Nico

Paul was called to the office when Sally and Quinn's dad showed up. Maria came in about two minutes later. Not happy to be called down here. Sally was... I feel like she's used to it. Not from recent times. But Percy apparently caused a lot of trouble as a kid.

Paul wasn't happy when he found both of us in here. He could've dealt with one of us being in trouble. But both of us?

Mom probably could've dealt with just Bianca being here, too. But the fact that I was here? And so was Percy?

Quinn's dad was calm. His mom was about as off the walls as mine. Paul wasn't off the walls or anything. He just seemed disappointed.

And I was only brought here in the first place because I was mentioned a lot. I had stuff to do with it. Quinn because Bianca was bitching at him.

Sally sat down behind Percy and I as we waited for the principal and Dean to arrive along with the councilor to return.

"What happened?" Sally asked the two of us, more worried than mad. "I haven't gotten a call in years, Percy."

"Bianca was picking on a kid." Percy told the story to his mom. "She's been doing it all month. I told her to shut up and mind her own business. Leave him alone. She didn't like that and argued. The four of us were sent to the office and she punched me. And then Nico. And then Quinn, the other kid here. It wasn't a matter that you guys needed to attend until that happened."

Paul showed up about thirty seconds before my mom did.

They started the meeting about three or four minutes later. I felt my mom's eyes boring into me. I didn't like it.

They wanted to go through our records one by one. Starting with me.

"You're new here, Nico." The councilor told me, which was pretty known by now. "And even before coming here, your record is spotless."

Bianca.

"You're new as well, Bianca." She added on and Bianca gave her a look like, well duh, are you dumb? "And your record is spotless, as well. You've never had discipline, much less for something this large."

Quinn.

"Now, Quinn." Ms... Rossi I believed her name was, took out the next record. "You have been here three times before. Your instances were all fairly minor, though. Being unexcused from class for a period of time. Excessive swearing, which is fairly common in teenagers. And then falling asleep in class a few times."

Rossi turned to the son of Poseidon, and let out a breath. Where as my record was blank aside my info? Same for Bianca. Quinn's had three little lines filled?

Percys was just about full.

"Percy Jackson..." The school councilor started off. "I don't know where to start with your record. It's dreadful. As much as they might claim you're a good kid, your record goes against you, kid. As thought you've seemed to at least try to stay out of trouble since you've enrolled at Goode, it hasn't seemed to work. 23 visits your freshman year. 15 your sophomore year, which you were gone for about half of. They were all minor, of course. You've had about 8 so far this year. How do you think this is going for you?"

Percy shrugged.

"It depends on what the two people behind you think." My boyfriend insisted. "I've learned not to assume a punishment. They'll just make it worse."

"Fair enough."

We went over the situation. The fight was an automatic three day suspension for all of us. Bianca got two weeks for starting it, antagonizing kids, and another week of detention for the minor stuff. I got the three days suspension, and a day of detention because my record was clean but I still had something or another that a teacher reported. Minor, apparently. Quinn got the three days and that was it.

Percy, on the other hand, got expelled.

"I'm sorry, Percy." The Dean told us as he sat down in the chair after the councilor had to leave to handle another student. "But you are no longer invited to attend Goode High School. You'll have to enroll somewhere else. You've been expelled. We warned you as a freshman that if anything not even this extreme had come up, you would be expelled."

We were dismissed to go home. Paul had to work still, so Sally drove us home. And she wasn't mad. At all.

"You're not mad?" I questioned, because that worried me. Made me nervous that we'd get hell for it later.

"Why would I be, Nico?" She asked me, as if there was nothing wrong with getting suspended and expelled. "Percy stuck up for a kid, got in an argument. Bianca threw a punch, you guys defended yourselves. We can find another school. It's not that hard. We've done it plenty of times."

And I thought about that.

"Wait." I said and looked at my boyfriend, thinking about that record. "How many times have you been expelled?"

Percy did the math in my head.

"This was my... Tenth school." He wasn't ashamed of it. "I got expelled from two schools in one year during the year I met you. So yeah. Ten schools. I knew I was getting expelled as soon as they called Mom and Paul. It's not a big deal. If worst comes to worse, Chiron has to teach me with the other guys."

I mean... Fair enough. If he's been through it so many times, it's not a big deal. It's normal.

But I mean, the more you know.

Bianca

Mom wasn't happy about having to see Nico. Because I calmed down and did talk to Percy while Nico took his turn with the councilor. Asked him if he knew where Nico was staying. Because if he's on the streets...

But Percy assured me he wasn't at camp, he wasn't on the streets. Sally and Paul invited him to live with them, so he lives with Sally and Paul. Which is good for him. I'm just...

Percy record was unbelievable. I expected he might cause a little trouble. But gods. That was like three pages long.

"You've been doing the right thing, Bianca." My mother spewed another lie. I missed my brother. I missed Percy. I missed having friends. But if I'm nice to someone, Mom will flip. "That kid was a freak. Just like your brother. They shouldn't even be allowed in schools. Right?"

No. I didn't even recognize Nico. He was wearing what we wanted for once. He looked so much better. Didn't look like he never got sleep. He looked like he ate a lot. Not just one meal a day or something. He seemed happy being with Percy. Didn't seem to be mad with me. I mean, he didn't say anything. But I also didn't say anything. So we're both at fault there.

"Sure, Mom." I remarked, looking out the window. Nico had an eyebrow piercing, and a tongue piercing. And mom won't even let me get doubles. Or choose my own clothes. "Whatever you say, Mom."

She gave a weird look.

"You better not be thinking about your brother or the others." Mom threatened, knowing her daughter. "Between his clothes, the piercings, and his sexuality, he's going to hell, Bianca."

"Mom, Dad runs hell." I pointed out to her, shrugging. "He's never cared that Nico does that."

"And your father and I are very different when it comes on raising you two." My mom told me. "He's going through a phase, my dear. Eventually he'll realize how stupid he's been and then he can come home. But I will not deal with a homo in my family. He'll come home when he comes to his senses."

And then I remembered the look Nico had when Mom entered the room. How he acted when she'd give him a good hard look. I came to realize something that kind of broke my heart.

"Even if none of this is who he really is, Mom," I pointed out to her. "He won't come home, Mom. He'll end up moving in with Percy. Going to holidays at Sally's and Paul's place. Nico's never coming home."

"And how could you assume such a thing?"

I shrugged.

"Because," I reasoned with her, thinking of how he was with Sally. With Percy. Even with Paul. "He's happy. Percy makes him happy, Sally and Paul treat him like their own, and it's not like he doesn't have Dad. You died when he was five. He moved on from you. He moved on from my death. He's used to us not being there, Mom. He's not going to constantly think about coming home. He's never been able to. And plus, he has a home to go to. He lives with Sally, Paul, and Percy. They didn't want him on the streets. Percy told me while we waited for everyone to show up."

As we pulled in the driveway, mom turned off the car and glanced over at me.

"Well then he just won't come home then, will he?"

"I guess not."

"Don't tell you miss him."

"Not at all." I told her with tears in my eyes.