𝕀 𝕄𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕄𝕪 𝔼𝕩 (𝓢𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓸)

Chapter 1.1

The black haired male awoke in an unfamiliar setting, a throbbing pain flushing the color from his face. On his body were the same clothes as the night before, but all his memories seemed to be forgotten.

The stranger knocked on the door before revealing himself. Nico's high school friend, Will Solace, stood there.

"Will?" Nico squeaked, sitting up straight in the spare bed. "What am I doing here? We didn't-"

"No, I brought you here because you got drunk and couldn't go home," Will interrupted, a light crimson blush appearing on his cheeks. "You called my number and I picked you up."

"Where was I?" Nico pressed a hand against his thundering head, blurriness striking his vision for a split second.

"At the Club downtown," Will responded automatically, gently setting a glass of water and a painkiller onto the nightstand beside Nico's bed. "You were really drunk, Nico. I was worried about you."

"Yeah, well-" Nico trailed off, staring at the untouched phone on the nightstand. "I'm fine. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

Nico tossed the painkiller down his throat, downing the glass of water to ease the pain in his head. "Thanks for everything, Will. I didn't know your number was still on my phone. It's been a while."

"Yeah." Will rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly. "If you want, I can wash your clothes and get you something different-"

"It's fine." Nico stood from the bed, stretching his back. "I'll just walk home myself. Well, it was nice seeing you, Will."

"Same here," Will sputtered. "If you ever need anything, I'll be right here."

Figures, Nico thought. Will had always contained some kind of attraction towards Nico, but he never felt the same way. Nico's attention was constantly on Percy during high school, and Will was somewhat jealous. He didn't want to be a menace to Nico any longer, so Will moved out of state after college.

"I'll see you later." Nico gathered his phone and a few belongings before leaving Will's apartment.

It was an intricate building, but Nico found his way out. The location of the establishment was unknown to Nico, so he opened Google Maps to assist him as he roamed around the city.

An incoming call vibrated his phone, and Nico stared at the caller ID. Percy Jackson was calling him.

"What?" Nico snarled into the device, pure poison lacing his breath.

"Nico, what happened last night?" Percy grumbled, groaning underneath his breath. "I don't remember anything, other than the fact that we went out to the club."

"I'll tell you what happened," Nico growled at his boyfriend. "You found a hot blond lady and fucked her while I passed out. You promised me you'd be loyal to me and never love another soul, but look where that got us."

"I did what?" Percy barked in disbelief. "Nico, you know I'd never-"

"You would and you did," Nico interrupted him. "Thanks for a heartbreaking six years, Jackson. I won't miss you."

With that, their 'loving' call ended abruptly. Nico's mood was devilishly in the deep end, already showing signs of hatred.

"Fuck you, Jackson." Nico kicked a rock down the sidewalk, hitting a piece of glass at the corner of the street. "How the fuck am I supposed to get home now?"

Following Google maps, he finally found his apartment after half an hour of walking. His boss wouldn't be happy about him going out for drinks the night before, so Nico had to disguise his hangover symptoms.

Nico collapsed on his couch after locking the door, unlocking his phone to check missed calls or texts.

Percy had called at least seven times the night before, most likely to apologize to Nico about the love affair.

Nico scowled, blocking Percy's number before anything else. "Piece of shit deserves to die."

Hazel, his half-sister had also decided to message him while he had been abducted by his old friend. Hazel was sweet and loving, but also understanding. She was the correct age to be drinking, but chose to not let alcohol be in her presence while making decisions.

Nico called her back after waiting almost ten hours, and she was happy to have received an answer from her brother.

"Nico, are you okay?" Hazel's shrill voice shook the screen. "I was so worried about you! You never responded to my calls or texts! What happened last night?"

"Percy and I went out drinking at the nightclub," Nico scoffed, clearing his throat abruptly. "As it turns out, he fell out of love with me."

"What makes you say that?" Hazel piped up. "Wait, he didn't-"

"He cheated on me," Nico declared, an imaginary weight seemingly disappearing from his chest. "He fucked a girl last night, and here I was thinking he was actually gay for me."

"Nico, I'm so sorry." Hazel comforted him through soothing words. "I'm coming to your apartment first thing after school, okay? You're going to get the biggest hug ever."

"Can't wait," Nico said dryly. "Thanks for being there for me when I need you the most. You're the best sister ever, Hazel."

"That's my job," Hazel hummed. "The next time I see Percy, I'm punching him so hard in the face that he won't be able to see for a month."

"You might go to prison for that," Nico muttered. "I don't want your college career to go to waste. Leave the punching for me."

"Ugh, you're no fun," Hazel yawned. "Oop, classes are starting soon. One last thing: Don't let the breakup get you down, alright? Percy cheated on you because he didn't care about you anymore. Don't agree with him."

"I won't," Nico promised. "Have fun in English class today, eh?"

"Who did he cheat with?" Hazel asked steadily, panting sounding through the device as if she'd been running. "I'll kill her, too!"

"I don't know. The bartender who told me said she was blond, but that's all I noticed about her," Nico scowled. "Trust me, I'll kill her as well. You can be my accomplice."

"I like the sound of that!" Hazel giggled. "Alright, now I really have to get to class! Goodbye, Nico! See you later!"

"Love you, Hazel." Nico ended the call between him and his sister, smiling slightly at her attempts to calm him down.