The Cure

by midnightinjapan

In the midst of his recovery, Nico gets a special assignment from his father and is ordered to take Percy with him. The sequel to My Remedy

Title: The Cure

Username: Midnightinjapan

Disclaimer: Characters, locations, etc are the property of Rick Riordan.

Edited by the fantastic Lordandladiesofthesilverscreen

Summary: In the midst of his recovery, Nico gets a special assignment from his father and is ordered to take Percy with him.

The sequel to My Remedy

---

"You should be having some pretty serious stomach cramps," said Percy in disbelief.

He was staring as Nico laid waste to a ramekin full of baked macaroni and cheese. Percy made four of them and they were ten ounces each. He was hardly half-way through his first –and probably only one- while Nico was digging into his second. They were sitting at the island in the kitchen of the big house. Three days had passed since Nico was cured from the illness caused by the very pomegranate seeds that had saved his life. He was doing much better, his strength was returning and there was even a little color on his cheeks. He was still thin but none of them had expected he would gain weight overnight, even though he was eating like a linebacker.

"I feel like I haven't eaten in years," he said between bites.

"But otherwise you feel fine right?" Percy asked looking him over.

"Yeah, I feel fine," Nico answered with his mouth full.

"You'd tell me if you didn't, right?" Nico rolled his eyes but he was fighting back a smile.

"Yes. Now please stop worrying. I have Hazel for that."

Their relationship had turned into something different. He could still see little flashes of tense discomfort from Nico from time to time and it hurt because now he knew why. But something between them had eased. Nico hadn't snapped at him once in the last three days. Before this whole ordeal it was like the son of Hades would take everything he said the wrong way, as if he was looking for an excuse to start an argument and push Percy away. It made Percy happy that now they could talk without a problem.

"Something smells good," said Hazel as she walked into the kitchen and looked around. She was wearing a regular Pepsi t-shirt today with her jeans. "Is that mac and cheese?"

"You'd better eat it before Nico spots it," Percy teased.

"Bery 'unny," Nico said with his mouth full again.

"If Nico's still hungry, he can have it. He needs to eat as much as he wants," Hazel said sweetly and started sweeping Nico's bangs away from his forehead so she could feel for any signs of fever.

Percy bit back a chuckle and Nico rolled his eyes, but there was a faint smile on his face.

"Hazel, I'm fine. And you can have the macaroni," he said patiently. She grinned and climbed on a stool.

"Percy, you're actually a really good cook!" she said, stuffing her mouth full of cheesy goodness.

"He is," Nico agreed, but then a smirked crossed his face. "Needs to work on that Alfredo sauce though…"

"I think the sauce is just fine since someone –who shall remain nameless—ate two plates full and asked if there was more," Percy replied.

"I missed the Alfredo?" Hazel asked sadly.

"I can make you some, just you though. I'm gonna stop feeding the critic," Percy said smiling.

"I didn't say it wasn't good," said Nico, scraping the ramekin for the last remnants of pasta. "It just needs a tweak."

"What tweak?" asked Percy but his eyes were still dancing with amusement.

"It's just a little too thick," said Nico, giving up on the ramekin. It looked like he was resisting the urge to lick it clean.

"I like it thick," Percy shrugged.

"Traditional Alfredo isn't that thick."

"Who cares about that as long as I got the flavor right?"

"Texture is a part of taste!"

"It's not like it's gritty or anything!"

"No, but-"

"You two are so cute."

They both stopped arguing and looked at Hazel. She was chewing her macaroni and avoiding eye contact but Percy could see the smile she was working hard to hide. Nico was beginning to blush and Percy snatched up the dirty dishes and turned around to the sink before his own cheeks started to flame. Three days and he still couldn't bring himself to say anything to Nico. It was still a shock that Nico loved him –not liked- loved. Percy's own feelings were confusing. How do you go from thinking someone hated you to having a crush on them? On top of everything he was sad over Annabeth.

He kept wondering if they had done the right thing in ending their relationship. Every owl in the vicinity kept dive bombing him every time he went outside so he guessed Annabeth had spoken to her mother. He counted himself lucky that Athena wasn't really trying to kill him. Hopefully, the owls would only maim him a little.

"Uh, so have you talked to Frank?" Nico asked quickly.

"Yeah, he wanted to know how you were doing and if I'd be back soon," she said.

"What did you say?"

"That I would be back later because I'm still too worried to leave."

"Hazel…" Nico started.

"Don't bother," she said firmly. "I'm not going until I'm sure the cure worked."

"It did!" Nico insisted. "I feel fine!"

"When you start looking better, I'll believe it." Nico groaned and was about to say something else when Percy turned around.

"Nico, she's as stubborn as you. I don't think you're gonna win this one, man." Nico sighed and gave up and Hazel kept eating with a look of triumph on her face.

"So are you up for a walk today?" Percy asked Nico. They were trying to ease him back into physical activity and rebuild his endurance.

"Yeah, I think I can handle a scary, strenuous walk," he said replied sarcastically.

"Good, let's go." Percy grabbed two bottles of water and they exited the kitchen. Hazel winked at Percy when Nico wasn't looking and he knew his face was turning pink. He was starting to think it was a big mistake telling her he had feelings for Nico.

Outside was the normal sunny weather and stepping out into it really showed how bad Nico had gotten while sick. His skin was so pale in the sunlight that it looked out of place. He squinted against the daylight as his eyes adjusted. Percy handed him one of the water bottles and they set off toward the amphitheater. Their pace was slow and Percy kept glancing at Nico out the corner of his eye. He wondered what the son of Hades would do if he just reached over and held his hand? He would freak out for sure but in a funny, cute way, or an angry, defensive way? He shook the thought away sensing the risk of the latter was too great.

They passed the volleyball courts where some Apollo girls were playing against some of Aphrodite's daughters –who were too busy trying not to work up a sweat to be any real competition. A few campers waved at Percy and he waved back but didn't stop to talk. He knew Nico wasn't in the mood to even attempt to socialize with anyone beyond his circle of friends.

He was hyperaware of Nico's breathing –becoming a bit uneven—but otherwise he was fine. He watched as Nico took a swig from his water bottle but he hadn't even broken a sweat. During his treatment he'd gotten so bad that just walking through the big house winded him.

"You okay?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, I don't wanna try jogging today though," Nico said flashing a smile that disappeared quickly. He walked swinging his water bottle in his right hand so his left was empty. The idea to reach out and grab it nagged at Percy's brain.

This was frustrating. He liked Nico but didn't know how to say it or deal with it. He didn't know how to be with Nico. And it hardly had anything to do with being attracted to a boy –which was a weird thing to get used to. It seemed like it should have been easy but this kind of thing didn't come easy for him. It took him like five years to admit his feelings to Annabeth –granted her feelings for Luke helped hold him back—but now something else was holding him back. What if his feelings for Nico only developed because of what happened in the last couple of weeks? What if this was just a side effect of how protective, guilty, and sad this whole thing had him feel?

Nico's feelings were obviously stronger and more serious. If he wasn't sure about his own then he knew they didn't measure up. He couldn't –wouldn't—hurt him like that. Hooking up with Nico just see if this new bi-curious phase was for real was a level of douchery he simply wasn't capable of. Maybe it would fade away eventually and they could truly be friends. Maybe Nico would find someone else, someone who could love him for sure. Percy's grip tightened on the bottle in his hand causing the plastic crumple noisily. Just the thought of Nico with someone else caused jealousy to roar inside of him like a lion.

"Percy!" Nico grabbed him and pulled him down just as an owl swooped over his head.

"Whoa! Okay, that one was close," he said without thinking.

"That one?" Nico asked. He was looking around for the owl but then his eyes focused on Percy. "Has that happened before?"

"Oh, um, yeah…" Nico arched an eyebrow and Percy sighed. There was no real reason to keep it a secret.

"Annabeth and I broke up three days ago and I think Athena is out to get me."

Honestly, it was a little funny the way Nico stared at him like he'd grown another head.

"WHAT?" He said it so loud that the few campers sitting by the lake turned around.

"Look, can we not get into that right now?" Percy asked.

"You broke up?" Nico asked as if he hadn't heard him.

"Yeah…"

Nico looked so confused, like Percy was speaking gibberish and asking him to interpret. Slowly, Nico turned away and walked on leaving Percy behind. The boy had this frozen expression of shock. Percy never thought he would take the news like this. It was almost like Nico was the one being dumped. Percy jogged a little to catch up with him but he didn't say anything. Maybe it just needed to sink in…

"Hey, let's sit down, okay?" Percy asked when they made it to the amphitheater. Nico didn't argue, he seemed to still be processing what Percy told him. They sat in silence sipping their water until Percy couldn't take it anymore.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I guess…" Nico mumbled.

"It's…it's not that big a deal. It was actually heading this way for a while. We…we're okay enough I guess, we just can't be together anymore," he said looking out toward the lake.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just shocked because you two always seemed…I don't know unbreakable. You seemed so close after Tartarus," said Nico. Percy flinched.

"Yeah…Tartarus…" he said with a hard edge in his voice. He really didn't want go down that road.

"So, I have a surprise for you when we get back to the Big House," he said smiling.

"What?" Nico quirked his eyebrow up and his confused expression was so adorable that Percy laughed.

"A surprise," he said chuckled. "You ready to head back and see it?"

"Sure," Nico shrugged looking surprised.

They made it back to the Big House without any more owl attacks but Nico was silent. Percy didn't know if he was still digesting the news but he couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't lead back to the break up so he didn't talk either. Inside Hazel was washing dishes which Percy was happy about. Nico was devouring so much food that the dishes would pile up unchecked if they didn't wash them regularly.

"We're back," Percy called out to her and she immediately spun around and looked at Nico.

"How do you feel?" she asked, her wet hands dripping everywhere.

"Hazel, I'm fine," he promised. "We're going upstairs now, okay?"

"Okay, you should rest," she insisted and Nico nodded and followed Percy up the steps.

"She's going to worry herself sick…" Nico mumbled.

"You can hardly blame her, she's almost lost you a few too many times," said Percy as they walked into Nico's room.

"Well, I'm not looking for more trouble, trust me," Nico said as he flopped down on the edge of his bed and looked at Percy expectantly.

It was still weird to see Nico in such a cheerful room. He was surrounded by yellow but Percy had never heard him complain once. He didn't know if Nico just didn't care or if almost dying had made the sunny room the least of his problems. He looked so comfortable in the room now that it was cute. He was probably projecting, in fact, he just knew he was. Lately everything Nico did was endearing and cute. It was like his feelings were latching on to anything to do with the younger boy. He blinked to stop staring and smiled at Nico.

"I'm going to get your surprise, just stay here."

He dashed from the room but came back quickly with big box. Nico's eyebrows shot up as he watched Percy plop the box on the bed next to him and stand back.

"Well? Open it!"

"What is it?" Nico asked apprehensively. The top of the box was already open and he flipped one of the cardboard flaps back and peeked in.

"It's from my mom," said Percy shrugging.

"What?" Nico asked confused.

"Yeah, she got a little excited about you being able to wear my old PJs and bought you some more. Sorry," he said, but he was still grinning.

"Really?" Nico asked as he reached in and pulled out a flat white box –from the clothing store no doubt.

He watched as Nico opened it and folded back all the white tissue paper and pulled out a pajama top. Percy chuckled and made a mental note to Iris message his mom and tell her how awesome she was. The pajamas were black with little white skulls all over them. Nico looked at them with a big smile and folded the top back on top. He sat that aside and went in for another one. When he unwrapped this set and pulled out the shirt, he laughed and turned it around for Percy to see. The shirt was dark blue with a cartoonish skull and cross bones and had the words "Little Rebel" printed in green. Percy laughed too as Nico pulled out the next box. The third set was more modest, just gray and black plaid patterned.

He looked confused when he opened the fourth and final box. He pulled out a note and read it.

"Dear Nico, I hope you like the pajamas and get better soon. Can you give these to Percy? I know he needs another pair. Love Sally."

"Huh?" Percy said stupidly. Nico pulled out a larger pair of PJs. They were navy blue with sharks all over them and a bigger shark printed on the shirt. Nico giggled and Percy smiled and took them.

"Tell your mom I said thank you? She didn't have to do this," Nico said. He was smiling, but it looked just a little sad.

"Don't worry about it. She likes…being motherly I guess, but I'll tell her." He held up his pajamas and laughed again. "You gotta admire her sense humor."

"Yeah," Nico agreed laughing.

---

Percy and Hazel asked Nico if he felt up to going to the dining pavilion for dinner and he agreed since he might have to leave the Big House soon. It was better to start getting used to non-Percy cooked meals. They walked over together but inside Nico and Hazel went to the Hades table and Percy went to the Poseidon table alone. It did feel weird to be around everyone again. The noise of so many people talking and laughing was strange to his ears now. He felt a little exposed since the dining pavilion had no walls or roof, but it was on a hill overlooking the sea and the sound of waves was calming. He wondered if Percy felt the same way. He was so used to being close to him now that he almost regretted agreeing to leave the Big House.

The BBQ smelled great as usual but the sight and scent of the fruit being served by the nymphs almost made him gag. He offered some of his meat to his father in the flames and got away from the offending odor quickly. He and Hazel sat across from each other and Jason and Piper came over to tell him they were glad he was out of the house. After that few more campers came over to tell him they were glad he was well again. It was surprising but nice. He nearly choked on his drink when Annabeth came over though. He could have imagined it but she seemed a little stoic. She was civil and he believed her when she said she was glad he was better. When she walked away to the Athena table he noticed Percy looking at him but then the son of Poseidon shrugged and gave a little half smile and went back to eating.

"Did you know Percy and Annabeth broke up?" Nico asked Hazel. His sister looked shocked and for a second he thought he was the first to tell her until she looked down and nodded.

"Did he tell you?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, the owls are trying to kill him!" he exclaimed and then paused to look at her. "Wait, he told you?"

"Yeah…" She shrugged and started picking at her food.

"When?" Nico was starting think something was wrong. Hazel was acting funny –stiff and nervous. Maybe there was more to the break-up than what Percy told him.

"Few days ago, but he'd told me before that they weren't doing well, during our trip to the Underworld. When we were leaving we bumped into Annabeth outside the Big House," said Hazel.

"What happened?"

"She tried to stop us, well, not stop us exactly. She wanted us to wait, come up with a plan and we refused. She and Percy kind of had an argument." Before he could ask, she kept talking. "I was too busy walking away and everything was happening fast, but she said something like how Percy used to listen to her but now he doesn't. He said he was going and asked her to help Jason keep an eye on you and that was pretty much that," she finished and sipped her apple juice.

"Oh…"

"So," she lowered her voice and leaned in, looking serious. "Are you going to tell him?"

"What?" he said taken aback.

"Are you going to tell him?" she asked again but more slowly.

"Why would you even ask me that?" he answered feeling mortified.

"Because I think you should," she said seriously. "Nico, look at what you two have been through, what he did for you. You can't still believe-"

"Hazel!" he hissed at her and looked around like he was afraid someone had heard. "I don't want to talk about this here," he said sounding final and went back to eating. Hazel huffed but didn't bring it back up.

After dinner Hazel went back to the Hades cabin after saying a terse goodnight that made Nico feel awful. He hadn't meant to yell at her but his nerves got the better of him when it came to that subject. Percy walked over and asked if he wanted to go to the sing-a-long but he declined and they headed for the Big House.

"Did Hazel leave already?" he asked.

"Um, yeah, she said she was tired," replied Nico.

Back inside Nico showered and changed into one of his new pajama sets. He really liked the ones that used to be Percy's but he'd worn them almost every night since he got better and Percy's mom had gone through so much trouble. He picked the "little rebel" ones and waited for Percy to get out of the shower so he could show him.

He didn't say it to Hazel but he had a new reason for not wanting to tell Percy about how he felt. After everything…finding out what Percy did for him. And then he stuck around to help take care of Nico. He cooked, they talked all the time, and they were even sharing a bathroom right now. It was almost like what he imagined a relationship to be like -a relationship with Percy. If he told him now it would shatter the illusion. Percy would leave and probably stop speaking to him. Just because he and Annabeth broke up didn't mean Nico actually had a shot.

It was wrong and he knew it but he wanted to keep this –whatever it was—for as long as he could.

When Percy came into the room ten minutes later they both just stared at each other for a second and laughed. He was wearing his new pajamas too.

"How do you feel?" Percy asked still smiling.

"I feel good…a little hungry," Nico said with a shrug.

"I figured you would be. I brought you this." Percy moved and showed Nico a big pack of cookies he was hiding behind his back. It was the Soft Batch chocolate chip ones he loved.

"Thanks!" he said and caught them when Percy tossed him the pack. "Wanna share while you watch me beat your new high score?"

"No way you're beating that score," said Percy but he walked into the room and sat on the bed. "It's my best."

"That's what you said about the last one," Nico replied smirking. Ten minutes later the pack of cookies was half gone and Nico had indeed beaten Percy's high score.

"You're way too good at video games…" Percy said as he bit into another cookie.

"Decades of practice," Nico said without looking away from the screen.

"I've never asked you, like how bad was it when…when Alecto took you guys out of the hotel and you saw how much time had passed?" Nico turned the game off and focused on Percy.

"Actually not that bad, or at least not as bad as everyone seems to think. You know my father wiped our memories in the Lethe. That helped. We didn't remember anything from the 40's and the hotel was full of modern video games so we grew up with the technology. And then we were put into the boarding school with regular kids to interact with."

"I guess that is better than getting culture shock," said Percy, but he still felt bad that Nico lost all the memories of his mother.

"Yeah, I mean I still feel…different, but it could always be worse I guess," he said switching the game back on and looking gloomy.

"You shouldn't feel different," Percy said automatically.

"Thanks," Nico scoffed.

"You shouldn't," Percy said again. He knew now that it had little to do with Hades his being his father. Nico was ashamed of his feelings and Percy couldn't call him on it because he wasn't supposed to know.

"I can't imagine anything about you that would make you feel like you don't belong," he said gently. Nico snatched his eyes away from the game and looked at Percy with a startled expression.

"Not anything," Percy said looking him right in the eye. Nico stared at him for so long that he thought maybe, maybe he was about to say it, but the sound of a car crashing came from the DS and broke the tension. When they looked at the screen Nico's winning streak was ruined.

---

Mr. D came back to camp the next day. He just popped into existence in the Big House kitchen as Percy was making a batch of blue pancakes. Nico and Hazel were sitting at the island and to say they were shocked would be an understatement. Nico screamed and jumped, Percy missed the pancake he was flipping and it splattered in a gooey blue mess on the floor, and Hazel accidentally summoned a small pile of Spanish doubloons around her stool. Chiron hastily explained the situation but Mr. D was unimpressed. He insisted Nico looked well enough to return to his cabin.

"There have been an overabundance of celebrity wedding receptions that required my invoked presence, I've been hunting down Gaea's allies, not to mention the new vintages of wine Zeus has been requesting to commemorate the defeat of the giants –though if you ask me his wine tastings are just an excuse to parade Ganymede around," he said as he paced the kitchen.

"I've been working day and night!" he declared to everyone. "And now I've been sent back to my perdition only to find the one place I can be alone is infested with half-bloods," he snatched a diet coke from thin air, popped the top, and glared at Nico. "I'm afraid you're going to have to get over this almost dying nonsense, it should be an everyday thing by now. All campers, and guests," he said shooting a look at Hazel, "back to your cabins!"

---

"That went about as well as can be expected…" said Percy.

He, Hazel, and Jason were helping Nico pack up his stuff while Chiron gave him one last examination.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna head out with this," said Jason. He had an arm full of books that Nico had been reading.

"Okay," said Percy.

"So," Hazel said when Jason was gone.

"What?" asked Percy.

"How…how was he with you last night?" she asked, trying and failing to look nonchalant.

"Why?" Percy asked as he dropped one of Nico's t-shirts onto the pile.

---

"Why do you have so many books?" Jason asked when he ran into Nico downstairs.

"I was bored," Nico said smirking.

"Did Chiron say you were okay?"

"Yeah, he says I'm recovering pretty fast and that my naturally fast metabolism is kicking in so that's why I'm hungry all the time."

"That's good to hear. I'm gonna take this to cabin thirteen. Percy and Hazel are still upstairs. If you tell them Chiron says you're doing great maybe they'll let you help," Jason said smiling.

"I doubt it, but I'll try."

Jason chuckled and headed for the already open front door as Nico walked up the steps. He was happy to know he was getting better but he was sad that living with Percy was over. Mr. D could have stay gone for the rest of the summer. Gods have the worst timing…

As he got closer to his former bedroom he could hear Hazel and Percy whispering about something. Now, Nico spent a lot of time spying in the last few years. Being the son of Hades made him perfect for it. He could move silently and could wrap himself in shadows or melt into them. Once he'd decided to help Percy in the first war, he spied on the Titans all the time. He'd only failed in the Giant war because Gaea was helping them and he got too full himself thinking he could get so close to Tartarus… But those old instincts kicked in now. He didn't normally spy on people he considered his friends –the time with Percy on the fire escape was a total accident—but something was telling him he needed to listen right now.

---

"Percy, you have to do it," said Hazel looking like she'd really like to help him but couldn't. "It's going to have to be you because I don't think he'll ever tell you again."

"Look, Hazel, maybe it's for the best if we just leave this alone," he said uneasily.

"What? Are you…do…have you changed your mind?" she looked like she was struggling to understand and not get mad.

"I…"

"Have your feelings changed?" she asked this time, and it sounded like she was getting mad.

"No, I just…I don't think it can work," Percy sounded lost, like he was groping around on the ground to find the right words.

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked, forgetting to whisper.

"Hazel, you don't know. He's just getting better and if I mess everything up-"

"This could make him happy! You have no idea! You heard him say it, he loves you!"

"I know!"

"And you still like him too, I can see it! So what's wrong with you?"

Nico could hear his blood in his ears. That actually happens. You get so overwhelmed that all external noises lower or disappear altogether, and the only thing that's left is your noises. His hands were tingling and he wondered if he was going to faint. He knew for sure that he couldn't listen to this or even let this conversation go on. It was wrong, so wrong, and it offended every cell in his body. The door was only half open and he pushed in the rest of the way. Percy and Hazel looked over immediately and he wondered if he looked as shocked as they did. Percy looked like he wanted to fling himself out the window and Hazel looked scared.

"Nico…" she breathed.

His brain was too scrambled, he couldn't think of anything to say so he turned around and walked back down the hallway. It took a second but he eventually heard Hazel calling after him and before she could move to catch up he found the nearest shadow and melted into it, leaving the Big House and camp.

---

There was nowhere else to go but the Underworld. He would have gone to Camp Jupiter but he'd be bored there without Hazel. He shadow traveled right into Erebos and went to his room. Not surprising his room was all black. The floor was carpeted in black and he didn't really have any furniture besides his bed. It was huge and he knew the frame was made of smooth polished black bone. He knew because he could move it if he concentrated but he had no idea what the bones were from. He could tell they weren't human, but that was about it and he'd never been brave enough to ask. He faceplanted on the black satin sheets and was determined to never move again.

It was working for about thirty minutes until someone knocked on his door. When he got up and opened it an undead guard was standing there. His father was summoning him. He knew he'd have to get up and pay respects to his father but he was hoping that maybe a few days would pass before Hades even noticed he was here. He followed the guard to the throne room not bothering to take his eyes off the floor, but tried to look more attentive and respectful when he came into his father's presence.

"Hello, father," he said as he knelt.

"You look better, Nico," Hades said placidly.

"I am, thank you," Nico responded without much feeling. He was busy examining the floor again.

"So, why are you here?" asked Hades.

"I just needed to be away from camp. They're still uneasy around me," he said. This topic usually got his father going on a rant about the other Olympians and their children and their arrogance.

"But it was my understanding that your sister was with you? And how is that Percy Jackson?"

Nico flinched at the sound of Percy's name but didn't look up.

"He's…he's fine. Hazel's fine too."

"I was surprised when they came storming in here demanding that I heal you…"

Nico said nothing because he didn't know exactly what to say. Their relationship had improved since the Titan battle but usually his father only paid this much attention to him when he was leveling criticisms at Nico. Any other time Hades was either too bored or busy –or watching that Supernatural show. But now Nico heard interest in his father's voice and it made him nervous.

"Even more surprising was that he was ready to leap back into Tartarus to save you…"

His head snapped up and he could see the Lord of the dead was indeed very focused on him. He stood up slowly, keeping an eye on his father's smug expression.

"Tartarus?" he asked softly. "But Queen Persephone-"

"Interceded," finished Hades. "Before she did, he was about to take a one-way trip to the basement to retrieve the fire for you." Hades leaned back in his throne and smiled at his son.

"You look healthier but not happy. Didn't he confess his feelings for you?"

Nico just wanted to sink into the floor. He came here to get away and think about what he'd heard and now his father was just piling it on. And apparently it was true…Percy had feelings for him…

"No, I- He…" he could feel his face heating up and tried to hide behind his hair.

"So, he hurt you? When you first came to me, I told you the others would never accept or understand you. You should have listened to me."

"May I go back to my room?" he asked finally. Hades waved him off and he left the throne room quickly. When he made it back to his room he slammed his bedroom door shut and sat down on the bed. He felt like his head was going to explode.

Maybe he should have stayed but he honestly couldn't face Percy right now. And Hazel knew! She knew and she never said anything! Not even when he told her about the dream –the dream that he now knew was reality. When things had gotten bad and he was certain he was dying, he'd told Percy the truth. And Percy had come here to the Underworld to save him… He always thought Percy would run in the opposite direction if he ever found out, but he hadn't. He stayed and he had feelings…and what did that mean?

Nico tried to recount what he'd heard –Hazel begging Percy to tell…now her insistence that night at dinner made sense. But Percy didn't want to…he said it was better left alone… Nico's feelings were in a knot and maybe he shouldn't have shadow traveled so soon because he was feeling really droopy. He crawled further onto the bed and closed his eyes. If he could sleep, he could forget. At least for a little while.

---

"So, you have feelings for Nico? I knew something was up!" said Jason. They'd finished moving Nico's things back to the Hades cabin and now they were in the middle of the Green trying to figure out how to get him back.

"And you knew how he felt about me?" Percy asked.

"It came out when we faced Cupid. He was too scared of how he felt and didn't want anyone to know

"He's probably so mad at me," Hazel mumbled before her face scrunched up again as she continued to cry.

"Hey," said Percy putting a hand on her shoulder, "he probably just needs to cool off. Anyway, I'm sure it's me he's mad at."

It didn't help much, but now she was just sniffling instead of crying.

"I think you should try sending him an Iris message," said Jason gently. "He'll talk to you."

"Yeah, maybe I'll try tonight," she said wiping her face with her hand.

"Go lie down okay?" said Percy.

They watched as Hazel got to her feet and walked off to the Hades cabin, still sniffling. When she was inside, Jason turned back to Percy and gave him a questioning look.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"About what?" Percy asked as he looked away. It was noon now and he had to squint against the sunlight.

"You know what," Jason said. His tone was bordering on defensiveness.

"What can I do?" he was beginning to get a little annoyed himself.

"Percy, you didn't see what I saw in Croatia. If you like him-"

"Jason," Percy said cutting him off. "It's better if I don't, if we don't…"

"What?" asked Jason incredulously. "He likes you, you like him, what exactly is the problem?" Percy shifted uncomfortably and said nothing.

"Please don't tell me you have a problem with liking guys too," said Jason shaking his head.

"No! I don't care about that, but now that you mention it, he still does, doesn't he?"

"Are you saying you couldn't help him with that? I'm sure having supportive friends and a boyfriend who cares would help him get over that."

Percy went back to being quiet, mostly because he couldn't argue with Jason's logic.

"So if it's not that, what is it? Annabeth?"

"Can you just trust me when I say that Nico can do better?" Percy replied sadly.

"What is going on with you?" Jason asked in complete disbelief.

He got up and walked to the Poseidon cabin without answering.

---

It didn't take long for his father to put him to work. Maybe his Dad thought he needed the distraction and wanted to help, but he could have been giving the Lord of the dead too much credit. The Underworld was gloomy as usual with harpies circling in the dank air. A hot breeze blew that sometimes carried the stink of sulfur. Barren trees dotted the landscape, poking from the volcanic soil like the twisted limbs of corpuses. There were distant screams from the Fields of Punishment and the only bright spot was the glow of Elysium over the horizon.

"Name?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Curtis Williams," said the ghost. Nico ran down the monstrously long scroll of names.

"Ah yes. Line B, that way," he said pointing to one of the many lines that led to judging."

The man walked away and Nico crossed his name off the list. He leaned back and stretched and nearly fell off of his stool. He just wanted to go back to his room and be alone for the rest of his life. A puff of white mist appeared a few feet to his right and he noticed just in time to see the image of a girl form inside of it. She had colorful eyes and frizzy white hair that stuck out on either side of her head.

"Fleecy call for Nico, son of Hades?"

"Fleecy call?" he asked confused.

"Yep!" the girl –he assumed was Fleecy—said brightly. "Are you Nico di Angelo?"

"Yes?" he said cautiously.

"Terrific! I'll connect you with your sister!"

"What? Wait, no!"

Too late, Hazel manifested in the mist and Nico fixed her with an impassive look. He could see she was sitting in the Hades cabin and that she didn't look too good. He had to grit his teeth together to stop from asking if she was okay. He was the one who'd been lied to, he was the one they were talking about behind barely closed doors, and yet Hazel's eyes were pink and puffy with little bags under them. He could feel his anger melting and had to work hard to keep it up.

"What do you want, Hazel?"

"Nico, please don't be mad," she said pitifully. "I can explain."

"There's nothing to explain," he grumbled and looked away

"But you told him," she said like it was a relief. "Remember your dream? You told me you dreamt you told Percy when you were sick."

His stomach tightened as he remembered that oddly vivid dream. The look on Percy's face…

"It wasn't a dream, Nico," said Hazel gently. "You told him. I guess because you thought you were dying. You finally did it and he didn't reject you like you thought he would!"

"Why didn't…none of you said anything," he said quietly.

"Listen, on our way to the Underworld he told me…he has feelings for you too."

Yes, he could remember hearing something about that, ludicrous as it was…

"I don't…"

"He likes you too, Nico!" She gave him a weak smile that he couldn't return.

"And he didn't want me to know?"

"I think…I don't think he's dealing with his break up well," she said with a sad expression. "I mean he has to see Annabeth around and maybe he just isn't ready."

"'Course not," he said bitterly. "It would be my luck that he would eventually like me back and still not be interested."

"Nico…"

"Is that all?" he asked looking down at his scroll.

"Nico, please, please come back! You're still recovering and the Underworld isn't the best place-"

"I'm a child of the Underworld," he interrupted.

"And it was food from the Underworld that nearly killed you! And you're also half-mortal! You can't be down there all the time, the effect it has on you, you told me yourself!"

"What do you want me-"

"Percy said he wouldn't come near you anymore, if it'll make it easier on you. He's worried, we all are. Just come back! Just so you can get better and you can figure out what's between you and Percy later. Please, don't be stubborn," she begged.

He could feel his resolve waning but the thought of being around Percy right now was unnerving.

"I'll think about it. You should get some rest. I'm fine," he said and wiped his hand through the mist to end the call. He took a few deep breaths and turned back to the queue.

---

He didn't call Hazel back or decide anything about returning to camp. He couldn't get past the idea that Percy liked him. Or that his shameful fantasy of being in an imaginary relationship with him had actually been close to the truth. He was consumed with rewinding every interaction they had and analyzing it to see if something stuck out. He and Percy were…closer, but mostly he could only see every moment as embarrassing for himself. And that last night in the Big House when they were playing video games… He felt his blush and tried to push the thoughts away as he worked.

"Name?" he asked the spirit in front of him. But just then a sharp howl pierced the air followed by furious barking.

Nico looked behind him, trying to bounce on the balls of his feet to see over the crowd. Cerberus rose up near the gates, all six of his ears swiveled around as Nico watched him. The howl shot through the air again and Cerberus started barking in the direction of the noise. Nico looked up as the harpies flew closer and Alecto shouted down to him from the air.

"You are summoned to the palace!"

"What's wrong?"

"I'd hurry, honey!" she laughed and glided back in the direction of the palace.

He ran trying not to bump into too many spirits. One of the downsides to being the son of Hades is that ghosts were just as solid to his touch as living people. When he finally made it to the throne room his father was lounging and watching Supernatural again. The harpies were perched on the back of his throne like always and there was nothing out of the ordinary. Nico stood there, panting and totally confused.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"One of the hellhound pups has gone rogue," his father said in a bored tone as he watched Sam and Dean.

"What?" Nico knew that Hades kept a few of the best hellhound to help guard his palace and temples.

"It broke out of the kennels and shadow traveled to the surface," said Hades. He pulled a large Seven Eleven slurpie out of nowhere and started drinking it.

"So…what's going to happen?" asked Nico.

"Well, it'll probably cause mischief but since it's just a puppy I doubt it'll kill too many people." Nico stared at his father. He had to be joking.

"Call it back! Do something!"

"There's no way to call it back, short of sending Cerberus to the mortal world and that wouldn't go over well," said Hades in a slightly annoyed.

"What are you going to do?"

"You mean after I review Daedalus' new plans for the on-going remodel, read the reports of all the judgments rendered today, or listen to Charon whine about his salary again?"

"Dad!"

"This is my only moment of peace! A little hellhound trouble on the surface isn't worth missing the season final! Let Chiron send some demi-gods after it!"

"Then why am I here?" Nico asked annoyed.

"Why are you here? The line is probably backing up!"

"I sent Alecto to summon your son, my love." Persephone's bell-like voice floated through the room and Hades tossed the slurpie away and got his feet immediately.

The Queen of the Underworld materialized in the room and Nico resisted the temptation to barf as his father started gushing over his wife.

"Sweetheart, I've been so lonely without you," he said as he kissed her hand and gazed into her eyes. Persephone blushed prettily and smiled at him. She was wearing a yellow sundress and some expensive looking white heels. The outfit was at complete odds with the color scheme of the palace.

"But your mother will be angry," he said sadly.

"Yes, that's why I can't stay long. My dear, why not send your son after the hellhound? He can find it easier than any other half-blood."

"Yes, of course, my dove," he agreed.

Nico gapped at them both. He knew Persephone didn't like having him around but it still infuriated him the way his father agreed so quickly.

"Nico, you will go to the surface and retrieve the hellhound," said Hades turning back to look at him.

"Fine!" Nico growled.

"Oh, and that Percy Jackson boy," said Persephone and Nico cringed on the inside.

"You should take him along to help!" she said brightly.

"What? No!" he said in alarm.

"I'm afraid I don't see the point of that either, my blossom. That boy will only cause more trouble," said Hades.

"Now, now dear," said his wife gently. "He is the most capable and I believe he has a hellhound of his own and that could come in handy with the shadow traveling. Nico is still…a little low on energy. Aren't you?" she said addressing Nico directly for the first time.

"I feel much better," he replied tightly. "I can do this on my own."

All eyes in the room landed on Hades, who was now the swing-vote. He looked uncertain at first but when he turned and looked at Persephone, she gave him a dazzling smile and Nico knew he'd already lost.

"The Jackson boy and his hellhound will go with you. Alecto, send him a message. He will meet Nico in Central Park." Alecto flew off out of the open window and Hades pulled a black iPad mini from his robes and gestured for Nico to come forward.

Nico walked up the steps to the dais and stood at his father's side and watched as he turned the device on. Persephone took her place on her silver throne, apparently done with the whole thing since she'd successfully gotten rid of him and stuck him with Percy for kicks.

"All the puppies were fitted with collars for their training period." The iPad had a Supernatural background and Nico rolled his eyes. His father was turning into a real fanboy. He watched as Hades tapped on a cartoon doggy icon. A green and black map of the U.S. appeared. There was a tiny cluster of little blinking red dots in California, but one dot was far away in Florida.

"This app can track their collars by linking to our satellite. It shadow traveled a good distance and should be tired, so get a move on and you can end this quickly," he said handing the iPad to Nico.

"I'll leave now," he said taking the iPad and walking away in the direction of his room.

"Good luck, dear," Persephone called after him.

---

Percy was moping around camp when Chiron called him to the Big House and imagine his surprise to see his old Algebra teacher standing on the porch. Mrs. Dodds told him about a mission Hades was commanding he go on and that alone made him refuse until she mentioned Nico. Chiron looked at him sympathetically and it made Percy realize that maybe he hadn't hidden his feelings from the activities director very well. But it wasn't just about wanting to see Nico again, he wanted to make sure he was okay, so he agreed. Mrs. Dodds smiled at him cruelly and told him to go to Central Park. He went to pack after she was gone and to tell Hazel and Jason what was happening.

"Try to work things out with him," said Jason and Hazel nodded in agreement. He said he would try but couldn't make any promises. They understood because they knew how Nico could be when he was on the defensive.

He went to Leo and asked for something that could catch a hellhound and then he went to find Mrs. O'Leary. She was romping around in the shadows of the forest but came when he called.

"Hey girl," he said scratching behind her enormous ears. "We're going to see a friend of yours."

He climbed on her back and whispered the destination in her ear and held on as she raced toward the nearest shadow.

---

They came up in a shady spot in Central Park and thankfully there weren't any people in that immediate area. Percy could hear the sounds of the city around him and he knew the park wasn't completely empty. Mrs. O'Leary slumped on the ground and gave a low sleepy woof. He slid down from her back and gave her another scratch behind her ears.

"Good girl. You stay here and I'll be right back," he said.

Hopefully the mist would hide her well from any joggers and dog walkers but he knew he needed to make this quick. The Underworld entrance was a good starting point so he headed for it. He actually didn't get very far before Nico melted out of the shadows of some nearby trees and startled him to death. The next thing he felt was relief and then a pang of heartache. Nico was looking at him with an annoyed and sad expression that made him feel like a scumbag.

"Hey," he said weakly. "AH!" Suddenly Percy was surrounded by screeching bats that looked like they were made of little black storm clouds with red eyes. He ducked and waved trying to knock them away until Nico rushed over wiped his hands through them. They disappeared like they really were nothing but clouds.

"What were those?" he asked terrified.

"Shadow bats," said Nico nervously. "My Dad…sometimes my Dad uses them to torment people he doesn't like," he said quickly.

Percy sighed and wiped a hand down his face. Owls from Athena and now shadow bats from Hades… At least Nico had the decency to look ashamed before he went back to being angry.

"Let's get this over with," Nico grumbled. He had a black backpack of his own that wasn't nearly as tattered as the one he left at camp.

"How do you feel? Have you been eating enough?" Percy asked looking him over.

"I'm fine," Nico said and kept walking. "Where is Mrs. O'Leary?"

"Up ahead resting," answered Percy. "You didn't answer my question. Have you been eating enough?"

"I said I was fine."

Percy didn't say anything but he wasn't done either. There was just no use fighting about it right now. He hoped Nico's anger would calm down in a while and he could at least get an honest answer then.

Percy led him to where Mrs. O'Leary was hiding and the hellhound perked up when she saw Nico who smiled gently and petted her.

"We can take you back to camp," Nico said without looking at him. "I promise to take care of Mrs. O'Leary. It shouldn't take long to find-"

"I'm going," Percy interrupted him.

"Look, my Dad doesn't really care so long as the hellhound-"

"This isn't about your Dad," he said. "I'm not letting you go alone."

"I could just leave you here right now," Nico threatened, but he was finally looking at him.

"Then you wouldn't have bothered to meet me here in the first place." That earned him an irritated glare.

"I needed Mrs. O'Leary," said Nico.

"Well it's a package deal," said Percy. "We don't have to talk unless it's necessary, but you're not going without me."

Nico looked like he wanted to argue some more but Percy walked passed him and climbed onto his dog.

"You coming?" he asked looking down at Nico. The son of Hades looked mad enough to spit but he grudgingly accepted Percy's hand to climb up behind him. Nico didn't hold onto his waist and he had to admit that it would have been too awkward if he had.

"Where are we going?" He looked back and Nico had an iPad in his hand and was busy tapping the screen.

"It's in Florida right now, but it could shadow travel away if it's not too tired. And Mrs. O'Leary will be tired too so we need to catch it quickly."

"Florida's kind of big…" said Percy.

"Hold on, I'll see if it can get more specific…" Nico tapped the screen twice and the map zoomed in with more detail. "It's somewhere around the Tropicana Field."

Percy really hoped the puppy wasn't pooping all over a field of orange trees. He whispered the location in Mrs. O'Leary's ear and they dissolved into the nearest shadow.

---

Turns out Tropicana Field was a baseball stadium so it was even worse than Percy thought. There was currently a game going on and the stadium was packed with people both inside and out, and he could hear the beginnings of terrified screams that were building in volume.

"We can't take Mrs. O'Leary in there," said Percy as he and Nico jumped down from her back. "She's already wiped out." He rubbed her side as she yawned and laid down in a parking space like giant furry SUV.

"I guess I'll have to try to grab it and shadow travel back to the Underworld," said Nico looking in the direction of the stadium. "I might need you to help me hold it," he said like having to ask for help bothered him.

"Let's go," said Percy.

They ran for the entrance and he was afraid they wouldn't be able to get in without buying tickets but just as they got to the door a flood of screaming people ran out. Some of them were covered in bits of food. One woman looked like she'd been sprayed with mustard. They ran in using the chaos to slip past the tickets takers. Men in security outfits were running in the same direction so no one cared about two teenage boys. Apparently the game hadn't actually started yet and Percy could hear a man making announcements over the P.A. system. He was saying something about the game being put on hold.

The halls were wide and there were huge glass skylights built into the ceiling and that might have made the place feel spacious once, but in the middle of a panic with people running everywhere, it became incredibly cramped.

The elevators opened and Percy could see they were jammed with people who spilled out as soon as the doors let them. There was also a crowd of people coming from the stairs. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone fell and ended up trampled by the panicked mob. He grabbed Nico's arm and pulled him toward the emergency staircase the security guards were taking. They stayed far enough back that the guards didn't realize they were being followed. When they reached the second floor it was pure pandemonium. People were hurrying for the exits, there was food all over the polished green floor, a Budweiser stand had been completely destroyed and beer was forming a light brown lake in the middle of it all. Percy always hated the smell of beer, it reminded him of Smelly Gabe and his poker buddies.

"Over there!" Nico yelled pointing at a fried chicken restaurant in the food court.

Something was there. Chicken tenders were being tossed in the air but most of them were vanishing into nothingness. It took Percy a second to realize…they were being eaten.

"It's invisible?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, but I can sense it this close," said Nico.

"Is this normal? Is it supposed to be invisible?" Percy asked as they crept closer to the chicken tender frenzy.

"No…mortals aren't even seeing it through the Mist…this is wrong," Nico said quietly.

The hellhound was scarfing down French fries now and Percy had no way of knowing if they were actually sneaking up on it because they couldn't tell which way it facing.

"And we're not supposed to hurt it, right?" he asked.

"No, we have to capture it." Percy took his backpack off slowly and rummaged around before pulling out a celestial bronze net he got from Leo. It was made from tiny links of chain and pretty heavy.

He was a little uneasy. Hellhounds were vicious and like all other monsters, they weren't fond of half-bloods. Nico was a bit safer being a child of the Underworld but Percy felt like he was going to become a chew toy.

"It's just a puppy," Nico said. He must have noticed how uneasy Percy was.

"Big puppy…" Percy muttered.

Suddenly the noises stopped. The food wasn't flying around anymore. Most of the people had fled and the puppy was still invisible and now they could hear sniffing sounds.

"I think he smells me and smells Mrs. O'Leary on us both," said Nico.

He reached out slowly trying to let the dog sniff him and come closer. It seemed to be working. Percy could hear the sniffing more clearly now and he could hear the hellhound stepping closer. He raised the net slowly but was hoping Nico could just turn into the hellhound whisperer and lead the thing back home no problem.

"Good puppy," Nico said reaching his hand out further. "Good boy."

"Hey! What are you two doing?"

The security guards from earlier had circled back it seemed. The shout broke the tension in the worst way. The invisible dog growled and then started barking furiously at all of them. This gave the security detail pause as they looked around for a dog none of them could see.

"It's four feet at your top left!" Nico yelled as Percy went to throw the net.

He tossed but the net fell flat on the floor and he and Nico were left to look around in confusion. The barking noise was moving around but it was hard to pinpoint.

"Is there a dog in here?" one of the guards asked. "If it belongs to you two you're responsible for all this damage!" the guard said as he and his team advanced on the two boys.

"Nico? What's our next move here?" Percy asked looking between and the guards and twitching from in the direction of the barking. He was inching closer to the fallen net, trying to pick it up without drawing too much attention.

"Hey! Did you hear me? You two need to come with us!"

They were very close to getting arrested Percy just knew it. The guards were headed right for them and he snatched the net off the ground thinking maybe if he used it on them it would buy them time. Nico seemed to read his mind and was nervously glancing between the net and the group of angry men. Suddenly there was a low and sinister growling sound. Everyone froze and Percy's spine shivered. The guards looked terrified and rightly so. A second later the dog rushed passed them and pounced on the guard in front.

At first Percy was horrified until he realized there was no permanent damaged being done. The guards scattered and fell and most of them ended up covered in thick drool. Then the barking receded to the far side of the room where the shadows grew darker. A second later the shadows were gone and so was the hellhound.

"Come on!" Nico said and ran for the stairs with Percy on his heels.

There were still people milling around in the parking lot, probably waiting to see if the game was canceled. He and Nico headed straight for Mrs. O'Leary. She was right where they left her but looking around excitedly. They climbed on and Percy simply told her to run. He knew she was still too tired to shadow travel and unlike the energetic puppy, she hadn't had a chance to recharge with chicken tenders and fries.

"Keep going straight and take the third right," Nico said in his ear. Percy glanced back and saw that Nico had the iPad mini out.

"Where are we going? Is the puppy still here?"

"No, but we'll get it next time. Right now we need a place to rest before we try to shadow travel. I'm looking on Google maps for hotels."

That sounded just fine to Percy, but it also made him nervous because he was fairly certain that stadium had cameras and that could cause a problem if their faces made an appearance on the nightly news. He'd been in that situation before and it was one thing to have monsters after you but actual Police were a pain. You can't kill them and warrants for your arrest don't just go away.

He relayed Nico's directions to Mrs. O'Leary and they soon found themselves standing in the parking lot of a nice looking hotel. It was white and had this "house with a white picket fence" vibe.

"So, how are we paying for this?" Percy asked curiously.

"I got it," said Nico. "Just leave Mrs. O'Leary here. There's a little woody area over there she can stay in," he said pointing.

Percy walked her over to the trees and told her to stay. Then he and Nico headed inside. The lobby was really nice. It had hardwood floor with big rugs decorated with the hotel logo. There were couches and chairs too further in and to the right was the front desk. A young brunette woman sat behind the desk writing in some books but she smiled when she saw them. Nico answered with a tiny timid smile of his own and walked over.

"How can I help you?" she asked.

"We'd like to check in," said Nico.

"Alright, one room for each of you or are you sharing?"

"Sharing," Nico said with just a hint of awkwardness. It surprised Percy. He didn't think Nico would want to be in the same room with him.

"Great!" said the receptionist and started clicking around on a computer. "Room twelve on the second floor, sound good?"

"Yeah that's fine," answered Nico.

"And how long will you be staying?"

"Just tonight."

"Okay, that'll be $112. How would you like to pay for that?"

Percy's eyes bugged out. How were they going to pay for that? But Nico just reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a black Visa with a holographic skull design and handed it to the receptionist.

"I like your card," she said smiling and Nico gave her weak thanks. "Your room comes with our Complimentary breakfast buffet and access to our high speed internet. I hope you enjoy your stay," she said pleasantly and handed Nico a keycard and his Visa.

Once the room was paid for Nico asked Percy if he wanted to go get dinner and they headed back out.

"Umm where did you get a credit card?" he asked. They walked up the street, Percy assumed to the Taco Bell they'd passed on the way to the hotel.

"My Dad. He gave it to me so I could kind of take care of myself. I don't have any family up here and he knows I don't like to stay at camp for too long and I guess he didn't want me sleeping on the streets."

"You've had it this whole time?" Percy asked in honest confusion.

"No, only couple of months now and I have a $400 limit so we need to catch this dog fast."

That explained why they were sharing a room despite the glass floor of awkwardness they were walking on. He couldn't help but notice how Nico's body language had reverted. Hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched –he practically had "don't touch me" written on his forehead. It hurt because what he really wanted was for things to go back to the way they were a few days ago. He also noticed how Nico's skin didn't have that healthy glow it was gaining when he was recovering at camp. The Underworld hadn't really been good for him, or maybe he just wasn't eating enough down there. That had been Percy's main fear when Nico left, that he would eat something else in Hades' kingdom that would kill him for sure.

He'd missed Nico so much the two days he was gone. The way they were now, quiet, tense, and nervous wasn't much better. He was walking right next to him and he still missed him. He was beginning to think that maybe his feelings were real enough and strong enough. That Nico wasn't just some crush that would pass in a couple of weeks. He was still uncertain and now Nico was angry at him...

They crossed a busy street and walked into the Taco Bell and the smell made his stomach growl, but it was eclipsed by Nico's. He looked over in shock and Nico looked ashamed.

"You really need to eat," he said.

"Yeah," said Nico and walked over to the counter.

They basically ordered the whole menu. Percy didn't get that much but they had to feed Mrs. O'Leary and he didn't bring any Celestial bronze armor for her to eat. Also, Nico was apparently ravenous. The employees actually asked them if they had a party going somewhere and Percy just lied and said yeah.

The sun was setting outside and they walked back to the hotel as beasts of burden, loaded with food. Back in the parking lot they tried not to draw too much attention as they walked over to the little woody area and unwrapped at least fifty soft tacos and twelve burritos and piled them up for Mrs. O'Leary. That earned them both a wet kiss and then she dug into her food and they left her alone.

"Good thing Taco Bell is pretty cheap,"

"Yeah, but I won't be buying any books for a while," Nico said sadly.

"Oh, you never finished that Gatekeepers series?" asked Percy as he struggled to open the door and held it for Nico. They walked past the receptionist who giggled at their horde of tacos.

"No, I only got to book four," he answered.

Back in the room they dumped the food on the table and tried to sort out what belonged to who. It was easy since almost all of it was for Nico. Percy took his nachos and two nacho cheese doritos tacos over to his bed, then ran back for his drink before it was consumed in the jaws of the monster known as Nico. Seriously, he was putting that puppy to shame, but Percy was happy to see him eating.

In the end he ate a whole taco salad, a steak quesadilla, and was still going.

"These doritos tacos are actually really good," he said. His fingers were covered in orange cheese powder and it was around his mouth as well. Percy couldn't help but laugh at how cute and messy he looked. For a second it looked like Nico had forgotten to be mad at him but then he remember and turned around.

"Uh, I think I'm done."

"What? You've only eaten half if it," Percy said.

"I think my eyes were just bigger than my stomach. We can give the rest to Mrs. O'Leary in the morning for breakfast." He stood up and looked at Percy uncomfortably. "Do you wanna shower first, or?"

"No, you can go first."

He watched as Nico grabbed his backpack and went into the bathroom. The rest of the night was silent apart from the sounds of the tv that neither of them were really watching. Percy showered after Nico and they didn't even comment on their pajamas even though Nico was wearing the gray and black plaid patterned ones from Percy's mom. They climbed into their beds and Percy turned off the lamp on the nightstand between them.

For a few minutes he just laid on his back staring into the darkness. And maybe it was because he didn't actually have face Nico right now since they couldn't see each other…

"Nico."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry about what you heard. I wasn't trying to hurt you and I'm still not-"

"Percy. You said we wouldn't talk about it. Just go to sleep."

---

They got up the next morning and went down to breakfast in their pajamas. There were only three people in the dining room so it didn't matter. The breakfast bar wasn't half bad, it even had a waffle iron. They both made a waffle and loaded up on eggs and ham. Percy probably had too much fun playing with the drink machine that dispensed breakfast beverages. He had brought over cups of orange juice and apple juice for both of them.

He made sure Nico ate enough this time, as a good night's sleep seemed to opened him up to taking suggestions from Percy again. Then they took the rest of the Taco Bell to Mrs. O'Leary -who seemed really happy about it—and then they went back to the room to gather their stuff.

"Where is the hellhound now?" Percy asked. Nico pulled the charger out of iPad and turned it on.

"It's in St. Louis," he said looking at the screen.

They packed and checked out but while walking to Mrs. O'Leary Percy pushed Nico out of the way and ducked as an owl swooped low over his head. He could feel the slight brush of its wings in his hair. Either they were getting better or he was getting slower.

"Aren't they supposed to be asleep during the day?" he sighed.

"Not when they have orders I guess," said Nico. He was looking at Percy directly now which is something he'd been avoiding before.

"Why is Athena so angry? Was the break up that bad?" Suddenly it felt like he'd eaten too much.

"Do you mind if we don't get into that?" he asked.

"Yeah sure, you're right. We're not supposed to be talking about this giant elephant in the room anyway!" Nico shouldered his backpack and walked off toward the dog.

Percy was ready to just let the next owl win.

---

They tracked the hellhound to a park in St. Louis where Mrs. O'Leary seemed determined to sniff everything. It was nice out and everything was in bloom. It was like walking through a Disney forest with happy little squirrels in the trees and swans swimming in the little lake. He thought he saw a couple of badgers too. The park seemed too calm for hellhound activity until Mrs. O'Leary started barking and a smaller, less mature bark answered her.

"It's still invisible," Nico said looking around.

"Maybe Mrs. O'Leary can help this time?" Percy asked. He rubbed her head and smiled at her. "You wanna help us find the puppy, girl?"

She ran off toward the trees with them chasing after her. She stopped not too far in front of them and started sniffing. There was a yipping sound and then it looked like she was rolling around in a wrestling match.

"Oh great, they think it's a game," Percy said exasperated. "It thinks we're playing with it!"

"Give me the net," said Nico. Percy pulled the net out of his backpack and handed it to Nico.

"They need to separate," he said tiptoeing closer with the net raised.

"Here girl!" Percy called happily. His dog barked and wagged her tail excitedly before trotting over to him for rubs. Nico kept moving forward slowly.

"Good boy," he said. "Remember me?" The puppy kept barking happily…where ever it was and Nico seemed to sense its presence. Percy didn't know what else to do apart from keeping Mrs. O'Leary back.

Suddenly the puppy's barking became too excited and Percy saw Nico fall back with a loud yelp and the net went over his head and tangled around him as he tried to move. Mrs. O'Leary started barking again and ran off in the opposite direction, nearly knocking Percy over as well. He was about to run after her when Nico shouted his name. So, he turned around and dropped to his knees next him and helped get the net off.

"It does think we're playing with it!" he said angrily as he stumbled to his feet.

"And now they're both gone," Percy said as a loud crack of thunder sounded overhead.

Drops fell slowly at first but started to fall faster before they'd even made it out of the trees. They had nowhere to stay and weren't even sure if the two dogs had left the park. Percy spotted a gazebo and started to pull Nico along but the younger boy pulled away from him and walked on his own.

---

The rain continued to pour and actually seemed to be getting worse. The temperature dropped with the precipitation and he knew they would be freezing soon. Percy had only his thin camp t-shirt and even Nico's aviator jacked was soaked through. At least the gazebo was spacious and dry. It was made of stone, not like those cute flimsy ones that are built in parks today. This one looked like it was from an old classic painting. There were dried leaves and twigs on the floor from lack of sweeping but that didn't bother him. He sat down anyway and watched as the rain tap danced on the surface of the lake. There was a flash of lightening and a percussion of thunder followed a few seconds later.

The swans were gone. All the little animals he'd spotted in the park before had disappeared into their own shelters. He and Nico couldn't leave until they found the hellhound and he was not up for searching in the rain so they would have to stay put until it stopped. They were alone with their tense silence and nothing to distract them. He was starting a shiver and to worry about Nico. He was still so thin and being drenched in freezing rain wasn't good for him.

"Is it still here?" he asked just to fill the silence. Nico pulled out the iPad mini and tapped the screen.

"Service is down," he said and put the iPad back in his pocket. Percy hoped it wasn't too wet. If it stopped working they really were screwed. He could see Nico shivering now and watched as he took off his jacket and sat down too.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," said Nico as he scooted just enough to put Percy out of his line of sight.

"Nico, please…"

"Why didn't you just tell me?" he asked suddenly. It flew out of his mouth like he'd been holding it back this whole time and just couldn't any longer.

"That…you told me how you felt?"

"Not just that," he said indignantly and then huffed in frustration. "Everything! Why didn't you tell me how you felt?" Nico sounded hurt and Percy's stomach tightened.

"It wasn't as important as making sure you were better…and Hazel said you never wanted me to know."

"I didn't. But that was because I thought…I thought it was impossible that you would ever…"

The rain continued to fall and the wind was beginning to push it into the gazebo by a few inches. He was cold and his wet clothes were sticking to him uncomfortably but nothing was more uncomfortable than this conversation. Lightning and thunder chased each other over head and he was starting to think Zeus sent this storm on purpose to make him miserable.

"Nico, I didn't tell you because I don't think we can…do this." Nico turned around to look at him and his sad expression made Percy hate himself even more. "I just! I'll just hurt you and let you down like I did with Annabeth!"

"What?"

"Nothing. Just forget it. It can't happen," he said propping his arms on his bent knees and burying his face in them.

"…but you do like me?" His voice reminded Percy of some small wounded animal and every selfish part of him wanted to crawl over and kiss him. He could almost imagine a little devilish version of himself on his shoulder cheering for that idea, but he held it together.

"Yes, but doesn't matter, Nico."

"It matters to me," he heard Nico say softly.

---

When the rain finally let up they were able to go look for Mrs. O'Leary but a different kind of heaviness had settled over them now. Nico was practically despondent and Percy was boiling with self-hatred. Nico pulled out the iPad again and just shook his head when Percy looked at him. They had nothing to go on now and Mrs. O'Leary never had a tracking collar in the first place.

"Let's just go somewhere," said Nico quietly. "Mrs. O'Leary can find you, you're her master. We can't stay out here, it looks like it might rain again."

"Yeah," said Percy.

Nico tapped the iPad for a few minutes and shyly held out his hand for Percy, who took it instantly. Nico walked him to the nearest shadow and they disappeared. They appeared in the back parking lot of another hotel. This one didn't quite as nice as the last one but Percy couldn't have cared less. Nico checked them in and then they walked to the Pizza Hut around the corner. Percy silently thanked whatever force was responsible for always building hotels near fast food.

It wasn't until they were back in the room that he noticed how drowsy Nico looked and suddenly he didn't care about the emotional mess between them.

"You shouldn't have shadow traveled us so far," he said leading Nico over to the bed.

"It was just the other side of the city," Nico said rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Far enough when you're still not at 100%. Shoes off," Percy said. He pulled the covers back shooed Nico under them. "The pizza will be here when you wake up," he said tucking the covers around Nico, but he was already asleep.

Percy stared at his face for a few seconds before wrenching himself away. He was a frustrating combination of tired and restless –wanting to do something, to fix everything, but not knowing how. Usually when he felt like this he would just ask Annabeth…

He was up and out of the door in a flash, shutting it behind him as gently as possible for fear of waking Nico. He went down the stairs and headed for the office. It wasn't fair to her but he was lost in the woods on this one.

The office manager was a guy who looked to be about college age and incredibly bored. He was staring at a small tv in the office but Percy had no idea what he was watching. When he asked if he could use the phone the guy didn't even look his way. He just handed Percy a cordless phone and told him to take it outside so he could hear the show.

The number for Camp Half-Blood didn't register as long distance, which he was glad for. He just punched it in and the phone started ringing. He only hoped someone was near the office in the Big House to answer it.

"Hello?" It was Travis Stoll and he sounded about eight different kinds of annoyed.

"Travis?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Percy."

"Oh! Hey Percy, what's happening with you? Actually, where are you?"

"On a mission,"

"Figures. Well, how's it going?"

"Not too great. Travis, why are you in the office? Where's Chiron?"

"Chiron is in the sword arena and I'm in the office because Mr. D is forcing me and Connor to do chores in the Big House!" he said angrily.

"Why?"

"We might have booby-trapped his porch chair with fireworks," Travis said innocently. Percy couldn't help but chuckle but then he remembered why he called.

"Travis, I need to talk to Annabeth. Do you think you could find her for me?"

"Yeah, I might be able to slip out and get her. Mr. D made Connor run him a bubble bath and I think he's still in there scrubbing his back or something."

He ended up on hold for almost ten minutes but when he heard noise on the other side of the line, it was Annabeth's voice that greeted him.

"Hello, Percy?"

"Hey Annabeth."

"Are you guys okay? Did you run into a trouble?"

"Yeah, but I called to ask you something…"

"What?"

"Did I…did I let you down? In Tartarus?"

She was completely silent for a while and he worried he had really, really stepped over the line but this was had to ask.

"Are you talking about Akhlys?" she asked quietly. "Percy what's going on?"

"Please," he said desperately, "I just need to know if I… You thought I was wrong for what I did, but I still don't know if I think I was and what if there's something not right with me?"

"Percy…"

"I just need to know if everything- if we ended because I let you down?"

"No," she said firmly. "You did not let me down. And truthfully it wasn't even what you did to that…creature that scared me, it was the look on your face. I had never seen you so angry and determined to kill."

"I…"

"But that doesn't mean you let me down. You stopped when I asked you to and that is exact opposite of letting me down. If you had kept going, then yes, but you didn't."

"Then why did we break up?"

"Because what happened, showed us both that we don't agree on some fundamental level. I understand why you did it, but when it was over and we were back at camp, I asked you to never do it again and we couldn't agree. We've been disagreeing ever since."

"I'm sorry," he said sadly.

"You shouldn't be sorry for having your own opinion. If you're feeling conflicted over it then maybe you need to really ask yourself, would you have done anything different?"

He thought about it as he watched cars speed down the busy street. The sun was almost out of view over the horizon and he could crickets beginning to chirp. Other hotel guests walked by on their way to the Pizza Hut or some other fast food destination as he rocked restlessly from foot to foot. Annabeth was patient as he came to the only answer he had…

"No. We were down, she was about to kill us, we had no weapons… I did the only thing I could."

"Okay, you have your answer," she said. "Percy…does this have anything to do with you and Nico?" she asked thoughtfully.

"If I couldn't make it work with you, how can I make it work with anyone else?"

"Percy," she said sadly and with a note of pity. "You shouldn't let what happened –in Tartarus or with us—make you afraid of being with Nico. It has nothing to do with him. Stop trying to punish yourself. You have to leave that place behind and be happy."

"But how are you doing?" he asked softly. He felt so guilty for making her give him a pep talk about getting together with Nico, but he also realized that he would probably always love her for doing it.

"I'm fine, Percy, don't worry," she said and he thought he could hear her smiling. "And I talked to my mom about the owls."

"Oh, yeah that," he said sheepishly.

"They should stop soon. How is Nico? I hope this mission isn't too much for him."

"He's tired but fine, I think. We just need to catch this thing soon."

"Are you going to be okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Annabeth?"

"Yeah?"

"You're amazing."

"Get back to your mission, Seaweed brain," she laughed and they said good-bye.

---

Back in the room he scarfed down some pizza quietly and then went to shower. He used the time to think about how he could possibly approach this issue. Talking to Annabeth had helped but he still had doubts about himself. He knew she was right. Tartarus had ruined their relationship but he shouldn't let it continue to rule his life. He wanted to be with Nico and he was tired of having to suppress it.

Nico was still sleeping when he came out of the bathroom and he went to his bedside to check on him, but he leaned over too far and his wet hair dripped on Nico's face causing him to stir. When his dark eyes opened Percy smiled down at him sheepishly.

"Sorry, I was just checking on you," he said.

"It's fine. I'm fine," said Nico sitting up and looking around groggily. "Mrs. O'Leary come back?"

"No. I haven't seen or heard her."

"We can go back to the park tomorrow," Nico said and then yawned. "She'll be looking for you so she'll probably hang around there."

Percy brought over a box of pizza and sat it in his lap.

"You should eat," he said walked over to his rubbing his wet hair with a towel.

They lapsed back into silence and he felt like he was going to burst, but figured he should ease into this.

"Nico?" he called and felt himself falter when the son of Hades looked at him. Somewhere he realized that he'd become ashamed. He didn't regret what he'd done, because he still couldn't see any other options, but what happened with Annabeth had made him ashamed as well.

"It happened in Tartarus," he said and saw Nico's brow furrow.

"We were trying to get to the Doors of Death and Bob said we would need to be shrouded in death mist to make it past all the monsters so we went looking for Akhlys…"

Nico sucked in a breath so sharp it sounded like the hiss of an angry cat.

"Yeah," said Percy. "Bob was gone and it got…bad. She shrouded us the death mist but only so she could attack us. She was going kill us, drown us a in a lake of poison. We were made of smoke and couldn't fight back. I just wanted to stop her, to save Annabeth. I got desperate," he said looking away from Nico's gaze. "I wished for water, something I could use, and then I started thinking about how everything worked differently in Tartarus…"

"What happened," Nico asked quietly. Percy glanced at him but looked away again quickly. He didn't want to see it happen. He didn't want to see it when Nico realized how terrifying he became and looked at him the way Annabeth had.

"It felt like something broke inside of me and suddenly I could control the poison. I pushed it back at her and then I started choking her on her tears. I wanted to scare her, to kill her. Annabeth was begging me to stop and I…I didn't right away but I did stop and Misery ran away."

"You tapped into something," said Nico. "It only happens in Tartarus. You were closer to the really ancient powers down there."

"What does that mean?" asked Percy.

"It means for a few minutes you broke through the glass ceiling. You became something a little more than a demi-god but you couldn't keep that up for long. I bet you couldn't do it now and especially not here."

"Well, whatever it was it became a problem," Percy said bitterly.

"Why?" Nico asked in confusion.

"I guess it didn't come up right away because we were kind of in constant peril, but later after everything was over, Annabeth brought it up again. She said it before -that some things weren't meant to be controlled. She wanted me to promise never to do it again and I couldn't. If we were in trouble like that again with no way out, I would try everything, do anything, including that. She wanted me to be sorry and I wasn't. The whole thing just made a problem between us."

"That's why you broke up?" Nico asked softly and Percy only nodded.

"We tried to work it out but I- we didn't feel close anymore…not in that way." He didn't want to say it. That he'd started falling for Nico and that Annabeth had seen it happen…

"Is that why you said you'd let me down? You think you let Annabeth down?"

"She says I didn't but…I always seem to let everyone down," he said. It was true. He'd let Nico down with Bianca, not to mention Calypso, and even Reyna. For all his heroics, it was his personal relationships he couldn't get right.

The room was quiet. Nico was starting at his pizza and he was staring at his feet. He'd meant to tell Nico that he was sorry and that if he still wanted to try, they could. Instead, he succeeded in depressing them both. This was too much for him. He wasn't subtle or articulate enough to handle delicate situations. Annabeth had always handled those things and there was no way he could ask her to scamper on over and persuade Nico to date him. The owls would attack in droves.

"I should go shower," Nico said suddenly and started gathering his stuff.

"Okay," Percy said pitifully. As Nico passed by his bed on the way to the bathroom, he stopped.

"Thank you for explaining it," he said and kept walking.

Percy just laid back on the bed when he heard the bathroom door shut.

"Stupid!" he muttered viciously to himself and closed his eyes. He didn't even move when Nico came out of the bathroom.

"Percy?"

He opened his eyes and Nico was standing next to his bed. He had on his new pajamas –the black ones with skulls. His silky black hair was damp but already starting to curl up again in that cute way it does that Percy thought looked like baby batwings. Percy knew why most people were uneasy around Nico but he just didn't feel the same way. He'd even been near Nico when he was powered up and doing his death aura thing. He'd seen an army of monsters back away from a kid less than quarter their size, but it didn't affect Percy the same way. He remembered feeling…awed and proud of Nico that day.

Maybe because he'd known Nico before he realized his powers and before those powers had changed him – intergrading his father's nature with his own. He also wondered if maybe Poseidon just had a better relationship with Hades than Zeus did, and maybe that helped.

"Yeah?" he answered sitting back up.

"You're an idiot," Nico said bluntly. Percy let out a bark of laughter and looked at Nico's determined face with a smile.

"I won't disagree," he said.

"I get that you were upset about Annabeth and afraid," said Nico. "But it should have just been between us whether or not we wanted to be together. You should have told me, talked to me. You just made the decision yourself like you knew best."

"I know. I just thought I was going to ruin everything. We were getting along and you were getting better. Part of me thought it would have been selfish to bring it up."

"It was selfish to think you were protecting me by making my choices for me." Nico took a breath and kept going. "Percy, you know how long I've been on my own. I know this whole thing with the seeds was…difficult and yeah, I nearly died…again. But this is our life. Dionysus was right, we're half-bloods. You can't treat me like I can't handle anything."

"You're right. I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "Did I mess everything up, or can I get a second chance?" He saw a color spread across Nico's cheeks and smiled.

"You can, but only if you promise not to do this again."

"Promise," he said.

That made Nico smile in that genuinely happy way he'd gotten used to lately and his heart hammered in his chest, because suddenly he was done with the idea of resisting.

"Can I kiss you?" Nico's eyes were wide and his whole face was turning red but he nodded nervously and sat down next Percy on the bed.

He moved in slowly at first -afraid Nico was too nervous- but he leaned toward Percy in response. When their lips touched Percy groaned in relief. He was like a starving man who'd finally been told he could eat. He'd meant it to be a simple, innocent thing but the kiss grew quickly. Soon their tongues were touching and he was pulling Nico closer.

That's why even he was shocked when he pulled away. Nico looked excited and confused. His lips were slightly apart and dark pink from kissing but Percy tried to focus.

"The hellhound, it thinks we're playing with it," he said.

"What?" Nico asked, looking less excited.

"It thinks we're playing with it. That gives me an idea."

"Oh," said Nico looking disappointed. He started to pull away but Percy stopped him.

"I can tell you in the morning," he said smirking and kissed him again.

---

They walked into the park to almost the exact same spot as before once Nico used the iPad to determine that the puppy was still in this city. Percy had both of their backpacks and dropped them near the gazebo. They were hoping this would be it. Hopefully they would capture it this time and this would be over. The ground was still a little wet –the only evidence of the rain the day before—but the sky was clear this time.

He and Nico stood in the middle of a grassy area facing each other. He didn't think either one of them had stopped smiling since they woke up. Looking down and seeing Nico cuddled against him in bed had made him feel like his heart would swell and burst. They hadn't said much but it wasn't tense like before. Everything felt easy. Now this whole thing was a breeze. Of course they could catch some puppy!

"Ready?" asked Percy.

"Yeah," Nico said and closed his eyes. A few seconds later and giant bone popped out of the ground. It was about the length of Percy's whole leg but still thin enough for him to lift.

"This is great," he said picking it up.

"From some dinosaur buried here," Nico said shrugging.

"Mrs. O'Leary!" yelled Percy. He and Nico glanced around as he called for his a dog a few more times.

He was starting to get worried that she was nowhere near when he heard a loud bark and the shadows of the trees thickened. She came trotting out happily, wagging her tail.

"Hey girl! You miss me?" he asked. She barked when he rubbed her head and showed her the bone.

"Wanna play?"

He backed away from her while passing the bone from hand to hand and waving it in front of her to wind her up. She barked and followed his movements with her red eyes. Percy threw it away as far as he could and watched as she ran to retrieve it.

"Sense anything yet?" he asked Nico.

"No," he answered.

Mrs. O'Leary brought the bone back and dropped it at Percy's feet. It was covered in drool but he picked it up anyway and threw it again. This continued two more times before Nico stiffened and gave him a tiny nod. Percy could see the shadows from the trees shifting again but kept playing with Mrs. O'Leary.

"Remember, we need to make it jealous," he muttered.

Soon Nico was playing too, taking turns throwing the bone with Percy. They heard another, smaller bark and knew the puppy was there. They ignored it and kept tossing the bone for Mrs. O'Leary who was now racing with something they couldn't see to get to the bone first. It wasn't long before they could hear the puppy whining for attention. It even bumped against Nico once, sniffing around his feet. Percy nodded and gave the bone to him.

"Come here girl," he said to Mrs. O'Leary. "Sit." She sat but kept looking at Nico and the bone.

Percy scratched her ears and watched as Nico tossed the bone. It looked like magic when it came back bobbing in the air and fell at Nico's feet. He bent to pick it up but faked and sprang at the puppy.

"Gotcha!" he yelled and four walls of black stone slid up from the ground around them.

Percy ran over and scaled one side of the stone pen. It wasn't very high but he could hear the puppy scratch and growling. When he looked over, he saw Nico was still hugging it around the neck and trying to sooth it. It hadn't attacked him so far and that was good.

"Nico?"

"There's something on its collar!" he called up to Percy.

Percy saw him give a yank and then the puppy shimmered into visibility. Nico patted its head and opened his palm. In his right hand was a pretty silver and diamond necklace. He looked up at Percy like he was about to say something but they were interrupted.

"Good job!"

Percy looked around and felt the black walls begin to sink back into the earth. Nico was sending them away and he had a furious expression on his face as he kept a grip on the puppy's collar. The puppy seemed calm now and actually looked pretty innocent. It didn't have that malicious aura like other hellhounds, so maybe it was like Mrs. O'Leary.

"I'm impressed, you two," said the voice.

This time Percy recognized it as well and his mouth dropped opened in shock. All around them the park seemed to come alive. The grass was greener, the flowers brighter, and birds chirped louder. That's when Persephone appeared. She walked right out of thin air and smiled at them. This time she was wearing a short sleeve floral and butterfly print dress and ,the printed butterflies gently flapping their wings.

"You did this?" Percy asked in shock.

"I may have," she said slyly.

"Why?" asked Nico still looking annoyed.

"Well you two just seemed so depressed and unhappy. And you're both so stubborn! I thought I'd help," she said happily.

"So you set the puppy loose, put your necklace on its collar to keep it cloaked, sent me after it, and ordered Percy to go with me?" Nico's voice rose with every accusation until he shouted the last part.

Persephone didn't seem to mind.

"I did tell Percy here that I wanted to see how your feelings would play out, and then you got angry at him and went to your father's. So I asked Aphrodite for some advice on how to help!"

"Oh great! You got the idea from her. That explains everything!" Percy said and glared at her.

"Well, love blossoms in springtime, you know. Aphrodite and I are old friends."

"I can't believe you did all of this instead of just talking to me or something!" said Nico.

"I believe your sister tried that and it didn't work. You needed to be around each other again to remember how you felt. And look at you now!" she beamed.

They both blushed but Nico still looked grumpy.

"I'll take that," said Persephone. She held out her hand the necklace disappeared out of Nico's and materialized in hers. "And I'll deliver the puppy to your father and tell him how well you did," she said.

"Fine," said Nico and he let go of the puppy who ran over to Persephone.

"You did well too," she said and patted the dog fondly. "You two should go have fun together," she said. She gave them a little knowing smile and disappeared with the dog.

"I can't believe she did this!" roared Nico, but Percy just started laughing.

"Percy, this isn't funny!"

But it was too late. Percy was on the ground laughing his head off. When he finally eased down to a chuckle he was able to stand again, but had to wipe the tears from his face.

"Come on, Nico," he said still giggling. "It worked!"

"She shouldn't have butted in!" Nico said stubbornly.

"Maybe, but I'm just happy it's over," he said. "Plus…" He walked up to Nico and hugged him. "Like I said, it worked."

Nico smiled and kissed him. "Yeah, I guess it did." He stayed in the circle of Percy's arms and looked up at him.

"What do you wanna do now?"

"You're tired," said Percy. "I can see it. Summoning the bone and then the rocks…you need to rest."

"I'm fine. It's not that bad," said Nico but then he yawned. He looked embarrassed and Percy smiled at him.

"Let's just go back to camp. Hazel misses you anyway."

"Alright."

Mrs. O'Leary shadow traveled them to camp and then stretched out to nap in the forest while they walked to the cabins. Hazel nearly tackled Nico to the ground when he opened the door to the Hades cabin.

"You two catch up. I'll go tell Chiron we're back," said Percy. "And he's tired Hazel."

"You're tired?" Hazel asked in alarm. "You should just go to sleep! We can talk later, but I'm so sorry, Nico!"

Percy laughed quietly as Hazel dragged her brother inside still apologizing and asking after his health.

---

In the last few weeks of summer he and Nico were almost inseparable. He wasn't sure how many people knew they were a couple but it didn't really matter. Nico was still struggling with feeling judged, but he was getting better. They would hold hands and maybe hug in public but they were pretty low key about it. Percy was just happy that Nico looked so happy and healthy. Once back at camp he started improving again and had now gained back all the weight he lost during the Giants war. His skin was still pale but Percy could see the olive undertone now. And sneaking into cabin three to make-out was almost daily.

He and Annabeth were back on more comfortable terms and there were no more aerial attacks from owls or shadow bats. Jason and Hazel spent the rest of the summer with them but left a week before Percy was supposed to leave. Nico promised Hazel he would visit Camp Jupiter soon, but Jason still had to usher her away. He and Nico spent the next week wishing he didn't have to go back to school, which he eventually did.

Even though he'd told Nico he could visit whenever he wanted, it was almost two and half weeks before it happened. It was a Saturday morning and his mom and Paul went out to run errands while Percy was in his room –still in his PJ's- making an actual attempt at studying. He was just growing frustrated because the words in his English textbook were swimming in front of his eyes. He was trying to use the reading techniques he was learning at Goode, but it was hard.

That's when he heard footsteps on the fire escape outside of his window. He reached for Riptide, thinking it was a monster as he'd already had to kill a gorgon on the way to school two days ago. But then he saw a familiar aviator jacket and the glint of a skull ring before Nico ducked down and looked in. He grinned when he saw Percy who smiled and walked over to let the window up.

"Where have you been?" he asked hugging his boyfriend.

"Sorry, I was busy," Nico said.

"Busy?" Percy asked still holding onto him. Nico didn't seem in a rush to move either though.

"My Dad wanted to see me after you left." He blushed and glanced down.

"What happened?"

"He chewed me out about my Visa bill," Nico said with a small smile.

"I'm sorry," said Percy. "But that whole quest was Persephone's fault so-"

"She took care of it," Nico interrupted.

"Really? Well…?"

"He was still mad. He said I may be happy with you right now, but you're an idiot. He told me not spend all my time with you and forget my responsibilities." Nico used his fingers to put air quotes around the word "responsibilities" which made Percy laugh.

"I told him you were back at home for school so I couldn't spend all my time with even though I wanted to. That started this whole other thing where he said you shouldn't be more educated than me and he assigned Alecto to tutor me-"

"What?" Percy asked.

"It's pretty terrible," Nico nonchalantly. "She used to be your teacher didn't she?"

"Yeah and she was awful," Percy said with a little anger.

"Nothing's changed. I have to admit she kind of knows what she's doing. All my textbooks are in Greek and I guess I'm learning, but she keeps doing math all day long. She's a harpy slave driver. But then Persephone had a talk with Dad and he said I could take a break. I went to see Hazel because I knew she would be mad I hadn't visited and then I came here."

"Persephone strikes again," Percy joked.

"Yeah. You know," said Nico pensively. "I'm pretty sure he was just trying to keep us apart and I think…I think my Dad is being…"

"Overprotective?" supplied Percy.

"You think?" asked Nico uncertainly.

"He loves you. Maybe he's not the best at showing it because I think you remind him of your mother and how he couldn't protect her, but he loves you." Nico looked sad and started playing with Percy's bead necklace.

"But I love you too, so he has to learn to share," he said softly.

Nico almost jumped and looked up at him with wide, vulnerable eyes. And then he smiled and looked back down. At first Percy thought he'd said it too soon, that maybe Nico didn't believe him and he was about reassure him but Nico didn't pull away.

"I read something in one of the books Alecto forced on me," Nico said quietly and went back to playing with the necklace at Percy's throat.

"What?" ask Percy.

"That the oceans are so deep no man has ever been to the bottom. Humans would die there, their lungs would burst and they'd be crushed by the pressure. So they have to send robots."

Well he knew that, being the son of Poseidon not-withstanding, he'd learned in school at some point. Where was Nico going with this?

"Those places…they're so deep and dark that they seem just as scary as the Underworld."

"Are you saying I'm scary?" Percy asked confused.

"What you did in Tartarus scared Annabeth."

Percy felt his stomach constrict at the subject. He didn't think confessing his feelings would make the conversation take this sort of turn.

"Yes it did," he confirmed seriously.

"It doesn't scare me," said Nico. His fingers glided up from the beads and traced across Percy's neck causing him to shiver. "I'm the son of Hades. I'll always have more darkness to me than other half-bloods, and if you have some in you, that doesn't bother me. I agree with you. You did what you had to do in Tartarus."

He never thought that hearing that from Nico would mean so much to him. Percy looked into his dark eyes and thought he couldn't be real. Not this perfect and real. He felt something inside of him unclench. The fearful grip he had on the power that had broken out in Tartarus loosened and he felt truly relieved for the first time in months. He didn't have to hate it because it wouldn't drive Nico away even if he could access it again.

He tightened his arms around Nico and kissed him. He felt Nico push against him and they stumbled back toward the bed. He fell on it in a sitting position when the backs of his knees hit the mattress. Nico was left standing between his legs and he smirked down at him. That made Percy shudder before Nico was on top of him, their mouths locked together again. Nico tasted sweet and rich like caramel. Percy felt him wiggle out of the aviator jacket and then it was gone.

He stroked his hands down through Nico's silky hair, over his back, to his waist. Nico moaned into his mouth and then nipped his bottom lip. Percy gripped his waist tighter and rolled over so he was on top and started sucking at the skin over Nico's pulse. The little gasp he heard in his ear was enough to drive him crazy. Then he heard a thud and pulled away quickly. He looked around and saw that in all their shifting they'd knocked his textbook onto the floor. It was enough to remind him where they were.

"Percy…" Nico whispered hotly. He was on his back breathing heavy and looking beautiful. His cheeks were red, his lips were swollen, and his hair and clothes were a mess.

Percy let Nico pull him back down but didn't resume their kiss. He just closed his eyes and snuggled his face into Nico's neck to breathe him.

"Don't stop. I love you," Nico said wrapping his arms around Percy.

"I love you too, but we have to stop. My mom will be back any minute," he said softly.

"Oh, yeah…"

"I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?" asked Percy as he snuggled closer.

"Make me Alfredo?"

"You want Alfredo for brunch?" Percy said grinning.

"Yes please," said Nico.

"Okay." Percy sat up and pulled Nico off the bed with him.

"Do you think you could make it thinner?" asked Nico.

"Nope. It's fine the way it is," Percy said smiling.

"Percy…"

"Nico…"

"I've eaten at some good Italian restaurants and-"

"So? Are you saying they're better than me?"

"N-no!" Nico said and allowed himself to be pulled out of the room.

"Then it's fine," Percy said.

"Percy?" Something in Nico's voice made him turn around. His boyfriend's expression was more timid than he'd seen it in weeks.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked in a concerned tone.

"I just…I think eating those seeds was the best thing I've ever done," he said.

Percy didn't know what to say so he just crossed the space between them pulled Nico to him. He kissed his cheek and let go.

---

End