Pool | Afternoon | Sunday | February 13

[seaweed-demigod.livejournal.com]

After meeting Leander earlier in the day, Percy wasn't about to stick around his room and wait for more kids to find him. He'd herded Leander (and dragged Jason along with them since he was the other dad) down to the pool since any kid of his probably liked the water.

Once down there, he'd taken the time to call Luke and both invited him and told him to find Nico since it wasn't like Percy could snap a note up to Ethan's mother. Sure, neither Luke or Nico were big fans of the water but wasn't a pool supposed to be a good way to entertain kids so their parents could spend time beating their heads into the walls or something?"

Percy wasn't sure but being around the water relaxed him enough that he either thought he could deal with the horde of demigod kids or he could make Jason or Nico or Luke deal with it because he had the water as backup. One or the other.

[Percy's here for the two demigods, a Robin, and aaaaaaaaall their kids but the pool's open!]

Comments

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"What, no. I like living with you a lot." No matter how awkward it might be sometimes.

Luke was about to open his mouth to warn Nico not to say anything to anyone, but realized that was always a kind of unspoken agreement between the two of them. So instead he just out and said it. "I told him I loved him."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Oh!" Nico had known how Luke felt, hell, he'd called it last semester in class, but Nico understood that saying words like that out loud could be difficult. "Yeah, I can see why you might worry. Did he...you know, say it back?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"He said he was happy I said it but that he couldn't do it yet," Luke said, trying not to show how much that disappointed him. Tried, but his shoulders still slumped a little and he frowned slightly. "Which is good, I guess. I wouldn't want him to say it if he didn't mean it."

No, it was still disappointing.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that definitely sucked no matter how you spun it. "He's probably just scared. The guy's like, fifteen. Had he even kissed anyone before he met you?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Ugh, Nico, don't remind him of how old Percy was.

"I doubt it. And I know he's probably scared. It's not like I wasn't. I've never said that to anybody before," Luke said. "I'm fine with giving him time. Like I said, I just don't want the kid thing to push back any progress that's happened."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah. If he freaks, maybe point out how feelings don't actually make babies so much as sex with girls and since none of us have that particular problem, he should be safe from things going faster than he's ready for," Nico suggested. "Of course, I probably shouldn't talk since you were right about the whole dating thing making Jason mad. We're cool now, but uh, yeah."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke sometimes wondered just how socially retarded Nico was because come on the dating thing seemed obvious. "Well it says something that you were able to work it out pretty quick, right?"

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," Nico shrugged, not really sure. "I'm gonna research it, see what I should be doing so I don't mess it up again." Because that was how to deal with not knowing how healthy relationships worked.

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"You can try, but I don't think it's something that can be researched," Luke said. "Especially when it comes to people like us. It's not like we're gonna have completely normal relationships with the possibility of death lurking around every corner."

He had no idea why his mind kept springing to that. No idea.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Hey, if anyone can figure out death, it's me," Nico pointed out. "Relationships with the living are the problem."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"You're doing fine," Luke said, waving his hand dismissively. "Use that spring break trip to make up for the dating thing and any weirdness the kids might bring up."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"What, like go on a trip together?" Nico's eyes went a little wide with the suggestion. "I dunno, Luke."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke gave him a weird look. "...isn't most everybody here gonna go on that trip anyway?"

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I don't know! I roomed with Percy last trip and ended up fighting with him half the time," Nico remembered. "You looking forward to it?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"I'm not going." That's why he added the 'most' in there. "I'm gonna visit camp for a few days and then just hang out here for a while."

Or, you know, he was gonna go die. The second one seemed like the more likely option since he was busy dealing with kids instead of training like he should be.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Aha," Nico understood. And he couldn't help wondering if this would be the trip where Luke met Percy. "Guess we'll be ramping up training tomorrow to get you ready to instill a new group of kids with what it takes to be a hero, huh?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Well, no. I mean, yeah, we're gonna ramp up training if we're not stuck with kids because we've been slacking the last few days," Luke said. "But it's winter in my universe now. Just the old year-rounders will be at camp."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

Well that was just disappointing. "Huh. So it's more of a visit for the holiday or something?"

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

Luke shrugged like he hadn't put much thought into it. "I guess. It's been a while since I've seen Annabeth, so."

That was a lie considering the day trips he had been taking to camp the last few weeks, but he had thought he was being stealthy about those.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"Oh really? I mean, I guess since time goes pretty fast there." Nico thought he felt a lie somewhere in there, but he wasn't going to call Luke on a gut feeling. "I'd have you say hi for me, but you know."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I know." Nobody in the past knew Nico just like nobody in the future seemed to know Luke. "It won't be Hawaii but I suppose some sacrifices have to be made. Not like I can't go there when I want anyway."

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"That's true. And it's not like you have classes all week long," Nico pointed out. "You could take your own Hawaiian vacation after spring break."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, but if I'm on a Hawaiian vacation who is gonna kick your ass in the salle every day?" Luke asked.

[deaths-demigod.livejournal.com]

"I could turn it into a practical," Nico suggested. "You know, offer up myself for fights for a few days, see how many people wanna try and hit me with a sword."

[trickydemigod.livejournal.com]

"I think you're just gonna get Percy," Luke said. "And he'll probably try to kill you."