whup whup finally got to writing this.

this is kind of an au, considering that they're not demigods.

the pjo and hoo series belongs to rick riordan, and if you haven't noticed, he is not me, nor am i him.

"—and this is Piper and her boyfriend, Jason."

As the last words of that sentence left his beloved sister's mouth, Nico swore he felt time stop and it was as if he was transported back to the Lotus Oasis four nights ago.

He had just finished performing up on stage with a band who needed a violinist—despite the fact that he preferred playing alone, Nico accepted, because honestly, who could refuse getting paid a hundred and fifty bucks for one gig—when a blonde-haired figure slid into the booth seat across from him. Nico lifted his coffee-brown eyes from the worn-out pages of George Orwell's 1984 and was met with a pair of saturated baby blue ones staring back.

"Nice performance out there," the blonde haired stranger commented.

"Thanks," Nico answered curtly, directing his eyes back to the novel in hand. He had a final exam the next day pertaining to 1984 and wasn't even half-way through. He left it till the last minute to do, like all the other kids in the accelerated program he was in.

The teen across from him glanced at the book's cover. "Ah, Orwell. Great author," he had said with a somewhat curious smile, before asking, "You're not really twenty-one, are you?" Though it didn't really sound like much of a question, more of a statement.

That grabbed Nico's attention right away.

Slowly lowering the book, the fifteen year-old replied, "And what are you, eighteen?"

"Yeah, you've caught me. I shouldn't be here and neither should you." The blue-eyed stranger paused and lifted his glass of alcohol, taking a sip. "Are you cramming or something?"

"Mhm."

"Do you need help?"

Nico's eyes narrowed. "Are you coming on to me?"

The older of the two laughed. "Maybe."

Glancing at the clock stylised into a lotus bud, Nico calculated how much time it would take to finish reading the novel versus how long it would take for the attractive stranger in front of him to summarise and study with him. Needless to say, the latter was quicker by a long shot.

"Yeah, all right."

They discussed the book up to where Nico had read up to, which wasn't very far, and the stranger, who now had a name, explained the rest. Jason introduced him to a site that summarised novels by chapter online. He scrawled the URL down onto the first yellow post-it note of the pack he always kept handy. The finished up fairly quickly, much to Nico's surprise and joy. Since it was only ten and his sister was picking him up at eleven-thirty, they talked for a while, mostly about themselves, or Jason, at least. Nico shared little about his personal life, but a lot about his interests. By the time his mobile rang—the usual call from Bianca telling him she was outside—Jason and Nico had become quite acquainted with each other.

"I, uh, have to go," Nico said, making his way to the back door. His old black converse made the occasional squeaking noise against the polished wooden floor every few steps. Jason walked beside him, hands in his jacket pockets. They stopped right at the exit.

"So, yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Good luck on that exam."

Then they kissed.

Maybe it was because of how right it seemed at the moment, or maybe the look they shared there and then, or maybe even the shitty 60s music playing in the background. But they did. It was short, nothing sloppy or heated. Just a sweet, chaste kiss, the kind you would expect from a couple saying goodbye. Except they weren't a couple.

When they pulled away, Nico avoided Jason's gaze and uttered a swift, "uh thanks bye," and was out the door before he could respond, leaving Jason both confused and somewhat dazed. It was raining heavily that night, but Nico barely noticed how wet he and his book was until Bianca commented on how he was getting the seat wet. Even then Nico didn't feel fully lucid, and that feeling lasted up until a day ago. The fact that this stranger who he had kissed in the spur of a moment was standing with his girlfriend right in front of him brought that feeling right back.

"Nice to meet you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a shit-ton of homework to do," Nico replied smoothly, avoiding eye contact, turning around to get to his bedroom. The expression he had on his face was something that could barely pass as an awkward smile.

"Manners, Nico!" Bianca called after him. He waved her away and shut the bedroom door. "Sorry about my brother, guys. Midterms are coming up and he's been stressing out over them."

That was the last he heard from them before plugging in his headphones and blogging about his new-found knowledge.

eugh yeah super short expect longer chapters next time bye