Nico

I didn't even say anything when Dad brought it up when I got to his place that Friday.

"How was dinner with Percy's family?" Dad asked me out of absolutely nowhere. "Aside stressful."

"What?" I asked, a bit confused. That was last night. I sort of fell asleep at his place and had to bullshit some lie to Grover this morning before packing to leave for my dad's. That was an adventure into my creativity.

"Last night," my dad explained what he was talking about. "Chiron said you weren't at camp when I called. I figured you were at the Jacksons. You're dating him, after all. You've had a crush on him for years, I figured that out a while ago. How was dinner with them?"

"Oh," sometimes you forget that half the time, the gods just know. "Um, it was good. Good food, they were nice. I've met Sally and Paul before so it wasn't like they were strangers or anything. But yeah. It was nice."

"Good," Dad insisted as we got inside the palace. "that's always good to hear. I'm glad both of you got your heads out of you asses and owned up to it. It'll do both of you some good."

Honestly, I was so dumbfounded by how casual he was about me having a boyfriend, especially Percy, that I just didn't know how to respond.

As long as your friends are as nice about it as our parents have been, this'll be fine.

I just have to pray.

Praying worked fine for about the next ten minutes, when I got a text from Clarisse.

Asshole: Hey, Nico. You left for your dad's this morning, yeah?

Finding that text almost random, I didn't think much of my response.

Me: Yeah, duh. What about it?

Asshole: You missed dinner last night
Asshole: And campfire
Asshole: And we couldn't find you because you sure as hell weren't in your cabin last night.
Asshole: so where the fuck we're you?
Asshole: and why the fuck weren't we invited?

It was after Thalia and Grover also sent me similar texts that I sent screenshots to my boyfriend, a little freaked. I don't know what to tell them.

I had an initial plan with two backups that I started against Clarisse.

Me: I'm sorry, I had last minute plans. Can I not have a life or...?

Asshole: Nico
Asshole: With who? Nobody else at camp talks to you
Asshole: And last minute plans doing what?

Me: None of your business, and none of your business

Asshole: Nico di Angelo, I will start telling people you're gay

Me: They'll never believe you

Asshole: Tell me what you were doing last night. The other two are starting to get impatient without you responding to them

Me: You guys are all in the same room, you're telling them everything anyways

Asshole: you would blame us of such things?

Me: yes.

Asshole: Thalia wants to know who the girl is

Me: There isn't one

Asshole: Hey, asshat, give it up. Tell us who she is.

Me: 'She' doesn't exist. And it's none of your business.

Asshole: I'll ask Chiron where you went.

Me: Good luck, he doesn't know where I went.

Asshole: Fuck you

Me: Keep it for your boyfriend

Asshole: We'll get it out of you somehow, di Angelo. Does Jackson know anything?

Me: No.

Asshole: We'll see about that.

I sent a warning text to my boyfriend telling him that he was going to be pounded out. Stick with the story. That he knows nothing.

A half hour went by before another text came through.

Asshole: Okay, so Percy knew nothing. Or, he claimed he didn't.
Asshole: So if she doesn't exist, what are you doing outside of camp?

Me: None of your business.

Asshole: It is my business

Me: How so?

Asshole: I'm your friend, dumbass.

Me: You've literally never called me your friend before, Clarisse. We didn't talk until this summer.

Asshole: Well I thought we were friends, or close enough. Why do you care if we know what you're doing?

Me: I don't know. Why do you care about what I'm doing?

_________________

Grover

As Clarisse was fighting a fight that couldn't be won again Nico, I was being smart and talking with Percy. He lied to Clarisse. He knew what Nico did yesterday.

Perce: I mean, yeah I know. He didn't tell me, I just know.

Me: As weird as that sounds, I'm just going to go with it.
Me: Can you tell me?
Me: Because Clarisse is getting nowhere and it's just pissing her off.

Perce: Um... Hold on.

I'm assuming he texted or called Nico to ask him about it before saying anything. And I mean, both of them stopped responding for a good ten, twenty minutes.

For them not to reply that long, Nico must be doing drugs or something. Something serious that maybe isn't easy to talk about? Something like that. Not like something dumb. Not like him going out and sneaking around with some girl from camp.

Perce: If you tell anyone and I mean anyone that isn't that room, I'm never going back to Camp. You keep your mouth about this, yeah? Can you do that for me?

Clarisse and I got pretty similar texts, which freaked us out.

Me: Well, yeah, duh. If it's that big of a deal, yeah. Did he get involved in drugs or something? Crack? Heroin?

Perce: Grover
Perce: I uh... No, he's not doing drugs.
Perce: Nico's gay.
Perce: He was at my house last night because we're dating and my parents wanted to invite him over for a nice meal to meet him.
Perce: You can't tell another fucking soul about this, Grover. I came out to my parents yesterday like a few hours before he came over. Nobody else knows. He's supposed to tell his dad this weekend. Nobody else knows.
Perce: Please
Perce: Keep it that way, at least for now
Perce: I won't be able to show my face if it gets out

I dropped my phone, shocked. Because that's the last thing I thought Percy was going to tell me about Nico. That he's gay and that's they're dating.

That my best friend, Percy Jackson, is gay.

Thalia and Clarisse both store at me like they weren't just told the same thing.

But then I started to think about it. And I don't think I've ever noticed him get nervous around a girl. No more than normal anxiety, that is. He's never gotten flustered or emotional over a girl. And there was this one time in sixth grade. I remember seeing him look at this guy. He was good looking, considering I'm straight.

I thought Percy was maybe paranoid that the kid would do something. It wasn't a long shot to assume so. Kids picked on him quite a bit.

I never considered that maybe he had a crush on the dude.

Or that he was insecure about being gay. Or that he was gay in the the first place.

And I guess that's not exactly what Nico told the others. He said that he had been at somebody house. Who it was, they didn't wish to be named. They're not out yet. They really don't want to be.

When I heard that, I responded.

Me: sorry, I kind of needed a minute. Nico didn't tell them it's you?

Perce: that's why I don't want you to, Grover. We have a mental link, we're also best friends. You were going to find out. I wanted to know beforehand. Maybe ease them into it or something? I'm not exactly there to do it myself.

Me: Okay, got it. Also, don't worry dude. I really don't care.

Perce: Thank gods. You're the best, G-man. 😆

Me: No problem. I hope you know that I still have to get your birthday present, though. Now I have ideas 😉

Perce: Oh fuck you

Me: woah
Me: save it for your boyfriend
Me: he'd enjoy it more than I would

Perce:

Laughing, I wasn't sure how to respond to that image. But either way, Percy told me he had to to. And, being the good friend I am, I told him to make sure he used protection.