Battling Demons: Book 2 [COMPLETED]

Chapter 31: Tribulation

Nico's POV:

"First, I want to know what god you were talking about," Annabeth said. "The one that is linked to Aphrodite."

Nico closed his eyes. He didn't why he had spoken up; he already had to recount getting attacked by Aaron. He didn't want to be further humiliated by talking about his encounter with Cupid. Jason was the only one who knew what had explicitly happened. Reyna knew from the flashes she had gotten from him when he ghosified Bryce Lawrence.

"Nico?" Annabeth's voice broke his thoughts. He opened his eyes. "Who was it?"

"It was Cupid. Or Eros. Whatever," Nico confessed.

Annabeth raised her eyebrow. "When did you encounter him?"

"During our quest to the House of Hades," Nico spoke in a monotone voice, trying to not let emotion enter into his voice. "Jason and I went to Diocletian's palace. We went to leave a message for Reyna, so she would know the route we were taking to Epirus. We also went to retrieve Diocletian's scepter, which could summon the ghosts of Roman legions, so we could have the advantage when entering the House of Hades. All we would have to do is face Diocletian's ghost and reason with him. We figured that would be easy, with Jason, who is also a son of Jupiter, and me, as the Ghost King.

"We eventually found the palace and left the note for Reyna underneath a bust of Diocletian. Then, Zephyros appeared. He told us that his master had the scepter. That we would have to face him in order to get it. That we would have to face Cupid, the god of love. Zephyros brought us to Salona, the capital of Dalmatia/Croatia. It was the birthplace of Diocletian, but before that, it was the home of Cupid."

A weight settled in Nico's chest, as he remembered the dark cellar. He remembered traveling to Cupid's home. He had panicked, bracing himself against a column, causing the grass around him to wilt and die. He had been terrified to face Cupid. To face his feelings for Percy. He tried to push these thoughts aside as he continued.

"Zephyros told us that we couldn't lie to Cupid. He then disappeared and Cupid's presence appeared. We couldn't see him at first, but he—taunted us. He slammed into Jason, knocking him down. He got back up and deflected an arrow that Cupid sent toward me. I demanded that he give us the scepter. Jason eventually hit him with his sword, drawing ichor, which Cupid was impressed with. But he claimed that only a child of the Underworld could wield it. He- he then hit me with an arrow. It dissolved and I commanded Cupid to show himself. But he kept attacking Jason. I told him that it was me that he wanted."

Nico's voice faltered. He had gotten this far but he didn't know if he could continue. He had gotten over his feelings for Percy, but the memory still hurt. All the emotions were still there.

"Why did he want you?" Chiron asked quietly.

"Because I was scared of him," Nico admitted. "I—I tried to defeat him with my powers. But... he was too powerful. He forced me to confess. I- I had to submit to him. He knew I conceded, so he appeared. He forced me to confess."

"Confess what?" Mr. D asked.

The room was silent, in anticipation of Nico's next words. He looked up at Annabeth. She knew what he was going to say. She nodded her head once. It gave him the strength to continue.

"I had to confess that I had a crush on Percy Jackson. That was the big secret. That I was gay, and I had a crush on Percy Jackson." Nico confessed to the silent room.

He closed his eyes, unwilling to look at anyone. For a few minutes, no one spoke.

Then, Leo broke the silence. "I mean, who doesn't have a crush on Percy here? Have you seen the guy?"