Point Place, New York

Percy Jackson's Basement

Prom Week

Thursday, 7:46 p.m.

Percy was trying on his suit jacket while saying, "My first Prom tux, huh?" He threw a hand up in a disco dancing pose. "Come on, guys, dig the crushed velvet."

Frank laughed. "You look like a pimp."

The two of them took a seat on the couch while Nico suggestively said, "You know, Jackson, Prom night could be a very special night for you and Annabeth."

"Nico, this could be the biggest night of our lives," Percy said. "I mean Annabeth and I could go…"

Frank interjected, "To the Prom."

Percy shook his head with a chuckle. "No, Frank, all the way."

"All the way," Frank said, "to the Prom."

Nico quirked an eyebrow at his friend's innocence before turning back to Percy. "You know what you should do? You should rent a motel room."

"Yeah, that's real spontaneous," Percy deadpanned.

"What?" Nico questioned.

Percy shifted in his seat as he thought of a way to explain it. "See, I imagine it like… I mean, it's… Look, if this night is as big as I think, I want it to be special because it's gonna be the first time for both of us. So, this is how I picture it…"

He described him and Annabeth at the beach dressed up for Prom and Annabeth getting turned on by Percy's spontaneity. There was no way they would make it to the beach Prom night but he was sure his friends would get the gist of what he was trying to say. Renting a motel room meant planning ahead and that ruined the whole surprise and wonder of the act.

"But if we plan it, it'll be more like we're conducting business or something," Percy said.

Nico gave him a skeptical eyebrow raise. "Jackson, if you don't rent the motel room everyone's just gonna make fun of you when you come home early from the Prom."

He handed Percy the phone and Percy hesitated for a second before dialing.

(***)

In the Jackson's kitchen, Marybai was telling Sally about her latest argument with Fred. "I'm trying to improve myself and he won't let me," she explained. "Plus, he said all my ideas are stupid."

Sally snorted. "Now, that's the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"

Marybai nodded her head and then paused as the words registered in her brain. "Wait, what?"

Sipping her coffee real quick, Sally said, "Good coffee." She looked at her watch before standing up. "I'm real sorry, Marybai but, um, I really have to get to work."

Throwing her hands up in the air, Marybai complained, "Gosh darn it! I want a job."

Sally laughed nervously. "Well, you know, having a job is not all it's cracked up to be. Working as a professor is very hard work."

Marybai waved her off. "Oh, I don't want one of those jobs, I want a fun job."

Sally blinked. "Even with a…" she paused, "fun job, it's still… you have to deal with a boss."

"You're right!" Marybai said and Sally breathed out a sigh of relief. "I'll get a job as a boss!"

With a blank stare, Sally replied, "Well, now, you let me know how that goes."

(***)

Leo came running into the basement looking extremely pleased with himself. Stopping behind the couch where Jason and Percy were watching television, he said, "Okay, guys, guess who's taking Will Solace to the Prom?"

Nico's head whipped around. He hadn't been planning on going to the Prom but he'd be lying if he hadn't considered going just to see Will in a tuxedo. But he swore to every deity in the heavens, if he'd just lost Will to Leo Valdez he was going to scream and probably punch Leo.

"An idiot?" he guessed with a pointed look.

"Me!" Leo answered, apparently blissfully unaware of the anger being directed at him.

Jason furrowed his brow as he tried to make sense of something. "Wait, you're not taking Calypso?"

Leo's smile slipped and his eyes shifted to the side. "Nah, she dumped me."

The three boys around him shouted, "WHAT?"

"So, wait, what? You and Will got back together?" Percy asked, trying to make sense of what had just happened. When had his sister dumped his friend and why was this the first he was hearing about it?

Leo shrugged. "I guess so."

Jason and Percy turned in unison to look at Nico with wide, terrified eyes. They watched with concern as the little anarchist's face closed off and his eyes filled with fiery anger. Percy opened his mouth to say something when Nico cut him off.

"You know, you guys are making me sick with all your Prom talk. Proms are stupid."

Leo looked at Nco for the first time. "Oh, yeah, ese, are we cool? I thought you had a thing for Will but you never made a move so I figured it'd be cool?"

"It's fine," Nico muttered. It was his own fault, putting off that important conversation and then getting messed up with Clovis. Now it was too late. With a huff he stood up and stormed up the basement steps.

Percy turned back to look at Leo. "Leo, what the Hades were you thinking?"

Leo shrugged. "I dunno. Will's always been nice to me and he was comforting me after Calypso dumped me and the next thing I know I was asking him out?"

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose. He spoke to Percy after taking a deep breath. "Rock, paper, scissors for who gets to comfort Nico in his 'I'm not sad, this is just a reaction to the chemicals created by the government to keep us down' mood?"

With a deep sigh, Percy raised his hand and made a fist. "Alright, rock, paper, scissors."

(***)

Annabeth was standing in her kitchen with a gloomy Will. She held up a pair of white heels and explained that they were her new shoes for the Prom. Will sighed as he took them from her and examined them for a moment.

"I got new shoes, too," he said sadly. "So I can go to the Prom with Leo because Nico didn't ask me."

Ignoring her friend, Annabeth asked, "You like my Prom dress, right?"

She ran over to grab a long, elegant yellow dress from where it was hanging off a cabinet behind her. Holding it carefully so that it wouldn't touch the ground she brought it over for Will to have a closer look.

"I got a new tuxedo for Prom that I'm going to with Leo," Will sighed. "Because Nico didn't ask me."

"I'm so nervous about the Prom," Annabeth fretted nervously. "I think it's gonna be the night that Percy and I…" she paused suggestively, "you know?"

Will snapped out of his internal pity party to smile encouragingly at his friend. "Sorry, I keep making this about me. What are you worried about?"

She hung her dress back up. "What if it's not what I picture it as? Or what if we don't get the chance? I mean our parents will be home, so we may not have anywhere to go. Or what if something goes wrong? I want to plan everything out but that would ruin the spontaneity of it all."

"Annabeth," Will said as he gently laid his hands on her shoulders, "it's you and Percy. You'll be fine. I've never seen a couple more right for each other than you two."

The door opened before Annabeth could express her gratitude for Will's calming words. Leo and Percy entered the kitchen.

Leo greeted Will, "Hola, mi sol."

Will blushed at the nickname before smiling at the two boys. "Hey, Leo."

(***)

Calypso was sitting in the basement with Nico watching television. She sighed heavily but Nico ignored her. So, she sighed louder which made Nico groan. "Calypso, if I ask you what's wrong, will you stop doing that?"

"It's the Prom and stupid Leo is taking Will Solace. I can't believe he didn't ask me," she griped.

Nico pushed his sunglasses up on his nose. "Didn't you break up with him?"

Calypso waved him off. "That's besides the point. The point is he's going to the Prom with someone else."

Laughing at her suffering, Nico glanced at her and immediately sobered up at the look on her face. "Sorry."

"Look, I thought he was going to ask me and I don't have any way to go to your high school Prom and…'' she sobbed. She had dumped Leo for being a jerk but ever since she'd regretted her decision. Sure, he could be a little much at times but she knew she'd never meet a man who loved her as much as him.

Nico glanced at the door behind Calypso and wondered briefly if he could make a run for it.

Her head swung up from where it had sunk into her hands. She looked at him with delighted excitement. "You're not going, and I bet you clean up real good."

"Well I do, but I won't," Nico said simply. "See, that's a big part of who I am."

"Look, Nico, I know we've had our differences but…"

Nico scoffed. "We've had nothing but differences. In fact, don't we kind of hate each other?"

She leaned on his folded arms and started crying hysterically. "Please?" she sobbed.

Unused to women weeping openly, Nico was at a loss for words for a moment. When he finally recovered he begged, "Calypso, don't. Stop, stop crying…" He shouted, "Stop it! Look, do you wanna go to the Prom?"

Calypso sat up, eyes dry as a desert and cheeks free of tear tracks. "Yes."

(***)

People were dancing everywhere when Percy and Annabeth arrived at the school gym where Prom was being held. Annabeth looked around and noted that it looked like the Prom decorating committee literally just threw up some streamers. But it was still Prom whether it looked nice or not.

"You know, this is just gonna be an incredible night," Percy told her.

She nodded and said meaningfully, "Really incredible."

Percy paused to look at her. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked quickly.

Hesitantly, Percy answered, "Nothing."

The two of them stood there in awkward silence. They were grateful when Leo came over, dragging along a bemused Will behind him. Will waved half-heartedly at them while Leo bounced in place. Leo and Will wore matching white tuxedos, the only difference was the color of their boutonnieres which were red and blue respectively.

"Are you guys having fun?" Annabeth asked, looking at Will with concern.

"No," Will answered honestly much to Leo's dismay.

Leo's energy seemed to disappear as he stood still for the first time that night. He knew Will wasn't having a good time but he was hoping that if he was excited enough it would be enough for the both of them. Truthfully, he wanted nothing more than for Calypso to be there.

Will excused himself. As soon as he was out of earshot, Annabeth punched Leo's arm. "Gods, Leo, you're an idiot."

They sat down as Leo argued, "Hey, I love him!"

"No you don't," Percy said bluntly.

Leo sighed. "You're right, I don't. I was kinda hoping we could just go back to the way we were before but neither of us is really happy, huh? How is Nico dealing with everything? I really didn't mean to upset him."

"Oh, Neeks was pissed," Percy explained, "but more with himself than with you."

Hazel and Frank joined them a second later. Frank wore a black suit with a gold tie and Hazel was dressed in a floor length golden gown.

"Is Nico really not coming to Prom?" Hazel asked Percy.

Percy shook his head. "No, something about it not being for him and corporate bullshit. I dunno, I was only half listening, honestly."

(***)

Calypso knocked on Nico's door seconds before she heard Maria di Angelo scream at her son, "They're all gonna laugh at you!"

Nico stepped out onto the porch wearing a solid black tuxedo and a skull ring, his hair neatly combed back. He shouted back into the house, "Shut up, Ma! You're making the night too damn special." Turning, he found Calypso standing there in a light purple Grecian dress. "Wow, you look good."

Calypso gaped at him. "Oh my gods, so do you." She hesitated before gesturing to Nico's front door. "Do you want me to go in and meet your…"

"No, no, no," he answered as he quickly waved that suggestion away, "trust me, she's lovely."

For the first time, she noticed a small gold box tucked under his arm. She thought she knew what it was so she asked, "Is that for me?"

Nico stared at her blankly for a second before registering what she was talking about. Taking the box out from under his arm, he handed it off to her. "Yeah, I got this for you."

Inside the box was a lavender corsage. "Oh, Nico, it's beautiful. Thank you, for everything tonight." She kissed him on the cheek and he quickly recoiled away.

"Yeah, let's not do that." He didn't want to accept the thanks because he knew deep down that he was only going through with this so he could have a chance to talk to Will. It might be too late, but he'd be damned if he let Will go that easily. He was done hiding from his feelings.

She laughed before holding up a set of keys. "I have my dad's Camaro, will you drive?"

Nico took the keys and asked, "Paul has insurance, right?" A beat of silence, then he said, "Wait, I don't care."

(***)

In the Jackson's living room, Marybai was telling her husband and the Jacksons about her business plan. "What's one thing people cannot live without?" she asked them excitedly.

Paul rubbed at his jaw before answering, "Oxygen."

"No," Marybai said with a laugh.

Sally held up a hand. "No, no, that's true."

Marybai shook her head as she explained, "But that's not what I'm selling. So, keep guessing."

"Lemonade?" Fred tried.

"No, give up?" Marybai said excitedly. Fred looked as though he were about to give up as she continued without waiting for an answer. "Greeting cards!"

Sally burst out laughing before she could stop herself. When she noticed no one else was laughing she stopped abruptly and sipped at her wine briefly. "Good wine," she murmured into the wine glass.

(***)

At the Prom, Annabeth was dancing to a slow song with Percy. Everything was perfect and she knew there was only one thing that could make the night more magical. "It's too bad parents aren't out of town so we'd have someplace to go for... after," she told Percy.

"Like a motel room…?" Percy hinted.

Annabeth blinked in surprise. Why hadn't she thought of that. "Yeah, that would've been great."

Percy looked at her with a lopsided grin. "Really? 'Cause I got one."

"Did you plan on telling me?'

"No."

Percy stared at her with that stupid grin of his and she realized she couldn't be upset with him. "I guess it's more spontaneous that way."

"You are so the girl for me," Percy said in awe.

Annabeth smiled at him before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. "Let's go."

(***)

Fred was trying to talk some sense into his wife. "Marybai, you don't know the first thing about having a business."

"But there's no risk," Marybai argued.

"Why not?" Fred asked apprehensively.

Marybai gestured towards him. "Because it's your money."

Fred put his hands to face as he realized how much money his wife was about to be spending in order to 'better herself'. Meanwhile, Paul was laughing up a storm while he sat in his recliner watching the Chases argument.

"Sally, don't you think I should sell my own card shop?"

"Hold on," Fred said before Sally could come up with an answer that wouldn't hurt Marybai's feelings. "I have a dynamite solution. 'Cause I love ya. So I want to have another baby so you'll stop bugging me."

Perched on the couch, Sally looked at Fred like he'd lost his mind as Marybai ran past her to get to the kitchen. "Oh, Fred, no," she said before following Marybai.

"So, Paul asked, "how much is this whole set-up gonna cost you?"

Fred ran a hand through his hair. "Plenty, but I figure it's cheaper than a divorce."

Paul took a sip of his beer. "We'll see."

(***)

Standing at the motel door, Percy and Annabeth were sharing a kiss when a group of teenagers from their school rounded the corner. The guy in front recognized them and shouted, "Hey, it's Jackson and Annabeth! They're gonna do it!"

The whole group began chanting 'Jackson' at the top of their lungs much to Percy and Annabeth's embarrassment. Percy quickly unlocked the motel door and they make it inside. Not wanting that group of teenagers ruining their night, they resumed kissing as soon as the door closed behind them.

They started to go down on the bed when Percy spotted a huge, unidentifiable stain. He quickly pulled Annabeth up and away from the stain. "Hang on, hang on, big stain! Big stain! I'll just get a towel."

He went to the bathroom where he spotted a giant rat in the sink. Grabbing the towel, he rushed out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

When Annabeth gave him a weird look, he said, "You know, they say they're more scared of you than you are of them."

Annabeth's eyes widened as she glanced at the bathroom door. "Yeah."

Percy laid the towel down over the stain and they sat on top of the towel. "You know, Wise Girl, I've thought about this moment like a thousand times."

"Me, too."

They lean in but just before their lips touch, the teenagers from before began screaming and shouting. Percy sat up and looked at Annabeth as he realized they could do better for their first time. "When you thought about this moment, was it like this?" Percy asked.

Annabeth shook her head sadly. "No."

"I was having a pretty good time at Prom," Percy said with a shrug.

"Me, too," Annabeth said with a smile. "Let's get out of here."

Percy hesitated at the door and turned to look at her again. "Okay, um, what if this is our only chance?"

Annabeth cupped his face. "It won't be."

(***)

Calypso and Nico were slow dancing while watching Leo and Will dance. Nico thought Will looked adorable in his tux with his hair still a shaggy mess while Calypso was wondering how Leo had managed to get oil stains on his tuxedo.

"I kinda figured that if I was going to Prom it would be with Will," Nico said to Calypso.

She nodded. "As soon as Leo mentioned Prom I had already started looking at dresses I was so excited. Do you think I ruined my chances with him?"

Nico snorted. "That boy worships the ground you walk on. I think you're chances are pretty good."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, I think your chances are pretty good, too," Calypso told him.

They stopped dancing and Nico offered to get some punch. As he made it to the punch bowl, a fist landed hard on his shoulder. He turned to find Leo Valdez glaring at him. Looking around, he spotted a sad looking Will sitting next to a curious Calypso.

"You took Calypso to the Prom? You're supposed to be my friend and you dogged me!" Leo complaned.

Nico's confusion quickly turned into anger. "I dogged you? What about you asking Will out?"

Leo looked sheepishly at him. "Well, you hadn't made a move so I figured he was fair game? But honestly it was just to make Cal jealous… Is she having a good time?"

"No, you big baby, she wants to be here with you, man. So go be with her, you idiot, 'cause this whole thing sickens me," Nico griped.

"What about Will?" Leo asked worriedly.

Nico blushed. "I'll handle Will."

Leo snorted before moving to stand before Calypso. "Hey, mi amor, would you care for a dance?"

Calypso took his outstretched hand. "I missed you," she said as they held each other close and swayed to the music.

"I missed you, too," Leo said honestly.

While the two of them danced, Nico made his way over to Will. He sat down in the seat beside Will and said, "So, I wanted to apologize for being a jerk the past few weeks. And for not asking you to Prom myself."

"You were a real jerk," Will agreed without looking at him.

Nico ran a hand through his hair. "You look really, um, handsome."

Will's cheeks reddened and he hoped Nico couldn't see it in the darkened gym. "So, um, so do you." He quickly added, "That doesn't mean I've forgiven you, yet."

"Yet?" Nico said hopefully. "So, I have a chance?"

The blush deepened. "I didn't say that," Will said hastily.

Nico smirked. "Yeah, okay, well, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get you to forgive me. But before that, would you…. Um, would you like to dance?"

The edges of Will's lips twitched as he fought back the smile threatening to make its way onto his face. "Fine, but only if you tell me why you almost moved to California last week."

Nico gulped as Will dragged him out onto the dance floor.

(***)

Percy and Annabeth were dancing when Hazel and Frank danced their way to their side. Hazel nodded to their left. All four of them turned to see Nico and Will standing extra close and whispering to one another.

"Aren't they cute?" Hazel cooed.

Annabeth smacked her boyfriend when he wolf whistled at the two boys. She then watched in amusement as Nico held up a middle finger directed at a laughing Percy Jackson.