Percy

Did I have an impulse to hug him and kiss him and just smother him when he told me he was staying?

Yes.

But did I act on it?

No.

Sorry, well not really. But Nico is like the best thing I have outside of my actual parent and like Grover. Nico's different, though, and I don't know how. I kind of do.

Over the summer, I came to the realization that I like him. More than like a brother or a friend. I've known about like being gay and whatever else for a while. I was like 13 I think. But I never came out.

And because of Annabeth, I feel like nobody will believe me if I try to come out now. So I don't. Plus, I'm a chickenshit.

But I was really happy, and when he started to describe why he stayed, it didn't make sense.

But he told me that he didn't really have an exact reason. It was just a little bit of everything wrapped up in a tiny bow and it made him stay.

He smiled.

"You seem happy about this." Nico told me, letting off his own smile that I've been missing for a couple years now. A smile I almost forgot. "Like, really happy."

"Well yeah," I told him, leaning against the counter. "How long have I been trying to get you to stay here, Nico? I'm glad you're staying here. But uh, contrary to what I just said, you should come to the apartment tomorrow. We're doing stuff for my birthday, I think."

He looked iffy about it.

"There will be cake." I promised.

"I'll be there."

I kind of laughed and just shook my head, he's cute.

"What?" Nico asked. "Your mom makes good cake."

"I know she does," I assured him, smiling. "I just find it funny that it's what convinces you to come over. I'll have to start baking a lot more."

"Probably," he joked, returning the smile again. "I'm assuming your girlfriend will be there? So I can give her shit."

For some reason, I was surprised that he assumed I had a girlfriend.

"What? No." I told him as I walked towards my room and he followed me. "I don't even have a girlfriend, Nico."

"Mhmm," he didn't believe me, though.

"What? I don't." I insisted, facing him because now my impulse was building up with the anxiety. He was here. He was staying. I could tell him.

And sure, that might risk our friendship. It might risk a lot. But Annabeth and I still talked this summer, right?

"Percy, come on." Nico told me. "You can't tell me that they weren't all over you."

"Well, they were," I didn't deny that. Aphrodite kids threw themselves at me, but I wasn't interested. "Sure. But I mean, I was interested in somebody else that wasn't all over me."

"Who?" He asked me. "Piper? Hazel? The girls that are taken?"

I knew he wouldn't stop giving me shit about it until I told him.

"Nico, I'm gay." I broke the news, him being the first person I've ever told. "So no."

He had a double take, and I really don't blame him. I mean, I hide it, but it's not like I've dated 30,000 girls. Grover does think I'm ace-aro though, so....

"I'm sorry," I saw like eight emotions go through Nico in a matter of five minutes. Shock winning. "What? Why don't I know this? You're... I don't know if I should be shocked or not."

"Well it's not like I'm out," I reasoned with him. "Grover is convinced that I'm ace and aro and just not attracted to anything. So that's probably why you're surprised."

"You're not out?" He asked me, even though he knew that. "To anyone? Or do you mean to camp in general but like Grover and your parents know?"

"I'm out to you," I told him and thought about that. "And uh... You. I'm not telling my parents until I like know for sure that Paul won't want me dead for it. I already know my mom.wont care. She's bi. She had a few girlfriends between Gabe and Paul. They were nice."

"Ye... Sorry, this is a lot." Nico apologized, thinking this through or something. "I'm trying to like get rid of the idea that you're straight in my head and it's weird. At least I didn't find out how I found out Leo was bi."

"How did you...?"

"He was checking out my ass."

I bursted out laughing.

"Piper got a photo." He added. "I still hold it over his head."

I didn't stop for 20 minutes.

It was funny, though. And we sat on my bed, just talking crap and laughing. To be honest, I'm not sure how it happened.

We made eye contact. Both letting off a smile, and I mean, why not? He already knows that I'm gay. What was this going to go?

I kissed him.

Nico

Hahahahaha, what?

So first of all, I decide to stay here. Figured it'd be safe to tell Percy. And then he invited me to his place before telling me he's gay. And now we're kissing.

This day can't get better.

We only made out a few times before campfire, it's not like we had sex or anything. But shit, his lips were soft.

He did ask me out, though. For after his birthday party. He'll 'drive me home', which he'll probably also do.

We weren't all over each other at campfire, but there was barely anyone here now that it's just year round kids. And of course Leo and Jason drag me over.

"What happened?" Jason asked me, despite Leo not knowing.

"I told him that I was staying here all year," I said, thanking the gods that Percy's not out so Leo can't question it. Or that I'm not out, too. "So they don't like burn all of my stuff tonight. I don't know what you expect."

"Yeah," Leo agreed with me. "This is Percy and Nico we're talking about Jason. Neither of them are bi or gay."

"You found that out the hard way, didn't you?" I responded, just giving him shit and of course, he turns red with embarrassment.

"It was one time!" Leo insisted and we laughed.

"Are you sure it was just one time?" I asked and he continues to get more embarrassed.

"...no, but still."

We laughed and he didn't say anything until Percy showed up. And of course, Percy can give him shit now. He nudged Leo.

"So Leo," Percy says in a pretty suggestive tone. "A little birdie told me that you uh... Like Nico's ass?"

Leo looked like he was this close to slapping Percy, the rest of us are laughing.

"I don't..." Leo knew this was useless.

"No, don't worry, I don't blame you." Percy joked with him, which partially outs him to them as Grover shows up. "I mean, I've never checked out his ass, but shit, you're bi."

"What did I..." Grover didn't understand what was going on. "Percy, who are you talking... Are you gay?"

The others start laughing, and I mean, what better way to come out, right?

"I mean..." At first, he was going to deny it. But he thought for a moment and just went for it. It's been a long day. A good day, but a long one. "Maybe."

"Percy!" Grover was slightly offended.

"Hey," he defended himself. "I haven't hidden any boyfriends from you. I would've told you sooner had you not been so abdoment that I was unable to feel love or any form of attraction."

At least he didn't out me.

No, that was Jason.

He nudged me, and I don't say anything. Leo noticed, but it's not a big deal. Jason lives to give me shit.

"You know, I thought the same thing about Nico," I went on red alert right away, and I was going to kill him. "But then like I found out he was gay so... You guys would make a cute couple."

I do a 180, turning to face him, and I gave him three seconds.

Leo

Jason ran, but it was no use. Nico was faster, and more pissed off.

It was of funny.

So we started talking about other things, and Chiron handed out our beads. And it confused Jason. I mean, it confused me, too.

"What are we..." I looked at Percy, noticing his necklace as the other two joined us with their beads. Calmer now. "What are we supposed to do with these?"

"Oh!" Percy must've realized something and told us to follow him.

So we head to the Big House, the five of us, and we went into what was weirdly enough his office. I didn't know he had one.

But he opened a drawer, and took out two like necklace bases, and then two more beads. He put one on each. Handed Jason the one that had a 1 and like a bolt on the bead. Handed me the one with a 9 and a little flame on it.

"What...?" Jason questioned, just as confused as I was.

"It's like our version of the SPQR," Percy explained to us. "Camp Half-Blood is true to its name, it's a camp. Unlike Camp Jupiter, you don't come here to live here your entire life. You can stay year around, that's your decision to make. But a warning for you guys? Once you graduate high school, or once you hit 21, which is what it'll be for you guys unless you enroll yourselves in a mortal high school, you're out."

"What? Why?" That kind of bummed me out to hear. "It's nice here."

"Yeah, it is." Percy agreed, nodding his head. "And sometimes, it can be wagered a year or so. But the purpose of Camp Half-Blood is to get Demigods on their feet until they can defend themselves and outgrow the nightmares and live on their own. Kids aren't raised here unless they're a nature spirit. Even Mr. D's kids weren't raised here."

"Why not, though?" Jason questioned the logic behind that. "I mean, I was raised at Camp Jupiter and I turned out just fine."

"I know," Percy clarified in response to what Jason said. "And I'm not like bashing you or Camp Jupiter. Camp Jupiter is really nice for people who love the demigod life. But if you're raised there, that's just natural for you to want to do. It's what you grew up around, it makes sense. But one, mortals aren't allowed in so it's not like we have anyone to raise kids."

"I get that," Jason countered that. "But why don't you let that start?"

"Because I won't do that to a kid, Jason," it was vague, but at the same time, I kind of understood it. "We are so close to Olympus, that it's dangerous. We're safe inside camp, yes. But this place is only so big and the gods fall back on us to deal with quests and the people who like want to overthrow them, even if it's another demigod, and when that happens, it's a danger to that kid that they will be hurt by a breach in the border, or if there's an insider and they're killed."

"But has that ever happened?"

It was silent for a second. Nico almost said something, but Percy cut him off.

"Three years ago." Percy told us. "A rebel demigod sided with Kronos. He poisoned Thalia's Tree, Chiron was blamed and suspended, replaced with an asshole. We got the Golden Fleece on a quest, and that's the only reason Thalia's alive. The summer before, 2005, somebody snuck a hellhound in. It attacked during a game of capture the flag. Monsters infest parts of the woods heavily. I will not risk a baby's life like that. We've only had this border for like ten or so years. It's faulty."

Jason understood that a little more. He still thought that this being for just minors was kind of ridiculous, but he understood that he was also raised at Camp Jupiter.

"Anyways," I said. "How often do we get beads? And what does the uh... Bead already on here mean?"

"Every summer, at the end of session." He explained to me. "And the bead on there is your cabin. Jason has one, Zeus. You have 9, Hephaestus."

I nodded my head and Percy looked at Nico.

"You don't have one, either?"

"The bead or the necklace?"

"Either or." Percy said. "What do you need."

"Both."

We both gave him a weird look, because that's not right.

"I thought this was like your third year here." Jason remarked.

"Well sorta, yeah." Nico confirmed. "But the first summer I was here for like three weeks in August, and then I was on call last summer and didn't really bother going back to camp after Olympus so... I've never been here at the end of session before."

"Got it."

Percy got him a necklace and whatever else, handing it to him before he looked at the date.

Mr. D came in and handed something to Percy, telling him they wouldn't be here when he left tomorrow.

"Happy early birthday, kid," Mr. D told the son of Poseidon, handing him the wrapped box. "You deserved it. We'll see you next summer."

"Thanks," Percy told him. "I'll be here."

Mr. D walked back out to head to Olympus and that's when I realized that I didn't know when Percy's birthday was.

"Percy," I said. "When's your birthday?"

"Oh, uh, August 18." He explained.

"And you're going to be 20?" I honestly assumed that Percy was a lot older, and I mean I thought Nico was maybe a year younger than him. "Right?"

I didn't even realize that today was the 17th.

"Try 17," he told me, which honestly surprised both Jason and I. "I'm not that much older than you guys."

"Wait," Jason remarks, turning to Nico and trying to figure this out. "Then how old are you?"

"Same age as you guys," Nico told the two of us, shrugging. "I'll be 16 in January. How old did you think I was?"

"Honestly?" Jason asked and Nico nods his head. "Like 18, 19 maybe? But I mean, I did assume that you were old enough to move out of your mom's place. Why aren't you going home then?"

"My mom died when I was like 8." Nico explained, over it. "Don't try to give me pity,I don't want it."

"I was gonna say—"

"No."