Shattered

Nico

Nico sat between Jason and Percy on the love-seat, trying to absorb as much information as possible from the television before him.

They, well he and Jason, had been watching any show they could find that was about high school, since Percy still wasn't talking and they needed to know what to expect. Which was apparently Tartarus on Earth if any of the shows they watched were even remotely accurate. Love triangles, pregnancies, and violence seemed to be the norm for American schools.

Nico glanced over at the son of Poseidon, who was casually flipping through an issue of Ant-Man.

How can he be so calm? Is he used to this? Did Percy deal with this stuff every day? Nico gulped and returned his attention to the screen before him.

Currently, a boy around Jason's age was waiting for his crush on the school's stage. This type of thing happened in every show they had watched, but what made him pay close attention was that the boy's crush was the captain of the football team. Nico held his breath when the other boy walked on to the stage. The two stared at each other momentarily, before the captain pulled the boy into his embrace.

Nico's heart soared at the sight. Maybe things won't be so bad.

The smaller boy wrapped his arms around the much larger boy and tried to pull them even closer together.

Just like me and Will, he thought with a bittersweet smile.

The two had finally separated when the much larger boy leaned in for what Nico thought was a kiss. The smaller boy clearly thought the same and leaned in as well, but just as they were about the kiss, the larger boy pulled away and punched the other in the gut. The smaller boy fell to the ground and stared at his crush in confusion.

"You should've stayed in the closet," the larger boy spat, before kicking the other in the gut.

If Nico's heart was soaring before, now it was free falling into Tartarus.

His mouth suddenly felt dry and he couldn't seem to remember how to breathe. He stood up from the couch, earning him a worried look from Jason and Percy.

His mouth had forgotten how to form words, so he gave the two a small wave before leaving the room.

He made his way upstairs to the bathroom and latched the door behind him. He went to the sink and splashed some water on his face. He looked in the mirror that hung above the marble sink and took in a ragged breath.

He didn't like what he saw looking back at him in the mirror. The boy in the mirror was far too short, too skinny, and far too pale. He looked nothing like boys on the television, they were all tall, muscular, and tan.

Sure Percy and Jason didn't look exactly like them either, but they would probably fit right in. Everyone loved Percy and Jason wherever they went.

He was just an afterthought.

But that's not what's bothering you is it Nico? He sank down to the floor and brought his knees to his chest.

He knew that what he was wasn't the norm. He thought that he had accepted that even. Percy, Jason, Leo, Frank, Annabeth, Piper, Reyna, and even Hazel had been so happy for him when he finally opened up about his feelings. Then there was Will who he shared the best months of his life with. Will who always knew how to make him smile, even if he didn't want to. Now though he was beginning to think everything had been one giant fluke.

I lived in a fantasy world. A world with nymphs, pegasi, and the delusion that people could accept me.

His body trembled and he pulled his knees in tighter, trying and failing to fight back the tears in his eyes.