Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Percy Jackson or Heroes of Olympus series, or related characters.

Tumblr Prompt, "Nico di angelo/Jason grace with "Don't go." Please (▰˘◡˘▰)"

This was an unusual prompt, seeing as, well... I've never read the Second set of books.

So basically what you are about to read is based off of what I remember of Nico from the books, and what I could glean about Jason Grace from the PJO wiki page. Hope I came close.

~*Betwixt Heaven & Hell*~

~)0(~

.

The early morning breeze caught at the edge of his clothes and raked gentle fingers through his dark hair as the Child of Death waited patiently for sunrise to bless the world with light once again…

It was somewhat ironic, really.

Everything he was, the powers that fuelled his existence… they craved the darkness, the shadows, the morbid… but, ever since meeting a certain blonde Roman demigod, everything had changed.

Whenever he was in the other's presence, he craved the light, the radiance that was Jason Grace; something he should never have allowed himself, not with their fathers still feuding.

But… he couldn't help himself… the admiration changed from a need to be noticed, to gain the attention of this leader-type, to something else. That something else had manifested itself in a series of embarrassing events involving utterly uncharacteristic clumsiness and babbling in Jason's presence…

Unfortunately, Jason also wasn't as dense as Nico probably would have liked in this instance… watching every instance with a knowing smirk that made him want to slap it off… or use other, slightly less violent methods to remove it…

He knew.

He'd always known.

Those brilliant eyes always subtly searching the shadows at the edges of camp to find the raven-haired Child of Hades, knowing that he was there and not saying anything to discourage it.

Technically he was older than everyone in the Camps… Nico knew this, but yet also younger, thanks to his Father's interventions to circumvent that nasty little rule about not siring any more Big Three sproglings. It left an uneasy wiggle in his stomach, like this was wrong somehow… and he supposed that perhaps in some manner it was.

It was in such a moment of self-doubt, internal questioning that he blinked and found the object of his interest mere inches from his face, smiling as Nico floundered backwards in surprise only to find the harsh walls of Cabin One forcing him to stand in place.

"Hey…" Jason had said, just one single word. The heat had flushed to Nico's cheeks, and he pulled the shadows about himself to try and disguise it, finding no voice in which to reply.

Like always, Jason seemed to understand, and spoke for the both of them… "I know you've been watching me, and it's okay… I can only imagine how lonely it must be to do nothing but dwell in the shadows all the time." the blonde moved closer now, "but… it's alright… to come into the light on occasion…"

With one more tentative movement, he'd pressed their lips together, and sealed a silent pact from that moment onwards… even as disapproving lightning flashed in the sky and the ground rumbled ominously.

~)0(~

It had started with that kiss.

One little action had changed everything, completely.

But, like everything good in his life, this too could not last overlong… he was a child of darkness, of death, of destruction and shadows. It wasn't even just teenage angst, in all honesty… it was literal, and his Father, Hades, held sway over all those things, over his entire being…

And Hades was angry.

Not at the boy thing, of course… because that would be hypocritical… it was more the 'you just had to go for the son of Zeus, didn't you?' bit that was causing some thunder down under.

~)0(~

"You could stay… you know…" said that familiar voice in a way that tore at his heartstrings. The dark-haired youth found he couldn't turn around to face him, or he would lose his nerve.

A singular tear coursed down his cheek before evaporating into dark shadows as he clenched both teeth and fists. "You know I can't, Jason… please, don't ask me again, I'm leaving for us. My Father will find a way to get to you if I don't… because he's sick of Zeus taking pot-shots at me with his lightning and wants a little revenge."

Warm, was the hand that enclosed his own, and he glanced down at it… marvelling over the contrast. He had always had skin that seemed sickly-pale, almost translucent… Jason radiated life and light from every pore. It only seemed to confirm that they were too different, that this was far too wrong to ever be allowed…

"I'll ask him to stop, please Nico, just stay with me… we'll work it out, you know I lo-…"

Nico whirled about and cut off those beautiful, poisoned words, with a kiss; hearing them pierced his heart, anchored him to this place, to this person, and he could not allow it.

This was his sacrifice, this was the one he could make for Jason… another would take his place, and the demigod would be happy again in time. It was not Nico's place to be happy, to be loved… he had to be selfless just this once more…

He cupped that handsome face, gazing feverishly at it just one more time… just once more… committing the vision to memory, before stepping away.

"I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry… you'll find someone else and be happy again one day, it's better this way… forgive me, if you ever can, but I do this for you." Nico whispered hoarsely, staring directly into the tear-filled eyes of Jason Grace as his body slowly shifted into streams of black shadow and blew away on the morning breeze just as the first light of dawn peered over the rim of the world.

Leaving one heartbroken demigod to fall to his knees in place, hand outstretched to grasp the nothing that remained… and the echo of hollow words ringing on the breeze…

.

"Please… don't go… I love you…"

~)0(~

The End