Guys, I am so sorry for this delay. I wish that I had an excuse, but truthfully I just couldn't find the energy to write. I will be trying to write more this month but I have just restarted college so I can't make any promises. A quick warning as well, this chapter may have some relatively dark moments so be careful if you are particularly sensitive.

My amazingly patient beta, Chromatophobe, has asked me to put this comment here:

"It's not Valdangelo/Leco – it's Calypso/Leo while exploring Nico's developing sexuality and feelings for those around him. The sequel (which I will also have the delightful pleasure of beta'ing) will be focusing on the Valdangelo aspect of this story. I won't say anymore because Mew will kill me. Enjoy this chapter!"

Swedish-psycho-bear: Thank you. And by the way, I just noticed your awesome profile picture, it's really cool.

Starstorm 10: I'm so sorry but this story isn't going to be a Valdangelo, but its sequel will be so if you really want to see the boys together then hold out till that.

Kris Awesomenes: I know, Cupid is a horrible character and I hate what he did to Nico.

Neon Wish Likes Pine Trees: I'm so glad that someone enjoyed that joke. It made me giggle. I would love to book a ticket from Air Jason.

Mondmaedchen: Thank you, I was trying to help develop the boy's relationship a little bit more, but also add Jason in. And I cannot deal with heat so I would not be able to survive in Italy. You should channel your inner Leo to try and get through it. And I definitely wouldn't be able to live without Wi-Fi unless I had my books or DS with me.

Senna Bluefire: Thank you, though I am sorry for the wait.

LONG LIVE BOOKS: Thanks, I'm glad that you have enjoyed the story so far.

ObsessedwReading: Thank you. And they won't be reunited with him in this fanfiction but they will in the sequel as I was so upset that Riordan didn't show Leo's return.

Heartring123 : Thank you, I'm honoured to be one of your favourite fanfictioners.

Disclaimer: If I owned HOH then Leo would have come back in a blaze of glory.

Nico's P.O.V

Nico had respectfully declined flying by "Air Jason" as Leo called it. He just wanted to get back to the ship as quickly as possible, and his shadow travel would get them there faster than Jason's flying.

As soon as his feet were on the deck of the Argo, Nico had lashed the sceptre at whoever was closest and fled to his room. He couldn't bear holding the stupid thing any longer; after all, he had given up his darkest secret to obtain it.

He knew that this probably looked incredibly suspicious, but he couldn't stand the pitying looks that he would more than likely be receiving from Jason.

Nico had never felt this angry at a God before, and considering all that he had been through that was really saying something.

Cupid had no right to force him out of the closet, and no right to do the same to Leo.

He hoped that Jason could be trusted to keep this information secret. Leo seemed to think that the son of Jupiter would hold true on his promise to keep their sexualities a secret, so Nico was inclined to believe that he wouldn't tell, but there was still that niggling doubt and the lingering fear that the other demigods would find out and reject him. Jason's girlfriend was a daughter of Aphrodite after all, and all though Nico didn't want to stereotype her, most children of the love goddess couldn't resist meddling in affairs of the heart. If she got wind of this then Nico would never fit in with the crew.

He had never exactly felt like he belonged with the other demigods anyway, not only because of his parentage and the fact that he was quite literally a boy out of time, but also due to the fact that his sexuality weighed down on him. It was his dirty little secret, something that he probably would have never been comfortable admitting if it hadn't been for Leo.

Leo was one of the only demigods that Nico could stand, and that could stand him in turn despite his oddities.

Nico had felt like some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he told Leo, but that still didn't prepare him for being forcibly ousted by a bizarre diaper-wearing God who was probably the most obnoxious being that Nico had ever encountered, especially as he didn't know Jason very well and he now had to entrust him with his most damning secret.

Nico was dragged out of his thoughts by a hesitant knock on his door.

"Nico, can I come in?" His sister's concerned voice reached him despite the fact that he was lying on his bed with his pillow covering his face.

He quickly sat up and placed the pillow back where it belonged before calling out that she could come in.

He wasn't really sure how to speak with his sister right now – he didn't want to reveal anything too incriminating, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to just ignore her.

Hazel entered and quietly sat on the bed beside Nico. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"What's wrong, Nico?" He shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it." Hazel's worried eyes met his, the light shimmering in the golden orbs.

"Are you sure? Because if you need to talk then I'm here for you Nico, I'll listen if you want me to. I don't like it when you're sad." Nico was half tempted to point out that he was almost always sad, but then a familiar tanned face popped into his mind. Leo had been cheering him up for quite a while so it wasn't exactly an accurate statement anymore to say that he was always sad.

And although Nico did want to talk, he couldn't bring himself to confess about these problems to his sister. She was some of the only family that he had left, especially as it wasn't very likely that Hades would keep visiting him.

Hazel sighed and squeezed his hand again before standing up.

"Well if you need me then I'm sure that you can find me." She went to leave and almost bumped into Leo who tried to enter at the exact moment that Hazel tried to leave.

They exchanged apologies and, after a brief knowing glance, Hazel headed off. Nico lay back down and closed his eyes wearily.

"So am I allowed in or must I stand outside?" Leo's voice was teasing, and Nico raised a hand and beckoned him in.

He felt rather than saw the slight dip in his bed as Leo sat down.

"So, have you told Hazel anything?" Leo's voice held no judgement, but Nico still felt ashamed when he shook his head. He knew that he should tell his sister, but he didn't want to lose her.

"Nico, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to." Nico opened his eyes. Leo's eyes held a look of complete understanding.

"I feel guilty not telling her." Nico sounded pitiful even to his own ears and he despised it, but Leo wouldn't judge him.

"After what we just went through, I can definitely understand not wanting to tell anybody else. I mean, if I ever see a picture of Cupid then I might just scream. I'll never be able to celebrate Valentine's Day again. But I want you to know that you can trust the people on this boat. After all, we're all putting our lives in each other's hands." Leo flopped back onto the bed, almost squishing Nico in the process.

"I don't want Percy to ever find out." Nico loathed the fact that tears were starting to escape from his eyes. His statement sounded stupid and childish, yet he couldn't stop himself from blurting it out.

"Dude, I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear. And I trust Jason, he won't tell anyone either. Promise." Leo's tone was reassuring, but the tears were still slipping down Nico's cheeks.

"I hate this! I hate feeling like this!" All the negative emotions that Nico had thought he had dispelled - on the evening were both he and Leo had first confessed their sexualities - had been dragged painfully to the forefront of his mind by Cupid. He could remember the disgust and sheer terror that he had felt the first time that he had acknowledged another boy's attractiveness. The fury and despair that came with falling for someone like Percy, someone who was not only way beyond him, but who was also in a loving relationship already.

"I hate myself." Nico hissed bitterly under his breath. He didn't expect Leo to hear that, or to comment on it. He certainly didn't expect to be wrenched into a hug that was so intense that it almost hurt.

He could still see Leo's eyes which were glimmering with pained tears.

"Do you think," the Latino's voice was shaky, and he had to pause and take a breath before continuing his sentence "that I've never felt that way before?" Nico pulled back, eyes wide.

The amount of self-loathing in Leo's voice had been scary. Nico had learned that Leo wasn't always as happy as he seemed, but he had never realised that he hated himself. It was a startling revelation.

"Why?" His voice was shaky and weak. Leo laughed bitterly, and it felt like a knife in Nico's heart.

"Why? Because I'm a murderer. Because I'm a screw up. Because I can never do anything right. I'm the weak link of the team." Nico's hand had whipped out before he was even aware of his desire to slap Leo.

Leo kept his head facing away, dark curls covering his eyes. Another low chuckle escaped from his mouth, and then his angry eyes met Nico's.

"You think that you hate yourself? I've always hated myself. I was always the freak, the twisted little boy who locked his own mother in a burning warehouse. Even on this boat, where I thought that I would finally be respected, I still messed up. I made Hazel uncomfortable, annoyed Frank pretty much instantly, made Annabeth trust me less than someone she had met mere minutes ago and gave Percy pretty much the worst first impression of me ever." Leo's chest was heaving with barely restrained emotion. Tiny bursts of flame were laced through his hair and Nico was genuinely worried. He'd thought that Leo had gotten past some of these issues, but apparently he was still hurting.

"I'm allowed to hate myself because of everything I've done. But you say that you hate yourself for things that you can't change, for things that you shouldn't have to change. And it's wrong! You are amazing and if anyone is too stupid to see that then you shouldn't have to deal with them." Nico's fists clenched.

"It's not just because of who I am; do you think that I've never done anything stupid? I've messed up before as well. I betrayed Percy at one point." Leo gave him a surprised look, the darkness in his eyes still present.

"I once gave him up to Hades to try and get information about my past." Leo snorted, and Nico glared at him.

"Did you think that Hades was going to hurt him?" Nico blushed, knowing that Leo would probably dismiss this incident as it wasn't life threatening.

"I constantly said that I hated him and that I blamed him for my sister's death."

"You were grieving, that doesn't really count…"

"NO! It does still count. Just because I had an excuse for saying it doesn't mean that it was okay. And most of the things that you have done shouldn't count either! The Eidolons were controlling you when you attacked Camp Jupiter. And you can't be blamed for looking like one of your relatives that would just be ridiculous. Plus, Frank's learned by now that you're trustworthy; he isn't terrified of you anymore." Leo shook his head.

"I've done other stupid things in the past, other dangerous things. I'm a nuisance to everybody who tries to take me in, hell; I even got close to blowing up Camp Half Blood!" Nico had no idea what he meant by that, but he didn't want to prod too hard. Leo looked close to snapping, and Nico was frightened by the thought of Leo breaking down in front of him.

"Leo, whatever you did in the past can't be too horrible. If it was, the Gods would have punished you." Nico hoped that this would reassure his friend, but Leo looked even sadder.

"I've lost pretty much everybody that I've ever cared about in some way. I always run, no matter what happens, because I'm too weak to stay. The Gods don't have to punish me Nico. I know how to punish myself." Nico wasn't surprised to find that his own cheeks were now drenched in tears.

Leo's P.O.V

Leo could feel himself trembling as he tried to restrain himself. Nico had been through enough crap of his own, he didn't need Leo to foist his own stupid problems onto him. He turned away from the now crying son of Hades.

"I'm sorry, I came here to comfort you and I've just made it worse. I'll leave." He stood up, but Nico latched onto his arm.

"After everything that you've just said, do you honestly think that I'm going to let you just walk away?" Leo's head drooped. Yes, he had been hoping that Nico would just let him walk away because Leo knew that if he stayed he might start telling Nico things that he's really regret.

"I think that would be for the best." Nico's grip tightened.

"I disagree." His words were ice, and Leo felt himself being dragged back into a sitting position on the bed. He couldn't find the determination within him to fight back, and he knew that he was screwed.

"Please." His last desperate plea was ignored.

"Maybe you should stop punishing yourself. Leo, you're a good person. You're kind and funny and you somehow manage to make even me smile which takes a lot. You've been punishing yourself and you don't deserve it." Leo couldn't believe his friend. If he was such a good person like Nico said, why had he lost so many people that he cared about? He voiced this concern to Nico, who suddenly engulfed him in a hug.

"Because the world likes to hurt good people. Monsters especially enjoy attacking the people who are the best." Leo sniffled wetly.

"Maybe that's why you've suffered so much." He said, and felt Nico's body stiffen, tension strumming between the younger boy's shoulders.

"Yeah, well I'm not exactly a good person." Nico countered. Leo stifled a laugh, knowing that it would be totally insensitive and out of place in this situation.

"Nico, you're one of the best people that I know." It was Nico's turn to make a noise of disbelief.

"Seriously, you help out on this quest even though you don't have to. You stayed despite the fact that seeing Percy and Annabeth together must have been really painful for you. You are such a good brother to Hazel despite the fact you're only half siblings, and you put up with me and my insufferable personality."

"I thought that you worked hard to get to that level of insufferable?" Leo's head whipped round to see Jason standing awkwardly in the doorway. Nico shifted and wiped his eyes roughly, whilst Leo blushed.

"Ah, Jason, what are you doing here?" Leo aimed for nonchalant, but the fact that his face was sticky with tears was probably ruining his attempt at calm.

"I was going to see if you and Nico were okay. Hazel told me that you had come down here, and I thought it would be easiest if I just talked to you together." Leo gulped. It was bad enough that he had spilled all that crap to Nico, he couldn't let Jason find out. He shot Nico a quick "help" face, hoping that his friend caught on to his plight.

Apparently Nico had as he swiftly tried to steer the conversation away from what they had been discussing before Jason's entrance.

"He didn't work hard to reach that level; he works hard to maintain it. He was probably born with the ability to annoy." Leo shoved him playfully; understanding that going along with this topic of conversation would probably throw Jason off and stop him from prying.

"He also works hard to pretend that he's okay despite all evidence pointing to the contrary." Jason's voice was deadly serious, and Leo froze. Nico looked as if he was going to snap at Jason, to stick up for Leo again, but Leo placed an unsteady hand on his shoulder. The younger demigod shot a confused look at him, but Leo simply shook his head. If Nico got angry at Jason then this situation would spiral out of control. Hopefully Leo could minimise the damage right now.

"Look, that wasn't exactly how I pictured this quest going – that certainly wasn't how I pictured Cupid! But we got the sceptre and we got back alive. Let's just forget about it." Leo mentally winced. That wasn't as funny as he had aimed for, and Jason was more than likely going to be even more suspicious after that.

"I don't want to forget about it." Nico actually growled a little bit when Jason said that. Even Leo was amazed at how stupid that sounded. Jason hastily backtracked, obviously realising his mistake.

"Not because it's a good memory or anything! It's just... it felt nice to get to know you two a little better. I mean, Leo, after all we've been through you've hardly told me anything about your past. And I know even less about you Nico." Leo's hands fisted into Nico's duvet. He remembered letting slip the fact that he had slept in sewers before and how Jason and Piper had just shrugged it off. Jason was one of his best friends, but sometimes he was just a little too wrapped up in Piper to see anyone else. Maybe that was why Leo had been finding it easier to hang out with Nico lately – the son of Hades always listened. And when Leo had mentioned cooking on the streets back when they had their midnight picnic, Nico had seemed pretty concerned.

"It's nice that you enjoyed the forced bonding Superman, but it really is best if we just forget about it." Jason raised an eyebrow, and then his gaze turned pensive.

"If you guys are seriously okay then I'll leave." For some reason, Jason seemed a lot more willing to let it go now. Leo couldn't fathom why the change had occurred, but he was never one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Well, actually, he was, but at this point he just wanted Jason to leave so that he wouldn't find out all of Leo and Nico's secrets.

"We're fine." Nico folded his arms and crossed his legs. Jason nodded, still with that pensive look on his face. He then smiled softly, intuitively. The son of Jupiter ducked out of the room, leaving behind two befuddled demigods.

"Why do you think he was looking at us like that?" Nico shrugged at Leo's question and settled into a slightly more relaxed position. Leo saw an opportunity.

"Well I guess that I better be going now, see you Nico." Nico's face was not amused.

"Sit." Leo knew that he had been rumbled.

"We still have to finish our conversation from earlier. You can be an annoying brat when you want to be, but if you were insufferable then one of us would have tossed you off the deck by now." Leo smirked.

"I'd like to see you try and maintain the ship if you did." Nico smiled, but that swiftly morphed into a frown.

"You're really good at deflecting things with humour. Why is your instinct always to either laugh things off or run?" Those words stung, and Leo prickled with anger.

"I've spent my entire life running. Sometimes it's the best solution, and humour is a good way to keep you safe. If people are laughing with or even at you then they're not beating you up. I've found that I much prefer to be laughed at then to be attacked." Nico's expression was dangerously close to pity and Leo couldn't take it.

"Stop looking at me like that!" He snapped, feeling his temperature rise. Nico sighed.

"In a way I've spent a lot of time running away from my problems as well. Guess that makes me a hypocrite." Leo tried to suppress his curiosity, but he was never very good at holding back once he was intrigued. This was probably a sensitive subject for Nico, but as he had been nosing into all of Leo's business, Leo felt sort of justified in pressing the matter. He was also trying to battle down his own mess of feelings and Nico's explanation would hopefully give him time to cool down.

"What were you running from?" Instead of answering, Nico pulled his legs up to his chest in an oddly childish manner.

"My feelings, I guess. Loving Percy… it isn't easy when the stupid oaf goes around being all heroic. Plus, I've never really fit in with the other demigods. It was okay for a little while after the big battle, but after that they all became wary of me again. It was hard to stay somewhere where you feel completely isolated even when surrounded by people. And… I just kept imagining what it would be like if Bianca was still here. How I wouldn't be alone, and how she would probably be able to make friends with everyone and stop them being so wary of us." Nico's eyes held more sadness than any teenager's should. And Leo understood.

"You seem pretty capable of making friends to me. After all, you've got me. And Jason seems to be worried about you as well." Nico sighed.

"That's more pity probably. I was acting really pathetic." Leo glared at him.

"You weren't being pathetic. And none of us pity you, we respect you too much." Nico jolted at this, his brown eyes widening in shock.

"You're a hero Nico, whether you are part of the prophecy or not. And you'll always be a hero." Nico was crying softly, and Leo leant in for a hug.

"Even when I was working against Percy?" The voice was quiet, shaky, and Leo hugged him closer to his chest.

"One mistake doesn't change your nature." He uttered. It was then that he too burst into tears.

So here it is, very late but hopefully it was worth the long wait. I'll see you all next time.