Empty Closets

Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Waves of Guilt (Percy's POV)

Nico's been trying to avoid me.

I just realized this when I saw him in the dining hall two hours ago. He held a tray in his hands and I tried to go up to him, but he quickly turned around and went to his table. Was it because of what happened last night?

I'm not going to lie; I was hurt too. It's stupid how people judge based on whom they are attracted to. My mom never fully approved either, but she came to her senses last year. I, on the other hand, always loved seeing two guys hold hands while walking down a street or find a girl kiss her girlfriend when she gets home from work every night.

Getting out of my cabin, I decide to look for Nico myself. Knowing him, I'm thinking he's probably throwing apples or he's on a hill. I head to the tallest hill at this camp until I hear a door close.

Nico just went into Zeus's cabin. That's weird; I thought he hated Jason. I go up and knock on the door. When Jason opens it, Nico walks further into the room.

"Can't you just leave me alone?" I hear him say.

"What did I do?" I ask. "You keep avoiding me like I hurt you. Did I hurt you?"

"No, I just don't want to talk to you."

"Oh, so you'll talk to Piper and Jason but not me? It's almost like we never ate cake and watched 'Nemo' last night-

"THAT'S WHY I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!"

"Because of last night? I thought you had fun!"

"I did, but apparently, the rest of the camp thinks we were doing 'things.'"

It hits me. He's mad about last night because he must think I was going to make fun of him if I saw him again.

"You thought I'd make fun of you?" I ask.

"You should probably go," Piper says.

"Okay," I say. "Sorry if I upset you Nico." I sigh and turn around to leave.

As I walk to my cabin, I think. I think about last night. I think of Nico and I talking. I think of the incident at the bonfire. I think of Nico.

I think of how he is only two inches shorter than me. I think of how his floppy black hair is the kind that looks better messy, like mine. His skin, ghostly pale, contrasts against his black clothes, which always makes him visible in a crowd. Black holes make up his eyes, which always convince me he has a dark secret. I find that sort of... hot.

Slowly I think of what I just thought. Did I just think of Nico as... hot? Well he is, for a son of Hades. But is it possible that I might be thinking about Nico DiAngelo, the boy who used to be obsessed with Mythomagic, differently?

No. I like girls. I was with Annabeth. Ugh, I can't bear to say her name, let alone think about her.

Still, Nico keeps crawling into my mind, like a parasite.

I toss and turn in my bed, trying to sleep. But I can't get the thought out of my head.

Crap. I guess I saw it coming. But now that the thought is here, it still seems foreign even though I've thought about it on and off like a light switch for the last few months. But at this point I can't deny anything.

I have a crush on Nico DiAngelo.