𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 [Jason Grace]

75

𝐀𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭, 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐨 𝐭𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 around the pedestal of the Athena Parthenos.

"Thank you," Dante said.

Nico frowned. "What for?"

"You promised to lead the others to the House of Hades," Dante said. "You did it."

Nico tied the ends of the ropes together, making a halter. "Hazel told me how you pushed to try and save me from the bronze jar in Rome. It was the least I could do."

His voice was steely, guarded.

Dante liked reading people. He felt a sort of accomplishment when he did. He assessed people from the way they stood, to the way they talked and even thought long and hard about the little expressions people made when they didn't think anyone was looking at them.

Looking at Nico, right then, Dante had a vague idea of what could have happened.

His first clue had been the way Nico looked at Dante. Before Dante fell into Tartarus, Nico avoided so much as glancing at Dante. The time Nico had accidentally caught Dante kissing a guy, he turned bright red and shadow traveled.

Dante had incorrectly assumed at the time that Nico was homophobic. That he traveled away out of disgust. It took him some time to read Nico. He was just so guarded. But in due time Dante managed to figure him out too. At least that's what he thought.

And here Nico was again, looking up at Dante.

"Nico," He said, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"What happened at the Dio dude's palace?"

Nico raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Diomedes? Diocles? Dio—" Dante kept trying, "Am I warmer?"

"Diocletian," Nico corrected. The familiar coldness seeped into his mannerisms. He looked away from Dante, at the statue. "We found his scepter, nothing else."

"Ohkay," Dante flipped his dagger in his hand. "You should know though, I'm great at spotting lies."

"I'm not lying," Nico said.

"And I'm Julius Caesar."

"Dante—"

"What happened?" Dante asked, "Nico, seriously. Come on, I've known you for months. Did someone find out about you? Did they say anything? I think everyone on board is cool with it but of someone said any shit—"

"No one said anything," Nico's eyes were blazing in anger when he glared at Dante. Fine, two could play this game. Dante glared back. "No one said anything because no one knows anything. No one will ever know."

He said the last part through grit teeth.

"You shouldn't do that," Dante folded his arms across his chest in a way he'd seen Jason do multiple times. It was funny how he started to imitate Jason when he wanted to be comforting to someone else because Jason had been the first one at Camp Jupiter to comfort him. "Deny yourself happiness because of what others might think."

"Happiness?" Nico scoffed. "There is no happiness for me. There never will be."

Dante didn't like the sureness of his tone. How he was absolutely certain he would never find anyone, never be happy.

"There is nothing but misery for me," Nico said with finality as if it were the end of the discussion.

"Misery can go choke herself," Dante narrowed his eyes. "You deserve happiness, Nico. There's nothing wrong being the way we are."