AN: The focus of this story is now going to shift a little bit, and we're going to get a little less Frank-and-Hazel-centric, and start seeing what's been going on with the rest of their friends…

'Jason, where is everyone?'

Percy, upside-down on the old couch in his garage, somehow managed to take a sip of his blue Cherry Coke.

The blond had to admit that he had a point. It was Friday evening, Percy's garage, the time and place for their friend group's semi-regular weekly hang-outs, but only he and Percy were there.

'Well, Piper's dad is in town, so she's having dinner with him.'

Percy looked confused.

'Why aren't you there?'

'Piper isn't letting him meet me yet, something about incentive to get him to come back more often.'

Percy let out a low whistle.

'Woah, she's good.'

Jason smiled.

'I know.'

Percy shifted positions so he was lying sideways on the couch instead.

'I know Frank and Hazel are on a date at the zoo.'

Jason shot him a quizzical look.

Percy shrugged.

'Yeah, I know, it beats me, the aquarium's ten times better anyway.'

Jason put his head in his hands.

Percy ignored him and continued.

'Apparently, Hannibal's feeling better so they want to go see him.'

Jason shrugged.

'Well, I guess if they enjoy it...'

Percy nodded sagely, which was a weird look for him.

Jason checked their friends off on his fingers as he accounted for their whereabouts.

'Reyna is meeting up with her sister, who is back in town. Annabeth texted you ten minutes ago saying she's on her way after finishing her study session. No-one has really seen Leo outside of classes for almost a week...'

'Where is he? I miss him and his stupid sense of humour.'

'Like you can talk, Jackson!'

Percy looked offended.

Jason's expression grew serious.

'But I've got no idea where he's been, Percy. I've texted him so many times, but he keeps sending back these vague replies. I stopped by his mom's garage after school today, and even she has no idea where he is!'

They shared a concerned look. That was not like Leo.

'Ah well, I guess he'll come to us if he needs help or needs to talk...'

Jason privately wasn't so sure. Leo tended to complain about being a seventh wheel and not really feeling like he belonged.

He wasn't the only one who wasn't in a relationship, but Reyna was happily and securely single (Jason was relieved that she no longer had feelings for him), and Nico was, well, Nico...He wasn't exactly an open kind of guy.

'Well, the only person left is Nico.'

Percy looked up and grinned.

'Yeah, we should definitely drag him over! He really needs to get out more!'

Percy got up, intending to run over to Nico and Hazel's place, which was only a couple of blocks away, but Jason stood and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He remembered the pained looks that he'd seen Nico give Percy and Annabeth. It might not be a good idea for Percy to go invite him over.

Apparently, the three of them had been a lot closer when they were young, in elementary school. But after a while, Nico had just shut them out and ignored them for years until Hazel and Frank had met. At the time, Annabeth and Percy, especially Percy, had been hurt, but put it down to Nico's grief over his sister's death and their move to middle school.

'No, I'll go get him. You've had far too much soda; you'll probably get a stitch if you run, and besides, Annabeth should be here soon.'

Percy's face lit up at the mention of Annabeth, and he flopped back down on the couch.

Jason exited the garage.

He knocked on the door of Nico and Hazel's house.

A dark-haired boy in a black T-shirt answered. Nico looked surprised to see him.

'What are you doing here, Jason?'

Jason smiled at him.

'Inviting you over to Percy's place. Today is semi-regular weekly hang-out day after all.'

Nico stared at him.

'You've been spending way too much time with Percy. Anyway, I'm not interested.'

Jason took a step forward.

'Come on, Nico! It'll be fun! You've come pretty much every other week!'

Nico rolled his eyes.

'Hazel is persuasive.'

Jason stubbornly crossed his arms, so Nico continued.

'Frank and Hazel are at the zoo. Piper's dad's in town, as is Reyna's sister. Leo is AWOL...'

Jason was frankly surprised at how aware of what was going on with their friends Nico was, considering his loner nature.

'...So it'd just be you, and Percy and Annabeth.'

Jason saw the pain that flickered across the younger boy's face when he said that last phrase.

He took a deep breath.

'Nico, are you okay?'

The dark-haired boy took on a defensive look, and he moved to shut the door. Jason grabbed the edge and forced him to keep it open.

'Nico, I know you're not okay. Not talking to anyone about it isn't going to make it better. You don't have to talk to me, you can talk to Hazel or Reyna or Frank or Piper or anyone else, but you've got to talk to someone!' Jason took a deep breath, and spoke in a gentler tone. 'We're all your friends, Nico. You can trust us.'

Nico turned away for a moment, then glanced back at Jason, pain and misery written across his face.

'You'd better come in. It's a pretty long story.'

His tone made it sound more like it was a story he didn't want to tell where he could possibly be overheard.

Two minutes later, they were sitting in armchairs opposite one another in the living room.

Nico stared down at his hands. Jason just watched him.

'I..I've known Percy and Annabeth since just after they met, when they were in the 6th grade and I was in the 4th. They...they were nice to me when a lot of other kids weren't. They were there for me when Bianca...when Bianca...passed.' Nico shuddered and his voice cracked. 'And...and they were soulmates...A perfect couple...'

He fell silent.

Jason tentatively spoke up.

'Some...some people say that you were or still are in love with Annabeth.'

Nico laughed bitterly.

'Of course they would.'

The pieces clicked into place.

Jason looked at the dark-haired teen, slumped in his chair.

'Nico.' He looked up. 'It's okay. I get it. You don't have to say it if you don't want to.'

Nico took a deep breath. Then another. He sat still for a moment, and then all the fight and denial seemed to go out of him all at once.

'I...I wasn't in love with Annabeth. Never was and never will be.' His voice was like broken glass.

'You were jealous of her. That's why you don't want to be around them. Especially why you don't want to be around...him. It makes total sense.'

Nico nodded slowly.

'I hated myself. I hated Percy Jackson.'

He took another deep breath.

'I had a crush on Percy.' He practically spat it out, as if he was expelling poison from his body. 'That's the truth. That's my big secret.'

He regarded Jason, as if waiting for an attack.

'If the others found out-'

'You'd have that many more people to back you up and unleash absolute fury on anybody who gives you trouble.'

Nico scowled at him.

'But it's your call, Nico. Your decision to share or not. I can only tell you-'

Nico looked down at his feet.

'I don't feel that way anymore. I gave up on Percy. I was young and impressionable, and I...I don't...'

His voice cracked, and Jason could tell the guy was about to get teary-eyed. Whether Nico had really given up on Percy or not, Jason couldn't imagine what it'd been like for Nico all these years, keeping his secret. There was definitely nothing wrong with being gay, but even though people had had soulmates of the same sex forever, it had once been viewed as wrong and unnatural, and there were people around who still thought that. It seemed that he'd been in denial for all these years, feeling even more alone than he was.

Gently, he spoke.

'Nico, I've seen a lot of brave things. But what you just did? That was maybe the bravest.'

Nico looked up uncertainly. He gave a very, very weak smile.

'...We should go. Percy and Annabeth will be wondering where we are.'

Jason grinned.

'You're going?'

Nico shrugged.

'I haven't got anything better to do and considering how long we've taken, I don't think we can come up with an excuse if I didn't.'

Jason's grin grew wider.

Nico and Jason walked into the garage, to find Annabeth forcing Percy to do his homework.

(Jason was relieved, if they'd walked into something else...Nico might lose all the progress he'd made in the last hour or so.)

'Hey, what took you guys so long?'

Nico shrugged, as nonchalantly as he could manage.

'Grace is nowhere near as persuasive as Hazel.'

He dropped a box on couch.

'And I had to find a box to put these in. Hazel baked brownies yesterday, and I thought I'd share.'

'Brownies? Awesome, man!' Percy grabbed one and spoke with his mouth full, earning himself a smack on the back of the head from Annabeth. 'You're the best. And so is Hazel!'

Jason, who could never resist brownies, gave Nico a thumbs up, as his mouth was also full.

Annabeth bit into one far more delicately, and swallowed before speaking.

'Thank you, Nico, and please thank Hazel for me too.' She sighed. 'Oh, to be in middle school and have all the time in the world...'

Percy stared at her in shock.

'Who are you and what you have done to my Annabeth?'

Jason was the only one who noticed pain flicker across Nico's face at those words, but the younger boy laughed along with them anyway.

Maybe Nico would be okay after all.

AN: A significant amount of this was lifted from HoH. Obviously, I don't claim to own it.