Monster Donuts
Disclaimer: I do not own Rick Riordan's series or characters, but merely the ideas of this fan fiction.
As dawn arrived, the son of Hades awoke from his slumber, and tumbled out of his coffin-like bed. He dragged himself to the bathroom and splashed frigid water onto his delicate, pale face. Nico had recovered quite well from constant shadow traveling; he was no longer scrawny and color was returning to his skin. Of course, Nico had always had a slender physique, but now he appeared more balanced.
Admiring his reflection in the mirror, Nico compared his own body to the image of Percy his mind had formulated. He imagined Percy's lean, muscular arms holding him a gentle embrace. All of these years that Nico had known the son of Poseidon, he yearned for even the slightest bit of affection. Now he had a chance; try being friends Percy had said to him. Before eagerly heading outdoors, the son of Hades donned his favorite attire: a simple black T-shirt, black jeans, and naturally, his silver skull ring.
"One hundred forty-eight…forty-nine…one hundred…FIFTY!" Percy Jackson collapsed after completing his final set of push-ups; he was exhausted and drenched in sweat. Six deep breaths later, Percy stood up and practically lunged himself into the shower. Likewise, the refreshing liquid invigorated him as he continued cleansing his body. After standing in the flowing water for another six minutes, Percy finally shut off the showerhead. Yesterday…Nico…said he 'loved' me…does…does that mean-? THUD! Lost in his thoughts, Percy was completely unaware of his surroundings, and had aimlessly walked straight into the bathroom door. "Ouch!" Percy exclaimed as he massaged his minor head injury. Realizing that it was already 7:10 am, the son of Poseidon quickly finished freshening up and dashed out the door.
Jeez…it's sure bright out today Nico thought as he attempted to shield his eyes from the sunshine. "Sunny day, huh?" Nico heard as the mystery person raised a parasol over his head. "Oh…Solace, it's you…" Nico mumbled. "The one and only! So what's up? You seemed really down yesterday." Will said with a concerned look upon his face. "None of your business" Nico stated bluntly, while pushing away the son of Apollo. Will responded by moving close to the son of Hades and grasping his hands, "Oh, but it's all my business, Nico." Nico shuddered and looked away, uncomfortable from Will's close proximity.
"Hey Nico! And…Will? Hey, what's going on?!" Percy demanded as his tone shifted from cheerful to defensive in a matter of seconds. "Counseling session." Will stated as he immediately let go of Nico's hands and walked away before he could be accused of having ulterior motives. Percy looked at Will with uncertainty, and turned to Nico with a smile, trying to disguise his…jealousy? Nico's face turned the color of scarlet; Percy's smile had always made Nico's insides turn to mush, his gut having the sensation of melting into pudding. The son of Poseidon's gaze did not linger, as something in the sky apparently stole his attention as he mentally shouted, "Yo, BJ! Over here!" "Um Percy, why are you staring at the…" Nico began to say as a winged horse nearly trampled him. The horse's shadow loomed over Nico, making the Ghost King appear downright sinister as he clutched the hilt of his sword instinctively. Percy chuckled as he mounted the winged horse, gesturing for Nico to follow suit. The son of Hades climbed onto the Pegasus, feeling insecure because he did not have fond memories of being up in the air. Percy noticed Nico's uneasiness and said, "When we're flying, you'll have to hold on to me, you know. Or…you could just let yourself fly off and crash to your doom. Whatever floats your boat." The son of Poseidon cleared his throat and then told the winged horse, "Okay Black Jack, you know the route. Onward!"
The Pegasus neighed in agreement and gained the momentum to levitate and soar by running first. Nico reacted to the sudden movements by wrapping his arms around Percy's torso, gripping his shirt tightly in fear of falling off of the mighty steed. Once the trio reached a point of smooth sailing (err flying), Percy noticed that Nico's grip loosened and he asked, "Are you doing okay, Nico?" "Yeah…I'm…I'm totally not afraid of flying, or the winds, or anything…" Nico sounded uncertain and he shifted awkwardly, revealing the possibility that he was not speaking the truth. Percy decided not to press him for details, so he shrugged and continued monitoring Black Jack's navigation.
Suddenly, Percy felt a strong gust of wind and a voice seemed to accompany it, "Well, would you look at this? Nico di Angelo and Perseus Jackson, together." A man materialized out of thin air, and sat behind the son of Hades. Nico's eyes were as wide as saucers as he stuttered, "F-Favonius? What are you doing here? Where is…Cu-…where is your master?" Percy interrupted Nico's interrogation and demanded, "Wait…who are you? Introduce yourself and state your reason for being here!" The man laughed and raised his hands in surrender, "Chill, son of Poseidon. I'm Favonius, the god of the West Wind. Your pal here, Nico, has met me before. In fact, last time we met, Jason witnessed Nico at his most vulner-…" The son of Hades clamped his hand over Favonius' mouth to prevent him from saying anything else. "That was the past and it's irrelevant now." Nico said quickly as his eyes darted around fearfully. With burning curiosity, Percy asked, "Wait! I want to know what happened. Please, Nico?"
Nico had reluctantly allowed Favonius to tell the entire story to Percy, leaving Percy feeling guilty and sympathetic for Nico. "So you mean…all this time…" Percy began to say, barely processing the amount of misery the son of Hades must have endured. "Yes…little Nico here had intense feelings for you. I guess you could call it love at first sight. Well, I see that you have arrived at your destination, so I'll be going. Good luck, Nico! And…Percy, don't go back, okay? You know your fatal flaw…that also applies to your love life. Bye!" Favonius told the demigods before leaving.
As Black Jack landed in a deserted parking lot, Nico wondered what Favonius meant about Percy's fatal flaw applying to his romance. Yet, he worried even more about how Percy perceived the story, and thought Percy must think I'm creepy. Frowning as usual, Nico walked with his head down, following Percy into a building. "Hey Nico, you should probably look around. This is a special place." Percy told Nico as he held the door open. The son of Hades raised his head and saw a sign reading Monster Donuts: 'now serving all! Owned by The Friendly Cyclopes'. Nico tilted his head, "What…is this?" Percy smiled and assured Nico, "Just wait and see." The two walked inside the shop and Percy announced, "Tyson! We're here!" Subsequently, a Cyclopes emerged from a door labeled 'Kitchen' and greeted them with a crooked smile. "Brother and his friend Nico arrived as guests! Satyr is not here; I like that satyr is not here! Now, let me serve donuts to the guests." Tyson smiled and led Nico and Percy to the display of pastry selections.
It was now noon and Percy was still undecided on which donut to order; "Chocolate…or strawberry…oh the dilemma!" he cried with distress. "Percy, please! We've been standing here for half an hour waiting for you to order a donut." Nico said, obviously becoming impatient. Percy pouted and complained, "But Nico, I can't decide." The son of Hades' eyebrow began to twitch from irritation, "Okay! I have our solution, you get chocolate, and I'll get strawberry. We can share." Nico growled and slammed five dollars onto the counter. Percy agreed and chuckled, amused at Nico's outburst. The Ghost King tried his best to make an intimidating face, but instead gazed at Percy with ardor. Tyson placed the donuts inside individual bags and gave Nico the remainder of the leftover change. As he always did at eateries, Nico took the coins in his palm and dropped them into the tip jar. Percy commented happily, "Wow Nico, you're actually considerate of the workers." Nico blushed and hid his face by turning his head, and followed Percy to a table.
Nico's hands trembled as he sliced the donuts and divided the portions equally. "Percy…I've waited long enough. What exactly is this place?" After devouring the chocolate half, Percy told Nico, "Once, on an adventure, Tyson discovered this donut shop that served monsters only. Nowadays, Tyson and his brethren own the chains of Monster Donuts. Tyson told me that he wanted to serve all civil people and creatures, so he established some new rules. I thought that you would like it, and honestly, Black Jack deserves his donuts, too." The Pegasus stood outside, neighing excitedly after indulging in multiple boxes of donuts. "That hit the spot, Boss." Black Jack said to Percy, communicating telepathically. Nico's curiosity got the best of him as he asked the son of Poseidon, "Do you actually talk to Black Jack?" Percy nodded and sighed, "Yeah, it's sort of like telepathic communication. But, he always calls me Boss, much to my annoyance." Surprisingly, Nico chuckled and smiled at Percy.
Percy stared back, feeling his face burn and an odd sensation that he only felt around Annabeth before. The son of Poseidon felt the familiar euphoria of romantic feelings; he could sense the 'butterflies' within his stomach and the fast beat of his heart. Nico blinked and looked outside, causing Percy to look down from embarrassment. "We should get going…if we plan on making it in time for dinner at camp." Nico said. "R-right." Percy agreed as he said goodbye to Tyson and led Nico out the door. Once again, the two mounted Black Jack and soared into the air. "I'm going to sleep, if you don't mind." Nico yawned as he wrapped his arms around Percy and nodded off. Percy was happy because Nico was happy, and he smiled at the thought of Nico accompanying him for this date. In reality, the son of Poseidon hoped that Nico thought of it as a date because he tried to make it seem like one. Nico had the strength to endure many years of misery and doubt, yet Percy couldn't even handle the realization of his feelings toward Nico. Percy wondered over and over again, do I…have a crush on Nico…?