"I don't really... know how to say this," Piper started. She fiddled with her fingers, refusing to make eye contact.
It was strange. She was normally very forthright.
Annabeth cocked her head. "What's wrong?"
Piper exhaled sharply. "I think Percy's cheating on you."
The commute home was a nuisance in spades. She shoved past a group of chatting tourists and peeled out of the train, glowering at the man trying to either cope a feel on her way out or grab at her wallet. Like she was stupid enough for that.
The door clicked open. Walking through she was hit with a strong scent of mint. Putting her hat and keys down on the mini table, she caught sight of a couple new pots of mint against the wall.
"Your step-mother visit again?"
The giant mound of blankets on the couch let out a zombie like groan. She kicked off her shoes and tiptoed over. Nico glared at her, disgruntled as she pulled the blankets from over his face.
She kissed his cheek. He swatted at her and tried to hide again.
"You know we have a perfectly good bed, right?"
He grunted. "TV," he mumbled. "Background noise." He shifted some more, pulling his blankets tighter over himself. "Also dinner's soon." He squinted at her from behind his cocoon. "How was your day?"
"Fine. Apparently, Percy's cheating on me," she sighed, settling down on the rug.
He snorted. "As if. This is as good as it gets."
"I know, right." She looked him over. "I didn't confirm or deny anything. I just said that he wouldn't do that to me and changed the topic. Piper seemed to get that I didn't want to talk about it."
He rubbed his eyes. "You can. If you want. I'm fine."
He nodded. "It's been a few months. Pretty clear it's not just some trick."
His voice still wavered. Trust was hard to come by with Nico. She worked at it.
Percy worked even harder.
She smiled softly and stroked back his hair. "If someone brings it up again, I'll confirm. But otherwise I kind of like it being quiet. Just the three of us." She wrinkled her nose and looked over to the kitchen where her boyfriend was running from one end to the other, carrying a bowl. "And Persephone."
Nico laughed, his voice soft. "He's making pizza."
Annabeth groaned. "I love pizza." She slid her hand under the blankets to grab his. "How are you doing?"
"Thinking about how your dad should have redone that amphitheatre."
Nico squeezed her hand. "The amphitheatre I specifically managed to get you to design for him?"
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, weary for a person so young. Befitting of a man of his chronological age, however. "You just built that."
"I think an extra column would have made it look smoother." She pursed her lips. "I should call him."
He let go of her hand and rolled over until his back was to her, moaning his disapproval. "If you die, I'm not saving you. I'm only here for the sea puppy."
She snorted, slipping up to her knees so she could lean over his curled up form. "And here I thought we were getting close."
"For criminal activity or business purposes, we can be partners," Nico huffed. "Otherwise you're just an unavoidable obstacle."
She laughed, burying her face into his neck. His body shook with hers, his laughter muffled behind closed lips. "I love you too, ghost boy."
He tilted his head back just to enough to look at her with one black eye. "I care for you too." He rolled back over. "But I can only save one person and Percy is my boyfriend. Who my father also hates."
"Such a risk to love someone so despised."
"Such a risk," he agreed. "Guess we're idiots."
