Boys Like Boys [Nico di Angelo]

chapter thirty

"Leo! Leo I need your help it's an emergency!" I yelled, opening the bunker door. He instantly came stumbling out of another room.

"What!? What's wrong!? Are you okay!? Did someone die!? Oh my gods," he screeched, before realizing that I was perfectly okay. "What the Hades, Calum."

"I need your help."

"Is it an emergency?" he asked.

"Well...no."

"So you lied?" he inquired and I scratched the back of my neck.

"Okay, listen. It's five days until Christmas and I still don't have a present for Nico," I muttered, my eyes falling to the ground. "You're friends with him, right? Help me out."

"Last time I checked, Nico hates my guts," Leo said, before seeing my frown and sighing. "I'll help you. I don't know what he likes, but I'm sure you do."

"Uh..." I trailed off and Leo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on. You don't know about him at all? You've kissed the guy for the gods' sakes. How do you not know what he likes?"

"He likes me," I offered and Leo gave me a look that said he was one hundred percent done with this conversation.

"No shit."

"I'm just gonna go talk to Percy," I muttered and Leo huffed.

"Good idea."

---

"Percy! Percy, I need your help, it's an emergency!" I cried and Percy quickly threw the door open, his sword drawn and ready. I stepped inside his cabin and grinned.

"Are you - nothing's really wrong?"

"No - well, kinda...see, there's five days until Christmas and I still don't have a gift for Nico," I explained and Percy nodded, before turning his sword back into a pen.

"Well, Nico won't want anything too fantastic or big. Just something small and sentimental."

"So...like a small gift with a letter?"

"That's perfect!" Percy explained. "A really heartfelt letter."

"Gods, I don't know..." I trailed off, my cheeks flushing pink.

"You've kissed him," Percy deadpanned. "How can you not write him a heartfelt letter?"

"It's just different - Oh my gods!" I exclaimed. "I have the perfect idea. Bye Percy, thanks a bunch!" I yelled and made my way back to Leo's bunker. I had the perfect idea for a gift and I knew Leo was the right person to help me with it.

"You're back again?" Leo inquired sarcastically, but I knew it was a joke.

"Yeah, this time I really need your help. I know what I want to make for Nico."

---

  The dinner bell rang throughout the camp, sounding into the forest. Leo's eyebrows furrowed, before he realized what time it was.

  "Damn, we missed lunch."

  "That's okay. Is it done?"

  "Yep," Leo replied, handing me a small rectangular box.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much," I murmured and Leo shook his head.

  "No problem," he said with a smile. "I'm happy you came to me for help."

"Well, you're the only one here I know that can build stuff," I muttered and he nodded, before shrugging on his jacket.

  "We should head to dinner. I bet your boyfriend is missing you," he teased and my cheeks heated up.

  "He's not even really my boyfriend," I said quietly and Leo's eyes widened.

  "Seriously? Uh uh, this is not okay. This is not okay! You guys like each other way too much for you two not to be dating. C'mon, Calum, step up your game."

  "Leo..." I suddenly said, feeling my smile fall. "Listen, there's a problem." He suddenly stopped and turned to me, his eyes nervous. My hands shook as I even thought about telling him. How would he react? He'd be mad at me, or he'd tell someone or- No, Leo wouldn't do that to me. Yes he would. I'm a traitor. A monster. Or, if not now, I will be when Atë gets ahold of me. "I won't be here for Christmas."

  "What? Why?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

  "Why doesn't matter," I murmured, before closing my eyes and taking in a deep breath. "I have to leave the night before Christmas."

  "Are you going to be okay?"

  "I don't know," I answered truthfully, running my fingers through my hair. "I really don't - I don't want to, but it's not like it's a choice."

  "You're really scaring me, Calum," Leo whispered.

  "Don't be worried, it's...I think it'll be fine. I think. I hope. Just...don't tell anyone, okay? I just really had to get that off of my chest," I admitted and he looked hesitant, before slowly nodding.

  "Okay...just promise me you'll be safe?" he asked and I nodded.

  "Of course."

---

"You've been busy all day," Nico commented as I sat next to him at dinner, feeling him lace our fingers together.

"Yeah, just doing stuff," I murmured, leaning my head against his shoulder. A blonde appeared in front of us with a Polaroid camera and snapped a picture, before winking at Nico and walking away. I felt my cheeks flush as I turned to Nico, my eyebrows furrowed. "What was that about?" He just shrugged, a knowing smile on his face as he began eating. I wanted to know what was going on, but I shook it off and dug into my food.

Nico and I walked around the strawberry fields, our hands laced together as we killed some time before the campfire. The sun was already setting, but lamp posts were on all around camp, illuminating it enough to see everything. Another snap went off behind us.

"Okay, is someone stalking us?" I asked and Nico laughed, before turning me to look at him, a smile on his face.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"You'll see," he said with a smirk, before his eyes flickered to my lips.

"Not with people around," I teased, watching his face soften into a smile as he placed his hands on my waist. His smile made me smile. Another snap went off.

"Just a peck?" he asked and I shook my head, watching him pout.

"People are around," I teased again, his lips dangerously close to mine, my cheeks heating up. "And I have a feeling you're just putting on a show for them."

"'Course not," he murmured, his eyes meeting mine. "This is putting on a show."

Then, he dipped and kissed me, another snap sounding. When he pulled me up, I rolled my eyes.

"You should be in theater."

"Just another thing Dionysus and I have in common," he muttered and twirled me around, before stopping and lacing our fingers together. "So, Christmas is approaching," he murmured, a small, shy smile on his face.

"It is."

"Do you miss your family?" he inquired and a sudden pain shot me in the chest. Of course I did. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't miss my mom and wish I was home and not here. But I also countered that with Nico. I always brushed off the fact that this would be my first Christmas without my mother and Veda, wherever she was. Now I was being reminded of the things I'd lost and would never truly get back. This could possibly be my last Christmas and I wouldn't even get to see my mom. My eyes burned and I looked down, trying to hold it in. Be strong. Nico can't know that whatever this is is bound to end. I only had five days, and then this was all over. "Cal?"

  "Of course I do," I murmurs, trying to blink the tears out of my eyes, but it only caused them to fall. I wiped them away and looked up at him. "But I'm glad I'm here."

  "I'm glad you're here too," he murmured and pulled me into a hug, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. Another snap went off. "And we can Iris-message your mom after the campfire, how does that sound?"

  "It sounds great," I murmured, ignoring the drop in my chest. I tightened my grip on him and buried my face into his chest. These next few days were all I had with Nico, and then it was over. I needed to take advantage of it as much as I could.

  Another snap went off.