Author's Note: Well, considering FF is up and running again, I am more motivated than ever to just write, write, write! So, I am working on new chapters to both my stories, but here's a one-shot to tide you guys over. Rachel/Nico, and a bit of Percy/Annabeth on the side.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Present Day
"Aw, look at that," Annabeth says, resting her head on Percy's shoulder. "They're just like us, circa five years ago."
Percy smiles at the scene: Rachel and Nico arguing just a few feet in front of them, wild hand gestures, Rachel standing on tip-toes in order to attempt to draw herself even closeto Nico's height—which is a futile effort. All the while Percy and Annabeth just sit there watching, smiling at the lovely new couple. Although they had believed that Nico and Rachel may have stopped fighting as much as once they started officially going out, they were of course incorrect.
"What are they even fighting about again?" Percy asks, arm around Annabeth's shoulders, drowning out the noise of Rachel and Nico's yelling.
"Wasn't it about which place on this block makes the best gyro's?" Annabeth suggests.
"No, that was yesterday..." Percy's brow furrows. "I think it was about whether or not Sudan borders Egypt."
"That's it!" Annabeth says, slapping her knee. "Gods, why don't they just go look at a map?"
"I think 'why are they still fighting about it?' is more the question," Percy adds.
"'Why do we care?', more like it."
"I believe that is the question, Wise Girl."
-o-
1 Week Earlier
"I can't deal with her anymore," Nico di Angelo said, running a hand through his hair.
"What?" Annabeth demanded, slamming her hand down on the table, causing their bottles of beer to wobble slightly. "But—but you went through so much shit to get with her in the first place, Nico! And you're just giving up! Gods, what is your problem?"
Annabeth and Nico had become friends around the same time he and Rachel had. Turned out they actually had a lot in common, so whenever Rachel and Percy would watch lame-ass Disney films, or some crap like that, he and Annabeth would get sufficiently wasted and talk about whatever crossed their minds. Tonight the topic was the red-haired nightmare herself.
"What's my problem?" Nico said, giving her an incredulous look from the other side of the small dining table. "Hm, let's see. My stepmother has a vendetta against me that everyoneseems to underestimate, Apollo hates my guts, and I'm in love with a woman I hate." He took a large swig of his drink after this rant.
"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo," Annabeth said with a roll of her eyes. But then her eyes got wide, and she looked at Nico like a little girl who'd just gotten everything she'd ever dreamed of for Christmas. "You said you loved her!" she declared, pointing at him accusingly, giving a little drunken hiccup, a triumphant look on her face.
"Yeah, you know that thing you're freaking out about right now? You know, when I said I loved her? We might need to look back at that, because as I recall, I also said I hate her in the same sentence," Nico shot back.
"Nico, love and hate are one in the same. I'd thought you would've figured that out by now," Annabeth said, closing her eyes and sipping more of her beer.
"That is bullshit," Nico said, plopping his elbow on the table and pointing at her just as she had moments prior.
Annabeth ignored him, saying, "There is an extremely fine line between those emotions. They're the strongest emotions of them all! They exist together. It's like John Lennon and Yoko: they will be together at all times."
"You're really insightful when you're drunk," Nico commented.
"You're not half-bad yourself," she said with a shrug. "Anyways, look at me and Percy. Do you remember how we acted when you first met us? And look at us now!"
Nico snorted.
-o-
Present Day
"Rachel, how is it that you—who has attended college, and is invested with many Africa-based charities—do not know that Sudan borders Egypt!" Nico shouts.
"Nico, what in all Botecelli are you talking about?" Rachel yells back in like. "I wasn't saying that Sudan doesn't border Egypt; of course it borders Egypt—who do you think I am? I was saying that Sudan doesn't border Ethiopia!"
"Oh," Nico, Annabeth and Percy say in unison.
"We should probably listen to her more," Annabeth whispers in Percy's ear.
-o-
2 Weeks Earlier
Nico kissed her again, cutting off her speech about how she really needs more charcoal pencils, and causing her to sigh into his mouth.
Rachel laid in her bed, Nico on top of her, successfully managing to keep his full weight off of her.
"But—" Rachel tried to continue, but he simply brought his hand to her face, spanning from her thick hair to her cheekbone, pulling her closer to him and again quieting her protests.
Nico finally pulled away, but kept himself on top of her, not releasing her from his hold. Rachel couldn't really protest on that point.
"I'll talk to you," he started, "but not about charcoal pencils or the different shades of yellow on a canvas."
But even though he was being reasonable, and trying to give her what he thought she wanted, when he saw her looking up at him—cheeks flushed, red hair a mess, lips pink and wet—he knew he'd thoroughly convinced her to take another plan of action with him.
-o-
Present Day
The three demigods and Oracle have formed a sort of triangle in the room. Nico sits in the chair on the right hand side, Rachel on the left, and Percy and Annabeth still sit together of the couch. The silence is heavy and considerably awkward.
"So," Percy says, drawing out the word. "What now?"
-o-
1 Week Earlier
About an hour after Annabeth's lecture on love and hate— in which she proceeded to go into how brain chemisty works when you fall in love, and how it's practically identical to the chemistry that occurs when one experiences hate—they still sit at the small table drinking.
"Okay," Annabeth went on. "Let's talk about hate."
Nico groaned, putting his head down on the table.
"Aw," Annabeth said. "You're in denial." She continued by putting a hand in his dark hair, combing it with her fingers.
To any outside person, this gesture would probably have seemed romantic, but Nico and Annabeth both knew that it was strictly maternal. And even though Nico usually repels from most people's touch, he couldn't find the heart to push her hand away.
After a few seconds he brought his head up, propping it on one hand.
"Go on," he said reluctantly.
"Well," Annabeth said, "I assume that the worst thing you've ever called Rachel—considering you obviouslyfight and argue—is a bitch."
He smiled then, a smile so slight, so miniscule, that someone who didn't know him probably wouldn't know that he had smiled at all. They wouldn't detect that little twitch of his lips, the dark glimmer in his eyes, the way that Annabeth could.
Finally he said, his voice low, "To her face."
Annabeth groaned, dropping her head into her hands.
-o-
Present Day
"You know," Nico finally says, standing up from his chair, Percy, Annabeth and Rachel's eyes on him. "I think that catering to Persephone is preferable to this."
"You know," Rachel says in the same tone, "if I were to get hit by a bus on the way home and that were the last thing you ever said to me, you'd feel bad."
Nico is leaning against the arm of his chair, looking at Rachel as she speaks. And because she's so angry, she'd never admit it, but it's one of the things she loves most about him. If she is speaking he looks at her and listens. Even if his face is showing rage or compassion or cynicism. He always hears her.
"I would," he agrees, and she's surprised. Percy and Annabeth seem surprised too. Where is the snarky comment, the response that will make Rachel go postal?
And then, Rachel knows something's happened. Because Annabeth and Nico's eyes meet for a second, so quick that she's sure Percy doesn't notice, and the look on Annabeth's face is so rare—especially in regards to Nico—that Rachel is positively startled.
Annabeth is beaming with pride.
-o-
8 Days Earlier
He called one of her paintings a "modern art cotastrophe".
"Get out!" she screeched, throwing a glass at him. He ducked. Crash. He's sure everone in New York heard it.
He got out.
-o-
Present Day
"What was that?" Rachel demands, pointing accusingly back and forth between Nico and Annabeth. They look at her innocently, and gods does Rachel hate how good of liars they both are. It suddenly occurs to Rachel that they would make a great pair for world domination, which is such a terrifying idea that she visibly shudders.
"What was what?" Annabeth asks, smiling softly.
"Don't you play dumb with me, Annabeth Chase!" Rachel exclaims, still pointing accusingly. "Only I get to do that!"
"Wait, what's going on?" Percy says, sitting forward, leaning around to fully see Annabeth's face, and then looking back and forth from Nico and Rachel.
"Don't worry, Percy," Nico says, rather patronizingly. "It will all be over soon." Percy flips him off rather vehemently in response.
Meanwhile, Annabeth snorts. "Rachel, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Yes you do!" Rachel says. "You—you looked all proud when you were looking at Nico! What was that all about?"
"I was simply impressed by his rather honest answer," Annabeth responds matter of factly.
"I hate you both," Rachel decides.
-o-
1 Week Earlier
Rachel and Percy were still out at approximately one in the morning, and so Nico and Annabeth continued to sit at her dining room table, now going through the wine supply.
"So what happened?" Annabeth asked, pouring another glass of red diligently.
"What?" Nico asked, elbow on the table, head propped in his hand.
"It's obvious that something happened with Rachel that has you in this foul mood." She cocked her head slightly. "Well, fouler than usual, anyway. So, what happened? Did you call her a bad word?"
He groaned again. "It's so stupid," he said.
"It's okay, Nico. This is a safe enviorment, no one will hurt you here. Hugs not drugs," Annabeth said, nose in her drink.
Nico looked at her incredulously, simultaneously muttering, "My life is an after school special."
Annabeth giggled.
"I was being myself!" he defended. "I insulted a painting. She threw a glass at me. I left."
"And then you came here?" Annabeth seemed disappointed.
He shrugged. "Like I said. Stupid."
"Nico, I'm going to tell you what your problem is," Annabeth declared, setting her wine glass down with a very unladylike burp.
"I'm honored."
"Good. Now, your problem is that you don't share your feelings with Rachel. Yeah, you're nice to her, and it's not like you're the worst boyfriend ever. And the sarcasm and such can be amusing, but Rachel will never admit that, of course. So you can keep that, but you have to throw in some truthes and talk to her. In confidence. Make it heartfelt. If you can do it with me, you can do it with her." She nodded, and took a long drink from her wine glass.
"Um, I'm not sure if you're aware, but we're wasted," Nico said.
"You're wasted with Rachel all the time!" Annabeth retorted.
"And that's heartfelt."
"Just do it, di Angelo!"
-o-
Present Day
"I will get to the bottom of this," Rachel declares.
"The bottom of what?" Percy asks, hopelessly lost.
"Shut up, Percy," Rachel says.
"Hey, don't talk to him like that," Annabeth says. "He's sensitive."
"I am not!" Percy exclaims, about to get really angry.
"Yes, you are," Nico says, to which Percy responds with a, "Go fuck yourself."
"Screw this!" Rachel says. "I'm leaving!"
After she's gone, slamming the door behind her, the three demigods sit in silence for a few moments.
"Did she just break up with me?" Nico asks.
"She would never break up with you," Annabeth murmurs.
-o-
2 Weeks Later
After a couple of weeks of apologizing about all the times he's insulted her, even the petty and ridiculous times, and practically courting her, Rachel agrees to see him again. Frankly, she's relieved he tried so hard, because now she has an excuse to see him again.
"You finally win me back and you have to leave ten minutes after our reunion?" Rachel demands. They are standing in line at one of her little indie coffee shops which specializes in soy milk and bad poetry slams.
"Yep," Nico says, leaning against the counter. There are many people swarming around them, at least eighty-five percent of them clad in skinny jeans. "I owe Persephone. I accidentally fell in her flower bed. We've made a deal: I personally help her garden tonight, and she lets me live." He turns then, beginning to walk out of the store.
"Have fun crushing my heart, di Angelo!" she cries after him.
-o-
Sixteen Days Later
He shadow travelled her to Florence. He is officially forgiven.
"Do you love me?" she asks, resting her head against his shoulder. They sit on a bench looking at a beautiful cathedral from the time of the Medici's.
"Do you love me?"
"That's not important," she says. "I'm not allowed to love you, so it doesn't matter. You, on the other hand, may love me. You can't help it if you fall for the oracle."
"Well, that hardly seems fair," Nico says. And then, lower, so low that Rachel's not sure she hears him right, "Annabeth is so full of shit."
-o-
The Next Day
He shadow travelled her back to her home very late, and when she wakes, he's putting on his shoes, just about to leave.
"More catering for Persephone?" she asks drowsily.
"Worse," he says. "Family dinner. Demeter's there."
"Well, I do indeed hope that you live to see another day," she says, peering at him from under the covers.
"Well, thank you for that gem of encouragement," he says, walking towards the door of her bedroom.
"Anytime."
"Oh, and Rachel?" he says.
"Uh-huh?"
"Yes."
"Huh?" she says, green eyes confused.
"The answer to your question last night," he says. "Yes. I do. I really do."
She stares at him, stunned.
"But I hate you too," he says. "I really, really do." And then he's gone.
Rachel smiles.
How'd you guys like it. Cheesy? Not funny enough? Stupid ending? REVIEW!