I know I've done the whole Nico goes to war thing before, but this one is going to be a little different. Hope everyone likes it!
…
Nico di Angelo got off the plane and flooded into the terminal, gazing around. He didn't see his fiancé, Percy Jackson, anywhere. But that was okay. He'd told Percy he'd be there later in the day, so he could go home and surprise him. Boy, was Percy in for a fun surprise. Nico retrieved his duffle bag from baggage claim and slung it over his shoulder. His simple dust brown shirt and camo pants marked him as a soldier. The effect was doubled by the dog tag hanging off his neck and the stars and badges pinned to his shirt. He wanted to show off for Percy a little. He hadn't seen his fiancé in a year, and he was dying to get home. But first he had to go retrieve his car and navigate his way out of the parking lot.
Nico slung his bag into the cab of his beat up white Chevy truck and climbed behind the wheel. He stroked the steering wheel. He hadn't been in the old girl in almost a year. It felt nice to drive his own vehicle for a change, rather than one weighed down with other soldiers and equipment. It would also be nice to not be bombed as he drove down the road. At least here in the U.S., he didn't have to worry about his truck flipping over from land mines or other nasty surprises. He threw the truck into reverse and slowly made his way out of the parking lot, following the dozens of other vehicles driven by soldiers. It was time for a break before their next assignment, and no doubt they'd be returning to their loved ones and families.
The dark-haired male hummed as he drove. He had a half hour drive until he got to his and Percy's shared house, and he was actually looking forward to the half hour drive. It gave him time to prepare the speech he was going to give when he got home. Then again, all that would go out the window as soon as he saw the loving look in Percy's eyes. He'd been devastated when Nico had been called away, but he understood. Duty was first. And Nico would always return home. That was one thing that was always certain. Nico would always return home.
Nico pulled into the gravel driveway and stared at the unfamiliar car. Then he shrugged. Percy had probably gotten another car while he was away. The giant, dark blue SUV was great when you had more than one person. It would also come in handy when they had children. Something sensible, like the silver Honda Civic in his driveway, would do better when Percy was alone. He took his duffle bag and slung it back over his shoulder. He made his way up the steps and shoved his way into the house. He set his duffle bag on the table next to the front door and gazed fondly at the pictures of him and Percy. Them, on their first date. His mother had taken that photo. Shopping together in the city. Going to the waterpark and blasting him with a water gun. And finally, the night Nico proposed to Percy. They'd been overlooking an impressive waterfall (which you could see in the background). Percy commented on how perfect the moment had been. Nico then dropped to one knee and pulled the ring out of his pocket. That had been the perfect moment. The way Percy's eyes welled with happy tears as he gazed down at Nico. How he nodded, wordlessly, as the dark-haired male rose to his feet and embraced him.
Nico craned his neck. He could hear shuffling from his room. And…laughing? Curious, he crept up the stairs. His bedroom door was half-closed. That was odd. He and Percy normally kept it open. He gently nudged it open until he could see. Percy was in there, alright. But so was another man. Percy was lying beneath a tall, blonde male. And Percy, his fiancé, was laughing with the blonde.
"Oh Jason," Percy cooed. "I'm so happy. I don't think I could be happier." Nico had tears welling before he could stop them. All his training hadn't prepared him for this. He could face down gunmen, defuse bombs, and drive trucks through mine fields. But catching his fiancé cheating on him? That hurt like no bullet wound ever would. He threw the door open, and both Percy and Jason froze. "Nico?" Percy asked, his sea-green eyes impossibly wide. "Nico, you're home!" he exclaimed, sitting up. Jason tumbled away.
"I'm home," Nico gritted out. "I'm home alright. But what the hell is this? Percy, you've been cheating on me while I was away?" He glanced away from his ex-fiancé. He couldn't stand to be in the same room as him. He bolted down the stairs and snatched his bag back up. But he paused long enough to gaze at the photos. Then he smashed every single one of them, throwing them to the floor.
"Nico!" Percy called hoarsely, tugging his things on. "Nico, wait!" But Nico didn't wait. Nico fled before Percy could catch up to him. He got into his Chevy truck and sped away. He couldn't stand to see that house. It was no longer his home. Not anymore.
…
Nico never did find anyone else. Not that he looked. He spend the next five years trying to drink his pain away. He couldn't seem to drink enough to get Percy off his mind. Or the images he'd seen when he returned home. His friends all told him he'd be okay. He'd find somebody else. Somebody that would wait for him. But that wasn't what he wanted to hear. He wanted to wake up and be told it had all been a nightmare. Percy hadn't actually cheated on him while he was away. Percy was at home, eagerly awaiting his return. But if he even began to sober up, all the pain and memories flooded back full force.
So the dark-haired male drank. And drank and drank. But no matter how drunk he got, Percy never got off his mind. His face. His smile. They were always there, right on the edge of his foggy mind, taunting him with what could've been.
"It's not worth it Neeks," Leo Valdez would say to him. "Percy isn't worth the self-destruction. He isn't worth the tears and heartache."
"You don't understand Leo," Nico slurred. "I love Percy. I always will. There's no one else like him." That at least was the truth. No one else could even compare to Percy. Or, at least, the Percy he was before he cheated on him. He loved that Percy. He wished he could be with that Percy again. But he couldn't. So again, he drank the pain away, a little a time.
One particular night, Nico was sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching a bottle in his hand. It was perhaps the twentieth bottle he'd had in a twenty hour period, and he could feel the effects. He gazed around. Somehow, he sensed the end was coming. Maybe he was so drunk he could feel death now. He reached into his side table and pulled out a piece of paper. He scrawled a quick note and lay down on his bed, the bottle in one hand and the note in the other. Nico di Angelo never moved again. He died shortly after he scrawled out the note.
Leo Valdez was on the case that was investigating Nico's death. They suspected it was due to alcohol poisoning. Finally, Nico had drank away Percy's memory. The rest of the team explored the living room. Leo got the fun task of going to see the shell of Nico di Angelo. He made his way up to the dark-haired male's room, and leaned against the doorway. Nico was face down on his bed, his face in his pillow. The bottle had dropped from his hand long ago, but he still gripped the note. Curious, Leo made his way over to the body and pried Nico's fingers apart.
"I'll love him till I die," Leo said out loud. "Aw Nico. It didn't have to end like this. But you finally got rid of the pain, didn't you? You finally drank away Percy's memory. He won't bother you again.
…
Everyone in town was present for Nico's burial. The dark-haired male was being put to the earth in the very spot he'd picked out years before. Under the weeping willow tree toward the back of the cemetery. He never realized how ironic the spot was. But that's exactly where the buried him. His grave didn't have much. Just a simple headstone with his name, rank, and some basic info on him. There was one thing special about the spot though.
Mourners lined the spot, each with their heads bowed. Leo was among them. He'd never really been close to Nico, but he still felt his loss greatly. It left him feeling hollow. He couldn't save his friend in the end. He died still loving the boy who'd broke his heart. And he died with all the memories he had of him. Leo listened carefully, and he was sure he could hear singing. But when he looked around, no one was. His eyes widened as he turned toward the sky. The angels were singing. They were singing to Nico. A haunted melody. A whiskey lullaby.
…
So many things got said about Percy Jackson after Nico left. And half of them Percy believed. He was rotten and unfaithful. He didn't deserve someone as good as Nico. But Percy blamed himself for the whole thing. More than anyone knew. Percy wished so bad he hadn't even met Jason. He let go the best man of his life for what? A couple of days of having someone close? He deserved to rot in hell for what he'd done.
"Percy, it'll be okay," his best friend, Annabeth Chase, told him. "You'll find someone else. You'll find someone who's here." But Percy just gazed at her through slitted eyes.
"It's not the same," he said, turning to face away from her. If she smelled his breath, she'd know he'd been drinking again. She'd smell the whiskey on his breath. For five years, he'd tried to hide it from everyone. It was the only way he didn't feel the pain of losing Nico. It was the only thing getting rid of the pain. But no matter how drunk he got, Nico remained the first thing on his mind. He couldn't get him out. So he figured, if he drank enough, he could get his memory away from him.
Annabeth hadn't seen Percy in days, so she went to his house to check on him. She knew he was depressed. But what greeted her when she arrived would haunt her for the rest of her life. The place reeked of whiskey and death. She made her way to Percy's room, where she found him face down on his bed, hugging Nico's picture to himself. He'd died. He'd drank himself to death.
Not as many people went to Percy's funeral, but Annabeth attended. And when she saw where he was to be buried, she burst into tears. He was being placed next to Nico under the willow tree, a place he belonged. Now he and Nico would never be apart. But the cost was too great for him. He did finally drive away the pain. He got rid of Nico's memory. Maybe they'd see each other in Heaven. Annabeth hoped they would. After all the heartache, they deserved some happiness.
Annabeth heard singing, but she didn't know who it was. She looked around at the few people remaining, but they were busy being silent or crying. Her eyes widened and she turned toward the sky. Were the angels singing a song for Percy? A whiskey lullaby, Annabeth thought ruefully. They were singing him a whiskey lullaby.
…
Well, not as long as some of my other stuff, but it's still kind of sweet all the same, wouldn't you say?