"A party?"
"Sì madre."
"Will there be drinking at this party?"
Nico rolled his eyes as he bent down to tie his combat boots, "If there isn't it wouldn't be a very good party."
"Will there be boy named Nico drinking at this party?"
"No madre." Nico stood up to answer the door.
"Okay. You may go. But you behave yourself."
"Sì madre."
Thalia and Piper stood on his front step with big smiles.
"You ready?"
"Yea, please let's get out of here."
"Wait a minute; is that what you're wearing?" Nico raised an eyebrow at Piper's question.
"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
"Well, that's what you wore to school."
"So?"
"Come on Thalia, this boy needs major help."
With a sigh Nico stepped aside so they could enter and led them to his room. After five minutes of the girls going through his clothes Piper handed Nico a dark gray dress shirt and a worn leather jacket.
"Here, put this on."
"Really?"
"Yes. Your pants are fine as they are." With a sigh Nico reluctantly peeled his black t-shirt off. "Wow Nico, your kind of jacked." Nico blushed and shrugged into the dress shirt buttoning it up quickly. "Do you work out?"
Nico snorted, "Is that supposed to be a line?"
"No! I'm genuinely curious." Piper laughed, " You don't seem the athletic type. But you defiantly look it."
"I used to be into sports."
"What changed?"
When the boys on the team found out my secret they kicked the shit out of me. They refused to change in the same room as me.
Instead Nico shrugged. "Can we just go now?"
Piper let it drop. After saying goodbye to his mom, who seemed excited to meet Nico's friends, Nico and the girls headed out for the party.
It wasn't a long drive from Nico's place, but he was suddenly wishing it was. His excitement soon turned to nervousness and by the time they pulled up in front of Drew's (very large) house he felt a little like he was going to be sick.
"You ready?" Thalia said with a smile, putting her arm around the smaller boy's shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
"What's wrong Nico? It's just a party." Piper came up on his other side and linked her arm through his.
"I kind of have a bad track record with parties. And people."
"Don't worry; we got your back Nico!" Thalia squeezed him close.
"Besides, with guns like yours I doubt you'd have any trouble covering your own back." Piper giggled.
Nico groaned.
"Hey, really what's bugging you? We're friends, you can tell us."
"I've been in lots of fights. It's not loosing I worry about." Nico paused unsure how to continue, the girls waited patiently, giving him encouraging looks. "I've been in a lot of fights. Won just as many as I lost. I used to get picked on a lot. Eventually it got to the point where I decided I wasn't going to take it anymore and started fighting back. Unfortunately teachers, parents and cops don't really give a shit about why the fight started. The one still standing is usually the one in trouble. I've gotten into a lot of trouble."
"Why would someone pick on you?" Nico shrugged, he had already told them more then he meant to. "Don't worry Nico, we'll help you stay out of trouble."
"Yea, I mean every school has its ass holes, but this is an okay crowd."
"Besides, Percy and my brother would have your back too." Thalia said it casually, but it made Nico's stomach flop.
"What does Percy have to do with anything?" It came out sharper then he had meant it to. Thalia and Piper exchanged a glance.
"Well, Percy invited you right? He's your friend too."
"Oh, right, yea I guess." Nico mumbled, hoping the heat of his face wasn't visible.
With Thalia's arm around his shoulders and Piper's linked through his the girls led him into the party.
"Come on Perce, your not going to have any fun sitting here all night." Leo pulled Percy to his feet. He had been sitting at the bottom of the stairs where he could see the front door. Waiting, hoping the Italian would show up.
Jason laughed and put his arm around the green eyed boys shoulders.
"He'll be here when he's here. You don't have to sit there like a puppy waiting for his master to get home. Anyways, it's creepy."
"What if he changed his mind?" Percy sighed and let his friends lead him to the back of the house towards the kitchen.
" My sister told me she was picking him up. I may have hinted she needed to get him here at all costs."
"You told her? What if she tells him?" Percy panicked.
"She already knew. I think it's pretty safe to say Nico is the only one who hasn't figured out your into him. "
Percy groaned. It was no secret his tastes ran both ways, he came out back in freshman year and by now the whole school was used to it. But he still found it harder to approach guys, mostly because he couldn't tell if they were gay or not. Leo always teased him that his gaydar was broken.
"Besides," His Latino friend dragged out, "How can he say yes, if you don't ask him out."
"He can't say no either." Percy sighed and took the beer Jason handed him. With one last look at the door he followed his friends into the party.