"You wanna know the truth?" "What truth?" "The truth of why I didn't choose to become immortal." Nico took a moment to breathe deeply and stare at Percy.
It was a once in a lifetime event. All of the gods had come to camp, and spent the entire day with their children, as a sort of celebration and apology. At least all, except for the Big Three, but that didn't mean that they didn't send them super cool presents. (Nico and Percy now have a habit of standing at least two feet away from Thalia and her taser.) The sun had set, and a feast and party was raging on with the only light source being bonfires and fireflies scattering themselves across camp.
Nico could have easily stayed to have a grand time, but he couldn't when he noticed Percy slink away into the shadows. Nico took this as his moment of triumph, and silently moved to follow Percy. Poseidon's son led him further away from the celebration until they were at the lake beside Percy's cabin. Percy, before stepping onto the sand, took of his shoes, and stood there for a second. "You wanna come along Nico?"
"What?" Percy had turned to Nico, who was hidden in the shadows among the trees.
"Come on."
Nico followed Percy, taking his shoes off as well, and then venturing into the sand. Percy stopped and sat down in the sand, and Nico joined him. Nico crossed his legs and played with a shell in his hands, after picking it up beside him. Percy had pulled his knees to his chest and crossed his arms on them.
Nico listened to Percy breathe beside him, and they silently watched the lake ripple with the Naiads swimming around below, doing their own thing.
A thought crossed Nico's mind. 'Why is he here? Shouldn't Percy be up with everyone celebrating too, with Grover and Annabeth. With Clarrise, and Chiron, and all of the other campers?'
First, Percy happened to know exactly where Nico was in the shadows, and then second Percy seemed to be able to read minds, because right after his thought, Percy said. "I should probably be celebrating shouldn't I?"
"I mean, yeah, I guess." Nico slightly stuffed around.
They went back into the silence, and Nico found his mind shot back into consciousness, when Percy suddenly turned to him. "Can I ask you a question?'
"Only if I can ask you one afterwards." Nico didn't know why he said that, but he didn't dwell on it long when Percy told him his question.
"Well actually its a few, but they're all connected." Percy took in a deep breathe and turned away. "When do you think you'll die, like how old do you think you'll be?" Nico raised his eyebrows. Outside he was just curious, aside he was taken entirely by surprise. Percy continued in rapid-fire.
"And what are you going to do in the time until you do? If you found out when you were going to die, would you do the things that you always wanted to but never did, or just keep living the way you are now? I know I was given the chance, but would you become immortal?"
Percy was still turned away, but suddenly it seemed that just speaking took all of his breath away, because he taking deep breathes and had his fists clenched. Nico personally was fully shocked on the outside.
Percy turned to him and looked at him, head tilted. "So?"
"Well." Nico took a breath and looked away from Percy, and took to staring at the water. He could still feel Percy watching him. "I mean, if we're being honest, I think I'll die before I'm 20. And I don't know what I'm going to do until then. I mean, I could keep ding what I'm doing now, or I could do something more. I just don't feel like I'm made for it. And I guess, I would turn down immortality."
"Why?"
Nico forced himself not to look at Percy. "Why what?"
"Why don't you want to be immortal."
"Because... I don't know."
Silence settled between them again, and then he thought back to the deal they made a few minutes ago. "My turn."
"For what?" Nico looked at Percy, who was now lying on his back, arms thrown across his eyes, and feet lying straight.
"You could ask me a question, if I got to ask you one." Nico watched as the corners of Percy's mouth turned upwards, but the smile didn't seem right, and that unsettled him. "Ask away!"
"Why'd you turn down immortality?"
"You wanna know the truth?"
"What truth?"
"The truth of why I didn't choose to become immortal." Nico took a moment to breathe deeply and stare at Percy, who still had his arms thrown across his eyes, not looking at him.
"Yeah."
"Because I want to die."
'"What?!" Nico panicked, but he stopped when Percy gave a couple of chuckles.
"I'm not suicidal, so calm down. I meant that with our life...I mean I agree with you. I think I'm gonna die before I'm 20. 25, If I'm lucky. But with our lifestyle - can I say that? Lifestyle? - I want to know that I can fall back on death.I don't want to be me, forever. I want to die and reincarnate. I want to try again. I want to make mistakes. I don't want everyone else to pass me in time. I don't want to watch the world die.I mean, look at Pan. He watched us, US, rot away his land and wild. I can't imagine what it was like watching everyone outgrow you. And then see the new what it may seem like, I'm not outgoing. I want to curl up in my bed and stay with my mom forever. Just the two of us. Not Paul, Dad, the camp, or monsters. I want to keep getting kicked out of schools. I want to live NOW, instead of forever. Even if living now will kill me."
During his rant, Percy had moved his hands away form his eyes, and Nico could see the tears gathering in them. "It's my greatest fear Nico. Being immortal. My fatal flaw is loyalty. My loyalty binds me to everyone and everything, Whom I've met and haven't. Those I like and dislike. But I'm loyal to them. And I can't imagine being, living, without them. I can't be immortal. Because if not death, then immortality will surely kill me."
"Percy."
Nico shuffled back a bit when Percy launched himself up, and rubbed his eyes. Unlike the start of the night, they were full of mirth now. "Let's go Nico. I just had to vent, really. But let's go. Because as I said, I'm loyal to everyone. And if I'm going to live beside them, I can't be alone. And you should do the same."
Percy held his hand out, and Nico grabbed it, Percy and Nico pulled themselves both up. They silently walked back to the edge, and put on their shoes. hey walked back into camp, where the party was still in full swing.
Nico watched as Percy dragged them over to his friends. Nico sat back and watched the action, while Percy was himself, funny and happy.
But Nico couldn't - wouldn't - forget what Percy had told him.