Percy

"Yeah, what's up?" I ask the son of Hades as he walked in.

Relationship advice.

"Why are you asking me for that?" I asked him. "And since when are you dating somebody?"

"I don't know, it seemed reasonable at lunch." Nico tells me. "And I'm not. But I have hopes."

"I suppose you have to start somewhere." I remark. "Who is she?"

There was no hesitation, there was no regret.

"Will Solace."

I took a double take. And he noticed that.

"What?" Nico asked me.

"Sorry." I tell him. "I've never seen that kind of pride before. Every not straight person I've met was terrified to admit it. Well, aside Will. But he's never actually said he's gay, everyone just knows he's gay."

"Who else is gay?" Nico asked me.

"Well there was this dude in sixth grade..." I tell him. "Hated me and Grover for the first 3 months of school, turns out he had a crush on me, and we dared for like six months until a Fury attacked me on a field trip and that was put to a stop. Others campers. Chris is bisexual, I believe. So is Pollux. Drew is pansexual. Annabeth is demisexual."

"So that would make you bi?" He was confused about me.

"Nah, gay."

".... Okay."

You could kind of tell he didn't expect that, he didn't see it coming and I didn't blame him. I'm not very open about it aside to Grover. Because he was there and I tried hiding it and hiding the relationship, but it didn't work out like that.

I'm actually surprised myself that I straight out just said it.

"Anyways," I got off the topic of me," what about Will do you need help with? Just asking him out or...?"

"Yeah!" Nico told me," because he's so busy and I'd feel bad just walking up to him and asking if he's working in the infirmary or talking with his siblings or friends or whatever. If you get what I mean."

"I get it," I assured him," so Will always leads campfire. You could maybe get him a small gift, something he likes that isn't too over the top. Find out from like his siblings and friends what he likes to do aside work in the infirmary. Hobbies. If he likes to draw, maybe buy him new pencils and leave a note asking him. If he likes to read, get a book, leave a note. You get the idea. During campfire, go and leave it in his cabin. I can make sure he's distracted for you, if you'd like."

Nico said that was a really good idea and thank you for that, he would use it. He could actually run into the city now and get some stuff, he had time. We had an hour until Campfire.

So he leaves.

Nico

I was not asking out Will.

I was doing this to ask out Percy.

The reason I said Will's name was to get his advice of what he would like, what he would do so I knew he wouldn't think it's totally lame and whatnot. Jason knew of this plan and was excited I've decided to finally ask him out.

Before leaving Camp, I walk over to Grover.

"Hey, Nico!" Grover seemed happy to see me," what's up?"

"Not much," I told him," I'm just wondering because I'm going into the city and I might as well. It's a little early, but that's fine. For Percy's birthday, is there anything he would want? I'd ask him but then he'd have an idea of what he's getting."

"He has told me, I asked a few weeks ago," Grover reasoned and started to think back to whenever Percy told him this," um... Like anything from Hot Topic or Spencer's. Skateboard stuff. Swim stuff. Gift cards for places like Taco Bell, Bubble Tea, a store you'd think he'd like he will probably like..."

Grover fell silent for a moment before making a sudden realization.

"Oh!" Grover realized," um, he's always wanted a fish as a pet. Like a tropical fish if you run across a place like that. But yeah. Stuff like that. I plan on getting him skateboard stuff because he does it all the time at home. So if you don't want to accidentally double buy anything. Bracelets, too. He likes bracelets."

I thank him also and shadow travel myself to the Hot Topic. The largest one there is.

It was huge and amazing. I looked at almost everything just quickly before knowing he would be a rock music dork and got him a shit ton of band shirts before heading to Spencer's. Which is where I got him a shirt that says No One Knows I'm Gay (I got one for me, too, reversed colors. Black and white.) Along with a few more lip rings because he was sexy as hell with those things in, and lastly a Squirtle water bottle because he's the son of Poseidon and I thought it was cute. I also got gift cards for both of them. $50 each place.

I found this cute store, a couple store and they even had gay stuff, which made me feel nice about getting it that I didn't have to ask about it. Two shirts that said Kinda Gay (okay really gay) and I just liked that.

Second to last was the pet store. Where I found a CLOWNFISH AND BOUGHT IT BECAUSE IM NOT AN IDIOT and Percy loves Nemo. The guy gave me an little page to show what to do with the fish and I got a tank and camp was on the ocean with clean ocean water thanks to Poseidon. Got the food and everything. My last stop was Bubble Tea where I got him a passion fruit one and I got myself mango because I love mango.

With everything in my hands.  Bags and what not in the larger tank. The teas in the corner of the tank with lids and the fish in a bag on top so I can assure he won't fall out or get crushed. But I travel back to camp right as campfire is starting and everyone is getting there.

So of course, I head to Percy's cabin. Get the tank emptied out, separate his stuff from mine, fill the tank with salt water and doing all that fancy stuff the sheet said to do before putting the fishy in. Throwing the shirts all into one bag for him, putting all the gift receipts in there just in case I got wrong sizes and yeah. Then I wrote a small letter.

Percy

I kept Will at campfire. He normally doesn't leave and he didn't, but you never know, right? Kind of felt bad for Nico, though. It was pretty obvious tonight that Will had the hots (so to speak) for Leo. The raging bisexual of Camp Half-Blood. They were flirting like crazy.

We sang songs after songs as I talked with Grover and Annabeth, Clarisse for a little bit and just, on the occasion, would I sing. I'm not a huge singer unless my rock music is playing, then I'll totally sing along.

Campfire actually ran late, but I wasn't that tired when I went to my cabin, actually.

And when I got in my room, there was a fish tank with a clownfish in it, food next to it with a paper, and envelope with my name on it, and a bag from Hot Topic.

Confused as shit, I take the bag first. The envelope said that was for last.

In the bag was 17 shirts (all but two of them were band merch, which I loved) two of them being shirts that basically said I was gay. The others band merch. There was some buttons and bracelets from Hot Topic that were amazing. Then there was even more stuff. Spencer's. A water bottle of Squirtle. I was huge into Pokemon when I was younger, just like everyone was.

Honestly? I was thinking this was all Grover. Because there was also a fucking Polaroid camera in there, an instant one, with 100 film things to develop on and, as far as I knew, he's the only one that knew I loved photography.

I noticed there was Bubble Tea, too. Passion fruit (I'm a slut for that shit) and two $50 gift cards from Hot Topic and Spencer's. Which made me think this couldn't be just one person, right?

The envelope.

I opened it.

My dearest, Perseus

I can gauremtee you weren't expecting any of this, and especially not anywhere near what scale I went to. I just thought it was stuff you would like, I know you like your music and Grover gave me a couple hints for other things. It's all yours, all from me. There's gift receipts in there if something doesn't fit.
If you want, you can consider this early birthday. It is part of it, I'll probably like make you something such as cupcakes for your birthday. You'll be 18. I mean, I have to spoil somebody, right? Aside myself. Don't feel bad about anything, my dad kind of says as long as it goes to somebody else, he has this credit card I can use. If it's for myself, the max out is $150 unless asked.
But yeah, I took your advice. I never planned on asking Will out, I just kind of needed a way to distract you and hear how you'd like it done.
So I have a question for you, Perseus Jackson.
Would you go out with me on a date?
   With hope,
                        Nico di Angelo
P.S. I like you
      P.P.S. A lot

Kill me.

Fucking kill me.

I...

That was so smart of him to do.

To ask me what I would do, what I'd like to get from it, and then go do exactly that, giving me the idea it was for somebody else. Making it that much more of a surprise...

How he knew my lip was pierced, probably from being at my house. I don't wear the piercings at camp just because of training. But tomorrow was a rest day for older campers. All weekend was.

I just hope he knows that this mean he spends Christmas with us now (Hazel spends it with Frank's family. Leaving Nico with his dad and he hated that for the holidays.) And also every holiday.

So, if you didn't get that, yeah I will go out with him. He's cute and I've liked him for a while now. Grover knows about it. He knows about all of that shit.

What did I do?

I found Grover by the cabins and he followed me inside. We planned on hanging out anyways.

"Did Nico... Ask about things for me?" I ask my best friend," like today maybe?"

"Yeah!" Grover told me," he asked saying he'd be in the city and figured he could get your present and get it out of the way, why?"

I open my bedroom door.

"You got a fish?"

"His name is Marlin Jr." I tell my best friend," and also like 17 shirts, mostly band shirts. Bubble tea. Gift cards. Bracelets. Buttons. A water bottle. And of course, an $80 Polaroid camera from like Target or something with film and extra film already. I got myself none of this."

"Then who...?"

"Nico," I told him, which shocked him," I know."

"Maybe he did because he like maybe sorta kinda might like you?" Grover suggests, referencing my long term crush on the son of Hades.

"I don't think, I know," I correct him," he was here earlier and asked about Will. Said he didn't want to go up and ask. I told him to maybe ask his siblings what he liked and get him something small related to it and like have a note attached to it. Not this huge. But I get back from campfire and it's all here and there was a letter where he tells me to not feel bad about it, he needs somebody to spoil one way or the next, and I thought it was you at first until it referenced a dad and then he says that he never planned on asking Will out, he asked for my advice because he figured it would be what I'd kind of want to happen if I was asked out or were to ask somebody out. Which is really smart when you think about it. But then he asked me out and left a PS after signing his name stating that he liked me."

"And?" Grover asked, now very excited to hear that something was kind of working out for one of us.

"And I'll respond when I see him tomorrow."

"And?"

"I'll give you the camera to take photos if you want to, Grover."