Title: Noticing the Unnoticeable Pt 1

Summary: Fading, all these lights just turn to gray. Changing, better to turn and walk away. But the strange thing is that I don't feel a thing.

Characters: Nico, Percy/Annabeth

Nico di Angelo is the first person to notice that Percy, the legend who's still on the rise, is changing. Drastically.

Everything starts to go downhill when everyone's at camp for the summer. Percy and Annabeth had been spending as much time with each other before going back to school; here they could be together without having to worry about ambushes. Nico had to admit that it was the kind of sickening adorableness that he barely tolerated.

The couple had been walking ahead of him, off to one of their daily classes that Nico didn't bother to pay attention to, when Percy stumbled to a halt. Annabeth kept going until the hand she held onto forced her to stagger back towards Percy. Nico caught up with them immediately.

"Where am I?" Percy asked, a frown appearing on his face. It's a weird question coming from someone who's been going to Camp Half-Blood for five years. Annabeth looked freaked out, but she shrugged it off quickly.

"Seaweed Brain, not funny. Now come on, we're going to be late." She pulled him into a walk, towards the arts and crafts hall. "We'll catch up with you later, Nico!"

"Will do, Annabeth!" He muttered towards the pair halfheartedly. Something was off, dangerously off, and he had the resources to find out what that was.

The Underworld is just as dark and gloomy as it was a few weeks ago. Nico watches all the poor souls continue in through the gates, giving up their hopes and dreams for the final time. Screams of terror and tears of despair fill the air around him, and he wonders if Bianca is crying as well. (No, no, he refuses to go there.)

He pushes past the working skeletons, on a singular mission to find his father and ask exactly what is going on. It isn't hard to spot Hades, the extraordinary height gives him away easily, and Nico speeds up his pace to catch his father.

"Dad! Hey dad!" He shouts, using the word as a attention-grabber instead of a means of affection. It works instantly.

Hades spins around gracefully, magically transforming into a normal height halfway throughout the turn. He looks more pale than usual and an air of stress that pours from him. The suit of trapped souls looks a little more loose than the last time Nico saw him. He can't help but feel a bit of sympathy for his dad.

"Son, what a pleasure to see you. I assume you're not here for casual reasons." Hades states from over his shoulder while consulting clipboards from his workers. Nico has to jog to keep up with him.

"What's going on with Percy Jackson?" Nico asks bluntly, coming to a stop. Hades' reaction is immediate; he freezes in his tracks. Slowly he meets his son's eyes, and thinks about what to say.

"There's a plan, a secret plan mind you, that's in the works right now. No one can know, and you can't interfere." Hades pauses to throw a stern glance at Nico before continuing. "He'll get worse. The Mist will be in effect, and not one of the campers, or his friends, or his mother will know."

Nico feels a little nauseous after hearing that. The plan is only starting and already it sounds bad. Still, there are some parts that confuse him.

"So why did I notice?" He questions Hades uncertainly, wondering if at any moment this conversation will be erased from his memory in the blink of an eye.

"Because you're supposed to. You have a role in this, my son." Hades says while gesturing for him to continue walking. Nico is led towards the throne room, where Persephone is reading, and they both make themselves comfortable by sitting in front of the fire.

"Tell me then." Nico demands, because if he really is to have a role in this he should get all the information he can.

Hades complies, not forgetting a single detail of the entire thing.

Half an hour later, Nico is almost out of the door when Hades coughs oh so subtly at his back. He turns around to see what his dad has to say now.

"You're going to watch him get worse, son. And this will be the last time you see Percy for a while. When you meet him again, don't let him know that you know him. Understood?"

"Completely." Nico forces himself to say that. He leaves the underworld immediately afterwards.

As Hades said, it's beyond hard to watch Percy forget a little more each day. No one else, as promised, seems to notice this. It starts out with just the basics; the who's, the what's, and the where's. But then after the first month, it transforms into the why's, the how's, and the when's. It hurts Percy worse than Nico, but he can't help but feel like crying out in frustration along with his friend in the middle of the nights.

The only person Percy remembers crystal clearly is Annabeth. He always recites everything he knows about her each night, clinging onto the only thing he knows. Nico wants to tell him that it will all be okay in the end, but how is someone with forced amnesia supposed to comprehend that?

Nico stays on Camp grounds each night, bunking in the Poseidon cabin right next to Percy.

It's the night before Annabeth's and Percy's two month anniversary when Nico settles into the bunk next to Percy. But Percy is working on a special present for Annabeth that he won't let Nico look at. It's amazing how Percy can focus on that when he's forgotten nearly everything else.

"I'm going to sleep, Percy. You need anything?" Nico mumbles down to Percy at his workspace.

"What? Uh, no. I think I'm good. Thanks though." He hesitantly answers Nico before going back to cutting out paper shapes. Nico takes this an answer to fall asleep immediately.

The dream is strange to say the least; Poseidon is in front of Nico at the edge of the Camp lake. Poseidon, his uncle, looks like a normal guy wearing a little too much floral print. Well, the trident throws off the normal look, but that's okay; can't expect normal from gods. The other un-normal thing is that it's a clear starry night that makes Nico feel uncomfortable. Things can't be perfect, not when real life is such a mess.

"I take it you're the only one here at camp who knows about the plan?" Poseidon asks while standing calmly in the water. Nico joins him.

"Yes sir. It's been hard being the only one."

"I can imagine. After the months are over, you won't be the only one." He looks at Nico from the corners of his eyes. Nico can already feel the pain that's to come.

"I hardly think that will be the relief I'm hoping for." Nico answers. The answer receives a smile from the god next to him.

"This is the last time I'll be able to speak for a while. Just let Percy know I love him, alright?"

Nico nods his affirmative, and prepares to wake up.

"One last thing, I know you'll do great Nico." Poseidon grins before snapping his fingers. The dream dissolves quickly, leaving Nico to wake up tangled in his bed sheets. He wakes up to a wolf staring straight at him. The wolf is obviously powerful, he can see that just by looking at her eyes. Old eyes that have seen the world grow and change, and go through the good as well as bad times. Nico feels humbled to meet her.

I am here to take this one away. Tell no one. The wolf speaks to him using telepathy, and Nico nods. They already have him on one of the accompanying wolf's back. There are at least five wolves inside the small cabin, overwhelming the space.

"I'm going to say goodbye to him first." Nico insists, already getting out of his bed. His action unsettles the wolves in a big way, but they're not important to him. The head wolf barks out a command to her pack, and allows him to kneel before Percy. Percy is looking worse for wear when Nico gets a close look at his face. Nico grabs onto Percy's shoulder, which prompts him to look up to the younger boy.

"You've got to go now. But remember, your dad loves you." Nico lets that sink in, and unfortunately, there's only a dim light of recognition that sparks in the green eyes in front of him. "We all love you. Just remember that Annabeth does as well."

Percy startles into a full awake mode. "Give her my present for me. Please, Nico." He gestures towards his bunk, with a carefully crafted gift sitting atop of the blankets.

"I will, Percy. I swear." Nico squeezes Percy's shoulder before he gets back to his feet. Instantly the son of Poseidon falls back asleep. "You'll look after him, won't you?" He asks the head wolf, moving out of the pack's way.

Of course, son of Hades. This is our job. Farewell. She leads them out single file, and before Nico knows it, they're gone. He's left alone in the bunk of his most trusted friend, the most powerful demigod he knows, and there isn't anything he can do to change that.

Later this morning he'll have to tell everyone that Percy is missing. He isn't looking forward to that. Especially giving Annabeth the present Percy made for her.

A/N: This is my first Percy Jackson fanfic! I absolutely had to after reading The Son of Neptune! This will be a continued series of one shots before/during/after The Son of Neptune. I hope I did well for you guys! :)