No one spoke for a while. They all kind of just avoided each other's eyes, unable to stand seeing anyone else's face for more than a split second.
Nico thought Dear God, now they all know. How can I ever face them again?
Piper, Rachel and Frank were all thinking along the lines of That poor kid, having to go through this alone.
Jason wasn't really thinking much of anything, and was making more of a low growling noise in his throat. Percy and Reyna were in the same situation, making wolf eyes at the door as if by staring at it hard enough they could protect Nico from whatever lay behind it.
Hazel's hand rested on his back protectively, and he sank into the tiny touch with closed eyes, a sad insecure smile on his face. He let her guide him until they all ended up in their common room, and he saw that they had all been following Leo. Speaking of Leo, what was his deal? Why would he stand up for Nico like that? It didn't make sense.
Leo sunk into the couch and sighed, fishing under the cushions and pulling up a bottle with an exclamation of relief. Jason frowned. "No alcohol, Leo."
Leo rolled his eyes. "Relax, mister uptight Roman Centurion. It's just juice." He held it out to the uncertain bunch. "Any particular reason you're still standing around?" They all sat on the various chairs and floor quickly, and Nico wondered when Leo had become the leader.
Jason, Percy, Reyna, and even Frank were all too preoccupied with their thoughts to realize that sometimes, especially when something as personal as what they experienced happens, their group needed a leader.
He was secretly really, really glad Leo knew enough to step up to the plate. He was trying to make them forget with jokes and drinks, and if was working. They all took sips of the juice, and Nico had to admit it was some of the best he'd ever tasted.
Leo looked at him with raised eyebrows and smiled. "It's good, yeah? Got it from Mr. D."
Annabeth clucked her tongue. "What did you have to do to get it?"
Leo just shrugged. "I fixed his clock. Nothing big."
Percy wiped his mouth and swallowed deeply. "I think we need to do something else to get our minds off of Mrs. Dodds. How about truth or dare?"
Everyone laughed at the totally Percyish way to avoid awkward situations, but Nico stood up and stretched. "If you don't mind, I'll be going back to my room," he said.
Hazel looked like she wanted to protest, but she figured that he needed space after the days events. He left them to play their game and shut the door quietly behind him. Sitting down on his bed, he picked up his camera and began shifting through the old familiar pictures, smiling faintly.
There he was, ten years old and so happy to be included in Bianca's group of friends that he was jumping up and down, Mythomagic cards raining down on them all. He stroked her face in the picture, looking at her warm olive eyes that still somehow managed to tell him "It's okay, Nico. I'm here."
"I miss you, Bianca," he choked out. "I miss you so much."
He put the photographs in a box beneath his bed and made sure the pictures of her grave were still in his pocket. Suddenly, the door opened and Leo came in, sheepishly grinning.
Nico hastily readjusted his jacket.
"Can I stay in here for a while? They won't stop talking about 'man crush Mondays' or something," Leo said.
Nico nodded and looked away. "Thanks," he said quietly.
Leo looked up. "For what?" he asked, although his tone suggested he knew exactly what.
Nico grimaced. "For setting the projector on fire and stuff. That was nice of you." Leo shrugged and laughed before tossing a screw at Nico jokingly.
"No big deal. What you do for friends, and all that."
Nico's brow furrowed. Friends?
Leo tried to make up for the awkward situation by explaining what a man-crush Monday was.
"Who's yours?" he asked, laughing. Nico looked at him in exasperation, but at least he laughed. Leo considered that a point for Team Leo.
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Meanwhile in the living area, Hazel paced back and forth on the rug and looked at each of them. "As I assume you all now know, Nico's been through...a lot, to say the least. It's probably best that no one tries to bring it up."
Piper looked up, sadness on her face. "Did they ever catch the sickos who did that?" she demanded.
Hazel shook her head sadly. "No, and Nico's description didn't really help either. Sleepy looking woman with brown hair and eyes fits the look of half the women in this city."
Rachel raised her hand. "Does he have anyone we can call to help him? Kind of like therapy?"
Again, Hazel shook her head. "I doubt there's anyone he knows from before he was kidnapped that can help."
For the first time since they started their 'Nico-needs-friends-and-protection' meeting Percy spoke up.
"I think I know some people."
"How? You'd never met him before he came here," Hazel argued.
He looked away. "Not entirely true. We met at a kind of neighborhood kids club thing. It was run by Mr. D, actually. I only met Nico a couple times. I don't think he even knew my name. Mr.D always called me 'Peter Johnson.' I was always better friends with his sister, Bianca, anyway." He rubbed his chin and tousled his hair. "In fact," he started, not meeting anyone's eyes, "I'm pretty much the one that got her killed."
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"My man crush Monday?" Nico asked with raised eyebrows.
"Duh!" Leo asked, laughing. "Although I probably wouldn't know yours if it wasn't Percy, Jason, or Frank."
Nico rubbed the back of his neck and flushed. "Probably this guy from my old neighborhood kid club, Peter Johnson." He flushed as Leo cackled.
"Sorry sorry sorry!" he gasped out. "It's just....Peter Johnson? What kind of stupid name is that?"
Half-heartedly, Nico started chuckling too. "Don't laugh!" he said in indignation. "I don't know, I barely even knew him, and I haven't seen him since my sister died, but he was always over at our house and being stupid with Bianca. He'd play pranks on the owner whenever the old prune did something unfair to a kid. He was my hero. Wasn't that bad looking, either." Nico looked down, realizing he had said too much.
Leo realized it as well, and laughed nervously.
"I think you went a little overboard on the whole 'man crush' thing, you big fat gay, you."
Nico flinched visibly, and Leo sucked in a breath. "My bad, my bad! I didn't know you were....actually gay. My bad."
Nico forced out a terrible sounding laugh. "What? Who, me? No! No! I'm perfectly straight!" He went the shade of a tomato and started rubbing the pictures of Bianca's grave unconsciously.
Leo looked at him in a pitying way that made Nico's blood curdle.
"I'm not gay!" he yelled. Rising to his feet hastily, he choked out a "I think I'm gonna go play truth or dare with the others." before stomping out.
Leo exhaled and looked at his ceiling. "I never thought one person could mess things up so bad," he sighed, pulling a pillow over his head.
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At the same time, Percy explained to the shocked group what had happened.
"Bianca was..kind. Fearless. She handled Nico so well, too. If I had to practically raise a kid years younger than me by myself, I couldn't have done it half as good. Anyway, we were all walking in the street in front of her father when some douche grabbed Annabeth and tried to drag her off the sidewalk into an alley."
Hazel gasped and fanned herself. Smiling to reassure her, Annabeth continued the story. "It was only for a second. I was stupid. I wanted to see the architecture of a new building, and I ran ahead. The man that grabbed my arm didn't want to do anything to me. He was just homeless and needed some change."
Percy swallowed hard. "Anyway, I saw it happen and I surged forward to get to her. I wasn't looking where I was going, and this car came ramming at me, and I froze. Bianca didn't, though. She grabbed my arm and yanked me back, but she tripped and got hit. I don't even know if Nico knows my part in Bianca's death. He hasn't talked to me about it. Besides, I doubt he even knows I knew Bianca. I'm pretty sure he only ever heard me called "Peter Johnson.""
Everyone startled and whirled around when a small, wounded noise came from the corner. A red faced, open mouthed Nico stared at Percy with wide, wide eyes, looking betrayed. Hazel immediately jumped up and gave a small cry of "Nico!" before running after her brother, who pivoted sharply and ran back to his room.
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The last thing Leo expected at that moment was for his pillow to fall off his face because a sweaty and panicked Nico slammed the door extra hard before pacing back and forth through the room, hands tearing at his hair.
"What happened, man?" Leo asked, slowly sitting up.
Nico shook his head and bit his lip, clearly not able to talk yet. Hazel ran in, taking Nico's face in her hands and kissing his forehead. "Nico, are you okay?" she fussed.
When he spoke, his voice was husky. "Please, Hazel. I want to be alone right now. I'll come find you when I'm ready to talk, but just...not now. Please."
He sounded hollow inside. Really, truly hollow.
Hazel wiped her eyes and retreated, throwing a final, anxious glance at Leo.
"You want to talk about it?" Leo asked slowly, making an effort to keep his voice calm. As soon as the words left he wished he could snap them back. Nico obviously didn't want to talk! He stood up to leave and muttered a "Sorry. You said you wanted to be alone."
So, yeah, he was surprised when Nico clapped a hand on his shoulder and dragged them both down onto the carpet after locking the door.
"Actually," the boy started, looking at Leo with his dark eyes, "I do. To you."