Summary: Jason thinks that making sure Nico isn't bullied is his responsibility. He'd just forgotten what an influx of pranks from a Stoll actually means.

A.N: After hoh all I wanted was Jason/Nico bromance. This was the closest thing that my weird little mind could provide. And on another note, hoh might have made me completely abandon the Percabeth ship, but now I actually ship Jasper (It actually worked in this book so good job Rick. Kudos to you) and they made their way into this thing as well.

"You're getting good at this," Jason said while blocking the most recent of Piper's blows.

Piper sent him a mesmerizing smile and then parried his most recent strike. Jason could see the Hades Cabin in the background of their sparring match. He wondered if Nico was actually still around. He had seen him yesterday, but that didn't mean much. Nico di Angelo came and went, and Jason might have been the only one who knew why. Jason wished he could make the boy feel like less of an outsider.

"I beat Hazel a few days ago," Piper said, accenting the sentence with a strike that collided with the upper-side of Jason's bare arm and pulled him out of his thoughts. He bit his lip to keep in his cry, but electricity coursed through his skin, shooting through Piper's sword and shocking her hand.

"Ouch," she yelped, tossing her sword to her other hand. A few droplets of blood started to roll down Jason's arm.

"Are you alright, Piper," he said, taking his sword out of his defensive position.

"Not really," she said in a voice that compelled him to set down his weapon and help her. But before he knew it, his gladius was on the ground, and so was he. Piper's sword was pointed at his chest and she was smirking above him.

"That is so not fair," he grumbled from his position on the dirt.

"Turnabout's fair play," Piper said, and he could hear the smirk in her voice, "You shocked me first."

"You cut my arm all up," he retorted, and he could feel the pain shooting through the new cut.

"Tough Mister Roman can't take a little cut," she teased, but then she saw the amount of blood.

"Come on, Jace," she said, helping him to his feet, "Let's get you some nectar."

"STOLL!" Shouted a voice from the direction of the Hades cabin. Jason looked that way and saw Nico di Angelo tromping out of the cabin, coated in glitter. His face was red in anger and embarrassment. Jason was glad that he wasn't on the receiving end of his friend's anger. Conner Stoll emerged from the bushes smiling. Nico glared at him from under his coating of rainbow glitter. Even though Jason had to admit it was a humorous sight, the boy still looked menacing.

"Conner Stoll," Nico said, his voice low and tempestuous in anger, "This is the fourth time you've done something like this this week. I swear to the gods if you pull one more stunt like this I will send an army of the undead after you and they won't be anywhere near as kind as I am."

"Ooo, feisty," Conner said between laughs. Jason could see the smoke coming out of Nico's ears.

"One more time, Stoll," Nico said, slamming the door on Conner's face. Conner's laughter ceased and he seemed disappointed.

"Can I have a moment, Piper," Jason asked.

"But your arm," Piper asked in concern.

"I'll be fine," he said, "I think that I need to talk to Conner Stoll."

Piper started back towards her cabin. Jason saw Conner walking away from Cabin 13 and he followed him.

"What are you playing at," Jason asked when he was only a few feet from the boy.

Conner turned towards him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"With Nico, why are you targeting the kid?" Jason demanded.

"Wait," Conner said, "Do you think that I'm bullying him?"

"That's what it looks like," Jason said, "Look Conner, Nico already feels like an outsider. He doesn't need your pranks to tell him that."

"Dude," Conner said, "You really don't get how Stoll pranks work, do you? But then again, you are new."

"Enlighten me," Jason replied.

"My brother and I," Conner said, "We pretty much prank everyone, but, but."

Conner's face tinted red as he said, "But we prank people that we like a lot more."

"But you don't prank your friends more," Jason said, but then he realized what he meant, like like. Jason suddenly remembered the flurry of pranks that Travis had played on Katie Gardner before the two got together.

"Oh," said Jason, "Oh. Conner, I really don't think Nico gets that. Maybe lighten up a bit, or make your intentions a bit more clear."

"When did you and Nico get so close anyways," Conner asked.

"We had a lot of bonding time in Europe. Just so you know, Conner, Nico's my friend," Jason said, "and if you hurt him, you'll answer to me." Jason's hands crackled with lightning. Conner gulped.

A day later, Jason and Piper were taking a walk through camp.

"So what was up with that thing with Conner," Piper asked, looking at the bandage on Jason's arm.

"Don't ask," said Jason, "It's complicated."

For the second time in the same number of days, Jason heard Nico yelling "STOLL!" Jason sighed. He hoped that Conner had developed some more tactful tactics since the day before. Jason looked towards the cabin and saw Nico stomping out, not covered in glittered but holding a box of chocolates.

"What is the meaning of this," he asked the boy who had almost materialized in front of his door. Jason wondered if Hermes' children had a shadow travel like ability, or if maybe they were just sneaky as fuck.

"It's chocolate," Conner said nonchalantly, "You eat it."

"Is it poisoned?" Nico asked, slightly paranoid, "Tainted? Is it going to explode?"

"Of course not," Conner said, "It's just chocolate." He opened it up and plopped one of the morsels into his mouth.

"Want one?" he asked, his mouth still full of chocolate. Nico actually laughed.

"Sure," Nico replied in a tone lighter and happier than Jason had ever heard it, "Why not?"

Jason smiled as he and Piper walked away from the scene.

"Ah, young love," Piper said, "I think it might be because of my mom, but I can't get enough of it."

Jason smiled at her.

"And I'm glad that Nico's starting to get over Percy," she said in a tone of knowledge and relief, "Pinning wasn't good for him."

"How'd you know?" Jason asked, because before he'd found out during the Cupid Incident, he'd never suspected.

"Jason," she said, rolling her polychromatic eyes, "I'm a daughter of love, I know when people have crushes on each other."

"Did you know that I liked you," Jason asked.

"Of course," she said, "You were kind of obvious." Jason willed himself not to turn red.

"But I liked you too, so," she said, kissing him on the cheek, "It was just fine."