I was finishing up my chemistry assignment when I heard a voice behind me.
"Hi Jason." I whirled around, grabbing the sword under my desk at the same time. By the time I was done turning I had a blade to the boy's throat. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Dark jacket. Nico. That dude was always appearing out of nowhere.
"Oh. Hey Nico." I lowered the blade and stuck it back under the desk. "You couldn't come through the door?"
He just grinned at me. Nico must always be Nico, I thought.
"So, want to play tonight, or?" Since that first day in the Hades cabin Nico had shadow traveled to me twice to hang out and play games together. It was nice, and he seemed to be getting more comfortable.
Nico looked awkward. "Actually, I was hoping you could help me out with something."
"Sure. What's up?" I put down the chemistry book and sat on my bed. Nico perched on the edge of the desk and seemed to be having trouble starting.
"Did something happen at camp?" I asked him.
He shrugged. Then he took a deep breath and looked at me. "Do you remember Will Solace?"
"Yeah, he's the head counselor for Apollo - a healer and…" I noticed Nico was blushing. I remembered what I had learned on our quest in Diocletian's palace. Suddenly it clicked. Nico needed help and I was one of the only ones that could.
"Do you… you know… like him?" I ventured.
Nico's head snapped up like I'd hit him. I could tell he was ready to deny it, to fight me on it.
Then his shoulders slumped and I heard a barely audible, "Yeah."
"Ok…" I said, trying to think of what to say. "Has he told you if, you know, he's into guys?"
Nico shook his head. He looked at me with hope in his eyes, though. "His sister, though, Kayla, she, um…. She said he's gay, so…"
I nodded. "That's good, but you should probably confirm it with him too, you know?"
Nico nodded. I could tell he wasn't satisfied.
"Did you want me to…" I took a breath. " Like, teach you how to flirt?" I ventured.
I'm not sure which of us blushed more. For a moment, Nico had disappeared into the shadows.
He reappeared and muttered, "Uh, no." A wave of relief washed over me. I was willing to do it, but I was fairly sure I'd be horrible at that. I wished Piper was around to help, but she was at her dad's tonight.
There were a couple more moments of silence before Nico continued. "But, I, uh….." He stared at the floor, clearly unsure of how to begin.
"You can tell me anything, Nico. I promise. I won't tell."
Relief seemed to wash over the guy. He must've teared up, because he swiped at his eyes angrily.
"Is it… is it really ok?" He asked it so quietly I wasn't sure I had heard it. "To… you know….. Be into guys?"
It hit me. Nico had never really had someone in this day and age to explain it to him. He was so concerned that he would be rejected, yet again, for some part of him that he was born with, that he couldn't change.
"Yeah." I assured him. "Yeah, I promise, it's really ok. And if Will isn't gay, then its still ok. It just means you shouldn't date him. You'll find somebody else." Nico nodded. He still didn't seem convinced.
"Have you told Hazel?" I asked.
He shook his head. He took another breath. "I know she's my sister, but…." I knew that this was incredibly hard for him. I decided that patience might be the best option here.
"But she's not exactly from this time, you know? What if she…" Another wave of realization hit me. Hazel might not accept him. Or at least, that's what Nico was worried about. Hazel might have grown up in the same time period when it wasn't ok to be out. And she may reject him - making him lose another sister. Nico hadn't talked about Bianca, but news travels fast, and I knew that must be what he was worried about.
"Ok…." I said thinking it out loud. "How about someone else? Maybe… Annabeth?" I ventured.
He looked at me. "Actually, I kinda told her. And Percy. To clear the air, you know?"
I nodded. "And how did they take it?" I asked him.
A small smile played on his face. "Percy was ridiculous. Totally confused. Didn't seem to have ever crossed his mind anyone but Annabeth might like him, much less a guy. And Annabeth…" He thought for a moment. "She high-fived me. So I think she took it well. Maybe she already knew."
That wouldn't have surprised me. Annabeth figured out people fast.
"Reyna and Coach Hedge know too." Nico said, seeming to grow more confident. "They found out on our quest with the statue, and Reyna said she supports me. She… really seems to care about me."
"Ok. So four of your friends know the truth and seem to have accepted it. Five." I remembered myself, belatedly. "Maybe it's worth a shot with some others? There are others that love you, Nico. They care about you and want you to be happy. If you aren't sure how Hazel will take it, maybe you can try the others."
The son of Hades shrugged and looked at the floor again. I heard him take another deep breath. "What if they change their minds? What if they… they cast me out again?"
A lump formed in my throat. "I think you've got to give them a chance, Nico. You gave me a chance. I mean, I know you were kind of forced to, but….. I hope I haven't let you down yet, Nico."
He looked me in the eyes for the first time in several minutes. "No." Came the simple response. "No. You haven't, Jason."
I nodded at him. "I promise, your friends will accept you. Just give them a chance to prove it, ok? Don't run quite yet."
He nodded. I could tell just by looking at him that running was exactly what he felt like doing.
"Things are different now, Nico. I promise. People won't judge you for that. Or at least, the ones that truly love you won't." I could tell he still didn't believe me. Nico's world had changed so much, so often. He had grown up in a different time period, then a magic hotel, then he was told he was orphaned and brought to a military school, then he found out about being a half-blood, then about the two camps… It was all so much. I didn't know that he could truly fit in anywhere. But I knew that a lot of us wanted to at least see him happy. I wasn't sure what else I could say. Finally, I broke the silence with an idea.
"Ever seen a Pride Parade?" I asked him. He looked at me, confused.
"Come on." I assured him. "The library is still open. Let's grab a computer. I think this'll help you feel a lot better."
I draped an arm around his shoulder and to my surprise, the son of Hades didn't pull away.