You weren't living a lie. [He corrects quietly. If any of the others had gone, he isn't sure what Eros would have demanded or if he would have complied at all. The others knew who they were and who they loved. They understood themselves on the same fundamental level that Nico had been denying himself. He hadn't chosen Nico at random, he had targeted him from the very beginning, probably even before Zephyrus set eyes on him.]

I hate him. I don't think I'll ever not hate him for that. It should have been my choice, where and when. [And to who.]

[He's quiet for another few seconds and then he snorts, some of the tension draining out of him.]

And then you with your noble words and encouragement...[Despite what might have been a mocking tone, there's a lightness to Nico's voice that borders on affection.] I think that was the first real conversation we had.