Tyler Jackson

I really just... Didn't know how to respond.

Like, he told us. He told us most everything. Some stuff even Sally didn't know from this last year.

But his father whom I met the other day? Who's named Poseidon?

He's the real guy.

Sally had a child with a literal god.

And then went to me.

And then came back to me.

We were sitting next to each other as the boys were next to each other, Sally holding my hand for support, which was appreciated.

"It's a lot to take in," Sally added after a moment of silence once Percy finished what he was telling us. "it sounds nuts, too, I'm sure. But it's the truth and now that you guys are back, we figured it was time you knew."

But now I got it. I understood Sally's fears about losing Percy. About him not coming home when he said he would, about him just not being there one day.

It's happened before.

Which is like, terrifying.

"So like," Jace said as we were doing our best to process this. "you could just like, not come back one summer? Like, that's it?"

"Well... In theory, I guess," Percy tried to explain. "I turned in a resignation form, though, after this summer so even if I go back, I won't be at the head of it anymore. I don't think I'll go, though. Just between you guys and I think Chiron would like, murder me if he even knew Luke was alive."

"He would... Does Luke know?" I asked him.

"Luke is a son of Hermes," he clarified for us, which would explain the vibe I was getting the earlier that threw me off. "However, Luke and the gods had like, a falling out essentially and he died and was banished from like, Olympus and there's a lot more to the story than this, but the doors of death were open for a while so he came back and while a handful of gods know and are okay with it, others wouldn't be and so they don't even need to know that he's alive if he just stays away."

"Well... That's fair," I figured. "anyone else that we know?"

"Well, Nico," Percy told us, shrugging. "his dad doesn't travel for work, his dad is Hades, so he's just busy most of the time. He's one of the only demigods that will go and stay with his godly parents, though, and it's not that often that he does it."

"So what happened to his mom?" Jace asked, curious.

"She was killed," Percy confirmed. "By Zeus. He was targeting Nico and his older sister and killed their mom instead because after World War II Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon made a pact to not have any more kids because they were too powerful and Nico and Bianca were born before this agreement, Nico was born in 1938 I believe, Bianca was born in 1935 or so. But Zeus didn't wasn't then around. Either way, Zeus and my dad both end up breaking their vows and Hades doesn't, so. Yeah. To protect Nico and his sister Hades put them in the Lotus Casino, which is why he's your age and not like 85, and they were pulled out a few years ago. Bianca died on a quest soon after and Nico was alone after that until Hades brought back a daughter of his who's a year younger than you guys and then they had a falling out and she never wants to see him again, so yeah. She lives in California at the Roman camp."

"That's intense, Jesus," I remarked, unable to understand half of what he said. "he's not homophobic, though? Being born at that time..."

"Oh, no he's not, don't worry." My son told us, shaking his head. "That's what him and Hazel actually... Hazel's homophobic and beyond me, a close friend of ours is bi and yeah. It's a weird story for him to tell, not me."

•••

Nico di Angelo

Did I go back to camp?

Yes. After a few weeks. In trouble with Chiron? Yes.

Did I care? No.

I was a bit surprised that Jason was still there, with Piper being back at home and all. Leo was also here. I found Leo and Jason hanging out with Grover and Will. Which... Was a combination.

And considering I've talked to Will like a very small amount of times in my life, he was way too excited to see me back at camp after talking with Mr. D, who said he was just happy to see me back and that if I needed anything to just let him know. If I was leaving, just leave a note or pop in and let him know, he'd keep Chiron call about it.

"Nico!" Will exclaimed after Grover had nodded at me as I was just walking over with some Chinese take out already in hand.

But Will runs up to me, and hugs me, and I didn't like it.

It made me uncomfortable.

"Will, you can... You can stop now." I insisted, because it's kind of embarrassing on top of that. "I don't know you that well, man."

"Oh, shoot, sorry!" He said, immediately letting go and letting me go back to sit with the others. "Where have you been? We were worried?"

I shrugged, grabbing a fork to eat my food.

"Around the city," I told the son of Apollo. "I don't know, just wherever. Why were you so worried? Almost everyone who stays here, beside like, new people, know that I'm a floater."

"Jason said you were pissed off," Leo defended, which I guess I get. "People do dumb stuff when they're pissed off. We didn't know if you'd come back."

I shrugged again.

"I mean, yeah, it was a bad day, I was frustrated," I admitted that much. "I wanted space, people wouldn't listen, so I left and got space. I have friends in the city that I go to when I leave, you guys really don't have to worry."

The look on Jason's face doubted me, and so did Grover, which was amazing, right?

The past few weeks have been alright, you know? I've hung out with Jace a bit. He's cool, and I'm pretty sure that he's not straight because I'm also pretty sure that he likes me. There's evidence.

If Percy teased him about it and Jace texted me about it, I'm calling it proof. Jace denied it.

But it's proof. And I don't really know if he knows about the gods so I've been hesitant to mention any of that stuff, but even if he doesn't know, I wouldn't mind dating him. He's cute, too.

So I mean, that's been fun and we're hanging out on Friday after school. I'm kind of fucked, though, because we can't hang out at their apartment or even Percy's apartment so it's supposed to be my place.

But he is neither allowed or able to be here. Physically and all.

So... Shit, basically.

And as much fun as it's been to make a new friend, being alone sucks. Like, I have friends, and I know that, so it's not the physical aloneness. I can call or text Percy, Sally, or Jace and it's normal. Jason tries his best as much as he doesn't get it and maybe Leo will be fun to be friends with.

It just hurts more to think about because this wasn't Bianca dying. It wasn't even Bianca leaving for the hunt because at least we could talk and see each other, even if it's less often. She still left me with Percy and the others, you know? And when she died, that was death, and while she knew the risk, she didn't choose to die. It took a while to like, fully get that.

But this is different. Hazel is alive and living her life without me because she wants to. Because she wants to cut me off and never wants to see or hear of me again. Because of something I tried to control and learned that I couldn't. Because I'm gay and I'm her brother and she can't accept both of those things existing at the same time. I was either her brother or I was gay.

And I can't just stop being gay without being miserable. I've tried.

Internalized homophobia hurts.

After lunch, though, I was just walking around because I didn't want to go to my cabin because I didn't want to think about what happened the last time I was in there and it's dark and cold in there.

"Hey, Nico!" Leo called out, earning my attention as he caught up to me on the trail, looking like he was in a good mood. "sorry about Will at lunch. He... He's weird sometimes."

"I know," I assured him. "Will always has been with me. I don't know why, I just try to not let it get too far. He's not my doctor here so it's usually fine."

"That's fair," he remarked. "what uh... Can I ask something that might be too personal? You don't have to answer, but..."

"Go for it."

"Why did you leave?" Leo asked me, sounding a bit hesitant with the question. "because I know you said that you did because you just wanted space because you were frustrated. But wanting space and leaving to go on a walk vs leaving and not talking anyone for two weeks are like, very different things and... I guess the question would be more of like, why were you frustrated?"

"Why..." I started off, because I don't know how much I even wanted to think about, even though I couldn't stop it. "It was a bad day all around, I don't know. Jason and Piper showed up and for some reason Jason thought pestering me when I was already in a bad mood was a good idea and when I told him to leave my cabin he wouldn't so being he didn't want to leave I did and I left camp."

"But you were already in a bad mood?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"I—"

And I stopped, because Leo is like the one person, outside of Percy, who would get it.

But just like it was with Percy, it was hard to just tell him. Different messages, yes, but the same background.

And I just fucking hate that I can't say it. It's a three letter word, there's only 6 letters in the fucking sentence and it still scares the shit out of me because I tell Percy and it goes great because he's bi and has a boyfriend, but then I tell Hazel and she freaks the fuck out and disowns me and then Jason suddenly thinks it's okay if Piper knows and lets her in the cabin when he knows we're talking about it and he knows that I'm not okay with her knowing and...

Leo's like, the most accepting person I know at camp. He's so far out of the closet that I don't think he could ever go back in. He's chill and he would be fine with it.

But after Hazel, I'm scared again.

I didn't want to think about it, but my nightmare last night was of Bianca, mom, and Hazel yelling at me and lecturing me and hurting me because I'm gay and it's not right and I should like girls and if I don't I should burn in hell or Tartarus or whatever the equivalent is because I'm the family disappointment and I've always been the let down. I've always been the freak, the black sheep.

I can never stay put because everywhere I go it feels like I don't belong and like nobody wants me there and like I'm just an invasion.

Life sucks and I hate myself and I hate waking up more than anything in the world, but I won't kill myself because I don't trust myself to go through with it and my dad would be disappointed and it's like, kind of cheating. Dad gets really annoyed with suicides because it messes up paperwork, it disrupts fate and what not.

I hate every little thing about me and as soon as I had any confidence in myself, Hazel fucking destroyed it and Jason confirmed what she did and now Leo's about to watch it happen because it hurts.

I can't remember the last time I was genuinely happy and that hurts.