2: take another drag

If Calypso ended up staring blankly for a while at Leo Valdez then she couldn't really be blamed for it. She may live in Manhattan, but she didn't come across fashion designers and their boyfriends on a daily basis. It didn't help that she had attempted to cease their arguing that ended up in Khione strutting away with a figurative 'thanks honey' pat on Calypso's cheek. She only had a moment to consider the consequences of her unwanted actions before Leo's eyes were upon her. Calypso averted her eyes immediately, not wanting to gauge just how badly she had screwed things up between the "It" couple.

Then she immediately retreated to the back room with a bogus excuse about having to "check if my sister had forgotten something there the last time she was at Rainbow's, because Silena is always forgetting things here and there –"

"Callie." She spun around from her place in front of the boxes to see Iris looking back at her with a worried frown. Calypso had stood in front of the boxes for the last few minutes opening and closing them fretfully.

"Hello," she said in a calm manner to a worried looking Iris. "I was just looking for –"

"Yeah, yeah," Iris cut her off while rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. It was obvious that Iris knew she was lying about looking for Silena's belongings, but Calypso couldn't help it. "That Leo guy is gone, if that's what you're so freaked out about."

A sigh of relief that Calypso didn't realize she was holding escaped her. Calypso generally didn't get anxious around strangers, so she wasn't exactly sure why she was avoiding him. It could have possibly been because of the whole Percy fiasco not even twenty-four hours ago; she was a little sore around the edges whenever she was rejected by someone. Especially the way Percy had done it. Not that he was a bad person per se, it was just that he was a little oblivious. Calypso had found that trait endearing at first but not so much after Annabeth Chase had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Sorry," Calypso said, closing the box once again. "I don't know what just happened back there."

Iris patted her shoulder. "Khione just has that effect on people."

Calypso worried her lower lip, wondering whether or not she should mention that it was Leo who froze her up rather than Khione. Iris was still talking. "How about you check on Nico for a while? I don't think you'll be very productive for the rest of the shift."

"God," Calypso groaned. "I'm so sorry. I don't even know what's wrong with me today. Yeah, okay, I'll hang out with your antisocial brother for you and make sure he doesn't do something illegal. I'll make up for today's shift tomorrow, all right?"

Iris smiled at her warmly. "You're my friend, Callie! I don't want you to feel like you're obligated to work here. I don't care if you miss a few shifts. Just promise you'll be okay for me."

Calypso nodded. "I'll try my best, Iris," she said in a mock eager tone.

"That's my girl. And don't tell Fleecy that I chose you to look out for Nico over her!"

-CALEO-

When Calypso had made it to Iris's apartment, Nico was predictably sitting in front of the television screen stabbing furiously away at his game controller. He barely even glanced over when Calypso allowed herself inside the room. Instead, he let out a heavy sigh before ostensibly turning his back to her.

Calypso frowned, not knowing what she had done to make him act this way. "It's Calypso," she said, her intonation rising at the end so it sounded more like a question and less than a statement. She tried again, "It's Callie," she said more confidently.

"I know," Nico mumbled, getting up from his cross-legged position on the floor to face her. "I just thought it was someone else." He looked down away from her face. "It was nothing."

"Did you think it was Fleecy?" Calypso asked, closing the door behind her and locking it.

Nico worried his bottom lip with his teeth before releasing it and shrugging. "Something like that." His answers were vague and dismal. His shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly with dejection and weariness, the hope that was holding him up torn from his spine leaving only dismay.

Calypso narrowed her eyes at Nico, going through all the possibilities for his current mood until she found the most suitable one. "Did you meet someone?" It seemed likely he had been waiting for someone to take him out on a date of some sorts.

Instead of getting that frightened but telltale 'Of course not!' Calypso received a self-effacing laugh from Nico. She frowned, knowing that there was going to be a story behind that. Nico returned to his game, shooting at invisible faces and ignoring the world around him. She sighed, knowing that it wouldn't get any answers from him if she went on like this.

It was time to bare her heart for Nico to examine and poke at before she would get an answer. She knew it was the only way to get him talking. Calypso sat down beside Nico, watching the young man attentively. He glanced at her from the corner of his eyes before focusing on the game once more. After a few minutes, he exited to the game main screen and frowned at her. His nose scrunched up and he let out a huff of air. "What do you want?" he asked in clipped tones.

Now she had his attention. "We're friends, are we not?" she asked quietly, easing him into the conversation. "And friends share things, correct?"

At Calypso's words, Nico's frown deepened. "Look, Calypso, I don't know what's going on with this sudden girl talk and where it's leading to but the last time I checked 'co-worker' isn't interchangeable with 'friend'," Nico finished, turning his attention to the screen once more. Calypso snatched the controller out of his hand before he could start playing again. "Hey!" Nico opposed heatedly.

Calypso ignored Nico's protests. "I'm going to tell you something, okay?" She looked into his eyes for affirmation and he nodded in resignation. He was annoyed, but she knew he would listen. She took a breath and started speaking. "So I was at a club the other day…with this guy I met earlier." It was a little hard recounting the details, but she tried to paint it in broad strokes. She was not going to break down again because of this. "We really 'hit' it off. He was the one who suggested the club, and friends don't ask other friends to meet them in clubs – at least not in my experience." Once again, Calypso's use of slang sounded awkward. It managed to bring an unbidden smile to Nico's face so she decided it was a success. "But it turned out that he had a girlfriend he never mentioned." She shrugged, trying to downplay it but the memory still hurt. She could see Annabeth turning around the corner and kissing Percy square on the lips before giving Calypso a one-over. "And I didn't know that. So one second I was getting drinks and the next he had his tongue down some girl's throat." Calypso hurried the next bit before she could burst into tears. "I thought it was just a drunk fling but then he pulled be over and introduced us all. His girlfriend knew what was up and did not take my presence well. Let's just say that I decided to go home after that." Right after getting drunk enough to wake up with a massive hangover.

"Oh," Nico said with a pitiful look at Calypso. She didn't like telling these stories and everyone was sick of them to be honest because of how often they happened, but this was the first time that Nico had ever heard one of the many stories about her love life. "So…why are you telling me this?" he asked, shifting in his spot and looking away from her. It was obvious that he knew the topic was sensitive and he couldn't brush it off, but really wanted to.

Calypso placed a hand reassuringly on Nico's shoulder. "I want you to know that whatever you're going through, I'm here for you." That was a cheesy line to use, but Calypso was kind of telling the truth. "If you want, you can tell me what happened."

Nico sighed, slapping his hand over his face once he heard her words. "Of course it would come down to this," he groaned. He sighed heavily and didn't speak for while, leading Calypso to believe that her plan was not working, but then Nico spoke again. "You have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even my sister," Nico said, grasping Calypso's wrist firmly and staring fiercely into her eyes. Once Calypso promised, Nico closed his eyes and breathed out the words in one fast sentence.

"I'm gay."

Calypso stared confusedly at Nico, not knowing what to make out of it. Surely it wasn't where Nico's heartache ended. She had never heard of a broken heart caused by examining one's own sexual orientation. "And?"

Nico's eyes opened to stare at Calypso. Their expressions imitated each other before Nico finally broke the silence. "It was supposed to be a big revelation," he said somewhat sheepishly. "I mean I am living in a heteronormative society… You would expect a bigger reaction. Not that I'm unhappy that you're kind of chilled about it. Just don't tell Iris…"

"I won't tell Iris," she promised once again, "it's just that it has never been such a big deal to me. But…who broke your heart? You've been acting like a jilted lover this entire evening."

"I'm not acting like a 'jilted lover'!" Nico said indignantly, but a blush was staining his usually pale cheeks. "And no one broke my heart…" He looked away and his expression turned bashful when he turned back to face Calypso. "I kind of met this guy. And it's kind of stupid, but I gave him my address and said he could visit to hang out. If you know what I mean." At Calypso's sudden wide smile, Nico covered his face with his hands and groaned. The flush was spreading down to his neck. "Oh God, it was so stupid of me. I should have just given him my stupid number instead and now I'm never going to see him ever again," he muttered into his hands.

Calypso hummed in amusement. "Tell you what," she finally decided. "We're heading out tonight to that club, Ogygia. We're going to have fun, and you can find tons of other attractive men to go home with."

Nico looked up sharply and his eyes narrowed. "Iris will be ticked off," he warned. "And I'm not planning to go home with other men," he muttered, the tips of his ears turning red with embarrassment.

Calypso sighed. "You're an adult, Nico and Iris would love the idea. Don't pretend that you're not eager about this. Now go get dressed – we're heading on out."

-CALEO-

Nico fidgeted nervously as they entered the club. Pounding noise in the form of club music and swirls of colour assaulted his senses and Nico was left disorientated for a second before Calypso was pulling him along. He tugged at the collar of his dark shirt. "Are you sure about this?" he groused to Calypso, noting that some women were eyeing him up and down. He pulled at his black pants, grumbling at the way they hugged around his bottom and emphasized its' shape.

"You look very handsome," Calypso assured him. She had borrowed some clothing out of Iris' closet and was now wearing a tight white dress and midnight blue heels that clacked behind her. She caught the eye of a young man who was looking at her and smiled demurely back. He grinned but the smile quickly dropped when his eyes landed on the dark-haired man beside her. Before he could come to a decision of how to proceed, Calypso had already pulled Nico away and disappeared from his sight.

She knew that she shouldn't really be here so soon after what happened with Percy. They had been in this very club when Annabeth showed up to claim her boyfriend. But Nico needed a distraction, and this was Calypso's favourite place to be besides the coffee shop. A woman winked at Nico, causing him to flush a shade of red. He quickly turned away and grabbed Calypso's arm firmly. "I would have expected a gay bar at least! This place is full of straight people!" he hissed. "You know, I thought my sexual orientation would actually change your idea of the perfect club to go to."

Calypso merely smiled at Nico before pulling away from his grip. "Ogygia is welcoming to people of all sexual orientations," she simply said. "I think you'll find what you're looking for here. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting a drink." She forcibly pushed Nico onto the dance floor before disappearing through the throng of people.

As luck would have it, she bumped into the person she wanted to see the least. Calypso stumbled, and her heartbeat picked up pace. Her fists clenched and she felt her blood rushing to her cheeks. Percy laughed a little, holding on to Calypso's shoulders to steady her. "Hey Calypso, I didn't expect to see you around here again," Percy said with a boyish grin. Calypso's eyes flickered from his green eyes to his girlfriend whom predictably stood behind him. She waved at Calypso and smiled, but there was a strain in the smile and it didn't quite reach her eyes. She wondered if the girl could kill with the glare in her gaze. Calypso's eyes flickered down again to where Annabeth's hand was curling possessively onto Percy's arm. He didn't notice the sudden voracity from his girlfriend.

"I'm here with someone, actually," she said with all means of brushing Percy off. She couldn't let him know that she had actually hoped something would come out of the two of them last night. If it took a lie, then that was what she was going to say.

"That's what I'm talking about," he joked. "So who's the lucky guy?"

Calypso felt bad about using Nico, but she could see no other way to cut herself cleanly from the mess that she had stumbled upon. Fortunately, Nico did not know how to mingle and had fought through the crowd to reach her the second she had left his side earlier. He conveniently broke through the horde that very moment. "Calypso!" he huffed irately. His hair was mused up and his dark eyes were wide and wild. "I told you that –" He caught sight of Percy and the words died in his mouth. His mouth gaped opened and his eyes took on a look of awe, surprise, and admiration. Calypso instantly knew that Percy was the person Nico had been talking about earlier back at his apartment. A mixture of feelings rose up within Calypso's stomach at this surprise.

Before she had time to truly feel confused about the emotions welling up inside of her, Percy's eyes were focused on Nico and his demeanour brightened instantly. "Nick, is it?" Percy asked him, and Calypso winced. The effect of the mistaken name was not lost on Nico and his hopeful expression quickly dimmed. Nico's eyebrows drew together and his mouth closed into a flat line. "Man, it's good to see you. Sorry I didn't come around to hang out like you wanted, I was a little busy." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head in an endearing way. Calypso felt her heart pound a little faster at the little movement.

Her heart was crushed when Annabeth swooped in once again, moving her hand down to hold Percy's and stepping beside him in an obvious display of territorial claiming. She smiled at the two of them. This time, it was more genuinely and she looked from Nico to Calypso happily. Apparently Calypso was no longer a threat to her now that Nico had stepped in inadvertently. It was Calypso's fault in the first place – she had been the one who lied about a boyfriend and now they assumed it was Nico. She rolled her eyes at Percy's words. "That's him all right, always a Seaweed Brain." She then turned to look at them again. "I don't really say this often…but you guys make a nice couple."

Nico glared at Calypso before he noted the way that Annabeth was holding onto Percy. His expression grew stormier and his body language was entirely closed off. "Yeah, I guess so," he mumbled without inflection. He refused to meet anyone's eyes, now focusing on the way that Annabeth's hand clasped his.

Percy didn't notice the tension in the air. "Have a great night, you two," he said. "Annabeth and I are going to head out now." He winked at Calypso before turning around and leaving with Annabeth's hand clutched in his and pressed against her side. The couple left the two of them standing there dumbfounded.

Nico finally looked up at Calypso, his eyes clouded over with hurt that she forgot about her own pain for the moment. "Nico…," she began but then he pulled away. His expression grew angry, and he turned to dash into the crowd which effectively erased him from Calypso's line of sight.

"Nico!" she called out, trying to push through the crowd but they weren't parting. The music was too loud and sweaty bodies pressed too tightly against each other. She bumped into a couple halfway and they hissed at her to watch where she was going. She lost hope of finding him after a few minutes of fruitless searching but yet continued.

Unfortunately, she accidentally tripped on someone's foot and toppled over to the person beside her. He yelped and the two of them ended up sprawling onto the ground. Calypso cursed at her luck, hoping that the dress hadn't gotten torn up in process. Iris might be okay with her borrowing clothes, but Calypso knew that her best friend would be incensed if she had come back with ruined clothing.

"Just not our lucky day, is it?" the man she had collapsed on top of said in a self-deprecating manner. It was then that she realized who she had crashed into. Her heartbeat picked up not for the first time today – this time in fright and unexplained nervousness. It was no one other than the fashion designer's ex-boyfriend, Leo Valdez.

A/N: I am so sorry for not updating for over a year. I have literally not written anything for over half a year now and just yesterday went off typing on this fic. I've lost my writing style, so the second half is awkwardly written.

I probably won't be updating this until around May again. I am literally a few days from major exams and finishing the second half of this chapter was just another form of procrastination for me.

Anyway, reviews would be nice of course. I have not yet read Blood of Olympus yet, so if I've incorporated a theme from that book into this chapter, it was purely accidental. Spoilers from Blood of Olympus are the only things not appreciated on a review lol.

And to Nico lovers, do not fret! (I obviously love all LGBTQ+ characters and will give him a wonderful and canon! character to love) But he won't suddenly become bisexual, pansexual, or heterosexual. Again, I don't know what happened in Blood of Olympus and whether he hooked up with Thalia or some girl like so many fans wanted, but Nico is purely homosexual in this fic.

On mature themes spoken of in this fic: if you're uncomfortable with them, please alert me. I've moved to more 'adult' type fiction and this is not unusual for me to write/read about them especially in a club setting (and the song this is titled after does include mature themes as well). However, if you are feeling uncomfortable with these hints of sexual activities, please tell me! I'll lessen or remove them completely. Thanks for reading (and waiting)!