Percy Jackson

We went on a date a few days later, when Will left for camp. Like, a legit date.

After that, it went really well, and it's been a few weeks. We've gone a few more dates. Thomas is definitely my boyfriend. That was established pretty early.

We decided that, because of our friends, we'd go to camp for the rest of the summer. I was feeling a little better. I talk to somebody on a hot line sort of thing when I'm feeling bad in spot of therapy. It's helped quite a bit.

But July 1, we went back to Camp Half-Blood.

"Percy!" Clarisse exclaimed, nearly tackling me to the ground as we got there for lunch. Mom was a little worried about me going, but I promised her that I'd call if anything was going on.  "Dude! I thought you weren't coming this summer, after... Well, after the whole thing at Camp Jupiter. What made you change your mind?"

I shrugged.

"I missed you guys." I was honest about it. "I figured that I'd give it a month into the summer, and if camp wasn't like, being attacked or something, I could go back. I just needed some time off. So."

"So you want it back?" Leo asked as more people started to notice me. "is that what I'm hearing?"

"No, it's all yours!" I insisted, chuckling. "I don't need it, I don't want it. I think being a counselor of a two man cabin is enough."

"Damn."

"It's nice to have you back, man," Luke insisted, noticing Thomas behind me. "Why... Life Alert!"

Thomas whipped his head around and I couldn't help but laugh at my boyfriend's nickname.

"I'm sorry," Will asked, having never heard the nickname before. "what? How on Earth did you—"

"We were training when we were little," Annabeth explained to us. "Somehow or another, he fell and broke his hip. He had fallen, and quite frankly, couldn't get up."

I stifled a chuckle, along with most others.

It was a funny story!

Lunch was nice, though. I ate with Grover as normal, and he gave me a look when I sat down as if he was trying to figure something out.

"What?" I asked my best friend, having an idea that I knew what he was thinking because he can sense emotions, and our mental link is coming back.

"Hm... Nothing." He told me, giving off a knowing look that I despised. "Just thinking."

"No shit. What about?"

Grover shrugged.

"I'm not really sure yet."

Rolling my eyes, I ate my food and went to tell Chiron that I'm back and I'm not leading camp despite that. Which he seemed to understand. Just happy that I was here.

Everyone just piled into my cabin, though, being Tyson wasn't here so it's just me.

Leo and Nico we're definitely a thing.

But they we're acting like they didn't want me to know, and I knew why. It was because of the weird little thing Nico and I had when he lived with us. The thing that never turned into anything.

Also, Bianca was nowhere to be seen.

But back to the point about Nico.

Like, he's cute, but he's also not the most reliable when it comes to support and I was suicidal. Also, the age... Was weird.

It would be fine had I never dated Thomas when we were little, I'm sure. But I did, and Will is basically like my little brother because of that. And Nico's his age...

Kind of a weird complex. Even weirder because Nico and Will dated.

That's why I never asked him to be my boyfriend. I didn't... While I'm not overly close to Will, I wouldn't do that to him. He's my little brother.

I was just talking with Will, Jason, and Piper, though. Will and Jason knew about the weird thing, I think Piper had figured it out the day we all hung out. If not, I don't think she's really Aphrodite's daughter.

"How long," I asked them. "do you think, until Nico and Leo tell me about it?"

Will looked down for a second, containing a laugh.

"Oh, I don't know yet." Will promised me, which surprised me. "And he liked me much less than he liked you. I also think he feels slightly guilty for just leaving for his dad's. I didn't tell him about what happened, but like... He doesn't need to know. He'll just feel worse and probably cause problems in his relationship, so."

"Yeah... Yeah, he would."

"Oh, yeah!" Jason recalled having visited me in the hospital with Leo and Piper the day after Will did. I guess they kept it away from Nico. I don't blame them. "Are you feeling better? I mean, they let you out and all, but..."

"Yeah!" I assured them, smiling. "I just needed some time off to kind of get over everything and own up to some other stuff that I've been ignoring for a while and yeah. Actually talked to a professional for once. I'm doing alright. My mom wouldn't let me come here if I wasn't somewhat stable. Naomi wouldn't, either."

"Naomi?" I could see the confusion in Jason's brain forming. "Do... Do you have a girlfriend that you've failed to mention, Percy?"

Will just had to laugh and get people's attention.

"What?" Jason asked, because it was a genuine question, and I get it.

But it was so wrong.

"Jason," I broke the news to him. Not the big news. I'm waiting on that if Leo and Nico want to not tell me about their relationship yet. "Naomi is Will and Thomas's mom. She's like my second mom that I never see because she's always doing shows. I don't have a girlfriend."

Or mother in law, but like, not for a while.

If Nico and Leo want to be petty and not tell me that they're dating, I can play that game, too. Not telling Nico that I'm dating his ex's older brother.

Who's actually my age.

I've never seen Nico try to figure out something so hard before.

"How... I dated Will for months and never  even got to meet her."

And somebody did it for him. Somebody exposed him.

"You've been dating Leo for like, two months, and still haven't met Esperanza."

It was Hazel.

She's my favorite cabin 13 member now.

"Hazel!" Leo and Nico exclaimed, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, thank you, Hazel," I said genuinely as Thomas returned from his little talk with Chiron. Just catching him up on camp rules and whatever else, I think. "sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I didn't think they were going to tell me, especially considering that they haven't told Will, either."

And I saw the guilt on his face, and wasn't about to let it stay.

"Don't even start to feel bad," I told the son of Hades as Thomas walked towards me. "I'm in my own relationship, so I really don't care."

And everyone almost just let that go.

Almost.

"Well I—" Frank stopped himself. "Percy, didn't you just say that you don't have girlfriend?"

I opened my mouth for a second before closing it, and Grover was about to get a lot of things clarified for him. Along with Annabeth because I vaguely told her about it when we broke up, but I didn't say that I was gay. Just that I didn't think I knew what I wanted and it was weirdly worded.

"Yeah..."

"So did you just lie about it or...?" Annabeth asked me. "If you did, it better not be because of me."

"No, I didn't— no," I insisted and saw Will smirk because he either knew or had enough context to figure it out easily. "I know you don't give a shit, you've asked me about girlfriend's. But uh, no."

And it was already sort of awkward, so I figured I'd just say it.

"I have a boyfriend," I clarified for them. "I've been trying to tell you guys that I'm gay, but nobody ever really believed me when I was younger so everyone thought I was straight and I thought maybe I was bi, but no... believe it or not, I was out when I came here. But nobody really believed it, so... Thomas is my boyfriend if you didn't connect the dots."

Hazel was the only one to speak.

"Wow," she said. "We really are stupid, huh?"