Chapter 1: Percy
'You know I have to do this don't you?' I asked softly.
He nodded slowly, tears streaming down his cheeks, his hands clasping mine, refusing to look at me.
'I love you so much Neeks. But because I love you I have to do this.'
As I said it he shook his head furiously desperately trying to make me change my mind.
'If you loved me you wouldn't even think of doing it. I can't just sit here and watch you. You can't. Please'
'Nico… I don't want to. Can't you see that? But I have to. For us. So we can be together'
'But Percy, you might die and I would lose you forever. I can't live without you. You have so much to live for. There's your mum and Annabeth. Grover and Leo. Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Chiron… So many people love you Perce and I'm not ready to let you go yet. Don't leave…'
Before he could say another word I leapt forward and pinned him against the sand, smashing my lips against his. For a minute he lay there just letting me kiss him but after a while he started to kiss back, deeper, licking my lips and asking for entry, tangling his hands in my hair the way he knows I like it. I smiled and pulled away still sitting on him so he couldn't move anywhere. He grabbed at me, trying to pull me back down but I resisted.
'I love you' I said trying to make him forget our previous conversation.
'I know you do' he replied somewhat irritated.
'Let's go out to dinner tonight. Just the two of us.'
'Sounds nice' he growled.
'And afterwards we can go see a movie'
'You're trying to distract me' he remarked.
'Or maybe we could go bowling?'
'Stop trying to distract me.'
'What about ice skating?'
'Stop trying to distract me.'
'Would you prefer a walk around Central Park? It's beautiful at night. If you ignore the weirdos who go there late.'
'Percy, just STOP' he shouted.
I cowered. Nico never shouts unless he's absolutely furious. If he's just angry then he will get quieter but he'll never shout. Especially at me.
'I know you're trying to make me forget but it won't work. You seem to be forgetting that I love you and it's pretty hard to love someone who's been ripped to shreds and scattered around you. You are one of the bravest, strongest people I know and you're a really good fighter. But think about it Perce. Everyone has one thing, one fatal flaw that you can't defeat. And I think this is yours. Better swordsmen than you have fought it and none of them around to tell the tale. You are amazing, beautiful and talented but I'm begging you Percy Jackson. If you do ignore me and fight this monster come back to me in one piece. Or if you really loved me you wouldn't go at all.'
I looked into Nico's eyes and saw the longing for me to stay but I couldn't. This is just one the things I had to do.
'I can't' I whispered.
Nico's onyx eyes flared and I swear for a moment I saw fire in his eyes before I was pushed off and into the water. He stood over me and I finally understood why so many people found him terrifying.
'Then you are dead to me' he said in an emotionless voice and walked back to the cabins and the bonfire where the rest of our friends were singing and having fun. I knew that in a few days time it wouldn't be like that. There would be no singing, only tears. No fire, just emptiness. But I had planned this for so long that I wasn't going to give up now.
A solitary tear slid down my face as I thought of what could have been.
