"Shh, here he comes."
The older teens went quiet when Jason and Nico passed by. There was no need to turn around to confirm the nasty looks they shot in Nico's direction. It made Jason's blood boil. They out of all people should know better.
Juno's favorite hadn't left his friend's side ever since the other was released from the infirmary and he wasn't planning on doing so any time soon.
His glance shifted to his right. Nico's face was a blank mask devoid of any emotion. It reminded him of the way he used to be the first time they'd met. Guarded and cold. He wondered if it was like this then too.
"Disgusting."
Jason stopped. He'd tried to be patient, he truly did, but his fuse was burning short. He had it with those a-holes. It was absolutely infuriating how much shit they were throwing at the kid and the worst part was Nico started to believe them. Jason turned around ready to give those bastards a piece of his mind.
"Grace," the son of Hades warned, holding onto Jason's wrist before the other could do something he would ultimately regret. "It's not worth it," he said not meeting his eyes.
"But you are!" He snapped.
Nico lowered his head. The mop of black hair covering his face made it impossible to see the boy's expression. "No." He pulled him forward without looking back.
Jason was about to protest but the other demigod was not finished.
"Lions do not concern themselves with the opinion of sheep," he informed him icy while dragging the bigger boy along.
Jason wasn't sure if he was telling the truth. It still had to hurt.
"Besides their anger is justified." His gaze fell into the direction of the forge. "I…" Nico struggled. "Most of the skeletons I summoned… they're," The son of Hades pointed helplessly around when words failed him.
Oh. Jason got it. "They were," his tongue felt heavy. "Former campers."
Nico nodded. "At least some of them."
The ex-praetors stomach dropped at the thought of seeing the remains of his friends and family crawling out of the ground, their bodies decomposed, mindless puppets he was forced to fight. Still…
"It's not your fault," he replied stubborn.
Nico looked down at his hands. "But I did it."
Jason didn't know what to say. He felt sad and uncharacteristically small until he heard Nico's laughter.
"Stop laughing at me!" Jason lied. He loved the sound, never wanted it to end.
"Then stop looking like this," Nico grinned at the equivalent of a kicked Labrador pup. "Geez, it's not that complicated." Gently he bumped their shoulders together. "You break it, you fix it."
The son of Jupiter flushed but didn't reply. He was too occupied soaking in every last bit of affection the other was brave enough to give.