Nico POV
Nico almost choked on his water as he made eye contact with the familiar face he used to have the most embarrassing crush on.
"Everyone, this is Nico. He's going to be joining us for lunches from now on" Will said, introducing him to the group that he already knew. Everyone exchanged polite hellos, including Percy, whom he had not spoken to in over a year since the incident.
"Hey Neeks! It's been so long!" Percy smiled, sliding over on the bench to sit next to him.
"Neeks? You two uh- you know each other?" Will questioned with what Nico thought to be a hint of jealousy in his voice.
"Yeah totally! We were buddies awhile ago but then Nico had to go and be a total nerd, I'm proud of how hard he works though even though he was AWOL for awhile" Percy said, ruffling his hair.
Will scoffed, seemingly annoyed by the physical affection Nico was receiving from Percy, and turned away. He shot a smile at Percy, letting him know that he was thankful for not telling Will the truth. He wasn't out to most people yet, only a select few, and Percy was one of them.
He remembered the incident, clear as day. He was just a freshman, looking up to Percy Jackson with nothing less that sheer admiration. Eventually, he realized this was just puppy love, finally confessing his feelings to him at the end of the year. Percy took it extremely well, but Nico disappeared. He didn't want to have to face him again. Percy respected this, but still always made sure to look out for Nico in case he needed it, something Nico noticed, but never thanked Percy for.
"So uh Nico, you got anyone special in your life" Jason said, snapping him from his thoughts.
"No, not anyone at the moment. A little too busy for that, plus you think I have friends?" Nico said, only slightly joking about the last part.
"I mean, you have Will. He definitely wants to be your friend" He winked, sending a look to Will that made the boy blush and bury his face in his hands.
Nico was confused. What on earth did that mean? Could it be possible that Will was into him? Jason for sure was acting strange, but that was nothing new.
He shrugged off the thought as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. He got up, thanking the group for letting him spend time with them before strolling off to lunch. As he left, he couldn't help but catch a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of an annoyed Will pulling a confused Percy off to the side to chat.
Wonder what that was about.