The Nico di Angelo experiment

A new factor

"What?" Jason hissed.

"How would a movie marathon help me with Nico?"

She laughed quietly.

"He talks so much during movies, especially ones he's seen before. He rambles on and on, usually saying things that he wouldn't be caught dead saying in another moment. Watch a series with him this weekend, and I guarantee that he will talk."

"Hazel Levesque, you are positively evil."

"Oh, I know." She laughed, and Jason smiled.

"And don't you forget it."

"Grace, Levesque! Will I be needed to separate you two?"

"Uh....no ma'am." Jason replied quickly, ever the teachers pet. Hazel grinned at him, and he blushed.
_______

Jason figured that since Nico had already spent the night once, asking him to come over for a movie marathon would be easy. He already knew that Nico could, and would, stay up all night until sunrise because he didn't feel like sleeping. Drinking a lot of energy drinks should keep him up, as well. Then he could hear whatever secret Hazel seemed to think was important.

"A Harry Potter marathon?" Nico asked at lunch, and Jason nodded enthusiastically. They sat alone at the table by the wall, regularly enough now that no one gave them odd looks.

"Sure." Nico shrugged, looking at Jason and smiling a small smile.

"Sounds like fun."

Jason thought it really, really did.
________

Jason probably should have listened to Piper when she told him not to take Nico into his basement.

Not two steps down, he started chuckling while glancing around. Jason's head turned to look at him, concerned.

"What?" He said, and Nico swallowed his laughter.

"Nothing, really. It's just that.....okay, so it is something. Your basement is just so.....stereotypical, I guess."

"What?" Jason exclaimed, grabbing one of the wooden columns on the stair railing and spinning around to face Nico, who smiled.

"Oh, come on. Green plush carpet everywhere? Pool table? Mini bar? Ugly leather couch in front of a huge TV? Is this not a stereotypical teenage hangout?"

"I guess it is." Jason said, looking at it with new eyes.

"My sister Thalia made it up like this when she was about ten. It's been around for as long as I can remember."

"Thalia? I vaguely remember Thalia. How's she been?"

"Well, she's running a man-free sorority at Stanford with an iron fist, so I suppose pretty good."

Nico blew breath out of his nose, as if that was exactly what he'd always known she'd do. He plunked himself down on the couch, kicking off his black combat boots and reaching for a blanket. They'd hung out, just the two of them, after school quite a bit, and the obvious nonchalance Nico felt here made Jason ridiculously happy. Yes, he still had this dumb puppy crush, but it would probably go away soon. Probably.

He grabbed the first movie and popped it in, settling beside Nico under several blankets, clapping his hands so the light would click off.

Nico coughed the word "Stereotypical" into his hand, and Jason grinned in the dark.
_____

They'd gotten through four movies so far. Jason was on his third cup of coffee.

He'd also lost all concept of time.