"I think the pancakes are better," Hazel decided as she took another bite of the stack that Nico had offered her. He tried one of her waffles and seemed to think it over. An agreeing nod left him as he dug into his eggs. The silence around the table was comforting, but it reminded her of what was coming.

They had to have this talk. That was why they were getting a very early breakfast. Nico had filled her in on what happened when he went to Lupa's office. And how Reyna's mother had been there. It felt like the only one who didn't know that was Reyna.

"Waffles are good with the special syrup," Nico commented. "What did they call it?"

"It just says house special," Hazel replied as she glanced at the bottle. Her gaze moved back to her plate. It was five in the morning, and neither of them could sleep that well. Nico had spent most of the night with Reyna, and Hazel was just worried about her friend.

The two continued to eat in silence. Hazel couldn't keep her eyes off Nico. His eyes seemed to be drooping every few seconds. The bags underneath made him look a few years older. Hazel felt bad that they were having this talk now, but they both knew putting it off was a bad idea.

When Nico ordered coffee, he downed the mug in one gulp. Then, he ordered another. Hazel finished her waffles as he finished his second cup. Nico slowly spoke, "I didn't want you to feel like I don't care about you, Hazel. Or that we're not siblings. I want you to know that you are my sister. Forget the half part of it. You are my sister."

"I just wish you would let me in more," Hazel said softly. She shifted. "I know that you don't like to share things. And, I'm sure it's hard to share about your sexuality. I just..."

"Just because I didn't tell you that doesn't mean I don't care for you," Nico soothed. He reached across the table and grabbed Hazel's hand. A deep breath left him. "Hazel, I'm gay."

"Before this week, there were only three people in my life who knew. Bryce, who decided to be an asshole, a monster, and tried to assault me. Reyna, who defended me and hasn't said a word to anyone. And..."

"...Bianca," Hazel guessed. Nico nodded. The two of them did not talk about Bianca. Nico did not talk to anyone about Bianca. When Hazel had mentioned it once, Reyna just shook her head and warned her that Nico wouldn't want to approach the subject.

What Hazel had been told was that Bianca and Nico came from Italy. Something happened after that, and Bianca died. Nico was on his own for a few years. Hazel didn't know if he lived in an orphanage or on the streets. She did know that he graduated high school and found himself working at Lupa's gym around that time.

"Bianca helped me realize I was gay," Nico whispered. His eyes glossed over for a few moments before he closed his eyes. "For a long time, it was our secret. Something that we both had."

"There are a few reasons I didn't want to tell you," Nico continued. "And, it has nothing to do with how I feel about you, Hazel. Growing up in Italy showed me a lot of things, but my neighborhood hated any homosexuals. I had a good friend who was gay, and I watched his family be driven out of the neighborhood."

"People didn't just shout slurs, but threw items at homosexuals. Food, even bricks, anything they could get their hands on. It was horrible," Nico lamented. He opened his eyes and gripped Hazel's hand tightly. "I learned from a young age that I liked other men. Bianca made sure that I didn't tell anyone, so I wouldn't be hurt."

"Then, we moved to America. After Bianca... died, it was just me. I tried to keep my secret, but in high school, there was this other boy I had a crush on. A sweet trouble maker that was only there for a few months because he couldn't stop getting kicked out of school. And, I'm so glad that Reyna didn't recognize him."

"What do you mean?" Hazel questioned.

"It was Percy," Nico said softly. "He went to our high school for a few months, and I just found myself falling for him. I kissed him, and Bryce saw. I later told Percy that it was a mistake, an experiment. I didn't mean anything by it. He believed me."

"As for Bryce, he thought that he could force me to give him a blowjob. There were a lot of crude and vulgar things that he said about me, but I never told. I don't want to repeat it now either. But, Reyna found Bryce trying to assault me. She punched him, and all hell almost broke loose.

"I tried to stay away from Reyna, but she checked on me later that day. And the next one. Reyna didn't mention it. She just kept an eye out for me. Reyna walked me to my classes and kept an eye on me as I left school. Then, she didn't show up to school one day."

"It bothered me so much that I stopped by Lupa's gym to see if she was there. When she wasn't, I got more worried. I just had this gut feeling, you know? I knew something was wrong. On top of the fact that Bryce had taunted me that my protector wouldn't be around anymore to help me. Almost everyone at the gym thought that Reyna had just skipped. Except for Lupa."

"To get revenge, Bryce and his buddies jumped Reyna on the way home from school. They beat the life out of her and almost killed her. Reyna made it back to her place and passed out. We found her there in a pool of her own blood. Lupa and I took her to the hospital."

"Reyna woke up and told me that Bryce attacked her because she punched him. Because she defended me. Reyna told Lupa it was because of her temper. She knew that telling Lupa the truth meant it would come out that I was gay. Reyna was still protecting me."

"So, I waited a few days. I waited until I knew Reyna was okay. Then, I loaded my backpack up with books and followed Bryce and his buddies home. I used that backpack like it was a bat. The police found me beating Bryce with it, and I was arrested. Bryce's crimes came to light with a lawyer's help, and it all fell apart for him."

"I had to do community service for a year and pay a fine. It wasn't so bad," Nico muttered. Hazel watched him and rubbed his hand. Nico rested his forehead against her hand. "Between Italy and that, I was scared what would happen if I came out."

"And hearing about your family, I was worried. I know it's a dumb excuse, but I didn't want to jeopardize your relationship with your extended family. I wanted you to have a fair shot at getting back into their lives," Nico continued.

"Screw them," Hazel declared. "They don't care about me, but I understand Nico. Sometimes, it's hard to admit a secret you have been keeping for a long time. It just hurts me that you didn't feel safe enough to tell me."

"Which is not because of you," Nico promised. "I'm sorry, Hazel. I really am. And, can you not tell anyone about me kissing Percy?"

"I won't," Hazel swore. "Is this Bryce guy going to bother you again?"

"I don't know," Nico admitted. "But, I will call the cops if I see him again. I promise. I won't try to fight him or anything."

Hazel nodded. Nico continued, "About the family thing. It's not because I think you're horrible like they are. It's because before we realized they were just gold diggers, I really thought that you would have a relationship with them. You would want to introduce me to them, and they would find out I was gay which would just lead to all kinds of awkwardness."

"I know," Hazel said. "And, I know you're not trying to make me feel like a stranger. It just... it's all the little things. Anytime I go to tell Reyna something about you, she already knows. Reyna knows everything before me. I don't want to sound like a jealous child, and I know the two of you are best friends."

"I just always wanted a sibling," Hazel continued. "My mother was never emotionally close to me, and there wasn't anyone else after that."

"I am sorry," Nico said. He stood from his booth and moved to sit next to her. An arm wrapped around Hazel, and she leaned on Nico. "I know words aren't going to make you feel any better."

"A little. I just needed to get it off of my chest," Hazel whispered. She sighed.

"I don't want to keep you out of the loop," Nico whispered. "I'm going to talk to my sister first. I promise."

"Thank you," Hazel said. "I don't overshare with you, do I?"

"No," Nico answered quickly. "I love when you tell me things. I really do. It's hard for me to reciprocate that. I will do better at it. And, um… speaking of that."

Nico sighed and rubbed his eyes. He pulled away from Hazel and looked at her, "This is something else I'm not ready to tell everyone yet. Especially because it's not just my secret. So please..."

"I won't tell anyone," Hazel swore.

"Only one person knows, and that is because she walked in on me," Nico continued. Hazel nodded and could guess who that one person was. "I have a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend?" Hazel repeated, a frown twisting her face.

"Are you mad?"

"No. I just need to interrogate him and give him a warning about what happens if he hurts you."

"I think Reyna beat you to that."

"I'm scarier than her," Hazel stated. Nico met her eyes, and they both started laughing. "Seriously, who is it?"

"Don't freak out," Nico said. Hazel nodded. "It's Will."

"Will?" Hazel gasped. Nico smiled, and a blush came to his face. "That's great! If he hurts you, I know where he works."

Nico chuckled. He gave Hazel a one armed hug. She hugged him back tightly, and Nico relaxed against her. Hazel felt grateful that their talk went well and that the two didn't just start arguing about it. A smile came to her face. Now, all she had to do was find Will and have a long talk with him.