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Today you get the next installment of this short series. I tried to give the first page a spoiler warning thumbnail, but that feature is apparently broken, so don't read this if you haven't read all the mainline Percy Jackson books and want to.

- I haven't read Percy Jackson and the Olympians since my freshman year of high school, so I forgot about the "Juniper" scene until recently. Between it and everyone thinking Nico had a crush on Annabeth, it's interesting how people tend to assume everyone is straight until proven otherwise. For me, it's a little bit annoying, but Nico, prior to his coming out, clearly wanted people to think that way. Whenever someone suspected he wasn't straight, he felt like he was sharing too much about himself. Like I said, I feel that way about my special interests, so I won't judge.

- The "Cupid" scene is iconic, albeit arguably problematic. Like I said, a straight author's gotta mess up somewhere. I'm glad The Sun and the Star built on it, showed how the event affected Nico, and explained why you shouldn't out a queer person (keep in mind, these books are written first and foremost for elementary and middle school-aged kids). Probably helps that the book was co-written by a queer author.

- You'll sometimes hear mildly homophobic straight people saying, "Eew, you're not attracted to me, are you?!". It's ridiculous, obviously, but it's true that gay people sometimes find themselves attracted to someone who happens to be straight, as is the case with Nico (for those of you who headcanon Percy as bisexual or pansexual or whatever, The Sun and the Star explicitly refers to him as straight).

I think this part of Nico's arc is a good showcase of why "are you attracted to me" is ridiculous. Nico knows he can't have Percy, so he accepts it, moves on, and eventually finds a boyfriend. No matter our sexuality, feeling attracted to someone we can't have is a big part of romantic life. Sometimes straight people find themselves attracted to someone who happens to be gay or a lesbian.

- I'd imagine finding a partner is more difficult for queer people than it is for straight, cis people (for reference, I'm aroace). You can never be too certain that any potential partner is attracted to the same sex. In The Sun and the Star, Nico talks about how (prompted by Connor Stoll) he noticed Will looking at him all lovey-dovey and how, if not for that, he probably wouldn't have had the courage to ask Will out.

On a side note, The Sun and the Star also reveals that Will is bisexual. I think there's something subtly wonderful about Nico having a bisexual boyfriend. You'd think bisexual people have more options, since they're attracted to more than one gender, but, from what I've heard, the opposite is true. Bisexual people not only have to make sure any potential partner is attracted to their gender, but they also have to make sure they're not biphobic. All too often, they're seen as "too gay" for straight opposite-sex partners and "too straight" for gay same-sex partners. As such, I love that Nico doesn't mind that his boyfriend isn't attracted exclusively to guys. Guess after crushing on Percy for so long, he can't be picky.

- Nico's coming-out story is probably my favorite part of The Sun and the Star. Basically, Nico asked the satyrs and dryads to set up a picnic so he could ask Will out, and he thought they'd do it in a secluded area, but they set it up right in the middle of Camp Half-Blood! Nico then decided he'd use this as an opportunity to come out, and it became both his and Will's coming-out moment.

Juniper has him wear a crown of holly, in case you're wondering about that.

Well, I've said enough. Stay tuned for more.

Characters belong to Rick Riordan and Disney: Hyperion