Percy ran into his room, rushing over to Nico. "Nico. Nico it's okay. Hey, hey stop crying." Nico looked up and rubbed his eyes, then looked at the bottle. "Take one in the morning and one if the afternoon." Percy said and Nico smiled, then jumped on him. "Thank you." Percy kissed his head. "Anything. So uh... My mom said she wanted to talk about... This." Nico looked down and sighed. "Okay... Can you get me some water?" Percy nodded and left the room. Nico pulled out one of the pills and set it on the nightstand, then walked over to the closet. He shifted through the clothes, pulling out one of his new shirts. It was black, a skull on it. He pulled it on over his head, straightening it. He sighed and sat back on the bed, just in time for Percy to came back in to the room with a glass of water. Nico took the pill and set it on his tongue, then drank some of the water. He set it doen on the nightstand and sighed, leaning his head against the headboard. Percy squeezed Nico's shoulder, then leaned down and pecked his lips. "So..." Nico shrugged and Percy nodded, sitting down beside him. Nico rested his head Percy's shoulder, his eyes slipping shut. A few minutes later he was snoring lightly, his ears twitching. Percy kissed his head and layed him down gingerly, pulling a sheet over him. He smiled and carresed Nico's cheek, then left the room quietly.
Percy stopped halfway down the steps, watching as his mom invited some people in. Jason, Annabeth, and Thalia. Percy sighed and continued stepping down the steps, walking over to Jason. "Hey." He said and Jason smiled. "What are you doing here?" "Just thought I'd stop by. The girls wanted to see Nico." Percy chewed his cheek as he watched Annabeth and Thalia's hopeful expressions. "He's sleeping right now..." "Oh.." Annabeth said, then smiled. "Well, we can just wait here until he wakes up." Percy looked at Jason, then nodded. "Yeah, sure." He led them into the den and sat down on the couch, the others filling in the empty chairs around him. His mom stood in the entry way, hee arms crossed over her chest. "So how about we talk about Nico?" Percy's mom asked. "Mom- no." Percy said and she glanced at him, then looked at Jason. "So, you're a doctor. You're his doctor. You know about him-" "No!" Percy said but his mom ignored him. "Being intersex." Jason looked at Percy, his eyes wide in suprise. "I don't know if I would call it that." "Oh? And why not?" Jason shook his head. "I can't talk about this without Nico's permission.""You have it. I guess..." Everyone looked up at Nico's groggy voice. "Nico, you don't have to do this." Percy said ans Nico yawned, pulling his beanie down on his head. "It's fine..." He stumbled over and collapsed onto Percy's lap. Percy pulled him up, cradling him like a baby. "Um... So Nico is... Different." Jason said, still not sure what he was aloud to say. Percy pushed some of Nico's hair out of his face. "Are you sure? What... What can we say?" Percy asked and Nico nuzzled against Percy, rubbing his beanie off. "Nico!" Percy gasped and Nico grunted softly, biting his lip. "Just... Will she tell anyone?" Percy looked up, covering Nico's head. "Mom. You can't tell anyone. Neither can you two." He added quickly as Thalia opened her mouth. "I'm serious. If you tell anyone..." He faded off, but it was clear they got the message. They all nodded and Percy looked at Jason, then sighed. He ran his fingers across Nico's forehead, then slid his hand down Nico's head, pulling the beanie down. Nico's ears were burried in his hair. He was obviously terrified. "Hey. Nico, it's okay. They won't tell anyone." Nico glanced up at Percy, then shut his eyes and fisted Percy's shirt. His ears moved forehead slowly, flicking as the hairs from Nico's head rubbed against the fur. The room erupted in gasps, and Nico's ears quickly pressed against his head. "Guys!" Percy yelled and felt Nico flinch. "I'm sorry Nico. I'm sorry." Percy said, caressing Nico's cheek. Nico whimpered, pressing against Percy. "He's... What?" Percy's mom stammered, looking at Percy. Percy looked at Jason. Jason sighed. "He's a neko- part cat. He... Neko's are generally female, so... Yes, he has female and male organs." The girls stared at them, then Annabeth smiled. She stood up and walked over to Percy. "I read about neko's. They..." She faded off, running her fingers down Nico's spine. Nico twitched and looked up, blinking at Annabeth. He smiled, then rubbed against her arm. "Are we done here?" Percy asked, shifting Nico away from Annabeth. Annabeth looked offended, but then smiled. "Yeah. You two can go snuggle." Percy felt his face flush, then saw Nico's had done the same. He stood up quickly and carried Nico up to his room, kicking the door shut behind him. He fell onto the bed with Nico. Nico giggled, blinking sleepily. Percy pulled the blankets over them, then wrapped his arms around Nico's waist. Nico leaned back against him, sighing contently. When Percy was sure Nico was asleep, he kissed his ear. "I love you." "Love you too..." Nico muttered quietly and Percy felr his heart skip a beat. He smiled and nuzzled Nico, then shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
