PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Ice Prince of Helheim || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: The Ice Prince of Helheim – Percico Positivity Project Day IV
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; during "Blood of Olympus"
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, possessiveness, hurt/comfort, parallel worlds
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy (AU) & Nico/Percy (canon)
Side Pairings: Piper/Annabeth (AU), Reyna/Annabeth, Percy/Annabeth (to be past), Jason/Piper, Frank/Hazel
Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico di Angelo, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano
Alternate Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson (Njörd), Nico di Angelo (Hel), Jason Grace (Thor), Leo Valdez (Loki), Annabeth Chase (Odin), Piper McLean (Freyja), Hazel Levesque (Njörd), Frank Zhang (Tyr), Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano (Baduhenna)
Summary: For the Percico Positivity Project – so there's not just Percico but also some Nicercy in this. ;) This is for today's fill – PJO World clash with AU World.
Nico di Angelo, son of Hel and leader of the nine, did not quite understand how their quest had led them into a world where everything was upside-down. He and his friends were children of Greek gods and their relationships seemed all over the place. They're aware of Greek gods; Annabeth's cousin Magnus is a son of Apollo, after all, but they never expected a world where they're not children of the Norse gods and where Nico isn't dating his beautiful son of Njörd, Perseus Jackson.
The Ice Prince of Helheim
Percico Positivity Project Day IV
"What in the world is that...?", whispered Leo stunned as he stared ahead.
"I would say a flying ship, but... honestly, I thought this was the only flying ship there is", stated Piper doubtfully. "Maybe we should ready our weapons..."
They had only just gathered Percy and Annabeth after freeing them from Tartarus and all nine of them were on board of the Argo II together for the first time – the chosen seven, the praetor Reyna and Nico di Angelo. Each of them looked weary as a mighty Viking ship seemed to approach them.
"Are... those... us?", whispered Percy doubtfully.
There, alined at the flank of the ship in nearly the same positions as them, were their mirror-images. They didn't look completely like them, there were certain differences so they weren't a mirage, but it was still eerie and confusing. The other Percy screwed up his face and cursed.
"Well fuck, I think we took a wrong turn", grunted that other Percy.
"Who – or what – are you?", countered their Percy, Riptide raised high.
The crew of the Argo II watched doubtfully how a well-trained and confident-looking version of Nico stepped up beside that Percy, resting a hand on Percy's lower back and regarding them with a cold glare. "I am Nico di Angelo, son of Hel and Ice Prince of Helheim. This is my crew and we... must have taken a wrong turn on the Bifrost to cross into this alternate realm."
"Alternate realm?", echoed Annabeth confused. "Wait. Helheim? Like... in the Norse myths?"
"Yes. We're Norse demigods. And what might you be?", asked Norse Nico.
"We're... Greek demigods", replied Annabeth reluctantly, frowning.
The Norse demigods exchanged a confused look at that before their Annabeth turned to face her doppelganger. "What a... strange concept. We know about Greeks, my cousin Magnus is a son of Apollo, but... I never... between all the realms we've traveled, I never expected to encounter one where we would be Greeks. I'd love to hear more about this, if you don't mind."
Annabeth turned eager eyes on Percy, filled with curiosity and hunger for knowledge and of course Percy couldn't deny his girlfriend's request. That aside, they were all tired and exhausted after the ordeal. They had just fought a vicious battle, Percy and Annabeth were still hurt and weakened from their trip to Tartarus, while Reyna was still distraught from having lost Scipio.
"We could... take a small break, right?", asked Percy into the round of his crew.
"A bonfire, food and swapping stories? One evening taking off to recharge sounds awesome!", exclaimed Leo excitedly, eying his mirror-image.
/break\
"Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, god of death and king of the underworld. They call me the Ghost King." Hands were shaken, both hands cold and olive-skinned. "Nico di Angelo, son of Hel, goddess of death and queen of Helheim. They call me the Ice Prince."
"Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, god of the sea. But I prefer Percy." Grins were exchanged as two pair of sea-green eyes looked each other up and down. "Perseus Jackson, son of Njörd, god of the sea. Please don't ever call me Percy, that's just weird."
"Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, goddess of knowledge and war." Two set of calculating stormy eyes – one pair more gray and one more blue – looking critically at each other. "Annabeth Chase, daughter of Odin, god of knowledge and war."
"Jason Grace, son of Jupiter, god of thunder and lightning." The matching grins on their faces pulled on the mirrored scar they both had. "Jason Grace, son of Thor, god of thunder and lightning."
"Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty and love." A tomboyish rebel and a warrior princess tilted their heads in a mirroring way. "Piper McLean, daughter of Freyja, goddess of beauty and love. I'm also one of my mother's Valkyries."
"Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus, god of blacksmiths oh and I got fire, which is like totally rare for my siblings." Two impish, mischievous Latinos circled each other, each letting a flame dance around one hand. "Leo Valdez, son of Loki, trickster god and god of fire."
"Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, god of wealth. Well, also death but that is more the realm of my half-brother Nico." The two dark-skinned beauties exchanged pleasant smiles as they shook hands. "Hazel Levesque, daughter of Njörd, god of wealth. Well, also the sea, but that is more the realm of my half-brother Perseus."
"Frank Zhang, son of Mars, god of war." The two buff Asian boys looked awkward and curious at the same time. "Frank Zhang, son of Tyr, god of war and the sky."
"Reyna, daughter of Bellona, minor goddess of war." Both beautiful Latinas were looking at each other carefully. "Reyna, daughter of Baduhenna, minor goddess of war."
Nico couldn't quite wrap his head around the concept. Perseus' beloved and cherished baby (half-)sister not being Perseus' but Nico's? The thought was interesting. Nico imagined what it would be like to have a sister again. His own full-blood sister Bianca had joined the Valkyries and he rarely got to see her since then, for she spent most her time in Valhalla.
"They are a strange bunch", whispered Perseus as he sat down close to Nico.
Nico hummed in agreement, laying one arm around his lover's waist to pull him closer. Perseus hummed back, a pleased grin on his lips as he threw his legs over Nico's and rested his head against Nico's shoulder. Cold fingers started carding through Perseus' hair. It became eerily silent.
"...Something the matter?", inquired Norse Nico with a frown.
Greek Nico looked mortified, hurt and confused as he watched them, which was very confusing for Norse Nico. Greek Percy looked flustered and very confused as he sputtered a few times.
"What's going on over there?", asked Greek Leo bluntly.
"We're... dating. A concept that shouldn't be too new to you, since your crew seems to be paired up like it's Noah's Ark and not a ship on the way to a major war, as your Annabeth explained it", replied Norse Nico, with just an edge of jealousy, tightening his grip on Perseus.
"You're gonna break my hip with your possessiveness, Ice Prince", whispered Norse Perseus amused before turning toward the Greeks with a tilted head. "Never seen a gay couple before?"
"...Actually... kind of... not?", offered Greek Leo with a deep frown. "For all the gay escapades in the myths, there's like a distinctive lack of gayness at our camp."
Camp Half-Blood, the Greek camp. What a... strange name choice, if Nico had to be honest. Weren't they all half-bloods? Greek, Roman, Norse. All co-existed in all parallel realms, all gods knew about each other's existence, yet the Greeks seemed to think themselves quite special. No, Nico preferred Camp Midgard, he absentmindedly ran a finger over the camp logo on his green shirt.
"What is going on on your ship though?", asked Norse Piper seriously. "I mean, I'm the daughter of love, I can sense the relationships. Annabeth and Perseus. Jason and other me. Frank and Hazel. You said you were only seven on your ship, yet you managed to nearly pair everyone up...? That seems mighty... convenient. I'm not judging, you can't chose who you fall in love with, yet that your prophecy called forth for seven people and six of them happen to be couples...?"
"Yes, I know. Half the time it feels as though our story is being written by Aphrodite herself", sighed Roman Reyna pointedly. "Somehow, the love drama managed to force itself between matters so much more important than relationships during those times of war..."
"No kidding. Even Gaia seems to ship us", muttered Greek Percy doubtfully. "Keeps going on about wanting my blood and Annabeth's blood, like just because we're a couple, we'd mean more."
"Practically speaking, I think if I were your enemy, I would try to get Roman and Greek blood", mused Norse Annabeth with a calculating look. "I also fail to grasp the concept of having a prophecy of seven yet having nine demigods being essential. You told us about your quest and about what you plan on doing next, sending Reyna and Nico off with the equally important mission of bringing peace to Romans and Greeks and uniting them."
"Prophecies aren't perfect?", offered Greek Piper with a shrug. "What about you though? We told you about our war and our mission. What exactly... is your ship? Why do you not seem fazed that you encountered, uh, yourselves?"
"Our ship is the Lady of the Nine Realms", replied Norse Frank proudly. "And, well, as the son of Tyr, I'm kind of its captain. The sky is my realm, after all. She is made of a thick branch of Yggdrasil, the tree that binds all nine realms. That's why she can travel between them and fly."
"We're aware of other parallel worlds", continued Norse Jason, loosening his grip on Norse Leo a bit from where he had been ruffling the Latino's hair. "You guys ever heard of Bifrost?"
"Rainbow bridge, uniting your nine realms", confirmed Greek Leo, just to receive surprised looks. "What? I watched Marvel cartoons and I did pay attention, you know."
"...Dad so doesn't like that one", muttered Norse Jason and wrinkled his nose.
"Your dad doesn't like it? Mine suggested burning Marvel down for those comics", snorted Norse Leo with a wicked grin. "Turning the mighty Loki, blood-brother and equal of Odin, into some whiny little pansy with daddy-issues who's nothing more than Odin's charge. And don't get me started on grandma Laufey, she's blowing a gasket every time it's brought up because it misgendered her and turned her into the king of Frost Giants, like, what now?"
"Father is not pleased with it either", pointed Norse Annabeth out. "Makes the great Odin look like all he does all day long is sit on his throne and not care about Midgardians at all, even though father spend so much time mingling with them and having adventures in their midst."
"Okay, back to Bio-Frost, please!", interrupted Greek Percy with a frown. "Because if we want to talk inaccurate portraits of our parents, we can also talk about Disney's Hercules, so yeah."
"Bifrost. Not Bio-Frost", chided Norse Nico with a pointed look. "And Bifrost is... Imagine a rainbow, yes? Rainbows have a multitude of colors. Each colored string represents a parallel universe. Our universe would be the green string and if we travel down its stream, we can travel our Nine Realms. Your world was... I think, the orange one. And by traveling down its stream, we can visit your Nine Realms, which is how we ended up here."
"The Bifrost is great. It doesn't just unite the Nine Realms, it also unites the parallel worlds", summed Norse Hazel up as she started braiding the shoulder-long hair of her half-brother Perseus. "But it's slowly unraveling. If one parallel world would fall, all others would crumble too. So we're traveling through the parallel universes to see which one is... failing its war. We want to help, to save all the worlds and realms. We've already visited two other worlds, you see."
Perseus hummed in agreement, smiling contently as he tilted his head to allow his sister better access. She smiled brightly before fingering a blue gem out of her pocket and braiding it into his black hair. Nico watched them fondly, leaning in to kiss the corner of his boyfriend's mouth.
"We're nine demigods to represent the Nine Realms. It's... an essential number, in our world. You do your things in sets of three, as your Perseus mentioned before... though, again, I fail to see why you would have a prophecy of seven then, but... very well. Three is... not very effective. For great, dangerous feats, we need a true team, a group of warriors that can actually defeat the enemy", continued Norse Nico. "I'm the only heir to Hel, the Ice Queen of Helheim. There's a spring in Helheim, the spring of wisdom and understanding – Mimir. Mother... saw this in the spring. She saw Bifrost unraveling, so she consulted her father for guidance. Lord Loki then discussed the matter with Lord Odin and a quest was put together. Since my mother found out about this, I am the leader. Lord Odin sent Annabeth, his wisest daughter, Lord Loki sent Leo, his most cunning son. Lord Odin's sons Thor and Tyr sent us Jason and Frank, the brawn for this operation and the right captain to fly this ship. Lady Freyja sent her daughter Piper, one of her most trusted Valkyries, to aid us, and she recommended the younger sister of another one of her Valkyries; Reyna, a clever and strong daughter of war. Lady Freyja asked her father Lord Njörd to 'contribute' too and he sent us two of our greatest heroes, the children of Njörd. It's rare to have demigods of the same heritage but with different powers, you see. In a way, Perseus and Hazel are regarded as the Frey and Freyja of our generation. So, that is how our crew came together."
"It's... kind of strange, imagining being Percy's sister. But then... it actually isn't", said Roman Hazel thoughtful, looking from her doppelganger over to her Percy.
"We are like siblings. Just without being siblings", countered Greek Percy with a nudge and a grin.
"I think it's way more weird that Leo is a son of Loki", pointed Roman Jason out.
"I don't know, Jason", hummed Greek Piper where she was leaning against him. "I think it's actually a good match. I mean, our Leo is already as mischievous as any child of Hermes. So... a god who unites mischief and fire? It's a match made on Olympus. Or, well, Asgard."
Everyone turned toward the two Leos who sat together, whispering and most likely planning something. They all had to grin a little at that, because whatever mischievous Leo they were attached to, it was impossible not to adore him. Both turned to look at them confused.
"What? Did we miss something?", asked both Leos at once.
"Nothing", chuckled Roman Hazel fondly, patting Leo on the head.
Norse Nico only took his eyes off of them when there was a tugging on his shirt, so he turned to his boyfriend. "Where did the other you go...? I want to know what my boyfriend is like in Greek."
Nico frowned confused and surveyed the area, just to realize that his Greek counterpart had left the bonfire to sit farther off from them. Kissing Perseus' temple, Nico pushed him off a bit and stood to go and talk to himself. Which sounded really weird in his mind.
"Hey there, loner", chuckled Norse Nico with a mirthful smirk as he sat down next to Nico at the outskirts of the forest, the bonfire in clear sight. "Not interested in parallel worlds?"
"Not too much; Doctor Who taught me it only brings heartache", muttered Greek Nico dryly.
"That it?", asked Norse Nico curiously, leaning forward a bit. "Heartache?"
Greek Nico flinched and glared. "I don't want to talk about it."
Norse Nico smiled wryly at that. "You love him too. Perseus. Not my Perseus, but yours."
"He's not mine", spat Greek Nico, looking clearly angered.
"And that's why you don't want to talk to us. Because you hate to see that another version of you would be more lucky than you and get to have what you can't have", concluded Norse Nico.
There was a very long stretch of silence between them, before the Greek whispered softly. "Why? Why do you get him and I don't? Why?"
His Norse counterpart frowned and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sorry, but... I really don't know it. I don't know what went wrong in your world that he'd end up with my best friend instead of me."
"Your best friend?", asked Greek Nico and made a confused face.
"Odin, he's more than just the king of gods and god of war and knowledge, he's also a death god. In a way, Annabeth and I bonded over being children of death, regardless of how different their... realms of death are. She's fierce. We get along great. I had the time of my life teasing her when she fell in love with Piper. You wouldn't believe how awkward Annabeth was about it, it was so weird."
Greek Nico looked so disturbed by the idea of being best friends with Annabeth, it was kind of hilarious. "And... Percy. How did you..."
"Well, before we went onto our quest, when we were building the ship together, Annabeth and Piper got together. And Piper, even though she's more on the warrior-side of her mother's blood, she's still a bit of a match-maker. My best friend and her girlfriend teamed up on me when they noticed I was falling for that gorgeous Sea Prince", replied Norse Nico honestly. "Perseus got pushed by his sister, apparently. Seems Hazel likes me, she thought I'd be good for her brother."
Greek Nico looked doubtful and frowned as he stared intensely at his doppelganger.
/break\
"How's having a sister?", asked Greek Percy curiously.
"It's awesome", grinned Norse Perseus, playing with the little braid in his hair. "I love Hazel."
The two of them sat together at the shore of a small lake. Perseus looked closely at his doppelganger, noting the dark bangs beneath his eyes and the tired look.
"What happened to you?", asked Perseus seriously.
"Did we forget to mention, Annabeth and I went to a short vacation in Tartarus. Which is literally hell and not the nice kind", huffed Percy dryly. "It... ate away on us."
"That... is awful", noted Perseus doubtfully. "And... And you and Annabeth..."
"Mh?", asked Percy confused.
"Are you really dating?", blurted Perseus out, making a face. "Sorry. It's just... Annabeth is, she's Nico's best friend. I get along with her too, but we're not exactly close and it's just so weird to imagine dating my boyfriend's best friend, you know?"
"...Everybody wants us to be together", muttered Percy and turned to look at the lake. "The gods wanted us to be together. All of camp wanted us to be together, they literally pushed us together. Even Gaia wants us to be together and freaking Arachne did a pastry of Annabeth and me kissing like that's not weird stalking from an enemy and a monster. It's a lot of pressure and... To be honest, neither of us really were interested in romance or anything, we just... obeyed. It's easier giving the people what they want than spending time on figuring out what you really want, you know. But... it feels as though... what happened down there, in Tartarus, that it... pushed us apart. Annabeth is my best friend and we were strengthening each other and sticking together, but I feel like... we can't even keep that charade up any longer after Tartarus. I hope we'll at least... manage to stay friends."
"Maybe it's time to move on and find your actual true happiness", suggested Perseus softly.
"And you think my happiness lays with Nico?", asked Percy, both eyebrows raised high.
"I'm not saying that", shrugged Perseus. "But my happiness lays with Nico. He cares for me, is strong for me when I feel like I can't be strong anymore. We compliment each other and strengthen each other. When I'm with him, I feel invincible and filled with more happiness than ever before. Do you feel that way when you're with Annabeth?"
"No", replied Percy honestly. "We never did. We're friends. Friends who lean on each other because we were all we had. We got together because it was convenient, not because we fell in love. Everything was so perfectly set, we just won the last war and camp was literally carrying us to a lake and throwing us in, expecting us to kiss and get together so the story would have a happily ever after where the great hero gets the girl. It was the easiest way out."
"The easiest but not the happiest", countered Perseus amused.
"We were happy", argued Percy with a frown. "We were happy to be left alone, to be with our best friend. So much had happened. We were fighting a war, since we were twelve. A war. There was no time to figure out what I like or who I like, not really. Everything was a big mess and things like love weren't exactly my top priorities when there's a prophecy saying I'm going to die."
"And now?", inquired Perseus curiously. "You said earlier that there were months of peace before your second war started. Have you... thought about things in that time? Or right now? You were in hell, I can't imagine a better place to bring clarity to one's mind."
"I was... kind of a bit... there was a boy I was crushing on, during the first war. But he turned evil and tried to kill me, so I guess that made Annabeth seem even safer", admitted Percy softly.
"And Nico?", pushed Perseus curiously. "Have you ever... thought about him?"
"He did a lot for me. He saved my life more often than anyone else, I'm aware of that and grateful for that", answered Percy slowly. "And when he was abducted, by giants – yeah, that happened – I was... so worried. I mean, I was also furious because he had lied to me the last time we saw each other and I was angry he'd just die before I could punch him in the face. But in the end, I didn't want to punch him, I was just so... relieved that he was alive. I mean, I don't know if I have feelings for him, because I never thought about him like that, but I trust him and I care about him a lot."
"It's a start", offered Perseus with a little smirk.
/break\
Jason and Jason were holding a lightning-throw contest to see if Jupiter or Thor were superior. Everyone else sat huddled together, laughing and cheering them on. Norse Reyna chose the moment to ask Roman Reyna for a walk. The Roman eyed her counterpart suspiciously.
"Do you have feelings for your world's Annabeth?", asked Norse Reyna bluntly.
"What would make you think that?", asked Roman Reyna stunned.
"The way you look at her", replied Norse Reyna with a simple shrug. "Like she's the most fascinating creature on this entire planet. Like you worry a lot about her."
"She's just been through literal hell", countered the Roman with a frown. "Of course I worry. She's my friend. And she is the most fascinating creature on this entire planet. A daughter of Athena. You see, Roman and Greek gods are two sides of the same, but Athena's Roman equivalent Minerva, she doesn't have children. A demigod like her is impossible in my home. It's amazing. She is so... brilliant. And beautiful. I just think, maybe, because... I've never had luck with the boys I liked, why should liking a girl work out for me? Maybe I am not meant to be happy."
"You are", assured her Norse counterpart with a kind look in her eyes. "I found happiness and I'd be damned if my alternate self isn't meant to be happy."
"Who...?", asked the praetor, frowning thoughtful as she turned to look at the remaining crew.
"Oh no. None of them", laughed Norse Reyna and shook her head. "This is a quest, not a couples retreat. Not everyone took their lover with them. I'm dating a son of Forseti, the god of justice and order. We balance each other out nicely, yet we're rather similar. You shouldn't give up."
Roman Reyna tilted her head slowly. "Do the others have lovers too? How do they... handle it? When I see our quest, all those happy couples curled together. They mainly have their lover in mind, so I don't know how concentrated they'd be on the quest if their partner wasn't there."
"But that's the thing. Having your partner here can be distracting. I see it with Piper and Annabeth often. With Perseus and Nico also sometimes, thought those two fight like a well-oiled machine together. Still it is clear that Nico's top priority is not saving the Bifrost but keeping Perseus safe, if need be", replied Norse Reyna seriously. "And not everyone has a partner. We are only teenagers, after all, and in the middle of a war. Jason however, he has a girl waiting for him. Ingrid, a beautiful daughter of Idunn. She's kind and gentle. They're cute together."
Roman Reyna hummed softly, not commenting otherwise. Instead, her eyes found Annabeth where the Greek was talking to her parallel self and Piper the daughter of Freyja. Annabeth was a bit flushed and looked curious as she talked to the two Norse demigods. Was there even the inkling of a chance that Annabeth could be interested in her...?
/break\
Most of the others were gathered around a table with a map and plans, because their little celebration and night around the bonfire exchanging stories was coming to an end and the Norse wanted to know if this was the world they had to save or if they had to continue on with their mission. Perseus however was a bit bored by that, so he decided to climb up onto the crow's nest.
"Hey there, loner", grinned Perseus mischievously.
"Don't... do that", growled Nico di Angelo with an annoyed glare.
Instead of flinching as normal people did or just continuing on as Percy would, Perseus just cooed at him. "Cute, little grumpy version of my boyfriend is cute!"
"...Don't ever call me cute again", warned the son of Hades viciously.
Perseus giggled and poked Nico's cheek. "But you are cute when you glare like that. My Nico doesn't do a lot of glaring and glowering and all. It's adorable though."
"Will you stop it now?", spat Nico and smacked Perseus' hand away.
But Perseus just smiled kindly at him before pulling him into a tight, warm hug, startling Nico. The son of Hades froze up in the embrace, while Perseus caressed his back and hugged him tighter.
"You're so filled with anger and pain", whispered Perseus into his ear. "And I am so, so sorry. I just... I just want to keep hugging you and tug you away into a safe, happy place where you can smile and laugh and enjoy company and touch from others. I noticed that you even avoided being touched by your sister Hazel. You don't like it, because you're not used to it. And I wish you would. I wish you'd find the person that makes you feel safe and complete and happy."
"...He doesn't want me", whispered Nico hoarsely against Perseus' neck. "He never will."
"Give him a chance", pleaded Perseus softly, holding on even tighter. "Please. Give him time. But don't give up on him. I know you can find happiness. You just have to fight for it."
"I'm tired", admitted Nico, resting his forehead against Perseus' shoulder. "I'm tired of fighting and of being alone. I'm just... tired. Why does it have to be so hard?"
"I know you are", murmured Perseus. "I know it is. But it'll be all worth it in the end. I promise."
They remained like that for another long beat, Nico slowly relaxing in the embrace and if the son of Hades shed a few tears that had been held back for years, then Perseus wasn't going to mention it.
/break\
"Bye! Be safe! And save the world, alright?", called Leo out loudly, waving wildly.
"You too!", exclaimed Leo from the other ship. "Save your rainbow bridge and our universes!"
Nico and Perseus smiled and waved as the Greeks slowly grew smaller. Hazel was hanging over Perseus' shoulder a bit, braiding another little braid into her brother's hair. She complained every now and again whenever Perseus leaned more against Nico and curled up to his lover more.
"You think they'll be alright?", asked Nico with a worried frown.
"The quest? Sure. I think they can get the hang of it. Percy and Nico? I think so", hummed Perseus with a grin. "I mean, he's no Ice Prince, but he's cute and devoted. He cares. And that Percy? He needs someone to care for him right now. I'd love to check in with them once all of this is over."
"That's not how things work", chided Piper and whacked him over the head.
"Annie, your girlfriend is abusing my Sea Prince", complained Nico loudly.
Annabeth just huffed and rolled her eyes fondly before leading Frank and Reyna over to hiss the sails and prepare to leave this world behind for good.
/Omake – 2 Years Later\
It was a slow-paced development. A couple weeks after the Giant War ended, Percy and Annabeth officially broke up. Percy had seen it coming; Tartarus had driven them apart. They needed space. It took nearly a year of careful mending to re-establish the friendship they had before the pit. Both found other distractions, other projects and other paths. While Annabeth spent a lot of time with the Romans – with Reyna in particular – Percy spent his time with the Greeks. He had been confided to the infirmary for weeks after the war, basically rooming with Nico. Nico befriended Cecil, Lou and Will during the war and somehow, during their stay in the infirmary, Percy got involved with them.
About nine months after the war, Annabeth and Reyna officially started dating and Percy started wondering. He was leading a PTSD support group at Camp Half-Blood and he had graduated from high school. Life was going relatively good for him, he was slowly sorting everything out.
One and a half years after the war, Percy and Nico were just hanging out as friends, watching Marvel's Thor for the first time. It hit home, because it reminded them of Perseus and his Ice Prince. And for a split second, Percy and Nico looked into each other's eyes, before leaning in slowly.
That had been half a year ago now – and things couldn't be better.
"Honey, I'm home", called Percy as he unlocked the door to their little apartment.
"...I told you not to call me honey, you dork. How was college?"
Kicking off his shoes, Percy grinned broadly. Teasing Nico was his number one pastime. Dropping his keys along the way, Percy made a beeline for the kitchen where Nico was currently cooking, a black apron being the only thing he wore aside from boxer-shorts and a ratty old band-shirt.
"Hey, my Ghost King", whispered Percy as he leaned in to steal a kiss.
"Welcome home, my Sea Prince", hummed Nico as he answered the kiss. "Open up wide."
"Oral sex before dinner? Naughty", grinned Percy teasingly and obeyed.
Nico rolled his eyes pointedly and slowly as he offered a spoon full of sauce to his boyfriend. "I still wonder why Perseus thought my happiness laid with such an utter dork."
Percy hummed contently and licked his lips. "He knew what he was talking about. You do all the smiling and being happy ever since we moved in together. Lovesick puppy, you."
"Oh, like you're one to talk", huffed Nico, laying one arm around Percy's waist and drawing him close until their chests touched, dark eyes staring into sea-green ones.
"Yep, you're right", agreed Percy softly, leaning in. "I'm a total goner. Irredeemably in love."
~*~ The End ~*~