Despite everyone exhausted from the battle earlier, everyone is in high spirits, celebrating over their victory.

But above all, celebrating their new praetor, Percy Jackson, and his companions, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang. After the entire legion was given the night off, the three of them decide to go to New Rome. Percy is a little stunned that, even though the city still hasn't recovered from the battle, all the fires are put out, the debris have been swept away and all the people are still obviously in the party mood.

They are greeted with Terminus and Julia, both wearing party hats and a good mood. The god gives them passage into the city and they all just kind of wandered around aimlessly until Percy announces that he's tired, receiving protests from Frank and Hazel. But even he knows they want some alone time together. So Percy just kinds of drifts away, letting himself walk back to Camp Jupiter. However, on his way there, he finds a familiar dark figure, staring into the Field of Mars.

Percy's strength comes back to him as he lunges at him.

"I have a bone to pick with you, di Angelo!"

Nico turns around, looking a little stunned at Percy, but quickly backs away when he sees Percy isn't in the jovial mood.

"I see you got your memory back."

"Dang right I got my memory back. Why in Zeus' name would you pretend you didn't know me earlier?!"

"My dad told me to! It's not like I had say in it, Percy!"

Percy kicks some dirt away. Gods, he says like a curse word. Why were gods always like that?!

"I'm sorry, Percy," Nico says, it's softer but it's still guarded.

Percy gives one hard laugh, lacking any sort of humor in it. "Eight months, Nico. I was robbed of eight months in my life just because Hera wanted me to switch places with Jason Grace."

"I know. I get it. I-"

Nico is cut off when Percy just slams him backward into a tree and crashes his lips to a wide-eyed Nico. It's only a few seconds later when he finally gives in and melts into the kiss. It's like his own body goes autopilot when one hand clamps itself to Percy's hair and the other curls behind Percy's lower back, as if the already closed space between them isn't close enough.

When they pull back, it's just for the lack of oxygen.

They're panting and they're looking at each other with their foreheads pressed together and they just stay like that for what seems like hours.

Nico doesn't stay and wait for the the group from Camp Half-Blood to come. He leaves Percy before dawn to track down the Doors of Death.

Just when Percy finally got game, his new boyfriend (yes, they became official some time in the night) just leaves.

Hey, he's not being bitter or anything. He understands why Nico has to do his thing. But still, it's these moments he wishes he isn't a demigod.

"What?" Percy chokes, his eyes widening.

"He fell into Tartarus. And..." Hazel squeezes her eyes shut. "And I saw him in a dream. He's been captured by giants."

No...

Percy is frantic as he thinks of plans on how to get Nico back.

The others sense this and it's Annabeth who puts her hand on his shoulder and says, "We'll get him back, Percy."

When Jason, Percy and Piper are faced with Otis and Ephialtes, the twin giants born to oppose Dionysus or Bacchus, Percy sees Nico in what Hazel called a death trance and it's all the motivation he needs to beat the punks who kidnapped his boyfriend.

After they were able to save Nico from the giants with little to no help from Bacchus, Percy won't let go of Nico's hand.

Nico decides to rest a little bit, maybe at least fifteen minutes, after telling the passengers on the Argo II about the information he has on the Doors of Death. Percy is still with him, refusing to leave his side. Nico doesn't mind. He curls up next to Percy, holding on to his shirt as tightly as he could.

"Thanks," Nico mutters, already half asleep.

"For what?"

"For helping me get through Tartarus. I don't think I would have survived if..."

And Nico falls asleep. Percy brings him closer to his chest, never wanting to let go of this moment.

The plan to rescue Annabeth goes on smoothly. The whole roof goes ka-boom and they manage to load the Athena Parthenos into the ship.

But as Annabeth is climbing back into the ship, a thread entangles itself onto Annabeth's ankle, almost making her fall into Tartarus. Luckily, Percy is able to catch her wrist in a nick of time. Annabeth doesn't fall, but Percy isn't able to pull themselves up.

Percy looks up and sees Nico, desperate to hauler them back into the Argo II, but Nico can't reach Percy's hand.

"Percy, let me go," Annabeth croaks. "You can't pull us up."

Percy grunts and he can feel his heart race faster. He knows it. He can't pull Annabeth up.

"Never," he insists, his grip on her gets tighter. Percy looks up at Nico, still doing everything he can think of to get Percy onboard. "The other side, Nico. We'll see you there. Understand?"

Nico goes white.

"But-"

"Lead them there! Promise me!"

"But Percy, I can't-"

"Promise me."

"I... I will."

"Just like old times, eh, Annabeth?"

"You're still an idiot, Seaweed Brain."

Percy, despite looking weak, bloody and scraped, his hair filled with dust and cobwebs, still manages to give Nico a small smile. And in that moment, Percy has never looked more handsome in Nico's eyes. "I love you, lover boy. See you soon."

Then Percy lets go of the ledge, holding onto his best friend, and together, they fall into the dark abyss below them.

Nico doesn't know what to do, what to say or what to think.

Percy and Annabeth just willingly allowed themselves into Tartarus. His Percy could...

No. Percy is going to live. Percy is the most powerful demigod he has ever known. And with Annabeth with him, he knows Percy is going to survive the horrors that await them there.

There's just on thing that bothers him.

Percy told him he loves him for the first time, and Nico didn't even have the chance to say it back.

Tartarus is, true to its name, hell.

Percy and Annabeth try to weave their way through with the help of Bob, but it just seems impossible.

But Percy has to live through it.

He made Nico promise that they'll see each other soon. And it's a promise that keeps him going.

"She's friendly," Percy says, his voice makes the others gawk at him, as if realizing for the first time that they had actually rescued him and Annabeth.

"Dude!" Jason gives Percy a bear hug.

"Back from Tartarus!" Leo whoops. "That's my peeps!"

Piper throws her arms around Annabeth and cried.

When the rest finally greeted the two with such, Nico finally get his chance and he brings Percy in a tight embrace. He pulls back after approximately two seconds later and gives Percy a quick but passionately kiss. He looks straight into Percy's eyes, noting just how green they are and how haunted they look, and says, "I love you, too."

Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave a review.