Hey again! Sorrry it took so long for me to get this up; I have limited use of a cmoputer where I am. But here it is! The next chapter is going to fill in the blanks of this one, so you'll just have to wait a little bit longer! Once again, if anyone has an opinion about the one-shot with Mira and Apollo, just tell me in a review!

Disclaimer-I don't own the Percy Jackson franchise or Rick Riordan.

Nico's POV

The camp was in complete chaos, and we could blame it all on Mira.

All the kids in the Aphrodite cabin had set up stations in the middle of the ring of cabins, and there were lines of teenagers just waiting to get themselves dressed and styled and poked and prodded. If they were smart, they would have been charging for these impromptu makeovers. Everyone was getting so into this party thing that they forgot for a moment that they were descended from gods, and they were just having fun.

Not daring to cross the invisible line that separated the guys from the girls, dates were being made and yeses and noes were thrown to each gender like breaths. I hadn't asked anyone to go with me, mostly because I just barely made the age limit and most of the girls were scared of me.

At least that's what I told myself.

Apparently, while all the havoc was going on outside, Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Juniper, Rachel, Mira, the Stolls, Katie and Mattey ( when did we get some many friends?) had commandeered the Big House and were using it as their personal pre-party headquarters. I walked up to it with my suit in hand, and heard music blaring from someone's speakers and female giggles and smelled the scent of perfume.

I walked into a sight so weird I don't think I'll ever forget it.

The two rooms were directly across the hall from each other. The guys were off to the left where the Stolls, who were apparently used to getting dressed up for big-ticket events-probably to pull off a scam-, were teaching Percy and Mattey how to tie their ties correctly while Grover chewed on a pillow. The girls, in the room to my right, were all dressed up except for Mira, who was practically wrestling with Annabeth in her attempt to put makeup on her, while Rachel was doing Juniper's makeup in shades of green, and the music was coming from a set of speaker's attached to somebody's iPod. They were making the whole place smell like expensive lotions and fruity perfumes and new clothes.

"Nico, my man!" Connor swaggered up to me, a glass in his hand that I assumed to be wine. "Get dressed! We're leaving in ten minutes and we've got some serious places to be!"

"Are you guys all drinking?"

"Yes. It's amazing what those Dionysius girls can do with grapes and a little convincing." He winked at me, and shoved me into the bathroom to get changed.

Five minutes later, I was outside, waiting for the girls with the rest of them, a glass of wine in my hand.

Connor yelled out the door. "Stacey-go to the party with me?"

I thought I heard a muffled shout back, and from his grin, I guessed it was a yes.

The girls filed out in a scented, giggly mess. Juniper was wearing what looked like a piece of fabric with strings for sleeves, but Grover seemed to like it, which wasn't something I really wanted to think about. Annabeth was covered up and her outfit was really colorful for her, but once again, Percy liked it, so I guess it was good for them. Rachel was in blue, and Mattey grabbed her arm, even though he knew he wouldn't be getting any. I quickly did the math when Katie walked next to Travis in some tight grey…thing. Connor was outside with Stacey, and the only ones left were Mira and I.

Dear gods.

She was in a body-hugging, bright pink, short little….it was just stunning. I couldn't describe it to you now if I tried; all I can really remember is that it looked amazing on her.

She smiled up at me, and I could tell she'd had a little to drink by the rosy color that seemed to have spread through her-unless that was just my vision going pink from the heat that suddenly filled my cheeks.

This was crazy.

This was so, so wrong.

She had been with Apollo. He was the freaking player of the universe. Don't think I hadn't noticed how they'd been with each other when he came to camp. He had obviously staked a claim on her. And it was his party we were going to-because of her thing with him. He would get pissed at me if I tried anything, and then I'd be fried by the sun or something…right?

Even with all this hanging over my head, I couldn't help but thinking that she looked beautiful.

And so I smiled right back at her, and she took my arm.

Damn Apollo to Hades. If anyone asked, I was blaming it on the alcohol.

There was a mess of fancy sports car waiting for us in the parking lot. "Do you know how to drive?" Mira looked up at me with her eyes all wide and moony, her voice a low, breathy whisper.

I tossed the rest of my drink into my mouth, the glass into the bushes, and winked at her. "I do now!"

She laughed in exhilaration, and even though I knew it was the alcohol for both of us, I couldn't help but just be so happy. We hopped into a canary yellow Porsche, shoved Rachel and Mattey in the back seat, and drove to Olympus.

The roads were spectacularly clear for New York, especially for that time of night. We sped along, somehow without an accident, singing to the radio and taking sips of a bottle of vodka Mattey had in his jacket.

We parked the car haphazardly, now stumbling a little bit, and duped the man at the desk into letting us up the elevator. Almost as if we knew that this would be out last really fun time in a very long while, we sang and danced in the squished ride up, but got very, very quiet as the doors opened. We put on our somber faces, and walked the walkway to Olympus.

The beauty of it never failed to amaze me. Now, I'm not one for architecture and decorations, but you could only dislike the way Olympus looked if you were blind. We followed signs left conveniently for us-not officially, of course. They were signs like a passed out nymph, or an empty bottle. Finally we got to our destination, amid much giggling and tripping-Apollo's palace. I don't know what it looked like on a normal day, but right now it was covered in everything a party could want.

The party had already started when we arrived, everyone decked out in their best dresses and suits, the gods shining and laughing and not bickering for once. For a moment we all were just lost in silence, and then Connor called my name.

He wanted to ask me about something but I didn't really pay attention, and when I turned back, Mira was hugging some blonde woman, who was whispering in her ear and making her giggle in agreement to whatever she was saying. I was about to go back to her and talk, but I was pulled away by Connor again when he said he needed my help. Apparently this was Phase Five of their plan, and he needed a lookout.

Supposedly there was a giant bowl filled with a drink that would become whatever you wanted it to be once it was in your glass. Connor was going to slip a splash of love potion in their-not enough to make everyone fall in love, just enough to make them happy and love everyone equally-along with three bottles of vodka. I watched for him, warning him whenever someone came by, and it was pretty successful.

Then there was a hum, and I swore I felt someone poke my head, but then it didn't matter because this was the best party ever and I was gonna have fun! I guessed that this was Mattey's fun-making machine, since all at once everyone started smiling and laughing and dancing like crazy. I looked around for Mira and found her, but then I realized who she was with.

Apollo.

That pretty much killed my good mood beyond anything that Mattey's could electronically stimulate. So as she danced and laughed with her perfect sun god, I went and sulked in a corner, nursing my glass of whatever-the-Hades-it-was. Three nymphs came up to me and asked me to dance, but I glared at them to send them running, and melted into the shadows for a while. I wasn't going to shadow travel away from here, because what I imagined them doing was a whole lot worse than what I could see them doing.

And so for a good two hours, I sat in the dark and watched the gods and the rest of them enjoy themselves. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I recognized her as the blonde that was hugging Mira before, but now I could barely even concentrate enough to tell you what she looked like.

"Hello, Nico!"

"Uh, huh, hi." I couldn't even speak in her presence.

"So I was over there with Ares and I noticed that you seemed lonely all by yourself! So I'm sending some love your way in the form of a certain pink-wearing friend of ours!" She grabbed me by the shoulders for a brief second and I just about passed out, but I could tell that she was being serious, even through my lust-struck haze. "Don't screw this up."

And with that Lady Aphrodite was gone, and I was left with a lingering sense of arousal, but I blamed that on the alcohol. I leant against the wall to steady myself, and I realized that the party had gone from bad to worse while I was looking for Mira. Instead of the music being customized to each person's ears, someone, probably Mattey, had hooked up an iPod and had set it to a mix of club music. There were groups of people doing shots off in side of the main room, and there were trails of discarded clothing leading out of the room where couples had escaped to more private places. There was wild dancing going on all over the place, and the food had been all but forgotten-the only refreshments anyone was paying any attention to were the drinks.

I heard a pair of heels click unsteadily up to me, and I turned and saw Mira with two drinks in her hand.

Ah. 'A certain pink-wearing friend of ours' must have meant Mira. (I was still shocked about how Lady Aphrodite had talked to me personally.)

She gave me a wide, lopsided smile, tripped closer to me and shoved at me. "Hey sexy!" She giggled and plopped a wet kiss on my cheek. Her breath smelt of wine and whiskey, and it was amazing that she was still literate, because she was completely hammered.

"Whoa, okay, Mira."

It didn't matter quite how hard my heart was beating. It didn't matter how much I wanted to grab her and return her kiss. It didn't matter how gorgeous she was, or how hot my face got at her touch. She was completely stone-drunk, and I wasn't going to take advantage of her when she was like that.

"Come on, di Angelo! Drink!" One of her arms when around my waist, the other shoved the drink at my lips.

"Ah, I don't know if-"

"Nico, come on! It's a party! Have some fun!" Somehow the glass appeared in my grasp and she had her hand on my arm, begging me to drink it.

Just then, someone turned on a slow song, and everyone grabbed partners.

Her eyes alit with a childish glee. "Oh! Let's dance!" She started to drag me towards the middle of the floor.

"Uh, I think we should stay here. What if…what if Apollo sees us?"

"So? What's he got to do with anything?"

I tried to ignore the fact that she had just basically dissed a god, and instead chose to focus on the fact that she was still able to talk.

Connor came up behind her and asked her to dance.

She gave me such a pained look. One that so obviously said 'Make your move, boy-stand up for me." that for a second I wondered if she was even really drunk.

I did nothing, said nothing, still scared of Apollo's wrath, no matter how much like a teenager he may act.

"Sure, Connor. I'll dance with you." Mira-oh gods, Mira-looked at me with such a want and such a disappointment as she walked away that it snapped my sense of reality. As they waltzed to the middle of the floor, I saw him put his arm around her waist, and my control broke.

I was losing her to Connor Stoll. It was the little bit of alcohol that I'd had that made me think that I was losing her when I'd never even had her in the first place. But at that moment, I didn't care. I decided to grow a pair and step out of the shadows for once, so I chugged the drink Mira had handed me, and ran to get her back.

"Hey. Hey! She's already taken."

Connor almost looked like he was willing t fight me on the matter, but when Mira dropped his hand and ran over to me, he just shook his head and gave me a thumbs-up.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Her arms went around my neck; mine went around her waist, and I was beginning to feel the full affect of the drink.

"I'm glad I could make it too, Angel."

She giggled. "Angel- I like that."

"Good."

We danced and we laughed in our alcohol-fueled haze, and then a nymph was offering us a tray of shots.

"Oh, yes, thank you." Mira grabbed one for each of us, and the nymph flitted away, but I stopped her from swallowing it.

"Whoa! I think you've had enough!"

"So you have them!"

It took me a second of looking at her to agree, and after that, the burn of the alcohol and the sense of Mira pressing herself against me was the last thing I remembered.

I woke with a groan, only half conscious, to feel something warm pressed against the left side of my body. I tried to open my eyes, but it was so bright it made my head throb. My throat was dry and it hurt to breathe; I was lying on what I guessed to either be a pile of sheets and pillows, a very large couch, or a bed. I was betting on a bed. Since I wasn't going to open my eyes any time soon, I groaned again, and tried to feel my way around. I felt what I thought to be the edge of whatever I was lying on, grabbed a couple of pillows, and assumed that it was, in fact, a bed, and that I wasn't alone in it.

My senses were slowly returning from the haze of sleep. I realized that I was lying in my boxers, partially covered by a silky sheet, and that the warmth on my side was a woman.

"Oh, gods." It hurt to speak.

My other arm was trapped under the girl's body, and I was desperately hoping it was someone I knew and not a totally stranger. I could feel warm, smooth skin beneath my trapped hand, and I used my other hand to try and pinpoint who was wrapped around me. Looking back, that probably wasn't the greatest idea, but I was hung-over and drowsy from sleep.

Under my palm and my inquiring fingers I felt miles of skin, and two tiny pieces of cotton, and then I felt the girl stir. I stopped moving, letting my palm rest on what I assumed to be her waist, and pretended to be asleep.

She woke up in much the way I did, with a groan and a rapid couple of blinks, but instead of feeling around for specifics, she stumbled to the window and closed the blinds, enabling us to see. I pushed myself up in bed and stuttered my eyes open to see a dark-haired beauty in white eyelet undergarments. She groaned a second time, and stumbled back to the bed, and it took a few more blinks for me to fully understand her facial features.

"Mira…?" She looked at me groggily, squinted her eyes like she was trying really hard to see me, and shook her head.

"Nico?"

"Uh-huh."

"Shit…What happened last night? The last thing I remember is talking to Annabeth about half an hour after Phase Five started, which means it was an hour after we got here at all…?"

"I don't know exactly…" What I did remember I wasn't so sure I wanted to be sharing with her, and what I didn't I was scared to know.

"You're hiding something."

"No I'm not…"

She crossed her legs and plopped down next to me, obviously not caring that we were both only half dressed.

"I can see it in your thread that you're lying. What do you remember?"

And so I told her. In fact, I probably told her a little too much, since that included my watching her and Apollo. We both blushed when I got the parts where she called me sexy and I called her Angel, but we were both pretty drunk, so I guess we had an excuse.

Mira fell forward onto her face so that her feet were practically lying on my head, and she moaned. "Every part of me hurts. Why the fuck can't we remember anything?"

Almost instinctively I grabbed her feet and started rubbing. "Well, it probably had something to do with your imaginative Phase Five."

"Hey-don't mock the plan. I mean, it worked out pretty well given what you can remember."

Just at the moment I was about to say something back a third, equally bleary face pushed open the door. It was Mattey, and he looked about as hung-over as I felt.

"Hey guys-uh-"

He appeared dumbfounded by how not-dressed we were, a fact that we had forgotten in our headachy state.

"It's like eleven, and we need to get back to camp before Chiron waked up so…"

"Thanks, man. Is everyone this hung-over?"

"Yeah, pretty much, even the gods, it looks like it. It was a pretty intense party!" A smile lit up his face and it dawned on me that he was at least eighteen, and yet he still came to camp as much as possible. It made me wonder what his life was like, but he was out of the room before I could ask any more questions, probably to wake up the rest of the campers, so we decided to get dressed.

It took me a while to find my pants and by the time I did, I realized that Mira was wearing my shirt.

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"My shirt?"

"Well you didn't expect me to walk out there in my dress, now, did you?"

"Yeah, I kinda did. Now what am I supposed to wear?"

"Just throw on your jacket."

"So you want me to walk around with half a shirt on. What do you think I am-a male stripper?"

"Just shut up-half dressed looks good on you."

I guess we were on closer terms now that we had woken up in the same bed together. So I sighed, threw on the jacket, and proceeded to carry Mira's shoes for her as we walked outside.

It was like they had taken us and made copies.

From all over Olympus, bedraggled couples were stumbling out of rooms and corners, many of the girls wearing the boy's shirts, much to my chagrin. Hair was messed up, buttons half done and shoes were all in hands. I even thought I saw Zeus and Hera crawling out of a room with their clothes half on, and I nearly stopped short in surprise, but then Mira and I saw Percy and Annabeth, jumping out a window in Athena's palace and we went to help them down.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Our parents were blocking the door!"

"What?"

"We don't know, just help us get down!"

Once everyone was safely on the ground, we speed-walked to the elevator, and we got out own car to ride down in, since everyone else was still walking towards us.

"Does anyone remember anything from last night?"

We traded stories, and we found that I remembered the most, that Mira had snuck off with Apollo a couple of times, and that Annabeth and Percy's parents had actually been getting along. There was a bunch of other random stuff thrown in there, but we didn't have time to think about it, because then we were at the ground and we had to race to a car (it ended up being the same one Mira, Mattey, Rachel and I had driven here in last night) and we sped back to camp, our heads throbbing the whole time.

We got there with plenty of time to spare, since Chiron was still asleep, and everyone else got there in time as well. We went to lunch obediently, and we thought we were in the clear, since when Chiron did wake up, he just acted as if he had slept late. Everything ws going according to plan, aside from the memory loss, and a sense of cheer was returning, despite all the headches and nausea.

Then a TV appeared, front and center, and everything really went to Hades.

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