~Nico~

Suddenly, Hazel was pushing them away from each other. "Don't blame Leo for this!" She demanded, trying not to get loud. "He did the right thing in telling me."

"I can explain," Nico quickly said.

"You better have a good reason for going to a bar so late at night and binge drinking! It's a good thing that Leo found you. Who knows what might of happened." She took a deep breath, getting herself together.

"Wait, what?" Nico stared at his sister for a second and then at Leo, who had a small smirk on his face. That fucking liar, he thought, he was bluffing. The blood was already boiling inside him again, but Nico knew that he couldn't do anything to the bastard. At least not with Hazel in the room.

"What do you mean what?" Hazel continued on, "You thought I wouldn't find out? Jason also told me that you passed out a few minutes after he found you, but not before you blew chunks! I can't even look at you right now! I'm so angry..." she growled. Hazel stormed out the cabin, leaving the son of Hephaestus and Hades. The door was shut with so much force, that the windows rattled.

They just stood there in silence, looking at each other with silent glares. Until Nico was the first to break the silence. "You lied." He muttered lowly through gritted teeth, clenching his fist tightly by his sides. That caused Leo to smirk again and Nico wanted nothing more than to beat him to a pulp, but he tried to restrain himself because Hazel and Jason were already angry at him and it was best not to get into anymore trouble with his friends, even if it was extremely tempting.

"You really think that I would tell Hazel what really happened?" He asked smugly.

"But you said-"

"And you believed me?" Leo raised both eyebrows and mockingly laughed. Would it be really that bad if Jason and Hazel hated me for a little bit longer? Nico debated because Leo was just itching to get punched in the face, wasn't he? "You should've seen your face. It was quite stupid of you, really."

"You're an asshole."

"And you're a dick." Leo retorted, "And I just realized that was a poor choice of words, but it suits you, don't you think?"

That made him involuntarily blush as the memories of that night started seeping into his mind in flashes. The sound of their moans echoing in his ears. their breaths becoming shorter. Leo desperately clutching at his shoulders, whispering his name and begging for more. Nico tightly holding onto the other's hips, feeling his stomach tightening, pleasure overwhelming him.

He shook his head to get rid of those images. This was not the time for that, especially when he was getting ready to gut the same guy with his sword. "Why can't you just forget already? It wasn't like it meant anything anyway so it's not that big of a deal." Leo probably had a few drinks himself. That seemed to be the explanation for Leo to even allow what happened between them last night.

Leo flinched at the words and that confused Nico even more. Leo actually looked hurt at his words as if Nico was the most insensitive guy that he'd ever met. Then, as quickly as the expression appeared, it was gone, instead a hollow stare taking its place. "What? We were both drunk. Things happened."

"Who said I was drunk?" Leo sneered, steam literally coming from his ears, his skin becoming a red hue like it did when he was ready to burst into flames. Nico found himself at a loss of words, his anger having disappeared in a matter of seconds at the question. His hands started feeling clammy and his breathing hitched, waiting impatiently for an explanation.

"That's impossible," Nico croaked. "Why else..." He trailed off. He just couldn't understand what Leo was telling him.

"I tried to stop you, at first." Leo admitted, looking at the floor. "You're probably wondering what the Hell is going on, right?" He chuckled humorlessly. "Well, can you believe that I fell in love with you?" Nico's heart stopped. Leo was in love? With him? He just stood there, his mouth wide open. This was not real. It couldn't. In what world did anyone fall in love with Nico Di Angelo? Especially if that person was someone like Leo Valdez? He felt like his mouth was full of cotton, unable to form a word. Not like he had anything to say, still too shocked to make any sound.

"Why do you look so surprised?" The other titled his head to the side, looking slightly annoyed at the lack of response. "I confess to you my feelings and all I get is you looking at me like I'm crazy."

Nico shook his head again, gaining back his voice. "Valdez, don't be stupid. Why would you fall for me? I find it hard to believe. Just because we fucked doesn't mea-"

"Seriously?" Leo interrupted him, "This was long before last night!" His curly hair had been set ablaze but Leo barely noticed.

"Then you're crazier than I thought," Nico muttered. He had to keep his cool. He had to make Leo see that he wasn't worth the heartache.

"Why are you acting like such an indifferent jerk?" Nico remained apathetic. The faster Leo realized that he was just wasting his time, the better it was. For both of them. "It's because of Percy, isn't it!?" Nico's eyes widened at the mention of the son of Poseidon. "Why can't you let go of him, huh?"

"That's none of your business," Nico snapped.

"Hypocrite. You want me to get over you, but you can't even forget him, can you?" Leo was dangerously crossing the line. If there was one thing that Nico couldn't stand, it was the idea that Percy was never going to be his.

"I didn't choose who to have feelings for," Nico snarled.

"What a coincidence," Leo jeered, "I didn't either. If I had, trust me, it wouldn't of been you." Leo's flames had subsided and he just looked tired and worn down. His eyes were red and watery, but he blinked away the tears. Without another word, he left Cabin 13.

Nico didn't know what to do or think. All this talk about love was beginning to really get to him. Sometimes he wished he couldn't feel anything. Then there wouldn't have so many complicated feelings. He desperately needed to talk to someone about all this to help him sort this mess out. As much as it pained him, he decided to go talk to Jason. He always knew what to say.

~Leo~

He couldn't hold in a scream of rage and frustration that had been built up inside him any longer and as soon as the doors closed in the empty Bunker Nine, he let it all out. His throat hurt, his hands had caught on fire, and his head was pounding painfully as he crumpled to his knees, letting the tears finally flow out, not needing to be strong anymore, already safe from judging eyes.

Leo suddenly felt drained and laid on the floor, curling himself into a ball, tears still streaming down his face, but he just didn't care, feeling empty and numb inside. He had known that Nico had already been interested in someone else and he could've just gone along with him being drunk as well, but he had been so angry at the time that he couldn't bite his tongue.

The worst part? Leo had confessed how he'd felt only for Nico to reject him in such an offhand way and then telling him to get over it when Nico hadn't let go of Percy since he was 10. That brought back a choked sob as Leo started shaking again, just wanting to forget everything, wishing for it to be over.

After what seemed like an eternity, Leo stiffly sat up, wiping the dried tears and his nose with his sleeve. He needed to get all this off his chest. Carrying this around would surely make him crack. Jason was the best person to go to. Leo would've gone to Piper or Annabeth. Hell, he might've even gone to Hazel or Frank, but he kind of had forgotten to mention his sexuality to his friends and he just didn't feel like having to explain himself. Jason seemed like the most logical choice.

Leo got off the floor, dusting himself off and decided to head off to Cabin 1.

Let's see, who should get to Jason first? Leo or Nico? And should the other one walk in on them talking? Hmm... Hard decisions. That's a definite yes for that last question, but the first one, I'm not so sure. What do you think?

-Angela R.