I do not own Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus

It had only been a few months since the Argo II returned to Camp Half-Blood. Things had simmered down after the defeat against Gaea and her army, a relief to the entire camp.

Now things were back to normal. The Aphrodite kids were back to their gossiping, the Hephaestus kids were back to their tinkering, and the Stolls were back to their pranking and teasing ways.

Everyone seemed content and enjoying the norm. Everyone except Nico di Angelo.

The war had been hard on him. Not so much physically but emotionally. Seeing the person you cared about most almost dying on a frequent basis kept your heart on the edge, and it wasn't an easy thing for one to handle.

After the confrontation with Cupid in Croatia, Nico had acted differently; pretty much everyone noticed. He was more put off than usual, which was hard when he barely conversed in the first place, and he only ever picked at his food. Getting paler and thinner, his sister fussed over him, always asking if he was alright or if he wanted to talk.

"I'm fine, Haze," he would say. "Son of Hades. Never really been the social type. I think I'm just going to go back to my room..."

It was always a lie. Never would he return his room, not even to sleep. He'd sit in Percy's old room, just taking everything in. A few old shirts were scattered on the floor when he entered for the first time. Without anyone knowing, he stole a few, constantly wearing them underneath his zipped up leather jacket.

No one knew his secret. No one knew but that damned son of Jupiter.

Having Jason Grace know his most valued secret didn't settle well with him at first. On a day-to-day basis, the blonde would pull him over to the side to ask how he felt. It was different than when Hazel asked. She was his sister. Jason was just another stupid demigod he had to deal with.

But as time progressed, it lifted a bit of weight off of his shoulders knowing that Jason kept his secret just that: a secret. He'd expected him to tell, what with his big mouth. Never did he get questions about it from anyone else. Maybe Jason did tell the others, and they just thought he was weirder than he already was.

He'd never find out. By the time they all had come back to camp, everyone knew his deepest secret. The stolen glances, the red cheeks whenever Percy would say something to him, the almost happy act he put on whenever he was around him gave it all away. At first, no one said anything. No one talked to him, afraid of not only a son of Hades, but now a gay son of Hades.

Maybe it was for the best that no one said anything. At least they weren't making fun of him for it. Even the Ares kids put their typical bullying to a stop. The Aphrodite girls found it cute, a little thing like Nico crushing on a big shot like Percy Jackson. One even had the nerve to go up to Percy and ask him about his younger friend. All she got in return was a confused stare.

Percy had no idea. He was too oblivious for his own good. It frustrated Nico, but it relieved him at the same time.

But Annabeth knew. She was a daughter of Athena, there was no way she couldn't know. She didn't treat him any different than she normally did. Sometimes, she caught him staring at her boyfriend, but she never said anything. Instead, she would tighten her grip on Percy's arm and turn away.

It wasn't like there would be any competition. Percy was crazy about Annabeth, he had been for years. Nico was just a little kid in his eyes. He still gave him the same look he did when he had first found him, years before when he had rescued him and Bianca.

Since that day, he followed Percy like a lost puppy, wanting to be just like him. At that point, it wasn't love. It was idolization. At ten, you couldn't feel Aphrodite's power of love. You weren't supposed to feel it at fourteen either. But he did. He could stand around all day and blame the goddess of love. But in the end, he knew it was his fault.

Sitting alone at lunch in the Big House, he cupped his chin his palm, resting his elbow on top of the table. He stared longingly towards the Poseidon table where Percy and Annabeth sat, laughing before diving back into their conversation.

Eventually, he could feel the slightest bit of a smile gracing his lips. He hadn't meant to let his emotion seep through, but how could he not? Percy's dark hair fell slightly into his deep, sea green eyes. As he pushed it out of his face, Nico could see the littlest bit of a gleam in them. Gods, they were pretty.

With no warning, he felt two large bodies squeeze in next to him. Clearing his daze, he lowered his eyes to a mastered glare, scowling at the two sons of Nemesis.

"Hey, Ghost Boy," one said teasingly in a high nasally voice. "Whatcha lookin' at?"

"Whatever it is, it must be real interesting," the other inquired, smirking down at him. "But what's over there? Nothing that interesting. A few trees, a bird, and a-oh, what's this? Is that Percy Jackson I see?"

Biting his lip, Nico kept his eyes averted from the others. He was never vulnerable. He was a son of the god of the Underworld for crying out loud. He could handle himself in any situation. Any situation but this.

"He doesn't know, does he?" the one on the right asked, nudging him closer to his friend. "Doesn't know that the goth son of Hades has a crush on him."

"I'm not goth," Nico snapped.

"Goth and gay." The one on his left shook his head. "What would your father think? Bet he'd send you straight to the Fields of Punishment, you know, if he cared enough."

"Doesn't want anything to do with the stupid little homo-"

"That's enough." A new voice cut through their taunting. Nico knew that voice a lot more than he'd like to admit.

"Grace! So nice of you to join us! Care to take a turn?"

Stepping closer, Jason pursed his lips into a deep frown, eyes hard with anger. "Don't count on it. Now, if you'd so kindly leave Nico alone-"

"Leave him alone?" one of the boys raised his voice, the entire room looking towards them at this point. "Now, where's the fun in that?"

"Yeah. You can't honestly think that he's right in the head, can you, Grace? I mean, first he thinks he likes guys, and now he's got this stupid idea of him and Jackson being together? That's just insane."

Nico's eyes widened. He could see realization flash across Percy's face. The son of the sea god searched for something to look at other than Nico, settling on a chair across the room.

He knows, he thought to himself in a panic. I'm dead. I am so dead.

Jason could see the fear in Nico's eyes. Lowering his gaze to his smaller friend, he pushed the two boys out of his way. "Don't talk about him like that."

"You turning gay on us too, Grace? Your dad must be real happy, you and Ghost Boy, getting down and dirty in the-"

There was a crash against the roof. A bolt of lightning struck down just a few mere inches from where the two taunters stood. The floor burned from impact, the boys' eyes widening. Taking a few steps back, they raised their hands in defense.

"Leave," Jason barked. Watching them run away, the blonde grasped Nico by the arm, pulling him out of the Big House. He didn't stop dragging him until they reached the Zeus cabin.

Tugging him inside, Jason pushed him on the bed. Pacing, he silently fumed.

"Gods, they are such assholes. Picking on an innocent kid..."

He froze when he heard the last thing he thought he would. A sniffle. Whipping around, he watched in horror as a single tear trailed down Nico's cheek.

"Hey," Jason said quietly, kneeling in front of him. "Hey, don't listen to them. There's nothing wrong with you, Nico. Absolutely nothing."

"He knows," Nico said in a scared, soft whisper. "He knows, and he's...he's never going to talk to me again."

"Don't say that," Jason said, grabbing his arms. "Percy's not gonna be mad at you. He's probably just trying to process everything. Just...give him some time, okay?"

With a slight nod, Nico looked out the window. "Thanks," he muttered. "For...ya know."

"Don't mention. They were being idiots." When he got nothing in return, he cocked his head to the side. "You don't...believe them, do you? Because if you do-"

"I don't believe them," he shot back at him with anger but with sadness in his eyes. "I just...didn't like the things they were saying."

Jason nodded to himself. "Either way, they're wrong. You're pretty awesome. We'd never have made it to the Doors without you. We wouldn't be alive without you. Gay or not...you saved us. You're still you. Just because you...you love differently doesn't make you any less of the hero you are."

"Don't get all sappy on me, Grace," Nico mumbled, but Jason swore he saw a teasing smirk form on his lips.

"So..." Jason began, standing up. "Wanna go set their cabin on fire?"

"Oh, absolutely."

A/N: Ever since Nico and Jason's little bromance moment in House of Hades, they have become my brotp. They're adorable.

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