The door to the basement flew open to reveal an exhilarated Will Solace with a colorful flyer in hand. Percy stopped dealing out cards to stare at the newcomer in mild concern as the tan blond hopped up and down in his basement.
When Will didn't say anything for a full minute, Nico slowly approached him. Once he reached the overly enthusiastic sophomore, Nico gripped his shoulders tightly and shook him roughly. "Dude, breathe."
Will flew out of Nico's grip and sat down next to Leo. "Oh my god, Leo! They opened up a disco!"
"Where at?" Leo asked, clearly not as excited.
"In Watervliet," Will answered cheerfully. "You could wear your David Bowie butt-huggers!"
Jason and Percy shared a look before they both doubled over, laughing. Next to them, Annabeth chuckled quietly while Nico moved back to his chair trying to remember why he'd befriended Leo in the first place.
"Laugh all you want, but my butt looks pretty good in those," Leo argued.
Percy threw an arm around Annabeth's shoulders as he shook his head. "Come on. Are you two crazy? I mean, a disco? Hell no."
"I don't know," Annabeth shrugged slightly under Percy's arm. "It might be fun to go dancing."
"Are you guys crazy? It's a disco! Hell yeah!" Percy exclaimed.
Leo's cards fell face-down onto the table as he declared his desperate need for sustenance. Jason waved vaguely towards the stairs and ordered Leo to make some popcorn for everyone. With a shrug, Leo walked past his boyfriend who was now swaying to some imaginary music to do as he had been told.
Before Nico could remind Leo to take Will with him, the Latino had already disappeared up the stairs.
"What is disco?" Frank questioned.
Nico groaned before answering. "Disco is from Hell, man. And not the cool part of Hell with all the murderers. It's the lame ass part where the really bad accountants live."
Annabeth leaned across the table to look at Leo's cards before Percy playfully smacked her hand away. "'Scuse me, what are you doing?" he asked in a mock-scandalized tone. "That's considered cheating. Thou art a cheater, you vile temptress."
Annabeth snorted as she bumped his shoulder just as Leo shouted down the stairs that he couldn't find the popcorn. Will rolled his eyes as his boyfriend half-shouted, half-whined at Percy about the missing food.
After rearranging his cards, Percy stood to go rescue Leo from his merciless fate but he paused before he'd even gone two feet. Instead of heading upstairs, he turned to Annabeth with his sweetest smile. "Hey, um, Wise Girl? Why don't you just take a little look at my cards, then you won't have to wait for me to leave." He shoved his cards in her face causing her to bat his arm out of the way. "No, come on, look. Look at them! Tell me what I have, you cheater!"
He managed to get his cards in her face despite her shoving.
When she finally looked at his cards, she paused. "You don't have anything."
"Yeah," Percy said confidently as he raised his arms. "And I'm gonna bluff, so watch out."
Once Percy had disappeared up the stairs, Frank glanced from Annabeth to Nico before stating, "Annabeth has stuff for Percy."
"No, no, Frank. Not stuff, thing. Annabeth has a thing for Jackson," Nico explained with a laugh. He leaned forward in his seat to look at the girl in question. "And why do you have a thing for Percy?"
She raised an eyebrow at him and shot him a knowing look. "Why did you?"
Jason's head turned to face Annabeth so quickly that Nico was shocked he hadn't broken his neck in the process. The look of utter disbelief and anger on Jason's face reminded Nico of just how protective he was of Nico. Will froze with his back to Nico as a vinyl record slipped from his fingers to shatter on the ground.
Nico flinched slightly. Swallowing hard, he clenched his jaw and stared the gray-eyed girl down. He relaxed minutely when her gaze flitted downwards.
"Sorry, I didn't think," she whispered. Annabeth glanced back up only to wince slightly before looking back down at the cards in her hand.
"Does everyone like Percy?" Frank asked, blissfully unaware of the situation.
Nico moved his jaw silently, attempting to unclench it. Once he realized how futile that was, he threw his cards down and turned slightly away from Annabeth to watch the TV. Jason followed suit a moment later with a disappointed shake of his head.
Will huffed out a humorless laugh. When Nico and Jason turned to see what was wrong with the sophomore, he was still standing with his back to them but his stance had relaxed immensely. "I gotta go," Will stated blandly before heading for the door.
"What happened to disco?" Nico teased more out of habit than anything as he turned back to watch the television. It seemed Will wasn't up for their usual banter, though, if the slamming basement door was anything to go by.
Frank jumped as the door slammed shut. "Is he okay?"
No one answered.
(***)
The Jackson's were gathered around their kitchen table, eating dinner when Percy suggested temporarily changing his curfew for Saturday night. Leo had called everyone the day before to inform them that they were going to the disco whether they liked it or not because someone in the group had upset Will.
"Oh, a disco in Watervliet. That's quite a drive," Sally commented with a worried look at her son.
"So, is two okay?" Percy said, trying to get back to the topic of his curfew. Sally scrunched up her face like she'd smelled one of Leo's old socks. "One thirty?" The slightly modified version of the same face answered him. "One?"
His mom patted his hand with a smile. "Deal."
Paul narrowed his eyes at Percy before asking, "Who's going?"
"Oh, Annabeth, for sure. They're practically dating," Sally giggled.
Percy rolled his eyes. "We're not dating, Mom. And can I have gas money, Dad?"
His stepfather opened his mouth to answer, but Sally's indignant voice stopped him. "And why not? She's a lovely girl and I can tell she's interested. And dancing is the quickest way to a girl's heart, you know? You could ask her out there! Oh, Paul, do you remember when we used to go dancing at the Ava…"
Sally froze for a second and Paul turned to look at his wife in confusion. "We've only gone dancing downtown at that bar the Muse."
"Right," Sally agreed quickly as she began taking nervous sips of her water.
"Did you just get me and Poseidon confused?" Paul spluttered angrily.
Percy groaned internally. "Gas money? Anyone?"
Paul handed him three tens before storming out of the house. Percy squeezed his mom's hand before heading to his room, away from the awkwardness that permeated the kitchen.
(***)
Nico and Leo were standing in the Jackson's garage talking to Percy when Paul walked in to grab some tools.
"Why does he not have to go?" Percy grumbled.
Leo shrugged. "Dunno, Will specifically told me that Nico did not have to come. Maybe it's 'cause Hazel's coming and he likes her better? No offense, man."
Nico shrugged.
Percy shared a concerned look with Leo. They'd both noticed a severe lack of snarky comments and biting remarks in the past couple of days but neither knew how to go about asking Nico what was bothering him. Not without getting punched.
"Well, anyways, we'll need a little more cash for food and stuff," Leo said after momentarily struggling to find a topic to talk about. "My dad's got a few empties lying around we could deposit."
The two turned to leave before realizing Nico wasn't following. "You guys go on ahead."
Knowing they wouldn't get an explanation out of him, Percy and Leo shrugged before hopping into the Vista Cruiser. Once they were gone, Paul faced Nico with that look that meant he was thinking of how to fix all of Nico's problems. It was the look Mr. and Mrs. Jackson got every time Nico's life got worse; they looked at him with genuine concern rather than pity and he really didn't know how to handle it.
"Not going to the disco, huh?" Paul asked him.
Nico shrugged noncommittally. "Bunch of fake people listening to shitty music? No thanks."
Paul considered him for a moment and just before Nico started squirming under his gaze, Paul chuckled. "You can't dance, can you?"
"I can dance," Nico bristled. The knowing smile he received told him that he had responded too defensively. He tried again, "I can dance." But a moment later he caved, "You're right, I can't dance. But that has nothing to do with this."
Paul shrugged. "That's fine, if you and Will are fighting or Percy said something stupid again, you can figure those problems out on your own. I'm not too worried about that. However, you got a problem, son. 'Cause when you date someone, they're going to want to dance."
Nico couldn't have looked more skeptical if he'd tried.
"They'll want to get close and wiggle their bodies around in front of a man in a safe atmosphere," Paul explained.
"Yeah, but, see, I don't really want to wiggle around in public," Nico said with obvious disdain at the mere thought.
Paul chuckled heartedly. "'Course not, neither do I. My point is, you're going to have to learn. Otherwise, later on in life, you're gonna be wiggling all by yourself. Now, if you want, I know someone who can help you."
There was only the briefest of hesitation before Nico nodded. He didn't really see the point of learning to dance, but he also didn't see how it could hurt.
(***)
Standing in the Jackson's living room with his hands on Sally Jackson's hip, Nico was beginning to have second thoughts about the whole arrangement. He clearly had two left feet and, though Sally was extremely happy to teach him, it was a bit overwhelming.
"Okay, now," Sally was saying, "left, right, left, turn, and step."
Nico stumbled through the last couple steps but Sally giggled happily as she reassured him.
"Mrs. Jackson, I can't keep up with the music," Nico argued.
Sally shut the music off before returning to their original position. Her hands on his shoulders and his on her waist. He was frowning in concentration as he thought through the steps she had been teaching him. Mrs. Jackson just smiled encouragingly at him.
After a few more stuttering steps, Sally repositioned one of his hands so that it rested on the small of her back so that he could guide her. A few more steps and Nico was starting to get the hang of it.
"Oh, you are doing so wonderfully," Sally praised.
Nico fought the urge to smile even as the corners of his lips moved up. The blinding smile Sally flashed at him as they continued to dance was the highest form of praise in Nico's mind. He'd always wished the Jackson's were his family and, for a moment, he was.
A few more spins and several more steps later, they walked into the kitchen, each breathing hard and sweating. Mrs. Jackson clapped a hand over her heart as she rambled on about how wonderful it was to dance again.
Fred walked up to the sliding door of the kitchen only to pause as he heard Sally speak.
"It's been so long since I've been able to do that," Sally sighed. "Oh, but I am exhausted. That is sweaty work."
Nico smiled a little more as she brought him a glass of water. After a couple sips, he sobered up. "Mrs. Jackson, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone about this."
"Mum's the word, Sweetie," she reassured. "So, is tomorrow after school, okay?"
Nico nodded as his small smile returned.
"You were really good, Nico," Sally added seriously.
Outside, on the patio, Fred Chase stared at the sliding door in astonishment. He'd heard everything his neighbor and daughter's friend had said. The shock of what he'd heard left him frozen in place.
(***)
The guys sat in a haze of smoke in the Jackson's basement. Leo and Frank were debating over who was hungrier while Jason slumped against Percy.
"Alright, I thought about it. And I'm going to the disco," Nico announced. "'Cause who else is gonna make fun of you idiots in your disco suits?"
There was a loud crunching sound as Leo struggled to open a bag of chips. "Yeah? Well, I went to the store today and I bought a new blowtorch! It's the hottest thing in the cave."
Percy's brow furrowed as he stared at Leo until he started laughing. "No more for Leo. He's toasted!"
"I would like some toast," Frank said, perking up instantly. "Or food of any kind would be much appreciated. I am starving."
Ignoring Frank's claims of starving, Nico leaned forward with a shocked expression. "Did you know there are these people in India who fast? Yeah, man! And their minds are so freakin' advanced, they can actually think themselves to death."
Leo stuffed a handful of chips in his mouth as he stared in awe at Nico.
"Man, we always think of so many brilliant things down here," Jason said as he sat up. "But then, later, I can't remember any of them! I mean, they're brilliant!"
Nico snapped his fingers. "We should record our conversations, man! Then we could play it back and write it down! I'll bet that's how the writers at National Lampoon do it."
"Yeah, well," Leo swayed in his seat, an enormous smile stretched across his face. "I read this thing about these people in Greece."
Frank crossed his arms and pouted, "Where's my toast?"
Jason leaned towards Leo with rapt attention. "Yeah, man, what do they do?"
"You see, mis amigos, they are incredibly… Greek!" Leo laughed.
"See, that's brilliant," Jason exclaimed. "Percy go get the tape recorder!"
Without a second thought, Percy did as he was told and rushed up the stairs to look for the recorder. Just before the door closed he heard Frank shout something about making toast. Huh, toast sounds good, Percy thought, I should make some toast.
Once he had the tape recorder slung around his shoulder, he pulled out slices of bread to make toast with. Paul walked into the kitchen and greeted Percy who turned to stare wide-eyed at him. The wall behind Paul was moving side-to-side even after Percy rubbed at his eyes to get them to focus.
"Hey, son, I know you need some extra cash for Saturday night, so if you do a few extra chores, I'll pay you ten more dollars, okay?" Paul suggested.
Percy didn't trust his voice so he just quietly nodded.
Paul nodded back as he began listing the chores that needed to be done. "You'll need to sweep the garage, clean the leaves out of the gutters, pick up dry cleaning, and fix the shelf in the pantry."
"Clean shelf, pick up garage, fix the leaves, and sweep up dry cleaning," Percy said, seriously.
Paul gave him a strange look before clarifying. "Pick up dry cleaning."
"Yeah."
"The gutters?"
"Right, fix the gutters," Percy agreed.
"Clean," Paul corrected. "Clean the gutters."
Percy nodded slowly. "Oh, okay. Clean the gutters, fix the shelf, sweep the leaves."
"The garage," Paul corrected again, thinking something was off with his son but unable to quite put his finger on it.
"Fix the garage?" Percy asked hesitantly.
Paul sighed. "No, sweep it. Sweep the garage."
Percy took a calming breath as he tried to get everything straight. "Okay, so, sweep the garage, clean the gutters, fix the shelf, pick up the dry cleaning. Wait, didn't you say something about leaves?"
"They're in the gutters," Paul explained slowly.
"Right, pick'em up. I mean, sweep. No! Clean them!" He groaned. This was too complex to think about right now. He needed something simple to focus on, like toast. "I gotta make toast."
(***)
The whole gang was standing in the Jackson's driveway, all of them dressed for the disco. Sally was busy snapping pictures of everyone while Marybai stood to the side encouraging her.
Hazel was wearing a ruby red sleeveless pantsuit which accentuated the gold of her eyes and hair. Frank stood at her side with a matching button up shirt and white bellbottoms. They were talking and giggling to one another slightly away from the rest of the group.
Reyna wore a short royal purple dress and her hair hung in waves down her back. Jason and Percy kept glancing back at her to make sure they hadn't simply imagined the dress-wearing warrior standing next to them. Jason and Percy both were wearing jeans and a blue button up shirt, though Percy's shirt was a slightly darker shade than Jason's. Reyna had scoffed at their matching outfits as she did every time she saw them wearing similar clothing.
Will had on a white suit with a shirt that matched the blue of his eyes. Leo stood next to him trying to show everyone how great his own butt looked in the jeans he'd been telling them about. He looked like he was going to be hanging out at the Big House rather than a disco but Will didn't seem to mind.
Standing near Reyna, Nico wore a leather jacket over one of his old Led Zeppelin T-shirts. He'd opted to wear his nicest jeans which only had one hole on the knee. Compared to the rest of them, he stood out like a sore thumb, not that he was complaining.
Annabeth showed up a few minutes late wearing a blue-green shirt tucked into a pair of high-waisted bell-bottoms. Her curls were pulled back into a high ponytail and Percy was fairly certain that his jaw had fallen off and was now lying somewhere on the ground below him. Piper was right behind her in a lavender cocktail dress with her hair still a mess of small braids. She giggled when Jason threw an arm around her waist and pulled her in close to whisper something in her ear.
"Oh, let's take some more pictures! Nico, get in closer," Sally ordered. Nico inched a little closer only to be pulled roughly into the center of the group by Jason's hand on the collar of his shirt. "Oh, goodie! Now, scooch in close!" Sally took a couple group photos before ordering the boys to move away so she could get a picture of the girls.
Reyna, Hazel, Piper, and Annabeth smiled politely for a few pictures before Sally's attention shifted back to the guys.
"Okay, now the boys. Oh, so handsome!" Sally giggled.
The guys begrudgingly grouped together for more pictures but as Sally began looking for more photographing opportunities, Percy suggested, "Hey, mom, why don't I take a picture of you?"
Sally froze. "What?" When Percy reached out for the camera, Sally stepped back. "No, no, no, no, no. You get in that car right now, Mister. Bye, bye."
The gang divided up, half piling into Percy's Vista Cruiser, the other half climbing into Frank's old car. Nico ran over to kiss Sally on the cheek before they left. "You're the best," he told her before following after his friends.
"Go get'em, Tiger," Sally called after him.
(***)
After seeing the kids off, Marybai followed Sally into the Jackson's kitchen. She hovered by the table for a moment before hesitantly approaching the counter where Sally was cutting lemons.
"I need some advice," Marybai began. Sally looked at her friend expectantly. "I have this married friend and she's about to throw everything away because she's attracted to a much, much younger man."
Sally paused for a second to think. "I knew that Beryl was on the market."
Marybai sighed dramatically. "No, it's not Beryl."
"Oh," Sally pursed her lips as she tried to think of who else would cheat on their husband. Finally, she asked, "Do I know her?"
"Yes, very well," Marybai said with a suggestive nod of her head.
Sally's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "Oh, Honey, does Fred know?"
"Yes, and he doesn't know what to do," Marybai said. "Sally, I don't know what to do."
Turning to face her neighbor, Sally leaned in and replied in a serious tone, "Marybai, Sweetie, listen closely. Your friend should think about all of the people she's gonna hurt and tell this younger man - whoever he is, I do not want to know - that this has to stop."
Marybai let out a breath she'd been holding. "I'm so relieved to hear you say that. I just hope my friend takes your advice."
"Oh, me, too," Sally laughed nervously as she eyed Marybai.
Hmm, they both thought, Younger man, wonder what that's like?
(***)
At the disco, the gang watched quietly as Leo flailed about on the dance floor. Percy and Jason snickered as Nico rolled his eyes. Will was uncharacteristically calm while his boyfriend made a fool of himself. A few seconds of wild gesturing later, Leo seemed to realize that his friends had left him alone and he ran towards the table.
"Will, where'd you go?" he pouted.
The blonde shrugged noncommittally.
"He had to get something for you to bite on, since I told everyone you were having a seizure," Nico answered for Will. Leo flipped him off by way of responding and Will shot him a glare before going back to ignoring him.
Frank furrowed his brow as he listened closely to the music. "When do they play the disco music?"
Annabeth chuckled. "This is disco music."
"No, no. This is samba," Frank argued.
Nico scoffed. "Frank, it's disco, man. It's shit."
"Whoa, I think I like this shit," Frank said, standing. "Come on, Hazel! Let's dance."
Hazel's eyes widened in shock, her mouth opening and closing silently for a second. "I don't think… I mean, Frank, I can't really dance and I'm a little tired." She looked away, scared he would see through her lie. Honestly, she just didn't want him to embarrass himself in front of so many people.
The music seemed to give Frank a boost of confidence as he fixed Hazel with a determined stare and commanded, "Do not resist me. It's boogie time." He gripped her hand and pulled her out to the dance floor.
"Who knew Frank had it in him," Piper breathed.
The gang watched awestruck as Frank twirled Hazel expertly around the dance floor. As the song continued, Frank lifted Hazel in the air and spun her around.
Reyna whistled. "Damn, the foreigner has moves."
Their dance ended with one of Hazel's legs lifted up to Frank's waist. They held the position, eyes locked, even as Frank walked backwards to the table. Once at the table, Frank let Hazel stand upright again but, when the next song began to play, Frank didn't wait a second to pull her back to the floor.
"Frank, you're crazy," Hazel giggled delightedly as she was dragged away.
Annabeth laughed in disbelief. "They are amazing!"
Leo crossed his arms and spluttered. "Yeah, I mean, sure. If you wanna dance that way."
Will had leaned forward to watch the couple dreamily. "I would love to dance that way."
"You wanna dance?" Nico asked before he could stop himself. He winced as Leo shot him a look of utter disbelief that was beginning to show signs of betrayal.
Will either didn't notice or didn't care because he excitedly agreed.
Nico tossed his sunglasses onto the table before guiding Will to the dance floor. He decided to ignore the angry eyes boring holes into his back as he pulled Will in so close that their faces were barely inches apart. Listening to the rhythm of the music, he led Will into a simple dance.
A few steps into the dance, Will broke eye contact and giggled nervously. "You dance? I had no idea."
Nico spun Will around before returning them to their steady rhythm. "Yeah. Actually, you're my first dance."
Will's blue eyes found Nico's again as a faint blush spread across his cheeks. "I'm your first?" Nico nodded. "I'm honored."
"So, what pissed you off the other day?" Nico asked when he realized they'd just been staring silently at each other for longer than was absolutely necessary. "You stormed out of the basement like someone had set fire to you or something."
Even in the dark, Will was sure Nico could see the blush burning it's way across his face and down his neck. "Uh, oh. That? Um. I had just remembered something Leo had done that made me mad. Yeah, that's… that's all."
Nico raised an eyebrow at him. "Then why did you tell Leo one of us pissed you off?"
"Uh, what? I mean, I don't… Um… I lied?" Will tried.
"Right," Nico said, more confused than anything.
After deciding that conversation only led to more awkward confusion, Nico and Will continued their steady swaying in silence. Eyes locked onto one another even when Nico slowly dipped Will.
Quietly, Will whispered, "Nico, I feel like I wanna kiss you."
Nico pulled him back upright just as slowly as he'd dipped him and held him close for a second, the meaning of Will's words not quite reaching his brain.
"You don't have to kiss me back if you don't want," Will continued quietly.
One of the hands on Will's waist made its way up to his curly hair and pulled him closer. Nico had only one thought running through his head as his lips met Will's: What the hell am I doing? Which, coincidentally, seemed to be the same thing Leo was thinking as he shouted, "What the hell are you doing, Nico?"
The two boys were roughly pulled apart by a very angry Latino. "Alright, that's it! It's you and me right here, right now! Will is my guy, Nico."
Nico stared at Will in disbelief as he resisted the urge to touch his lips, even as he watched Will dazedly touch his own. Not knowing what else to do, Nico turned and ran to the parking lot where he sat down in Percy's car. He stared down at his hands, not quite knowing what to make of what had just happened.
(***)
Paul was working on the Camaro in his driveway when Fred Chase walked up. He waited patiently for Fred to tell him what he wanted. But, when Fred remained silent, he finally looked up. "Okay, Fred. What is it?"
"Oh, just, uh, curious," Fred answered with all the subtlety of a freight train. "What's the word on that di Angelo kid?"
"Nico? He's a little rebellious, just needs some direction."
Fred huffed out a breath. "Oh, he's getting it, Paul. I, uh, I kind of overheard him and Sally and it was sort of provocative. I think he's putting the moves on your wife."
Paul groaned internally as he thought of all the rumors Fred had probably already started. He was going to have to do plenty of damage control for that, he was sure. Right now, though, he was going to have a bit of fun. In a melodramatic voice, he replied, "Oh, my god. Now I've gotta kill him. Get your deer rifle, Fred."
"Whoa, hold on, now, Paul!" Fred said quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "I could've been mistaken!"
"You know what you heard! Get the damn gun."
Fred's arms flailed about as if grasping for a reason for Paul not to shoot the teenager in question. "Come on, they could've been dancing! Jeez, I'm sure she was just talking about dancing. You know, 'cause they're all going to that disco." He laughed nervously as he patted Paul's shoulder reassuringly.
"Dancing, huh?" Paul asked with a smirk. "Why, Fred, that would be downright logical. Good thing I didn't shoot him."
He laughed as realization dawned in Fred's eyes.
(***)
Annabeth and Percy stood in the Jackson's driveway a few hours later, having dropped their friends off at their respective homes. Percy's lopsided grin was firmly in place as he leaned against his Vista Cruiser.
"So, Nico dancing. What a surprise," he chuckled.
"I know!" she said in amused disbelief.
He bumped her shoulder when she leaned against the car beside him. "You looked like you were having fun."
"Well, you know, disco fever. You catch it. But don't worry, I'm better now," she replied.
They stood in comfortable silence for a little while before an idea came to Percy. "Hey, do you recall that night we crossed the Rio Grande?"
Annabeth's face scrunched up as she tried to figure out what the hell her Seaweed Brain was talking about. They had never once been outside New York together, let alone outside the country.
"I can see it in your eyes," Percy continued.
"Are you high?" she asked.
"How proud you were," he began to sing, "to fight for freedom in this land."
Annabeth laughed as she figured out what he was trying to do. "No, shut up, don't. Don't. No, shhh!"
Even as Annabeth tried to stifle his singing, Percy continued, slightly off-key and a lot louder, "There was something in the air that night! The stars were bright!" Annabeth managed to cover his mouth but he continued, "Fernando! They were…" She removed her hand with a laugh. "I'm sorry. I hate dance music."
"Why'd you go, then, Seaweed Brain?"
"'Cause I like you, Wise Girl."
Annabeth nodded slowly as she gave him a serious look. "So, you're in like with me?"
He bumped her shoulder again as she began laughing at him. "Annabeth, I'm… I'm in…" He struggled to find the right words and, instead, decided to show her. He leaned over and kissed her. Still wrapped up in each other, he admitted, "I can't dance."
"You'll learn," she said adamantly.
They swayed gently from side-to-side as they both began singing loudly. "There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright! Fernando! They were shining for you and me and liberty! Fernando! Though we never thought we could lose. There's no regret, if I had to do the same again."
(***)
Nico was listening to a tape recording of him and the guys in the circle. It was probably the stupidest thing he had ever heard, something about aliens and Leo being a cow. When the basement door opened, he casually leaned over to pause the recording.
He tensed when he saw Annabeth standing in the doorway.
"Hey," she muttered.
A nod was all the greeting he gave in return.
Annabeth sighed heavily before closing the door. "Okay, Nico, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have brought that up, I know how much Percy hurt you and I'm an idiot for ever bringing it up. Please, please, please, forgive me."
He saw the genuine guilt and sadness in her gray eyes and knew there was no way he was going to be able to remain angry with her. "Alright. Fine, just stop looking at me like that. It's annoying."
"Thank you, so much!" she breathed a sigh of relief before a smirk crossed her lips. "Thought you might be over it, since Percy's apparently not your type anymore."
Nico's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, clearly, you've got a thing for young blondes now," she retorted. She rushed out the door with a laugh, just barely dodging the couch cushion he threw at her.
