Nico

I uh... Heard everything. Even after he said he was gay, and when he started to have troubles. When he started to actually hyperventilate and go into having an anxiety attack that probably lasted 3 minutes.

And I did come here for a reason. Somebody said Percy was at the Big House and I kind of had some of his stuff because he had died and his stuff was a grab what you want sort of thing.

I did take a sweater.

He's not getting that back. It as a simple sweater. I had a straight line, a dash, and then like a backslash. The backslash was red. I wasn't sure where it was from. But it was comfy and soft and he's not getting back.

I had a box of other stuff, though. And I was wearing the sweater.

"Are you alright?" Chiron asked Percy once he was calmed down.

"Uh, yeah." He was suddenly a lot quieter now. "I think I'm just going to go back to my cabin, though. Thanks... For the talk."

I knocked on the door. Chiron said I could come in, and so I did.

"Any time." The centaur assured a Percy that looked kind of dazed. "Nico, what brings you here?"

"I was told Percy would be here." I explained and motioned to the box. "I have some of his stuff."

The son of Poseidon took the box and thanked me for his stuff back. But as we headed out together he came to realize something.

"Is that my sweater?"

Shit I've been caught.

"Um..." I mean, I could try to pull it off as mine. Even thought it was too big for me and my tiny self. "Maybe?"

He took that as his answer as we approached his cabin and I opened the door for him. His hands were full. And in the distance I saw Jason give me a thumbs up like I had the guts to do anything.

"Well can I have it back?" Percy asked me, setting the box down on a small table in the cabin. I've... Never been in here before. It was kind of weird. I liked it. It was just new.

I looked him dead in the eyes.

"I promise." I insisted, putting my hands on his shoulders to know he was looking at me. "That you'll never get this thing back."

Percy raised an eyebrow and suddenly he was gay and must've not cared.

"What if I get it back?"

"You won't."

"Okay, but consider." The son of Poseidon wanted his sweater that he wasn't getting back. "What happens if I take it off of you."

With how calm he was, I don't think he realized how sexual that sounded when he said it. He was also confused when my entire face turned red.

"Percy!" I was fucking embarrassed now. Thanks, Percy. This is not how I want to come out. Embarrassment and sexual tension.

Then again, isn't that what teen angst is?

"What?" Percy responded, not seeing anything wrong with that. "If I take the sweater off of you, I get it back."

I let out a breath.

"Just because you don't have a girlfriend now," I tried to explain this to him. "Doesn't mean you can—"

And then it clicked.

"I am not undressing you." The son of Poseidon was now just as embarrassed as I was. "I... That sounded better in my head."

He looked ashamed. And my hands were uh, they were still on his shoulders. I really didn't know what to do at this point.

Is this when I'd say No Homo? Or like... What? Would he say that because he was the one who originally said the thing?

I was confused now.

But at this point, he was avoiding looking at me and it was just weird now. We almost went an entire day just getting along and being friends.

"What did you hear?" Something was starting to get on his nerves and you could hear it in his voice. "at the Big House?"

I shrugged.

"Nothing much." I lied. But I also didn't want him freaking out. "Chiron asked if you were alright and you said you were going to head back here. Just what was said right before I knocked. Why?"

"Just wondering." His voice was restrained and that was killing me. Their entire conversation had been about the fact that Percy's gay. He got the nerve to break up with Annabeth. But now he's terrified to come out. The idea petrifies him. I guess he told Annabeth and after she left he had to sit on the beach for ten minute to calm himself down and tell himself that Annabeth won't do anything. She won't say anything.

And that was like his best friend aside Grover. And he didn't even want her knowing.

So I doubt he'll ever tell me. Unless I like... Tell him that I'm gay first.

I made up and excuse so he wouldn't go to bed while I ran to find Jason and get help from him. I insisted I remembered having another bag of stuff for him. He said that he'd stay where he was until I got back.

Cabin 1 wasn't far away, and thank the gods Jason was alone when I answered the door.

"Nico!" The son of Jupiter seemed surprised by my visit. "Dude, come in. What's up?"

He closed the door behind us.

"Is anyone else in here?" I asked him and he gave me an odd look.

"Uh, no." Jason answered my question. "Why? Are you actually going to talk to me about your thing for Percy? After a week?"

"Not if you act like that." I was pretty forward when it came to that. "I was in his cabin and I had to give his stuff back to him and all. But um, how do you tell someone that you like them?"

Jason thought about that.

"How confident are you feelings right now?"  He asked me, sitting down on the chair next to him.

"Fairly confident." I told him, knowing that I was going to tell him. I just don't know how to do that.

Jason instructed me on what to do and he said if I didn't like that, it was fine. It was just what he would do.

So I grabbed Jason's bag of Percy's stuff and brought it with so I didn't seem like a total fraud. And like he promised, Percy was still away.

"Hey," I said when I got back in his cabin, lifting the bag. "where do you want this."

"Um..." Something was just itching at him but he wouldn't scratch it. He seemed to refuse to. "just on top of the box. Thanks for my stuff. And uh... Not the sweater."

"I will steal your sweaters any time if they're all this comfy." I promised him, putting my hands back on his like shoulder and neck area. Jason's suggestion nowhere to be found. "You won't be able to stop me."

He kind of laughed.

"I'll make sure to hide them." Percy responded in the same playful manner and I wasn't sure if he was just playing along or if he like... I don't know. "because once you get yourself a girl, that sweater will be hers. I had to replace all of mine."

"Yeah..." I said that real slow. "Here's the thing, though."

"Wh—"

And I kissed him.