Shadowselves

by Takara Phoenix

Tartarus split the souls of Percy and Annabeth, keeping a part. Nico returns to Tartarus to free them and when nursing Perseus and Annie, as the doppelgangers prefer to be called, back to health, he gains a boyfriend for himself (and a girlfriend for Reyna). When introducing Percy to Perseus, he gets a surprising outcome though... Nico/Perseus/Percy slashy threesome with selfcest

PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Percest || Shadowselves || Percest || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: Shadowselves – Doppelganger and Drama Queens

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; post 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, threesomes, selfcest, doppelgangers, h/c, dealing with the war, depression, explicit intercourse, anal, doubling, BDSM, spanking, crossdressing, shoujo-ai, hetero

Main Pairing: Nicercy/Percest

Side Pairings: Frank/Hazel/Leo, Reyna/doppelganger!Annabeth, Jason/Calypso, Jake/Will, Piper/Annabeth, Paul/Sally, Hades/Persephone

Percy Jackson Characters: Percy Jackson, Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Jason Grace, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean, Cecil Rogers, Lou Ellen, Will Solace, Jake Mason, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis

Godly Characters: Poseidon, Demeter, Hades, Persephone, Thanatos, Calypso

Summary: Tartarus keeps a part of the souls that enter it. Nico, being a son of Hades, could hold himself together, but after the Giant War, he knows that there are parts of Annabeth and Percy stuck in Tartarus, so he goes to get them and tend to them. While he is so busy taking care of them and making doppelganger-Percy fall in love with him, he misses out on what's happening outside of the underworld. So when he resurfaces again, he is surprised to learn that Percy and Annabeth split up. Now the boy who thought he'd never get one Percy to love him, has now two Percys.

A request by Shadow of the Angel for Percest plus Nico and how could I deny that? *grins*

Shadowselves

Doppelganger and Drama Queens

Tartarus was a cruel place. Nico knew that from experience. But he also knew that it was even crueler. Nico was lucky, he was a creature of the underworld. To those who didn't belong to the underworld, it was especially vile. It left them broken. Literally broken. The sheer force of Tartarus broken the souls apart and kept a shard down as spoils of war, so to speak.

"I do not approve."

Nico rolled his eyes as he continued packing. "I'm sorry, mom, I'm doing it anyway."

Which in return earned him twin-snickers from Cecil and Lou. Will just huffed, used to the nickname coming from Cecil, Lou and Nico. So he worried a lot, big deal. He had every right to worry about those three troublemakers! The son of Apollo straightened up and glared.

"Don't sass me, mister", warned Will irritated. "You are not going to Tartarus! Again!"

"I'm sorry to say this, but... Will's got a point", agreed Lou reluctantly, looking seriously over at Nico. "You've gone to Tartarus before because of Percy. And now you want to repeat that."

"It's... it's different", protested Nico with a slight glare.

"Right, di Angelo", snorted Cecil, rolling his eyes. "You went into Tartarus because you wanted to help Percy in that quest. And now you want to go because of... soul-shards? What is that even?"

"Tartarus keeps part of your soul", answered Nico simply. "The thing is... it's not just a shard. It's a part of them. A part of Percy and Annabeth is still down in Tartarus and that part is as much a conscious being as the real Percy and Annabeth are. It's a part of their souls. Now tell me, honestly, would you truly be okay with letting Percy and Annabeth – even if it's just a part of them – rot in Tartarus for all eternity, even though they could be saved? Really?"

Cecil, Lou and Will fell silent. An awkward, guilty silence. Nico took that as his answer.

"Just... promise me you'll be safe", mumbled Lou as she pulled him into a very tight hug.

Nico grunted and remained silent. He had stayed at Camp Half-Blood for months now, trying to be happy and all that stuff. Yes, he loved Will, Cecil and Lou a lot. He enjoyed the time he spend with his new friends. But then there were Percy and Annabeth, who due to them living in New York, came over a lot. To help with the rebuilding, to reconnect with the other campers and just generally be utterly disgusting. All heroic, golden couple. Every time Nico was happy with how things were, Percy and Annabeth decided to spend the weekend and completely crushed any of his happiness.

Yes, he had been trying to get over Percy for years now. Had thought that maybe, telling Percy he had done it, he was over him, that it could actually become the reality. Over the past four months, that had not been working. Every time Percy smiled, Nico's heart beat faster. Whenever Nico was at the lake, all he could see were Percy's sea-green eyes in the water. There was no way he couldn't love Percy Jackson. Eros had seen through him, Jason had seen through him, heck, even Hades had called him out on it when they had met on the quest. And now he had mother hen Will, who had seen through him right from the start, who had wanted to befriend him to help him through coming out for years now. Will, who had advised him to stop lying. Lying to himself, to Percy, to others. But there was just something Nico couldn't do. He couldn't get his heart broken.

Telling Percy he was over him was one thing, but telling Percy that he was in fact very much in love with him, had been for over four years now, so much more than just a crush, nothing that could be easily dismissed, nothing that would fade anytime soon, no, because that would mean he would have to endure rejection from Percy and pity from Annabeth and he just couldn't.

He was good at lying. To himself and to others. He wasn't gay, he was in love with Annabeth. He was just normal, like everyone else. Okay, so, maybe he wasn't as straight. But it was only a small, insignificant crush and he was totally over it. No deep feelings for Percy, nope.

No labyrinth-defying feelings that made him challenge Minos, Hades and even Eros, all in the name of love, as Eros had so nicely put it. Not 'in the name of a crush'. In the name of love. Hearing it, so loud and clear, from the god of love and sexual desires himself, it had knocked at least some sense into him. Maybe not enough, but at least enough that he could admit attraction to Percy.

/break\

Tartarus was truly merciless and it did not get easier the second time around. But he was a man with a mission. Even if it was just a part of Percy, it was still Percy and Nico would never let any part of Percy suffer in any kind of way. And while he was down here, he wouldn't just leave Annabeth either. Even though that meant he doomed himself to a double dose of the Percy and Annabeth Show. Still, he was willing to do everything for Percy Jackson.

Finding the shards of souls was easy – Annabeth's was a quite beautiful and brilliant silvery-gray that seemed to sparkle, but Percy's was a hundred times more impressive, deep blue like the ocean and seemingly moving with patterns of waves. He gathered those two that appeared to be simple shards of glass and then he made his way back to the Doors of Death. He briefly wondered if Hades would have had it with him this time? Stealing Hades' keys, sneaking back into Tartarus, all for Hades' most hated demigod. Still, it was necessary. Exhausting and painful, but necessary.

/break\

Hades and Persephone were on a date when Thanatos interrupted them. The only reason why Hades didn't start ripping feathers out was the unconscious Ghost King in Thanatos' arms.

"What has this idiot son of mine done this time?", groaned Hades irritated.

"I found them at the Doors", replied Thanatos concerned, handing Nico over.

Hades frowned as he saw something shining, something that was tightly hugged to Nico's chest. Carrying Nico to the boy's room, he proceeded to take the two soul-shards as well as his keys from Nico. That boy was grounded, that much was for sure. Even though Nico surely needed a punishment for this kind of disobedience, holding the soul-shard of Percy Jackson in his hand told him that there was something he would have to do. Not for the sake of Percy Jackson, but surely for Nico, because Hades wanted to see his children happy. And maybe also for Poseidon's sake. Hades had always been fond of his little brother and surely it would bring him back into Poseidon's good graces if he'd do this. Putting the soul-shards back into a pocket, he formed a plan.

/break\

A few days later, Hades and Persephone were hosting a diner. Demeter had invited herself over, she did this entirely too often when Persephone was staying in the underworld. Thanatos had earned himself Hades' personal gratitude. The one who was an unusual guest however was Poseidon.

"We haven't done this in a while", mused Poseidon with a nearly fond smile, looking around.

"Indeed", agreed Hades, lifting his glass of red wine up.

"Something tells me this is not just because you missed my company though", added Poseidon.

He sipped from his own wine, raising one eyebrow as he observed Hades. The king of the underworld smirked amused, proud that his brother was less of a seaweed brain than the Sea God's son was. Which brought them right to the point. He laid the two shards of glass out.

"What's this? Did you break a vase?", asked Demeter confused. "Oh, this better not be the one I made you for your birthday, little brother. Because then you're in trouble."

"Dear sister, of course not", replied Hades, knowing better than to break any flower-vases Demeter ever gave to him (there was a whole floor dedicated to vases in this palace, thanks to her). "Those are soul-shards. More specifically, the soul-shards of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase."

Demeter and Poseidon exchanged a slow, long look. Both knew what soul-shards were.

"Our darling Nico took it upon himself to get them out of Tartarus himself", added Persephone.

And if there was a bit sarcasm dripping from her words, the older gods dismissed it for now. Thanatos observed them silently. He knew only Hades had the power to form a soul-shard into a fully functioning being. He also knew that Hades was going to leave this decision up to Poseidon. May it be a kind of offering to know Poseidon would be indebted to him, or true courtesy from one father to another, he did not know. He just knew that the outcome of this dinner would be interesting. Thanatos stirred his soup as he watched how Poseidon took the blue glass.

"This is... part of my son?", asked Poseidon softly, turning it over. "What... can it mean?"

"It's been separated from your son for too many months. Now, I could try to mend the shard back together with the rest of Percy's soul, but seeing as how long they had been split, the shard already... developed a conscience of its own. It is a living soul. Separated from Percy's body, it kept existing, thinking, contemplating – well, as much as that boy of yours ever did such things. The risk of putting them together may do more harm than good. These kind of things are how personality disorders are born. From split souls", answered Hades patiently.

"So... putting the boy back together again may cause him to develop some kind of schizophrenia?", asked Demeter skeptically, observing Poseidon and the glass. "What other options there are?"

"We put the shards into pretty boxes and stow them away, never to be spoken of again", shrugged Hades carelessly. "Or I raise it. I am the only one powerful enough to form a soul even from a small shard. I can form them to be fully functioning human beings."

"At what costs? Or risks?", asked Poseidon wearily.

"You tell Zeus", grunted Hades seriously. "And they are under Nico's protection and supervision."

"Supervision?", echoed Demeter, practically tasting Hades' ulterior motive.

"They aren't real humans. Such a thing has never been done before, and may that challenge is what made me contemplate doing it to begin with, but still, with firsts, there are always risks. Nico is my son, I want for him to make sure nothing goes wrong and they are... working properly, so to speak. It may take months to mend them into functioning being at all and I will assign Nico with the task of supervising them. Over this time, they will form a bond with Nico. I want you to accept and to explain this to the other Olympians. They will be Nico's responsibility and burden alike."

Poseidon looked thoughtful as he stared at his older brother.

/break\

The next time Nico woke up, he felt as bad as the last time he had gotten out of Tartarus. At least he wasn't stuck in a jar this time, mused the son of Hades wryly. Blinking his eyes open, he found Thanatos sitting next to his bed, playing catch with a pomegranate.

"You're awake", observed the bewinged god without looking at Nico. "Catch."

He threw the pomegranate and Nico barely had the strength to lift his arms and catch it. He peeled it in slow-motion, knowing for the next time this would be the only thing he'd be able to keep down.

"What are you doing here?", asked Nico as he laid one pomegranate seed onto his tongue.

"What you did was brave. Foolish and dangerous, but brave", was Thanatos' reply.

"You would have done the same if it was about your son of Poseidon", muttered Nico.

Thanatos grinned a bit amused, raising one eyebrow as he looked at the demigod. "Well, luckily my little fish never swam away like that before. Yours however had been caught. Congratulations."

Nico sat up, as hastily as his current situation allowed. "Where is the shard? What happened to it?"

"Come with me and I will show you", offered Thanatos and stood, offering Nico his arm.

As much as the son of Hades hated needing help, he really needed to get to Percy's soul right now, so he gradually accepted it. Thanatos led him to the room opposite his own, thankfully enough only a short journey thus. Inside were Demeter and Persephone, tending to two unconscious teens. Two beds were in the room, on one laid Annabeth and on the other Percy.

"He... Hades did this... Why?", asked Nico slowly, skeptically.

"Because your father loves you", replied Persephone as she laid a cold cloth on Percy's forehead.

"And because he gains an alliance and Poseidon's gratitude from this", added Demeter.

Nico made his way over to Percy's bedside, slowly sitting down at the edge of the bed. He reached a shaky hand out to brush the black, messy hair out of his face. A perfect copy. Identical to the boy Nico was so deeply in love with. It made him wonder, once this Percy woke up, would he be different from his Percy? The real Percy, he meant. Would they act the same? Have the same memories, the same silly little quirks? The same powers? Maybe this one wouldn't even have the powers of a demigod, seeing as it had only been the shard of his soul.

"Stop wrecking your brain. Go back to your room and rest. They won't wake up for a couple of days anyway", ordered Demeter sternly, glaring at Nico. "And eat your pomegranate."

"Yes, ma'am", grunted Nico displeased, knowing not to argue.

/break\

Weeks had come and passed since Nico had left for Tartarus.

A few days, Nico had to rest himself and regain some strength. After that, he spend practically all his time with Perseus and Annie. Because they already had a Percy and an Annabeth. Apparently, the two were very much aware of what they were, that they had been born in Tartarus as soul-shards and been turned into shadowselves now. Doppelgangers. Physical copies of the real Percy and Annabeth, with the exact same memories up to the point their souls shattered. For the past months, Perseus and Annie had been forming a conscience of their own, developing their own thoughts, choosing their own paths, separate from Percy and Annabeth who got out of Tartarus.

Nico had gotten to know Annie and Perseus over the past weeks now. Having been left behind in Tartarus had made Perseus bitter and darker, feeling lonely and quite literally broken. He was a loner, shutting down his emotions to keep going. He reminded Nico a lot of himself during the Giant War, bitter and lonely and determined that not having someone was safer for himself. Annie all the while was feeling helpless. She was a lot clingier than Annabeth, having turned into the entirely different direction than Perseus. Where Perseus shut others out because others meant pain, others would mean losses, then Annie clung to having others, because it gave her hope, had urged her on to continue living. It was a strange thing for Nico, to see the two people he knew for so long now in such a different way. Was this what would have happened to the 'real' Percy and Annabeth if the crew would have failed to bring them back from Tartarus...?

So while teaching them the most basic things about their new bodies, building up the muscles and learning how to use them, while also trying to heal the damage from Tartarus, Nico tried to adapt to them. He tried to force his way into Perseus' heart, tried to do what Reyna, Jason, Will, Lou and Cecil had been doing for him after the Giant War. It was strange to be in this position. After all, normally he was the one pushing people away. Then again, this gave him an insight. He knew what Perseus was thinking, so he knew how to approach it. And Annie was helpful too. Perseus and Annie were not dating. She was clinging onto him, but like a brother who she tried to protect. And he was too scared from Tartarus to let her close. The months in which they only had each other may have brought them closer, but in an entirely different way. Maybe they were also just too much for each other, only having each other for so long. It made them drift apart, in that way. All the while, Nico and Annie grew gradually closer. Not in a romantic way, gods no, but in a sibling-like way, actually. Nico took care of Perseus and Annie, when they needed the care and guidance. While Perseus pulled away, Annie embraced it. She had told Nico that he reminded her of Luke, back when she had last felt as lonely and lost. Which was a weird thing for Nico to hear, but it was also nice, because in a way, she reminded him of Hazel when he had first found her and guided her back to the world of the living. So that was a relationship he never thought he'd have with Annabeth Chase – brother and sister. Big brother and little sister, at that.

"You need to fix Perseus, Nico", declared Annie with a frown.

Nico grunted where he was sitting on his bed. Annie was behind him, braiding his hair. It was rather long by now, at least on one side – he was wearing a side-cut, the view-able ear pierced with about five rings and studs. Annie liked to braid little braids into his hair. It was better than cuddling, because when the blonde wanted hugs, that still freaked Nico out. He was still not quite used to human contact and the concept of hugging Annabeth Chase was a new level or weird altogether.

"I don't know how to fix him, Annie", sighed Nico annoyed, glaring at the daughter of Athena.

They were in fact still demigods – Nico and Thanatos had tested their abilities. Tying a bow around the last braid, adding a black scrunchy with a little skull on it, she grinned pleased.

"I dunno. Kiss him. It always helps in the movies", shrugged Annie with a deeper frown. "I don't have to be a daughter of Aphrodite to know that you love him. Maybe that will help. I know I loved him once, when we were both still whole and not in Tartarus. But... too much happened. Maybe our feelings broke too? I don't know. I just know that I love him very much, like a brother. You love him very much, as something else. Maybe that's what he needs. I don't know. I'm not a love-girl, I'm a brains-girl. I just know that both of you need more happiness so go and kiss him. Because I also know that I hate those silly movies where they dance around each other the whole movie before realizing they're meant to be. It's inefficient and a waste of time."

"Figures that the daughter of Athena finds rom-coms to be inefficient", snickered Nico.

"Oh, shut up", snorted Annie with a grin, elbowing the son of Hades hard.

/break\

Perseus hated this. Everything, actually. He knew that somewhere out there was Percy Jackson, the one who hadn't been left behind, the one who got to be reunited with his parents and friends, the celebrated hero. He was just the unimportant shadowself. He didn't want that silly nickname – Percy – like the boy couldn't even bear his own name. So Perseus took it, gladly. Because he, he wasn't Percy Jackson. He wasn't wanted. Even Percy Jackson didn't want him. Never noticed the missing part of his own damn soul. And it was better this way. The months in Tartarus had shown him that. Having people meant losing people, meant being left alone. If he had no one, he could lose no one.

"Perseus, are you still awake?", whispered that dark, comforting voice.

Maybe Perseus wasn't all alone. He had Annie, who was like a doting, older sister. And he had Nico. He wasn't sure what Nico was, but Nico was there. He had always been there. Perseus knew, had a clearer view on things than Percy had. He saw it, looking back. All the times Nico had been there for them, saved their life one way or another. But Percy was dumb. He didn't notice. When Rachel, Calypso, Annabeth, when a girl flirted with him, he would blush and notice. But that silly, oblivious, dumb boy never noticed Nico. Percy could have had it all – not just the family and friends, but also the love. The real love. Annabeth/Annie wasn't it. She was nice and sweet, but more like a sister than a lover. As much as he loved her, she had always tried to control his life. It came with being a daughter of Athena, he supposed. Perseus jumped a little when he felt a cold hand on his arm. Startled, he looked over into those incredibly dark, deep, nearly bottomless eyes.

"Are you alright, Perseus? You've been spacing out again", inquired Nico concerned.

Perseus felt himself blushing. Nico always cared. Nico was always there. Had always been. Back in the labyrinth with Minos, when no one else cared about how Percy/Perseus would survive the Titan War as long as he'd save the world, no, instead Nico looked until he found Achilles' curse, he defied Hades for the sake of Percy, had helped them win the Titan War even though camp wasn't home or anything for Nico, no, he had fought for Percy. Maybe that was why Perseus detested Percy like that. All the things Nico had done, he had done for Percy, not Perseus. Percy got everything, including the perfect prince in shining armor. Perseus frowned as he adjusted himself.

"I'm fine", muttered Perseus, glaring a little. "What do you want?"

His glare intensified as he saw the three small braids in Nico's hair. Oh, Nico and Annie got along so wonderfully. Why didn't he get Nico? Sure, he loved Annie, but how did that blonde always get in the way of his happiness? First by distracting Percy from who was supposed to be his true love and now by hogging Nico's attention all the time, leaving Perseus on his own. But on his own was good. On his own meant no one could hurt him. Who was he kidding? He was already hurting.

"Annie says I should fix you", stated Nico simply as he sat down next to Perseus. "I agree."

"Yeah? I doubt there's enough duct tape in the world to fix me", huffed Perseus annoyed.

"I may not have duct tape to offer, but... I could offer me", whispered Nico softly, reaching out to cup Perseus' cheek and redirect his focus onto the Ghost King. "Annie said I should just... kiss it better. I'm unsure about that. I... wouldn't want to... hurt you."

"Why would you kiss me?", muttered Perseus, pulling his legs up against his chest. "I'm not Percy."

"And that's why", sighed Nico frustrated before pausing. "Not what you think. Not because you're not Percy, but because you think that. Because I wouldn't want you to think that you're my second choice, that I'd be replacing Percy with you because I can't have him."

"Oh really?", snorted Perseus in disbelieve. "If that's not it, then what would it be?"

"You are Percy", said Nico with all the determination he could muster as he gripped Perseus by the shoulders. "I fell in love with you the first time we met, when you saved me and my sister from a Manticore. When you were all dashing looks, charming smile and optimistic attitude. All those things you were as much a part of as Percy Jackson. You have all the same memories, because back then you were still one. I fell in love with all the things the two of you did when you were one. You're a different person now. But so is Percy. I've had more contact with you than I did with Percy since he got out of Tartarus. There's no reason for me to love you any less than I love him. I... can't deny that I love him, because... he too is all the things I fell in love with. But if you'd want to take me, I'd be the happiest person on this planet, Perseus. I know you're broken, but... so am I. Maybe, maybe we can fix each other, if you're willing to give it a try."

Perseus stared skeptically at the Italian whose hot breath was ghosting over his lips. He wanted it. More than he'd be willing to admit. But he doubted that he deserved it. He was the forgotten one, the unwanted one. Why should Nico choose him over Percy Jackson?

"I don't want to be forgotten anymore", whispered Perseus pleadingly.

"I'd never forget you, Perseus", murmured Nico soothingly, leaning in some more. "Never."

And that, Perseus had to admit, was true. Nico had gone back to Tartarus, to the one worst place on this planet, to get him and Annie out. Nico hadn't forgotten about him. Nico had brought him here and cared for him and nursed him back to at least physical health. Maybe even half-way to mental health. Nico hadn't left him and Annie alone, not once. Nico was here. With him. Not with Percy.

"O—Okay...", nodded Perseus slowly, nearly shyly. "Can you... kiss me then?"

Nico was dazed. This was all he had wanted for four years now. Kissing this boy. He couldn't believe that there was a chance opening now for him to get what he had always wanted. He had a shit-eating grin splitting his face as he obeyed and kissed Perseus languidly, lovingly. They slowly leaned back until Perseus was laying on the bed, with Nico hovering above him. As they parted, Nico couldn't believe his luck. Perseus looked so gorgeous, all red-cheeked, swollen lips, sparkling eyes. Those sea-green eyes had been so dull ever since Perseus had been pieced together, but right now, they held a sparkle that Nico had missed so dearly.

/break\

The following weeks were easier. The more time Nico spend with Perseus – talking to him, laughing with him, kissing him, holding him, just being with him – the more Nico recognized Percy in the other. The Percy he had known, from before the Giant War. The shadowself of Percy even smiled at times, seemed to have passed part of his burden onto Nico, agreeing to sharing his pain.

The more Perseus and Annie bloomed, the more Nico knew that it was time to leave. They weren't meant to be in the underworld permanently, they deserved to be reunited with their families and friends just as much as Percy and Annabeth had. But for that, Nico had needed them as stable as possible. And right now, he felt that he had achieved that.

Hades, more than eager to get rid of the three annoying demigods, paid for an apartment in New Rome for the three of them and Persephone and Demeter were more than happy to help moving. Nico left the interior to Perseus and Annie, who had entirely too much fun with that stuff. The only problem he now had was to explain this to the others – to Percy and Annabeth. So they hid, in a way. Nico unwillingly signed up for high school while Perseus and Annie stayed home. He hadn't exactly forbidden them from leaving the apartment, but he had pleaded them to stay inside and wait until he found a sensible way to explain this to their friends. Like Perseus could deny Nico's puppy-dog eyes anything anyway and as long as the house was stocked with books, Annie was content.

Today was the day though. He was very determined to tell them today. After all, he was invited for tea to the praetors. The pontifex maximus, as well as all their respective partners, were present too. Frank was sitting between Hazel and Leo, stealing the strawberries from both their cakes. Leo and Hazel exchanged fond smiles behind Frank's back, because their praetor-boyfriend looked damn happy about the silly strawberries. They were sitting opposite Reyna, Jason and Jason's girlfriend Calypso. So Nico wasn't the only one who had changed since the Giant War. Apparently, Jason and Piper had come to terms with how fake their relationship was, having been build up on conjured memories. Coincidentally, Leo had brought a beautiful girl who had a thing for heroes with him. Calypso's curse had been to fall in love with someone who didn't return her feelings. Leo, he had chosen to return to Hazel and Frank and the others over staying with Calypso, because of love. And if being honest, Leo wasn't Calypso's type anyway. She was into the dashing, charming, muscular heroes – like Jason. It had taken them about five weeks of dancing around each other before they went on their first date. So, that was news to Nico. Frank and Hazel also being with Leo now, that was less of a big news, if he was being honest. He had already expected that.

"I should have come over more often", stated Nico, observing the two couples and Reyna.

"Yeah. That would have helped me feeling less like the sixth wheel... I'd say fifth, but they work out as five so fine", muttered Reyna, face behind her cup. "And I'm still figuring out riddles about my love-life, because no one delivers the perfect person to my doorstep."

"Sorry, I would have brought a second one, but there was only Calypso", yelped Leo.

Hazel laughed a little, leaning over to ruffle his curls. "But yes, you should have come over sooner."

"We missed you, man", agreed Jason with a frown. "I have been dying to introduce you two."

Calypso next to him chuckled a little as she snuggled up to her blonde, one hand resting on Jason's chest. "I must admit, I was getting more and more curious about you, Nico. Your sister, Jason and Reyna all speak very highly of you, you know?"

Judging by the way Leo snickered, Nico must have been blushing. So he did the logical thing. He turned his 'I'm your girlfriend's big brother, respect me'-glare, coupled with the 'I'm the badass son of Hades, fear me'-glare onto the Latino, instantly shutting the boy up. Very satisfying feeling that.

"I've been very busy", admitted Nico reluctantly.

"Yeah. Last time I talked to... to Annabeth, she said you've been gone for months", said Reyna.

There was a troubled expression on her face, one that Nico had noticed before too. He knew of her fascination for the impossible girl, as she liked to call Annabeth. A daughter of Minerva, well Athena. Clever, bright, beautiful. Nico knew that look on her face, he knew it from himself.

"I went to Tartarus again", stated the son of Hades firmly.

The next moment, he felt the burning sensation of being slapped right in the face. Golden eyes, brimming with tears, were glaring at him. Frank looked troubled as he tried to ease Hazel off of him. Reyna and Jason just looked somewhat judgmental, like they suspected something.

"Why in the world would you do that?", sputtered Leo doe-eyed. "I mean, Percy and Annabeth are still not over it! And you decided you wanted to go another round?!"

Nico leaned back and took a slow breath as he started to tell his tale and explain about soul-shards and shadowselves, telling them about Perseus and Annie and about his new relationship.

/break\

"Perseus! We have enough cookies! Stop it!"

Perseus jumped a little, nearly letting the chocolate cookies fall to the ground. He turned to glare at Annie. Okay, so maybe he liked to bake when he was nervous and he was currently very nervous. Nico promised he'd bring Jason, Reyna, Frank, Hazel and Leo here today and Perseus wanted to leave a good impression. He wanted them to... to like him. Somehow, he was incredibly afraid. He had been called a freak all his life – by Gabe, by Nancy and his other classmates over the years. But now he was a real freak. A shadowself, not even a real person.

"Now stop it with the depressing thoughts. They're practically oozing out of you", chided Annie.

She glared quite fiercely at Perseus as she continued to set the table. When they could hear a key in the lock, both of them froze. Even though Annie was trying to be bubbly and optimistic to ease Perseus, she too was nervous. Her heart was racing, especially at the prospect of seeing Reyna again. She had been intrigued by Reyna ever since they had first met. There had been a connection between the two clever strategists, but Annabeth had been torn, after all there was Percy who had still been her boyfriend back then and there was Piper who had been a wonderful comfort ever since Percy had gone missing. Her heart was confused, but when Annabeth and Annie were split and Annie spend those lonely months in Tartarus, she found herself longing more for the disciplined and rational Roman. Piper was so jumpy and emotional, Reyna was that strong pillar Annie longed for.

"I'm back home", called Nico out. "And I brought guests."

Moments later and they all stood in a half-circle of sorts. Frank, Hazel, Leo, Jason, Calypso, Reyna and Nico, all facing Perseus and Annie with different levels of surprise. Sure, they had listened to Nico and were all quite sure they could grasp the concept. Still, standing there in front of those two was something else entirely. Because Perseus was not Percy and Annie was not Annabeth.

Perseus was pale like porcelain, having never seen the sun since his body had been formed. He had the slightest bit of mascara and eyeliner to make his eyes pop. His hair was nearly shoulder-length, with a blue fringe. He was wearing tight, black leather-pants and a ratty band-shirt that most likely belonged to Nico. This was not how they would ever imagine Percy to dress.

Annie's hair was short, also just reaching her shoulders. She wore baggy jeans and a tank-top that was definitely too tight and quite revealing, if Reyna may observe so. Not that she minded.

"Awesome", whispered Leo in total awe as he rushed up to them and circled them. "So. Cool. Nico, I want a twin too! So, wait. You two know us, right? Nico said you have the same memories as... uhm... the Percy and Annabeth over in Camp Half-Blood, up to Tartarus, yeah?"

"Yes, we know who you are, Leo", grunted Perseus, feeling a little uncomfortable.

He dodged the curious Latino and tried to hide behind Nico. Nico smiled softly as he took Perseus' hand, pulling the boy up against his chest. Perseus hummed contently as he snuggled up to Nico.

"Fascinating", whispered Reyna as she came to stand in front of Annie.

"Oh, I missed you!", exclaimed Annie and jumped her. "I was really worried how you'd fend in the war. I mean, Jason and Piper and Leo, I already knew enough. And I trusted Perseus' judgment on Frank and Hazel, but I was really worried about you! Are you alright?"

"She is... entirely more bubbly than Annabeth", said Leo slowly. "Wow. Are you my twin?"

Annie giggled as she looked at Leo. "Perseus complains about me being too hyper too..."

"They dealt with Tartarus very... differently", grunted Nico, slipping one arm around Perseus' waist. "And, well, Annie had been living in Tartarus without a mouth for two months. I think she's trying to make up for that now. She missed being able to express herself."

"Stop psych-evaluating me, di Angelo", grunted Annie with a fierce glare.

"So, we got two Annabeths and two Percys now", stated Jason slowly. "Wow."

"I'm Perseus. She's Annie. We're not the same as Percy and Annabeth. Leo is more on target with calling us twins. At this point, we're quite different from our other selves", corrected Perseus.

"Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you", nodded Jason hastily, lifting his hands up.

"Very amazing indeed", murmured Calypso, tilting her head as she looked at them. "I've seen a lot in my time, but this... this is... Do the... other versions know about this?"

"Very good question!", agreed Hazel, pointing at Calypso and nodding in agreement. "Do they?"

"Not... yet. I wasn't sure how to. I wanted to do this step-by-step. They needed to heal up first and now I'd first like to get them accustomed to... well, the world", countered Nico uncomfortably.

"You're afraid of the confrontation", said Reyna unimpressed before being distracted by Annie again who kept circling her and grinning delighted. "W—Would you mind stopping this?"

"I'm sorry! You just changed so much in the past months!", yelped Annie with a sheepish grin. "And this is really exciting. All of this. While we were in Tartarus, I thought... I thought Perseus would be all I'd ever have. I never thought I'd see anyone again. Ever."

Reyna's eyes softened as she looked at Annie and saw something scared and broken in those gray eyes, so on a whim, she pulled the blonde into a tight hug. Annie yelped and practically melted into the hug. She loved hugs. And cuddles. Physical contact at all, really. She had spend too long without a body. A content sigh escaped her lips at the warmth and firmness of Reyna's body.

"...Should we leave?", asked Leo teasingly, raising one eyebrow.

"So, back to the whole telling-the-others-thing", grunted Frank, blushing embarrassed.

"I will", sighed Nico and collapsed on the couch. "I promise. I mean, Perseus and Annie wish to see their Greek friends again too – and their respective families. I just think... taking it slow is wiser."

"Slow, mh?", echoed Jason skeptically as he watched Perseus sit down on Nico's lap.

The blonde glared at Nico, while the Italian blushed and laid his arms around Perseus. It wasn't his fault that Perseus fit so perfectly into his arms and liked snuggling so much. Ever since they had gotten together, Perseus kept getting better and showed more signs like Annie – seeking human contact, in particular. And maybe it was a little egoistic that Nico wanted to keep Perseus to himself a bit longer, but honestly, he didn't care. Not as long as Perseus wanted this just as much.

/break\

Nico was trailing kisses along Perseus' collar in a sluggish way, relishing in every second of it, in the delicious salty taste of Perseus' skin. His kisses weren't the only slow thing. His thrusts were as slow, savoring the tight heat of Perseus' ass around his cock. They had sex before. A lot of times, actually. They had started being intimate in the underworld, but it had only been stolen moments, the fear of being caught by Hades thrilling and terrifying at the same time.

But Reyna was a godsend. For a couple of days, Reyna and Annie had exchanged longing looks, Reyna kept dropping by so much that Nico had started to believe she was living with them, until it was Perseus who gave them a push and set them up for a date. For the last two weeks, Reyna and Annie had been dating. Which meant Annie went out on dates, spending time with Reyna. Leaving the house all to Nico and Perseus alone. Which led to right now, in their shared bed.

"So gorgeous", purred Nico pleased, biting Perseus' pulse.

"Yeah, well, then let your gorgeous come!", huffed Perseus annoyed, tugging on his bonds.

Nico smirked at Perseus in a wicked way. Perseus always said he felt as though he was floating. So Nico had come up with this. Apparently, Perseus liked it – even though he spend half the time complaining. Still as he faced those large, sea-green eyes, Nico couldn't deny his lover. He slipped one hand between their joined bodies and started jerking Perseus off, caressing the sensitive head teasingly in that way he knew drove Perseus insane. Only a few, well-placed thrusts later and Perseus came into Nico's hand. The son of Hades caught Perseus' moans and savored them as he felt his own orgasm approach. He thrust harder and deeper as he came inside his boyfriend.

"Wow... I... damn, I love you", panted Perseus breathlessly.

To his credit, Nico only froze for a short moment in utter surprise before pulling Perseus up into a passionate kiss. "I love you too. Gods, I love you so much, amore mio."

Perseus relaxed against Nico's chest. He had wanted to hear this for so long now, but he had been so afraid that in the end, Nico's heart belonged to Percy. It did, Perseus knew that. But at least part of Nico's heart belonged to him and only him. Laying his head onto Nico's shoulder, he sighed.

"I want to meet Percy", declared Perseus softly. "Annie has been pestering me about visiting Camp Half-Blood for days now, but she doesn't want to rush you."

"Very well", sighed Nico reluctantly, wrapping his arms around Perseus tightly. "Tomorrow."

/break\

At breakfast the next day, Perseus and Nico sat opposite Reyna and Annie. Nico had made delicious pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. Perseus stole all the bacon from Nico's plate.

"You two are disgustingly cute", commented Reyna a bit amused.

"So we're really going to Camp Half-Blood today?", asked Annie next to her eagerly.

"Perseus can be very convincing", grunted Nico with the slightest pout.

Reyna shifted slightly. There was something she hadn't told Nico yet. Partially so it wouldn't weight him down and partially also for her own benefit. But she could not let them walk into the Greek camp completely unprepared, regardless of what the truth may entail.

"Percy and Annabeth broke up, about... a week or so after you left", said Reyna softly. "They admitted to having been each other's beards. Annabeth and... Piper have been dating since then."

Nico's eyes widened stunned and he found himself looking at Perseus and Annie, who were spotting matching blushes. That detail must have slipped their minds in the past months the three of them had spend together. Then again, they had said to him that they felt about each other like siblings and now Annie was dating Reyna and Perseus was dating, well, him. He could have figured that out.

"What... What about Percy?", asked Nico reluctantly, unsure if he wanted to hear it.

"He's been pulling a Nico since the war ended", replied Reyna, arching one delicate eyebrow. "He's been pulling back from most of us. He probably feels as much like a fifth wheel as I did, before... before you brought me Annie. He's been trying to deal with everything on his own."

Nico exchanged a brief look with Perseus, trying to figure out if his boyfriend was mad at him for even asking. Somehow the topic of Percy Jackson was still one they walked around on eggshells, which was kind of ridiculous considering that Perseus and Percy had once been the same person.

"Let's finish breakfast and get going", sighed Perseus in defeat.

/break\

Percy looked around a little confused. He had been summoned to the infirmary and he had no idea why. Will and Jake were leaning against Will's desk, with the blonde practically steaming with suppressed irritation and his boyfriend trying to sooth him by massaging his shoulders. Lou Ellen and Cecil Rogers were sitting on one of the empty beds, whispering to each other and snickering, like they knew a secret that Percy didn't. He knew those four. Well, of course he knew them, but he meant that he knew that they were Nico's new 'family'. So Percy was wildly confused why they had brought him here. Nico had been gone from camp for nearly half a year now.

The thought send a pang of guilt and confusion through the son of Poseidon. Had Nico left because of him? Because he wasn't good enough for Nico? He wasn't Nico's type, did that make Nico uncomfortable now? Was it so bad to be near Percy? What if Percy would have caught on earlier with Nico's crush? Surely he could have changed. Maybe then Nico could be his. But now he was gone and Percy was alone. No, he wasn't alone. He had all those friends, but... They didn't understand. Couldn't. They were all strong heroes and Percy was just a disappointment. He had disappointed Bob, Calypso, Annabeth too, down in Tartarus. He was the one who had bled, his blood had brought Gaia back, had caused Leo to die – and yes, the Latino was back, weeks after they had declared him dead and mourned him, all the pain caused to his friends and family. Back after the Titan War, the whole council of gods had summoned them and praised them and offered Percy immortality for what he had done. What had happened after the Giant War? Nothing. Not even a warm hand-shake. The others must be holding it against him, that he had gotten all the glory and fame back then and now that they had needed a team, there was no gratitude at all.

Percy had all those thoughts in his head and he hated them, but he didn't know how to turn them off. He didn't know how to feel happy anymore. It was like Tartarus had broken something inside of him and as much as he had tried to force it, to be happy and to smile, right after the war, it hadn't worked. Not for long. Not when Annabeth admitted that she was in love with Piper and that after everything she had been through, she deserved a shot of happiness. And then Percy and Annabeth broke up and Annabeth got together with Piper and started to slowly remember what happiness and content felt like. Not that Percy held it against her. He loved her, like the fussing big sister she was, he wanted her to be happy. But... she had found a way to move on and to try and regain happiness, leaving him behind in the dust. Everyone had left him behind.

He knew they hadn't done so intentionally – Jason was damn busy building and planning the hundreds of temples that he had promised the gods and he used this excessive traveling to show his new girlfriend Calypso the USA and what had happened to the world in the past thousands of years. He too had to heal his own battle-wounds. Reyna and Frank were praetors now and together with Leo and Hazel, they were very busy rebuilding New Rome, which had been pretty much destroyed during the happenings of the war. And they too had their own burdens to carry.

And Nico... was gone. The one person Percy thought may be able to relate to him – to the fear of admitting that he was gay, to the pain caused by Tartarus, to this all-consuming loneliness – he was gone. Then again, running was Nico's way of dealing with things and Percy wondered if maybe, he should give it a try. But then he remembered all the pain he had caused his mother and Paul by disappearing over a year ago and it made his heart ache in guilt. He couldn't leave her again.

So he was stuck. Stuck with those emotions, stuck on his own.

He knew that if he'd approach them, they would push their own problems and duties away to help him, because they were amazing. But he couldn't do that. They needed to heal, to focus on their own wounds left from the war. They deserved to be happy, not to be dragged down by him just because he was too dumb to figure out how to move on. And that was what it came down to, wasn't it? He was dumb. He had been hearing that for so long, at one point it had to sink in.

He had been too dumb to figure out that Nico had liked him at one point, missing his chance at what may have been happiness for him. He had been too dumb to even think things through properly, just assuming that the gods would somehow keep their promise and free Calypso, just assuming that Bob would somehow fend for himself in the underworld after Percy had wiped his memories. And now, now he was too dumb to figure out how to move on.

"Why are we here, Will? Not that I mind your company, but Pipes and I had... other plans."

Annabeth's voice snapped Percy out of his down-spiraling thoughts again, gaining his attention. He stared over at the two blondes – a curious Annabeth and an irritated Will. Piper next to Annabeth grinned a little bit, maybe even a little bit perverted, giving away what kind of plans they had.

"Believe me, I had the same plans with Jake", grunted Will annoyed.

"I doubt that. You lack the anatomy", snickered Piper with a broad grin.

Will made a face at that while Annabeth blushed furiously. Percy smiled strained. Was this what it looked like when people found a way to digest what had happened during the wars and move on?

"We're here because Nico gave us a call earlier", replied Lou finally. "He's coming back and he requested for you guys to be part of the 'welcome home'-party. He brought... uhm, something that he needs to show you. Specifically you and Percy, Annabeth."

"Whatever can that be about?", inquired Piper, raising both her eyebrows.

Will heaved a sigh. He knew about the shadowselves, Nico had kept them updated and posted over the past months. And Nico had asked him – using those infatuating puppy-dog-eyes of his – to give Annabeth and Percy a heads-up about what they had to expect. That boy would be the death of him, but as Jake liked to point out, Nico, Cecil and Lou were great training for when Jake and Will would have own children. They had basically adopted them already anyway.

"When Percy and Annabeth were in Tartarus...", started Will slowly and got comfortable.

Percy listened numbly as Will told them about their broken souls, the soul-shards and what Nico had done to save them. There was another him out there. It sounded more than crazy. Once Will finished his tale about how 'Annie' and 'Perseus' were apparently living in New Rome with Nico, everyone in the room took a moment to digest this and wrap their heads around the mere concept. Annabeth was completely fascinated, wanted to get behind the science of it.

"So, I really hope you prepared them, Will."

All heads snapped over to the door as Nico entered. He didn't come far before Will, Lou and Cecil hugged the air out of him. After all, he had been gone for months. Nico was followed by a short-haired Annabeth with tomboyish clothes, holding hands with Reyna. When the blonde spotted her other self, she jumped over to stand in front of Annabeth, looking curious.

"Hey. I'm Annie. Well, Annabeth too, but... I think that would be too confusing on the long run – and I am here to stay", introduced Annie with a grin. "I've been so curious about you."

"All the dirty things in my mind...", whispered Piper, looking from Annabeth to Annie.

"You better suppress those thoughts, because Annie is my girlfriend", growled Reyna possessively.

Annie's grin grew as she blushed a little and leaned back against Reyna. "And... you chose Piper. Funny how things work out, mh? I remember while we were on our quest for mom's Parthenon, when we were so torn between them. I guess our different experiences after that had made us need something different, huh? Oh, I have so many questions!"

"She is loud", noted Cecil skeptically, turning from Annie to Perseus. "Is he the same?"

"He is his own person, thank you very much", grunted Perseus with a glare.

"Woah. He's like a fusion of Percy and Nico. Percy in grumpy", gaped Lou stunned.

Perseus just huffed and grabbed Nico's hand, slowly starting to feel uncomfortable. Nico offered him the smallest smile as he laid his other arm around the son of Poseidon, pulling him close. This didn't go unnoticed by the others and even Annabeth tore her eyes from her doppelganger to look.

"You two are... close", observed Annabeth, looking inquisitively at Nico.

"We are...", started Nico before he got lost in Percy's eyes. "Boyfriends. We're boyfriends, that is."

He braced himself for some kind of reaction, unsure what that would be. He had always been afraid of judgment, that was why he had spend years hiding, unwilling to admit his own feelings, not even to himself. And now what? He presented his first boyfriend to Percy – and it was basically Percy.

"W—What does he have?", whispered Percy softly, voice a little shaky. "What does he have that I don't? You said I'm not your type! But... But he is? Is he... Is he better than me?"

Nico blinked surprised and looked at Percy. Really looked at Percy. Ever since the encounter with Eros, Nico hadn't really looked at Percy – not truly. He had dodged Percy after Percy and Annabeth had been released from Tartarus, then while he had been on his quest with Hedge and Reyna and afterward, well, his little not-quite-confession had been the last time he had seen this Percy Jackson. But now he was looking at Percy, really looking at him. Those sea-green eyes were shattered, more broken than Perseus' had been. Lonely, sad, hurt. Tears were shining in them.

"Percy...", whispered Nico confused, trying to reach out for the son of Poseidon.

Before he had a chance to stop Percy, the Sea Prince already ran out of the infirmary. The remaining demigods exchanged looks, confused and concerned. Nico glared frustrated, unsure what to do.

"He's been like that for... months now", sighed Annabeth, looking troubled. "He's clearly hurt, but... every time I, or anyone really, tries to approach him and help him, he pulls back. Like he doesn't want to be a... burden to others. And it's frustrating, because I just... want to help him."

"We all do", whispered Piper, pulling her girlfriend up into a tight hug.

"Going after him won't work", added Will as he saw a spark in Nico's eyes. "It only drives him away further. He's been having some heavy nightmares. Whenever one of us would go to him to comfort him, he'd leave camp for the rest of the week to go home. It's so frustrating, Clarisse broke a tree last month – Juniper and she are on a feud since then. Not that it was a tree with a nymph living in, but it was more... a principal issue, you could say."

"Well, I don't care about that", huffed Perseus. "Nico, you stay here. Continue with all the explaining. There are still a centaur and other campers to be informed. I take care of... myself."

He pulled Nico into a short peck before storming out of the infirmary. That look on Percy's face when he ran off, Perseus knew it from his own face. Or at least he imagined that must have been what he had looked like every time he had thought about Nico choosing Percy over him. All this time Perseus had been so busy being bitter and angry and lonely, he hadn't wasted a thought on how Percy may feel, that Percy may be as bitter and angry and lonely as he felt. When he entered the Poseidon Cabin on silent feet, he found Percy curled together on his bed, shaking with tears. It send an intense pain through Perseus. Pain and guilt, because this Percy looked so small and fragile, so broken that it made him feel awful for ever envying his other self. He had been so focused on his own pain that he had forgotten about the pain of others. Annie had made him start to realize that, Nico was the one who drove that point home and Reyna made him come full-circle and see that everyone carried their own kind of pain. And now that he saw Percy like this, he saw that his own thoughts had been entirely wrong. Percy was in pain too, but Percy didn't have a Nico. No stubborn bastard to insist on putting him back together again, not to leave regardless of if Percy would want him to push or not. In that moment, when Perseus walked over to the bed, to the shaking frame of Percy, he decided that he'd be Percy's Nico. He would fix Percy, whether the boy wanted or not.

"Hey there, why are you crying?", whispered Perseus tenderly.

Percy stiffened and turned a little to look at this not-him. Sure, it was his face and his body, but somehow also not. Perseus was pale, had longer hair, blue dyed at the fringe, ears lined with studs and rings, face adored by make-up. And there was even a tattoo peeking out from beneath the collar of his black shirt. Add the tight black pants that made Percy see his legs like he had never seen them before – as sexy. This was like the punked up version of himself, while he was the good son and golden boy still, the one people expected him to be.

"Is that why you got him?", asked Percy softly, face screwed up. "B—Because you're all alternative and dark and punk-y? Is that why he chose you and not me? Is that his type?"

"You're... crying because of Nico and me?", asked Perseus surprised.

Then again, he shouldn't be that surprised. After all, the thought of Percy getting Nico had scared him too. He saw Nico as the only one who may be able to connect to him. Now he realized that was silly. There was someone else who shared his pain like no one else. Perseus sat down on the bed and cradled Percy up in his arms until the crying son of Poseidon was sitting on his lap.

"I just... they all... Grover has Juniper, Tyson has Ella, Clarisse has Chris, Annabeth has Piper, Frank and Hazel have each other and Leo, Jason has Calypso, n—now Reyna has her own Annabeth and... I'm just... I'm just me. Somehow they all found someone to share all of this with, someone to love them and... and they're on the right path, I don't want to drag them back just because I'm...", started Percy, voice muffled as his face was buried in Perseus' chest. "Because I'm so useless..."

"Idiot", muttered Perseus with a pained face, pulling Percy closer.

"I know...", sobbed Percy as his dams now broke down for good.

Perseus winced. He knew this. All their life, they had been called stupid and dumb and slow. By their teachers, fellow students, his stepfather Gabe, even now still. Seaweed brain. He knew that Annabeth only meant it playfully, but everyone had adapted it and for someone who had suffered under being called stupid all his life, it was still a stab every time again. Perseus felt that way at times too, but especially so over the past view weeks in New Rome with Nico, Annie, Reyna, Jason, Hazel, Frank, Leo and even Calypso, he started to feel better. To feel not clever, but also not dumb.

"No, not like that", whispered Perseus softly, brushing his lips against Percy's temple. "Never like that. I'd never call you stupid, I know how much it hurts us. No, I meant your thoughts. You should not think like that. You are not useless. All those people love you. Love us. I was afraid too, when I first got out of Tartarus. I was afraid that our friends already had you and didn't need me, but they all accepted me with open arms. Because they love us, they love Percy Jackson. You and me. You're not useless, you're not alone. You've loved and cherished. You... You're the only one giving up on yourself right now. I know Annabeth hasn't, not even Will. Certainly not Nico. You just need someone to... to take care of you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I was so self-observed, I didn't even think about your pain. But Nico made me better and I'll make you better."

"W—What?", asked Percy and looked up, eyes puffy from crying.

His face was thin, noted Perseus. No, not just his face. Then again, he had tried to dodge meals too and if not for the united force of Demeter, Persephone, Annie and Nico, then Perseus would probably have lost as much weight. If Percy managed to get away from the others whenever they tried to comfort him, then he had gotten away with a lot of shit. And that would stop now.

"You're mine", declared Perseus simply, caressing Percy's cheeks and rubbing off the tears. "You are part of me. Gods, I haven't really realized how much I missed you until now. But now that I have you back, I'm not going to leave you again. And I'm not going to let you waste away."

It was ironic, really. All this time, Perseus thought he'd be the one more broken, after all the time he had spend in Tartarus alone with Annie, thinking they had been abandoned. But that had given him a bond to Annie that ran deeper than what Percy and Annabeth used to have, while Annabeth and Percy apparently drifted apart down there and then Percy just continued like that. Pushing people away. While Perseus got Nico and with Nico also the others, who enriched his life.

"I don't... You have Nico. Nico has you. Nico deserves t—to be happy, to move on. I'm not worth the effort...", mumbled Percy, trying to hide his face in the crook on Perseus' neck.

"Bull-shit", grunted Perseus annoyed, grabbing Percy's face again. "Hey. You didn't listen to Gabe when he told you that for years, don't let Tartarus make you believe this shit now. You are not useless or worthless or anything else ending with -less, because you're so much. You're everything for me. I thought... I thought Annie was all I needed. As long as I had my sis, I was alright. Then I got Nico and I thought this was it, as long as I have the love of my life, I'm complete. But I wasn't. Seeing you for the first time since we... well, split... I... I'm not giving up on you."

Before Percy could protest any more, Perseus sealed his lips with his own. The kiss was soft and tender and loving and for the first time in nearly a year, Percy felt alive again. Was this what being separated from Perseus had done to him? Because right in that moment, Percy felt complete again. In that moment, he remembered what being happy felt like. So he clung onto it, wrapping his arms tightly around Perseus' neck and holding onto him like he never wanted to let go again. Perseus grinned into the kiss, slowly deepening the kiss, seeing as Percy in his arms was more than willing. Perseus cautiously lowered Percy onto the bed and hovered above the other. When they parted, they were both breathless. Perseus leaned down to kiss the tip of Percy's nose.

"Never saw it before myself, but from this perspective I have to say, damn you're cute when you blush", smirked Perseus, also kissing each of Percy's cheeks. "Is this very narcissistic?"

"At least you didn't fall in love with your reflexion?", offered Percy a little lost, blushing more.

"True that", laughed Perseus and collapsed on the bed too. "Come here. Cuddles."

He beckoned Percy over until the other was obediently snuggled up to Perseus side. "But... Nico..."

"Oh, shush it", huffed Perseus and laid his arms possessively around his doppelganger. "When Nico and I got together, he told me that he has been in love with us since the first time we met, he fell more and more in love with us over the years. He loves the same things about me that he loves about you, so believe me, he wouldn't mind. And even if he would, I'm not gonna accept a no from either of you. You're both mine now. And now rest some. If you... want, you can cry some more. I have a feeling you've been bottling everything up inside for the last year or so. Let go of it."

And Percy couldn't help it, because now that he had let the tears run once, he needed to let it all out. He cried himself to sleep, all the pain of the past years catching up with him as Perseus just held him tight and safe, caressing his back soothingly.

/break\

"We should probably check on them", noted Annie about half an hour after Percy and Perseus had left. "I mean, Perseus had been developing a kind of... animosity toward Percy."

"Why in the world would he do that? I mean, aren't they... the same?", asked Piper confused.

"We're not the same", stated Annabeth, elbowing her girlfriend. "If we were, Annie and I would be dressed the same and dating the same person. We developed differently from the point of our split. So must have Perseus and Percy, so I can only assume it was a kind of... jealousy?"

"Exactly", agreed Annie, nodding her head. "He thought no one would come looking for us, no one would even want us because they already have you and Percy."

"I still don't understand what happened", grunted Nico as they left the Big House.

"Are you serious?", asked Will stunned, giving him a push. "Don't be an idiot, Nico."

"Yes, it was really quite obvious", agreed Reyna, looking at Nico as though she was disappointed in his failed deduction-skills. "Percy is devastated because you chose Perseus over him."

"He's jealous", supplied Annabeth, feeling as though Nico wouldn't understand it otherwise.

"Which means that we may now walk into a blood-bath where Percy and Perseus fought to death for the right to date Nico", chimed Lou amused. "And in other news from the Twilight Zone..."

"The weather would have indicated that", objected Cecil skeptically. "If we'd have an epic Poseidon VS Poseidon show-down, the weather would wreck havoc."

"Good point", agreed Annie thoughtful. "I wonder what we'll find."

Whatever they were expecting, it certainly wasn't what they actually found. Perseus was sprawled all over the bed, with Percy sprawled all over him, cheek plastered against Perseus' chest. Only then did Nico really notice how different they were. Percy was wearing his regular, slightly baggy jeans, the camp-shirt like the well-behaved little camper, sun-kissed skin, messy, shorter hair. Perseus was all black, with extremely tight leather-pants, make-up, longer hair, paler skin. Perseus was outwardly expressing what Percy had always been – a little rebel. But Percy still showed what he had been so desperately trying for years – fitting in and being the good golden boy who pleased others. They were yin and yang together. They were two aspects of the love of Nico's life. And damn, they looked hot together. Seeing them so innocently cuddling already stirred something insight of Nico, something that mildly disturbed him if he was being honest.

"Okay. Doesn't look like they need us to intervene", whispered Reyna fondly.

"I think we should let them sleep", smiled Piper, turning to Reyna. "Wanna go for a swim?"

"If you can lend me a bikini", nodded Reyna, laying one arm around Piper.

Annie and Annabeth were on their respective girlfriend's other side as the four left. Lou and Cecil chuckled and whispered – something about photos and good money – as they followed the two couples. Will had a pitiful and also teasing smile on his lips as he patted Nico's back.

"Taking on one Percy Jackson already seems borderline insane, but I feel like you just got two to the price of one", whispered the son of Apollo. "Well, I have plans with Jake. Come and say goodbye before you leave with your two boyfriends over there, mh?"

Nico was dazed and couldn't do more than nod numbly. As all their friends had left, he walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge of it. He just sat there silently for a couple of minutes, drinking in the sight of Percy and Perseus, peacefully cuddling and looking just overall adorable.

"Only creepy vampire-stalkers watch others sleep", mumbled Perseus, sounding tired as he cracked one eye open. "Go and be useful. Pack Percy's things. He's moving in with us."

"He is?", asked Nico surprised, staring down at his sleepy boyfriend.

"Yep. I decided that I'm not gonna let him break any more. He and I, we are both broken and we've both tried to pick up the pieces on our own. But maybe the only way to fix us both would be to do it together. Not... the way your father could have put us together, but we still... I believe that we need each other", answered Perseus softly, hugging Percy instinctively closer. "He's mine now and he's staying with us. Besides, I didn't even know how cute he is. And his lips are so soft."

"His lips?", echoes Nico, eyes growing larger and larger.

"Oh yeah, I tried kissing it better", replied Perseus with the trademark Jackson grin.

Nico huffed and shook his head. "And what does Percy think about all of this, mh?"

"He loves you. As much as I love you", whispered Perseus, lips against Percy's hair as he kissed the top of his head. "That's why he ran. He ran because he thought you had chosen me over him, just how I was afraid that you'd chose him over me. So I think the only way to keep both of us from crying is if you take both of us, Nico. You're now stuck with both of us, no argument."

"What kind of an idiot would I have to be to argue with that?", snorted Nico amused, shaking his head. "I think this is fantasy number twenty-seven, if I'm not mistaken. A threesome with two of you. Yeah, I've had this dream after watching Doctor Who's Journey's End with Leo."

Perseus snickered a little. "We could buy you a trench-coat a la Captain Jack. I'd be down to that."

"Sh... Sleep!", protested a half-asleep voice against Perseus' chest.

"So cute", mouthed Perseus with a large grin.

"Well then, I'll pack Percy's things", stated Nico with a small smile.

"Good boy...friend", praised Perseus teasingly.

/break\

Nico wasn't entirely sure what he had done to deserve this, but from his loner-self who lived in Cabin Thirteen all on his own, he had somehow moved to living in a house in New Rome, with Perseus, Annie, Reyna and now also Percy. Apparently, Reyna didn't trust Nico to keep two Percys in check (and she wanted to stay with Annie and maybe get some peace from having lived with her fellow praetor Frank, the pontifex maximus Jason and their respective partners). So after having packed Percy's things, Nico had first shadow-traveled Annie and Reyna back to New Rome and then Perseus and a still asleep Percy. Once Percy was put into the bed in the master bedroom, Perseus put Percy's things away and into their closet. Annie and Reyna were out to get Reyna's things and informing the others on the most current turn of events. Nico was being a good boyfriend and making lunch, as demanded by Perseus. He was so whipped.

"Instead of staring at my ass while I make lunch, why don't you go and get Percy?"

Perseus, sitting at the set table, hummed a little at that. "Mh... You're right. Time to stare at Percy's ass. After all, that's a part of us I haven't seen quite often."

"That was not what I meant", grunted Nico and blinked a couple times.

"Why? You spend so much time staring at my ass, so it has to be good", grinned Perseus.

"It is the most gorgeous ass there is, but that's not the point", replied Nico and shook his head.

Perseus laughed softly and climbed the stairs. When he rounded the corner to their bedroom, his heart did those stupid things again. Why did Percy have this particular effect on him? Smiling softly, Perseus laid down next to Percy and watched silently. He liked Percy better when the boy wasn't crying. He looked peaceful and so cute, all curled together like a kitten.

"Only creepy vampire-stalkers watch others sleep", yawned Percy sleepily.

Perseus laughed. "So we're the same in some aspects still, mh? Did you sleep well, my pet?"

"Like a stone", replied Percy and stretched, equally cat-like. "Wait. What did you call me?"

"My pet", repeated Perseus with a large grin. "I dunno, I'm not really comfortable calling you 'Percy'. I'm trying not to think about the fact that we were once one, you know?"

"Yeah, but... pet?", huffed Percy and sat up, ruffling his hair and wiggling his nose sleepily.

"Not my fault you're behaving like a kitten", countered Perseus and rolled his eyes. "Now come on, let's get you showered and well-fed. Nico's making lunch."

"Where... are we? This isn't our cabin", noted Percy confused and looked around like a lost kitten.

"Wow. You really are a cat", snorted Perseus and grabbed his doppelganger by the hand. "This is mine and Nico's place. And now yours too. Oh and Annie and Reyna are living here too."

Percy wanted to protest, but he was too tired and Perseus too hyperactive. Was this what his ADHD felt like to others? It was exhausting so early in the... oh, evening. He had slept longer than anticipated. He blushed as Perseus started tugging on his clothes until Percy was naked. Blush brightening, Percy tried to cover himself. Perseus huffed and swatted his hands away.

"What are you doing?", hissed Percy embarrassed, squirming a little.

"This is interesting. Never saw our body from this perspective", shrugged Perseus, circling Percy like a hunter its prey. "You're... mh... better trained than I, I gotta admit. And all that tan. Mh..."

"Stop sounding like I'm a piece of cake!", yelped Percy, glaring a little.

"You're right. I'm being unfair", grinned Perseus and started to strip down too.

Percy's blush got worse and worse. Perseus' tattoo ranked over his whole torso, he also had a nipple-piercing and all pale porcelain skin. Percy licked his lips subconsciously. All this dark, punk-like exterior did it for him. It was what had drawn him in with Nico too, after all. Percy's blush darkened more as he found himself looking at Perseus' dick. It was a view he didn't have often.

"This is ten different kinds of weird", whispered Percy and shook his head.

"Yeah. Now come here", laughed Perseus and pulled Percy into a deep kiss.

"No. We can't do this again", huffed Percy, pushing against Perseus' chest.

"Why? You're here. You'll stay here. You're mine", disagreed Perseus with a frown. "I want to be one with you. As... close as we can get. It's been a while since I was last... inside of you."

"That sounded wrong!", exclaimed Percy wide-eyed, struggling a little more.

"Oh, I think it sounded entirely right", whispered Perseus with a lewd grin.

"Why would you be the one topping?", sputtered Percy with the slightest glare.

Perseus all the while pushed Percy into the shower and turned it on, having Percy pinned against the tiles, back facing Perseus. Percy relaxed a little at the warm water running down his back.

"Relax, my pet", whispered Perseus into Percy's ear. "I'll take care of you. Like I promised. Besides, I'm more experienced than you, little mister blushy virgin. I know what feels good, I'll make you feel good. I'll make you remember what happiness feels like, my pet."

Percy hummed reluctantly. He wanted to object. He was not the kind of guy to have sex before the first date. But something about Perseus was so entirely different. It all felt so right and in place, like this was exactly where he belonged. With Perseus. And then Perseus started massaging his back, soaping him up with a sponge, at all the right places, making him relax slowly.

"Feels good, pet?", asked Perseus softly, trailing kisses along Percy's neck.

Percy tried not to answer, at least not verbally. But the way he braced himself against the tiles and let Perseus soap him up was probably all the answer Perseus needed. The punk grinned broadly as he trailed the sponge down between Percy's ass-cheek. Percy yelped. No one aside from himself had touched him there – then again, technically Perseus was him. Perseus dropped the sponge and circled Percy's hole with two fingers. Percy in front of him stiffened and gasped as Perseus pushed in, two fingers at once. He liked the slight burn, the jab of delicious pain, but he'd never told anyone that, being a little bit embarrassed about it. Then again, he had also never been in such a situation.

"Sh, try to relax. Less thinking, more enjoying", ordered Perseus sternly.

"Yes, sir", groaned Percy out of reflex when Perseus brushed his prostate. "I—I mean-"

"Oh, you meant exactly what you said", whispered Perseus teasingly, biting Percy's earlobe. "You like this. But you've always been too shy to admit it. Believe me, it took Nico a few weeks to coax it out of me too. Now, be a good boy and relax. Do you want more, my pet?"

"Yes", gasped Percy as Perseus rubbed his prostate again.

"Yes, who?", inquired Perseus teasingly, a shark-like smirk on his lips.

Tartarus had formed him. He had relied on himself and solemnly on himself. It was how he had lived through it, by relying on himself and being in charge. It had become an important part of himself and as much as he loved Nico and when he made him relax, Perseus also missed to have the reigns in their relationships. Percy all the while was lost, just hanging by and floating around aimlessly as he had no one to tie him to this world. Perseus would be more than glad to tie Percy down. He remembered how much they had yearned to submit before the whole Tartarus-fiasco had gone down. It had made Perseus want to be in charge of his life and all aspects of it, but there was still, deep down, the desire to submit, which was why he relished in his relationship with Nico. But he also wanted to dominate – and maybe that was what Percy would be perfect for. Because Percy was still raw, after all he had been though, he needed someone to rely on. Perseus thought maybe he could use two people to protect him, make him feel safe and give him a tie to this world. Perseus was also more than eager to hand in his and Nico's applications for the job.

"Y—Yes, sir", mumbled Percy embarrassed as Perseus teased his prostate again.

"Good boy", praised Perseus softly, grinning as he noticed the twitch of Percy's cock at the praise.

Cute. He knew he loved it when Nico praised him. Mh, this was truly up his alley. He'd be happy this way, as a switch. Nico's sub, Percy's dom. Yeah, he could definitely get down to that.

"What are you doing to me?", groaned Percy, sounding confused and frustrated.

"Making you feel good, as I said", chuckled Perseus amused, biting Percy's neck. "Tell me what you want and I may be generous and give it to you. Ah, ah, ah. No touching yourself, naughty boy."

Percy whimpered softly, wiggling his hips. "I want to come. It's been... so long since I last came. It's been so long since I last felt horny like this. Ever since I left Tartarus, I've not felt..."

"Safe enough?", supplied Perseus tenderly, licking Percy's earlobe. "It's alright. You're safe with me, my pet. Always. I could jerk you off, if that's what you want, little one."

"Hey!", yelped Percy and craned his neck to glare. "Pet is one thing, but little one?! We're literally the same height, after all! I am not little! At least not compared to you!"

"You really have issues about our height", snickered Perseus amused. "Just because we've always been short. Used to be smaller than Annabeth too, mh. Well, I am taller than you when I wear my platform shoes, I'll be about an inch or two taller than you actually."

"Why would you wear platform shoes?", grunted Percy startled.

"So I'm taller than you", stated Perseus simply, adding another finger into his doppelganger. "Now would you want to be cheeky some more or don't you want something else?"

"Y—Yes", gasped Percy, nodding wildly at the feeling of Perseus fingering him.

"Yes, who?", asked Perseus, stilling his movement and grasping Percy's cock tightly.

"Yes, sir", added Percy hastily this time. "Yes, sir. Please."

"Please, what?", inquired Perseus teasingly.

"Please... fuck me", mumbled Percy embarrassed. "Sir."

"Good boy", praised Perseus as he started jerking Percy off. "Now, breath."

Percy was confused and wanted to ask what that was supposed to mean, but when Perseus actually pushed in, Percy did find himself losing his breath. Perseus wasn't going easy on him, thrusting harshly into him, with exactly the kind of borderline painful vigor that Percy instantly loved.

/break\

Nico frowned confused. He had finished their food nearly ten minutes ago. It was already getting cold, actually. But neither Jackson had come back downstairs. He started thinking that Perseus had fallen asleep next to Percy. That would be entirely too adorable, yet again. Putting his apron aside, Nico decided to go and get his two Jacksons downstairs. Percy was too malnourished, he needed the food. Getting upstairs, he checked the master-bedroom, just to find it empty. Frowning concerned, he looked around slowly. Then he heard the water running in the connected bathroom.

"Percy? Perseus?", called Nico out as he knocked and then entered. "I said lunch is ready soon, that's why you were supposed to get Percy, Perseus. Not to take a sho... oh. Oha. Wow."

He stared stunned and leaned against the door-frame to brace himself. The door to the glass-shower-stall was open so Nico had the perfect view on Percy and Perseus. Percy was facing the wall, Perseus was behind him, thrusting shortly and sharply into the more tanned son of Poseidon, holding Percy by his hips. Both their heads snapped over to stare at him surprised.

"Right. Lunch. I forgot. Well, he distracted me", hummed Perseus sheepishly.

"Y—You can't watch us!", exclaimed Percy a little high-pitched. "Go away! Shoo!"

"Shoo?", echoed Nico amused, crossing his arms over his chest. "The way I see it, I'm just watching my boyfriend masturbate. Excessively playing with... himself. I'm sure he doesn't mind."

"Not the least bit", laughed Perseus, thrusting harder.

"N—No, it's... it's... embarrassing", complained Percy, distracted by Perseus' movement.

"Do you really mind?", murmured Perseus, kissing Percy's neck. "Because I think we both know that we want Nico. Wasn't this what led to this? That you... ran out because you couldn't have Nico?Here he is, wanting you. Do you really wanna send him away? You want him to see you like that, secretly, mh? All flushed and wanton. See how your cock twitches at the thought."

"Y—You're embarrassing", huffed Percy, trying to hide his face.

"I just know your most secret thoughts", whispered Perseus, biting Percy's earlobe. "Come for me."

He rubbed the head of Percy's cock in exactly the right way, causing him to sputter his cum against the wall of the shower, with a moan spilling from his lips. Before he could go slack, Perseus grabbed his waist and picked up his speed until he came inside of his doppelganger. Panting softly, Perseus pulled out of his lover, placing a tender kiss in the back of Percy's neck.

"Good boy", praised Perseus softly. "Such a good boy. My good boy..."

Percy whimpered lowly, shaking a little. He felt himself breaking down as Perseus kept saying those stupid things. He didn't want to hear it. He had been so stuck in his own mind for the past months, with all those negative thoughts, but Perseus just kept saying those contradicting things.

"You two get dried up, I'll bring the food up. We'll eat in bed today", sighed Nico in defeat.

How was he supposed to deny this, after all? Percy was crying, finally letting his feelings happen again. Comforting him had priority at the moment. While Perseus dried himself and his doppelganger up, Nico carried the three plates upstairs and placed them on the nightstand. By the time he had everything set, Perseus carried a half-asleep Percy into the bedroom. At least the other wasn't crying anymore, though he still looked quite exhausted and tired. In the best kind of ways. Not like before, with the lack of sleep, but out of bodily exercise, from both the sex and the crying.

"You did very well today, pet", whispered Perseus, kissing Percy's temple.

"Stop it", groaned Percy annoyed, hating how Perseus made him feel.

"No. I don't like the way you think about yourself, so I'll continue telling you how wonderful you are until you believe it yourself", huffed Perseus, placing Percy on the bed.

"Ah. Mh, I do like that plan, Perseus", nodded Nico in agreement, sitting down on Percy's other side. "You were a very good boy. And you'll be a good boy and stay with us from now on."

Percy frowned annoyed and tried to hide his face in Perseus' chest. "Stop this. Both of you. As soon as I can feel my legs again, I'm out of here. You two, I don't... I'm not..."

"You're not what, Percy?", asked Nico softly, holding a fork full of pasta in front of Percy's face.

Percy glared and shoved him away harshly. "I'm not worth the trouble, so stop it!"

"If those are the kind of thoughts in your head, then I damn well agree with Perseus", grunted Nico surprised, staring at Percy startled. "Now open up. You need to gain some weight."

"See. We out-vote you, my pet", chimed Perseus pleased, grinning broadly.

He laid his arms around Percy's waist possessively, snuggling up to the golden boy version of himself and resting his chin on Percy's shoulder. Percy glared, but he still obeyed, because his stomach protested at the lack of food and this smelt entirely too delicious. He also didn't put it past Perseus to tie him down and force him to eat, so playing along would probably be for the best.

"Percy, you're perfect", whispered Nico, looking deep into those sea-green and broken eyes. "I don't care what you think, because I know better. You're absolutely perfect. You're kind, sweet, willing to do everything to help your friends. Now let us help you. Please, Percy."

"...Friends...?", echoed Percy slowly, looking at Nico like a hurt kitten.

"Yes. Because I'm not just talking about me and Perseus. Grover, Annabeth, Piper, Reyna, Annie, Jason, Calypso, Leo, Frank, Hazel, Will, Jake, Clarisse, Travis, Connor, Chris and probably a dozen more people who I really am too lazy to list here are worried out of their minds for your sake. You have all those friends who love you and care for you and we know that you don't want to burden them, but damn, that's bullshit", replied Nico sternly. "Because you put far more stress on them by not letting them help. So stop it. Stop this martyr act, Percy. You don't have to carry the weight of the world on your own anymore. I know what you're doing. You're running, in your own way. Believe me, I'm an expert on running. And I'll make you stop. We will make you stop."

"You'll stay with us. We'll clear this with mom and Paul and then you'll stay with us", nodded Perseus in agreement, kissing Percy's cheek. "Because I know there's no way you'll argue with mom. Oh, I can't wait to see her again. It's been so long. Is she... Is she alright?"

Percy nodded numbly. Damn that Perseus, he really did know what buttons to push with Percy. And even though he tried to argue and deny it, he loved this. Right here, laying cuddled up to Perseus and being fed by Nico, regardless of how ridiculous it was. He felt... cared for, valuable. For the first time in... far too long. He relaxed a little against Perseus, cheek rested against Perseus' chest.

/break\

Sally was staring stunned, taking in the silence. Two hours ago, Nico had shadow-traveled over. A very rare visitor ever since the Titan War was over. He had brought not one, but two Percys. And the story of how that was possible. Now that Nico had finished his tale, all they could do was sit in silence and take everything in. It sounded insane, but when he looked at Nico and Percy and Percy – no, he preferred to be called Perseus – it was hard to deny the facts.

"But... what...", started Sally slowly, unsure what she even wanted to ask.

"We're not the same person, mom", said Perseus, holding Percy's hand in a soothing manner.

"That much is obvious by just looking at you two", grunted Paul, raising one eyebrow. "You are clearly the by-Nico-corrupted version. And somehow I doubt that's just because you've spend so much time together, am I right? Now, Nico, will you give us the whole story?"

"Nico and I are dating, Paul", admitted Perseus, blushing a little.

Paul leaned back, arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Nico. "So you made yourself another Percy to have him for yourself. Correct me when I'm wrong, please."

"You are wrong", countered Nico, returning the glare. "I did this, because I couldn't stand to see even a part of Percy in pain. So I saved Perseus. That he... That he returns my feelings is certainly a bonus and I'm grateful for it, but I didn't do this for my own sake. I did it for Percy's sake."

Paul stared intensely at Nico, trying to figure out if what he said was true, or if there had been an ulterior motive. Then again, he remembered the boy who had traveled here to tell Percy about the Achilles heel just to keep him safe during the Titan War. What Nico felt for Percy wasn't simply lust, it was a deeply rooted kind of love. Relaxing a little, Paul turned his focus onto Percy and the other Percy. He was really an other kind of Percy. Not just from their looks, but also from their behavior. When Paul watched them, he felt as though Perseus tried to shield Percy. To protect him.

"You're not here to ask us if Percy's new twin-brother can live here", stated Paul slowly.

"No, we're not", admitted Nico, shifting a little nervously. "We're... We're here because we want to ask you if Percy can live with Perseus and me. I think... We think the change in scenery may be what Percy needs right now. And I think that Perseus may at this point be the only one who can really relate to Percy and make him better. I know you two must be worried about Percy too."

"Of course we are. We're his parents", said Sally, offering the saddest eyes to Percy. "But you won't let anyone come close to you, Percy. Even though we're trying... everything we can..."

"I just don't want to... to drag you down, mom. You've already been through so much because of me", argued Percy upset, his eyes as sad as Sally's. "I'm sorry if I worry you..."

"See and this kind of bullshit is what I want to get out of his head", stated Perseus firmly, holding Sally's gaze. "I thought I was the broken one when I was still alive, but... apparently being alone made me stronger, because I had no other option. While having the others around made Percy draw back so he couldn't accidentally hurt anyone. I want to fix Percy again, mom."

Sally couldn't help herself but cry as she looked at her boys. They were both her son, yet so different. Shaking her head, she stood to cross the floor over to them and pull both boys into a hug.

"I—I don't want to leave you, mom", argued Percy.

"He wouldn't", added Nico solemnly. "He won't leave for good, or for months. I can shadow-travel. He could come and visit you every weekend. I just... want to help him."

Sally pushed Percy and Perseus off at arm's length and looked at them. When she saw them together like that, she could believe that maybe Perseus could help Percy. And helping Percy was all she wanted. He was her only child, after all – well, not anymore, apparently.

"You don't have to come over every weekend", whispered Sally with a strained smile. "Spending every free day with old folks like us isn't exactly what you teenagers prefer doing, mh? I want for Percy to... find a life of his own. But you'll visit at least one weekend a month!"

"Of course", nodded Nico hastily, smiling relieved.

"Can I... come visit too, then?", asked Perseus slowly, shyly.

He may see them as his parents, but he was still afraid that to them, he was just a clone of sorts. What if they only wanted Percy and didn't need him? Didn't want him? The thought made him bite his lips. This time it was Percy squeezing his hand reassuringly, rubbing it with his thumb.

"What a silly question, Perseus", chided Sally, cupping his cheek. "You're my son too."

He collapsed against her in relief. This was it. Nico had accepted him, their friends had accepted him, their parents had accepted him. He felt like he had just gotten his existence validated, in a way.

"You will watch out for both of them", warned Paul, frowning as he glared at Nico.

The son of Hades smiled wryly. He was only close to sixteen, both Percy and Perseus were nearly eighteen. If anything, the two sons of Poseidon should be the ones watching out. But then again, he had been the more mature one since he was eleven. So he nodded obediently in agreement.

"We're not living alone", added Perseus, looking from Nico to his parents. "Reyna and Annie – that's Annabeth's shadowself – will be living with us too. Reyna is very responsible and she's starting college soon. And well, you know Annabeth."

"Between the three of them, Percy and Perseus will be in good hands", chuckled Sally fondly.

Perseus grinned and blushed a little at that. At the simple fact that his mom wanted him in good hands too, not just Percy. He felt like this was the start of something utterly amazing.

/break\

Packing Percy's belongings – at least those necessary for now – was done fast. And after a whistle from Nico, their personal moving truck in the form of a happy hellhound arrived and was loaded with the suitcases. Percy was happy to see his pet again and even happier when Nico told him that in New Rome, Mrs. O'Leary could live with them. That hadn't been possible in New York due to limited space and too many mortals. Unpacking Percy's things however was a fight.

"Percy. You're staying in our room. I thought that much was kind of obvious during lunch", grunted Nico displeased, glaring at the stubborn son of Poseidon. "The guestroom is kind of occupied by two stubborn lesbians, if I need to remind you of that."

"Don't let them hear you call them stubborn lesbians", warned Perseus with a grin.

"I've been protesting to this all day, if I need to remind you", argued Percy irritated. "I'm not going to impose on your relationship. You chose Perseus. You're his shot at happiness. I won't take that from him. I'm not gonna destroy that by... by being here... I destroy things."

"You're awfully melodramatic", sighed Perseus annoyed and rolled his eyes. "Nico. Tell him."

"You are awfully melodramatic", agreed Nico before being nudged in the ribs by Perseus. "Ouch. Percy, you're not imposing. I love you. I love Perseus and I love you. Perseus and I, we can be your shot at happiness, if you'd only allow us to. Please stop pushing us away. It's futile. We won't back down. I'm done running for good. I'll fight for what I want, for my happiness. And you two, you're my happiness. So you better get used to us, because we're here to stay."

Before Percy could start another protest, Nico captured his lips in their first kiss. Percy stiffened at first, frozen in surprise. And then he melted into the embrace and the kiss. Nico grinned into the kiss as he adjusted Percy to carry him over to the bed. There, he found himself curled together against Nico, with Perseus being fast to snuggle up to his back and wrap his arms around Percy's waist.

"You're ours now and we won't let you get hurt", whispered Perseus softly. "We won't let you hurt yourself anymore either. You're not alone. You have us. We won't let you hide anymore."

Percy just hummed, not answering, instead enjoying this feeling of safety and home and warmth.

/break\

Perseus and Nico had been right. Half a year after moving in with them, Percy was ready to admit that. He had dragged himself to Camp-Half-Blood every weekend, he had tortured himself with memories and he virtually hadn't been able to move on. Not on his own. New Rome was not a completely new start – which would have been a bad idea because he didn't do too well with losses and that way, he would have lost the ties to his friends. Now he just had a different setting, a different pace and routine. A new chance, but not a completely fresh start. The five of them had worked out a good routine and a perfect way around their house together. Percy was visiting high school together with Leo, Perseus and Annie – due to the fact that Perseus and Annie had missed so much from the school year by being in Tartarus and Percy had missed so much by having been abducted by Hera so they had all been held back a year. It was great, going to school with his friends. Not having to explain himself to mortals. Not having to fear for a monster attack.

And he was happy with Nico and Perseus. They cared for him and kept saying silly, sweet things to ensure that he may realize that he was special and good. The jury was still out on that one, but Percy appreciated the sweet words nonetheless. They cuddled a lot. Nico cooked for them and the five of them had real family-like dinners together, sharing about their days, talking about their feelings. The evenings were often spend in front of the TV together, until the girls split to read some – a passion Reyna and Annie shared. Percy would go on walks with Mrs. O'Leary, or swimming with Perseus, he'd hang out with Frank and Leo a lot too. He was more grounded again.

All of that thanks to Perseus and Nico. His boyfriends. The thought still send a broad smile onto Percy's lips. He loved them. He had tried to fight it for months, but he loved them. And they loved him. The problem was that there was nothing more but cuddling and kissing happening between them. He knew why. Perseus had elaborately apologized to Percy about that first day – not that it had been necessary. After all, Percy had felt the same way. After having been separated for a whole year, the urge to be as physically close as possible had been too strong to deny. Percy wasn't the kind of guy to jump into bed before the first date. Neither was Perseus. Now Perseus felt like he had forced himself onto Percy, apparently. And he seemingly had shared those fears with Nico, who was all in for not pressuring Percy and giving him enough space. After six months, Percy didn't want any more space. Whenever he found himself alone at home – rare occasions that – he'd masturbate in the shower, thinking about the way Perseus had made him feel, how he had dominated him, made Percy call him 'sir' and beg for things. It got him off better than any porn could.

"Okay, what are you up to, Percy?", asked Annie skeptically, straightening her beautiful dress.

Percy had made them dress up and had made her and Reyna a reservation at a restaurant. Now he was pushing both girls toward the door. Nico and Perseus were still out, groceries shopping.

"I just...", started Percy awkwardly, blushing a little. "I'd like some alone-alone time with Perseus and Nico tonight. And I thought you could use a... uh... date-night too, right?"

Reyna raised one curious eyebrow as she watched Percy. "Well, how about we take Mrs. O'Leary to go and see a movie with Annabeth and Piper after dinner? They're currently visiting your parents."

"Yes, it'd be great to see Bobby and Matt again", agreed Annie. "So we'll be gone for the weekend."

Unlike Annabeth, Annie got along wonderfully with her two younger stepbrothers. The way Reyna winked at him told Percy that the girls knew exactly why they were giving them the house for the weekend. Percy would be more embarrassed about it if he wouldn't be so incredibly horny though.

He rushed upstairs to the bathroom to get himself ready. Today, he'd be perfect for them and they wouldn't be able to resist him any longer. An hour later, he doubted if waxing his legs really had been a necessary step for that, because it hurt like a bitch. Another ten minutes later, when he stood in front of the full-length mirror with nothing but blue lacy panties on, he knew it was worth the pain. He looked hot and cute at the same time and he knew both Nico and Perseus liked that about him. It was only slightly embarrassing to wear girl's underwear, mainly he just enjoyed the material against his skin. He jumped slightly when the door suddenly opened and all he could do was stare doe-eyed at the mirror-image of Perseus and Nico, both looking equally started.

"I actually wanted to chide you for ignoring us when we called out that we're back home and that you can help put the groceries away, but right now I couldn't care less about groceries", stated Nico slowly, drinking in the sight of Percy down to cute panties. "Are you busy? Are we interrupting?"

"A—Actually kinda yeah", nodded Percy, a blush lighting up his face. "I wanted to take some more minutes to mentally prepare myself and chose what to say to you two. Damn it."

"I think your attire speaks more than a thousand words", grunted Perseus. "And all are naughty."

Percy's blush darkened as Perseus and Nico stalked up to him like two predators. "I—I just want you to stop being so... so damn considerate. I liked what you did to me the first day I was here, Perseus. And... And I love the cuddling and the dates and all the cheesy cuteness too, but... but I want more. I'm ready for more. I've tried being subtle about it by pressing my ass to your groins every chance I got, but gods, you two are more oblivious than they say about me!"

"We... assumed that was unintentional", muttered Nico awkwardly, blushing himself. "We must have misread those situations... badly. We're sorry. Really. How can we make it up to you?"

Percy grinned broadly, lower lip caught by his teeth. "I want both of you inside of me. At the same time. I want you to... uh... to double me. Not like one fucks me and I blow the other, but... uh..."

"You want both our dicks up your ass", supplied Perseus, torn between amused and aroused. "You are so cute when you try being seductive like that, you know that, right?"

"Oh, shut up!", huffed Percy annoyed and embarrassed, arms crossed over his chest.

"Now, now, my pet. Is that any way to talk to your master?", chided Perseus as he pulled Percy up against his chest by hooking his fingers into the panties. "You said you liked what I did to you, mh? Then let's continue on that merry note, because I've been dying to repeat that experience. You will be a good boy and do as Nico and I tell you to. No protests. And you will refer to Nico and me as your masters while we... play. If you really don't want something, use your safeword. Say 'seashell' and we'll stop. Playtime will be over when Nico or I say 'end of session'. Otherwise, we're going to ravish you right now. Now, tell me you understand all of that, Percy."

"I do... uh... Master Perseus", mumbled Percy, cheeks dusted pink again.

"Good boy", praised Perseus and kissed Percy's neck. "Undress us, my pet."

Nico cocked one eyebrow in amusement as he let Percy undress them. He had to admit, he loved seeing Perseus taking charge like that. And their panties-clad sub was very alluring too. Once Percy was done undressing them, Nico saw that Percy was apparently internally debating something.

"What is it, Percy?", asked Nico softly, tilting Percy's chin up. "Go on. Tell us."

"I just thought... I was mouthing off there and maybe... I should be... uh... punished for it..."

Perseus laughed softly as he saw Percy's beet-red face. "Someone wants a spanking. Nico?"

Nico chuckled amused as he sat down on the bed and patted his lap. "Should have figured. Perseus enjoys his spankings way too much too. Lay down. Let's say... fifteen, for being cheeky."

"Yes, Master Nico", nodded Percy eagerly, biting his lip so hard, he nearly drew blood.

He had wanted to experience this for a while now, but never felt comfortable enough to actually ask for it. Or had anyone to share this with in general. He took a shaky breath as Nico rubbed his ass in a soothing manner. When the hand left him, he braced himself for what was about to come. He yelped when the first slap hit his butt. It felt a little strange. The second stung a bit. The third send a thrill through him. By the seventh, he was moaning. His skin felt heated, sensitive. He jumped at every following hit, but still found himself leaning in, silently begging for more. This was addictive.

"I think our pet took his first spanking very well", praised Perseus afterward, kissing Percy softly.

He also handed the lube over to Nico. While watching the show, he had already lubed his aching erection up and while he was now kissing Percy, Nico lubed himself up. They teamed up on Percy to prep their sub though, both pushing prodding fingers into his tight entrance, stretching and pulling and preparing him for what was about to come. Percy was a panting and whimpering mess. After the intense spanking now all the attention to his entrance and the distracting kisses, it was a lot to take in. When he started to buck his hips needfully, Perseus and Nico exchanged an smirk over his shoulder. Nico was behind him, holding onto Percy's waist, while Perseus pried his legs apart. Percy held onto Perseus' neck, taking slow breaths as Nico eased his way in. Perseus joined him all too soon, knowing that Percy liked the pain. He smirked when the boy in the middle gave a hiss that soon turned into a wanton moan. They started off with a vigorous pace right from the beginning, firing away against Percy's prostate until the poor boy was completely incoherent due to the over-stimulation. Perseus kissed him passionately, hands running over Percy's torso, while Nico jerked Percy off with slow, shallow movements until their sub came into Nico's hand.

"Sh, pet, just a little longer", whispered Nico soothingly as he noted Percy's exhaustion.

Percy whimpered, throwing his head back and resting it against shoulder as he let his two lovers build up their own orgasms and come deep inside of him. He felt completely wrecked from the spanking and the extreme stretch of two cocks inside his hole. They slowly pulled out of him and laid him out on the bed before practically showering him with kisses and praises.

"You take two cocks considerably better than I would have thought", whispered Perseus teasingly.

"Session's over, for today", murmured Nico against Percy's skin. "And you did so well."

"But we'll do this again tomorrow, right?", asked Percy hopeful. "With more orders and more naught, right? Because Annie and Reyna left to visit Annie's family for the weekend..."

"Oh, then we're definitely going to do this again tomorrow. And every other chance we get", laughed Perseus as he pulled Nico into a kiss above Percy. "Don't we have the cutest sub, love?"

"I do have the cutest subs", agreed Nico with a teasing smirk. "We haven't played in a while either."

Perseus blushed as he laid down and snuggled up to Percy like he was trying to hide. Percy smiled, completely content. This was how life was supposed to be. Utterly perfect.

~*~ The End ~*~