Memories

Outed

Percy's POV:
Poor Nico I felt so bad for him I didn't think it could get any worse then it did

"Your master?" Jason had a flashback to a floating palace above Pikes Peak in Colorado, where he'd visited (and barely survived) the studio of a crazy weatherman who claimed he was the god of all the winds. "Please tell me your master isn't Aeolus."

"That airhead?" Favonius snorted. "No, of course not."

"He means Eros." Nico's voice turned edgy. "Cupid, in Latin."

Favonius smiled. "Very good, Nico di Angelo. I'm glad to see you again, by the way. It's been a long time."

Nico knit his eyebrows. "I've never met you."

"You've never seen me," the god corrected. "But I've been watching you. When you came here as a small boy, and several times since. I knew eventually you would return to look upon my master's face."

Nico turned even paler than usual. His eyes darted around the cavernous room as if he was starting to feel trapped.

"Nico?" Jason said. "What's he talking about?"

"I don't know. Nothing."

"Nothing?" Favonius cried. "The one you care for most...plunged into Tartarus, and still you will not allow the truth?"

Suddenly Jason felt like he was eavesdropping.

The one you care for most.

He remembered what Piper had told him about Nico's crush on Annabeth. Apparently Nico's feelings went way deeper than a simple crush.

"We've only come for Diocletian's scepter," Nico said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "Where is it?" "Ah..." Favonius nodded sadly. "You thought it would be as easy as facing Diocletian's ghost? I'm afraid not, Nico. Your trials will be much more difficult. You know, long before this was Diocletian's Palace, it was the gateway to my master's court. I've dwelt here for eons, bringing those who sought love into the presence of Cupid."

Jason didn't like the mention of difficult trials. He didn't trust this weird god with the hoop and the wings and the basket of fruit. But an old story surfaced in his mind—something he'd heard at Camp Jupiter. "Like Psyche, Cupid's wife. You carried her to his palace."

Favonius's eyes twinkled. "Very good, Jason Grace. From this exact spot, I carried Psyche on the winds and brought her to the chambers of my master. In fact, that is why Diocletian built his palace here. This place has always been graced by the gentle West Wind." He spread his arms. "It is a spot of tranquility and love in a turbulent world. When Diocletian's Palace was ransacked—"

"You took the scepter," Jason guessed.

"For safekeeping," Favonius agreed. "It is one of Cupid's many treasures, a reminder of better times. If you want it..." Favonius turned to Nico. "You must face the god of love."

Nico stared at the sunlight coming through the windows, as if wishing he could escape through those narrow openings.

Jason wasn't sure what Favonius wanted, but if facing the god of love meant forcing Nico into some sort of confession about which girl he liked, that didn't seem so bad.

"Nico, you can do this," Jason said. "It might be embarrassing, but it's for the scepter."

Nico didn't look convinced. In fact he looked like he was going to be sick. But he squared his shoulders and nodded. "You're right. I—I'm not afraid of a love god."