Disclaimer: I do not own the PJatO franchise and probably never ever will. The property belongs to Rick Riordan, the best Percy Jackson author of all time (and also, the only one). This piece of - er, work - is purely for the entertainment of others and naturally my own. I am merely borrowing the names of the characters and bending them to my will to create this story.
A/N: This is for Takara Phoenix's contest. As requested, I am writing a Nico/Percy slash story. Sigh, it took all of my time and I couldn't update my other story "Life is, but a Series of Steps." But, here it is. Finally. This is not going to be very long, like around four to five chapters or so. I didn't plan much and once I get this out of my system, I will go back to my other story.
Summary: AU- The first two times Percy and Nico meet, there wasn't much room for interaction. But as the saying states, the third time's the charm. What will happen on their third encounter? Slash, Nico/Percy.
Warning: Language, Some Violence, and OOCness. This is an AU, mind you, so there are no gods and goddesses. Everyone is a regular, old human being, which makes everything so much easier. Slash, obviously, so beware of the explicitness that is to come. You have been warned. Mentions of sex, but not exactly explicit.
Rating: M (for later chapters)
Third Time's the Charm
I. First Time
"Welcome to The Trident. My name is Percy and I will be your waiter today," he greeted the man, handing him a menu, before continuing with, "What would you like to order today?" The customer scanned the card briefly and replied, "I would like the usual, Perce. You don't have to be so formal around me, you know."
Percy smiled and tucked the menu under his arm, scribbling onto the notepad. "But, regulations are regulations, Ethan. You know that. It comes with the job."
Ethan shook his head and chuckled lowly, "Yeah yeah, Perce. You always say that. When's your shift over?"
"I think around 8 PM today," Percy answered, before adding cheekily, "Your meal will arrive shortly, sir." He quickly bowed and slowly walked away, towards the kitchen. Percy laid the ticket down and picked up the dish nearest to him.
"The usual for Ethan, Grover, and which table is this for?"
Grover's head popped out for a brief moment. He wiped the sweat off his brow with a white towel and glanced at the dish carefully. "That's for Table Two and guess who it's for?"
"Who?" Percy asked, surprised. Grover almost never talked about any of the customers, not even the rude ones. He just kept quiet, all the time.
"Guess."
Percy narrowed his eyes and peered past his shoulder. None of the guests were looking restless yet, but then again, most of them are very good at hiding their emotions. 'And then, they complain when I arrive with their food. Like it was my fault, I was detained. By the Gods, I hope this is good. I don't want to be scolded. Again. Triton already had to yell at me once.'
"Just tell me," he said impatiently. "I don't have much time."
Grover stuck out his bottom lip in a slight pout, muttering, "Waiters, they're always in a hurry."
"What? It's my job on the line. I already got yelled by Triton yesterday. So, who's the hot one at Table Two?"
Grover blushed, "It's Juniper. She works at the local florist shop, Demeter's Garden, and she is, like, the cutest little thing ever." Percy chuckled and peeked over his shoulder at Table Two. Sitting all alone was a girl with brown hair and green highlights. She was kind of pretty in a plain way, but Percy could see why Grover liked her. She was exactly his best friend's type, cute, petite, and a plant lover, judging from her job at a florist's shop.
"So, you got it bad, huh, you bad boy?" Percy teased. Grover shook his head, stammering incoherently. The waiter just shook his head and walked away. 'He got it bad, alright. Grover never acts like that around girls. Or, make that any girl,' he mused. 'I hope she is as nice as her face. Maybe, she'll be good match for him.'
Percy arrived at Table Two in record time, balancing the porcelain dish on his palm delicately.
"Your order, miss." He set the plate onto the table, sliding it in front of the girl. Percy smiled softly and asked, "May I get you anything else?"
The girl looked at him, blinking owlishly, before shaking her head and replying, "That would be all for today. Thank you," she paused to look at his name tag, "Percy." His smile widened and he bowed. 'She's sounds polite alright,' he thought, as he walked towards the kitchen. On his way back, he stopped at Table Seven to clear away their main course dishes and jotted down their requested drink.
"Grover," he addressed, stopping in front of the chef's window. "Is Ethan's order ready?" Grover's head appeared again and he nodded briefly, pushing the dish out to the waiter. Then, he disappeared into the kitchen again.
Percy took the plate and carefully poised it onto his palm. He brought the plate to Ethan at Table Ten and set the dish down gently. Then, he asked the other if he wanted something else and received a shake of his head as a no. Percy nodded politely and bowed. He turned and headed towards the little bar that was tucked in the back corner of the restaurant. Upon seeing the bartender, Frank Zhang, the boy grinned.
"How's it going, Frank?" The other turned around to look at the waiter and smiled. He dropped the mixer he was holding softly onto the counter and leaned forward on his elbows.
"Doing great actually. How about you, Perce?" he asked in return. Percy rested his elbows onto the counter as well and sighed, "Its fine. Ethan's here again."
"He probably wants some advice on how to seduce that guy again. What was his name? Alba- Ala-"
"Alabaster," Percy continued for him. Frank nodded, "That's the one. Is he cute? I never met him."
Percy shrugged, "Who knows? All Nakamura does is talk on and on about the guy and his nice ass, but he never showed me the guy's face."
"Well, he must be if that's how Nakamura is acting." Percy snorted and leaned in closer to whisper into Frank's ear, "Grover's got it bad, too."
"Oh, yeah?"
"You see that girl at Table Two," Percy paused to point. "He's gushing over the girl." Frank snickered and glanced at the clock for a moment.
"You better get back to work," he reminded. Percy sighed.
"Yeah. Can you mix me a Kamikaze [1]?"
"I'll be right on it," Frank replied. He bent down to scoop up some ice and slid the cubes into the shaker. The Asian measured the vodka, lime juice, and liqueur carefully and poured the liquids into the shaker. He twisted the top on and shook the container thoroughly, mixing the contents inside. Once the Asian was satisfied, he uncapped the top and strained the drink into a chilled martini glass. Frank smiled and garnished the cocktail with a lime wedge. He slid the glass gently over to Percy, who thanked him and took the glass back over to Table Seven, apologizing for the wait. Then, he bowed and left for the kitchen once again when he heard the ring of the bell.
"Which table is this for?" he asked Luke, the other chef. Percy glanced around for Grover, but didn't seem to find him. The boy shrugged and guessed that his best friend was on a break.
"Table Five, Perce," the blonde grinned. "Grover's on a break, by the way, though you probably already figured it out. He's out back, daydreaming about the one he calls Juniper." The other chuckled and continued on sautéing the mushrooms in his pan.
"You shouldn't laugh, you know," Percy advised sagely. "You act like that to with Annabeth." The waiter grabbed the plate and smirked when he saw a growing blush tainting the blonde's fair skin. He snickered softly and stepped gracefully over to Table Five.
"Your meal, sir," he beamed, placing the dish in front of the customer. "Is there anything else you would like to order?" When the guest shook his head no, Percy nodded and bowed lowly. "Alright then, please enjoy your meal and have a wonderful evening."
Percy glanced around and noticed a small group of three or four people standing near the door. He smiled. 'More customers. Best not keep them waiting.' He signaled to Rachel, the other waitress that he was taking the newly arrived customers and took off gracefully towards them.
"A table for four?" he asked with a charming smile. One of the customers, a blonde, nodded and replied, "Yes. We had a reservation."
"Your name, sir?"
The blonde grinned, his sky blues eyes sparkling, "Jason Grace."
"Alright then, Mr. Grace, if you would please wait a moment, there is something I have to check. It will not take long." Percy smiled and walked over to the cash register. He leaned over the counter to look at the cashier. A petite girl with red hair and glasses sat on a tall stool stared back at him. The waiter smiled.
"Hey, Ella."
"Hi, Percy," the girl answered meekly. "Is there something you need?"
"Can you check to make sure if there is a reservation for a Jason Grace for four people please?" Ella nodded and closed her eyes for a moment. Percy knew that the girl was shifting through her memories, trying to locate the reservations with her photographic memory.
"Jason Grace called in at 2:37 to make a reservation for four people at 6 PM," she responded, opening her eyes again. Percy thanked the girl and glided back to the waiting customers with a stack of menus under his arm.
"Mr. Grace, right this way, please," he urged, extending a hand. He led them to Table Six and helped them into their seats.
"Welcome to the Trident. My name is Percy and I will be your waiter tonight," he greeted, handing each guest a menu card. Percy waited patiently, as the four customers scanned through the menus. The guests, for some reason, looked strikingly familiar to him, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had met them before. 'This is one of the reasons why I wish I had Ella's photographic memory,' he sighed. 'Then maybe, I could remember where I have met these people.'
"Are you ready to order?" Percy asked after a while. He had left momentarily to assist another table and had arrived back at Table Six. Percy still couldn't figure out where he had met these people and the thinking was starting to hurt his mind. 'Annabeth was right,' he thought. 'I should really leave all of the thinking to her. It hurts.'
"Yes," another boy replied. Percy turned his head to look at the speaker and his voice stuck in his throat. Sitting in front of him was an olive-skinned Adonis. He had wind-swept hair that was styled in an I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look with a fringe of hair just covering one of his eyes. And, his eyes, Percy could almost feel himself being pulled into those stunningly dark depths of black. He averted his eyes carefully away from the Greek god and focused them on another part of the boy's body.
Percy gulped and felt himself flush when his eyes inadvertently found focus on the other's chest. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with the first three buttons left open and the the sleeves folded up into the crook of his elbow. A black silk tie was lazily tied around his neck, doing nothing to obscure his toned, tan neck. Percy blushed even harder and cleared his throat, trying to tone down his blush.
"What would you like to order tonight?" he asked, luckily without a quiver in his voice. His pen wavered on top on the notepad nervously, as he stood uncomfortably, waiting with his hormones flailing wildly.
After what felt like an eternity, the Adonis replied, "I would like the Seafood Spaghetti." Percy nodded and quickly wrote down the order, trying to keep his hand from shaking. 'Oh, by the gods, he's Italian.' He always had a thing for a guy with accents. This customer had the most velvety voice he had ever heard. 'What would I give to have him speak to me during sex. Oooh.'
"And, anything for you, sir?" he inquired, turning to the blonde, Jason Grace, if he remembered correctly. The blonde scratched his chin thoughtfully and closed the menu.
"One Fish and Chips with extra tartar sauce," ordered the blonde.
"Alright then," Percy said, writing down the order. He turned to look at the person sitting next to the blonde. 'Jason,' he idly reminded himself, despite knowing fully well that he would forget the boy's name by the end of the day. The waiter glanced over at the person beside Jason and found himself to be staring.
The guest was a girl in her late teens or early twenties. She was quite pretty with her dark eyes and equally dark hair, but the girl wasn't his type. Not any girl would be his type ever. 'I am gay, after all. As straight as a circle as Annabeth put it.' But even despite his sexual orientation, Percy still had some respect for the other sex. 'The girl is kind of pretty as far as much girls go, but there's something about her that is very striking.' Percy let his eyes wander for a moment, meeting up with the olive-skinned boy's eyes and found his answer. 'They must be related,' he thought, before inwardly frowning, 'Boy, would Annabeth laugh at me for finally figuring that out. Those two have a pretty strong resemblance. Anyways, I should get back to waiting on them.'
"Anything for you, miss?"
The girl nodded, "I would like what my brother, Nico, had. One Seafood Spaghetti for me please."
Percy inwardly did his signature happy dance and grinned at the girl, not bothering to hid the brilliant shine. What the girl did not know was that she had involuntarily helped him improve his imagination for when he was alone with only himself and his hands. 'Nico is such a sexy name. Ooh, I could imagine all the possibilities, but not now, there still one more person left.'
"And for you?"
"Actually I would like the same as Jason, an order of Fish and Chips," the last guest replied. She was a pretty girl with folder blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. Percy could tell that she had to be a movie star or at least some kind of model. There was that kind of aura around her.
"Is there any specific sauce you would like with your dish?" Percy pressed. The girl glanced briefly at the menu, before shrugging.
"What would you suggest?"
Percy stared thoughtfully into the ceiling, pondering the question, before looking down at the girl with a smile, "My personal favorite is what Mr. Grace had ordered, the tartar sauce. I personally like the tangy taste that the sauce gives to the fish and the chips when dipped in generously. The curry sauce is also good, too, if you like the spiciness. The beef mustard or the honey mustard is another excellent choice. Many of the other customers have praised it to be the best because of its sweet, yet tangy and slightly sour taste. I can't really suggest anything for you; miss, since it's really your choice." He paused and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "But if you can't really decide, then I can have the chef equally divide all of the sauces out and you can try them all to see which one you like best." He backed up to where he stood before and waited for the girl's answer.
She smiled gratefully and said, "I'll take up on your offer, but it won't bother the chef too much, will it?"
Percy shook his head, "Nah, he loves doing meticulous things like this. He's just one of those people who love to be careful and exact about everything."
"Alright then, please send my regards to the chef."
"Your meal will arrive shortly," Percy continued. "Can I interest you in a drink beforehand?" All four of them shook their heads and Percy took his leave. He sauntered to the chef's window and shouted, "Two Seafood Spaghettis and two Fish and Chips. One of the F&C will be served with extra tartar sauce, while the other is to be served with the whole lot of sauce, in equal servings, of course."
"Gotcha, Perce," Luke answered, his voice carried from deep inside the kitchen.
"You might want to call in Grover and the twins," Percy suggested. "This is four dishes and I am certain they're going to eat more than just main courses."
"Grover! Connor! Travis! Get back in here!" Luke yelled. Loud footsteps followed and three heads popped into the window. Two blondes, along with Grover, appeared and grinned.
"What's up, Perce?" the twins greeted in unison.
"Well, there is two orders for Seafood Spaghetti and two orders for Fish and Chips. Do you think you can handle it?"
The two blondes look at Percy and placed a hand over their heart, as if wounded. "How dare you think so lowly of us? We can definitely handle four measly dishes."
"No messing with the guests' food," Percy warned. "Or, I'll sic Triton on you. Again." The twins pouted and nodded sullenly.
"Stolls!" Luke barked. They immediately tensed and stood straighter.
"Coming," they both replied, jumping back into the kitchen with slightly shaking bodies. They knew how scary Luke was when he was made waiting.
Percy shook his head and scanned across the restaurant. A hand was raised over at Ethan's table and Percy instantly walked over. "How may I help you?"
"I would like a glass of red wine, Perce," Ethan sighed, ruffling his dark hair with a hand. "I think I need a drink to wash everything away."
"Is there a specific brand of red wine you would like, Ethan?" And when the Japanese shook his head, Percy frowned. "What's wrong? Your feelings stressing you out?"
"Yeah, I guess so. I was thinking of confessing to Alabaster tonight, you know, at the club where he works, but as the day wore on, I can't pluck up the courage to even step foot into the club. Percy, what am I to do?" he moaned in defeat. The waiter glanced down at his friend and bit his bottom lip in thought, "How about I come to the club with you tonight? You did ask me for when my shift is over, right? I can go with you if you'd like."
"Thanks, Perce. I was counting on that," Ethan said, "Hopefully with you by my side, I'll be able to confess."
Percy snorted, "You better. If that guy makes you heads over heels in love, then you better hurry or else, you'll lose him. I guess, I'll see you after my shift is over." He turned to leave, before adding, "Your drink will arrive shortly. Don't stress over this confessing thing too much. We'll burn the bridge once we get there, so suit up Nakamura, you still have a few hours to wait." Then, he left for Frank's bar and left the Japanese man alone at his table. A moment later, he appeared at the table with a glass of red wine. Percy gently set the glass in front of Ethan and warned, "Don't drink too much. And also, Frank sends my sympathy."
"Zhang knows?" the Japanese groaned.
"Don't worry." Percy waved his hand dismissively. "He's not going to make fun of you or anything. And, I kind of roped him into helping."
Ethan perked up, "Really? Is he going to come with us later?"
Percy shrugged, "You can ask him later if you want. I don't really have the time." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "There is still around two hours in my shift left and I have to close up today." The bell suddenly rang insistently and Percy groaned. "Oh well, I better go. Just hold on for a little while more. I'll be back."
Without waiting for the other to reply, he walked towards the window and found four plates waiting for him to deliver. Percy quickly grabbed a tray and carefully placed the four dishes onto the surface. He picked up the tray in hand, balancing it on his palm, and glided over to Table Six.
"Your orders are ready," he announced, laying each plate in front of the guest who had ordered. His eyes lingered a little too long on Nico's body and he blushed, smiling brightly to force down the burning sensation on his cheeks. "May I interest you in anything else?"
"Um.. no," Jason, the blonde, replied. "I think we're all set. Thank you." Percy nodded and he sauntered away from the table towards the raised hand of another guest off to the side of the restaurant. He sucked in a breath of air and released it, calming his turbulent hormones from overriding him at his job, and greeted, "How may I help you?"
. . .
The business hours of the restaurant passed rather quickly and Percy found himself taking out the trash and preparing to lock up. Everyone else with the exception of himself and Frank had already left for home, so it was his duty to clear the trash. 'Why can't Luke, or the twins, or Grover do this? By the gods, I'm just the waiter.'
He heaved the black trash bag into the large bin and dusted his hands off. The boy wrinkled his nose in distaste at the pungent odor and stepped away from the bin. He stretched his arms and cracked his neck for help with the tensed muscles and reached for the door. Percy jiggled the knob lightly and froze in his step when he heard the sound of loud footsteps down the alley. He craned his head to pick up more of the noise and found that the footsteps were getting louder and louder. His eyes widened, 'They're coming my way.'
A shout echoed through the dark alley, the words lost in the wind. Percy turned around to find the owner of the voice and found himself staring at a gang of burly men. One of them was holding onto a small, impish boy with a knife threateningly pressed again his neck. Percy stiffened and clenched his fist when he noticed just who the boy was.
"Leo?" he mouthed, crouching behind the trash bin to hide his presence. A whimper erupted from the captured boy and Percy cringed. He nimbly slinked over to the door and opened it, letting himself in. Percy ran into the restaurant, bypassing Frank cleaning his drinks, and opened the front door. He sprinted out of the door and cut the corner into the other side of the alley. He stilled his footsteps and soundlessly shuffled over to the gang. Percy hid behind a crate and peeked over to the side. He saw that the gang didn't see his entrance and smirked. The boy silently tiptoed over to the closest gang member and incapacitated the man with a quick strike to the man's head, just above the neck. The man's body fell to the ground with a thud, and causing all of the other members to turn around.
Immediately as the first casualty dropped to the ground, Percy swung his fist and caught another member off guard, sending him flying back. He kicked another and kneed the next. A particularly bold person lunged forward with a poorly timed fist and tried to land a blow on Percy's body. But before the man could even comprehend what was happening, the boy caught the incoming fist in his hand without breaking a sweat and brought down his elbow, making man cry out in pain. Percy smirked when he heard a satisfying crack and released his hold on the man. He fell back, cradling his arm, and cried out in pain, staring at Percy with a terrified expression. The boy grinned wickedly in return and faced the other gang members.
"Who's next?" he taunted, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. They all growled and one by one, they charged forward with either a fist or a weapon of some sort. Percy with his lithe figure and wiry muscles managed to dodge or sidestep every attempt to land a hit on his body and returned an equally heavy blow of his own. Each man fell back; clutching whatever had been struck, and began to beg for their mercy. A few even crawled up and praised him on their knees, hoping for him to left them off easy. 'Yeah, like I will every do that,' Percy snorted. 'They didn't give Leo any mercy, so why should I give them that right? It's only fair, after all.'
"Wow, you guys are really wimps," Percy commented, stepping nimbly around the either unconscious or injured bodies. "I figured you guys could do better if you managed to hold a knife against my friend there, not counting that you had an advantage with your bigger number. Gangs are not made as they used too anymore." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Percy peered over to look at the man who was still stubbornly holding Leo captive. 'I beat up his gang members and he is still keeping Leo at knife-point. What does it take to get through to the guy?'
Sighing again, his eyes scanned the area, looking for an opening of some sort to attack the man, before landing on a stone that lay innocently on the cobbled ground. He secretly smirked to himself, hiding the upturned lip from the last gang member to avoid alert him, and shuffled closer to the piece of flat rock. Percy obscured the stone from view with his sneaker and stared determinedly at the leader. The hand holding the knife began to waver and shake under his intense gaze, but the man, himself, did not move to release his friend. Percy sighed again for the third time and grinned when the sound elicited a shudder from the man. The knife at Leo's neck trembled and Percy waited no longer. With all of his might, the boy kicked the stone and with deadly accuracy, it hit the man's wrist, causing him to drop the blade.
Leo sent a thankful look to Percy, before elbowing his captor hard in the stomach, sending him backwards with a grunt. The gang leader clutched at his abdomen, glowering at the impish Latino, who as bounding over to Percy.
"Percy," he cried, holding out his arms to wrap around the taller boy's neck. Percy gladly accepted the embrace and hugged his friend tight.
"Are you alright?" he asked, after breaking the hug. His eyes roved over his friend's body to check for any injuries and released a relieved breath when no injury appeared.
"Yeah, no worries, Perce."
"No worries?" Percy practically exploded with anger, his previous mood forgotten. "No worries? That bastard could have seriously hurt you. Not only that, but Nyssa, Jake, and Beckendorf would kill me until I die."
Leo snorted, "Kill you until you die? Wouldn't you already be dead?"
"S-shut up," Percy stammered. "That's not the point here. You could have been seriously injured and I'm worried for you."
"I know," Leo said, looking down at the ground, kicking at the cement. "But, they were making fun of my dad and how he was a crippled. I couldn't stand them saying that about him, so I messed with their motorcycles. And, I got caught."
"You got caught," Percy repeated. "I thought Luke and the twins taught you better than that." He ran a hand through his hair. "That doesn't matter. Nothing matters as long as you're alright." Leaning in closer, he asked, "What did you do to them anyways?"
"I rewired their engines to backfire on them and took out the parts that I liked." He fished out a few nuts and bolts from his pocket, along with some metal gears and parts with an imp-like smile. Percy chuckled and shook his head.
"I figured you did something like that. Anyways, come into the restaurant. I'll get you something to drink."
"What about them?" Leo wondered, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the downed men.
"Those scum?" Percy scoffed. "I guess I'll leave them here." He grabbed Leo's hand and led him away from the alley. The boy opened the back door and pushed Leo inside, following a moment later, and locking the door behind him with a sound click without looking back once.
. . .
A pregnant silence surrounded the dark alley with only a few pained groans echoing around. The leader knelt on the cold ground with his hands in his lap, gazing at the place where Percy once stood.
"Who was that boy?" he snarled. None of his men answered, shuffling nervously.
He growled, releasing an animal-like sound similar to that of a grizzly bear. "I asked you a question! Answer me, you fucking sons of a bitch!"
A squeak echoed through the empty space. Mumbled, incoherent words followed and a vein popped on the leader's forehead. "What the fuck did you say? Speak louder, you asshole!"
"P-Percy Jackson, boss. He's the s-son of the crime lord P-Poseidon." The leader blanched, as he felt dread fill his heart. 'Oh, shit.'
And, that is it for this chapter. I will try to update the next chapter as soon as I can.
[1]Kamikaze- The Kamikaze is a drink made of equal parts of vodka, triple sec (orange liqueur), and lime juice. It is also called the Bullfrog and is the more sophisticated version of the Kamikaze shot (look that up). -Taken from Wikipedia and .com. (I don't really know what to do with links, so just take out the () and replace it with whatever's inside.
Please look out for the next chapter called, "Second Time."