Story im trying out, Nico/Percy, dont like dont read, first slash, etc. Review if you like. Um, slow updates. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.

If I had known this was how my life would end, I might have tried to die sooner. I'd much rather die heroically, or even in my sleep when I was old and withering.

Certainly not by losing a fight to a single hellhound, and falling a twenty foot drop into a green little meadow while nobody knew where I was.

Sure, it was a really pretty green meadow and yeah, if I crawled about ten yards to my right I'd get to a little stream that would cure me, but I didn't want to.

Suddenly, I realized that I wanted to die. I know what you're going to say, and no, I haven't hit my head too hard on my way down; although I'm pretty sure the warm liquid leaking down my forehead wasn't bird poop or honey. That was blood and it was my blood.

So much had happened in the last month that I really no longer cared all that much to stay alive. The reason I hadn't offed myself was because there were people who still cared. I didn't, but they did, and we all know I'm a loyal idiot.

So, where was I? Oh, yeah, dying.

Even in hopes that a monster would finish me this month, I'd hoped it be public and worthy and not this painful. And that it wouldn't involve breaking all the bones in my body with a 20 foot drop. I could certainly live – I mean die – without that.

But this just wasn't my month according to the fates. First, after we won the Giant war, I came back home just to spend the entire year catching up with all my schoolwork. Then that winter break after the war I came home to find that my mom was pregnant. Yes, I know your probably thinking that's awesome, and yeah, it was. I was going to be a big brother. Paul's parents who lived in Orlando, Florida invited us to visit them that summer. Since I had camp and wasn't air travel friendly, I was to stay in New York. So they left the day after I went to camp.

They were coming back on June 20th and time passed incredibly fast. That day, Leo, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, and I all went to the airport to pick them up. The rest of the seven had all met my parents only a week after the war was won. Annabeth drove the Camp van and I drove Paul's car. We sat in the waiting area looking at the news that played on the television.

And we waited. The plane hadn't come yet after 2 hours of waiting. I got pretty pissed off with the manager until out of nowhere a huge shadow fell over the sky. The airplane with my mom, Paul, and my baby sister crashed into another plane on the landing field. According to American Eagle Airlines, a thunder storm had hit them on their way into New York and the Pilot had been electrocuted. The co-pilot panicked and barely managed to avoid crashing into the airport.

I remember running to the now broken huge glass windows of the waiting room and looking at the damage, watching it all explode. I remember Annabeth crying as she hugged me. I remembered hearing Leo saying that it might not be them; Jason's eyes widening when he heard of the thunder storm; Piper's sobs.

I remembered putting all my grief into hunting down Nico to say goodbye to my parents. I remember trying to write a damn eulogy when all I could do was get the paper wet as my ADHD acted up horribly. I remember the huge Tsunami that hit all of the east coast; Paul's parents hugging me; Annabeth finishing my eulogy; Piper holding my hand; Thalia shedding a single tear as I hugged her; Leo not knowing what to say; Frank standing firmly under the weight of the casket; Jason's poker face never breaking; Nico putting a small hand on my shoulder as if he was seventeen and I was fifteen; The man in a black suit with green eyes and black hair placing a flower on my mom's chest.

And I realize that thinking about it had made the blood on my face wet with tears. That wasn't the best combination. The worst part was that it was only the beginning of my horrible summer. July 2nd, when the funeral was finally over, I'd returned to camp trying not to think that it was lucky I'm almost 18 or I'd be put into the foster system. Annabeth never left my side anymore. And I don't think I could have lived through it without her. But the next year would be our Senior year, and I didn't even want to think about that. On Firework night I went to the beach with Annabeth, but half of me wasn't really there.

I left camp that weekend and went to visit Olympus without Annabeth. I met Athena there and asked for her daughter's hand in marriage. She gave me a week worth of tasks to complete in which I did. She gave me a ring made of celestial bronze with an emerald on it. "What do you want engraved?" she had asked me. I told her to write Always – Seaweed Brain. She rolled her eyes but complied.

It seemed that in the week I was away Annabeth had been very busy. I came back on July 11th very late so at midnight, I decided to sneak into the Athena cabin and wake Annabeth up. She'd been so surprised and happy and we spent the night at the lake eating horrible blue cupcakes and I felt good; I'd missed being happy. At dawn, when we stared up at the rising sun I said there was something I needed to ask her. She said there was something she needed to say too. I let her go first.

"Percy, I was offered a full scholarship to Harvard this week." she said.

"That great! At least you know where you're going after high school." I had said, my happy state not bothered by her glum face.

"That's the thing Percy. It's for next year. I'm skipping my senior year and moving to a Harvard dormitory after camp this summer. I already said yes. It all happened so fast. They called me this weekend and I - Percy?" Annabeth noticed my face suddenly downcast.

I looked up at her eyes, my face resembling a broken baby seal. "You- you accepted without asking me?"

"I didn't know where you were and honestly, this opportunity is too good to pass up. Percy, I love you, that doesn't change. We can make this work." She looked at me pleadingly, hoping I'd accept it and move on. But I didn't.

"How? I can't just get up and move - Paul would have wanted me to finish up in Goode. I don't have the grades to get into Harvard. I thought. I thought we were going to New Rome. You said that's what we would do. Remember?"

"Percy, things change, and it's not like I can just refuse a completely arranged for scholarship." Annabeth told me in a are you stupid voice.

"You could have waited. You could have asked me." I said quietly.

"But I thought you'd want me to follow my dreams! You and I both survived this long in the mortal world, and if that's what's bothering you then it shouldn't. I can protect myself." Annabeth's voice had slowly elevated and their was a flare of temper in her words.

"What about our dreams Annabeth? My dreams! Your fatal flaw is clouding your judgment." My voice escalated on its own accord. We had been sitting but Annabeth stood up and I ignored how pretty she looked against the pink sky.

"The only thing, clouding my judgment, is you!" She shouted, suddenly angry at me.

I stood up, dusting myself off and taking the ring out of my pocket.

"Me? I'm the problem? So much for always, huh?" I gave her the ring case forcefully. She gasped when she saw what it was.

"Percy, I'm sorry-"

"No, Annabeth I'm sorry. I really am sorry for being such a problem. Take the ring. I don't need it anymore." I was about to stalk away when I heard a sniffling and saw Annabeth shed a tear behind me.

"Goodbye Annabeth."

So yeah… That's how that went down. Nope, Tartarus can't break us but Harvard did it in a series of 10 minutes. I had considered apologizing plenty of times. But I always apologize. It was her turn. And a restless night turned into a week and I found that I only had my friends left. Word of our break up spread quickly but nobody knew why. I didn't tell anyone why either.

Murphys law seemed to stand out as my situation only got worse. On July 19th, a Friday, our capture the Flag game took a twist for the worst. Miranda Gardner had been stabbed in the back on my side of the field. We got her enough ambrosia and nectar so that she wouldn't die, but we still wanted to know who did it. When the blade was removed from poor Miranda's back, everyone's, mine included, eyes widened as Riptide of all blades was revealed. Immediately, all the eyes looked to me as my hand looked for the pen in my pocket.

"I -I didn't. You can't believe that I- I wouldn't!" as everyone still stared at me, I tried my best not to cry. I turned my back and ran. Ran until I encountered Grover wandering in the woods. Grover asked me what was wrong and I told him everything. I hadn't seen him in 6 months. Grover hugged me as I cried. Then, a hell hound appeared out of nowhere and scratched Grover's arm. I pushed Grover out of the way and here I am.

Wanting to die. I didn't have parents. I didn't have a girlfriend. The camp thought I'd tried to commit murder. I couldn't protect my friends. And I was dying in a pretty little green meadow with nothing better to do than recount all my horrible memories. All the people I'd let down. All the people who died because of me. The people who almost did too.

Getting tired of my emotional turmoil, I sighed, my lungs straining against the movement. Why wasn't I dead already?

Out of nowhere, a black figure tumbled into the meadow. For a second, I thought it was the hellhound, shadow traveling to finish me off, but no. It was Nico di Angelo.

The boy stumbled a bit before opening his eyes and shaking his head a bit and looking around. He yawned, his eyes trailing until they were suddenly on mine, alert.

"Percy!"

But I couldn't really hear him, because I was about to black out. Yes, my body is choosing now to die – when something good happens. Not that the boy who hates me for letting his sister die coming to my rescue was any good.

"Percy, Holy Hades, what in Poseidon's name happened to you?" Nico had rushed over and was kneeling down next to me now.

I figured I didn't exactly look pretty. I knew I had blood on my face, and a bone or two sticking out in the wrong way. "I honestly. . .doubt," I paused to cough up some blood. "Hades is. . .all that. . .holy."

Nico's eyes widened but he didn't respond, he probably felt that I was dying. Quietly, he put his arms under my armpits, making me whimper in pain.

"Nico," I gasped, blood spitting on his black shirt. "What–?"

I couldn't say anything else because a horrible feeling of pain overpowered my senses, making me unable to do anything but bite my lip and scream. "Ni–"

The 14 year old glared at me. "Shut up and don't die."

I shut up.

But the pain didn't stop. I wanted to know what Nico was doing. I couldn't see anything but rather horrible black spots that clouded my vision. It felt worse than in Tartarus when I almost died.

But suddenly, my head was wet. I thought it was blood, cause really, I didn't have all that much of it in my body. It wasn't blood though, because blood loss didn't make my vision clear, water did.

And soon I was completely under. I saw black jean cladded legs standing in the soft current. I closed my eyes.

Im really sorry if this sux, I didn't proof read, but PLEASE review if you want another update, im slow. Lol. If u read my other stories u know. And reading HOH will be updated in Feb. Sorry. The exchange student will be rewritten in the summer. You Read my mind, I have no idea, sorry. Truth or dare? Not lkely. Heheh, I love u guys.

Love,

Vickydd