We've all got bruises. (Leico)

Therapy

Nico decided he hated white. White walls, white chairs, white floors. If possible, the other kids looked uncomfortable too, oddly. "Haven't you all done this before?" he asked Annabeth. She shook her head. "It was always individual therapy. We've never done group before."

Nico gulped. He'd hoped the others chatter would cover the fact that he wasn't talking. It didn't. They were as nervous as him. Their group leader, Mrs. Dodds, sneered at them all. Nico hated her. She was part of the lower chain of his fathers workers. He doubted she even recognized him.

Mrs. Dodds sighed loudly. "If none of you will start, I will."

She shuffled some folders around. Percy looked uncomfortable. "Are those our files?"

She nodded. "And if none of you are planning on starting the topic, which is why you're here in the first place, then I will start reading. From each of your files. If I were you, I'd try to sugarcoat it. But rest assured, I will call you out on lies."

They all exchanged startled glances. Was that allowed?

Apparently it was. She opened a file. "Jason Grace," she read loudly, and Jason looked up, panicked.

Nico sighed. "Can I suggest something?"

Mrs. Dodds nodded, a bored expression on her face, and he continued. "I suggest we break into pairs. We can tell each other why we got here, and maybe it will lessen everyone's nerves?"

The others kids nodded. Mrs. Dodds sighed. "Fine, but eventually you will all be telling the class your stories. And I will be choosing the pairs."

"Percy and Hazel."

"Frank and Rachel."

"Annabeth and Jason."

"Piper and Leo."

"Nico and Reyna."

Everyone split up, and Nico sat across from Reyna and sighed. Neither of them talked.

"Kidnapped."

"Excuse me?" Nico looked up. Was she mocking him?

"That's why I'm here. I was kidnapped."

"Ditto," he admitted.

"No! Really?" Reyna asked, sadness flashing in her eyes. "Then I understand if you don't want to talk about it."

They sat there in a comfortable silence, and Nico revered over the fact that someone here got it.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. "Not talking?" Mrs. Dodds screeched. "I'm switching you! Valdez!"

Leo looked up from where he was giggling with Piper. "You're with Di Angelo! Now!" Mrs. Dodds called angrily.

And so they were switched. Awkwardly, they sat across from each other, until a death glare from Mrs. Dodds sparked Leo to conversation.

"My mom died when I was little. My dad was a deadbeat. I got sent here. That's my story," Leo said flatly.

Nico struggled for something to say. "My mom died too. I guess my dad couldn't handle it. He sent me to live here," Nico said, lying through his teeth.

To his surprise, Leo nodded and accepted that. They discussed their projects for the rest of the hour. Mrs. Dodds sneered at them all as they left, warning them that she was very displeased, and to expect a punishment tomorrow.

Inside, Nico was flying. Leo bought his fake story! He thought Nico was in the same boat as him, and he shouldn't be bothering Nico for some time. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned around, and saw dark blue eyes. Jason.

"Thanks man, for not letting her....you know," Jason said shyly.

Nico shrugged "No big deal. Just try to do the same for me, okay?" He walked away quickly.

Jason stared after him. No one, none of the people who were his best friends, had come up with an idea to stop Mrs. Dodds from reading his file. But Nico did. Jason got the feeling he understood. He decided that he'd be protecting Nico from now on, the same way Nico had helped him.
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Leo sat on his bed, fiddling with the spare parts to build a toy car. He couldn't stay still for more than a few minutes at a time, and late at night was no exception. Tomorrow was Saturday, and he knew that he needed his sleep for war games the next day, but he couldn't bring himself to turn off the light.

Nico still wasn't back from spending time with Hazel, so Leo was alone. He started humming his favorite Imagine Dragons song, Working Man.

Suddenly, he stopped. Nico wasn't here, and it was about 3:00 in the morning. Chances were, he wouldn't be coming into the room that night. Why not play his music?

Leo clicked on the radio he has built last week, and the song came on. He jumped up. "Shake it shake it! Moving again, been a long time coming for the working man! Shake it shake it! Moving again, when the money is high we can start to spend!" He wiggled his hips and jumped to the beat, grinning wildly.

He jumped on Nico's bed, then to his, then to Nico's again, all while singing. He choked on the gum in his mouth for a terrifying second before spitting it out and continuing to sing.
"-for the highway hooome! Ho-oh-oh ome! Caught up in the middle of a headache and a heartbreak, just when I thought I was clear with the mistakes nooooo! No-oh-ohhh! So tell me tell me tell me! What am I to do? Seems that this life is..darker than-"

Nico was standing in the doorway, eyes wide. Leo didn't know what to do. Nico was his first roommate. To cover his embarrassment, Leo grabbed the other boys hands and twirled him around.

"So help me help me help me... Be a little more like you! When everything is fallen, I wanna do the things you doooo!" he twirled Nico around, grinning crazily. "Everything is serious and everything is fatal, that's what they tell you and that's how they make you knooow! Know-oh-oh-oh! Tired of the books and tired of the tables, everything is made with the same ok labels noooo!no-oh-oh-oh!! So tell me tell me tell me..." Nico came out of his state of shock and roughly shoved Leo away, but stumbled backward and fell heavily on the table with the radio. He felt it shatter underneath him.

"My radio!" Leo cried. "Nico, you klutz!" He pulled Nico off his radio and went to check it; it was now scrap, decimated into little parts. He turned around to rip Nico a new one, but paused.

Because the back of Nico's shirt was soaked with blood.