Percy

"Okay, for being a chain restaurant," Nico said after finishing the appetizer we split, because portions are huge here. "That was good."

"Good," I said, cracking a smile. He made me really happy, it's almost dumb. "Because I wanted a place just a little nicer than McDonald's because the last time I went there, I got sick. So... Their fries are still good, though. And ice cream. When the machine works."

He cracked a smile, too, at the joke.

We got our entrees and ate. Stuffing ourselves. He asked about Peter and Penelope, too. My siblings. Triplets. It's weird, but cool. There would've been four of us, but the last one, a girl, died before she came out. Dad must've wanted to make up for the loss of kids all at once. Because he did.

I'm just the only one who made it to camp.

"Peter?" Nico asked after I brought him up in a story. We were slowly eating a huge piece of cake as we talked.

"The third one, the other triplet, twin, whatever." I explained to him as he took a small bite of the cake. "Some kid beat the shit out of him at school, I don't know who, I was home sick that day, but they knocked him out and I guess the kid must've been larger. We were... 10? They doctor assumed the kid must've been 12, 13. He's been in a coma. I normally visit him when shits getting back because like... I don't know, he can't ignore me. He can't respond. But he can't ignore me, either."

"I get it," Nico insisted. "I visit Bianca's grave for the same reason."

"It's nice." I agreed and we split the last part of the cake before I insisted on paying. It's like a date, right? I asked him to come, I pay.

We started walking around the city after that and he was asking a bit more about Peter, so I suggested we could go like visit. If he was comfortable with that.

He insisted that he was, so we went and once I got to the hospital, the desk lady, Danielle, seemed happy to see me. Being it's been a while. It's a smaller hospital, so they personally know most visitors and patients. I like it like that. I was in the mental ward earlier and that's clinic check in, not hospital.

We headed up to room 304 and as normal, it was empty when we got there. He gets visitors, just not all at the same time.

I started talking to Peter a bit, telling him about the last year as Nico talked about the things I wasn't there for or missed and he held my hand, which was really nice. I'm normally here alone or with my mom. So having that crutch was nice.

Nico didn't look like Peter was dying, either, so that gave me some hope that he'll wake up.

We headed home after that and went to my room to chill out. My parents weren't home, but it's just what's normal to me.

Sitting on my bed, we were still debating this.

"I'm just saying, you guys look alike." Nico insisted. "he might be skinnier than you, a little pale. But that's it."

"Um, false. He's better looking than I am." I told the son of Hades as we sat down on my bed, sitting against the wall. "Always has been. I look like a trash panda."

"Uh, false." Nico corrected me. "One, he may be cute, but I wouldn't call you unattractive. Just saying. Leo once came to me about why you had to always look so hot, so take it from your local gay, you're not a trash panda."

"Yeah, okay, bud."

Nico rolled his eyes and like just leaned over and gave me a kiss like it was nothing.

Internally, I freaked the fuck out. Externally, I was shocked and didn't know what to fucking do.

"You look fine." Nico insisted as he slowly slid off the bed. "I gotta pee, I'll be back."

So for a minute, I was definitely turned on now and confused and horny and I hate hormones. Half the time I want it but then it gets to the point and I have a panic attack. I've lost many boyfriend's who try to help me and then can't handle it. Like, it's dumb. I've only dated like two guys before, both short term.

Sometimes I freak out, sometimes I don't. One guy was really kinky and that was fine until he had a belt and it would've been fine, I knew what he was going to do. But my brain connected belt to beatings and that killed the mood really fast.

The other guy was a hook up at a party. I was sober cabbing and I mean, I think he was, too. That or he wasn't drinking heavy. But we were getting it in and it went well until I woke up the next morning in bed naked and had a panic attack. Ran out with just pants on and never talked to him again out of embarrassment.

So I was hoping for better.

Nico

I left the his apartment after fighting with my hair because sex hair is a giveaway and he may be out, but I'm not.

Not to Leo, that is.

Or Camp.

I called Jason, elated as all hell.

"Hey, Nico, what's up?"

"You might want to sit."

"I am, I'm at lunch." He insisted, which made sense with time zones and all. "Why? What happened?"

"I got a boyfriend " I told the son of Jupiter.

"BITCH!?" Was his immediate reaction, of course. "Wait, so did you just give up on the whole Percy thing or...?"

"Pfft, no." I said, shrugging. "He's my boyfriend now. After what you said yesterday I got back to my cabin and then he asked me out, so... It was nice."

"Nice," Jason responded. "I'm glad. I mean, his death almost got you killed. You scared all of us. Both of you did. But like... Suddenly you were in a coma and it freaked everyone out. Hazel was a mess."

"I scared myself." I assured him, starting to wander towards the nearest bus station. "I wonder how much Annabeth hated me now. She'll be livid when she finds out were dating. I kind of want her to find out."

"Well you're out, aren't you?"

"To you and Percy." I clarified, hoping he didn't out me to everyone. "I didn't put it in there. Even Leo, who's bi, didn't catch that in the note. He thought it was a brotherly thing. I didn't correct him. But I went shopping yesterday with Percy being his clothes were all, you know, given away, and I got pride stuff so I'm excited."

"You got pride stuff?" Jason asked me, now sounding excited Nico. "That's like a big deal! What—"

"Hey," I heard Piper sit down next to him. "Who are you talking to?"

Shit.

"Oh, uh, just Nico." Jason said, probably thinking the same thing I was. That she might've heard the last comment. "He's back at camp now."

"Oh, hey, Nico!" Piper said and I must've been put on speaker phone. "Did you hear that Percy's back? Leo told me last night."

"Uh, yeah." I assured her, nodding my head even though they couldn't see. "I was the one who told him. Percy and I came up yesterday. I went to camp, he went home. He said he's better. Starting therapy and stuff next week."

"That's good!" She remarked. "What was Jason saying about pride stuff?"

"Oh, just stuff for Leo." I lied off the top of my head, not wanting to come out like that. I had a plan now, I think. A plan on how to come out. "Since I was in the city he asked if I could grab some."

The rest of that conversation seemed to turn into bullshit so I lied and said there was a tunnel coming up, I had to go.

Leo

And then I got a text from Piper asking about pride stuff from Nico.

And then I immediately got one from Nico telling me to tell Piper he got me pride stuff.

So I told her I asked him to buy me some because it was on sale somewhere and I figured he'd be in the area.

On the bright side, he did find a sticker for me. Little bi flag. It was cute. I appreciated it.

"Oh, thanks..." I said really awkwardly because I might low-key like Nico and it's weird. Because I'm pretty sure he's straight. Or maybe like ace? I don't know, but my last guess would be him being like gay. "I didn't think you were actually going to get me anything. What was that about?"

"I was talking to Jason and it just came up," Nico explained, shrugging as he set down a small bag that he took my stuff out of. "Then Piper showed up and asked what it was for and I panicked and said it was for you."

"Oh," I said, going with it. "Well, thanks anyways. But uh, what are you doing Friday night?"

Was this a bad idea? Probably. But I liked him and I was feeling confident, holding this sticker.

"Me?" Nico responded and I nodded my head. "Oh, uh... I have a date. Why?"

Let the sweet embrace of death take me away. I will die of embarrassment.

"Oh just... Curious."

I called Jason and Piper, internally screaming.

Jason

I was scrolling through Instagram when I got a video call from Leo. We were in Piper's room, just chilling out. I live with them. It's nice. Her dad is cool.

But I answered.

"Hey, Leo," I said, still going through Instagram a bit. "What's up?"

"I'm going to scream, Jason." My best friend told me, which got Piper's attention and she scooted over to see him on the screen. "Is Piper there?"

"Right here." Piper told him.

"Okay, good." Leo said, sighing. "Between the two of you, one of you should at least know."

"About what?" We both asked.

"So you know how for the past few like months I've had the dumbest crush in my life?"

"It's not that dumb," Piper insisted, knowing it was Nico. We've talked about this plenty of times. "He's alive, back at camp. And I'm not that close with him, but you can be. You guys are the only ones at camp."

"Okay, still." Leo shoved that idea off to the side, like it wouldn't help him. Which, in reality, it won't. Not anymore. If he would've done something like yesterday before Percy asked him, MAYBE. But he's with Percy and I'm keeping my mouth shut. "That's not the point. The point is, I got my head out of my ass, and tried to ask him out."

"Tried?" I questioned, wondering why Nico hasn't texted me about it yet.

"I asked him what he was doing Friday night." Leo clarified and sighed. "And he told me he has a date, so.... I'd like to know legit this is because if it's not, I'll leave him alone. I don't think he got the date vibe from it but still."

"I haven't heard anything." Piper assured him. "Sorry."

"Jason?" Leo asked me, noticing my silence.

"I... I mean, it's legit." I was honest about that much. "He does have an actual date, he wasn't just trying to get out of hanging out with you."

"Really?" They both responded, neither of them knowing about this. "With who?"

"I can't say."

"You don't know?"

"No, I know." I assured them, and shrugged. "But they don't want me telling anyone that they're kind of a thing. It's still new. Sorry."

They looked disappointed.

"You won't even tell your best friend?" Leo asked me. "So I know who I'm up against? Or your girlfriend?"

"If I want to keep either of those, I can't say." I insisted. "Nico will kill me. Trust me, I want him to tell everyone who he's dating, but he won't. Maybe—"

One of Nico's post showed up on my feed and I almost chucked my phone.

It was a coming out post.