Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot.

Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!

Nico's POV:

"First, I want to know what god you were talking about," Annabeth said. "The one that is linked to Aphrodite."

Nico closed his eyes. He didn't why he had spoken up; he already had to recount getting attacked by Aaron. He didn't want to be further humiliated by talking about his encounter with Cupid. Jason was the only one who knew what had explicitly happened. Reyna knew from the flashes she had gotten from him when he ghosified Bryce Lawrence.

"Nico?" Annabeth's voice broke his thoughts. He opened his eyes. "Who was it?"

"It was Cupid. Or Eros. Whatever," Nico confessed.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "When did you encounter him?"

"During our quest to the House of Hades," Nico spoke in a monotone voice, trying to not let emotion enter into his voice. "Jason and I went to Diocletian's palace. We went to leave a message for Reyna, so she would know the route we were taking to Epirus. We also went to retrieve Diocletian's scepter, which could summon the ghosts of Roman legions, so we could have the advantage when entering the House of Hades. All we would have to do is face Diocletian's ghost and reason with him. We figured that would be easy, with Jason, who is also a son of Jupiter, and me, as the Ghost King.

"We eventually found the palace and left the note for Reyna underneath a bust of Diocletian. Then, Zephyros appeared. He told us that his master had the scepter. That we would have to face him in order to get it. That we would have to face Cupid, the god of love. Zephyros brought us to Salona, the capital of Dalmatia/Croatia. It was the birthplace of Diocletian, but before that, it was the home of Cupid."

A weight settled in Nico's chest, as he remembered the dark cellar. He remembered traveling to Cupid's home. He had panicked, bracing himself against a column, causing the grass around him to wilt and die. He had been terrified to face Cupid. To face his feelings for Percy. He tried to push these thoughts aside as he continued.

"Zephyros told us that we couldn't lie to Cupid. He then disappeared and Cupid's presence appeared. We couldn't see him at first, but he—taunted us. He slammed into Jason, knocking him down. He got back up and deflected an arrow that Cupid sent toward me. I demanded that he give us the scepter. Jason eventually hit him with his sword, drawing ichor, which Cupid was impressed with. But he claimed that only a child of the Underworld could wield it. He- he then hit me with an arrow. It dissolved and I commanded Cupid to show himself. But he kept attacking Jason. I told him that it was me that he wanted."

Nico's voice faltered. He had gotten this far but he didn't know if he could continue. He had gotten over his feelings for Percy, but the memory still hurt. All the emotions were still there.

"Why did he want you?" Chiron asked quietly.

"Because I was scared of him," Nico admitted. "I—I tried to defeat him with my powers. But… he was too powerful. He forced me to confess. I- I had to submit to him. He knew I conceded, so he appeared. He forced me to confess."

"Confess what?" Mr. D asked.

The room was silent, in anticipation of Nico's next words. He looked up at Annabeth. She knew what he was going to say. She nodded her head once. It gave him the strength to continue.

"I had to confess that I had a crush on Percy Jackson. That was the big secret. That I was gay, and I had a crush on Percy Jackson." Nico confessed to the silent room.

He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at anyone. For a few minutes, no one spoke.

Then, Leo broke the silence. "I mean, who doesn't have a crush on Percy here? Have you seen the guy?"

Laughter rang throughout the room as people agreed to Leo's statement. Nico, red in the face, turned. His eyes immediately sought out Percy's. Percy's eyes were filled with understanding. Nico could tell that Percy had sympathy for his humiliation. Percy nodded his support to Nico. Nico smiled a little, appreciating Leo's comment; it had broken up the tension in the room.

"Who is Percy Jackson?" Dionysus asked, leading to more laughter. He looked around, confused. "What? I only know a Perry Johansson."

"It's Percy Jackson!" Percy defended. "Why do I even try?"

"Alright, alright, settle down," Annabeth grinned as she called for order. "Nico, you can continue."

"He gave up the scepter. But I attacked him. Jason attacked him. We injured him. I'm guessing he didn't take that too lightly. So, I assume he's taken this issue up with Aphrodite. She is his mother, after all."

"I'm not so sure about that," Dionysus said. "That's not really her style."

"If anything, it is probably a god that has an issue with me," Hades remarked. He looked into Nico's eyes. "Probably took it out on Nico, since they couldn't take it out on me."

Dionysus and Hades were quiet for a moment, looking at each other, most likely speaking to each other in their minds. Annabeth looked back to Nico.

"Thank you for sharing that, Nico," Annabeth said. "Now, we need to get back to the matter at hand. The assault."

The amusement Nico had been feeling a few moments before evaporated. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Start from the beginning. Back to the first time you were attacked." Annabeth directed.

"It was a week before the Solstice. I left my cabin and went for a walk around the forest. I saw Aaron and he had this kid pinned to a tree. He was insulting him and-" Nico stopped himself. He didn't want to out the camper as gay if he wasn't out yet. Nico knew what it felt like to be forced out and didn't want to put this camper through it. "-and bullying the camper. So, I stepped in and told Aaron to pick on a camper his own size. He let the camper go and he ran off. Aaron turned to me and tried to attack me. I tried to defend myself, but I was very weak from the shadow-traveling and didn't have any energy. He started beating me up. I couldn't stop him. I passed out." Nico heard gasps from his friends. He hadn't gotten around to telling everyone else. "I woke up in the forest and dragged myself back to my cabin where I stayed for a couple of days."

"Aaron, do you deny Nico's claims?" Annabeth asked.

"Yes." Aaron had his arms crossed over his chest and was looking at Nico with loathing. Nico shivered at the glance and averted eye contact. "I didn't beat him or anyone else up."

"Nico, can anyone confirm your story? The camper he was beating up. Do you know who it was?"

Nico stiffened at Annabeth's question. "I-I don't-"

"It was me." A shaky voice said. Nico turned quickly. It was the kid who had been beaten up. "My name is Lucas, son of Hermes. And I can confirm that Aaron beat me up."

"What reason did he give for doing it?" Annabeth inquired.

"He's a bully; he doesn't need a reason-" Nico started.

Lucas cut him off. "Because he found out that I was gay." Whatever reaction Nico had been expecting, it didn't happen. No one glared at Lucas or scooted away. In fact, everyone was just looking at Aaron in disgust. "He was planning to out me in front of the entire camp. I tried to stop him, but he just started hitting me. Then Nico came to help me. I ran and didn't tell anyone."

The story left everyone speechless.

"Thank you, Lucas." Annabeth murmured. "That was incredibly brave, what you just did. Most people wouldn't be able to do it."

Everyone was nodding their agreement except Aaron. Nico glanced at him to see a grimace on his face. Nico looked at him with disgust. He was the only one who noticed. Or so he thought. He looked around to see Dionysus also considering the son of Ares.

"Anything to help." Lucas's words brought Nico's attention back to the matter at hand.

He looked to Annabeth for a cue and restarted his story. "After that, Will eventually came to camp and healed me. We eventually went to the Solstice and, well, Will already explained everything about that. I decided that staying at camp- staying at camp was too painful for me. There were too many terrible memories I had formed here and a lot of things that I wanted to forget. I knew I couldn't do that without leaving. So, I decided to leave Camp Half-Blood."

Nico could hear whispers from his friends behind him. He hadn't told them.

"And go where?" Annabeth looked sad as she spoke.

"To live with my father, probably," Nico said.

"Why did you stay?"

"To celebrate for New Years. After that night, I decided to stay at Camp. I was excited about Capture-the-Flag. If I had known what was going to-" Nico's voice cracked as he tried to answer Annabeth's inquiry. "If I had known- I wouldn't have stayed." The last phrase came out as a whisper.

"Nico." Annabeth's voice was delicate. "What happened?"

Nico let the words spill out of him without trying to stop them. "The game started and I entered the forest. We ambushed the Hunters' attack formation and took prisoners. That's when I heard a scream. I was following the source of the screaming when a force knocked into me and I hit a tree. I was dazed and confused as I got to my feet, demanding them to show themselves. It was Aaron. Ryan and Tyler followed.

"He started antagonizing me and insulting my sexuality. He brought up how I was weak because of Bian—my sister's death and how I used my powers to hurt people. He said certain things that no one knew about. I knew he had been following me. Stalking me. Looking for my weaknes-" his voice cracked on the word. "He looked and he found them. I summoned skeletons to defend myself, but I wasn't- I wasn't strong enough." Tears flowed down his face. "He slammed me against a tree, suff-suffocating me."

Nico took a moment, controlling his emotions and taking care to remind himself that it was already over and Aaron couldn't hurt him again. He closed all the surrounding sounds out. He felt himself close off inside. He could feel a panic attack. He rode out the wave, unwilling to panic in front of everyone. Minutes passed. Suddenly, a hand was touching his shoulder. He flinched back and glanced up to see Annabeth.

"We can stop if you need to." She quietly murmured.

"No." He whispered back. "I want to be done with this." He raised his voice. "He suffocated me. Then, Ryan and Tyler held me down." His words rang out in the silent room. No one dared to breathe. "And that's when it started. The beating. One, two, three punches. One right after the other. My ribs cracked. My nose broke. I couldn't breathe. And just when I thought I couldn't handle it, he- he cut off my air supply. I passed out, and I thought I was dead."

Silence. Absolute silence. Nico was scared to look up, to see the reactions. After another minute of silence, he slowly raised his head. He made eye contact with his father. Hades nodded slightly. It was over. He had done it. He had recounted one of the worst days of his life. He looked to Dionysus. The god merely gave him a smile of understanding as if he knew what Nico was going through. He glanced at Chiron. His head was bowed, so Nico couldn't see his face, but he could tell he was upset by the way he was holding himself. Nico didn't dare turn around. He didn't want to see the pitying glances that he was sure to get from his friends.

"I thought it was over." Nico broke the silence. "I thought I was dead. It seemed like I was. I woke up, just to experience the same beating over and over again. Every time I passed out, I would wake up in the forest again. It was the same beating over and over again. I was- I was trapped in my mind, and there was nothing I could do to escape. I kept getting beaten and kept getting injured."

He gestured to Kayla, turning slightly to see her.

"Kayla said that's why it took so long for me to heal. Somehow, the same injuries kept happening to me. Kayla and Chiron both said it was a god interfering, but we don't know who." He swallowed. "I was trapped, and I didn't think I was going to get out. I was trapped. I thought it was the end. I had given up. And then, Will appeared in my dreams. I faced my demons. I fought back against Aaron. Will brought me home. And here I am today." Nico finished; a weight taken off his shoulders.

He had finished. But fear was still brewing inside him. Recounting that was terrible. He had revealed his weaknesses and insecurities to everyone. He felt panicked. He couldn't afford to break down in front of the entire camp. He took a calming breath. He tried to distract himself. He looked up at Annabeth, who had her hand over her mouth. Nico could see the tears glistening in her eyes, but she didn't cry. With all the standards she was held to, Annabeth couldn't cry in front of the camp. She would be viewed as weak, which was a terrible misconception; she was one of the strongest people that Nico knew.

"Thank you, Nico." Annabeth eventually said.

Nico stood from his chair. He felt like he was in a bad dream. He turned slowly, his head looking towards the ground. He couldn't face anyone. He didn't want to see how their opinions had changed about him because of his confession. He sat next to Will. Whether something on his face showed it, Will didn't try to talk to him or touch him. In fact, the entire room was silent.

Will's POV:

Will wanted to reach out to Nico, reassure him that everything was okay, but he didn't dare touch him; he knew he had to let Nico have his space. He had seen how difficult it had been for Nico. He had seen how shaken Nico was and how close he was to breaking down.

Annabeth finally spoke up again. "Aaron, please come to the stand."

Will watched as Aaron sauntered over to the stand. He sat in the chair in front of the gods. Hades glowered, looking at the camper. Chiron looked disappointed and Dionysus looked as if he couldn't care less.

"Mr. Stevenson, can you please tell us where you were during Capture the Flag on New Year's Day?"

Aaron scoffed. "I don't remember. We've had so many battles and games in that forest that I can't remember my exact location during the evening."

"Did you ever see Nico?"

Aaron looked directly at Nico. "Only once. He ran past me at the beginning of the game, but I never saw him again."

"How did you come by your hand injury then?" Annabeth asked.

"It's a tough game, someone sliced my hand in a sword-fight."

"Will claimed that the injury to your hand was consistent in punching someone incorrectly."

Aaron shrugged. "He's making that up in order to get me in trouble."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "Can anyone confirm your story?"

"Ryan and Tyler. I was with them the whole time."

Annabeth crossed her arms over her chest. "They stand accused of helping you. Can you think of anyone else to provide as witness?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"What about Drew?" Annabeth asked. "She was accused of being with you."

"She wasn't. She didn't feel well so she stayed in her cabin." Aaron revealed.

"Can anyone confirm this?" Annabeth asked the crowd.

"Yes," Piper interjected. Will turned to see Piper standing up. "She requested to take off for the game, claiming a headache. It isn't required to take part in Capture-the-Flag, so I saw no issue with letting her stay."

Annabeth nodded, accepting Piper's story.

"Tell me what happened in the next couple of days."

"I went to the infirmary to have Will fix my hand. Then, it was camp as usual. I went to my classes, did my chores, until one day in the arena, I came across Will Solace beating the crap out of a training dummy. I asked him what he was doing when he started spouting off crap that I had beaten Nico up. He started attacking me, I was just defending myself."

"He said that you attacked him." Annabeth countered.

"Well he was lying, he attacked me," Aaron said. "And that was only the first time. Eventually, I was brought in for questioning. I was minding my own business, sharpening my sword, when Jason and Clarisse came to tell me they were bringing me in for questioning. I was going to go with them quietly."

"According to them," Annabeth interrupted, which Aaron looked pissed about. "You ran away. Why do that if you weren't guilty?"

"Because they were on di Angelo's side. I knew I wouldn't stand a chance. So, I ran. You would probably do the same." Aaron lied. Will had to give it to him; his lie was a good one. "I got brought into questioning and you guys all started badgering me. I had no idea why. I never attacked Nico. During the questioning, Will barged in and attacked me. He again accused me of assaulting Nico when he had absolutely no evidence."

"But you told him that you didn't mean to hurt him, which we have from multiple sources." Annabeth pointed out.

"He wasn't going to stop, so I told him that to appease him. I just wanted him to stop. I was lying."

"According to Nico and Will, you are lying now." Annabeth retorted.

"I'm-" Aaron realized something. "Hang on, this is just a formality. You've already made your decision, haven't you?" He stood, pointing an accusing finger at Dionysus.

Dionysus stayed calm. "Well I would prefer a confession from all four of you, but yes. I have come to a conclusion." Dionysus' tone was terrifying. His eyes flickered to look at Aaron. "I do believe that you are guilty."

"I didn't do anything!" Aaron's voice faltered. He turned on Will and Nico. "They are lying!"

Will saw what Aaron was about to do about, but it was too late. The son of Ares launched himself at Nico. The two boys grappled as they tumbled to the ground. Will froze with fear and shock. He couldn't move. Aaron wrapped his hands around Nico's throat, cutting off the boy's air supply.