Percy's pov:
After the break up, Percy had been left confused. Annabeth had told him that it was her. She had said that she had feelings for someone else, and that she knew Percy did too. The thing was, Percy didn't know what to think of the feelings. Maybe Percy just really wanted to be his friend? But it seemed like so much more than that. Nico was more than that.
Nico's chocolate brown eyes, his soft black hair, his lean, tall body. Percy was mesmerised by all of Nico's features. Percy stood in the ocean behind the cabins, the water lapping at his hips. The Sun was setting in the sky, a golden light relfecting on the horizon. Despite the chilly air, the water was warm, and Percy enjoyed basking in the setting Sun.
Percy was brought back to reality from the sound of Annabeth shouting his name.
"Percy!" she called, her wavy blonde hair bouncing behind her as she ran down to the sea.
"Hey Annabeth," Percy replied. Even though they had broken up, Annabeth and Percy were still best friends.
"Hey," she caught her breath. "Percy, I'm going to Camp Jupiter with Piper and Leo to visit Jason, Hazel and Frank,". Even though Percy had been invited on the trip to Camp Jupiter, he had to stay back and help teach the sword classes for a few days. Blackjack was going to fly Percy to the other camp in a few days time.
"Okay. Have fun," Percy replied, smiling at Annabeth. "Tell them I'll be there soon,".
"Okay. I've come to say goodbye," Annabeth smiled and kissed him one last time. Percy was a little surprised, but he smiled at her.
"Have fun, Annabeth. See you there," he said, hugging her quickly.
"Bye, Perce," she waved one last time and began to back up the beach, slowly she turned around and ran through the parting in the trees.
As Percy sighed, and began to walk further in the water again, he thought he saw another person, just a silhouette in the forest to his right. He turned his attention to it, trying to locate the outline, but the person appeared to have faded into the shadows.
Nico's pov:
As Nico shadow-travelled back to his bedroom in Cabin 13, he could already feel the jealousy filling him up like a poisonous gas. Percy and Annabeth had kissed and hugged. It scared Nico how much that hurt him. He felt jealous and angry and devastated at the same time. His feelings for Percy had only been grown stronger after their return from the quest to defeat Gaia. Nico wished he could talk to someone about it but Jason was helping out at Camp Jupiter.
He collapsed on his bed from exhaustion. Panting, Nico realised that he had shadow-travelled so fast that he had used a lot of energy. He was still learning how to control his powers, and sometimes they went a little crazy.
As Nico drifted off to sleep, his dreams were full of different scenes which kept flickering from one to the other, like different dreams fighting to occupy his attention. Even though the dreams kept flickering, Nico noticed that there was one reaccuring thing in each of them. Percy. Even in his sleep, Nico filled with anger as he watched Annabeth kiss Percy before leaving for Camp Jupiter.
Percy's pov:
When Percy woke from a dreamless sleep - which was very rare for a demigod - he knew something was wrong. Percy lifted his head from his pillow, moaning as he sat up. He planted his feet in the ground and stood up. Immediately, the ground underneath him cracked, a ghastly green light cast around his room, anger seemed to be radiating from the fissure. Percy's battle reflexes caused him to jump away, avoiding getting sucked into the earth. At first Percy thought it was Gaia, then remembered he and his friends had destroyed her. Percy sighed in relief, before realising that this must be the works of someone else. Someone powerful. Cautiously, Percy took an experimentary step forward but nothing happened.
Percy took some more steps toward his closet but no chasms appeared at his feet. Percy opened the closet doors and pulled out some skinny jeans and a fresh Camp Half-Blood tshirt. Percy stripped off his pyjamas and replacing them with the new clothes. He slipped on his shoes and headed for his door. He would have to fix the fissure later.
The door to Cabin 3 opened, and Percy breathed in the cool air. The sun was hidden by grey clouds so a dim light was all that lit up the camp. Demigods crowded each activity, using the climbing wall, taking sword fighting classes and learning about battle tactics and monsters.
Percy scanned the crowd, hoping to see one of his friends even though all of his friends were at Camp Jupiter. Percy took begin walking away from his cabin but the minute his feet touched the ground, another chasm split at his feet, this one deeper than the last, but the same eery green light shone from the ground, followed by waves of pure anger. Percy was stunned. It was like someone was trying to suck him into the ground, which reminded him all to much of Gaia.
Percy jumped over the deep chasm, and began walking, but like last time, nothing happened.
Percy's pov:
After dinner and the sing-a-long, Percy headed back to his cabin, hoping for the next few days to pass quickly so he could leave for Camp Jupiter and see his friends. As Percy reached his cabin and opened his door, a thought suddenly occurred to him. He did have a friend left at camp (well, a sort-of friend). Nico. As Percy walked into his room, the fissure hadn't closed. Then Percy realised, like a jigsaw puzzle piece slotted into place. Maybe Nico was causing the cracks in the earth, the waves of anger rising from the ground.
Percy decided he would talk to Nico in the morning. All though that might be hard for both f them, he had to try. He wanted to know if Nico was doing this, and if so, why? Percy couldn't think why Nico would be angry at him. They'd barely spoken in months.
Percy lay down on his bed, and that warm, fluttery feeling returned to his stomach. The feeling rose up his body until it reached his heart. Percy knew this was nothing like what he had felt for Annabeth, she was always a best friend to him, but this...this feeling was something else. Just the thought of Nico could make Percy feel better, filling him with warmth.
Percy drifted off to sleep, a content feeling in his stomach.
Little did Percy know, that was all about to change.
Nightmares fought their way into Percy's sleep. The first nightmare was about Annabeth. She was standing in was he assumed was a room, although there were no walls. He couldn't see anything, except the chasm in the floor, its green light washing over Annabeth as she fell into the deep hole. As Annabeth fell, her skin became transparent, her eyes yellow and sunken and the clothes she was wearing became ripped and ragged. Percy shouted out but couldn't move from where he was standing. She disappeared into the ground and the chasm closed up. All the light was gone from the room, but Percy could still sense the anger and jealousy, like a toxic gas hanging in the air.
The second nightmare was of worse than the first. Percy was back in Tartarus, although Annabeth wasn't with him. Instead, Nico was nearby, sprawled out on the rocky ground. Next to him, flowed a large river made of fire, the flames licking Nico's hand that had rolled slightly over the edge. His hand was severely burned, but that was the least of Percy's problems. Nico kept flinching and writhing in pain, muttering incoherent pleads for mercy. His bare chest had a deep cut running from his right shoulder to his rib cage in a diagonal line. Red blood dripped from the wound, running down Nico's sides until it dripped on the rocks. Percy was unable to move from his spot, watching as Nico's pained eyes slowly closed. A ghastly green light flickered over Nico's body before the ground cracked and he fell through to the Underworld
Percy woke with a start, sweat beading on his forehead, tears streaming down his face. Percy had had some pretty horrible nightmares, but those were the worst. He had lost Annabeth and Nico, both ending up falling into horrible fissures like the one in Percy's room. Somehow this was all linked, Percy knew it.
Percy rolled over to look at his watch, which told him it was three in the morning. Grunting, Percy sat up. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and ran his fingers through his hair. He needed to talk to someone, and the only person who was around was Nico. Percy decided that he shouldn't wait until the morning because he was positive he wouldn't sleep again.
Percy stood up and chucked a jumper of his tshirt. He had slept in his jeans anyway, so he walked out of Cabin 3. As he got closer to Cabn 13, the ground began to rumble. Percy dove to the side just as another chasm split where his feet had been moments before. This chasm was much deeper than Percy had seen recently, and a strange, eery noise was coming from the depths. The green light flickered from the cracks in the earth. Percy was filled with dread as he realised the strange noise was screaming. He heard Annabeth's petrified scream, Nico's voice shouting for help, he sounded so desperate.
Percy ran. He jumped the chasm and ran as fast as he could towards Nico's cabin. He was nearly there when another chasm just as big as the last nearly sucked him into the earth. He jumped over it and landed. He hesitated a moment before continuing, where he was standing was already beginning to crack. The crack seemed to be racing him to Nico's house, threatening to open into another chasm and pull him in. Percy dove over the steps and landed on his stomach on Nico's porch with a loud thud. Percy turned and saw that the crack had stopped following him, and instead had split into another deep whole.
Percy panted, his breathing disturbing the silence of camp. Suddenly, a light frm inside Nico's cabin flickered on and Percy could he light footsteps heading towards the door. Nico must have heard Percy land outside his cabin. The door cracked open and Nico's face popped out from behind it.
"Percy?" He asked nervously, before his face washed over with anger. Nico looked like he was about to murder Percy.
"Nico," Percy groaned in pain.
"What are you doing here?" Nico asked harshly. "And what did you do to the ground?".
"I...I need to talk to you," Percy murmured, trying to stand up but failing and falling back down. Percy felt like he was on the verge of unconsciousness.
"I don't want you here. Leave," Nico commanded, glaring at Percy, but he could see something else behind Nico's harsh gaze. Percy would have to think about that later.
"Nico...I can't m-move," Percy murmered, his face contorted in pain.
"Percy," Nico growled, the light around him turning green.
"Yeah?" Percy whispered weakly, his eyes closing slowly.
"Leave," Nico growled, spreading his arms as a wave of anger erupted from him. It hit Percy, sending him flying back and landing on the edge on of one of the deep chasms. He glowed with an aura of blue, before his eyes closed completely, his face softening.
Percy was unconscious.
Nico's pov:
What had he done?! His powers had gotten out of control again, his anger and jealousy exploding from him and hitting Percy. Percy was already weak, and Nico had knowcked him unconscious.
Nico ran to Percy jumping over the cracks in the earth, ignoring the sounds of his own desperate screams erupting from one of the fissures. He didn't want to think about Tartarus. Nico knelt down by Percy, tears streaming from his eyes as he picked Percy up. He carried Percy across the split ground and inside his own cabin. Closing the door behind him, Nico gently laid Percy down on the bed.
Nico ran over to his cupboard, pulling out a shot glass of nectar. He brought it over to Percy, kneeling beside the bed. Nico put his hands on Percy's soft lips and pryed them open. He poured the nectar into Percy's mouth, pinching Percy's nose so he was forced to swallow it. After a few moments, Percy's eyes fluttered open. He looked around at Nico's dark room, trying to get his barings but clearly being unaware of where he was.
Percy rolled his head to the left and noticed Nico next to him. They were so close, Nico pulled back, blushing, trying to ignore the fluttering in his stomach.
"Hey," Percy managed. How he was not fuming at Nico, he didn't understand.
"Hi," Nico croaked, tears streaming from his face. He wanted to hide them but Percy had already noticed. He lifted a gentle hand to Nico's face and wiped a tear away with his thumb. Nico was still aware of the fluttery feeling in his stomach, positive that it had increased at Percy's touch.
Nico's pov:
Nico waited by Percy for another few hours as Percy slept. Nico wanted to sleep as well, but didn't want to risk it. Instead, he sat by Percy, trying not to watch the boy sleeping. Nico sighed and lay down on the floor, curled in a ball.
Moments later, Percy came around again, this time a bit stronger then before.
"Hey, Percy," Nico said, as he sat up. Percy groaned as he rubbed his head tenderly. He must have hit his head on the ground. Judging by Percy's expression, he'd hit it hard.
"Nico," Percy mumbled, eyes closed, sitting up on the bed. "Need to...need to ask you something...,".
"Yeah?" Nico asked nervously, biting his lip.
"Why did you...why did you curse me?" Percy asked.
"What?" Nico asked, totally confused.
"Almost everywhere I step...chasm's...at night...nightmares...," Percy groaned, still rubbing his head.
"What do you mean?" Nico asked, although he got the feeling his powers had gotten out of control again.
Percy explained about the chasm's, the green light and the waves of pure anger coming from the cracks. He explained his nightmares to Nico, although when he came to that part, his voice wavered with sadness. Percy looked devastated.
"Percy...I-I'm so sorry," Nico whispered, raking a hand through his hair. "My powers get out of control when I...when I'm angry,".
"Why are you angry...why at me? Did I do something?" Percy asked, scrunching his eyes shut in pain again.
"I...," Nico paused. He didn't know what to say. He knew he should tell Percy, so he forced himself to do it. "I...I was j-jealous,".
"Jealous?" Percy asked, his eyes opening, looking at Nico confused.
"Jealous of Annabeth...," Nico mumbled, a warm blush creeping across his face.
Percy hesitated, before reaching a hand out to grab Nico's. Nico flinched, but then accepted it, intertwining his fingers with Percy's.
"Nico, do you like me?" Percy asked, squeezing Nico's hand gently.
"Uh...yeah...I...I do," Nico sighed, looking down at their intertwined hands.
"You don't have to be jealous of Annabeth Nico," Percy said simply. "We're not dating anymore,". Nico felt happiness overwhelm him and couldn't help it when he smiled. It wasn't a big grin, just a soft, warm smile.
"We're just best friends," Percy said, smiling back at him. Nico stood from his spot on the floor. He unlaced his hands from Percy's walked around to the other side of the bed. Climbing under the covers, he rolled to his left to face Percy on his side. Nico sat up and leaned against. Percy turned to face Nico, sitting up as well. Nico watched as Percy reached up and placed a finger under Nico's chin. Then, leaving his finger under Nico's chin, Percy leaned in, his eyes closing, as he pressed his lips against Nico's.
Nico closed his eyes and leaned in to the kiss. He could not believe what was happening.
After a few moments, they parted, and Percy's eyes started drooping again. He lay down on his back and Nico joined him. Snuggling into his side, Nico placed an arm over Percy's lean torso. They snuggled like that as both of them drifted off to sleep.
Neither could believe they were finally in each other's arms.