Percy

Paul told me to invite him over for dinner, not asking who he was. And with that he went to go get food from the store.

I texted Nico.

Me: BABE

Me:

Me: IM !!!?!?!?!?!?

What would you know, that got his attention.

Nico 🖤: Babe?
Nico 🖤: Are you okay?
Nico 🖤: Do I need to hurt anyone?
Nico 🖤: What happened?
Nico 🖤: Did you tell him?

Me: Yeah, I did! I kind of had like a panic attack before I actually told him, but he deals with a lot of kids so he knew how to calm me down. And then I told him and he took it really well.
Me: I mean like, he told me I didn't have to him or my mom. They were expecting me to just bring someone home one day.
Me: and then from there they'd know my sexuality and whatnot.
Me: so I don't have to tell my mom.
Me: also
Me: Paul asked if I had a boyfriend
Me: and obviously said I did
Me: and he didn't ask who
Me: but he invited you over for dinner
Me: I don't know what time
Me: just come over
Me: please
Me: the foods good here
Me: I also kind of want to cuddle

Nico 🖤: Oh my gods 😂 I'll be there in a little bit
Nico 🖤: And good job, babe 💕. I'm proud of you for coming out to Paul, even if you had a panic attack. 😘

I smiled down at my phone.

Me: I wouldn't have been able to had you not talked me into it 😘 travel safe.

I changed into some half way decent clothes and managed to make my room look mostly nice before Nico showed up. He has the same train of thought I did, wearing a nice shirt sleeve button down shirt that was just plain black, and some clean darker jeans. Stuff that's nice, but not like super nice. A step above casual.

But boy, he was handsome. And I smiled, almost feeling like a little kid.

I was going to do this.

"Hey," he said as he came in through the window, per usual for him. "Are you feeling better?"

I nodded my head. Telling Paul what I told him did help a little, but what he told me helped a lot more. It made me a little more comfortable. Just with myself in general.

"Good," Nico insisted as he gave me a hug, "I'm proud of you. When will your mom be back?"

"She's normally home like right before dinner." I told my boyfriend as we sat down on my bed and cuddled. "I think Paul's telling her that someone is coming over. Like, you know, my 'partner' because I guess they agreed to not assume my sexuality. But yeah. So we won't have to explain it. She'll know coming home that whoever is here is them. That you're my boyfriend. Have you told anyone anything?"

"No, not yet." Nico assured me, knowing that I was still kind of not confident about being gay. He wasn't, either. But he was far ahead of me. "I planned on telling my dad and Persephone when I'm down there this weekend. From there, we can figure out who we want to tell and when and how."

Agreeing that that was a good idea, we might be accidentally fallen asleep. Between him shadow traveling and me crying, we were both tired. Plus, he was really warm. Like a fucking heater or something.

I love him so much.

Sally

I was anxious. Paul sent me a text around 6 (I get off at 6:30) telling me that we we're having a guest for dinner.

The person that Percy's apparently going out with.

Like yeah, let me meet the kid his who's going to be there when I can't be for my son. Give me the kid that's going to help my son with his depression and anxiety because they give a shit about him and Percy will let them give a shit and help him.

I was basically running out the door to get home. I was ready for this. He's been nervous the last few days. Now I know why.

I don't know why he told Paul, but he did and I don't really care. All I care is that he's happy and getting better.

When I got home, I helped Paul finished up dinner and he told me that they must be in Percy's room. He hasn't looked, though. He didn't ask who it was earlier, either.

We set the table, and finished making the food.

"Dinners ready!" The two of us yelled, probably as anxious as they were.

Percy

My anxiety was a thing when I heard that dinner was ready.

"Hey, breathe." I've been told to do that a lot today, it's weird. Nico took my hand, rubbing circles along my palm. "Are you ready?"

"No," I was honest. "But I'll never be ready. So I'm about as ready as it gets."

Giving me one final kiss, I held onto Nico's hand as we left my room. This is it. This is how I'm coming out to my mom. I just have to hope and pray that they're okay with Nico and I dating.

When we got to the kitchen, which is also sort of the dining room, we stopped and faxed my parents. Hearing us, they turned around and almost seemed taken back by who was here.

Trust me, I don't think that even after I told him that Nico was gay, Paul really considered that I knew that because we were dating. Mom probably would've had that reaction no matter who it would've been. Which is okay. It's a lot better than other reactions I've seen.

After giving them a second, I reintroduced Nico to my parents.

"Mom, Paul," I started off, nerves starting to ease. "this is Nico. He's uh.... He's my boyfriend now."

Anything I was worried about, anything that I thought might happen that would ruin this just went away. Both of them smiled at us and it was this huge fucking weight that I've been carrying around for years, just gone. It was this feeling like I had been breathing through cotton for years, and they took the cotton out of my mouth.

Relief flooded over both of us when they said hi to Nico and gave him a hug because they already knew Nico. He's just not a friend anymore, he's my boyfriend. It's the same person, a different standing.

I think he was relieved, too. Nico was. He doesn't have his mom to come out to, or Bianca. Chances are, his dad already knows and just hasn't asked. He's a god, gods know things for no reason.

So to have the approval of my parents was really what he had to worry about. And to get that probably meant as much to him as it did to me.

We sat down at the table across from my parents, and just had a really nice meal together. They asked how long we had been together, and it's not like it's been long. A few days. It's not like we've been hiding this forever. It happened the day I came home, just before I got home. My birthday.

Aside that, they didn't ask much about us. Rather, they asked Nico things they didn't already know about him. I learned that Nico had other siblings side Bianca. Older. Twins. A boy and a girl. He hasn't seen them, though. For reasons understandable. That was... I mean it was 80 years ago. They weren't Demigods, though. Maria got pregnant before she met Hades when she was a little younger. Like 17.

So I did learn a few more thing about my boyfriend after all. And I decided to keep it in mind for something I could use in the future.

I had ideas.

Ideas that could help him out a lot.