Nico was avoiding him. Jason was sure of that. Jason went to the climbing wall, as he saw Nico was there and Nico saw him. Nico stood on top of the climbing frame and shadows collected around him. Suddenly he was gone. 'He's avoiding me' Jason muttered to no-one in particular as he stared at the spot where Nico had just been stood.

This went on for a while. Jason would try and talk to Nico, Nico would avoid him. He tried and tried and tried to no avail. He only wanted to be Nico's friend, but Nico was making it so difficult. Jason would stress about it to Piper and Piper would try to help but he could tell her heart wasn't in it.

Jason and Piper were more like best friends, they loved each other but they weren't in love anymore. It took them months to realise this but eventually they did. When they broke up it wasn't awkward, it was nice just as friends. A few months before they broke up, just before Christmas, Nico disappeared. He left a note to say, no he hasn't gone missing, he's just gone to the underworld.

Jason began to miss Nico. It was March now and he hadn't seen him in three months, he hadn't talked to him in four or maybe even five. Even Percy noticed he was gone when he came to see them in December.

It was a warm day for March when Jason was sat on the beach. He found he could get away from people there. It was almost sunset but not quite. He saw a movement out the corner of his eye and when he looked he saw darkness collecting into a shape big enough for a short person. Sure enough Nico appeared. He had grown a few inches and his hair was still shaggy. He was still stick thin but he had muscles. He had the same brown leather aviator's jacket and a skull top on and he had black skinny jeans with black boots. He still had his stygian sword and dark circles under his eyes like he didn't get enough sleep, which he didn't.

'I'm sorry, for avoiding you.' He said as he sat down next to Jason.

'Nico, it's been like 5 months! Where have you been?!'

'Oh, you know, doing this and that.'

'That's a rubbish answer. I've missed you.' Jason pulled Nico in for a hug to which Nico violently protested. He pushed him away, the kid was stronger than he looked.

'Don't touch me!' Nico protested.

'I'm sorry, just don't disappear for months on end!'

'You really actually missed me?' Nico asked, he looked surprised.

'Yeah. I've been going crazy these past few months.'

'Really?' Nico still didn't believe him.

'I thought about going looking for you, but I figured you wouldn't appreciate that.'

'I didn't think I'd be missed.' Nico said with a frown.

'Well you were.' Jason smiled at him. Nico was looking at the ground tracing patterns in the sand with his finger.

'Only by you' Nico smiled bitterly. 'and only because you think you can help me, because you're the only one who knows. You think I'm your friend.'

'Well, you are my friend.' Jason said taken aback by Nico's perfectly accurate statement, well, not completely. Jason wanted to help Nico because he needed help and Jason liked Nico.

'No I'm not, I don't have friends, I've never had friends.'

'You have one now.'

Nico shook his head. 'The only person that ever accepted me was Bianca; don't pretend you're accepting me too. It might bring you some bad luck.'

'Don't say that.'

'I can say what I want. I'm bad luck Jason, just face it.'

'No you're not.' It killed Jason that Nico thought of himself this way.

'Yes I am, I would keep your distance.'

'Well, I'm not gonna. Let's see if you are bad luck.' Jason confirmed. He wasn't afraid.

'Fine, it's your life.'

'Okay.'

They sat in silence for a long time, almost an hour, just watching the waves rolling up on the shore. It wasn't awkward, it was … nice. Jason was the one to break the silence.

'So, um, Piper and I broke up.' He said.

'Why do I need to know?'

'I thought I'd just fill you in on what's happened while you've been away.' That wasn't totally true. Jason might fancy Nico just a tiny bit. Only a tiny bit. He still wasn't willing to admit it.

'I'm not really bothered.'

'I'm gonna tell you anyway, whether you're bothered or not so shut up and listen.'

Nico gave Jason a dark look as if to say don't cross me. Jason carried on talking.

'Percy and Annabeth came by for New Years. It was fun. There's been quite a few new campers come through lately. Oh, and Percy asked after you.' Jason watched Nico carefully, waiting for his reaction.

'I'm over Percy. I already told you that. I don't care.' He totally did care, even if he was over Percy. Jason could tell it opened old wounds, maybe he shouldn't have said anything, but then, Nico deserved to know.

'I know, I still thought you'd like to know.' Jason clarified.

'Percy and Annabeth, they're having a baby. Annabeth got pregnant and she's keeping it. It's due in August. They only told us a week ago.'

Nico raised his eyebrows. 'They're only seventeen.'

'I know. They'll get through it though. Percy's always wanted kids I think. He said to me, he said Annabeth was pretty shaken up about it. She thought he'd leave her. He said it's the best thing that's ever happened to him.'

'Wow.' Nico said. 'Are they gonna get married?'

'I don't know. Percy hasn't said anything.' Jason turned to Nico. 'He'll want to tell you. Don't tell him I told you first. I'll let him know you're back' Jason smiled.

'I don't want him to know I'm back.' Nico snapped.

Silence. 'Nico, are you sure you don't want to talk about it?'

'Talk about what?' Nico responded quickly.

'About anything.' Jason said, kindly.

Nico shook his head. Then he spoke. 'I'm not kidding when I say I'm over Percy.' Nico let out a laugh. 'I think I made myself hate him so much, for making me feel the way I did, that I got over it. I disillusioned myself so much. I still hate myself.' Nico said bitterly.

'You shouldn't' Jason expressed. He was concerned about this boy.

Nico looked at him then dropped his eyes to the ground again. 'It's just, all my life… I was taught to believe that feeling the way I felt, feeling the things I felt was wrong. That it would get you some punishment of some kind, so I tried to push it out. I knew when I was younger that, that I wasn't normal. I told Bianca and she told me that it was okay, but I couldn't tell anyone else. She said she still loved me but I had to try and change because other people wouldn't still love me if they found out. I tried to change. I forgot about it for a long time. I think I hated Percy so much because he made me realise that I really was the way I am. I hated myself more. I've hated myself for a long time.'

Jason looked at Nico sadly. He felt so sorry for Nico di Angelo. Nico continued talking. 'I never told anyone else after Bianca. I promised to her, and to myself that I would never ever tell anyone else, that I would take my secret to the grave. When we saw flavionus in Diocletian's palace, that's when I knew. I knew he would take us to Cupid. I was stupid, I should have known. I knew I would have to admit it but I didn't want to. I'd hid it for such a long time, I haven't even told Hazel… I was, I was worried about what you would think. I thought you might hate me for it, maybe turn everyone against me. I was scared you would tell the others.' Nico smiled for once, only for a moment. 'I guess I was wrong about something.'

Jason smiled too, because that was Nico's way of telling him he trusted him. 'You trust me?'

Nico nodded. 'Yeah. I trust you. I'm kinda glad you were there, with me. If it had been anyone else, if it had been Hazel especially, I don't think I could have done it. Also, it's nice that someone knows. It lifts a little weight having someone know.' Nico shook his head again. 'The things I've done for Percy Jackson.'

Nico had done a lot for Percy. Jason obviously knew about leading the Argo II to the doors of death but Nico had also been to Tartarus himself. He'd spent days in a bronze jar, he'd almost died. Percy had told him that Nico had been to the Styx with him, and although Nico had betrayed him to his father, he'd got him out of the underworld prison. Aswell, Nico had chosen to help them in the Labyrinth, meaning their quest succeeded. Without him, they would have all died.

Jason didn't say anything for a while and neither did Nico. The sun had set but Jason's eyes had adjusted to the dark. He looked at Nico. 'You shouldn't hate yourself.'

Nico didn't say anything then, 'That doesn't mean I'm not going to.'

Nico opening up to him, it warmed Jason heart because Nico trusted him enough to tell him all of this. It was nice. Nico was making it a little easier to be his friend.

'Please don't. No-one else is going to hate you for it, so why hate yourself?'

'How do you know they're not going to hate me for it?'

'Because it's the way you are, and it's okay.'

Nico sat and stared at the ground again and then he looked at Jason. 'You sure?'

'I'm completely absolutely sure. But you don't have to tell anyone you don't want to.'

'I'm not ready to tell anyone yet. Maybe one day…' Nico let that sentence trail off.

'Whatever you're comfortable with, but if you ever do want to tell anyone, I'm here for you.'

'Thanks.' Nico smiled a genuine smile at Jason. 'Maybe you are my friend.'

R & R welcome :)