Jason chewed on his bottom lip. He barely listened to the chatter around him. His eyes drifted to the armor resting on a chair - no dent to be found - and then back to the door. Nico wasn't coming. He was sure. They were supposed to meet at Percys' 15 minutes ago and yet… He ran his hand through his hair. The son of Hades was never late. What if he'd left camp and this time for good? All because of Jason. He wanted to protect him, wanted to keep him close, but in the end, he'd only manage to push him away. He'd h-

A shy knock interrupted his thoughts and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

"Nico!" Percy yanked the door open. "There you are," the son of Poseidon beamed, wrapping his arms around the poor soul at the cabin's entrance and presumably crushing all his bones in the giant bear hug he gave.

"Uhm, hi," Nico mumbled a little flustered.

"Hey, how come Percy is allowed to hug him?" Will wondered out loud.

"It's a complete mystery," the son of Poseidon grinned, still not letting go.

"No, it isn't." Connor quipped only half joking.

Nico extended his middle finger toward him.

"Apparently he is the chosen one," Travis laughed while shielding his face with one of Percy's pillows as a pack of M&M's came flying in his direction.

"I got snacks," Nico deadpanned.

"The blue ones are mine!" Percy called dibs as he finally released the younger demigod to follow the trail of candy. He leaped on the bed to join the rest of the puppy pile.

A collective groan erupted from Jason, Will, and the Stolls when sharp knees and elbows pocked into innocent ribs. Nico's mouth curled up. He crossed the doorstep of cabin 3 and Jason could finally breathe again.

Awkwardly Nico stood in the room and Percy patted the small space beside him on the crowded mattress in the same way he would do with Mrs. O'Leary when inviting her for cuddles.

Nico rolled his eyes and sat down on the carpet instead. It was soft and fluffy and very blue. He leaned on the back of the bed frame with the TV screen in front of him.

"So, what are we watching?" He asked casually, avoiding Jason's stare.

The son of Poseidon robbed closer. "The best movie of the century!"

Nico raised a brow at the other's enthusiasm. "You said the same about 'Finding Nemo'."

The son of Poseidon pouted but was not to be deterred. He loomed over the younger demigod. "You'll love it," he smirked knowingly. "It has pirates in it."

The tips of Nico's ears burned red. Thankfully someone had the mercy to press the play button and together they watched the Black Pearl sail across the screen. To his surprise Percy was right. The movie turned out to be amazing!

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.

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3 2 1 Go!

The tiles of the road shimmered in the colors of the rainbow as Princess Peach hurdled into the void.

"How is this even possible!?" Percy exclaimed and threw his controller to the ground. "Not fair!" Unperturbed it bounced off the blanket pile below.

Travis and Connor high-fived.

"It's not how you start, but how you finish," the older snickered. Beating Percy was laughable easy if you knew how.

"As if! You're ganging up on me. Again."

4 times in a row they'd pulled this crap.

Connor laughed and easily dodged a banana peel. The random button smashing did the son of Poseidon no favor. Nothing could save him now.

"I think I just got hit by a boomerang."

"What didn't you get hit by?" Connor taunted.

"Sometimes I like to throw green shells at myself just to feel something," Percy joked.

"That doesn't even make sense."

Behind them, Nico grunted and the son of Poseidon smirked when the youngest Stoll missed all the boxes.

Between sweet treats and video games, they had coaxed the prince of the underworld into bed. At some point, he'd fallen asleep, and with him Jason and Will as well. Wiping the floor with them must have thoroughly tired him out. Not gonna lie, the bloodbath was a little unsettling to watch. Nico always used, let's say, a lot of 'flare' while playing. And by 'flare' he meant pure rage.

The three of them painted a strangely alluring picture - Nico's slender body framed by the two older demigods. An image popped up in his mind. For a brief second a phrase tried to take shape in his mouth, something about lions and lambs. He looked at them, never quite sure who was who.

It was the perfect distraction. Time for some good old revenge, Percy thought while holding on to his mushroom. Gleefully he tickled the sole of Jason's foot. The son of Jupiter kicked him in response, but the cascade was sent into motion.

Jason tugged Nico closer, Will buried his nose deeper into his dark curls and Mario slammed into Luigi knocking them both over the edge. Princess Peach waved happily as she drifted past their carts.

Yes! Percy cheered inwardly. He was a genius. Man, he loved this game! It was the perfect amount of toxic. The corner of his lips twitched up. Let's do this!

"So, how come you bet on me and not on our little ghost king here?" Percy increased his lead as he motioned toward Nico.

Both troublemakers exchanged a glance.

"Isn't it obvious?" Connor faked a smile. He was seriously annoyed.

"Enlighten me," Percy replied, his tongue sticking out. The finish line was already in sight.

"Dude, as if Nico would ever let you lose." Travis snorted.

The words caused Percy to frown.

"Your fragile ego just can't handle it. Right Connor?"

"I guess." It was a cruel reminder of the reality they lived in. Connor's gaze shifted to Jason and Will. They were told love conquers all but this, this was nothing more than a setup for heartbreak and disappointment. The others could play the game of pretend all day long, yet the truce stood strong. They lost before the race even started. Cause the sky is blue, the grass is green and Nico di Angelo is in love with Percy Jackson… This wasn't how it's supposed to feel.

Percy groaned as Connor threw a blue shell at him and drove right past him. And they all lived crappily ever after.