Title: Stuck In Her Nightmares

Chapter: 1 (approx. 1361 words)

Rating: K

Characters/Pairings: Nico di Angelo, Rachel Elizabeth Dare | Nico/Rachel

Summary: Rachel's worst nightmares come true, and it is up to Nico to save her. Will true love conquer all, or will Rachel die in the hands of evil?

Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson whoops

Author's Notes: ugh more detailed author's notes at the bottom


Rachel was standing alone in a dark room. Whispered voices were swirling around her. She turned around and screamed the names of her friends. "PERCY! ANNABETH! NICO! LEO!" Someone had to save her now. Then shadows started to suffocate her. She started to struggle. Her claustrophobia got the better of her, and tears started flowing down her cheeks. When she lay down on the floor choking and crying, the shadows parted to let someone through. It was a man. He had a golden dagger in his right hand. He got closer with each step, and finally he lifted up his right hand, and he plunged the knife-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Rachel shot up straight in her bed, and clutched her bed sheets tightly. She had sweat on her face and neck, and the back of her blue tank top was soaked to the core. Her heart was pumping so quickly she felt like it was going to vibrate through her skin like The Flash could vibrate out of things binding him. She looked around her dark room, and lay back down again.

She had had that nightmare for ages, for many nights on end. It had been rather minor at first, only a short un-scary moment, before she would wake up. But recently it became more detailed. The nightmares got longer and longer, and the one she just had was one of the most detailed ones yet. Sometimes if she really was too exhausted she wouldn't have that nightmare, but that was only when she was lucky. She hadn't told anyone about it; she hadn't felt that it was that important. It only reflected her phobia of tight spaces right? It was perfectly normal to have nightmares like this. No it's not, stop kidding yourself. No normal person dreams about being murdered by a man holding a dagger made of Imperial gold. Rachel's subconscience chided.

Rachel groaned, closed her eyes and turned over, trying to fall asleep again. After ten minutes of tossing and turning around in bed, she sighed, and got up from the bed, going to her living room. She didn't feel like painting anything at the moment; she had no inspiration. She considered calling Annabeth, but she might be asleep. 3am in the morning probably wasn't a good time to wake anyone up.

She watched some television, switching between the many channels she was subscribed to, before settling on a channel showing an old movie from the 1900s, while using her laptop. She was about to switch it off and try to go back to bed, but she got a rather pleasant surprise from one of her friends (or rather best friend).

Nico was awake too.

Rachel smiled. Finally. Someone she could talk to. She and Nico had become best friends within the past few years the four of them (Percy, Annabeth, her and Nico) had spent together. Due to the fact that Percy and Annabeth were being mushy with each other during most of the time when they hung out together, Nico and Rachel had no choice. They were awkward with each other at first, but when they found out that they both liked the Beatles' music. They had truly bonded since then, and were inseparable.

She opened a video chat and lay down flat on her stomach while waiting for Nico to accept the request. She drummed her fingers on the couch, and when Nico's face appeared on the screen, she grinned. He looked a little disheveled, with some stubble on his face, and some tuffs of his black hair sticking out of his head in awkward directions, but otherwise he looked rather awake.

"Hey Dead Boy. Why are you still awake?"

Nico rubbed his eyes before answering. "I was up doing my college homework. I was about to sleep, then realised the amount of coffee I drank, and now I can't fall asleep."

"Oh."

"What about you though, Red? Miss me?" Nico, who now looked extremely tired after he switched on the light in his room, asked with a small smirk on his face.

Rachel laughed. "No, why would anyone stay up till 3am just for you, Dead Boy? I know I wouldn't. I couldn't sleep too."

"Why not?"

"I- I had a nightmare."

Nico chuckled. "A nightmare?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Yes, a nightmare. It's nothing. Anyway, I can't sleep and I don't know what to do now."

"Aren't you talking to me now? Isn't that already doing something?"

Rachel rolled her eyes again. "Well yeah, but you can't expect me to talk to you for the next three hours until dawn, right?"

"Well, why not?" Nico grinned. "I'm not that boring, am i?"

"Of course not. It's just that-"

"Oh come on Red. If you really want me to come over that badly, just say it."

"NO-"

"Say it!"

"NO I DON'T WANT YOU T-"

"Just say it!"

"Alright, FINE! Nico, will you please come over to accompany your best friend because she is lonely and needs her best friend there to do something with her at 3am in the morning?"

Nico laughed. "You should just have said so earlier, my dear. Be right there." Nico slammed his laptop screen down towards the keyboard, washed his face, and quickly put on a fresh shirt and a pair of jeans before shadow-travelling to Rachel's apartment.

He felt the familiar pull of the shadows around him, and before he knew it he was in Rachel's apartment. He looked around the dim room, and found Rachel in the kitchen digging through her refrigerator. He sneaked up behind her, and put his hands on Rachel's shoulders with a little force, causing her to scream and jump. Her head whipped around and then ice cream carton in her hand almost connected with Nico's head. He was lucky he ducked. It looked like it might have hurt.

"Whoa. Relax, Red, it's just me." Rachel visibly loosened up, taking a deep breath.

"Holy shit I got a fucking scare! Could you not do that in the future?" Rachel looked like she was about to murder Nico by throwing the ice cream carton at him.

Nico lifted his arms up as if to surrender and chuckled. "Alright, I'm sorry, Red, I won't do that ever again." He had witnessed what Rachel could do, especially the time when they were in the Labyrinth together with Percy and Annabeth. An ice cream carton may seem small and harmless, but when Rachel threw it at you, like she did to the Titan Kronos with a blue hairbrush, it became a lethal weapon.

He grinned impishly at Rachel, and Rachel couldn't help but to smile as well. He had that charm which no one else had. Nico grabbed two spoons, and walked back to the couch to join Rachel. It was their tradition, whenever they were at each other's homes with nothing to do, to share a carton of ice cream. This was the reason why the freezers in both Nico's and Rachel's homes were both stocked up with Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream. That was another one of their common likings.

They sat in front of the television watching a movie, each scooping the ice cream and sticking it into their mouths. When the ice cream was finally finished, they sat there commentating about the movie.

"OH come on! He doesn't even deserve her! What kind of shit choice did she just make?"

"That lady is HOT."

"She is so going to regret this. I swear."

By this time Rachel had cuddled up to Nico, laying her head on his shoulder. It was absolutely normal for them; they had done it so many times before it had become routine for them. Rachel felt so comfortable next to Nico on the couch. Mmm Nico smells nice. Wait, what? That was a weird thought. Nico and Rachel sat together in comfortable silence, watching the movie, until Rachel heard snores coming from Nico.

He had fallen asleep.

Rachel took a deep breath, and tried to continue watching the movie so that she wouldn't have the nightmare again, but eventually she succumbed to the wiles of dreamland.


A/N: THAT ENDING WAS SHIT but I've been suffering from writer's block lately, so this was the best I could do, sorry. D: but hey guys, I'm actually back. After many months of not updating it I'm back! Anyway I've deleted a few stories, mostly because I didn't have the time to update them, and also because of the fact that I've gotten bored of them and the lack of a plot. But this time things have changed, and as my exams are over and I have two months of holidays and I've actually planned out a legit plot I should be able to complete this story by the end of this year. I'll try my best. So yeah. I know that ending was shit, but reviews are highly appreciated, and also if there are any loose ends you want tied up or any clarification just feel free to review and write your inquiry there! I'll answer your questions in the next chapter I write. This story is dedicated to my friend Chels. She's amazing. Thanks bby for fangirling with me about all the PJO characters and shipping the same OTPs as me. I love you !