Author's Note: So August 1st is my grandma's birthday, August 11th is when I have to pick up my stupid school packet, August 15th is going to be my sister's birthday and my doctor's appointment, August 20th is my friend's birthday, August 24th is my birthday, and August 31st is when school starts. God I fucking hate August...

Note: Thank you to my friend for editing and beta reading my chapters and all of that. I really appreciate it!

Warning: Bullying, violence, language (I'll add more along the way)

Disclaimer: Pshh, you think I'm Rick Riordan? Please. Also, "Yancy" for the school name is from the first book The Lightning Thief. The actual school name is "Yancy Academy".

Depression

Author: Loving Healer

Chapter Thirty-Five

Nico had left Grover downstairs and led me up into his room. My face heated up at the thought of what could've happened yesterday if Mrs. O'Leary wasn't there to stop us. I mean, can you believe this? The dog was thinking more clearly and logically than us!

Nico shut the door behind him after I entered. I took a seat on the edge of his bed, resisting urge to vehemently take in his scent from his bed. Nico was sleeping here just a few minutes ago. I could only imagine Nico's peaceful, angelic face when he sleeps...

I snapped out of my thoughts with a large blush across my face when Nico cleared his throat.

He stared at me with narrowed eyes and heaved an exasperated sigh. He went over to his closet to start picking out some clothes. "What are you thinking about with that testosterone-filled brain of yours?"

I gritted my teeth, burying my face into my hands and setting my elbows upon my thighs. "Nothing much," I mumbled more to myself. In the corner of my eyes, I could spot Nico pulling off his shirt to reveal his perfectly olive-skinned back.

I averted my gaze back toward the ground, but I admit I stole several glances at Nico while he was changing. When he was done, he whirled around to face me with an eyebrow raised, but he didn't press it any further.

"What should I do?" Nico sighed once more, turning his gaze toward the closed bedroom door.

I shrugged, placing the palm of my hands on the mattress and leaning back. "We've been best friends since we were little you know. I don't think you should just lie to him."

Nico leaned against the bedroom door, crossing his arms with a small huff. "How do you think he'd react? I haven't seen him for five years."

I frowned, trying to picture what Grover would do if Nico explained his family situation.

"I don't... know. Honestly I can't picture Grover acting surprised other than having wide eyes and becoming speechless."

Nico's eyes looked at the door once more. "That's a better reaction than anything else."

"Really?"

He shrugged. "Yeah well, I just don't want any annoying questions or sympathy from him. I just want him to have the knowledge of it and then never bring it up again and pretend that my life was always like this."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess Grover's pretty good at that."

Nico twisted the doorknob to open the door and left before I could bring anything else up.

"Woah wait Nico!" I called after him before springing up from his bed and rushing down the stairs to catch up with him. My footsteps echoed throughout the house as I raced down the elaborate wooden staircase and eventually reached the cool tile floor.

Nico's house was just like how I remembered it to be when I was here five years ago. There was a living room and a family room which both had grand fireplaces and expensive TV's. Leather couches with sets of pillows lined the backing of the couch where Mrs. O'Leary was cleaning her paws, and an ottoman was in the middle of the couched which formed a square with one side missing. Instead, there was a glass coffee table in front of the TV with a huge vase of flowers which were probably handpicked from the garden in the back.

His backyard was huge with the ground covered with neatly trimmed grass and a Jacuzzi to the left of the backyard that had stone steps leading up to it. The flowers bordered the backyard, and there was a tire swing hanging from a pomegranate tree. In the shade of the tree stood a green hammock that swayed back and forth from the wind. It seemed like a perfect place to sit back and watch the sky. I bet Nico actually did that sometimes-maybe I'll ask him later.

I found Nico and Grover in the family room by the front door. Nico looked as if he didn't know what words would be appropriate for what he was trying to say, but Grover didn't seem to have noticed. He looked too busy from being captivated by the midnight black ebony piano. I mean, I would've been too. The piano was so neatly polished that you could clearly see your reflection in it. Grover reached out a hand, but pulled back as if his fingerprint might ruin the beautiful image the piano displayed.

"What are you doing Grover?" I finally broke the silence between them. Both of their heads snapped up to look at me.

"Oh, you guys are finally down." He chuckled. "Sorry but this piano looks so cool. I don't remember it being here the last time I was here. I'm pretty sure I would remember something as cool as this being here."

Nico rolled his eyes. "That's because the last time you were here in this very house was five years ago."

Grover put his hands up in defense. "Jeez, Neeks, didn't have to be so technical with me."

"I'm just stating the facts," Nico retorted. "Five years is a long time. A bunch of other things in this house probably changed that you haven't noticed yet."

By the way Nico's voice suddenly faded out by the end of the sentence, I could already tell what he was thinking of. I glanced at Nico with sad eyes, and I hated myself for it because Nico hated sympathy. But, what else could I do other than comfort him? I felt so bad for him that I couldn't help but feel pity. I also kind of hoped that Nico wasn't reading my mind, or he would've kicked my ass for feeling sympathy. I would totally do other things to Nico's ass though on an unrelated note.

"Hey Grover," Nico began, "can I tell you something?"

He raised his eyebrows. "What is it? Does Percy know already?" Grover glanced at me for an answer, so I nodded.

"I live here alone," Nico choked out. "My mom and Bianca... They're gone now." He paused briefly and gulped. It must've been so painful for Nico to bring them up again after so many years of not telling anybody. I couldn't even begin to imagine how badly his heart must hurt. I just wanted to go over there and give him the most passionate kiss that I could offer in every single place that I could reach. My own chest throbbed from thinking about how much pain Nico was feeling.

Grover's eyes widened like I predicted, but what happened next was something that I could've never surmised.

He went over and embraced Nico with a soft smile on his lips. "I would say 'sorry' but it sounds kind of pathetic." Grover laughed lightly. "Must've been hard for you huh? Where's your dad then?"

Nico didn't return the hug; Grover and I both knew that he hated physical contact if it could be avoided, but he didn't push him away.

"He left," Nico said in a quiet voice. "He met someone else. He wanted to start a new life with a new woman. But he still provides me money to live off of until I start to work myself, so I guess its okay."

"Okay?!" Grover separated from Nico at an arm's length. "Isn't this huge house scary at night and you're all alone? I'd piss myself before I would even make it to the bathroom."

Nico laughed, and I smiled in relief. My shoulders relaxed, and I hadn't even known that they were tense. Grover definitely knew how to brighten up someone's day, and I was really glad that someone like Grover was around.

"I actually like it when it's dark." Nico's gorgeous laughter eventually faded, but he still had a stunning smile on his lips. "The dark calms me down."

"Well we're going to watch so many scary movies later on that you'd piss yourself at night before you even leave your room!" Grover cried. "I mean, damn right this place is awesome! But it's always called the 'haunted mansion' for a reason."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Grover." Nico chuckled at Grover's cowardice. He glanced at me with his soothing smile. "Are we going to go now?"

I blinked blankly at him before it finally clicked in my mind. "Oh that'd right! We have a date today."

"Maybe I should come along just to make sure you guys don't run from first base to home plate," Grover muttered with a knowing smirk across his face.

"For God's sake Grover!" Nico yelled, his face becoming a deep shade of red just like mine. "Let's go, Percy, before Grover says any more stupid things."

Grover laughed loudly. "It could happen! Percy is an unpredictable one! A wild one might I add."

Mrs. O'Leary growled at that as if thinking that her precious and pure innocent Nico dating a "wild" one like me was the worst possible thing that could've ever happened in her entire life. Jeez, what an overprotective dog.

"Alright Grover you're leaving." Nico dragged Grover out of his house by the wrist. "Take care of the house Mrs. O'Leary!"

Mrs. O'Leary barked back happily in response, and her wagging tail continuously hit the couch.

I exited the house through the already open front door from Nico and Grover, and Nico locked the doors. I offered to drive Grover home, but he denied it, saying that he didn't want to delay our date any further and that he would just call Juniper and ask her to pick him up.

I shrugged, but I guess it was okay. Nico and I bid Grover out goodbyes before getting into my car which was ocean blue of course. You can't expect anything less of Percy Jackson, can you?

"So," Nico started, "where to now?"

I hummed enthusiastically, starting up the car. "What about the movies?"

He shrugged, leaning back into the passenger seat. "Whatever is fine. As long as it's not a scary movie so I don't 'piss myself at night before I even leave my room,'" He quoted with a chuckle.

I smiled. "Okay then. I don't know the exact way though. My phone's dying and I left the GPS at home, but maybe I could manage?"

"Why don't you just stop by your house and get the GPS?" Nico suggested tiredly. "I don't want to risk getting lost. I have my phone if you want to use it."

"It seems like a waste of gas to drive all the way back to my house and get my GPS. And anyway, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I used my boyfriend's stuff?" I flashed him a big grin, but he only rolled his eyes.

"A very unprepared one."

"Neeks, don't be like that!" I chided him playfully. "Even if we get lost, at least we'll have an adventure right?"

Nico scoffed. "If we get lost I'm using the GPS on my phone. But since you don't want to use it now, you dumbfuck, then take us to wherever you can. But we'll waste less gas driving to your house to get the GPS instead of driving around forever because you got lost."

"Blah, blah, blah, enough of the logical stuff. Why don't you just loosen up and have fun every once in a while?"

"Because I don't want to get lost and become homeless."

"Oh come on! At least when you become homeless you'll have me."

"I'd rather be with anyone else but you as a homeless person."

I smirked and pecked a quick kiss to his cheek. "I know you love me."

He averted his gaze to the window with a light blush on his cheeks. "Just drive."

I chuckled before pulling out of the driveway and driving to who-knows-where.