Clarisse ♪♪♪

"You told them you were single when they told you Nico was gay." I point out to the son of Poseidon, refilling my cup with diet cola. We're not dating. And we never will. But every once in a while we hang out. Usually around the time camp starts. When not everyone is back or after a quest or whatever. Just talk bullshit and whatever.

"Well its not a lie." He told me. "Theyd never believe it with how desperate Annabeth acts around me but that's never happening. I've known about him being gay ever since I met him."

"True." Clarisse agreed. "Didn't somebody... I think it was one of the Stoll's either that or Pollux ask if he was gay and he responded with and pretty damn proud or something. It was at a meeting, you were on the quest. But I told you about it. After he left, obviously. But that was hilarious. It was awesome. But it was also very funny."

"You see if I had confidence..." Percy tells me. I was the only person at Camp that knew he was also gay. "People would've known years ago. But..."

"Didn't Luke know?" I recalled.

"Yeah." He agreed, remembering that confession the day he left. "But he's dead."

We heard people and fell silent.

~
Leo ♦♦♦

There were rumors going around. About Nico. About him being gay.

For me... I don't know. I'm not gay but I'm not straight and I don't know what to think and lately it's been weird. I've been having crushes and not all of them are girls. Most of them aren't. Not since Calypso and just... I don't know what to think about all of it.

It was the three of us in the woods. Nico, Jason, and myself. And we heard two people. Clarisse and Percy.

"You see if I had that confidence..." The son of Poseidon trailed off. "People would've known years ago. But..."

"Didn't Luke know?" Clarisse questions.

"Yeah." Percy confirms. "But he's dead."

Know what?

"I'm just surprised nobody freaked out about Nico when rumors started going around." The daughter of Ares remarked. Which referred to Nico being gay.

Percy thought about this.

"Somebody did." Percy recalled. "I was at that meeting. Because Bianca was at the meeting and that was her only meeting. Before Chiron and Mr.D walked in is when... It had to of been Castor because he was councilor until he died Nico and Nico's response pissed off... Who was it... It's not Bianca. It pissed her off, also. But I'm thinking of somebody else. They aren't on the council anymore. Its not Silena, Michael wasn't on yet, Beckendorf was bisexual so he was fine with it... It wasn't Annabeth and it wasn't Grover. They weren't in the room yet. It was..."

"Lee!" Percy came up with. "Lee Fletcher. Because after that his cabin replaced him with Michael. He died anyways. But he flipped out at the meeting and then Beckendorf said he was bisexual and he nearly killed him and Bianca was ready to strangle Nico."

Me and Jason just look at Nico for confirmation.

He just shrugged. A yeah. But like saying 'so?'

"Oh yeah..." Clarisse recalled and laughed. "I was waiting for you to say something. That was... At least life wasn't shit back then. But at least it's almost over. If we can survive the next couple years..."

"If." Percy points out.

"And if anyone finds out you're gay..." Clarisse trailed off and I just...

For one reason or another Jason nudged Nico.

"I'd be screwed." Percy finished off. "Theyd treat me worse than if Luke ever came back. Theyd go from day one Nico, to after the quest Nico."

We just look at him.

"I was pissed off, okay?'

Okay, Nico. You can say that. For now.

" first day Nico was an annoying little shit." Clarisse comments.

"Its better than a depressed little shit." Percy comments. "And you can't deny that's what he was for at least a few years. If Hazel never came around half of camp would probably be terrified of finding him dead to himself in the woods one day."

"It still concerns me." Clarisse says. "Ever since you know what happened."

"True." Percy agreed. "But he has gotten better. You have to give him that."

"Yeah, so has Thalia." Clarisse also agreed. Kicking a can down the tiny hill they were on. "She might've ran away like 10 or 12 years ago. But she didn't take her mom's death lightly. She also took Luke leaving hard."

"But in her defense, we all did." The son of Poseidon added. "Luke leaving... Even I took that hard and it was my first summer and I barely knew the guy. How Annabeth took it thank god I was passed out. I heard that was hell."

"Oh my gods." 17 year old comments. "She acted like she was going to her first day of school and her parents had to leave it was so fucking annoying. Thank gods you convinced to go home. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand hearing that out of her. I was ready to shoot myself and go with Luke."

Percy nodded his head and he looked like he was considering something.

"You know." He informed her. "I really don't blame Luke for doing what he did. I mean, it was a bit extreme how he took care of it. But... I don't know. I wanted to do the same thing last summer. Without being taken as a vessel and dying, of course."

"I wanted to go so fucking badly." She related. "Of course, nobody aside Silena knew that. They would've killed me if I even dared say I could see why he would do anything of the like."

"Kind of like school." Clarisse remarks. And this got our attention. "You hate everyone and they have you. Just kind of want to kill everyone. And by that, I mean the gods, because honestly, fuck them. People think they give a shit about us and they don't and they never will."

"Thank you!" Percy more than willingly agreed. "People never believe me when I say the gods hate me. Your dad, in both forms, has tried to murder me. Zeus just... Fuck him. The only God I don't mind aside Mr.D is Apollo because when all the gods are on their thrones and in palaces wondering who they're going to screw over and fuck next, he was here, helping with what was honestly not our problem, but theirs. Like... We die anyways. Most of us don't survive for college, so this isn't a huge deal. Your daddy issue, not ours."

Now when we hear something like this... Against the gods like that. We're suppose to report it.

We're supposed to report it to Percy...

Yeah.

So we go to Annabeth. Who just so happened to be in the Big House. Waiting to talk with Mr.D and Chiron, who was talking with Piper and Hazel and Frank and Reyna.

So all of the 7... Here we go, right?

"Hey, Annabeth..."

We mention against the gods.

"That's for Percy." She tells us and by now we have gotten Mr.D and Chiron's attention.

"We can't exactly do that." Jason told her.

"Why not?" Chiron asked.

"Excluding you and Apollo." Nico answered his question. "It was Percy and Clarisse saying it... Pretty sure he already knows. And doesn't care."

We told them what we heard, nearly word for word. Said they were just in the woods, talking BS. Its not like they were in private and trying to be private. Other things, yes. Secrets. We're not that mean to tell them about him being gay after hearing what they said about Nico. But we told them what they were saying and it'd be an easy rule out. There would be a council meeting where its decided.

They're both on the council and Percy is head of camp.

"So was the last person that did this." Chiron commented. "We took care of him, also, Valdez."

"Was his name Luke?" I questioned.

Annabeth just...

She looked ready to kill me.

"How would you know?" She questions us.

"Because we heard them talking about him." Nico easily answered. "And he walked, he wasn't forced out. He chose to leave."

Whatever, I guess. And later on, at dinner, everyone was there. The 7 plus like Nico and Reyna or whatever have their table and were all eating. Having a grand old time.

Annabeth didn't say anything. She didn't until afterwards, from what I'm guessing. I heard yelling from his cabin.

~
Percy ♥♥♥

"Big fucking whoop!" I yelled right back. "Why do you care?"

"You lead this camp, Percy!" The grey eyes girl yelled at me. "How are we supposed to trust you when you're questioning the gods!?"

"I don't know why the hell you ever did!" I was honest. "Because I never got along with the gods, and you know that. You've known since we met that I can't stand any of them. I said what I said, and I can think what I please. Luke left for reasons I wish I had the confidence to. He didn't care if leaving meant death. Because he was so driven by everything. Because he was so done with everything. He told me one day I would understand, and guess what? That day has arrived, like it or not."

"If you hate the gods so fucking much." Annabeth told me. "If you can't stand this place, why don't you just leave!? We can survive on our own, without you!"

"Fine." I tell her. "Then get out of my cabin. I'll be gone by curfew."

~
Nico ×××

Percy didn't show up to breakfast the next day. And we figured he slept in. Annabeth got a call from her dad. Something was going on, she had to leave today. So she was at the airport.

Well then he missed lunch. And we starting getting concerned and the three of us look at each other. Clarisse was still here.

But by take care of...

The ideas that came to mind terrified me.

I volunteered to go check on him in his cabin. Everyone that hadn't come yesterday was coming today. We'd have Capture the Flag and Campfire and it would be great.

It was supposed to be great.

But I got to the cabin and first his name was peeled off the mail thing. Just leaving Tyson's name. And it was unlocked. So I go in.

The place was spotless. And I haven't been in here before. I never had reason. Maybe he kept it this way.

I went into all the rooms. Figuring he took the last one. I found Tyson's. It was pretty neat. I didn't really look in.

The rest of the rooms were empty and I noticed something.

The doors had names on them. When you leave, finish camp, its tradition to scratch off your name and I close all the doors. And find one with a sort of old engraving, not on Tyson's door. And I found it. The center room. And I approach it. A ton of names and down the list I found Percy's name.

It was scratched out.

I walked into the room and looked through. He had to of forget something. And he did.

A photo.

It was old. A few years. My first few days here. And it just hit me hard.

I remember when we took the photo. Everyone was playing and messing around not long before campfire. We were at the strawberry Fields and I was really short at the time. I was 5 even, and I was trying to reach something. There were also apple trees, and I couldn't reach an apple. It was the three of us. Bianca, Percy, and me. And instead of grabbing it for me, he had me get on his back so I could get it and I did get the apple, threw it in the basket and he ran with me on his back for like 10 minutes. It had been so much fun. It was one of the best days I've ever had. Bianca had taken a polaroid of me on his back. A few of him, one for each of us to have. I still have hers and mine. I never thought he would keep it. I thought maybe he'd throw it away.

My depression just smacked me like the bitch it was and I sat down and for a solid 20 minutes I cried in silence. Holding all 3 photos.

I just wanted that back. That simplicity.

I don't care if I never see my sister again. She's dead.

I just wanted to be happy again.