Percy

I was taking none of her shit. Yelling it one thing. If she's mad, she can do that and I'd wait for this to finish out.

But she was going to smack him. She was going to try and hurt him, as she already has a few times based off of Nico's cheeks. It doesn't matter who it is. I don't tolerate this. Especially when it's my boyfriend and his mother..

This trade goes back and forth until she asks me why she should ever think being gay isn't bad. and I used the perfect example. Her son. Without naming him.

"Imagine a kid." I tried to explain this to get it through her head. "No older than 13. With nothing to his name, and his family all died in the winter. He's alone. Doesn't know what to do, so he freaks out and leaves the one place that he was safe at. Falls into grief. Into depression. Pushes everyone away, barely eats, almost never talks, and is probably an insomniac because of the nightmares. And this goes on for a long time. He stays to himself. He doesn't even seem to want to make friends. He's always missing and out on the streets. For 2½ years. He's without another person to call friend, he's all of skin and bones, but BAM. Somebody comes along. Maybe something flipped in his mind. And there's a girl. And he likes her. And he likes her for a while. Gets the nerve to ask her out because he makes her happy and she makes him happy for the first time in years. They go on dates. They have fun together. How would you feel about that?"

Maria definitely didn't think that was anything I'd bring into this. A straight example.

"I'd feel bad for the boy," Nico's mother was honest in answering. "That he had nothing. But I would be happy for the couple. If they make each other truly happy."

Here's the twist.

"And they do." I promised Hades ex, now easing on her wrist just a little. "they love each other dearly. But the girl has a imperfection as all do. She can't have children. What now?"

Maria shrugged.

"They can still be happy together." She answered my question. "Adopt maybe. Have somebody else have a kid with the man's sperm."

"Exactly." I agreed to what she was saying, trying to ease her into this. "Now picture the exact same scenario. But he ended up with a boy. Gay marriage is legal in all 50 states now. They still can't have kids for the sheer fact of both of being male. But they could adopt. They could donate sperm for a woman that would be willing to have a child for them. The exact same scenario. Kid lost his family, lost everything. What now?"

"Well I mean being gay..."

"Is bad, you've said this." I finished her sentence. "But still, what now? The exactly same situation. The only change is their other person's gender."

"Well if it's put like that." Maria remarked, shrugging. "I mean, okay. They're happy. If the kid is happy now, that's important. What's the significance of this?"

"That's what your son went through." I broke the news to her and felt her relax, and her maternal instincts kicked in. "When Bianca died, he was left alone, Maria. He was 12, turning 13. He had nowhere to stay at camp. He didn't know how to get ahold of his dad. He ran away and the next time we saw him, he was different. He closed everyone out. He wanted nothing to do with anyone. And when we brought him back, guess what? He left again. And this happened for two and a half years until Hades called him and said important things were going down and a soul needed to be dragged out. Hazel, his younger half sister by a year and a half. She started to get through to him and that was it for another 6 months until Cupid showed up and kicked his ass and told him that he needed to own up to what he was. And he did. He moved on from you, from Bianca. He started to live a little. Just a little. Are enough food. Talked to his little sister. From there he made a friend that he could talk about stuff with. He started to trust people again. And over the next three months he flipped a switch and accepted himself. And for some gods awful reason that I can't tell you, he liked me. I'm a scary asshole that could probably kill you without a second thought if I really wanted to. But he liked me. And we started going out. He started to get away from camp. To meet new people. Make friends again. Be happy again. If you could care less when it's hypothetical, why are you going to walk in here and slap the shit out of him because after two and a half years of a personal hell, he found things and people that make him happy.  Are you really going to be that mad because he cares about a guy they cares about him?"

But as much as I tried, Maria didn't listen to my point. Nico wouldn't be living here. He wouldn't be coming here. Because she didn't raise a faggot.

Things calmed down. Hades took Maria to talk with her. Bianca played with River. Mom and Paul talked over pizza, and I gave my boyfriend a hug.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, knowing how freaked out he was about this very thing last night. And he nodded his head, seeming like he really was okay.

"Yeah," Nico promised me, giving me a small smile. "I knew I wasn't staying here as soon as she slapped me the first time. But you know, considering that she died when I was 5. And that I'm closer to your family and your mom then I am my own... I just don't care. I worried myself and you over nothing last night. It's stupid, hell yeah. But life tends to be stupid. I'm dating you after all, aren't I?"

"Stupidest thing I've ever done." I joked back with him, the mood lightened. "Do you want some pizza before we leave? I have a feeling we're not wanted here."

Nico laughed.

"That's not even a question."

Sally

Percy and Nico headed out after eating, not wanting more drama. Which was reasonable. And Paul and I were talking back and forth. Because Nico won't be living here. His mom doesn't want him and I don't think he really cares.

But I suppose if my parents came up to me and said I was a disappointment for something stupid I wouldn't care. I don't even remember my parents.

And by the time we got back to the apartment, we had made up our mind.

Nico

Being pulled into another room to talk to Sally alone was something that worried me. But at the same time, she's like my mother and probably just wanted to make sure I was doing alright.

She pulled me off by saying she wanted me to help with dinner. Which wasn't a lie. I was peeling potatoes as Sally was getting rigatoni.

"You're doing okay with it?" Sally asked me, closing the cupboard door.

"Yeah, of course." I insisted, shrugging. "I mean, the last I remember of my mom was little snip bits here and there and I just really don't care. If that makes any sense to you."

"Oh, yeah it does." Sally promised me as I started on another potato. "My parents died in a plane crash when I was 3. If they walked up to me and told me I was a disappointment, I really wouldn't care too much. But um... You would live at camp, right?"

I nodded my head.

"Just like I have been." Sally isn't hard to talk to and for that I'm grateful.

"Does Hazel still live there?"

"Uh, not anymore." This conversation was starting to feel weird to me, and I wasn't sure why. The questions were related to the topic. "Her and Frank live with his grandma during the school year. They visit here and there when they can. Why do you ask?"

"Well," Percy's mom started off, throwing the pasta into the water as I did the potatoes. "And this is completely up to you to decide. But Paul and I had talked about this a little bit before, but talked more today about it. And of course we don't want you somewhere you don't want to be. You're like our third kid, and all. So we figured that, if you wanted to, you could live here. Because as it is, you're a good kid and it's not like we're need to give you an entire room and everything of that hassle. There's a few weeks left of the semester and then it's Christmas break. If you want to stay here, we can register you for the next semester. And if not, that's fine. It doesn't hurt to ask, though."

Well it... I tried to wrap my head around that for a minute. That they wanted me to move in and live here.

And of course, I called Hazel. I already accepted the offer. I just needed to tell her I'm not staying with my mom so she doesn't show up there.

"Nico!" Hazel sounded happy to get a call from me it seemed. "How'd moving in with your mom go?"

"Hey," I responded. "It didn't."

"Aw, I'm sorry." My younger sister felt bad, knowing my feelings about camp. "You hate living at camp. What happened?"

I shrugged.

"She was born in 1908," I explained."she's homophobic. We tried talking through to her, but it was pointless. On a positive note, though, I won't live at camp."

"You won't?" She asked me as I shook my head no. "But where...?"

"So I'm at Percy's apartment." I told Hazel as I heard Frank say something next to her. "And Sally wanted to talk to me, help her make dinner. Told me that her and Paul had talked and they offered for me to live here. Start school in January."

"Wait, seriously?" Hazel questioned and I assured her that I was serious. "That's great! But I have to go eat, so I'll talk to you later."

We had dinner and I always liked having dinner here. And then I realized that I'd do this every night. Not having to worry about going back to camp. Going to my mom's.

I live here. This is my home.

Nobody told Percy about this.

After dinner, Percy and I decided it was a good night to go out and see a movie. There was a new Disney movie out I think. And as we waited in line, the question caught me off guard.

"What time do you have to be back to camp tomorrow?" Percy asked me and I realized I had been zoning out.

"What?" I responded.

"Do you know what time you have to be back to camp tomorrow?" My boyfriend repeated.

I gave him a weird look, and figured that they did this without talking to him.

"Oh uh... I don't have to be." I explained to him. "I mean, I have a few things that I'll have to get eventually. But I don't have to be back."

That worried him.

"Where are you going to stay, Nico?" Percy asked me as we moved forward a little. "Frank and Hazel are in Canada. You don't have a passport."

"Well duh." I agreed, giving his hand a little squeeze. "Did they not talk to you about this?"

"Hazel and Frank?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Your parents." I broke the news to him, now knowing that this must've been decided at last minute when we were back at the apartment. "About them offering and letting me live with you guys. That's why your mom wanted me to help with dinner. To ask if I wanted to move in."

Percy looked at me for a second, thinking that. Through.

"You're joking?" He wasn't sure about that. "My parents didn't say anything to me about that."

"I'm dead serious, Percy." I corrected his guess. "I'd say I'm moving in but I have nothing to move in. I'm living with you guys now."

"Really?" This like put him in shock and I promised him I was being serious. And this caused him to give me a huge hug and we shared a small kiss before buying our candy, popcorn, and pop, going to watch Moana.