Suddenly, there was a thud outside their door, and Percy and Sally rushed to it just in time to hear a quiet knock. Percy stepped in front of Sally protectively, but when he opened the door, it was just Nico.

Surprised why he didn't just show up in Percy's room like usual, Percy let out a deep breath he didn't realize he was holding, "Jesus, Neeks! You scared the shit out of me."

Nico's hair was in his face, covering half of it perfectly. He kept his head down and his voice low, "Sorry, Perce... Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Suddenly, it hit Percy that something was wrong. Why was Nico acting so... strange? Before he could respond, Sally pushed past and grabbed Nico's arm, ushering him in.

"Come on in, sweetie! You're always welcome here. It must be so cold outside. Go to Percy's room and I'll finish making dinner, we're having spaghetti!"

Percy stepped closer to Nico, closing in so he could lower his voice, "You okay, Neeks?"

"Let's go to your room," he muttered, following Sally's kind orders. He walked ahead of Percy, plopping down on the bed.

Percy shut the door behind them.

Instantly, Nico burst into tears. He covered his face with his palms, his hair in the way but he didn't even care to move the strands away from his face.

"I'm so sorry!" he cried. "I didn't have anywhere else to go..."

"Hey, hey," Percy kneeled down in front of Nico by the bed. He gently placed a hand next to him on the mattress. "It's okay, Nico. I care about you. What's happening?"

"I need to stay the night," he asked, "I'm sorry. I wouldn't ask if I didn't have to. But I understand if that's overstaying."

"You can stay," Percy assured. "Why are you crying?"

Nico sniffled, trying to pull himself together. He wiped his eyes, and brushed his hair away, forgetting to hide his face. Percy caught a glimpse of red and purple marks lining Nico's cheek and jaw.

"Nico," Percy said, more demanding now. "What's going on? Did a monster attack you?"

He's not a monster, Nico thought. He just acts like one sometimes...

"No," he responded thoughtfully. "I'm okay, really."

"Nico, you're clearly not okay," Percy pushed. "You don't have to tell me, but are you safe right now?"

Nico hesitated. He looked into Percy's eyes through his dark brown hair. He shook his head slightly, almost hoping Percy didn't recognize his response. His heart pounded. He'd never admitted it before, and it terrified him. He didn't know what was going to happen next.

Percy stiffened a bit. "What about-"

"No," Nico cut him off before he could even say his name. His boyfriend's name. "I can't be with him right now..."

Percy's mind wandered. He had a feeling about something, but it wasn't good. Memories of his mom and Gabe flashed into his mind. His mom would be anxious just like this sometimes, falling asleep in tears in her room when she thought that Percy was asleep.

In a quiet, calm voice, Percy asked Nico what was plaguing his mind, "Did he hurt you?"

Nico tried to hold it in. He held his breath and he closed his eyes, but the tears and the sobs that shook his chest poured on. He covered his face again, ashamed. This is all my fault and here I am whining about it... he thought.

"Shh," Percy said, slowly reaching up and sitting next to Nico on the bed. He pulled him into a hug, "I understand. You'll be okay."

Nico swallowed. You'll be okay. Percy was always sweet with his words, and he didn't even have to think about it. Things won't be okay, and nothing is okay currently, so saying it'll be okay or it's okay would've frustrated Nico. It would have made him feel unheard. You'll be okay. That sentence, that choice of intention, meant more to Nico than Percy would ever know.

Nico was sniffling, but the tears still came pouring out. He was showing his face now, littered in dark red marks and purple bruises all along his left side of his head, covering his cheekbone, jaw and even up by his eye. There were no gashes or bumps, but it was clearing a beating, more than one blow with someone's fist at least.

Percy felt hot rage course through his veins. If Nico wasn't a shattered and battered puddle of tears right now, he would've stood up and hunted Nico's boyfriend down for hurting him like this.

"You don't deserve that," Percy assured confidently. He rubbed his back, "You can stay here as long as you need, Nico. I promise. It won't be a problem."

After a few minutes Nico had finally caught his breath and calmed down. He wiped his wet cheeks, "Thanks, Percy. I'm sorry I... I never told you. I didn't tell anyone."

"It's okay," Percy comforted. "I know it must've been hard."

"How would you know?" Nico asked curiously.

The son of Poseidon shrugged, "Rough childhood. We'll get into that later." He stood up, flexing his arm, "For now, let's just try to have a good night. Distractions are a blessing sometimes. Let's do something fun!"

"Boys!" Sally called down the hallway. "Dinner is ready!"

"Like eat," Percy smiled lop-sidedly.

Nico snorted, "You're such a dork, Jackson."

Percy shrugged, "My mom makes great pasta, just you wait."

~ TIME SKIP ~

As Nico sat at the table and ate, Sally and Percy spoke briefly with one another. They'd picked up on Nico's quietness and didn't want to pressure him into a deep conversation. It was nice, actually, and Nico appreciated it.

But... it was odd. He wasn't used to this. A family eating happily at the dinner table. He thought back to him and his boyfriend. His boyfriend would also be grumbling insults, sending anxiety through Nico's spine. He'd be picky at whatever Nico made, hating every seasoned or bland dish, and every once in a while would leave a glass cup on the table to pick up and throw at him later. Nico was never allowed to move the cup to the sink, or it'd be every dish in the sink that came hurdling at him.

Nico didn't realize his wrist was shaking thinking about it until Percy put his hand on Nico's. Nico's fork was making a clang against his plate that he didn't even realize.

"Sorry..." Nico said sheepishly, holding his wrist up higher so that the fork dangled instead.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Sally assured. "Eat up, you look like you haven't eaten in ages."

He hadn't, Nico thought. He hadn't eaten in three days, actually, or had water in two. He set his fork down and reached for his cup, sipping the milk. It was disgusting to him, not being a milk fan, but it clenched his thirst ever so slightly.

~ TIME SKIP ~

After they had finished dinner, Sally retreated to her room to do some late-night novel writing, and Percy and Nico stayed out in the living room to watch a movie. Percy had brought out stuffed animals of narwhals and sharks, and blankets with superhero patterns on them. Nico found it childish, but it was nice to have something you could enjoy. Nico's sheets and blankets back home were all black, and the closest think to a narwhal stuffie was a stripped blue pillow.

"Fast and Furious?" Nico lifted an eyebrow, watching as Percy slipped the Blu-Ray in.

Percy shrugged, "I watched Star Wars last weekend."

Nico wanted to laugh, but didn't have the energy, so he gave a small smile instead. It brightened Percy's day to see it anyways, and he smiled wide back at him. He sat down next to Nico, who was in the middle of the couch, and pulled a blanket over them.

"Let's share?" Percy asked, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

Nico nodded, "Yeah. I'm cold."

Percy started the movie. At first he paid attention, but the two quickly fell into chatter, laughing at the movie and making conversation. For the first time in weeks, Nico fell asleep to the sound of a fun sleepover with Percy instead of sly remarks and threats.