I'm glad you liked the beginning :)
Beginnings are always a little bumpy with having to set everything for the plot but not a lot happens... anyway, that changes in Chapter 2! Personally, I love it. Hope you do, too! Please remember to review ^^
2
It was as if someone had frozen time in one of the most unfortunate moments in Nico's life.
Percy, Jason and Nico stared at Leo, all of them tensed and waiting for something to happen. Nico wasn't even sure what he was waiting for. Big pink hearts popping up in Leo's eyes, like in the Mangas he used to read when he was little? Leo bursting out in a love song as if they were in a musical? Leo tackling him to the ground to kiss him?
Nothing like that happened.
In fact, nothing happened at all.
Leo just stared at him. After a while he noticed he was the center of attention and looked around. "What?" he asked with nothing in his eyes but a complete lack of understanding. "What did I do?"
"You… idiot!" Drew spat out.
Leo blinked at her. "So I'm guessing the peace-offering was really just limited on Piper and Jason? Or is this your idea of a cute pet nickname? For future reference, I'd prefer something like Sweet Cheeks or Hot Stuff."
"Uhm, Leo…" Percy started. "You just drank a love potion ..."
"…while you were looking at Nico." Jason ended.
Without even taking time to process this (Nico did not understand how to lead a conversation that way) Leo replied: "Are you sure I drank it, when it's you two lovey-doveys who are finishing each other's sentences?"
"Hold on," Piper said, glanced at Drew and stood up. "You were trying to give my boyfriend a love potion?" People always said Nico was frightening - but Nico could sometimes say the same about Piper. He would not want to switch places with Drew.
But Drew did not even flinch. "No!"
"Yes you were," said Percy. "Nico overheard you in the woods earlier."
"Oh, interesting," Drew said and glanced over to Nico.
There was something in her tone that made him clench his fists. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's just that you knew what would happen and yet you jumped right into his view. I mean, Will did just break up with you, didn't he?"
It took Nico a lot of effort to keep his rage under control. Nevertheless, he still shot Drew a dark look as he slowly - dangerously - raised to his feet. "I did not jump into his view. I tried to keep him from drinking it." To his satisfaction Drew winced. Nico had changed a lot since last summer, but it was good to know he could still scare people if he intended to.
However, that didn't keep her from replying "How convenient," but her voice had gotten a bit shaky.
Right when Percy and Jason got up (probably to storm at Drew) Annabeth did as well and grabbed her boyfriend by his arm. "Guys! Let's not lose our heads over this!"
She turned to Leo, who was being uncharacteristically apathetic. It was only now that Nico realized Leo was staring at him again, as if he was a difficult math problem Leo was trying to solve. Suddenly he was very grateful for the darkness because he felt his face heating up.
"Leo," Annabeth said in a calm voice, sounding a little bit like a therapist. "How do you feel?"
As if her voice had snapped Leo out of his thoughts he looked away from Nico. "No different, to be honest."
"Really?" Jason asked. "You were being awfully quiet."
"Hey, I was enjoying the show! This is better than TV."
Drew surveyed him like he was an experiment that had gone wrong. "You didn't drink much. Maybe it'll take a while until it works."
Leo sighed. "Look," he said and rose to his feet. "I feel completely normal. And I promise, the moment I get the sudden urge to jump Nico's bones, I will immediately tell someone so you can lock me up." Nico's face felt hotter by the second and he was painfully uncertain whether this was one of Leo's unappropriated jokes. "But until then, I'll be off. You know, before I accidentally drink any more love potions or whatsoever." He waved them goodbye in a hopelessly overdone gesture. "Adiós amigos!"
"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Percy asked after Leo was gone.
Jason shrugged his shoulders. "He seemed normal enough I guess… It probably didn't work. Hey, where's Drew?" Apparently she had taken off when all the attention had been on Leo.
"Hiding doesn't help her. We sleep in the same cabin." Piper noted grumpy.
Jason put an arm around his girlfriend and said something to her but Nico was hardly paying attention anymore. His thoughts still revolved around Leo. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to come.
The night was still young and - as it turned out - not done with Nico yet.
About half an hour later Nico got up to go back to his cabin - and he saw Will was about to follow him. Nico quickly asked Annabeth to delay him, because she was the only one who knew Will wanted to talk to him tonight. Nico still didn't know if he wanted to get back together with Will or not, but he knew one thing: This conversation would not be happening tonight.
Unfortunately he couldn't shadow-travel, he was still exhausted from last week. Nico visited Hazel, Reyna and Frank at Camp Jupiter at least once a month and shadow-travel was the fastest way. He'd been there last week and it was a great distance. If he didn't want to risk his life, he needed to stay clear of shadow-traveling at least for another week. Nico cursed internally.
Then he spotted a solution: Leo was sitting in front of the Hephaestus cabin and was playing with a small metallic-something in his hands. Not a good solution, Nico figured, but he'd go for it. Nico hurried and reached him just in time; Will wasn't too far behind him.
"I need your help," Nico said in a hushed voice. "Tell Will we have plans or something."
Leo looked up and raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Just do it." Nico realized he was being rude (in fact, he could count himself lucky if Leo didn't send him packing), but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
"What kind of plans?"
"I don't know. Think of something. You're good at that." That was true. If anything, Leo was amazing when it came to making up plans as he went along. He never lost his head in messy situations. No wonder he'd been a part of the Prophecy of Seven, they were all like this.
Will reached them. "Hey guys," he said kindly, but as Nico turned around he saw that Will was unhappy Leo was here as well. Something, he instantly attempted to change. "Nico, can we talk now?"
When Leo didn't say anything (he probably wasn't going to help him, why would he) it was on Nico to reply. "Actually ... now is a bad time."
"Why?" Will frowned.
While Nico was still struggling to find words Leo decided to speak up. "That's my fault. Sorry. I was just asking for Nico's assistance with a project I have going on over at Bunker 9. He agreed to help. It's kind of important, too. You know, world-changing and freaking awesome ... the usual when I work on something."
"You want to go to Bunker 9?" Apparently Will would not want to get into on how awesome he thought Leo was right about now. Nico thought that was probably for the best. "Now? You've got like an hour until curfew."
Leo raised to his feet, took Nico by his arm and pulled him towards the woods. "Which is exactly why we have to hurry. See ya!"
When they were far away from Will Nico dared to breathe again. "Did you have to say we were going to Bunker 9?"
Leo shrugged his shoulders. "That's always the first place to pop into my head. Besides, we don't have to actually go there."
As soon as Nico realized he was still being rude he said: "Thank you, by the way. I owe you."
Leo grinned. It was that kind of grin he did when he was about to prank someone or make a stupid joke. "Yes, you do, Honey Bunny."
Nico managed not to blush, but he didn't know what to reply either. Usually he didn't have a problem coming up with sassy come-backs, but with he found it impossible with Leo.
"No?" Leo asked after a while. "Okay, not Honey Bunny… how about Love Muffin? Angel Face?"
"Please. Stop." Nico said but couldn't help the sides of his mouth twitching.
Leo now smiled in satisfaction. "Angel Face it is," he pointed at Nico with the metal-thing in his hand. "You smiled, I saw it. Don't try to deny it."
His last name aside, Nico thought it was wildly inappropriate to call a son of Hades Angel Face. But he assumed Leo was still kidding and let it go. "What is that anyway?"
"A smile? I thought you've learned that by now."
"No." Nico said and fought against another smile. "That." He nodded towards that something in Leo's hands.
"Oh," Leo looked at it as if he'd only just realized he had anything in his hands. "Right. That project I was talking about – it's real. This is a part of it." Leo suddenly stopped walking. They were at the edge of the forest but well hidden behind trees. "I think we can wait here."
Nico wanted to ask what project he was talking about, but thought that he should clear the air about something else first. Especially when he was with Leo. In the woods. With nothing but the moonlight to accompany them. It could easily be looked at as a romantic setting. "I didn't do it, you know. What Drew said. I didn't jump into your view or anything."
"I know. She tried to take the heat off of her and onto you. Tacky move," Leo said. "It didn't even make sense. Why would you want to make me fall in love with you. You can't stand me."
Nico looked at him in surprise. "That's not true."
Leo shot him a look as if to say Really, man? Who are you trying to kid here?
"It's not. You're just so different from me that I don't always know how to deal with you. But I do like you." He felt like should add as a friend, but thought that might bring them on awkward territory, so he didn't. Boy, this love potion already made things difficult.
"Okay then," Leo smiled at him and glanced back at the cabins. "Anyway, I think you're good to go. Will's gone."
"Good. And thank you again."
"Don't worry about it", Leo said. "Just one last thing."
Before Nico knew what was happening Leo grabbed him by his hips, pulled Nico close to him, and pressed his lips on Nico's.
Nico was completely taken aback, not just by Leo's impulsive act but also by how his body reacted to it. Everything seemed to happen at once; his heartbeat sped up, his stomach twisted, his head felt dizzy. When his brain activity kicked back in (although up until then he hadn't noticed it had been off) he realized he was kissing Leo back. He may have the entire time.
And even as he became aware of it, he didn't pull away.
It was Leo who did (after what could have been five seconds or five hours, Nico couldn't tell if his life depended on it). Although he was still close enough for Nico to feel Leo's breath on his lips. It took him a moment and when he finally said something his voice was trembling. "So ... the potion worked?"
Leo licked his own lips and seemed to be thinking about his words. Something Nico rarely ever saw with him. "I don't know yet."
Nico blinked. "But ... you kissed me."
"Yeah," Leo said smirking. "I kissed you." As he backed away he drove his fingertips from Nico's hips over his stomach until he finally let go. The trace Leo left felt so hot, Nico needed to look down to make sure Leo hadn't set him on fire. He hadn't. However, when he looked back at Leo, Nico could have sworn he saw smoke rising from his fingertips for a split second.
"But you kissed me back," Leo continued. "See, the thing is: I drank a love potion. What's your excuse?" He then turned around and walked away.
In this moment, Nico felt like someone had wiped his head clear. He only knew three things for sure.
One; his name was Nico di Angelo (at least he was almost 100% positive).
Two; his heart was still racing dangerously fast.
And three; he did not have an answer to Leo's question.
