OK people here's the deal: this site is not my favorite(too much restrictions and complicated procedures and rudeness). I've been using AO3 for years and love it but noticing the lack of serious Percico stories on both sites I decided to give it a chance. You can find me on AO3 as Stories_of_the_Shadows where I have 19 chapters posted already. The story contains explicit content which I know is against the rules but the worse that can happen is the story gets removed and I'll always have it on AO3. On with the story now:

You're cute but you're not my type – the words sounded so fresh in Percy's head. The guilt ate his insides. There he was, standing at his girlfriend's grave and thinking about Nico's words. A couple of years had passed but it all felt like it had happened the day before: the Italian's confession, the call about the car accident, seeing Annabeth's lifeless body… Before he knew it seas of salty tears were coming out of his eyes. He couldn't take it! The person who had said that time heals all wounds had been a naive idiot! In fact every day it seemed to be getting harder and harder to just breathe.

Every morning he woke up with the cold reminder that Annabeth was not by his side and every night Nico's words haunted his mind. He could barely sleep. Having dark circles and bags under his bloody eyes was now the new normal for him. He felt like he had let them down, both of them! He was a shitty boyfriend, he had just literally though about Nico as he grave and he couldn't stop thinking about what could have been if only Nico had confessed at some time when he and Annabeth were not on good terms, not that there really was a time like that.

They teased each other, argued, even got angry at one another but it felt like nothing more than sibling rivalry, which was not at all how he should be thinking about the woman he had been together with for years. That though made his stomach turn inside. He never gave Nico a chance and felt brotherly feeling for the girl he had called his soulmate. He had been able to get out of Tartarus but maybe that was the only place for monsters like him. He was also sure that an afterlife in Elysium was waiting for him, yet he felt so unworthy. He had met creatures that had done horrible things in their lives but they all had solid reasons unlike him whose situation left nothing remotely close to logical in his head.

Being there at that moment felt so hard! It shouldn't have! It was way past his first time visiting his dead girlfriend but each time he felt his burden become heavier and harder to carry. Like all those countless other times he placed the beautiful bouquet of white roses in the marble vase and fled, sobbing.

….

Visiting Annabeth's grave was hell for the son of Poseidon in every sense of the word but it was nothing compared to what followed, what awaited him back in his apartment. Nothing! There was no living soul there. It felt painfully empty, just like his life.

To make it even worse he had nothing to distract him from it. He dropped out of college, ad no job and if he hadn't been the hero that he was, he would have surely been living on the streets. Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad. He would spent all his time fighting to survive that he wouldn't feel the weight of his actual problems. Sounded a lot like his monster hunter days.

That particular afternoon there was something out of the ordinary in the demigod's apartment, or at least in front of it. There at his door was a simple, plain envelope. It was a letter. Not knowing whether the warm feeling he felt was curiosity, hope or joy the sea prince opened it and began reading. Thank the Gods, it was in Greek.

Dear Kelp Brain

No-one has been able to contact you for too long. I know you well enough to know that that can't be even the slightest bit good. I know that you're hurting and I understand how hard it is. I know that people act as if you should be over it by now but I also know too well that it doesn't get any better, you just get more adjusted to living with it. Life isn't bliss Percy and what you feel can only heal by living. I realize that you might be trying to hold on to your memories of her by staying in your apartment but the two of you have lots of happy memories here at camp. Do yourself a favor and visit, you need a change of scenery. I wish you well.

Love

Nico

Percy's sea green orbs felt desert dry by the time he had finished reading the short, but meaningful note for the third time, all while standing in front of his door. There was that word again-love! What did it signify? Everything the son of Hades had written felt so close to Percy, so honest, so true and pure. Every fiber of his being was begging him to listen to Nico and go and he no longer had the willpower to deny himself that.

….

Nico was on his way to visit his boyfriend at the infirmary when he saw Percy arriving. He froze in his tracks. Sure he had sent the letter but he had never actually expected to get through to Percy. The sea prince was just as confused and unsure of what to do once he had laid eyes upon the Ghost King. Then a moment later both of then were sprinting into a lung constricting hug.

"I didn't think you would come!"- admitted the Italian.

"Neither did I!"- replied Percy. He let go of the younger demigod to take a good look at him.

"Boy you've changed! You've grown so much and look at you sporting a pink shirt, good for you!"- the son of Poseidon complimented Nico, making him flush deeply red.

"Hey Neeks!"- the voice of a well known healer was heard. The Italian turned around to see his sunny boyfriend rocking an ear to ear smile as usual. The two kissed passionately.

Neither of them noticed that Percy had turned pale as a ghost. He felt like his heart had dropped and looked like a sad, unfortunate puppy, begging for a warm home. He couldn't watch them so he ran. He didn't slow down until he was inside his cabin. He had no right to feel that way, he knew it. But emotions didn't care about rationality! The heart wanted what the heart wanted! It was just that the green eyed demigod was hoping it was all in his head and he would be OK with seeing Nico with other people. But deep down he knew that was not the case. He was jealous and had no idea what to do!

Only a few minutes at camp and he already regretted coming. He had made a big mistake and there was no way out. If he left questions would be asked, questions he couldn't afford to answer, for his and everyone else's sake. He had to stay and learn to act relatively normal, whatever that meant without avoiding Nico.

…..

Percy waved at the olive skinned boy at dinner. He made sure to sit farther from him, but still close enough not to be suspicious. He sat alone, until Lou Ellen decided to crash his solo party. She sat down across from him without even asking.

"Yes Lou, you can sit with me!"- said the sea prince, sarcastically. The goth girl grunted and glared at him threateningly without saying anything. Then the happy couple caught her attention.

"Ugh!"- she exclaimed disgustedly.

"What?! They look so happy and Will seems to be such a good influence on Nico!"- the raven haired boy pointed out.

"Surely you'd think that! Then again you never understood anything about the complexity known as Nico di Angelo!"- said the daughter of Hecate.

"What is that suppose to mean?"- wondered Percy, not sure if Lou meant to insult his intelligence.

"Percy, I know it seems like Nico is all better and sure he's healthier and has a gorgeous tan now but even though it may seem like it Will is not helping him! He is turning Nico into his clone and appearing quirky doing it! He forbid him from shadow traveling and got away with it by saying 'Doctor's orders', told him than Hades was a bad influence on him and to avoid going to the Underworld, he even threw out all of his clothes saying they were too depressing!"- she explained.

"Even so, isn't he right?!"- asked the son of Poseidon.

"Percy, open your eyes! Hades is his father, shadow traveling is a part of him, black is his signature color, the Underworld is his home and not just because he felt like he belonged nowhere else! Imagine never seeing your dad again, never talking to fish again, or wearing the color blue or going back home to your mother! Things like this make us who we are! I mean look at him, does that look like Nico?!"- replied the goth.

Percy hated to admit it but she wasn't wrong. The boy he knew would have teleported right over the moment Percy had started isolating himself from the world. Nico was always deadly serious and cunning even when having fun and allergic to fluff. This did not look like anything that could be considered a version of the mighty Ghost King. The question was: What was Percy gonna do about it? After all he owed him!