My name's Skyler Ghesh and this is something I should've done at least 3 years ago, when I was reading HOO. But oh well…

I had fun writing the chapter, so I hope you have fun reading it.

1. Exposition

There is this odd, annoying really, aspect to anger that clouds our minds and loosens our tongues; or, to put it simple, anger makes us say and do stupid shit.

So here is Nico, sitting at a coffee shop, surrounded by most of his maybe friends, two weeks from the holydays, trying to convince one of them to pretend to date him, all because he couldn't keep his mouth shut. It started, oddly enough, with Persephone.

After the whole Will fiasco, where everything kind of fell apart due to rushing things and bad communication, Nico's step-mom had gotten into her head that Nico couldn't make good relationship choices… ok, so maybe there was more to it than just that, but Nico refused to disclose.

The problem was, not that his friends were against the idea, well, they kind of were but they were still willing to help; but rather, the fact that none of them could actually help. Jason is going with Piper to LA for the holydays, and Reyna is a girl; and everyone else in the table wasn't an option because Nico's family was aware of their current status.

He's two minutes away from laying his head on the table as is the usual sign of defeat, when in comes Leo Valdez, slumping into the table, unaware of the fact that the entire table of 8 has their attention on him.

"Hey, I have bad news"

Jason gives Nico a pointed look that makes him right his posture, which in turn makes Reyna do the same because when she's around them sometimes she forgets herself. Leo is talking mostly to him; Nico knows because the Latino has this weird think where he'll manage eye-contact despite your best efforts.

"What's wrong?"

Leo lets out a sigh, brushing a hand through the back of his hair.

"The shop got flooded during the storm last night, everything's been delayed a week, and since we need the money, I can't refund you"

Then he puts his hand on the table, fingers tapping a pattern against the wood, too fast to make out.

"But, like, if there's any way for me to make it up to you sans money…"

There's rapid head movement between the two of them, like they're playing a tennis match, only Nico doesn't think anyone in the group would be good at tennis, except maybe Reyna because she's Reyna. And because he's tree parts desperate, and one part in need of his car to even go home for the holydays; Nico bites the bullet that's been given to him.

"Actually…"