers from the floor before he slipped into
them. “What do you want, twerp?”
Nico smiled and ran a hand through his hair. He would need to get it cut soon.
Probably before the conference, since a particular asshole still wanted him to
attend the event. “I was just looking for Eros, thought I could find him here.”
Nico stuck out his tongue at the blond. “It seems I was right.” He chuckled
when Luke glared at him. “But I am fine with seeing you and your brother.” His
laughter died down and he leaned against the wall. “Are you two going to be
okay today?”
Octavian grunted and raised his coffee to his lips. Luke crossed his arms and
glanced over his shoulder to the sleeping boy behind him. With a frown, Luke
stepped out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. “We'll be fine,” the
older of the two blonds replied. “If we're lucky, we can just avoid her.”
“And if you aren't so lucky?”
Octavian let out a sigh. “Then we'll deal with her. I mean, she can't really do
anything, not from a political standpoint. If she were to do so, it would just
draw attention to what kind of parent she was. She'd probably get thrown out of
office for harming her son and the fact that both ran away from home. Not
looking for us probably won't do her any favors, nor will the fact that she
told people we died.”
Nico gave a nod. “Well, you know, if you two moved, she would be far away from
both of you.”
“I know,” Octavian chuckled. He nodded back to his room. “My form is in my
room.” His eyes flashed over to his brother, who had his eyes on the floor.
“Luke turned his in yesterday.” His eyebrow shot up. “Interesting that it
happened after you spent the afternoon with Eros.”
“Just a coincidence,” Luke muttered under his breath. He took in a deep breath
and looked up at the two. “Anyways, you needed to talk to him, right?” Nico
gave a nod. “Give me a second.”
Nico tilted his head to the side as Luke stepped back into his bedroom. Luke
slowly knelt on his bed and stared down at the brunet. It was almost endearing
to watch the scene unfold, at least until Luke woke Eros up.
In one swift move, Luke shoved Eros off of the bed. Eros shot to his feet a
second later, his face full of anger and not even caring that he was naked.
“Sale con! Mais mec, pour qui tu t'prends? Genre je te sucerais la bite après
ça! Va t'faire voir salaud!” Eros yelled out. Octavian and Nico stared on with
wide eyes, while Luke smirked triumphantly. Well, at least for a few seconds,
until Eros shoved him so hard that the blond fell backwards and hit his head on
the floor. “Stupid American.” Huffing, Eros stepped over the blond on the
floor. “You can sleep on the couch tonight.”
Luke rubbed at his head with a frown. “This is my room!”
Pursing his lips, Eros bent over to retrieve his underwear from the floor. “Je
m'en bats les couilles. Si jamais tu me réveilles comme ça encore une fois je
t'jure que ça va barder.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “He wanted to see you,” the blond grumbled, pointing over
to where Nico stood in the doorway.
A huge grin overtook Eros's face as he turned to face the raven haired boy.
“Nico!” He said happily as he flung his arms around said boy. Nico laughed and
stuck his tongue out at Luke when the blond glared at him. “What do I owe such
a pleasure?”
Nico let out a happy sigh and chuckled again. “You know, it didn't take that
long after seeing each other again to wind up in bed.”
Eros scoffed. “That happened right after I got here, when I came up here to
drop my luggage off.” He grinned at the blond behind him, who had finally
gotten off the floor. “Someone couldn't keep his hands off my ass.”
“Please stop telling him things,” Luke grumbled.
The brunet grinned and placed his hands behind his head. “We also cuddled last
night.”
Luke shot forward and covered Eros's mouth with his palm. “Stop talking. Now.”
He glared at Nico and his brother. “Neither of you heard that, it was clearly a
lie. I don't fucking cuddle. I-” Luke cut himself off with a soft moan.
When Nico looked down, he found that Eros had his butt pressed firmly against
Luke's crotch, which was only separated by two pairs of underwear. Octavian
shook his head lightly. “Do we need to give you two a moment?” He rolled his
eyes when Eros giggled. “I think I'm going to try to find some earplugs today.”
----------------------
Nico smiled and squeezed Butch's arm. “I'm happy that things are working out.”
He playfully gasped for breath as the muscular Lost Boy enveloped him in a big
hug. “Just try and stay in touch, okay?”
“Will do,” Butch chuckled.
Nico glared as Butch ruffled his hair, carelessly reaching up to smack the hand
away. After getting his hair cut, Nico had bumped into the Lost Boy down in the
lobby. Butch would not be joining them in Germany, choosing instead to stay in
Los Angeles to be with his mother. Whether he'd stay on at the Lotus was
undetermined, but Nico was just glad that things had become mended between
child and mother.
It was sort of sad, knowing that some of the family that Nico had come to love
would be separated from him soon, but their happiness was far more important.
And the good news was that he would at least have some of the Los Angeles Lost
Kids with him in Berlin, since the ones there did not seem to be as close.
After the two parted ways, Nico ran upstairs to change into something that
wasn't a black T-shirt and baggy shorts. So, instead of the faded T-shirt, Nico
stared at several polo shirts that had been dropped off for him. He frowned
down at the bright blue one that Percy, apparently, wanted him to wear. With a
grunt, he tossed it over his shoulder and slid himself into the black one.
After stumbling into a pair of pants that pretty much conformed to his ass,
Nico grabbed the shoes that had been dropped off for him.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico inspected himself in the mirror. He would never
get used to this sort of life. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to dress up like
this on a regular basis. Better just get this over with, Nico thought to
himself as he left his suite and headed for the elevator.
When he got downstairs, Nico found Percy and Rachel waiting outside the door to
the conference room. Percy glanced up from his phone and just kind of stared at
Nico for a moment, blinking every few seconds. Rachel barely managed to catch
the young man's phone from falling to the floor.
Eventually, Percy cleared his throat. “You're late.”
Rolling his eyes, Nico crossed his arms over his chest. “At least I'm here,
even though I'm not sure why you want me to be.”
“Glad to see you two are working things out,” Rachel sighed, handing Percy back
his phone. She cleared her throat and opened the door. “Do try to act like
you're in love with each other.”
Nico's mouth floundered as he gaped at the Lost Girl. As brown-eyed boy looked
up, Percy coughed and looked away, sliding a hand into his pocket. Rachel
sighed and moved forward, looping Nico's arm through Percy's.
The conference was so boring. Nico didn't know who half the people there were,
nor did he really care about the other half. Even when he wasn't attached to
Percy's arm, most of the people in the room only managed to irritate the raven
haired boy. Because, honestly, Nico wasn't going to delusion himself into
thinking that any of the people were nice to him other than the fact that he
was dating Percy.
There were a few that he recognized from previous encounters, like Mrs.
Castellan and Robert. The latter moved around a lot. When he stopped to talk to
Nico, however, he actually asked if the boy had seen Apollo. Nico hadn't, but
he probably wouldn't have told Robert if he had.
May had not come over to Nico. She had briefly talked to Percy while Nico had
been getting something to drink, but it only been for a few seconds. Not that
he really minded. Nico did not really care about talking to the woman, but he
did keep an eye on her.
Percy acted completely normal with Nico, like they hadn't even been fighting.
He smiled and even kissed Nico's cheek once, but it did not make Nico any less
aggravated than he already was. Nico attending this conference was a bad idea.
All it did was cause the boy to become even more bitter. Unless Percy was going
to act like this after the conference, he didn't appreciate the young man doing
it now. It was a lie.
“So, I see things have developed between the two of you after all.”
Nico spun around to face Senator Johnson. The man caught him off-guard briefly
before Nico managed a smile. “I suppose they have.”
The senator nodded. “And I hear you aren't...employed anymore.”
“No.” Nico's eyes drifted over to where Percy was making small talk with some
important people from Europe and Asia. “Everything is great.” He couldn't help
but sound a little bitter as he sipped his punch. Shaking his head, Nico
harshly placed his glass back on the table, causing a few heads to turn his
way. “Excuse me.”
Mr. Johnson raised an eyebrow at him, but let the boy go. Nico pushed his way
through the crowded room, heading for the door. Right before he could get to
the exit, however, a hand clamped onto his arm.
“Where are you going?” Percy asked.
“Away.” Nico ran a hand through his hair. “I don't want to be here, and I don't
think you want me here either. Quite frankly, I'm starting to wonder why you
even came and rescued me.”
“What?” Percy retorted, his voice slightly raised. More heads turned their way
as Nico shoved through the doors of the conference room. Percy followed after
him, quickly pinning Nico to the wall and placing both of his hands on either
side of the boy's head. “I came for you because I care about you. I get that
you are mad at me, but this is not the place for us to argue. You have to look
happy.”
“I don't want to.” Nico shoved Percy away. “I don't belong in this world.”
“But this is what you signed up for when you said you wanted to be with me.”
Percy let out a sigh. “I'm not going to drag you to every event that I attend,
but I do expect you to appear happy when you do go to one.”
“You mean lie. Are you just expecting me to never be happy with you then?”
Percy arched a brow. “I don't know, you tell me. Are you happy with me?”
Nico grunted. “Not at the moment,” he said slowly.
The green-eyed young man sighed, but before he could respond, the door opened
and Gaea stepped outside. “Is everything all right?” She asked, holding a glass
of champagne in her hand.
“Yes,” Percy nodded. He rubbed Nico's shoulder with a faint smile. “Nico here
was just feeling a little overwhelmed. Give me a second and I'll be back in
there.” Gaea nodded and disappeared back into the conference room. Percy gave a
heavy sigh and turned to face Nico. “Look, I'm not going to force you to go
back in there if you don't want to, but give me a minute and I'll be right
back. I was sort of in the middle of a very important business discussion.”
Nico rolled his eyes and sat down on a nearby chair. “What, bombing a small
village in Africa? Handing out guns to local gangs?” Nico sighed and shot Percy
a glare. “By all means, go complete your important discussion.”
Instead of firing back with a comment, Percy locked his jaw and flung the door
open before he went back into the conference. Nico grunted and slumped down in
his chair. Maybe he was being a little harsh on Percy, but it didn't change the
way Nico felt. It was like all the frustration he had felt towards Percy the
past few days was just rising to the surface.
After a minute or two had passed, Nico got tired of waiting and got to his
feet. Kicking at the carpet as he went, Nico aimlessly walked around the second
floor, slowly making his way towards the elevators.
He didn't quite make it there.
As he passed by the hotel's gym, Nico came to a stop. He could have sworn he
saw something from the corner of his eye. He backed up and turned to peer into
the little workout room that the Lost Boys had first worked with Nico in.
Apollo had his back pressed against the wall, his head down and off to the
side, while Robert stood in front of him with his arms loosely crossed. Even
from here, Nico could see the tears that had formed in Apollo's eyes. So,
without thinking, Nico opened the door.
Robert's head jerked in his direction. “Oh, Nico.” He cleared his throat and
motioned to Apollo. “We were just talking. If you'll excuse us...”
“No,” Apollo quickly interjected before Nico could even budge. The curly haired
blond let out a breath. “Nico, stay. I want someone to hear this.”
Nico gave a nod and leaned against the wall. It was best to stay silent, so the
boy did his best to stay out of the way of the two. He wasn't stupid, Nico knew
what this was about. Robert wanted to know Apollo's decision.
“You know,” Apollo finally began after a long pause, “I would have given
anything for you to tell me you left your wife a year or two ago. Hell, even
maybe a few months ago. I probably would have jumped at the news and had my
bags packed within the next hour.” His voice was soft, just barely above a
whisper, but his eyes were hidden behind his blond curls. “Maybe that was just
me being young and stupid. You...really hurt me. A lot. You dragged me away
from home, after talking me into coming out to my father, and then just tossed
me aside.”
“I know, and I realize what a mistake that was now,” Robert said gently.
Apollo slowly nodded, his eyes finally coming into view. They looked
devastated, shattered. “I know.” He closed his eyes for a moment before
refocusing them on Robert's face, hardened and angry. “But it doesn't make it
okay. You could have sent me home, or even called my sister. But what did you
do? You had Percy come find me, knowing what he was going to make me do. Why
did you do that? Was it because you still wanted to see me, and you knew you
could just pay to have sex with me?”
“Apollo-”
The blond Lost Boy shook his head in disbelief. “You fucking sick son of a
bitch.” He laughed, wrapping his arms around himself. “I don't want to go with
you. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy. And I realized that I did
exactly what you did to me with Leo, except I didn't keep coming back for sex
with him. I stayed away. Because, deep down, even though I was messed up and
hurting at the time, I knew I had hurt him.”
Robert locked his jaw. “You're just going to stay here? I can give you a new
life. You don't need this place anymore. I can put you up in a nice house,
where you'd never have to worry about things like this again.” Robert shook his
head in disbelief. “You can't be serious.”
“The only difference,” Apollo continued, “is that I apologized to Leo about
what happened. Sure, it might have been a year, but it's more than you actually
gave me. You've never really apologized, at least never meant it. The only
apologizes you ever gave me was right when you were trying to get me naked
upstairs.” Taking in a deep breath, Apollo placed a hand on Robert's chest,
putting some distance between the two of them. “I don't love you anymore,
Robert. I can't really believe I'm going to say this either, but I think it's
best if we don't see each other again. In fact, I'm making sure of it.”
Robert's brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”
From his back pocket, Apollo unfolded a form for transfer. “I'm going to move
to Berlin when Percy moves. Leo is going to be going to be moving there to
oversee the maintenance of the hotel, and we did a lot of talking about things
between us. And I came to the conclusion that I would feel a lot better if you
and I didn't have to see each other again, so that I could have a fresh start.”
The blond pursed his lips and looked up at Robert. “I'm sorry.”
There was a long silence before Robert finally spoke. And the second Nico saw
the older blond move, he moved forward a few steps out of reflex. Robert
glanced over at him for a moment before turning his attention back to Apollo.
“If your mind is made up...” He pressed his lips together and glanced down. “I
wish you had told me this before I left my wife.”
“You kind of sprung that on me,” Apollo reminded him. The curly haired blond
leaned back against the wall. “Besides, you made your choice, and we must all
live with our consequences.”
Robert slowly nodded. “You're right, I did.” Reaching out, Robert cupped
Apollo's chin and tilted the blond's head up. “You're really beautiful.”
“Thank you,” Apollo whispered.
Sighing, Robert shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well, if you ever change
your mind, you know where to find me.” Apollo smiled up at him and nodded.
Nodding back, Robert headed for the door. “I hope you'll be happy.”
“I hope you can mend things with your wife. Take care of yourself.” Apollo let
out a long sigh when the door shut. He slumped down until he was on the floor,
and then he pulled his legs up to his chest. Those blue eyes seemed so far off,
at least until they took notice of Nico sitting down beside him. “Hey.”
“You okay?” Nico asked.
Apollo didn't answer right away. He glanced over to the door once, chewing on
his lip. “I think I will be. It's just weird, because he's been a part of my
life for so long now. But I realized that it's time to move on. There's a lot
of history between me and Robert, but that's also why we can't work anymore.
I'd never really be able to let everything that he did go.” Apollo ran a hand
through his curls. “It wouldn't be fair to either of us. Besides, I meant what
I said, I don't love him anymore. He was never who I was meant to be with, he
was just the person that helped me get to where I was supposed to be.”
Nico couldn't help but smile. “That's a nice way of looking at it.”
Letting out a sigh, Apollo got up. He wiped at his eyes before smiling at Nico.
“Well, I think I need to get back to the conference. Are you going back?”
“Um, I don't know.” Nico cringed a little. “Percy and I...”
“Gotcha.”
They had barely parted ways when Nico bumped into Percy. Well, technically, he
found Percy waiting for him at the elevators, and he did not look happy.
Percy's eyes grew dark when they spotted Nico. “Where have you been? I already
texted Leo and asked if he's seen you. For all I knew, you could have gotten
abducted again.” He shook his head. “I thought you were going to wait for me?”
All that anger seemed to come back real quick. “Excuse me?” Nico growled.
“You're one to talk, since you've been avoiding me for the past few days!”
Closing the distance between them, Percy glared down at Nico, his eyes ablaze.
“Did you ever stop to think for a minute that I did that to try and protect
you? That guy came for you because of how close you are to me, because he
wanted to hurt me!”
“Great idea,” Nico fired back. “And yet you didn't ban me from coming to this
conference. Instead, you have me stay by your side the entire time.”
“You came at Gaea's request.” Percy's nostrils flared at the glare he got from
Nico. “This isn't what I wanted. I put you in danger, and nearly got you
killed. Your sister would never let you go to Berlin with me if she knew that I
let you get kidnapped. I failed you and her both when I let my pride get the
better of me, thinking that nobody would be able to touch you while I was
around.”
Nico shook his head. “And how exactly have you been planning on keeping me safe
when I'm here in America for university?”
Rubbing his jaw, the anger faded away from Percy's face. “You're not.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” Percy's brow furrowed. “You will not be attending school here
in America. You are going to attend a university in Germany, somewhere close
by.”
Fuming, Nico clenched his fists. “You can't be serious! Are you just going to
make me a prisoner?” He huffed and stepped back from Percy. “You can't be
around to watch me forever, so you might as well let me live my life.” He
quickly held up a hand when Percy went to speak. “It'll be easier for me to go
to school here. I don't speak German, Percy.”
“I'm just trying to keep you safe!” Percy boomed so loudly that it made Nico
draw back. “I will do anything to keep you safe.”
“Like shooting someone, even when you knew I would ask you not to?”
Narrowing his eyes, Percy leaned closer to the pale boy. “I showed him mercy,”
he hissed. “If I had my way, I would have had him suffer as much and as long as
possible.” When Nico looked into those sea-green eyes, he found that they were
near slits. “Then, when he could finally take no more, I would finally put him
out of his misery. He got off easy compared to the cop that handed you over to
him.”
Nico blinked in surprise. “What?”
“I held him downstairs,” Percy said coldly, rubbing his jaw. “I told him that I
found you and he begged to be let go. Instead, I had molten aluminum poured
down his throat, and then tossed the body into the ocean where it sank.” He let
out a long breath and brushed some of Nico's hair behind his ear. “So, yes, you
should be thankful that I showed mercy, and it was only because you were
standing right there.”
Unfortunately, Nico never got a chance to reply.
“Mr. Jackson!”
Percy closed his eyes and let out a low growl at the sound of May Castellan's
approaching voice. Taking in a deep breath, Percy turned around with a smile.
“What can I do for you?”
Nico rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the annoying woman. His mouth
fell open when he noticed Luke and Octavian being dragged along by some of Mrs.
Castellan's security. And to top it all off, Eros had followed after them,
demanding that they release Luke and his brother.
“What is the meaning of this?” Mrs. Castellan asked, motioning towards her
sons.
Percy slipped a hand into his pocket. “I'd assume it would be obvious, they are
my employees.”
“And it just happened to slip your mind that my sons worked for you?”
“I didn't really consider it relevant, since you didn't seem to want anything
to do with them.” Percy cracked his neck, raising an eyebrow over at Luke. “I
don't really think they consider themselves your children anymore. They are
also both of legal age, which means that they are free to do as they please.”
“I wouldn't go home with you anyways,” Luke growled.
May eyed her son. “Unless you've given up your homosexual lifestyle, you would
not be welcome there.”
The older blond gave a grunt. “I'm bisexual, not gay.”
“Same difference.”
“No,” Octavian said, “it really isn't.”
Luke shrugged off his mother's security guard. “You were a horrible mother.” He
shook his head, motioning to his brother. “I don't even care about what you did
to me, but you were a horrible mother to him. You shoved him into things he
hated, wouldn't let him do the things he liked. And for what? All because you
thought he might be gay? Well guess what? He wasn't. So go fuck yourself, you
Bible thumping whore!”
Percy held up a hand to silence them. “She's not taking you anywhere, not if
you don't want to go.” He frowned down at the woman. “And if you're going to be
a problem, I don't expect I'll be allowing you to continue to stay at any of
our hotels.” He leaned in with a glare, not even caring that the woman's
security guards were right there. “And trust me, Mrs. Castellan, I'm not
someone you want to piss off.”
“I can handle this, Percy,” Luke said. Percy stared at him for a moment before
he nodded and took a step back. When May turned to face her eldest son, she
held her head up high. Luke just shook his head at her. “You are so blind and
consumed by your religion...that you let it come between you and your family.
It was more important than your own children. And I hated myself for so long,
for everything. Even for being bisexual. I thought that, maybe if I had been
the way you wanted me to be, then we could have just been a happy family.”
May opened her mouth, smiling a little.
“But then I realized that wasn't my fault,” Luke continued, his eyes like ice.
“It wasn't my fault, none of it.” His eyes shot over to where Nico stood. “It
just took someone with a little sense to knock that fact into me. You failed us
both. But I think I hate you most of all for what Octavian had to go through.
If you had just been a decent mother to him, he would have never ran away to
come and find me.”
Octavian touched his brother's arm. “She's not worth it, Luke. Don't talk to
her.”
May looked a little surprised. “You don't want to talk to me?” She took a step
towards Octavian, but the younger blond stepped back. “You're not the
abomination, Octavian.”
“Don't call Luke an abomination,” Octavian growled at his mother. “God, you
don't even see how crazy you are. Do you even hear yourself? And Dad...he's not
even here. Probably off screwing his secretary, right? How many did you catch
him with? I guess he isn't happy with you either.”
“Octavian, I am your mother! You will show me some respect!”
“No,” Octavian shook his head. “Luke was more of a parent to me than either of
you ever were. And you're the reason he doesn't smile anymore. All I wanted,
since the day you hurt him, was to see him smile like he used to, but he
doesn't. I can't forgive you for destroying our lives.”
Rage filled the woman's eyes as her face turned red. “If you think that I am
just-”
May fell silent when Eros popped up in front of her eldest son, a bright smile
on his face. She blinked at him a moment, mouth agape. Even Luke looked
perplexed by the boy's actions. What was he about to do? Considering who it
was, there really wasn't much that Nico could think of that couldn't possibly
happen.
“Bonjour, Madame Castellan!” The brunet exclaimed, shaking the woman's hand
vigorously. Not once did his smile waver, not even when Luke began to glare at
the shorter boy. “Puis-je juste vous dire que, vous et votre mari, vous avez
vraiment mis au monde un enfant magnifique. Et sa bite... Mon Dieu! Qu'elle est
grosse! Compliments à celui qui lui a passé ça.” Judging by the perplexed look
on May's face, she did not understand the French boy, not that Nico did either.
“En plus, il sait s'en servir. Après notre première fois, j'ai même commencé à
boiter. Nan mais, c'étais vraiment très, très excellent.”
“Um,” Mrs. Castellan floundered. “Thank you? I'm pleased to meet you...I
think.”
Eros just giggled and released her hand. With both of his hands, he held them
apart several inches. “Very big.”
Oh. Nico began to cough when he realized what Eros had probably been talking
about. And, just to confirm it, Eros turned around and tugged Luke down by the
collar, shoving his tongue into the blond's mouth. Luke's eyes shot open wide
when the brunet's hand squeezed his crotch. May looked scandalized, while Percy
just snorted and looked away to hide his laughter.
Needless to say, May didn't stick around any longer.
Chapter End Notes
     Translations:
     Tu ne m'appelais pas comme ça par textos. (That's not what you called
     me over our messages/texts)
      
     Sale con! Mais mec, pour qui tu t'prends? Genre je te sucerais la
     bite après ça! Va t'faire voir salaud! (Asshole! Dude, who do you
     think you are? As if I would suck your dick after this. Fuck you, you
     bastard!)
      
     Je m'en bats les couilles. Si jamais tu me réveilles comme ça encore
     une fois je t'jure que ça va barder. (I don't give a fuck (literally:
     I beat my balls at it)Wake me up like that again and I swear that
     shit will go down)
      
     Puis-je juste vous dire que, vous et votre mari, vous avez vraiment
     mis au monde un enfant magnifique. Et sa bite... Mon Dieu! Qu'elle
     est grosse! Compliments à celui qui lui a passé ça. (May I just say
     that you and your husband created a very beautiful child. And his
     dick... My God! It's huge! Compliments to whoever was responsible for
     that)
      
     En plus, il sait s'en servir. Après notre première fois, j'ai même
     commencé à boiter. Nan mais, c'étais vraiment très, très excellent.
     (Plus, he knows how to use it. Even gave me a limp the first time. No
     but really, it was truly excellent.)
     ------
     We are almost at the end. I decided on ending at 60 chapters, which
     only leaves 4 to go. But then there will be the spinoff, which I hope
     you all will read. Also, if there is anything I've yet to really
     follow up on in the story, please let me know. I'm sure I've missed
     some things, since the story is so massive. I just want to make sure
     everything is covered. Now, if it's like what happened between Luke
     and Kronos, you'll have to read the spinoff to find out. But just try
     to think of anything that I might have forgotten and let me know.
     Just keep in mind that this isn't taking requests for what you hope
     to see in the story before it concludes, anything mentioned has to
     have been hinted at in the story so far.
***** The Next Chapter in Life *****
Chapter Notes
     Edit: Made a small adjustment to the graduation scene, due to an
     inconsistency in plot that Carlee pointed out to me. Jason's supposed
     to be graduating, but I had him watching with the others. My mistake.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
“You could at least think about it,” Piper huffed as she sat down next to Jason
on the couch. She turned to the blond for support, but Jason just shook his
head and held his hands up. “Nico, this is your prom. And, since you're
graduating early, it'll be your only prom. This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity! Go with me and Jason, it'll be fun!”
Nico stared blankly at her from where he was pouring himself something to drink
in the kitchen. “First of all, it's tonight and I don't even have a tux.”
“We can go find you one!”
“Second of all,” Nico sighed, “I don't want to go.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “I'm sure Percy would go with you.”
“If they were talking,” Jason muttered, but Nico still heard him. The brown-
eyed boy shot him a glare.
It was true, though. While Percy had been a little more talkative since the
conference last weekend, the manager and Nico still had not made up. It
probably had to do with them both being very stubborn, as to why they had not
made up yet.
In truth, though, Nico was tired of fighting.
“My answer isn't going to change,” Nico finally answered before he took a long
drink from his glass of lemonade. “Just go and make sure Jason has a good
time.”
Piper looked at Jason again, who finally let out a sigh. “You know, Bianca is
going to be there,” the blond supplied.
“It's not like I'm avoiding her.” Dark eyes focused on the drink in his hand.
“Prom and dances just aren't my thing.” He let out a sigh and rubbed his neck.
“Besides, I should probably start on packing.”
Finally admitting defeat, Piper got to her feet. “I'd like to point out that
Jason and I are both moving as well, so packing is a poor excuse. But I will
let you stay here instead, just don't say I didn't try.”
“I'll say you tried too much,” Nico mumbled as the Lost Girl shut the door on
her way out.
From his place on the couch, Jason smirked at Nico as he reclined. Nico
narrowed his eyes as he moved to sit down on the arm of the couch. “She means
well,” Jason chuckled.
“Her and the rest of the girls.” Nico took a quick sip of his drink. “I think
the girls are just looking for an excuse to give me a makeover. I will not let
those jackals take me alive.”
With a smirk, Jason snatched the lemonade from Nico's hand and jumped up. Nico
shot him a glare as the blond took a long drink before handing the drink back.
“Well, one of us has to get ready for their prom. If you change your mind, you
know where the prom is. Just try not to stay cooped up in this room all night.”
“Yes, mother.”
A few hours later, Jason emerged from his room in full suit and tie. Nico had
to admit that the blond looked stunning in his black jacket and purple vest and
tie. He had taken his glasses off from earlier and replaced them with contacts,
while his hair clearly had some gel used on it. While the blond fiddled with
his cuff links, Nico whistled in appreciation, which drew a small blush from
the Lost Boy's cheeks.
Letting out a breath, Jason motioned to himself. “Do I look all right?”
All right was an understatement. If Nico wasn't in some weird relationship
limbo with Percy, he'd probably have undone all of Jason's hard work right then
and there. Instead of offering a real verbal response, Nico just nodded with an
indistinguishable noise.
As Jason let out a small laugh, there was a knock at the door. Jason smirked at
Nico and went over to open it, slightly surprised to find Thalia standing on
the other side. The Lost Girl blinked at her brother for a moment before she
raised a hand to cover her mouth, her eyes looking slightly misty. She quickly
moved forward and hugged Jason.
“You look so handsome!” The Lost Girl exclaimed. “And now you're all grown up.”
Jason chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks.”
After a moment, Thalia cleared her throat and looked up at her younger brother.
“Anyways, that's not why I came over here,” she said. Jason tilted his head to
the side. Thalia pursed her lips for a moment, rubbing her palms together. “I
made a decision about the transfers. I'm going to stay.”
“Oh.” Jason looked a little sad about it, but it didn't seem like the blond was
going to comment. “Is this about Zoë?”
“Ah,” Thalia chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck. They really were
siblings. “I see you noticed.” Thalia let out a grunt. “Not that we were really
being that discreet,” she muttered a moment later. She sighed and looked up at
Jason again. “That's part of it, yes. But it's not the only reason.” Smiling,
the short girl reached up to pat her brother's cheek. “You don't need me
anymore, Jason, and you haven't really needed me since you got here. But you
need to heal and grow more as a person, and I don't think you can truly do that
with me hovering over your shoulder.”
“You're not-”
“You'll be fine, Jason,” Thalia smiled. “We'll still keep in touch and see each
other, but I think I should stay here.”
Jason let out a long breath before he nodded. “Okay, as long as we stay in
touch.” The two hugged again and then Jason pulled back. “As long as she makes
you happy, I'm happy.”
Jason left with his sister to go find Piper, but not before saying a goodbye to
Nico. The brown-eyed boy slumped down on the couch once they were gone,
completely bored already. Life was not as hectic anymore, not since he stopped
working. His nights were completely free, which gave him time to prepare for
his finals that would be coming up over the next few weeks. But it also gave
him time to spend time with Bianca, who was more than grateful to get to see
her brother more before he left. While she was a little bummed that Nico wasn't
going to prom, she understood and was content that she would still see him at
his graduation and at the airport the day he left.
When it came time for dinner, Nico decided to head down to the hotel's
restaurant. One of the Lost Kids would surely be down there and Nico could fend
off the boredom with them until it was time for them to go to work. He didn't
really bother dressing up, not even caring that his hair was slightly
disheveled. Since it was a Saturday, he had not really gone anywhere.
Sure enough, the hostess at the restaurant gave him a distasteful look as he
passed, though she knew better than to say anything to him. Unlike the guests,
the Lost Kids never had to meet the dress code, though they usually tried to at
least look presentable. Not Nico. Today, the boy had dressed in a pair of black
cotton shorts and a dark red shirt that had been tattered around the sleeves.
Not to mention that his hair could probably pass for a Hobbit from Lord of the
Rings.
As luck would have it, Juniper and Silena were already at a table.
“Hi, Nico!” Juniper greeted him happily as he sat down at their table. The
former Lost Boy gave a small wave as a waitress quickly came over to take his
order. While most of the staff at the hotel didn't know Percy and Nico were
fighting, they did know who Nico was. It was not something Nico was that
thankful for. Juniper chuckled at the sour look on Nico's face after the
waitress had left. “How are you?”
“I'm okay,” Nico sighed.
Silena brushed some of her hair out of her face. “I see Piper failed at getting
you to go to prom.”
Nico leaned back and motioned to himself. “I don't know what you're talking
about, I'm clearly ready to go.”
A small laugh escaped Silena's mouth. “Well, try not to be too bored tonight.
You should at least try to get out of your room, since you've been cooped up
there all week.”
“He has finals coming up,” Juniper pointed out. With a smile, she turned to
Nico. “Oh, I meant to tell you that I decided to move back to Europe. While my
family isn't in Berlin, it will still put me closer to them.”
Nico beamed at the news. “That's great! And, Silena, you'll be moving back as
well, right?”
The raven haired girl nodded. “That's what Charlie tells me. It'll be good,
since Percy offered him that job.” She let out a sigh and took a drink. “Not
sure what I'll end up doing, though. Being a stripper and prostitute probably
don't make for the best career, should we decide to raise a child,” she added a
little more quietly.
“When is the wedding going to be?” Juniper asked as their waitress returned
with Nico's drink.
After they all ordered some food, Silena let out a breath. “I think we are
going to have it next year, probably in the spring.” Try as she might, the Lost
Girl failed to hide the smile that appeared on her lips. “And Europe will make
for a beautiful place to have a wedding. Traveling wouldn't be that bad, we
could easily pick a place like Italy or even France.” As quick as it came,
Silena's smile slowly melted away and she stared down at her drink on the
table. “My mother always wanted to have her wedding in France.”
From what Nico could remember, Silena did not seem overly fond of her mother.
Other than that, all he knew was that the Lost Girl had a harsh time adjusting
to the business at the hotel when she first arrived. And, now, all that was
left was her story; Nico had heard all of the others by now.
“I don't think you've ever talked about your mother,” Nico said quietly, taking
a sip of his drink. “Well, at least not to me, other than after my mom died.”
Juniper's eyes flickered over to where Silena sat, a concerned look in her
eyes. But Silena nodded, pressing her lips together. “You're right.” She rubbed
her hands together for a few seconds before she leaned forward on the table.
“You know, when you first got here, a lot of us didn't want to tell you our
stories, but now I think that was unfair. You had a point when you said that we
all knew what happened with us, and it was like we were excluding you. It
probably would have avoided a lot of tension if you had known, so you would
know what not to bring up with each of us.
“My mother was a very bitter and shallow woman, who could not stand anyone
being more attractive than her. Heaven forbid that another woman get attention
that she felt that she deserved,” Silena continued. “I never knew my father. If
I did, I would have tried to live with him instead. My mother... Well, she got
around with a lot of men, so didn't really know who my father was. I'm not
saying it's wrong that she had a lot of sex, I'd be a hypocrite if I did, but
it would have at least been nice if she had been able to know which man was the
father of her daughter.”
“You never really tried to get a test done?” Nico hesitantly asked.
Silena shook her head. “There wasn't really a point. My mother didn't want me
to do one, and I didn't really care by the point I got here.” The Lost Girl let
out a sigh. “By the time I hit puberty, my mother still had not changed. I
never understood her. At first, she was proud that I was pretty, but then she
wasn't. There were some real creeps that came through our door, and she hated
it when I started to catch their attention. She became furious one night,
started talking about how I stole her youth and beauty.”
“You mean like that old wives' tale?”
Slowly, Silena nodded. “Exactly. You know, some people say that if a mother has
a daughter, she loses some of her looks. Which is bullshit, because my mother
still looked hot.” She laughed dryly and tossed her hair over her shoulder.
“Well, surgery did help a little. She didn't stay satisfied with the way she
looked for very long. Either way, she thought I was trying to steal her men
away from her. She thought I wanted them!” Silena hissed. “So, to teach me a
lesson, my mother helped men that wanted me hold me down and...have their way
with me.”
“Oh my god,” Nico whispered before he could catch himself. Immediately, he
covered his mouth. “That's awful. You didn't report her?”
“You know, it's only now just getting to a point where law enforcement will
believe a child about such a claim. I felt scared at home after that. It
started to get worse, and I ran one night, when my mother went to get a hot
iron to 'make me less beautiful'. I didn't even stick around to take some
things with me, I just jumped out my window and ran.”
It made sense. Silena had escaped a situation where she was having sex with
people she didn't want to, into a business that required the same thing from
her. It couldn't have been easy to adjust to. Then what changed?
“Dionysus told me a long time ago that you had a rough time adjusting here,”
Nico confessed. “What finally got you to accept this life?”
“Luke talked to me,” Silena admitted. She took a long drink before she
continued. “We talked for a long time, and then he told me that Percy could
help me out. But only if I calmed down.” It didn't take much for Nico to
understand what that meant, or what would come next in the story. “So, in
exchange for me behaving, Percy payed off a plastic surgeon to...help my mother
out, so to speak. Not sure what happened to her after that, never really kept a
tab on her.”
Nico was not surprised by this point. It was very common that Percy ended up
settling the score with the parents or people from the past of the Lost Kids.
He could understand why, though.
“Why didn't you?” Silena suddenly asked.
Nico blinked in surprise. “Why didn't I what?”
Frowning, Silena tilted her head to the side. “You never asked Percy to do
anything to your father, and I know he had to of offered you.”
“I just...” Nico fell silent, pushing some hair behind his ear. “I don't know,
I guess I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I honestly can't tell you.” He
looked up to find both girls staring at him intently. “I was angry, yeah, but I
knew it wasn't something I could take back. What if I regretted it later? He
might have hurt me and I still hate him for what happened, but I don't regret
my decision to not get back at him. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if
Bianca found out and hated me for it, let alone my mother...if she were still
alive.”
Reaching across the table, Juniper took his hand. “That was very kind of you,
Nico. Don't think that we think poorly of you.”
“On the contrary,” Silena added, “I think some of us wish we had done the same.
It's easy to cause people pain for what they did to us, it's hard to let it go
and move on.”
 
If he had gotten more sleep, Nico might have thought better about sitting on
the edge of the roof, but he was still having trouble sleeping after his
abduction. It wasn't like he was going to jump, the city just looked really
beautiful at night from the roof. His room felt a little confining, so Nico had
gone to get some air. He had already caught up with most of his studies, so
Nico was pretty much left to be bored.
“You know,” came Percy's voice from behind Nico, startling the boy, “the last
time I had a Lost Kid come up here, she ended up taking her own life.” As Nico
turned around, Percy slipped his phone into his pocket, eyebrow raised. “Do you
mind not sitting on the edge of the very tall building?”
Nico rolled his eyes, but got up anyways and moved to stand closer to the
green-eyed young man. “I suppose it's a good thing I'm not a Lost Kid anymore.”
Arching a brow, Nico crossed his arms. “That is, unless you're having second
thoughts about that decision.”
“I'm not going to do something like that, just because we are fighting.” Percy
smirked as he slowly paced around Nico. “Couples fight. If we didn't have
arguments, then perhaps we both should worry.”
“Technically, it hasn't been made official yet.”
“I don't really like technicalities,” Percy mumbled, rubbing his jaw. He let
out a sigh as he came to a stop in front of the brown-eyed boy. “But, if it
will make you happy, I'd be glad to discuss it after we've made up.”
Nico's face remained blank as he stared up at Percy. “And when might that be?”
Percy let out another sigh. “I actually came to find you to apologize.”
“What?” That was...unexpected. Percy was the one apologizing? Both of them had
been acting unreasonable, but Nico was also very stubborn and sometimes had
trouble letting things go. It was an issue that Bianca strongly urged him to
work on. “You're wanting to apologize...to me?”
Chuckling, Percy nodded. “I was wrong. I overreacted and I shouldn't have
pushed you away like that.”
Holding up a hand, Nico shook his head. “That's really unnecessary,” he said
quietly. “I just wish you'd open up more, Percy. It's really hard to read you
sometimes. Would it be so hard to tell me why you're doing something?” Rubbing
at his arm, the pale boy glanced down at his feet. “That's all I want.”
“You're right.” It caught Nico a little off-guard to hear those words come out
of Percy's mouth. Not that the boy was about to complain, it felt nice. He just
couldn't bring himself to smile about it. Percy ran a hand through his hair.
“I'll try to do better, I promise.” He grinned down at Nico. “And if I fail to
do so, you have my permission to knock some sense into me.”
Nico narrowed his gaze. “Don't think I won't take you up on that, Percy
Jackson.”
The young man smirked in a way that Nico wanted to smack it off his face. “I
wouldn't have it any other way.” As if he knew Nico's thoughts, Percy took one
of Nico's hands and laced their hands together and brought them up to their
shoulder area. Nico arched a brow at the young man. “Now, about the matter of
your future education...”
“Still forcing me to go to school in Germany?”
Percy gently shook his head as he placed his other hand on Nico's waist. “No,
I've decided on a compromise.” Oh really? Nico had to hear this. Percy let out
a breath. “You go to a university in England. One of your choosing, whichever
one you want. You can pick whatever major you want. This way, you won't have
the language barrier, and I'll have the peace of mind about having you
relatively close by.”
Nico opened his mouth to respond, but Percy pressed on.
“Look, I can't always be there to protect you, I know that, but this will help
ease my mind.” Percy let out a breath. “I don't want anything like that to
happen to you again, and I let you down by thinking that you were untouchable
through the fear that people have of Gaea and her associates. But I didn't
really count on someone that doesn't really know how deep our influence runs
trying something.” It was hard to look away from those sea-green eyes when
Percy stared at him so intently. “I can protect myself. And I'm not saying you
are weak or defenseless, but you're not a killer. Unlike myself, I can't always
protect you. I don't really want to think about what would happen if I did lose
you.”
Oh. Nico felt his face grow hot as his mouth hung open ever so slightly.
“Um...” Wow, he could not form words right now. Leave it to Percy to say
something sweet while he was admitting he was wrong. “Okay, I can... I can go
to school in England, if it'll make you feel better.”
Percy smiled. “It would,” he nodded.
It finally hit Nico just what was happening as Percy tightened his grip on
Nico's waist and hand. As he blinked, Percy began to slowly turn them in a
circular pattern. Nico's face grew hot again as he narrowed his eyes. “What are
you doing?”
Percy laughed. “I was wondering when you'd notice.” The young man had started
to slow dance with Nico. “It's your prom night, and while you might not want to
go, you should still have a dance.” It was such a simple movement, but it still
made Nico's heart beat faster. “You know, I used to really suck at dancing.
Kronos used to say that I had two left feet, and actually protested letting me
working for his mother. Said that I would just embarrass Gaea's business.”
Neither part really surprised Nico, to be honest. But he didn't say anything,
he was just happy that Percy was sharing pieces of his past with him. Sighing
to himself, Nico brought his free hand up to rest it on Percy's shoulder.
The two were quiet as they slowly rotated in a circle, swaying slightly. Nico
had never really slow danced, but it didn't seem that hard. Besides, Percy was
leading anyways. It was a simple dance, but Nico didn't want it to end. Warmth
practically radiated off Percy's body and Nico didn't want to lose it. He
hummed lightly as he rested his head on Percy's shoulder.
Following Percy's movements, Nico took a step back. Smiling, Percy spun Nico
out before pulling him back in, but this time Nico was pressed with his back to
Percy's chest. Nico turned his head to look at Percy, and the young man wasted
no time in leaning in to press their lips together. As Nico sighed into Percy's
mouth, the young man used the opportunity to slip his tongue in, drawing a soft
moan from the brown-eyed boy.
Nico slowly turned around in Percy's arms and wrapped his own around the young
man's neck. Percy leaned Nico backwards, holding tightly to the boy's slender
waist. When they finally broke the kiss, Percy cupped Nico's face and pressed
another kiss to the boy's forehead. “I hope you enjoyed your dance.”
Nico gave a dazed nod. “I did, thanks.” He bit down on his lip as he grabbed
Percy by the shirt and pulled him down for another brief kiss. They hadn't
kissed in a while, and Nico found that he really missed getting to do it. He
had missed Percy.
Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when Nico was unable to stifle a yawn when
Percy tried to kiss him a third time. Blinking, Percy pulled back and brushed
Nico's bangs to the side. “Nico, you look awful.”
Narrowing his eyes, Nico pushed against Percy's chest, though the young man
didn't budge. “Gee, thanks,” he muttered sarcastically.
“Why haven't you gotten some medicine to help you sleep, if you were having
trouble?”
“I didn't want any.”
It was a lie, but Nico didn't want to explain that he was afraid that he would
wake up and this would all be a dream. He still felt like he might be back in
that box, waiting to run out of air and die. Ever since he had been pulled from
that nightmare, Nico had probably only managed to get three hours of sleep a
night. Sometimes even less, or sometimes maybe an hour more at most. His blood
had probably turned to coffee by this point, considering how much of the stuff
he had drank.
With his brow furrowed, Percy took Nico by the hand and led him to the door to
get off the roof. Nico didn't offer much protest. He was too buy yawning and
rubbing his eyes to really put up much of a fight. Ever since the slow dance,
the warmth from Percy's body had made Nico want to just fall asleep on his
feet.
They ended up back in Percy's room. The young man placed Nico on the bed before
he worked on getting Nico's shoes and pants off. He left Nico in his loose T-
shirt and underwear to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He sent
off a quick text.
Nico blinked up at the young man. “What are you doing?”
“Letting Leo and Rachel know I won't be back upstairs tonight.”
Nico let out a sigh and sat up. “I don't want to go to sleep, I'm not tired,”
he tried, but another yawn betrayed him. “I really don't want to go to sleep.”
Percy sat down, pulling off his own shoes. “And why is that?”
Nico didn't answer. Percy stared back at him for a moment before he yanked his
own shirt over his head and undid his pants. He crawled onto the bed, while
Nico raked his eyes down the young man's body, paying extra attention to
Percy's ass in the tight blue boxer-briefs he was wearing. Percy leaned Nico
back down on the bed, laying on top of him. He pressed a kiss to Nico's neck.
“Before we move, is there anyone I should get in contact with for you?” Percy
mumbled into the boy's neck. Pressing another kiss there, the green-eyed young
man pulled back and stared down at the boy. “Maybe a friend that you want to
say goodbye to?”
As his lips drew into a thin line, Nico gently pushed Percy off of him. Not
really something he would have ever dreamed of doing when he first me the
green-eyed young man, but things had definitely changed between the two of them
since then. “I didn't really have friends,” the boy whispered, causing Percy's
eyes to widen slightly. “Dad didn't really let me venture out of the house
much. And, well, nobody wanted to really be friends with the antisocial, ghost
boy.”
Although he let Nico have his space, Percy slid his hand across the bed and
interlaced their fingers. “I'm sorry.” The young man smiled sadly and toyed
with Nico's hair. “That must have been very lonely. No friends at all?”
“If you count the people that made fun of me for a stupid card game that I used
to play.” Nico let out a long yawn and rubbed at his eyes, which clearly did
not go unnoticed by the young man beside him, who frowned. “What about the
mysterious Percy Jackson?” Nico smiled lazily and let his hands fall into his
lap. “You don't talk much about your past, all I really know are fragments.”
There was a distant look in Percy's eyes as he simply reached out and played
with a strand of the boy's hair. “I don't really like to think about it.” His
eyes met with Nico's and a sad look appeared in those sea-green orbs. “It's
just confusing, you know? I loved my mother, she was a good woman, but that was
a bad time in my life. Like you, I was alone after she died.” The young man's
lips tilted down. “Instead of sending me to an orphanage or foster care, she
kept me. I think she wanted to believe that things would get better for us, and
didn't want to lose me. She didn't deserve the life she was given, and I could
never forgive my father for ripping her away from me at such a young age. It
wasn't even about living on the streets myself, or even danger I felt most of
the time when I laid down to sleep at night. I wanted him to die for her.”
Nico's eyes flickered over to where the pocket watch Nico had fixed for the
young man rested on the nightstand. Humming lightly, Nico crawled over and
picked it up. Percy reached out to take it back, but the boy pulled it out of
reach. “She was very pretty,” Nico said gently as he opened the watch. His
breath hitched a little when he found a new picture inside.
Right behind the face of the clock was a picture of Nico. Slowly, Nico tugged
on the clock to reveal the new photo inserted into the lining of the back of
the watch. “I wanted it to have the most important people in my life in it. So,
when you gave it back to me, it wasn't complete.”
Nico smiled and leaned over, placing two fingers under Percy's chin to press
their lips together. Why had he even been mad at Percy again? Nico let out a
long sigh as he pulled back. “That was really sweet.”
Clearing his throat, Percy placed the pocket watch back on the nightstand. “You
know, when I was younger, I was that kid that had the toothy smile and stayed
in trouble all the time. I probably gave my mother quite a few gray hairs, but
she always smiled when she looked at me.” Percy chewed on his lip, his eyes
staring off to the side. “I really liked seeing her smile, it always made me
happy.” He finally let out a breath and turned back to Nico. “You know, when
you first got here, I ended up breaking a mirror. I just couldn't stop seeing
that kid that I used to be staring back at me, like I had let him down.”
Percy's brow furrowed. “Like I was some kind of monster.”
Nico took Percy's hand and gave it a squeeze. “I think she raised you well, and
I think her morals stuck with you. It's probably why you didn't turn out more
like Kronos.”
Percy smirked a little. “Gaea wasn't that bad. Kronos can just be...an acquired
taste.” He shrugged. “Never met him, but Gaea never spoke fondly of Kronos's
father. I don't think he's still alive.”
Nico scooted over and rested his back against Percy's chest. The young man
smiled and brushed some of the brown-eyed boy's hair out of his face. Before he
could catch himself, another yawn escaped Nico's mouth. Percy immediately
frowned.
“You look so exhausted. Why aren't you sleeping?” Percy shook his head. “You've
been like this since I got you away from that creep, and it doesn't look like
you've gotten much sleep since then.”
Nico opened his mouth to argue, but Percy cut him off.
“Don't give me any bullshit, Nico.” The softness of Percy's voice was gone,
replaced by concern and agitation. “You should have gotten some sleeping pills,
if you were having this much trouble getting sleep.” He tilted his head to get
a better look at the boy in his arms. “What's bothering you? The guy is dead,
he's not going to hurt you ever again.”
“It's not that,” Nico breathed out. He tilted his head back, reaching up to
caress Percy's face. It was real. “I just... I was afraid I'd wake back up in
that box, like all of this would have just been some sick dream I came up with.
When I do get some sleep, I just dream about being buried alive again.”
Percy's arms tightened around Nico. “Do you want me to let you see a
therapist?” He whispered in the boy's ear.
“No,” Nico said, shaking his head. “I just...need to know that it's real.”
Percy shifted, so that Nico laid on his back. As the young man hovered over the
boy, Percy brought their faces within inches of each other. “I would give you
anything,” he said gently. “Ask for the world, and I'd give you the moon to go
along with it.” Percy pressed a gentle kiss to Nico's lips, causing the brown-
eyed boy to sigh. “Just tell me what it is you want.”
Nico wrapped his arms around Percy's neck and pulled the green-eyed young man
down on top of him. “You. I want you.”
“I'm all yours,” Percy said as they kissed again. “I always have been and I
always will be, until you are tired of me.”
Nico's heart fluttered as Percy's fingers slid up his shirt, ghosting over
Nico's skin. Their lips crashed together and Nico eagerly opened his mouth to
allow Percy's tongue entrance. As Percy shifted down to kiss along Nico's neck,
the boy mumbled, “I don't think that will ever happen.”
Nico's shirt quickly found its way onto the floor, which was soon followed by
his and Percy's underwear. Percy roughly pulled Nico into his lap. His lips
moved agonizingly across the brown-eyed boy's chest, while his fingers traced
circles on the small of Nico's back. The boy's finger's tangled in Percy's hair
and Nico couldn't help but shudder as Percy softly trailed a finger down the
spine of his back.
It didn't take long for Nico to find himself on his back with his ankles on
Percy's shoulders. And judging by the way Percy was going at his collarbone,
Nico would probably be left with a mark.
The good news was that Nico could probably cover it up with a shirt, not that
he would have complained at the moment if it had been in a more visible spot.
“You seem a little eager tonight,” Nico breathed into Percy's ear, his hands
with a firm grasp of the young man's hair.
Stopping for a moment, Percy pulled back to look at Nico and blinked. “Why do
you say that?”
“I don't know,” Nico replied, no longer meeting the green-eyed young man's
gaze, though his grip did not untangle from Percy's hair. “It's just that with
me, and the others, your sex drive seems to usually be sated.” He smirked a
little and looked back at Percy as the young man rested his chin on Nico's
chest. “The last time you were this eager for sex was back in Germany, when
you-”
“Weren't having sex with the others?” Percy arched a brow and leaned down to
press a soft kiss to the center of Nico's chest. With a wicked grin, he pulled
back and lifted Nico's legs back onto his shoulders. “That's because I haven't
been having sex with the others. Haven't really been since around the time you
got abducted. I advanced the time frame we set for you quitting, so I felt it
was only fair to do the same with your stipulation.”
Soon after, Percy had a condom on and had himself lined up at Nico's entrance.
As Percy slid into Nico, the boy's nails dug into Percy's back and Nico bit
down on his bottom lip. Nico pressed his palm to Percy's hip once the young man
had buried himself in all the way, just to signal that he needed a minute to
adjust. Percy smiled and leaned down to kiss Nico's forehead, which was already
showing signs of sweat.
With a quick kiss to Nico's lips, Percy slowly began to drive his hips into
Nico. The brown-eyed boy shifted his legs to Percy's hips, where he wrapped
them tightly around his lover. Percy wasn't so slow this time. Normally, he
waited a while to pick up the pace. Not this time. Tonight, he gripped Nico's
hips and slammed himself into the boy, who tossed his head back with a gasp.
Nico's mouth fell open in a moan at the same time that Percy made a direct hit
to his prostate and shifted his hands down to squeeze Nico's ass. Nico's hands
fell to the sheets, where they gripped the fabric tightly. Percy just smirked
as Nico's mouth continuously hung open with endless moans.
“It seems like someone really needed to get laid,” Percy chuckled huskily in
the boy's ear, drawing another moan from Nico. Percy bit down on his lip and
thrust again, causing Nico's toes to curl.
Percy was not easing up. It was like he was on a mission to hit Nico's sweet
spot with every single thrust. And, well, he had yet to miss.
With a low growl, Percy flipped Nico over and had the boy get on his hands and
knees. He placed a hand on Nico's stomach and another on Nico's shoulder. Nico
buried his face into the sheets and screwed his eyes shut. Removing his hand
from Nico's stomach, Percy placed both hands on the boy's shoulders.
Nico's toes curled again as he was slammed back onto Percy's arousal. Percy
gripped Nico's hair and tugged the brown-eyed boy's head up. As he let out a
moan, Percy bit down harshly on his neck. Slowly moving his hand down Nico's
chest, Percy took Nico's arousal into his hand and gave it a few strokes.
As Nico neared his climax, Nico was turned around and Percy sat back against
his headboard. Nico bit down on his lip as his hips were guided up and down on
the young man's manhood. Nico leaned down to press their lips together as he
wrapped his arms around Percy's neck. The brown-eyed boy tugged on Percy's
bottom lip as they separated and Percy took Nico's arousal into his hand,
giving it a few strokes.
Nico buried his head into the crook of Percy's neck as he felt his orgasm
approach. “Percy!” Nico moaned loudly as he expelled his seed into the young
man's hand and onto his chest. Percy shut his eyes and gripped Nico by the
hips, slamming into Nico a final time before he came.
Nico collapsed onto Percy's chest, not even caring about the mess. Percy kissed
the brown-eyed boy's forehead, stroking softly at Nico's hair. “Let me get a
towel,” Percy whispered as he rolled Nico onto his back. The boy made a face at
the warm sticky feeling that was now on his stomach.
Percy climbed off the bed and removed the condom, tossing into the trash. He
left the room for a moment to retrieve a towel, which he handed to Nico upon
his return. Nico had barely managed to clean himself up, when he felt his eyes
begin to droop. Percy took the towel back with a smile, tossing it to the
floor. He turned off the light and crawled back into bed with Nico, who already
had his eyes closed. Nico let out a sigh of contentment when Percy pulled him
against his chest and placed an arm around Nico's waist. Nico rested his hand
on Percy's chest and the young man kissed his forehead. It did not take Nico
long at all to fall asleep after that.
--------------------------------
If there was one thing that Nico was certain of, it was that he hated wearing a
cap and gown. Yes, graduation had finally come two weeks later. In truth, the
time had gone by in an absolute blur. The morning after the prom he missed,
Nico ended up sleeping in until around three in the afternoon. Percy had said
that he had been exhausted, so he had no intention of waking Nico up. Not that
Nico really could complain, since he felt so much better after waking up.
That following week had consisted of his final exams, which he had crammed for
the best he could. He ended up staying in Percy's suite most of those nights,
so he could study without being bothered, but Percy often came back from work
to find Nico passed out on his notes. The week of graduation had been nothing
but boring. He had begged to just skip the last few days, but no dice. They
didn't even do anything! The teachers had pretty much just let them sit there
and do as they pleased, so long as they were not too loud. So, Nico had been
forced to wake up early for the past week, just so he could go read in class,
opposed to sleeping in and doing something similar after waking up at a
reasonable time.
And now here he sat, waiting for his name to be called to get his diploma.
Since Lost Kids from other hotels had started to arrive over the past few days,
all of the Lost Kids that Nico actually considered family were able to attend,
while the newly arrived ones worked the lunch shift. Which was why Nico kept
glancing up to them, because Bianca was sitting by Percy, and he was afraid she
might still be a little unhappy about the move that was happening tomorrow.
It was strange, knowing that tomorrow Nico would be flying to a different
country to start his life there. Percy promised they would have plenty of time
together, but the young man also had a lot of work to do once they arrived. The
summer would be when things transitioned, and Percy would take over in August,
sort of a birthday present from Gaea. All the applications had been turned in
by the Lost Kids that were wanting to transfer. A few, like Drew and Butch,
would be staying with Annabeth at the American branch. But then there were
those like Hazel and Calypso, who were just moving elsewhere altogether. While
Hazel was moving to Asia to be with Frank, Calypso had recently announced that
she wanted to try Australia and work under Demeter.
Ethan had ended up deciding that he wanted to stay where he was at, though
Percy did end up asking him to be Nico's bodyguard when he was at school. That
had not set very well with the brown-eyed boy, but the two did not start
another fight over it. But that did not mean the issue was over.
“Nico di Angelo.”
Nico nearly jumped out of his chair when his name was called. He just wished
that he could have realized that he would not make it to the stage without
something embarrassing happening.
“Nico, yeah!”
“The march of victory!”
“Félicitations, mon petit chou!”
It took everything Nico had just not to trip. His eye twitched as he looked up
at the bleachers, where Eros and the twins were being yanked down from their
standing positions by Luke, Piper, and Silena. He wasn't even going to question
how they managed to get the giant poster with colorful lettering that said
'Nico survived the school-ocalypse' in big, bold letters into the damn
gymnasium.
Unfortunately, while Jason and the others were trying to restrain Eros and the
twins, Leo jumped up and yelled into a megaphone. “Nico's the man!”
“Be quiet!” The principal yelled.
“I'm so sorry,” Nico whispered quietly to the agitated man once he was on the
stage. He shook the principal's hand and accepted his diploma before hurriedly
making his way off the stage, his face now slightly red.
After they tossed their caps and the ceremony ended, the floor was flooded by
the family and friends of the graduates. Nico himself nearly fell over when his
sister jumped onto him with a big hug. “I'm so proud of you, baby brother!”
“You're crushing me,” Nico wheezed. Daedalus chuckled and tucked his own
diploma under his arm before helping to remove Bianca. “Besides, I'm taller
than you now.” Nico and Bianca both stuck their tongues out at each other.
Bianca ruffled his hair as Daedalus's parents approached. “You'll always be my
baby brother.”
Minerva hugged her son as Quintus took a picture of them. “Nico,
congratulations to you, too,” the woman greeted him.
“Thank you, ma'am.”
A hand was placed on Nico's head and the boy tilted his head back to be met
with a quick kiss from Percy's lips. Nico's face turned so red and he quickly
pushed Percy away. He wasn't entirely sure if they should be so affectionate in
public, especially in front of his sister. But Bianca just arched a brow at
them.
“Relax, twerp, Percy and I came to a very good understanding before your
graduation started,” Bianca informed him. Nico paled a little at that. He
wasn't sure if he liked this subject. “Just keep it clean when I'm around, I
don't care if you two hug, kiss, or hold hands.”
As if to prove a point, Percy laced their hands together. It still bothered
Nico a little, because Daedalus and his family were right there, and they
didn't know half of what Bianca knew. And Bianca didn't even know half the
truth.
Bianca lunged forward and enveloped him in another hug. “I'm so proud of you!
You graduated early and are about to start college!” She squeezed him a little
tighter. “You know, when we first talked about you graduating early, I got
excited that we might get to start at the same college together.”
Nico felt his stomach dropped as he buried his nose into the crook of his
sister's neck, taking in her scent. He clung to her like his very life depended
on it. This would be their last day together, at least until Nico got to visit,
or the other way around. “I'm still seeing you tomorrow at the airport.”
“I know,” Bianca replied in almost a sob. “I'm just not ready to let you go.”
He wasn't sure she just meant in the sense of their hug.
As they walked back to their cars, Nico walked alongside Apollo, hands in their
pockets. The blond haired Lost Boy turned his head slightly and arched an
eyebrow at the raven haired boy. “What's up?”
“Nothing,” Nico replied, shaking his head. He was relieved to be out of that
stupid gown. “So, we're leaving tomorrow...”
“Yep.” Apollo smiled and glanced over at Leo, who widened his eyes and tried to
look annoyed at the curly haired blond. Apollo just smirked and shook his head.
“I'll be happy to have that fresh start.”
“Um, have you thought about saying all your goodbyes, though?”
Apollo gave him a strange look. “Well, considering most of my friends are
moving with me, not really. I mean, I said goodbye to the ones that wouldn't be
joining us, like Thalia, but-”
“I meant your sister,” Nico interjected. Apollo's forehead crinkled. “You never
even told her that you're still alive. She hasn't heard from you since you
moved. Why didn't you just try to get in contact with her when Robert tossed
you out?”
“Because, I was ashamed,” Apollo whispered, making sure that nobody else could
hear them. The two came to a stop, and Apollo waved to the others to continue
without them when they got a few glances. The blond crossed his arms. “She told
me not to trust Robert, she told me not to leave with him. I didn't listen, and
I paid the price for it. And how can I face her now, with what I've done for
the past few years?”
Nico smiled and touched Apollo's arm. “I think she'll just be relieved to know
that you're still okay. She's probably been worried, not knowing what happened
to you. She doesn't have to know everything.” Nico motioned to his sister, who
had stopped to talk to Daedalus. “I know I'm glad that Bianca and I found each
other again. It's not like you have to move and be closer to her, I'm just
saying that you should consider getting back in touch with her.”
“I don't know.”
“We are leaving tomorrow. You might want to do some quick thinking.”
Eros and Octavian conversed the entire way back to the hotel, which seemed to
irritate Luke, who just grumbled under his breath and slumped down in his seat.
“Why are you two so chummy all of a sudden?” The older of the brothers had
asked. Eros had just patted him on the head.
“At least someone is making you happy,” Octavian had told his brother when they
arrived back to the hotel and Eros had skipped off to chat with Juniper.
“Nico, congratulations on getting out of high school,” Chris greeted him when
in the lobby. Though she had not originally agreed to it, Chris had ended up
convincing Clarisse to have them move to Europe with the majority of the
others.
“Everything packed up?” Percy asked, carelessly tossing his phone in one hand.
“Good to go.” Chris grinned and shook Percy's hand. “Thanks again for the
promotion,” he added, patting Percy on the back before he grabbed Clarisse and
headed for the restaurant.
Nico furrowed his brow. “What's happening?”
“Oh. I asked Chris if he wanted to be a, sort of, bodyguard for me in Germany.”
Percy casually shrugged. “It'll pay better, and I know Clarisse wouldn't want
to be tied down to one person like that.” A chuckle escaped his lips. “Well,
other than romantically, obviously. I promoted her to head of security for the
Berlin hotel.”
“Don't let her hear you saying things like that.”
Percy's laughter slowly died down and he cringed a little. “Yeah, you're
probably right. It'll stay between us.” Percy slipped his arm around Nico's
waist. “So, what were you and Apollo talking about back at the school?”
“Oh.” Nico rubbed at his arm. “I was just trying to get him to consider
contacting his sister, letting her know that he's still alive. Only if he wants
to.”
Percy stared at him for the longest time before a warm smile spread across his
lips and he ran some fingers through Nico's hair. “You do that a lot.”
“What?”
“Give advice to others.” He tilted his head to the side with a small chuckle.
“I could always hire you on as a bartender after you finish college, since
Chiron pretty much dealt out advice for people around here. I mean, if you'd be
interested.”
Nico's mouth fumbled. “I- Um, yeah, that would be great.” Nico bit down on his
lip to contain a smile. “But don't you have a bartender at the Berlin hotel?”
Percy shrugged. “Well, I mean, nothing is definite in three or four years, so
we will see.” Leaning forward, the young man pressed a quick kiss to Nico's
temple. “You'll also need to learn how to mix drinks properly.”
Later that night, Nico had pretty much finished all of his packing. He let out
a sigh as he looked around his nearly empty room. Most of his things were in
boxes and suitcases, while the other half had already been shipped ahead to
Germany. Jason had left to spend some time with Leo and Piper, since he had
done all of his packing the day before. Half of the Lost Kids had the night
off, letting the ones from the other hotels fill some spots for the evening.
And before bed, everyone was supposed to meet upstairs for a short goodbye
party.
There was a brief knock at the door, which Nico got up to answer. Hazel smiled
at him from the doorway, stepping around Nico to enter the suite. Nico felt a
small knot form in his stomach as he shut the door. Aside from the rare visit,
this would be the last night he'd be with Hazel. Through everything, Hazel had
just always been one of the few that Nico felt he could trust in the hotel, and
now she was leaving.
And as soon as the sad smile appeared on the girl's face, Nico knew they'd both
be crying before they left the room. “I'm going to miss you,” Nico couldn't
help but announce. “I'm happy you're going to get to be with Frank, but I'm
really going to miss you.”
“I know.” Hazel shot forward and wrapped her arms around him. “I'll miss you,
too. It seems like just yesterday you came here.” She laughed, hints of tears
already forming in her eyes. “I'll be honest, I didn't think you'd make it that
long here, none of us did. But, I mean, look at me. I made it, so I had the
hope that maybe you'd be able to pull through. I was just upset when you chose
to throw yourself with us, because I didn't want you to have to go through what
we did.”
“None of you really deserve lives like this.”
Hazel smiled again. “We make due with what we are given.” She took a step back
and motioned to him. “Look at you, you ended up with Percy, even though
everyone told you not to bother. You did what everyone thought was impossible,
and you technically escaped the cycle Lost Kids all go through.”
Nico pressed his lips together. “I might not be working like I was, but I'm
still part of the hotel. I sleep in the same bed as the person that now runs
the entire operation.” He simply shrugged. “It doesn't really feel like an
escape, not that I guess I wanted to escape. I could have left, if I had really
wanted to.”
Reaching out, Hazel took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I think it's good, in
a way, that you didn't. Percy has changed a bit, he's started opening up more
and smiles more.” Another squeeze to the hand. “I don't think he'd be quite
like this if you had not come along, or if you had walked away.”
The two ended up talking for about an hour, until they had to head upstairs for
the goodbye party. They both had to wipe their faces first from the tears that
had been shed, and it took several hugs before they left the suite. To Nico, it
was just a preview for what it would be like tomorrow when he had to say
goodbye to Bianca.
“Why are you all leaving?” Aphrodite wailed. She might have had a little too
much to drink.
“Because we want to get away from you,” Luke grumbled as he pried her latest
mixed drink out of her hand, which resulted in a shriek from the woman. “Let it
go, woman!”
Eros chuckled as Luke was tackled to the ground by an angry Aphrodite. Smiling,
he wrapped an arm around Nico. “Nico, I am very happy that you will come home
with me!”
“Yeah.” Nico sipped at a drink that Thalia had given him earlier. The first
time he had drank from it left him coughing, so the boy had kept to small sips
after that. “I'm sure I'm not the only one you're looking forward to having
there.”
Eros grinned wickedly back at Nico. “Do you think Luke would want to share a
suite?” The brunet tapped his chin while in deep thought. “We had a few noise
complaints from the other Lost Kids while he visited, and Octavian sometimes
gives me dark looks in the mornings.”
Nico let out a chuckle and tapped his glass to Eros's own. “I'm sure you could
coerce him into it, especially if you're naked.” Nico nearly jumped when a hand
clamped down on his shoulder. Looking up, a smile spread across the boy's lips.
“Hi, Chiron.”
Standing up, Nico gave the man a warm hug, though he barely met Chiron's
shoulders. “It seems like just yesterday you got here, my boy, and now you're
flying from the nest.”
“And leading an army of birds with him,” Travis joked in passing.
Nico glared at the brunet before smiling up at Chiron again. “I'm sorry you
won't be joining us, Chiron.”
“Ah.” Chiron shook his head. “No, my place is here. Percy asked my opinion on
your job opportunity, and I thought it was a wonderful idea.” Putting an arm
around Nico, the man pulled the boy closer. “Make sure to look after all of
them and keep them in line...especially Percy.”
Nico chuckled. “Will do.” Nico gave the man another warm hug. “I hope this
won't be a true goodbye. I suppose it won't, if Percy ever feels the need to
come back here for business, or if I want to visit my sister. But you could
always take a vacation.” Nico arched a brow. “In fact, I don't think I've ever
seen you take a day off.”
Chiron let out a warm laugh. “I like to keep busy.” He squeezed Nico's shoulder
and smiled. “Take care of yourself, my boy, the world can be a large and
frightening place.”
Nico's eyes widened in surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around him. “And
I'd hate for you to get stolen again, cutie,” Ganymede said cheerfully. Nico
rolled his eyes and smiled at Chiron, tossing the man a wave as he walked off.
Ganymede rested his chin on Nico's head, staring over at Eros. “You must be the
French boy. Very cute.” Ganymede smirked eyeing Eros up and down. “Say, if you
want to go down to my room- Ow! What the fuck, Luke?”
From across the conference room, Luke stood with his eye twitching. At some
point, the blond had thrown a book at Ganymede's head, which hit the man square
in the face. “He doesn't want to go to your room, pervert.”
Eros's eyes widened in amusement. “I doubt you have room to talk, especially
with what you tell me in the bedroom.”
Luke's face turned red. “Shut up. Do you want to go with him, or something?”
Eros turned to Ganymede, who winked. “I'm told that I'm a lot of fun.”
The French boy tapped a finger to his lips before tilting his head to the side
and smiling. “No, Luke does a good job of taking care of my needs.” Luke looked
like he wanted to strangle the brunet. Eros just chuckled at him. “Tu es très
mignon quand t'es jaloux.”
From the corner of his eye, Nico spotted someone sitting alone. Not all that
surprising, since it was Dionysus, and people tended to like Drew more than
they liked Dionysus. Regardless, Nico slipped away from Ganymede and the others
to go stand in front of the man. Dionysus looked up from his glass of crimson
wine and smirked.
“The golden boy has finally deemed me worthy of conversing with.”
Nico rolled his eyes. “Well you failed to crush my spirits, or whatever your
game was.”
Dionysus snorted and downed some more wine. “Not at all, Nico, I never tried to
crush your spirits. I just liked watching you go to the verge of self-
destruction and then scramble to put everything back together again. Especially
when it involved Percy.” The man nodded. “Those were the most entertaining
moments.” He grunted at the annoyed look on Nico's face before taking another
drink. “Oh don't be so glum Nico, it's a day of celebration. You are
victorious! But I wouldn't say that you made it through this small adventure
unscathed. You're definitely not the same, cheerful boy that Percy brought in
here almost a year ago.”
“No, I suppose not.” Nico let out a breath and sat his drink on the conference
table. “But I'm not some sadistic drunk, who only takes joy from watching
others suffer.” Nico shrugged. “You know, I wouldn't be surprised if Annabeth
tossed you out of here. She isn't Percy, after all. I suppose it's a matter of
what Percy and her agree on.”
“Perhaps with a few small nudges from a particular boy, who is surprisingly
better at manipulation than people seem to give him credit for.” Dionysus sat
back in his chair. “You know, Nico, I never expected you to survive this place,
you were just too nice when you first got here.” The man's eyes flashed with
amusement. “But you are just full of surprises, aren't you? Annabeth sure
realized that.”
“Maybe there's more to me than you gave me credit for.”
“Perhaps.” Dionysus slowly nodded. “Now I'm curious as to what else happened to
you before you arrived on our doorstep.” Dionysus raised his glass to Nico. “I
will say that you were never dull. Don't be a stranger.”
As the party came to a close, Nico left to go finish packing. However, he
barely made it to the elevator when he got stopped by Annabeth herself. Great,
he thought. His annoyed look died, however, when she handed him a German
dictionary. Nico arched a brow at her.
“What's this for?”
“Learning the language,” the blonde replied plainly. “You might not be going to
school there, but you will be there a lot, and then permanently when you finish
college. Better start learning.” She let out a long sigh before turning her
sharp gaze back on Nico. “Look, I know we have our differences. I know we've
been fighting a lot and I haven't been the best of friend.” She pursed her
lips. “My main wish is to see Percy happy, and he is...for now. But that
doesn't mean I can't be there if things go wrong between you two. Athena's
position is opening up soon, as you know.”
“Maybe, doesn't mean you'll get the job.” Nico tucked the dictionary under his
arm. “But I appreciate the gesture, Annabeth. I know that it isn't easy for
you, seeing me with Percy, I mean.” He scrunched his lips, his jaw locked. “I
just hope you're being sincere this time.”
Annabeth simply shrugged. “Perhaps you're not the only one full of surprises.
For what it's worth, I have considered you a friend, and it hasn't always been
me trying to sabotage you.” She held out her hand. “It's been a pleasure to
know you, Nico, you were a worthy rival and friend.”
Nico hesitantly extended his hand and shook the Lost Girl's hand.
“Congratulations on your promotion, Annabeth.”
Whether she was sincere or not did not matter. After they parted ways, Nico
stayed up in his living room, searching through a list of people employed by
the Lotus Hotel chain. It wasn't until Jason came in around three in the
morning that Nico realized how late it was.
“What are you doing?” Jason asked with a raised brow.
“Nothing,” Nico muttered as he flipped yet another page. He let out a sigh as
his eyes began to scan the page on the left. At least it contained base
qualifications. “It's just something that I need to take care of.”
Jason gave him an odd look. “Well, don't stay up too late, we have to be at the
airport early in the morning.” He sighed when Nico didn't even look up from the
book. “Nico, are you listening? It's super late already. You need to sleep.”
“Huh? What?” Nico looked up in a daze, blinking. “Sorry, I'm distracted.”
Jason rolled his eyes and shook his head. With a yawn, he headed down the
hallway. “Just don't stay up all night.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Nico mumbled. His eyes were already glued back to the book. They
flashed to a name, his brow furrowing. Slowly, a grin spread across Nico's
lips. Oh yes, this could work. It was perfect. With a tired laugh, Nico slammed
the book closed and got up from the couch, turning off the lights and heading
to his bedroom.
Checkmate.
--------------------------
Saying goodbye involved far too much hugging for Nico's liking. The only reason
he had not complained was because the person currently grasping him for dear
life was his sister, and he was probably going to miss her most of all. Nico
smiled and wrapped his arms around his sister again, smiling at Persephone, who
stood a few feet away. The woman had brought Bianca and Daedalus to say their
goodbyes, though she had not said much herself.
Daedalus and Jason strolled over after their own goodbyes. Daedalus adjusted
his glasses and patted Nico on the back. “Take care of yourself, buddy.” He
nudged Jason playfully. “Maybe you should keep an eye on him.”
Jason laughed and Nico scowled. “Hey!” The raven haired boy complained. “I'll
be just fine. See if I let you visit.”
Daedalus smiled warmly. “Look after Jason as well. We wouldn't want him getting
hit with another brick.”
“Wow, bro, harsh.” Jason rolled his eyes, his own glasses sitting lazily on his
face. “It was just one time.”
“And all the sport injuries.”
Jason glared at the brunet. Before they could continue, Nico moved forward and
hugged Daedalus, who blinked in surprise. “Thank you,” Nico said quietly.
The brunet tilted his head slightly to the side. “What did I do?”
“You stopped and helped me when we first met.” Nico shoved his hands into his
pockets. “You didn't have to stop, you could have kept going. You didn't. And
you tried to be my friend, offering to eat lunch with me.” He smiled over at
Bianca. “Besides, if it weren't for you, I might not have found my sister
again.”
Bianca took her boyfriend's hand and kissed his cheek, causing the brunet to
duck his head sheepishly. “It's been a pleasure, Nico.” He gave a lopsided
smile. “Seriously, take care of yourself. And if you ever need anything, don't
hesitate to get in contact with me or Bianca.”
It finally came time for them all to part ways. Bianca pulled Nico in for one
last hug, a few tears in her eyes. “Take care of yourself, twerp. I'm only a
flight away, if you need me,” she said, which made Nico smile. “I'm going to
miss you so much!”
“I'll miss you, too,” Nico mumbled into his sister's shoulder. “We can Skype,
so we can still see each other. And I'll visit when I can. Maybe you can fly
out for Christmas.”
Bianca nodded, smiling and wiping tears from her eyes. “Yeah, totally.” She
gave her brother a final squeeze. “You better do well in school, or I'll come
over there and kick your ass.”
Jason and Nico waved at Bianca and Daedalus before stepping into line. As they
passed through security, Nico turned to wave at his sister one last time.
Taking in a breath, Nico turned to follow Jason over to where the others were
waiting for their flight to board. Percy and Gaea were nowhere in sight, which
probably meant they were discussing something privately. Nico just sat down
next to Apollo, who kept fidgeting.
“You okay there?” Nico asked with a raised eyebrow.
Apollo nearly jumped out of his seat. “I don't feel well.”
“Nervous flyer?” Nico chuckled.
Apollo shook his head. “It's not that.” He turned and looked at Nico, his lips
in a thin line. “I, um... I'm not going.” Apollo chuckled at the questioning
look on Nico's face. “Relax, I'm just not coming today.”
“What are the bags for then?”
Apollo kicked his backpack gently. “I took your advice,” the blond replied,
chewing on his lip. “I mean, I haven't contacted her yet, but I'm going to head
back to Florida.” He ran a hand through his curls. “Percy's tracking her down
for him. I'm just hoping she's still there, or I'll be getting on another
flight. I just wanted to...talk to her again...before I made this move. I don't
know if I'm ready to tell her what happened to me, at least not everything, but
I think it is time I bring her back into my life. If only I had listened to her
in the first place...”
Nico turned slightly to hug the blond Lost Boy, who smiled warmly. Apollo
embraced him in return, rubbing small circles into the boy's back. “I'm proud
of you,” Nico whispered.
“I'm sorry.”
“For what?”
“You know, for how things went between us for a while.” Apollo scrunched his
lips, his eyes darting up to Leo as the Latino boy hugged his mother goodbye.
“She gave me a very long talking to this morning, while we were loading the
vans. I didn't understand most of it, as it was in Spanish, but I feel like
most of it involved me having my balls cut off.” He chuckled and stared down at
his sandaled feet, his arms resting on his knees. “I just want to try and do
better. I was always just afraid of turning into Ganymede, or just an angry,
heartless person. I'm still terrified about getting into this relationship.
What if I mess up? What if-”
“Apollo,” Nico chuckled. “You'll be fine.” He smiled and squeezed the blond's
hand. “I think Leo's forgiven you, and so have I. You should put more faith in
yourself. The mistakes we make help us grow as people.”
“Thank you,” Apollo said softly, his eyes sparkling like sapphires from the
sunlight shining in from outside. “I'm glad I met you, Nico. Just try to make
sure I don't screw things up with Leo too bad, will ya?”
Nico chuckled. “I'll try my best.”
It wasn't long after that when Apollo, Hazel, and Calypso all had to get ready
to board their flights. Nico hugged Apollo again, telling the blond that they
would see each other soon. Nico wished him good luck with his sister, which
made Apollo smile. Surprisingly, Apollo leaned down and kissed Leo right there
in front of everyone, which made the Latino turn a very bright shade of red.
When it came time for Calypso to head to her flight, she pulled Nico into a
tight hug and whispered into his ear. “I wanted to thank you for being there
for each of us, even when we might have not wanted you to be. You tried to help
us, all of us, and I really appreciate that.” She held him out at arm's length
with a smile. “We might not have spent as much time with each other as we
should have, but I'm happy with the time I had with you. You were a good
friend.” She cupped his cheek. “I wish you the best in Germany, and don't be a
stranger. Take care of the others, especially Percy, he can be a handful.”
While he and Hazel had said their goodbyes the night before, it did not stop
the two from hugging each other for a good five minutes. Thalia and Jason
actually ended up having to pry them apart. Eventually, though, the three Lost
Kids left for their individual flights, leaving the remaining to wait for their
own flight. Nico took in a deep breath as he watched some of them say their
last minute goodbyes.
It was sad, especially, to watch Jason and Thalia. While they had fought a lot
after being reunited, the two had finally come to terms with each other. And
now they were separating again. Due to their height difference, it required
Thalia to stand on her tiptoes and Jason to lean down a ways for them to
actually hug properly. Jason wished her luck with Zoë and Thalia wanted to make
sure that her little brother would be fine in Berlin.
After Butch, Zoë, Ethan, Esperanza, and Thalia had all said their goodbyes, the
five left the rest to wait. The only one that actually hadn't come today had
been Drew, who was still sleeping, according to Juniper. A great weight settled
in the pit of Nico's stomach as the small group disappeared from sight. This
was it.
A lot of the group had gotten coffee at some point that morning, but not Eros.
He was just naturally energetic. The brunet had mostly spent the morning
talking Luke's ear off. And, by now, Luke had just started nodding to
everything Eros said to him. At least until Eros suggested they share a suite.
“Wait, what?” Luke practically yelled when that question came up.
“Don't worry so much,” Juniper tried to tell Will, who would not stand still
for more than two seconds. He kept pacing back and forth, until Luke got
frustrated and shoved the shorter blond into a chair. “Berlin is such a fun
place.”
“I've just never been.” Will frowned at Luke, who glared when Will tried to
stand up again. “It's a new experience. I don't know most of these other Lost
Kids. Are we still going to be as close when we get there? What if the ones
there hate us?”
Eros chuckled. “It is a fun place, there's much more to do at the hotel. And
driving to different countries is so easy.” An excited look overtook his face.
“Let us all make a trip to France soon!”
“Ah, no,” Luke replied, smirking when Eros glared.
Eros rolled his eyes and turned back to Will, grinning. “However, I know
someone that has a thing for blonds.” He winked over at Will, who did not look
convinced. Luke leaned over and whispered in Eros's ear. Whatever was said,
Eros nodded with a wicked grin.
Octavian had been very quiet during their wait. He carried a folder full of
college brochures, which fell out of his lap when their flight was finally
announced. As a lot of the others hurried to board, Nico crouched down to help
the blond gather up his things. “I'm fine,” Octavian muttered.
“And I'm happy to help.” Nico held out several brochures for the blond to take.
“Thanks.” Octavian sighed and stood up. “I just... I think I want to go back to
school.”
“I thought you were already in school, studying politics?”
Octavian scrunched his lips as he showed his ticket to the woman behind the
small desk. “I was. It's just that... I don't know, Robert got to me a little
bit.” The blond looked at Nico from the corner of his eye. “I was thinking law.
I mean, it's not much better than politics, but I could still help out around
the hotel.” He shook his head. “I just don't want to disillusion myself into
thinking I'll always be able to live like this. I don't want to end up like
Dionysus, Aphrodite, Circe, or Ganymede. I want to be something more. Maybe
Percy could hire me on as a lawyer, or something.”
Nico smiled as he and Octavian slowly walked towards their seats. “I think that
would be a great idea. I know you'll do fine.”
Octavian just grunted and took his seat next to Luke and Eros, who was still
talking the ear off of a very annoyed looking Luke. Nico smiled warmly as he
slid past Rachel and Percy to take his seat by the window. Percy turned from
his discussion with Rachel to smile at him.
“Ready to go?”
Nico nodded, relaxing in his seat. He stared out at the ground in what would be
his last few moments in California for a long time. It had finally come time
for this new life to begin. Was this where he was always meant to be? He did
feel a wave of comfort wash over him as Percy took his hand.
“Yeah,” Nico whispered.
Chapter End Notes
     Translations:
      
     “Félicitations, mon petit chou!”- [Congratulations, my little cabbage
     (=darling)!]
      
     “Tu es très mignon quand t'es jaloux [You are very cute when you're
     jealous]
***** I Am Glad You are Here With Me. Here At the End of All Things *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
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!”
Chapter End Notes
     Et Cecil est celui qui aime les blonds donc amuse-toi bien. [And
     Cecil is the one that likes the blonds, so do try to have fun]
     Yeah...about that spinoff...
     You guys didn't think I'd let you off so easy, did you?
     I love you Carlee and Diane, and I expect angry messages soon. Well
     from just everyone, but you two have better access to venting to me.
***** Fairytale Endings Are Just In Fairytales *****
Chapter Notes
     Okay, let me just start off by saying how disappointed I am in a
     particular reviewer. I am sickened to think that anyone would even
     try to threaten spoiling the story, by commenting what happened last
     chapter, on every single chapter. It makes me sad to think that you
     would think that would be okay to ruin the experience for everyone
     else. And what's worse, you seemed to think you were being noble or
     something, with your "mic drop". You should be ashamed of yourself
     for even thinking of taking away someone's experience with a story
     they are reading. And I hope you read Carlee's reply to your little
     review, because I feel it sums up how everyone would feel if you did
     it. People would hate you, you wouldn't be their hero. This is just
     so disappointing. You don't get to tell an author how to write their
     story, it's the author's story. I'm not going to change what I have
     planned to make you happy.
     Also, I highly recommend listening to "The Call" by Regina Spektor
     for the final scene. It will be when Nico is at the airport. A small
     spoiler there, but this song is the song that I always imagined
     playing when I wrote out this scene like two years ago in my head.
See the end of the chapter for more notes
There was so much blood. Nico's shaking hands had gotten covered in it from
clutching Luke's body. He just wanted Luke to wake up and everything to be all
right. And it was his fault. His fault. Nico's fault. Luke got shot because of
him. This was because of him.
His fault!
“Nico?”
Dark brown eyes snapped open from where he had been sitting on a windowsill.
Dark circles were now very prominent underneath Nico's eyes in comparison to
his pale skin. He blinked several times as his eyes focused on the rain that
quietly hit the window outside.
Slowly, he raised a shaky hand to touch at the glass. The blood was long gone,
but it was still fresh in Nico's mind. Taking in a breath, Nico turned to the
man that sat in a chair across the room from him, a pen and notepad in his lap.
“I'm sorry, what were we talking about?”
Asclepius was the man's name, and he had been highly recommended by Gaea
herself. A month had gone by since the shooting incident, and Nico had been
going to regular therapy sessions at least twice a week since then. Percy had
quickly become worried when Nico started eating less and not sleeping. And the
little he did sleep, Nico often talked or cried while he did. All he could
dream about was Luke getting shot and then watching him bleed out. He had
barely said a word to anyone since then, not even Percy.
The doctor dropped his pen on the notepad and laced his hands together in his
lap. “Have you given any more thought to what we talked about in our last few
sessions? Mr. Jackson tells me you're still barely eating, and your sleeping
hasn't improved at all.”
“I-I just want it to stop. I can't stop it,” Nico whispered.
Dr. Asclepius arched an eyebrow at him. “Stop what, Nico?”
“Watching Luke get shot. And I... I killed that man. Stabbed him, and then I
shot him. I could have just gotten the gun from him and stopped, but I-
I didn't... I shot him.” Nico's hands were shaking again. “He- He
died...slowly. He couldn't...call for help or anything. I didn't have to do it,
but I did.” Nico's eyes flickered up to where the man sat. “It was an impulse.
I wanted him dead for what just happened. Luke... That wouldn't have happened
if it weren't for me. He was there for me, not Luke.”
The man reached up and adjusted a pair of glasses on his face. “Nico, we've
been over this-”
“Just tell me how to make it stop.” Nico curled in on himself and glanced back
out the window.
The doctor leaned forward, curious. “Stop what, Nico?”
“I just...want it to stop. There's so much p-pain in this world, and nothing is
done about. All of my friends had to suffer, and still continue to. I just want
it to stop.” Nico rubbed the sleeve of his shirt against his nose. “Why can't
they be happy? Why is there so much pain, doctor? And why can't it ever end?
Are we just not meant to be happy?”
“I like to think that we try to enjoy the small moments in life, and that helps
us get by.” The man smiled warmly at Nico. “But life can also be hard and
unforgiving. We have to make due with the hand we are dealt, and maybe try to
make things better. Perhaps for ourselves, or even others.” The man picked his
pen back up and scribbled some things down. “Are you ready to talk about
pulling that trigger yet?”
For a long time, Nico just sat there and listened to the rain hit the window.
“I, um, didn't really think about it.” Nico ran his tongue along his dry lips.
“It just happened.” Slowly closing his eyes, the boy shook his head. “I don't
know. I shouldn't have, but I wanted to. You read my file, you know what
happened with my father. Yet I let him live.” He took in a deep breath. “And
now, whenever I look in the mirror, I just don't see the same person staring
back. It's like a stranger is looking at me. That probably sounds weird.”
“Not at all,” the man replied with a warm smile. “It's only self-preservation,
Nico. The man was going to do you harm, already proving that by what he did to
your friend, you just defended yourself.”
“You know, it's just when I think about it, maybe I shouldn't be surprised by
the stranger staring back at me. I'm not the same person I was a year ago, and
I guess the change in me was just so minimal that I didn't even notice it.” He
blinked, swallowing a lump in his throat. “I mean, I did, once. Percy was gone
for a while, and I... I started scaring myself.” He shook his head, standing up
and turning his back to the doctor. “It's stupid. In the environment I live in,
this shouldn't bother me.”
“But it does,” Asclepius supplied for him. Nico nodded his head, biting his
thumb nail. “And I think that should let you know that you're still the same
person deep down. Perhaps not entirely the same, but your morale compass has
just shifted slightly.” He arched a brow as Nico turned his head slightly to
stare at the man. “You didn't kill this man because you enjoyed it, you did it
because your life was in danger.”
Nico shook his head. “It wasn't for me.” He let out a sigh when the doctor
arched another brow. “I let my father abuse me, and never did anything about it
until I found him again in the Lotus. I never really cared about what happened
to me.” Nico sat back down, frowning. “It was because he shot someone very dear
to me. I...” Nico took in a deep breath, fighting back some tears. “I never
even wanted to tell my father that I was gay. He hit me that night and Bianca
got into a heavily heated argument with him. I was afraid that he was going to
hit her, so it just kind of slipped out.”
His doctor remained silent. He didn't write anything down, just sort of stared
at Nico in mild surprise. Nico had not even told that to Percy yet. It was just
not a night he cared to relive. Finally, Asclepius opened his mouth.
“Have you been out there to see-”
“No,” Nico interjected, still wiping at his eyes. “I can't. I can't see... I
don't want to face what happened because of me.” The boy pursed his lips. “Does
that make me a bad person?”
“Not at all,” Asclepius said softly. He stood to his feet and moved over to the
door. “But I might recommend going. Some closure might do you some good, Mr. di
Angelo.”
Nico watched the man move with an almost dead, cold stare. He took in a deep
breath before he got to his feet and nodded. His doctor wrote him a quick
prescription, probably for some nerve and sleeping pills, and opened the door.
Smiling, Asclepius motioned for Nico to step through the doorway. “I will set
up your next appointment with Ms. Dare. Have a good day, Nico, and try to go
easy on yourself.”
Nico briefly looked down at the prescription before nodding. Usually, one of
the Lost Kids from back home waited to pick him up, but not this time. Today,
Percy sat in the lobby, quickly jumping up when he saw Nico standing there. He
smiled sadly and ran his fingers through the front of Nico's hair when they
were close enough.
“How did it go?” He asked gently.
“Fine,” was the only response Nico gave. Letting out a sigh, Nico shoved his
new prescription into Percy's hands before heading out of the building and
waiting at Percy's car, while his boyfriend paid the doctor bill for his
session.
When Percy finally climbed into the car, he didn't start it right away.
Instead, he turned to face Nico, brushing some of the boy's black hair away
from his face. “Nico,” the young man said softly.
“I don't...really want to talk about it.” Dark eyes stared down at his lap as
Nico sat, unmoving, in his seat. “I'm just sorry.”
Percy's brow furrowed. “You don't need to be sorry, Nico. I don't see you any
differently. You did what you had to do.” The young man reached over and took
Nico's hand. “Look, I would be a total hypocrite if I had an issue with what
you did. I don't even try to think about the number of people I had to kill,
but I think that it is important to point out how much this bothers you.”
Squeezing Nico's hand, Percy smiled softly. “If I can't see myself as a
monster, then you most certainly cannot.”
When they started driving, it took Nico several minutes to realize they were
not headed in the direction of the hotel. His brows instantly furrowed as he
turned to look at his boyfriend. “Where are we going?”
Instead of answering, Percy just squeezed his hand.
Nico's nostrils flared. “Percy Jackson, you tell me where we are going this
instant.”
“Calm down,” the young man replied softly. “I just think that this will do you
some good. Like ripping the band-aid off.”
Looking back on things, Nico probably shouldn't have tried to grab the wheel,
because they almost went off the road. Perhaps a little harshly, Percy shoved
Nico back into his seat with a glare. Nico huffed and crossed his arms.
“Don't do that while I'm driving,” Percy scolded him. “This isn't up for
discussion. You'll thank me later.”
Nico glared out the window the rest of the way. When they arrived, Percy got
out first and walked around to open the door for Nico. The boy's shoulders
slumped as he took the green-eyed young man's hand. He didn't want to be there,
he didn't want to see. He just wanted to pretend that it was a dream. If he
didn't see it, maybe it never happened.
But it ended up staring him directly in the face. Literally.
Blue eyes snapped up when Percy led Nico into the room, an uncertain look in
them. Nico squirmed and waved a little when Eros waved at him from where he sat
on the bed. “How did the therapy go, Nico?” Eros asked as he held out a
spoonful of mashed squash to the blond in the bed.
“I can feed myself, fucker,” Luke grumbled as he snatched the spoon from the
cheerful brunet.
Eros stuck out his tongue. “Ah, but you are such a fragile little thing, I
would not want you to strain yourself too much.” With a glare, he got up and
yanked the pillow that Luke was using to prop himself up from behind him,
roughly fluffing it. “Connard. Maybe next time you won't get yourself shot.”
Luke crossed his arms over his bare torso, which was still rapped in a bandage.
The doctors said that the wound would more than likely scar, but at least it
had healed. In fact, Luke was going to be released in the next day or two. He
probably could have already been moved back to the hotel, but a certain brunet
demanded the doctors take extra care of him. And Percy just thought it was
amusing at how red Luke's face turned, so he agreed to it.
Finally, Luke's eyes snapped back over to where Nico now stood. “Twerp.”
“Hey,” the boy mumbled softly.
The twins were actually in the room. Which was a little surprising, as they got
threatened to be banned from the hospital if they stole another gurney and used
them to joust. “Did the shrink diagnose you as crazy yet?” Travis teased, who
had his arms wrapped around his brother's waist as the other twin sat in his
lap.
Nico shot the older twin a glare, but Percy clamped his hand over the boy's
mouth the second it looked like the brown-eyed boy might snap at Travis. “I
just thought Nico should pay a visit, so he could get past the guilt and
realize that you're not angry with him, Luke.”
Brown and blue eyes met. Reaching up, Luke scratched his cheek. Briefly
sighing, the blond turned his attention to Percy. “Give us a minute.”
Eros opened his mouth to protest, but Luke roughly shoved him off the bed.
Percy chuckled and opened the door as the twins and Eros left the room, the
latter cursing furiously in French. Nico took in a deep breath as the door shut
behind him. When he looked back at Luke, he noticed that the blond was undoing
his bandages.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Luke arched an eyebrow. “Showing you, so you'll stop being so fucking
depressed. You know, you could have at least sent a card for the guy that took
a bullet for you.” Grunting, Luke exposed the stitched up area of his chest. He
then huffed and patted the spot. “See, I'm alive. Jesus, I asked you to stop
being so goddamn depressed when something bad happened, and you couldn't even
do that.” He shook his head. “Can't even honor a dying man's wish?”
“You didn't die,” Nico mumbled.
“That's sort of the point.” Luke leaned back in the bed, placing his hands
behind his head. “I get why you're upset over shooting the guy, kid, but stop
beating yourself up over what happened to me. I shoved you out of the way, I
took the bullet.”
There it was. Once again, Nico was just 'kid'. “You could have died.”
“I could have, but I wasn't going to give that French asshole out there the
pleasure of being rid of me.” Luke rolled his eyes. “I know you're not weak,
like I originally thought you were, so stop pretending like you are. It
happened, you shot the guy, now it's time to move on with your life. You're
about to go to college. If you don't stop moping, do you really think Percy
will let you go to school in America?”
“I-” Nico pressed his lips together. “He probably won't let me now anyways. He
worries too much.”
Luke shrugged. “Then I suggest putting that mask back on and acting like you're
fine. Deal with your problems in therapy, but you're only hurting yourself
right now by acting like this. In a few years, you probably won't even think
about what happened.”
Nico really didn't see that happening.
---------------------------
In all his time in this life, Nico had never stared at the performance on the
stage as hard as he did on the night Luke got brought back from the hospital.
While the blond wasn't performing, he had joined the small group at Percy's
table. Luke was downing his third drink. And while his face looked bored, those
blue eyes barely left the stage that Eros was performing on with a few of the
Lost Girls.
The brunet had half of his torso covered in body paint, accompanied by a
crescent moon and a few stars painted around his right eye. All the while, the
boy and two girls danced along to Ke$ha's “Take It Off”. They didn't even
bother wearing much to begin with, just ripped shirts and some small underwear.
Well, the girls still had their shirts, for the most part, Eros had removed his
at the start of the song.
The choreography involved a lot of foot work and sliding across the stage. The
Lost Kids stomped their right foot along with the chorus, while one of their
hands tangled in their hair. Eros stood in the dead center of the stage, his
free hand hanging high above his head as his body went along with the song.
Eros seemed extremely comfortable to dancing to music like this, but that
probably was to be expected, since Nico got to witness the brunet at a club.
When it came to the part of the song where there was briefly no lyrics, their
hands moving from their hair down to their asses with three timed slaps. As the
song came to its end, Eros smirked and faced his back to the audience. And as
the song played the final beats, he swung his hips back and forth, slowly
peeling back the top of his underwear for the audience to see. Well, Eros
seemed more interested in seeing what Luke thought, as the brunet's green eyes
glinted at Luke. The blond just arched a brow and tossed back another shot as
his...whatever they were...showed his ass to the crowd.
The two girls did a quick wave to the crowd, while Eros winked and blew a kiss.
As they left the stage, Luke grunted and took another drink. “Don't you think
you should slow down?” Apollo chuckled as he stared at the other blond next to
him in amusement.
Apollo had gotten back almost two weeks ago. He was going to come back sooner,
when he heard Luke got shot, but Percy had assured him that Luke would be fine.
And, to nobody's surprise, the blond had moved into a suite with Leo.
Artemis had been happy to see her brother again, which had been why Apollo was
gone so long. From what Apollo had told them, the two had talked for a very
long time about everything. Artemis no longer talked to their father, and had
actually come out as asexual a few years ago. She was more than happy that
Apollo was no longer seeing Robert, but had also threatened to cut off the
man's balls for dumping her brother on the street.
She would be spending Christmas with them in Germany, from what Apollo told
them. And she knew what Apollo did. Well, most of it. More of less, it was
basically the same situation Nico was in with Bianca. She knew Apollo stripped,
but not the rest. It was possibly why Apollo came back and asked for a job
doing something else around the hotel. Percy had assured the blond that he
would find Apollo something, if it was what he wanted.
“Mind your own business,” Luke grumbled.
Percy leaned back in his chair with a smirk, sliding an arm around the back of
Nico's chair. “Why don't you just ask him out? You two are basically dating as
it is.”
“We are not.” Luke glanced up to the stage again, even though Eros was no
longer there. “It's just sex.”
“Maybe originally, but doesn't seem that way now,” Reyna weighed in. She
grinned wickedly when Luke shot her a glare. “Come off it Luke, you two are
cute together. He doesn't put up with your bullshit. I think he would make a
good boyfriend.”
“Especially if he can whip Luke, without them actually dating,” Apollo laughed,
knocking glasses with Reyna.
Luke grunted and took another shot. “You three can go fuck yourselves. I'm not
whipped and we are not going to date.” Perhaps Nico should have been paying
better attention, though, because he would have noticed the blond's attention
turn to him. “You're being very quiet tonight, twerp.”
Nico jumped a little at the nickname. It stung a little to hear it, after Luke
had actually addressed him by name. Perhaps Nico was just over thinking it,
though. Luke had admitted to viewing Nico as a little brother, so perhaps it
was just the blond's way of showing affection. Bianca did the same thing half
the time.
“Just thinking,” Nico finally replied.
It was pretty clear that Luke didn't buy it, but he didn't comment further.
Nico rubbed at his temple and looked off to the side. While Percy had bought
him a drink, Nico had not even touched it, something that the green-eyed young
man now took notice of. He tugged on Nico's shoulder, bringing the boy closer
to him.
“Are you tired?” He whispered, kissing Nico's temple. The brown-eyed boy gave a
small nod. “Okay.” Clearing his throat, Percy stood up from the table. “I think
the two of us are going to turn in for the night.”
Luke continued to stare at Nico while the boy stood up, while Apollo and Reyna
smiled and waved. Once they were away from the table, Percy slid his arm around
Nico, letting the boy lean into him. It was something that Nico took advantage
of when they got down and got a golf cart to ride back to the mansion in.
Nico mumbled incoherently into Percy's shoulder, his arms wound around the
young man's neck, while Percy did his best to find the keys to his favorite
golf cart. He smiled and wrapped his arms around Nico's waist upon procuring
the keys. Nico shut his eyes for a moment when Percy rested his chin on top of
the boy's head.
It was a little odd to think about how perfectly he fit under Percy's chin.
When they first met, Nico barely came up to the young man's shoulders. Right
now, he just wanted to stay like this forever. Well, perhaps in the comfort of
their room, which was what got him to let go of Percy and let the young man
drive them back to the mansion.
Percy smiled softly as he watched Nico move across the room and sat down on the
edge of the bed. With a soft grunt, Nico pulled the chord and let the curtain
fall around the bed. As Nico yanked off his shoes, the boy let out another
grunt. He pouted when Percy chuckled lightly.
Sighing, Percy yanked his shirt over his head and joined Nico on the bed. Nico
blinked from the center of the bed and watched as Percy removed his own shoes.
A yelp escaped Nico's lips as the young man practically tackled him.
“Percy,” Nico whined.
In response, Percy pressed a brief kiss to the raven haired boy's neck. “I just
want you to smile again,” he mumbled into the boy's pale skin. Strong arms
wrapped around Nico's torso and they rolled, so that Percy was on his back and
Nico laid his head on his lover's chest.
A long silence followed, wherein Percy passed the time by raking his fingers
through Nico's hair.
“Are you changing your mind about where I'm going to school?” Nico asked out of
the blue. Percy blinked down at him in surprise. Sighing, Nico slid down into
the crevice of Percy's arm. “We haven't talked about it since Luke got shot.”
A heavy sigh came from Percy. Reaching up, the young man pinched the bridge of
his nose. “I didn't think there was anything to talk about” Much to Nico's
displeasure, the young man sat up, which meant he lost his 'pillow'. “You're
still allowed to go to school wherever you want, Nico, I'm not going to change
my mind just because something bad happened. You made a point last time we
talked: this could happen anywhere. And it did. You were just in the city when
that happened, and there was nothing I could have done to make it not happen.
Aside from maybe locking you up in this mansion.”
Nico opened his mouth to argue, but Percy chuckled and silenced him.
“I wouldn't do that.” Percy sighed and crossed his legs. “You know what you
want and I'm not going to try to make decisions like this for you. If you want
to go to school in America, I'll happily support your decision. I'll miss you,
but I'll support it. I,um...”
Nico arched a brow at the young man when his ears started to turn pink. “Yes?”
Percy chuckled nervously and rubbed his wrist. “I care about you...a lot, and I
just want you to be happy.”
“I know.”
“No,” Percy chuckled, “I don't really think you do. I haven't told you, because
you were right again, when you said that I can be unreadable. I mean, I do try
to be affectionate with you, but I could tell you more.” He shook his head. “I
mean, I could just tell you in general. It's just a simple phrase.” Percy's
cheeks were now a bright pink, the color slowly devouring his entire face.
“This really shouldn't be this hard.”
Nico cocked his head to the side. “Percy, are you okay?”
Percy quickly nodded, though he briefly buried his face in his hands. With a
loud groan, Percy rubbed his face. “Goddammit,” he cursed. “I l-” He coughed,
his face now even brighter. What the hell was wrong with him? “Okay, so, I've
just never done this before, you know? Never...said this...before. I mean,
aside from like Gaea and my mom.” Percy groaned and buried his face in his
hands. “Why is this so embarrassing? It's just the two of us.”
“Percy, just spit it out.”
“I love you!” Percy instantly clamped his mouth shut, his eyes going wide. His
also resembled a tomato by this point, but at least now Nico understood why.
Taking a deep breath, Percy tried to calm down. It was actually rather cute,
seeing him all embarrassed. “I, uh, kind of wish you would say something.”
Oh. Nico was still a little stunned from the confession. He quickly blinked and
took in a breath. Okay, wow, he had not been expecting that. “I, uh...” His
mouth felt incredibly dry. “Well, you already know how I feel.” He just kind of
stared at Percy for a moment, who looked a little sick. “I love you, too,
Percy, you already know that.” His lips slowly tilted up and he wrapped his
arms around Percy, crawling into his boyfriend's lap. “But I've been waiting to
hear that for a very long time.”
Percy tilted his head up and sealed their lips together. He gave Nico a
lopsided smile when they pulled back. “Well, I mean, I guess I have for a while
now. It just kind of took me some time to realize it.” He motioned in between
them. “This is just rather new for me. I've never been in love...or a
relationship, for that matter.” He let out a breath. “But you mean a lot to me,
Nico. I would do anything for you, and I hope you know that.” Leaning up again,
Percy kissed the boy in his arms. “And I managed to get you to smile.”
Nico stared at the grinning idiot for a moment. Reaching up, he touched his
face. To be honest, he had not even realize he had been smiling in the first
place. “I guess you did,” Nico said quietly. Leaning back in, he shared a slow
kiss with his boyfriend.
--------------------
It was finally time.
Summer had finally come to an end, which meant that Nico had to leave Berlin
and go to university. It had not been an easy morning, or night for that
matter. While packing, he had changed his mind several time. Each time, Percy
had just told him that he would support Nico's decision, no matter what he
chose. He had not gotten any sleep, to be honest.
But here he was, in the middle of the airport. Beckendorf had gone ahead to
prepare Percy's private jet. The downside was that Percy would not be getting
on the plane with him. They had agreed that, if this was what Nico wanted, it
would be easier this way. So, even though he had packed everything, Nico still,
technically, had the opportunity to change his mind. To be honest, the thought
was constantly running through Nico's mind as he stood there with some of his
bags.
The others had accompanied Percy and Nico to the airport to say their goodbyes,
even though it wasn't really “goodbye”. Nico would still be coming back to
Berlin whenever he got the chance, mainly in between semesters and on holidays.
Still, it meant going weeks, or maybe even a month or two, without seeing his
friends. Percy was a different story.
The young man had assured Nico that they would see each other at least once a
month, even if that meant that Percy would fly out and visit. Unfortunately,
Percy's place was in Berlin, so he couldn't just be with Nico the whole four
years. Which Nico was already planning on shortening down to three, if he could
pull it off.
A hand eventually squeezed Nico's shoulder.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico turned around to face Percy and the others. “I
think I can do this,” he said nervously.
Percy smiled down at him. “You'll do great.”
Piper and Silena moved forward and embraced Nico on either side. “Take care of
yourself, make sure you eat all your meals,” Silena said, squeezing him awfully
hard.
“Come back to us in one piece,” Piper added.
Even though they would see each other again, it felt like a goodbye. Nico shut
his eyes and let the girls hug him. It was like seeing them for the first time
flash behind his eyelids.
There he was, the scared little boy, when Piper and the twins had come in. The
three had instantly become curious about him and introduced themselves. Piper
had been the one to prevent the twins from overwhelming him.
Silena and Beckendorf had fought a lot, but somehow Nico always felt like they
would pull through. Something about them just felt like they were tethered to
each other, perhaps even destined to be together. And now they were going to
get married and start a family. Nico knew that Silena would make a much better
mother than the one she had.
The twins appeared behind them, launching confetti. Nico wasn't even irritated.
He shocked them a little by embracing both of them. Connor patted his head.
“Whoa there, don't need to go making this so emotional, Neeks.”
“Yeah,” Travis chuckled. “We'll see each other again.”
And there they were, back in Los Angeles. The twins were up to some prank,
causing terror throughout their floor. Travis was back on their bed, watching
his brother sleep and talking with Nico. Their faces were seared into his mind,
just like everyone else would be. They were his family. It would always be
their impish grins that he would picture when thinking about them.
Next was Will, who stepped sheepishly away from Cecil and Lou. Nico smiled at
him and the two hugged. “Hurry back to us, the hotel won't be the same without
you,” Will mumbled into Nico's ear. Nico could feel him smile. “Thank you. For
everything.” He pulled back, his hands still on Nico's shoulders. “I'm not sure
if I can get used to you not being around now.”
Nico hugged him again. “I'll be back before you know it.” Nico gave the blond a
friendly kiss on the cheek and smiled. “Take care of yourself while I'm gone.”
There they were, back on Percy's couch during the movie night. Will's smile had
stuck out in the dark, and it had made Nico's heart do a flip. They were on the
beach and Nico just listened as Will talked about surfing and how he loved the
ocean. And the first time they met, Will just leaning against Apollo's car as
they got ready to go to the beach.
As Will stepped back, Juniper wasted no time in jumping in to hug her friend.
Nico clung to her tightly. Out of everyone, she had probably been the nicest
overall. Not once had she really hurt him. The others had their small spat with
Nico during the early days, but never Juniper. Granted she wasn't there when it
happened, but Nico couldn't really picture her being a part of it anyways. Nico
breathed in the smell of the Lost Girl's lavender shampoo.
She had been so excited to meet Nico, calling him adorable. She wasn't quite
like the rest, keeping her sadness and bitterness bottled up inside, instead of
trying to take it out on the world. It had been heartwarming to see the way she
smiled when she saw Grover over Christmas. It made Nico feel good, knowing that
the two would be together soon enough.
“So, I made you this shirt to wear while you are at school,” Leo said, holding
up a horribly made shirt with the words 'Property of Percy Jackson' on it. “You
know, to keep all the suitors off of you.”
Nico just rolled his eyes and accepted the shirt before pulling the Latino boy
into a one-armed hug. “I suppose I'll miss you.”
He could remember Leo's face, staring at him as Percy carried him into the
hotel. He looked so concerned, like he was worried about bringing Nico into the
pit of wolves. There were all the times Leo and Apollo had fought. Back then,
Nico had just thought they severely disliked each other. Perhaps they did. But
not now. He smiled, watching as Leo stepped back beside the curly haired blond
that he had been so angry at once upon a time.
Apollo smiled down at Leo and stepped up to Nico. “Well, I guess you're leaving
after all. Just not in the way we talked about a long time ago.” He hugged
Nico, lifting the boy up in a bear hug. “Try not to cause too much damage on
any Lost Kids you encounter while you're at school.”
The first time he had laid eyes on Apollo, Nico had developed such a crush. It
was not really hard to imagine, because Apollo was beautiful. Percy was
gorgeous and hot, but Apollo had a beauty about him that could not be matched.
Nico remembered how scared the blond had gotten when Percy scolded him after
humiliating Nico. And then there was when they finally made up, as Apollo fixed
the tie that Nico wore. From that moment, Apollo had just been his big brother.
Nico couldn't help but laugh upon remembering the feeling of triumph when he
got pulled off Apollo, a piece of the blond's shirt still in his hand.
“I don't think I could damage them as much as I did your face,” Nico joked.
Apollo smirked and ruffled Nico's hair.
Clarisse surprised Nico by shoving the blond out of the way. She stared down at
him with an angry look. “Here,” she grumbled.
Nico nearly choked when he noticed it was a folding knife. “I don't need that!”
“Well, you're going to take it.” And the Lost Girl shoved it into Nico's hand.
The boy quickly pocketed the blade. “And if some bastard pulls some shit on you
again, you better damn well use the goddamn thing.”
Well it was Clarisse. She had been very intimidating the first time that Nico
saw her. To be fair, though, the entire situation had been terrifying. He had
been where he was not supposed to be, on the floor that would later be where he
worked. And, of course, her and Ethan had gotten Percy, which had only scared
Nico even more. Nico felt a slight pain in his hand at the memory of the time
Clarisse and Ethan took him to shoot a gun. Nico had known right then and there
that he did not like guns.
When it came time for Rachel to say her goodbye, the girl snapped a quick
picture of Nico on her phone before shooting forward to embrace the raven
haired boy. “I know you'll be fine and you'll do great at school. But you
better call Percy whenever you get the chance, or he will probably start
moping.”
“Hey!” Percy whined.
Nico smiled sadly and hugged the girl again. He couldn't help but think about
all the knowing smiles she had given him. She knew how Percy felt about him,
even before the green-eyed young man did. The way she had smiled at him in the
elevator that one time, it was clear now that she was scarily intuitive. All
the advice she had given him. If only he had listened to her more. She had told
him to not act so childish. If Nico had just listened to her, he could have
avoided a lot of arguments with Percy.
Octavian rolled his eyes and yanked Rachel backwards. “You might be needing
this,” the blond grumbled, handing Nico a very thick book. It was the DSM book
that Nico kept running across for the required textbooks for his courses.
“Hopefully, you don't make a habit of getting yourself into bad situations. Not
that you'd listen, since you never do.”
That was more than true.
Nico had not even been a blip on Octavian's radar the night they met. He had
flat out ignored Nico, for the most part. Most of the time they talked, it
involved a snippy comment at Nico. He had helped Nico, even if it was merely
because his brother had asked him to. If it weren't for Octavian, Annabeth
probably would have crushed him into the dirt without Nico even suspecting
anything of the blonde. The first time that he had even seen the blond Lost Boy
smile had been at Daedalus's house, when they had met Perdix.
Next was Reyna, who wasted no time in making sure that Nico checked in with
them on a regular basis. “And if you don't,” she said with a firm look, “I will
fly over myself and kick your ass.” She then smiled at him and hugged the
shorter boy. “Take care of yourself, Nico. We'll all miss you, but I'm sure you
already know that.”
Reyna had been very distant and hard to read when the two had first met.
Perhaps a little angry. If Nico had not been so blind to things, he would have
realized that she had basically told him that Percy did kill people. As they
days passed and Reyna had started to open up more, Nico found her to be a very
reliable friend.
When it came time for Eros to bid Nico farewell, the brunet hugged the raven
haired boy while he rambled incoherently in French. Pulling back, Eros kissed
both of Nico's cheeks. It reminded Nico of the first time that they met. He
hoped that by the time he finished school that Eros and Luke would stop dancing
around each other and actually get together.
Eros had been like a whirlwind, blowing into Nico's life out of nowhere. And
now he couldn't imagine not having the brunet around. He had been so excited
the day he took Nico to get outfitted for dinner with Percy, the way he grinned
at the brown-eyed boy through the mirror. But there had also been the
nightclub, where Nico got to witness the more worrying side of the French Lost
Boy. Or when Luke had confessed that Eros had an eating disorder. But then he
could turn it all around again with times like when he looked so proud after he
and Luke got discovered for destroying the pinball machine and golf cart. But
perhaps Nico's fondest moment of the brunet had been when he had encountered
Luke's mother. The look of horror on the woman's face would always be
priceless.
Jason offered Nico a lopsided smile as he stepped forward and opened his arms
for Nico to embrace him, something Nico wasted no time in doing. He closed his
eyes and clung to the blond for dear life. “I'll miss you,” Nico whispered into
the blue-eyed boy's chest.
“Will's not so bad, but I think you're still my favorite roommate.”
Nico could feel tears building up in his eyes now as he took hold of the back
of Jason's shirt. He didn't want to let go. The first time he met Jason felt
like so long ago, in another life perhaps, but it was still clear in his mind.
He had no idea who Jason was when they met at school, but he knew there was
something so familiar about Jason in comparison to the Lost Kids.
Finally there was Luke, who had to be shoved forward by Eros. He sighed and
rolled his eyes when he bumped into Nico. “Watch it!” Popped into Nico's head,
the very first words that Luke had ever said to him.
Nico had been such a scared little kid back then. It had nearly given him a
heart attack to bump into Luke, who looked like he wanted to murder Nico right
then and there. Their relationship with each other had been so different back
then. Luke had seemed like his enemy, someone who wanted nothing more than to
see Nico fail. He remembered the cocky smirk on Luke's face when Nico wanted to
try working on the top floor. And then Nico got the shock of finding out that
Luke had actually tried to protect Nico by making a deal with Percy. Or how
could Nico forget the night he jumped on the back of Luke's motorcycle?
It had nearly broken his heart to hear Luke's story, about how he got that
scar. Luke had given up on being happy back then. And then he met Eros. Nico
smiled at the memory of when Luke first laid eyes on the feisty brunet. The
look in Luke's eyes when Nico had almost fell out of their raft at the water
park flashed briefly through Nico's mind. Luke had started out looking like his
enemy, but it was funny how all that changed. Because, as it turned out, Luke
was probably Nico's best friend during all of this, whether he would ever admit
it again or not.
“Just...don't go getting into trouble. I won't be there with you, so I can't
really take another bullet.” Luke rolled his eyes when Nico pursed his lips. He
glanced over his shoulder and glared at the others before turning back to Nico.
“Look, you'll be fine. Stop worrying. Grow a pair and go knock 'em dead.” Those
icy blue eyes almost sparkled as they met Nico's brown ones. “Take care of
yourself, Nico. Not that I'll miss you or anything, but I'm sure all the other
losers I have to associate myself with are going to start whining that you're
not around.”
And the dam broke. Tears streamed down Nico's face as he hugged Luke. It was
his name that did it. Luke was his best friend, his brother, always looking out
for him. He just didn't want people to think he was a softie.
A hand laid softly on Nico's shoulder and the boy was slowly removed from Luke.
Wiping at his eyes, Nico looked up into Percy's sea-green eyes. The young man
cupped Nico's face and gave him a quick kiss. “As much as I want you to stay,
which is what I know you're debating right now, I also know you'll hate
yourself if you changed your mind right now.” He held on tight to Nico. The
smell of the ocean instantly filled Nico's lungs as he shut his eyes. “We'll be
here, waiting, when you get back.”
And there he was, back on the streets on that first night.
His legs screamed in pain as he tried to walk again. His body was so tired.
Just curl up and die, he thought again. It would be easier, and his parents
wouldn't miss him. Nobody would. He collapsed against the wall of the hotel,
slowly sliding down it until he sat on the ground. He pulled his knees up to
his chest and began to cry again. He buried his head into his knees so people
wouldn't see him cry. He heard a door swing open, but didn't look up. He looked
underneath his arms at the person that walked out, only seeing up to the
stranger's knees.
“No, everything is going fine.” It was a guy. “Yes, he dropped the package off
a few hours ago. I'll ship it over to you if you want.” The guy sighed. “No, it
wasn't like that.” Another pause. “No. He tried grabbing her ass while she was
on stage. There was no negotiation with me.” He paused again. “Yeah,
I...informed him as to the instability of his company's stocks .”
Nico scolded himself for picking this spot to collapse. He didn't want someone
to see him like this. People passing by were different, this was someone up
close. Something about the young man's voice pulled Nico in, though. He wanted
to look up and see who was talking, but didn't want to chance him making eye
contact. He would rather the stranger just ignore him and go back inside.
Nico figured he should get up, try to get away unnoticed. When he moved to
stand, his head began to spin and he collapsed on to the pavement. His cheek
was now throbbing, but he didn't care. He just wanted to lay there. His eyes
became heavy and he let them fall shut.
Nico let out a groan as he blinked and found the figure leaning over him. He
felt a warm hand brush his bangs out of his face. “Are you okay?” He heard the
voice from a moment ago ask.
The door opened again and Nico could make out a smaller figure come out and
approach the previous stranger. “Percy, Luke was asking for you. What are you
doing out here?”
“Talking to the boss.” Nico felt arms reach under him. “Can you get the door
for me, Leo?”
The smaller figure stood back up and moved over the door. Strong arms wrapped
around Nico and pulled him up to the stranger's, who's name must be Percy,
chest. “Sure, boss, but what are you doing with him?”
Nico groaned again, blinking up at this Percy. His face was lifted, so Nico
couldn't really make out many features, other than dark hair. “Taking care of
him. He looks like he needs food and a place to sleep.”
“But-”
“No buts. You act like this is something uncommon around here.”
Nico made out the figure of Leo. He was around the same height as Nico. He was
of some Hispanic origin. His eyes were peering up at Percy. Percy made his way
into the hotel and Nico had to screw his eyes shut from the bright lights above
him. Nico heard an elevator ding open and figured they had stepped inside of
it. He unconsciously shifted closer to the warm chest that he was being pressed
against. Nico blinked his eyes open for a moment. They were in an elevator. Leo
looked over at him, giving him a friendly smile. “He's conscious.” Nico looked
up at his rescuer. Percy glanced down at him. Nico's eyes began to shut again.
The last things he saw were warm green eyes staring down at him.
It was a memory that would forever stay with Nico, the first time he had ever
looked into those sea-green eyes. He had felt safe, a feeling he would always
associate with Percy Jackson. They were always meant to end up here, weren't
they? No matter what. Even when Nico kept almost getting killed, just like the
day on the movie set.
As they walked back to the limo, the group fell into a silence. Percy walked
beside Nico, looking over the boy's shoulder as he kept flipping through photos
of himself with the celebrities that had been on the set. He was so distracted
that he did not even hear the low groaning noise coming from above him until
there was a loud scream.
The next thing Nico knew, he had the wind knocked out of him as Percy came
barreling into him, sending the boy flying through the air. Nico's eyes widened
as he landed on concrete, though the hard impact to his head never came.
His eyes became filled with panic a second later when the large safe he had
seen on their arrival came crashing down where he had been standing just a
second ago. Nico just laid there in shock, his body shaking. His face was
pressed against Percy's shoulder, the young man's arms in a vice grip around
Nico's body.
A second later, the two were surrounded by the rest of their group, with quite
a few other people running over to check on what happened. Kronos was yelling
down at Percy, though Nico was still in too much of a shock to make out what
the young man saying. The only words he could decipher were “you idiot” and
“worthless trash”.
And then Percy pulled back and allowed Nico to see his face. Nico was frozen by
what he saw. There was pure panic in Percy's green eyes, his eyes wide as he
looked Nico over. Kronos reached down and jerked Percy to his feet, though
Percy only continued to stare down at Nico, like Nico might actually not be
laying there unharmed. It was also then that Nico noted that the back of
Percy's hand was bleeding, having taken the impact instead of Nico's head.
That day was the day that Nico really and truly realized that Percy did care
for him. Perhaps he didn't know just how much back then, but it did show that
Percy cared. And now the young man had said the three little words that Nico
had waited so long to hear. And how did Nico repay him? By going to school
halfway around the world.
“I could always just-”
“No,” Percy firmly cut him off. “You will be fine. I'll see you every month and
you'll be spending your breaks back here. We will make it work. It'll suck, but
it will work. You'll do fine and I'm going to be proud of you. Well, more than
I already am.” He smiled when Nico blushed. “And it's good to know that I can
still make you do that.”
Nico laughed a little and tried to wipe his remaining tears off of his face.
“You promise?”
Percy nodded and kissed Nico's forehead. “I'll see you soon.” He leaned in and
rested his forehead against Nico's. “But I will miss you. I really do love you,
Nico, and I am very proud of you.”
Nico pressed his lips tightly together and nodded, willing himself to not cry
again. He wrapped his arms around Percy's neck and pulled the young man down
for a long, searing kiss. They got a few whistles from some of the Lost Kids,
but the two ignored them. Right now, it was just the two of them. When they
separated, Percy smiled warmly back at Nico.
Taking in a deep breath, Nico slowly removed himself from Percy's warm embrace.
He reached down and picked up his backpack and one other thing of luggage. He
smiled weakly and gave the group a small wave before brushing some hair behind
his ear and heading in the direction of his flight.
He stopped abruptly and turned to look over his shoulder at the group watching
him. Percy stood in the center of them and they all smiled at him. Nico felt a
lump in his throat as each of them waved at him. This was his family. This was
the end of the road. Perhaps not literally, but it felt like it. The closing of
a chapter and the beginning of a new one.
His eyes slowly moved across each of their faces before making the decision to
run back. He fell into Percy's arms again, listening to the laughter that
escaped the young man's chest. The others circled around them, embracing Nico
in a long group hug. He never wanted to go, even though he knew he had to. The
future was uncertain, the right now was not.
When they finally let him go, Nico knew that it was time to leave. There was no
more stalling. He bit down on his lip to keep from crying and waved at the
group again. This time he did not look back. He did not look back until he was
on Percy's private jet and secure in his seat.
Nico turned and stared out the window, at the airport. He smiled a little when
he found everyone standing at the window inside the airport, waving excitedly
at him. He could do this.
“Ready to go, Nico?” Came Beckendorf's voice, startling Nico.
Nico smiled and turned to look up at the Lost Boy. “As ready as I'll ever be, I
guess.” He let out a sigh and glanced back out the window, swallowing a lump in
his throat. “It isn't really goodbye, after all.”
Beckendorf smiled and walked towards the front of the plane. Soon enough, the
plane began to move away from the terminal and they got into the air. Nico
stared out the window, watching as the ground fell away from them. He let out a
breath and nodded.
This wasn't the end, only the start of the next chapter of his life.
Chapter End Notes
     Connard= bastard/asshole
     I am so sad and hurt that so few of you had any faith in me after
     last chapter.
     Let me go ahead and be clear that this is not the last chapter. So
     don't think it's over. The next chapter is the epilogue, so make sure
     you stay tuned for that. I tried to have small flashbacks in there
     with all the goodbyes, because it's just a nostalgia that I felt
     should be there. Obviously there was the complete flashbacks with
     Percy, but I felt Nico would be remembering moments from the past as
     he said goodbye to each of them. So feel free to think of your
     favorite moment with each of them and think about that during the
     scene.
     So, I do still have the ability to write a spinoff, but I'm actually
     trying to decide if I want to or not. I guess I'll see how I feel
     after I finish the epilogue, and I'll let you know when I post that.
     I do hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do expect a pretty lengthy note
     from me after the epilogue, because it will be the end. And I have
     been writing this story for the past three years, so there will
     probably be a lot I want to say.
***** Every Beginning Must Have an End *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
He was not really sure what returning home would feel like, not really. Perhaps
that was because Nico had been back to Berlin plenty of times over the past
three years. Well, maybe not plenty of times, but at least it had not been the
full three years. Nico closed the book he had been reading as the final
passengers left the plane.
Standing up, Nico pulled his luggage down from the overhead. Not much had
really changed about him physically in the past three years. He was still
scrawny and pale, perhaps just with a little more color to him. His hair still
fell over his eyes, but he usually had to keep it groomed. “You need to look
good for the public eye,” Gaea reminded him every morning that he was in Berlin
for vacation.
“Was everything to your satisfaction on your flight, Mr. di Angelo?” One of the
stewardess asked as he headed towards the plane's exit.
It was still strange sometimes for Nico, having people recognize him. He got
stared at a lot in class every time his photo appeared on some magazine. And
the girls, especially, wanted to bother him and ask him questions about Percy.
At least he was back in Europe again, where it wasn't as bad.
Nico flashed the young woman a smile. “Yes, everything was great. Thank you.”
He had barely exited the terminal when he got tackled to the floor by Juniper
and Jason. “You're back!” Jason exclaimed brightly.
Nico rolled his eyes as he was lifted up in a bear hug by the blond Lost Boy.
“I am. You know, I just saw you at the beginning of the summer.”
Jason pouted at him. “Yeah, but you immediately turned around and went to Italy
with your sister.”
There was that.
So, as a graduation gift, Percy had paid for Nico and his sister to go to Italy
to visit their grandmother. Their grandfather had passed away a few years ago,
but their grandmother was still up and kicking. Or hitting, in the case of when
she met Percy. Long story. Regardless, Nico and his sister had been in Italy
the whole summer, and now Nico returned just in time for Percy's birthday.
“How's your grandmother?” Juniper asked, managing to get Nico out of Jason's
grasp to hug the brown-eyed young man.
Nico chuckled evilly to himself. “If she had her way, Percy wouldn't be allowed
to set foot in Italy at all, much less her home.” He shrugged. “She's cool, but
old fashioned. He didn't even really do anything. She just caught him trying to
sneak into my bedroom one night when we went to visit for Christmas. I don't
think I've ever witnessed Percy scared of an old woman, at least not until he
met my grandmother.”
The Lost Girl smiled and linked arms with her friend. “I thought you said your
grandmother liked Percy?”
“Oh, she does, but she doesn't want him to 'defile me'. A little late on that,
but she doesn't need to know that.” Nico laughed. “No, she thinks Percy is a
good man and is more than capable of taking care of me. Not that I need to be
taken care of.”
Arriving back at the hotel, the three of them were greeted in the lobby by
Grover. “Hey there, Nico! Have a good trip?”
Last year, Athena had stepped down and Percy had promoted Grover like Nico had
suggested. Which had made both Grover and Juniper more than happy, and the two
managed to finally settle into a relationship. It was also not long after
becoming branch manager that Grover worked out with Percy that Juniper become a
waitress in one of the hotel's restaurants.
“It was good,” Nico replied, stretching his arms. “Is Percy busy?”
“Wasting no time at all, I see,” Grover chuckled. He nodded towards the
elevator. “Your beloved is in his office. He's not too busy now, if you want to
go see him.” The young man patted Nico on the back as Nico went by. “And it was
my fault he couldn't pick you up himself. I needed him to talk to some clients
in Frank's neck of the woods for me.”
Nico gave a small nod before waving to the three of his friends. He let out a
sigh as the elevator doors closed. It felt a little strange to finally be home,
but so good at the same time. A lot had changed around the hotel while he had
been gone, at least with his friends.
When Nico got to the top floor, Malcolm beamed at him. “Hey, Nico, you made it
back in one piece!”
While Malcolm was Grover's secretary, Rachel had also moved onto the floor as
Percy's personal secretary. The Lost Girl jumped up to hug Nico as he dropped
his luggage on the floor. “How are you? Ah, I feel like it's been ages!”
Nico chuckled. “It's only been a few months.”
Rachel waved him off as he tried to pick his bags back up. “Don't worry about
that, I'll have someone drop it off at Gaea's mansion for you.” She pressed on
his back, guiding him towards Percy's office. “I know someone will be excited
to see you.” She grinned at him and opened the door, poking her head inside.
“Oh, Percy, I've got a present for you.”
Percy was at his desk, typing away at his computer. He looked a little tired,
which was standard whenever Nico traveled. Percy said it stressed him out to
think about Nico flying. Percy really didn't like flying much himself, but he
said he got even more stressed when it was people he cared about flying. It
probably went back to his grandparents, who had died in a crash. He looked up
with a heavy sigh.
“What is it, Rachel?”
The Lost Girl beamed at him and stepped aside, revealing Nico to Percy. The
young man's demeanor instantly brightened and he shot up from his desk. Rachel
quickly shoved Nico forward, so Percy wouldn't trample her. “I'll leave you two
alone,” she chuckled, shutting the door behind her.
“I missed you so much!” Percy exclaimed as he pulled Nico in for a hug.
Nico smiled and looked up at Percy. Wasting little time, Nico grabbed Percy's
face and brought him down for a kiss. He had really missed those lips. Percy's
hands found their way down to his waist and Nico leaned back a little, resting
his back against the door.
“Wow, you must have missed me, too,” Percy panted after they broke apart.
“Maybe a little,” Nico winked. He moved past Percy to sit down in the young
man's chair. “You know, you could have came with us. My grandmother asked about
you.”
Percy frowned, rubbing his at his arm. “I think I'm still bruised from where
she hit me with her cane.” Percy pouted when Nico laughed. “How does she even
move that fast? I wasn't even going to try anything, I just wanted to sleep in
the same bed.”
Nico shrugged, slumping down in Percy's chair. The green-eyed man walked over
and leaned forward, resting his hands on either side of the chair. Nico shut
his eyes with a sigh as Percy pressed their lips together again. The best news
was that it was over. Nico was done with school, and he could now enjoy living
here with Percy.
“Oh yeah! I almost forgot something!” Percy pulled back with a huge smile. Nico
arched a brow at him. “I have a surprise for you. I had Leo and Beckendorf work
on it while you were in Italy.”
“Um, okay?”
With much excitement, Percy grabbed Nico by the hand and jerked him out of the
chair before dragging his boyfriend from the office.
“Are your eyes closed?”
Nico let out a sigh. “Percy, your hands are covering my eyes, so it doesn't
really matter.” If those said hands had not of been there, Percy could have
seen Nico roll his eyes. How did his boyfriend end up running this business
again? “So, what is- Oh... Wow.”
Percy tilted his head to the side with a frown. “Is that all you can say?”
The room was directly across the hall from his and Percy's bedroom. It had been
where Nico spent some of his nights studying for exams, when he was actually at
the hotel. But now it was lined with bookshelves that were crammed with books,
some that were not even related to psychology or medicine. Nico had to smile to
himself as he noted a few books that he might have mentioned to Percy over the
years, and now they had been stored here for him. The desk he had used to study
had been replaced by a thick wooden one with a small lamp on it. A large
leather chair was placed behind it and there was even a few other chairs across
from the desk, even a couch.
“I...don't know what to say.” Nico was a little stunned, but in a good way. He
licked his lips and smiled before turning to wrap his arms around his
boyfriend's neck. “Thank you.”
“I thought you could use an office,” Percy mumbled into his ear. “So, if any of
the Lost Kids need to actually have a session, they can swing by here, so that
you can have some privacy.” The young man chuckled and moved more into the
room. “Or you can just come here to read, if you need some alone time every now
and then. I'm sure you'll get tired of being around me all the time. Sooner or
later anyways.”
Nico rolled his eyes and punched Percy's arm. “Yeah right. I finally got back
here, don't think you can just get rid of me so easily.”
The corner of Percy's lips tilted up in a smirk, his arms wound tightly around
Nico's waist. “I missed you.” And, with that, the two kissed once again.
Pulling back, Percy chuckled. “I got you something else, but it can wait until
after the party,” he added with a wink.
Nico made a face. “That's not nice. Am I going to like it?”
Percy hummed for a moment. “I sort of hope you will.” He let out a breath and
rolled his shoulders, which made Nico arch a brow. Percy seemed a little
nervous all of a sudden. “But I do need to get back to work. Are you going to
be okay to unpack and catch up with everyone in the meantime?”
Nico gave a small nod as Percy slid from his grasp. “Yeah, I'm sure I can
manage.” He frowned a little as Percy took his leave. Strange, he thought.
Percy was acting very strange. Was everything all right?
--------------------
“Nico!”
The raven haired young man smiled and waved as he walked up to the table that
was being occupied by Beckendorf, Silena, and Clarisse. Well, and Nyssa, Silena
and Beckendorf's daughter. Her one year birthday had been right before Nico had
left with Italy, which was one of the reasons he had actually swung by Berlin
after he graduated college. The tiny girl cried out in happiness and extended
her arms in his direction. Playfully, Nico made a face at her before sitting
down across the table.
“So, how is she doing?” He asked, slowly reaching across the table, only to
have his hand smacked away.
“I'm feeding her, di Angelo,” Clarisse glared with a spoonful of baby food in
hand.
Yes, as it turned out, Clarisse was very protective of her goddaughter.
Interestingly enough, when Chris suggested they have a kid, Clarisse had not
really been too keen on the idea, but she sure took to Silena's daughter
quickly. She was in good care, though, Nico could safely say that.
“How was Italy?” Beckendorf asked, clapping him on the shoulder.
Nico gave a small nod. “It was good. My grandmother likes to cook. A lot.”
Silena smiled fondly. “So, what did you get Percy for his birthday?”
“Aside from a night of sex,” Beckendorf added.
Clarisse glared at him. “Don't talk like that in front of your daughter.”
Beckendorf just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Nico chuckled. “Um, I got
him a painting that he had his eye on the last time he went. He really liked
this painting of Neptune that we found, so I went back and they let me buy it.
The good thing about having a filthy rich boyfriend is that he has so much
money that he really doesn't bother checking his bank records. So, he won't
notice the big withdrawal.”
Silena's eye twitched. “Wait, why was it so expensive?”
“Oh.” Nico popped his lips. “It was sort of in a museum. One of a kind,
actually.” He shrugged. “I mean, I paid for it. Percy was the one that
suggested merging my account with his. But, yeah, I got him that painting.”
“Well, well, shortie, I see you got back.” Nico looked up at the sound of
Apollo's voice. The blond leaned on their table, making a quick face at Nyssa.
“So, how was your trip? Meet any hot Italian guys that might tempt you from
Percy.”
“I'll be sure to relay that comment to Leo.”
Apollo pouted. “Harsh. Not even back a day, and this is how you talk to me.” He
stuck out his tongue. “Can I get you anything?”
Nico's brow furrowed and he glanced at his phone. “You done with practice
already?”
“Yeah, just got off.”
Apollo did not sell his body these days. In fact, he barely stripped. Instead,
the blond worked on routines with the other Lost Kids and he worked in the
cabana. It was a little funny to Nico, considering how much Apollo originally
reminded him of Ganymede. Aside from that, Apollo spent weekends playing the
piano in the hotel's best restaurant.
“Ah, yes.” The blond snapped his fingers, standing up straight. “I'd make sure
to either warn Percy about Leo's gift, or just make sure you're not standing
near it in general.” Apollo popped his lips. “Yeah, he's been getting carried
away a little in that workshop in the hotel's basement. I usually have to force
him to come to bed.”
After that, Apollo bid them farewell, so that he could get to work on people's
orders. Nico sat and talked with the other three, though, for near an hour.
Beckendorf was still Percy's pilot and one of the hotel's mechanics, along with
Leo. Clarisse still headed the security team, and she showed no mercy. “No
intruders are getting by on my watch,” she would often tell the other security
guards. Even Chris, who she did not show much leniency on during work hours.
Silena and Piper actually took over the spa at the hotel with some assistance
from Favonius, who still taught yoga on the side. While Silena mainly ran the
spa, Piper still did her stripping and other stuff. The Lost Girl said she
would give it a few more years, since she did not plan on settling down with
anyone or starting a family anytime in the foreseeable future.
After he left the three of them, Nico went in search of others like Luke or
Will. With the prior, it was pretty easy to guess where Luke would be. His
suite. More specifically, the bed. With Eros. And they would both probably be
naked.
Nico was not sure how the two of them actually started dating, he was
unfortunately away at school when that miracle happened, but Eros often teased
Luke about it. And Luke was so whipped, not that Nico would ever bring up that
fact to the blond's face. No, he very much liked living. But Eros could
probably tell Luke to jump off a bridge, and the blond would more than likely
do it.
When he got to their floor, Nico ended up bumping into the other guy he had
been looking for, along with Jason and the twins. “Nico!” Will exclaimed,
hugging the young man before he could even get off the elevator. “Jason just
told us you were back.”
After Jason's break after graduating high school, he had convinced Will to go
back to school with him. While Jason was still a little undecided on what he
wanted to study these days, Will had chosen the medical field. Not really a
surprise there. A little disappointing was that Will and Cecil were still just
friends. Friends that had sex, but friends nevertheless. But, from what Jason
told Nico during his last visit, the two had started to go on the occasional
date.
Nico's eyes flickered over to the twins. More specifically, between them. Their
hands were laced together at their sides. It made Nico smile. At some point
over the past few years, Travis and Connor had opened up more to the other Lost
Kids about their brotherly love being more than just an act.
Nico cleared his throat. “So, where are you four off to?”
“Do you want to join us?” Jason asked. “We were just going to head down to
finish up some decorations for Percy's party.”
Nico's eyes darted over to the twins, narrowing slightly. “Is this going to be
a big mess, like last year?”
Travis grinned innocently. “Of course not, Neeks, we would never dream of such
things.”
“But, I mean, Percy does like water.”
“Oh god.” Nico could feel a migraine coming on as he massaged his temple.
“Water in what way? Please tell me you didn't empty the pool and are planning
on flooding the lounge. I don't think Apollo would be happy about having it
flooded.”
The younger of the two twins waved him off. “Of course not. That's just crazy.”
“We got foam and bubbles,” Travis chuckled.
Jason smiled and patted Nico on the back. “Don't worry about it, I'll make sure
everything is cleaned up after. You just make sure your man is down there for
his party, and then make sure he has an enjoyable night after.”
Nico pouted. “Why is everyone bringing up my sex life today?”
“Because Percy hasn't seen you in like almost three months,” the twins replied
together. Still creepy how they did that, even after four years of knowing
them.
Shaking his head, Nico let out a sigh. “Anyways, do any of you know if Luke is
in his room? I'm assuming Eros is with him.”
“Um,” Jason said, tapping his chin, “Eros took Luke out to go clothes shopping
earlier, but they should be back by now. They are probably in their room.” He
chuckled to himself. “You'll probably be rescuing Luke, so he doesn't have to
endure Eros looking through all of his purchases.”
“Or irritate him, if it involves Eros taking his clothes off,” Connor added.
The group all nodded in agreement.
Will hugged Nico again. “Well, I suppose we will see you later tonight then.”
“Yeah,” Nico mumbled as the four of them boarded the elevator.
It took several knocks on the door to get someone to open the door. But as soon
as Eros poked his head out, the brunet instantly brightened, and then proceeded
to tackle Nico into the wall adjacent the suite. “Nico! Tu m'as tellement
manqué! Mais maintenant tu peux rester pour de bon!.”
Luckily, Eros was fully clothed, which meant that Nico was not interrupting
anything. But he did smile at Eros's appearance. While Eros had never really
talked about his eating disorder with Nico in the past, the brown-eyed young
man never forgot about it. It had just been one Christmas that he had come in
for, and Eros had been eating more and even ate some chocolate cake. Luke had
never told him how he managed to get Eros to work through the disorder, but
Nico was just happy that the brunet was in a more healthy state.
Eros shoved him into the suite, where Nico found Luke on the couch, slouched
down and playing a video game. Eros frowned at his boyfriend. “Aren't you going
to welcome Nico home?” Eros's eye twitched when Luke just grunted in their
direction. In a huff, Eros picked up a shoe, which he proceeded to toss at the
blond. “Si tu m'ignores, on ne baise pas ce soir.!”
Luke instantly jolted up, his eyes wide with horror. Nico was still learning
French, but he had the feeling it had something to do with sex. Luke, however,
was becoming much more fluent in the language, something Eros had no part of.
But that was quite another story.
“Kid, you're home,” Luke greeted him.
Eros cleared his throat. “He is twenty now, do not address him as a child.”
Blue eyes narrowed at the brunet. “Fine, whatever. Nico, you're back.” Luke
sighed and motioned Nico over. “He won't leave me alone until I do this, so get
over here.”
Eros smiled as he pushed Nico over to Luke, who gave him a brief hug. “That
wasn't so bad, now was it?” He beamed at Nico. “I'll have him house trained
before too long.”
“Hey!” Luke grumbled. “I am not your dog.”
“You sure try to hump me like one,” Eros replied, inspecting his nails. He
smiled at Nico, guiding him onto the couch. “So, how was Italy? I bet you are
tired.”
“I'm not going to be sleeping, though, from what everyone else seems to think.”
Nico shook his head. “Italy was great. I'm just sad because I probably won't
see my sister for a few months now. But I am very happy to be home. Finally
home. It's been quite the journey.”
Luke picked his controller back up. Eros narrowed his eyes at the blond, but
didn't say anything. “Ah, did Percy-”
Luke's hand shot across the couch and covered the brunet's mouth. “Shh. He
doesn't want to talk about it until after the party.”
Nico's brow furrowed. “Talk about what?”
Eros quickly shook his head, smiling innocently. “Nothing, mon chéri.” He
pursed his lips at the dark look he got from Luke. “Uh, has Percy said when
you're going to start bartending?”
He didn't like it, but Nico let the sudden change of subject slide. Did
everyone around here know what it was that Percy had hinted at earlier? “We
talked about it briefly while I was here for a few days before Italy. Probably
in the next few months.” Nico turned his head towards the blond. “How's your
brother?”
Pausing his game, Luke glanced over at Nico. “He's doing fine. Percy's already
lined him up a job as the hotel's attorney when he finishes school.”
A year after Nico started university, Octavian went back to school to study
law. Unfortunately, it meant that the blond was away at school currently, and
would likely miss the party. But Nico was happy for him, he was happy for all
his friends. They were growing, and it didn't feel like they relied so much on
the hotel anymore.
----------------------
The party took place after the Lost Kids got off work for the night. Which
meant that all of them had to consume several cups of coffee starting at
dinner. Nico had just finished his sixth cup before going to find Percy and he
felt quite wired. “Ready to go?” He asked, leaning against the door to their
room.
Percy looked up from where he sat on their bed, laptop in his lap. “Yeah,” he
said with a smile. Jumping up, Percy made sure to pull something out of the
nightstand. Nico gave him an odd look as Percy walked over. “I thought you
deserved a present as well.”
“It's not my birthday, nor is there a holiday that warrants a gift anytime
soon.” Nico crossed his arms. “What did you do?”
Percy pouted like a kicked puppy. “Nothing. That's so hurtful, and on my
birthday, too.”
Nico had to roll his eyes at that. “Please, nothing offends you.”
As if to prove Nico's point, Percy's lips tilted up into a grin. “Anyways, I
hope you'll like it.”
Nico took hold of Percy's shirt as they shared a brief kiss. Letting out a
breath, Nico smiled and patted Percy's chest. “You really shouldn't have gotten
me anything. I'm not the one celebrating a birthday.”
“Well,” Percy replied, pecking Nico on the lips, “it just so happens that it is
also a present for myself. Well, so long as it goes over well.”
Nico narrowed his gaze. What was Percy planning? “We shouldn't keep your guests
waiting.”
A party for Percy Jackson was never a dull event. And there wasn't just this
party, Gaea was throwing Percy a more public party the following evening. That
one was pretty much just a dinner with a lot of wealthy and powerful guests.
This was a party with Percy's friends. It would also probably involve much more
alcohol.
The twins had not bee kidding about the foam and bubbles either. Three machines
sat in specific corners to shoot out and cover the room with foam. And what
party wouldn't be complete without some loud music to dance to?
Nico smiled as Percy came up to him after making sure his presents were
somewhere safe, so they wouldn't get damaged from all the foam. He cupped
Nico's face and sealed their lips together in a deep, searing kiss. “Thank you
for the painting,” he whispered after they pulled apart.
“My pleasure,” Nico said a little breathlessly. When Percy kissed, he did not
half ass it. And it made Nico happy that Percy still had the ability to take
his breath away, even after four years. “So, what now?”
Percy smiled as Walk the Moon's “Shut Up and Dance” started to play. “Well, you
can start by giving me the honor of this dance.”
Nico laughed and shook his head as he let Percy lead him into the crowd of
people that were already jumping around in front of the stage that Apollo was
Djing, with a little help from the twins. And by “help”, Nico meant pestering
the blond.
Nico laughed as he jumped around with Percy, one of their hands still laced
together. He smiled fondly as he scanned the room. He was finally able to
breathe. This was it, this was where he was supposed to be. This was his life.
He smiled and waved when Jason and Will waved to him. These were his friends.
Percy snuck in a quick kiss. And this was his boyfriend.
Things started out so different. These people had been strangers, and Nico was
just the little kid lost in their world. Now he was part of it. Perhaps Percy
had been right all those years ago. Once a Lost Kid, always a Lost Kid. Perhaps
it wasn't always a bad thing, though. Nico was happy, even with how dangerous
the life he lived in truly was.
And, deep down, Nico was still himself. He was still what made him unique. He
did change and he had definitely grown darker, but he had realized by now that
part of that was just growing up. Perhaps innocence doesn't always last
forever. But he should not be afraid of the person he had become, because he
was still Nico.
He still can see the good in people.
Nico smiled as he spotted Luke with his arms around Eros, who was completely
drenched in the foam. It made the brown-eyed young man smile. He wasn't the
only one that had grown. It was refreshing to see his friends happy, even those
that thought they could ever be happy again.
Speaking of being happy...
Nico smiled as Percy mouthed along with the lyrics and pretended to sing to
Nico. Thankfully it was just pretending. Percy might have the looks of a god,
but he had a lousy singing voice. But it was still adorable the way he acted,
jumping around and having a good time. Nico couldn't help but join in as the
twins turned up the foam machine and a large amount of the stuff shot into the
crowd.
Nico froze when he felt something being slipped into his hand. A chill ran down
his spine as he looked down to find a thin black box, barely tall enough to
hold a watch inside. He gave Percy a questioning look, but the young man just
smiled and nodded to Nico's hand.
“Percy, what-”
Oh. Nico's mouth hung open as he gaped at what was inside the box. An obsidian
ring with silver markings all around it and a beautiful sapphire sat, embedded,
at the top. The detailing was beautiful, even down the the small etchings in
the obsidian. It literally looked like it had been carved to perfection, like
it had been made specifically for him. Which it very well could have been.
“I-” Nico took a deep breath. The music was still playing, but the dancing had
stopped. Everyone seemed to be watching them now, waiting for Nico to say
something. Eros especially looked like a child on Christmas morning, bouncing
up and down on his heels. “Oh. This was the surprise.”
“I, uh...” Percy rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous smile on his face. “I
wasn't sure... I hope you like it.” He winced. “I mean, it's perfectly fine if
you say no. I just...wanted to be with you.” He winced again. “This went a lot
smoother in my head. Of course I want to be with you. I just want to always be
with you. And you've made me very happy, happier than I've probably ever been.
And I just want to let everyone know that.”
 A million things ran through Nico's head at that very moment. What about the
public, the media? What would they think of Percy, the billionaire, getting
engaged and married to another man? Sure, they already knew Percy was dating
Nico, they had known that for years, but this was different. Or maybe it
wasn't, and Nico was just nervous.
His heart was beating into overdrive. In all this time, he had never even given
thought to possibly moving past just dating. For some reason, Nico had never
thought about the possibility that Percy might actually propose to him. That
was what he was doing, right? It sure sounded that way.
Finally, a smile broke out across Nico's face, and it seemed like everyone was
able to relax. Well, everyone except Percy, who still looked like a nervous
wreck as he waited for Nico's answer. Nico took out the ring and admired it for
a second before slipping it on.
He then beamed up at Percy. “What do you think?” Nico chuckled as he wrapped
his arms around Percy's neck and stood up on his tiptoes for a kiss.
Percy pulled back and swallowed a lump in his throat. “Is that a yes then?”
Rolling his eyes, Nico nodded. “Of course it's a yes.” He kissed Percy again.
“I love you, and I would be happy to spend the rest of our lives together.”
It was then that Percy's shoulders were finally able to relax. He smiled like a
dork and pulled Nico into a warm embrace. Nico sighed and buried his face into
the crook of Percy's neck, taking a second to admire the ring on his hand over
the green-eyed young man's shoulder. Everyone finally decided to cheer and
clap, which drew a small blush to Nico's cheeks.
Perhaps it wasn't the fairytale that Nico would have liked his life to be, at
least before all of this started, but he wouldn't change anything. Well,
perhaps a few things. There was definitely a lot of pain, and he even lost
people he cared about. But fairytales are just that, fairytales. They aren't
real.
Asclepius got it right back during their sessions. Happiness was what we make
it. Finding the small things that truly matter would always be what was
important. It was up to everyone to find their own happiness, perhaps not
always in the places they expect it. But that would always be how life worked,
and it wasn't about to change or do anyone any favors anytime soon.
When they had first met, Nico had wanted nothing more than for Percy to be his
dream guy, the knight in shining armor, but he was happy now that it wasn't
like that. Percy was better than any knight in shining armor could ever dream
to be. The best knights don't show up on your doorstep wearing shiny armor and
riding a white horse. Sometimes, the person you always wanted might just turn
up worn and damaged, and you'll never know how amazing they really are if you
don't give them a chance. Percy gave him everything, at a time when Nico was
just looking for some food and shelter.
And now, like he had said, Percy had given him the world. As long as he had his
friends and Percy in it, Nico was happy. He smiled as those closest to him
gathered around to get a look at the ring. Percy smiled warmly at him, making
Nico's heart race. It was no fairytale ending, but it was something better.
His long journey had finally come to an end, and Nico could have not been more
happier with how it all played out.
After several minutes, Nico looked up at Percy. “Do you, uh, mind if I go for a
walk for a bit?” He asked a little breathlessly. “I, uh, just need to process
everything, maybe get some air.”
Percy gave a small nod, concern written on his face. “Do I need to come with
you?”
Quickly, Nico shook his head. He leaned up to peck Percy on the lips. “I'll be
fine, you stay here and enjoy the party.” Smiling again, Nico let go of Percy's
hand and made his way out of the hotel.
The sky was clear outside, giving Nico a great view of the moon and stars. He
shoved his hands into his pockets and took off in a random direction, letting
his feet drag through the grass. It wasn't until he passed by the cabana that
Nico came to a stop at a random noise.
His head tilted to the side as he backed up and turned to head closer to the
cabana. “Shit,” he heard girl's voice hiss before something glass broke.
“Hello?”
In the back of the cabana, a girl shot up from the ground. “I wasn't... I
just...” Her bangs looked dirty, like she had not showered in days, maybe even
weeks. “I just needed some food, and I saw the bright lights of the hotel.” She
quickly hurried out from behind the cabana, trying to get past Nico. “I'll just
go.”
Before she could get away, Nico grabbed her by the arm. She looked up at him,
fear very clear in her eyes. Nico frowned at the way she sort of curled in on
herself. Letting out a sigh, Nico released the girl's arm. “Come on, we'll get
you something to eat.”
“R-really?” The girl stuttered, seemingly stunned.
Smiling, Nico nodded. “Maybe we can get you a fresh change of clothes and a
shower as well.” He glanced down at the girl as he led her to the hotel. “Would
you like to stay here for the night?”
The girl's face grew red in the moonlight. “Oh, no, I could not ask something
like that. I have no money.”
The two came to a stop, where Nico just blinked down at the girl for a long
time. He couldn't just leave her out here, or let her leave. For all he knew,
it would be sending her to her death. What if she starved or got stabbed? She
was homeless and needed a place to stay. So, he just slipped his hands into his
pockets and smiled at the girl.
“Could I interest you in a job?”
Chapter End Notes
     Translations:
     Tu m'as tellement manqué! Mais maintenant tu peux rester pour de bon!
     [I have missed you so! But now you are free to stay here for good].
     Si tu m'ignores, on ne baise pas ce soir. [If you ignore me, you
     won't get sex tonight]
     -------
     So, the story has finally come to an end. I do hope you all enjoyed
     it, from beginning to end. There was a lot of ups and downs, and I
     would probably have changed a lot of things, looking on back on
     things. But I think it turned out good. This story has been my baby,
     which took me three years to complete. It probably could have been
     finished sooner, especially if it had not gotten taken down on
     FF.net, but maybe it was for the best.
     So, what now? I will be mainly writing my book now, but do expect
     updates every now and then from me. I don't have anything lined up
     just yet, as all my new fic ideas haven't been started yet. So, it
     may be like a month or two before I post anything. I will go on
     record right now and say that House of the Wicked and In My Time of
     Need are probably discontinued. I just don't feel like writing either
     of them now. And I just want to enjoy writing, not feel enslaved to
     it. At least while writing fanficition. If I change my mind on those
     two, I will let everyone know. Just, for now, don't expect another
     update from them.
     There will be a spinoff of Children of Loss, taking place between the
     three years that Nico was away at college. It will be told through
     Luke's perspective. I will also say that the final chapter of that
     will be when Percy goes to order Nico's ring. It will be somewhere
     between 5 and 10 chapters, so definitely do not expect something long
     out of it. It will also include the point in time that Luke and Eros
     start dating.
     Finally, I felt like sharing my plans on new fics, since I will not
     be revisiting old ones. I want to announce that I will be joining the
     Jasico fandom, probably from here on out. I have just felt a lot more
     connection there, and I have an easier time finding fics to read that
     I truly enjoy. So, I don't know if I'll be writing any more Percico
     or not, or Solangelo. My two new fics will be Jasico. Beyond that, I
     can't say for certain what ship I'll write.
     The shorter of those two will be a modern day Romeo and Juliet styled
     fic. Just not with the clichés. It will be between two rival
     companies and Nico and Jason will be in college. No, they won't kill
     themselves for their undying love at the end. I'm not going to go
     there. The whole theme has been run into the ground, in my opinion,
     but this is sort of my take on the whole thing. Like I said, though,
     it won't be that long. Maybe 10-15 chapters? That could be subject to
     change.
     Finally, my next big project. I have no idea how massive it will be,
     only that it will be many chapters in length. And, of course, with me
     nobody should expect short chapters. I have hinted at the theme on
     tumblr, and I will confirm now that it does involve thieves and
     assassins in a steampunk styled setting. Expect it to be dark and
     probably pretty detailed on the killing. But I think everyone will
     love it, at least that is my hope. So stay tuned for that one. I am
     very excited to get started on it.
     But I just wanted to take some time to thank all of you for reading
     my fic, and even taking the time out to review it. It's been a long
     journey for me. I probably wouldn't have made it to the end of this,
     if it weren't for all of you showing your support. I just really
     wanted to thank all of you for that, and I hope I did right by all of
     you with how this story turned out. Anyways, that's all. This is the
     closing of this story, may the future of what I bring you be just as
     good. I love you guys, and thanks again.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
their work!
