Inconvenient Love

Chapter 13

Nico laid on Percy's bed, scrolling through youtube on his friend's laptop. Will sat next to him, chewing his lip as he stared at his boyfriend. "How long until Percy gets home?"

"Soon." Nico gestured beside him. "Lay by me. He takes morning runs."

Will laid beside him. Sally had welcomed them with open arms, inviting them to wait while she and Hazel cooked breakfast. No doubt Hazel was telling her about everything that had happened.

"How'd you meet Percy?" Will asked. "I mean, you're really good friends. Better than any friends I've met."

"Oh..." Nico sighed. "I guess we are close. We met at a park when we were young. Been best friends ever since. I've stayed with him a lot and he's helped me through a lot."

Will laid in silence for a minute before talking. "Helped you through what?"

Nico frowned. "Um..." He glanced away. "Momma and Bianca dying, Persephone leaving, some...trauma."

Will remembered what Percy had once warned him about the first day he met him. No rape jokes. "Trauma..." He started to get angry just thinking about it. "Who did it?! I'll murder them!" He stood up.

Nico jumped in surprise, the laptop falling to the floor. "Will! What are you talking about?"

Will looked down at him. "Who hurt you? They did, didn't they? At some point in time. They raped you. And I'm going to bury him." The anger was keeping his adrenaline up. It was rare he had felt a negative feeling so strong.

Nico reached over and grabbed Will's hand. He stayed silent, keeping his grip tight. It was enough to get Will's eyes to finally settle into Nico's gaze.

"Nico..."

"I don't like to talk about it." Nico whispered. "And I don't like people getting worked up about it."

Will took a deep breath, shoved all his anger down for the time being. "I'm sorry."

Nico pulled him down onto the bed. "I don't like talking about it."

"I know."

"But I'll tell you what happened," Nico continued. "You deserve to know." He swallowed thickly. "It was after mom and Bianca died. I was at the park, and...a guy was there. He gave me some alcohol...I think it was beer...and then he...he..."

Will pulled him close. "I understand. Did...did they catch him?"

Nico shook his head as a tear dripped down his pale face, sliding over his prominent cheekbone. Emotions. He hated them.

Will wiped the tear away before planting a kiss on his boyfriend's forehead. "It's okay. I'm here, and he isn't. No one's going to hurt you ever again."

Nico closed his eyes and took in Will's scent, his presence, his emotions. Love. He took in the love.

And smiled.

"It doesn't hurt anymore. The memories."

Will laid his head on Nico's dark curls. "Good...I'm glad...

"What about you?" Nico asked. "I mean, you're mom-"

He was cut off by Percy entering the room, his dark hair sticking to his forehead. He was wearing black shorts and a blue shirt, the later having the swim team's brand right in the center. He looked between them, glanced back in the hallway, looked to them again.

"Did you have sex on my bed?"

Will turned bright red as Nico rolled his eyes. "No, Percy. Your mom's here. And Hazel. That's just risky."

Percy shrugged before digging through his closet. "I have to take a shower. I'm a mess. What are you all doing here?"

Silence. Nico took the time to detangle himself from Will before walking over to Percy. "I'll walk you to the bathroom and tell you."

If it was anyone else, Will would have stopped them right there. But he knew their relationship. He trusted both Percy and Nico. So he let them go to talk about the woman he could never forgive.

When they had left the room he laid back on the bed, stared up at the ceiling as he was left alone with his thoughts for the first time since his mother had left. Had she really cared about him so little? Was she so alright with just leaving him alone?

He was alone, no relative in sight. If he didn't have Nico and Hazel, he would have broken.

But he didn't. He let himself cry, he dried his eyes, he got up and swallowed down the fear. He needed to see this as freedom. His mother had never been a mother, he knew that to be true. But what truly was a mother, then? He hadn't ever known. But he was free of the clutches of what he used to think was one.

Will picked up the laptop Nico had dropped and sat it back on the bed. Percy's. Everything in there was Percy's. But it was comforting, probably the same way it was comforting to Nico. It was another place he knew he could run to if all was lost.

Was that how you were supposed to feel of family? He could only hope.

"Will?" Hazel poked her head into the room. "I already got Nico. The food is done... Are you alright?"

He nodded. "Yeah..." He walked over to her and let her lead him to the kitchen.

The kitchen was small, complete with a table and chairs. But it was cozy. Sally Jackson was cleaning a pan at the sink, while four plates sat at the table. Nico was eating from one, stabbing at his eggs as if they were the ones to leave his father.

"Ms. Sally, this is Will," Hazel introduced. "Will, this is Percy's mom."

Sally set the pan down and enveloped Will in a tight hug. "Oh, sweetheart... How are you holding up?"

This. The feelings he got from her. The comfort. Was this what a mother should be? "I'll be okay... Thank you for letting me over, Ms. Jackson."

"Mrs. Blofis," Nico corrected. "She remarried."

Sally shepherded Will to the table and sat him down in front of a plate of food. "Feel free to come over whenever you need to, Will. It'll be nice to get to know the boy Nico picked."

Nico's cheeks turned a light pink as he mumbled into his eggs. "More like he picked me, Ms. Sally."

She gave him a look before going back to the sink, running the water as she began to wash the dishes again. Will watched her for a minute, transfixed by the common comfort of her energy, before beginning to eat the breakfast she had made them. She was a much better cook than anyone else.

"So, what are we going to do?" Hazel asked as she sat beside Nico, her voice low as she talked to her brother and her brother only. Will could tell that they liked to keep some things between the two of them.

"I'll handle it," Nico promised. His voice had a hint of something Will had heard in Hades' voice. "Just keep on track in school for me."

Hazel frowned. "But...if she took the money, and dad's at his brothers..."

"The house is paid off, it's not like it's not." Nico stared at his fork. "I'll start working."

"That won't cover everything," Hazel stressed. "There's taxes, and bills, and food and-"

"I'll work more than one job. I'm not letting momma's house go to ruin." he stood up with a determined frown. "I'll go job hunting now."

Sally turned the water off and beckoned Nico over. "First, we're going to talk. I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"Ms. Sally..."

She gestured to the hallway. "Let's go talk in Percy's room. I mean it, Nico."

Nico huffed but followed after her, leaving Hazel and Will alone in the kitchen. Percy was yet to get out of the shower. He always did have a thing for water.