Chapter Three.

It'd been three days since the Dinner Party. Reyna had decided to sail to New Rome with us. She told us little stories about what she thought Camp Half-Blood was like. She didn't really like it, since it wasn't as serious as Camp Jupiter. I love that about Camp Half-Blood. I mean, it is serious. Most of it is train, train, train, but Chiron prepares us more subtly. He lets us take breaks more often. He lets us sleep in. With Camp Jupiter, the only thing that matters to them is training. I have more friends at Camp Half-blood, because I am allowed to get to know the Campers. Not so much, at Camp Jupiter.

I wish that when we got home, I could've brought all my friends with me back to Camp Half-blood. But Hazel and Frank are going to Camp Jupiter, Annabeth and Percy haven't decided. Leo and Piper are the only ones who are going back for sure. Nico is leaving for good. Reyna is still Praetor. I'm going to where I think is home, but I may be leaving Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth, Reyna, and Nico. I'll have the two I started my journey with, but not the people who became my best friends even quicker. That's why I wish Reyna and Chiron would decide to combine the Camps. Than I'd have all my friends, except for Nico. I guess there is no fun way out of this. If I go to Camp Jupiter, I'll be very unhappy, but I'll definitely have Hazel, Reyna and Frank. If I go to Camp Half-Blood, I'll have Leo and Piper. I can't chose! I wish we were all just going to Camp Half-Blood! That way I could have all my friends with me! Hazel and I are still weary of each other, but she is still my friend! Frank and I never got to know each other very well, but he's saved my Roman rumpus a billion times! I hate that this quest is over! I just don't want anyone to leave! Over all this time, I've grown to care about all of them, but every single solution leaves out a few friends. Every single solution leaves out Nico, too, and I don't want that. He's my friend, and thanks to Hazel, I think he's more than a friend. I hate every solution. I just want to have everyone I love at one Camp. All my friends. All the people I care about. The people I know I can't see are the two people who are most important to me! Thalia, and Nico. None of this is fair. Why did I have to go on this quest just to have this happen?

I had been pacing in my room, trying to find a solution to all of this, but I had nothing. I kept getting frustrated, and hit my fists against my dresser. Thunder and lightening clashed outside the Argo II. Dad was mad at me for throwing a fit, but I've never even met him, so I don't care. I walked to my closet, seeing both a Camp Jupiter and a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt hanging there. I hit them both away, and tears began to flood my eyes. I don't cry very often, but in this case, I was going to lose all my friends. All the people I need. A knock came from the door, and it opened. It was Annabeth Chase, Daughter of Athena, only other blond on this ship.

"Jason?" Annabeth asked, tilting her head.

"What?!" I asked, flustered.

"Why are you crying? What happened?" She asked.

"Leaving! We're all leaving each other! I'm never going to see half of you again! You, Percy, Hazel, Frank and Reyna are going to Camp Jupiter, while Leo, Piper and I go to Camp Half-Blood and Reyna will band the Camps from ever seeing each other again! It isn't fair!" I shouted. Annabeth took a step into my room, and walked to me. She gave me a hug. Annabeth and I had never really became friends, but I know that I would miss her.

"I know how you feel. And truthfully, I do not want to go to Camp Jupiter even a little bit. I want to go home, to Camp Half-Blood, but Percy is going to Camp Jupiter, and I'm not losing him. I promise that we'll all see each other again. I've been talking to Reyna. Once in every month we're all going to meet up. We aren't going to the other camps, just to see each other, in the protection of my friend Grover Underwood, and his other friends. Don't worry. We'll see each other again. All of us will" Annabeth said. I hugged her back.

"What about Nico?" I asked. "He won't be there."

"I know Nico di Angelo. He may not like me, and he may be weary of me, but I have watched that kid grow up. He will come back, if there is someone special on his mind. After Bianca died, he felt like he had no friends. I tried, but he always turned me down, until he pretended to have a crush on me. I don't know why, but I know he was faking it. Than he got Hazel. He was almost as happy as he was with Bianca. Than he got you, now he is that happy. He just hides it under the service. But he was two great friends. He'll come to these for you two" Annabeth said.

"You think so?" I asked.

"Daughter of Athena. I know these things" Annabeth said, in a very cheeky tone.

"Thanks Annabeth" I said. Annabeth pulled away, and I wiped the tears from my eyes. She smiled at me. She gave a nod, and started to walk out of my room, until she stopped in the doorway and turned, saying:

"We're about to eat dinner, and Leo said he had a surprise for everyone" And she turned and left for real. I nodded, and sat on my bed, and laid down. I'm glad we get to see each other, but what if Annabeth is wrong? I know Hazel is important to him, but me? Not really. I may be the only one who knows that he's gay, but I'm not the most important person on his mind. I brushed my hair back with my fingers. Why did I have to care about this little death kid so much? I had been terrified of him when he first came aboard. I didn't even want to go back for him when we were going to Ancient Rome. Why now? Why now to I have to care about him? When I'm about to leave?

I sat up, and brushed myself off. This wasn't the time to be upset. I got up, and I started to walk down the hall. I could hear Hazel giggling in her cabin. Leo had shown her the Internet. Frank scurried down the hall, and knocked on Hazel's door. Hazel given one more chuckle than opened the door to her room, and grinned sheepishly at Frank.

"Have you ever heard of Tumblr?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah" Frank said, with a half smile. I turned to them.

"Are you two going to Leo's big surprise thing?" I ask.

"Yeah, I just came to get Hazel" Frank said, swaying from one foot to the other.

"Leo has a surprise?" Hazel asked, with a bright glow in her eyes.

"Uh-huh" I answered. Hazel grinned. She and Frank scampered off to the Deck, and I followed. Hazel looked over her shoulder at me, and winked. My eyebrows knitted together. I didn't understand.

Leo stood on the deck, with a small smile. He turned on some music.

"Yeah! Last night was a dinner party? Lets have a dance party!" He yelled.

"What?!" Reyna yelled.

"Can't dance?" Piper asked.

"No, I can, I just...I don't like it very much" She said. Piper gave her a sympathy smile, and Reyna groaned.

"Come on! It would be fun! I've never danced in my life!" He said. Annabeth, who stood on the other side of the deck, walked to Percy, who was standing next to Frank, who was right beside me. Annabeth took Percy's hands, and he spun her around.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Leo yelled. "Hey Levesque, may I have this dance?"

"Just this one" Hazel said. Frank gave her a quizzical look.

"Hey, it's just a dance" She said, kissing his cheek. She walked to Leo, and he twirled her around. She laughed and grinned, which made Frank uneasy.

I looked to Nico, but he was frowning at Annabeth and Percy. I gestured him over. He shook his head, and took a step into the shadows. My eyes narrowed, and I walked across the deck before he could shadow travel away.

"Come on, this is a celebration! We've been on this ship for months! Almost a whole year. You have been a great part of this adventure, and you aren't going to leave. You don't need to dance, and you don't need to watch them, but you do need to stay" I said, grabbing his shoulder as he turned.

"No, I don't need to stay" He spat. "I don't want to be here!"

"I want you to be here, Hazel wants you to be here, and Annabeth wants you to be here! I know you aren't Annabeth's number one fan, but she cares about you! Come on" I said.

Nico glared at me.

"Why do you care so much?" He asked.

"Because of reasons!"

Nico sighed.

"Fine" He yelled. "I'll stay." I nodded.

–

Nico and I giggled on the deck long after the party. Frank had gotten jealous of Leo, and had turned into a jungle cat. Leo had screamed like a little girl. Hazel had been just laughing the whole time. Nico and I thought Hazel was hilarious. She has both those boys crazy about her. Leo used to be, now he just likes her as a friend, and he flirts with her in a friendly way every once in a while. But Hazel flirts back, so it doesn't really matter. Hazel won't leave Frank.

Nico and I are laughing about how high pitched Leo sounded. It was so funny. We're also telling each other funny stories about our lives. Everyone else has gone to bed.

"You know, you aren't so bad" Nico said, after a while.

"Neither are you" I answered. We're silent for a few more minutes.

"Wanna play twenty questions?" He asked.

"Sure" I nodded.

"Okay, you go first" He ventured.

"What is your actual favorite color?" I asked.

"Orange" Nico said. "It doesn't have anything to do with Camp Half-Blood. It reminds me of Bianca. She used to wear a lot of orange dresses and blouses. Yours?"

"Blue. Not that surprising. What's your favorite animal?"

"Cat. In Tartarus, they were a lot of kittens scattered. I found most of them. One got away, though, and I never found it again. They were the only nice thing in that pit. They made me happy. I like cats a lot more now. What about you?"

"Probably tigers" I said, a small smile replacing my distant look. We go on and on, until we get to the fourth question, and I stupidly asked: "Have you ever kissed someone?"

Nico went quiet. We stayed quiet for almost five minutes. I was about to say something went Nico whispered "No."

"Really?"

"No, I've never kissed anyone" He said. "It isn't a big deal."

"Okay" I said. A small thought serviced my mind for only a second. What if I kiss him? No. No I won't do that. Nico will freak out. I turned towards the water, and looked out. I heard Nico's footsteps coming closer to me, and his smaller arms wrapped around my waist.

"Goodnight" He said. I turned, and hugged him back. This is the first time Nico has hugged me. Almost always I am the one hugging him. Nico pulled away, giving me a half smile, and started to walk away.

I watched him go. I turned back towards the ocean, clutching my stomach, where his arms had just been. He's leaving. Nico di Angelo is leaving, and I will never see him again. This was my last chance. My last chance of anything happening, and I just lost it. Why, Jason?! Why are you such an idiot? It doesn't matter. I'll go to Camp Half-Blood. I'll go home. I might even get back with Piper. But not Nico. No. I need to forget about that.

End Of Chapter.

AN. Oh my gods that was lame. How did I even just write that right there? What is wrong with me? Sorry guys, usually I'm better at this.

News: I'm thinking of writing a drabble set of Nico and Jason holiday stories. They will already be a couple. This story I guess is how they got together. But what do you think?

Coffee.