Sorry for the late post. With doc appointments and my birthday things got a little hectic. I already had this written up, in fact I still have another 20 pages written up besides this. I'm trying to pace the chapters though because I have a hard time sitting still for long, so I want to prolong it so I have more time to write without catching up.
Keeps the pressure off I find.
Anyway! I hope you all enjoy, and as always, I apologise for any spelling mistakes or grammar errors as some things tend to slip past me.
When Nico finally pulled himself out of his deep sleep, he was sickeningly warm.
He blinked his eyes open and yawned. The heat wasn't coming from the room but from the blankets he'd wrapped himself in.
In fact… the blankets were breathing….
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Percy shot up from his arms and looked around. "What? What's going on?"
Nico smacked his arm and pushed him away. "You tell me, I woke up and you were snuggled into me like a freaking baby."
Percy's green eyes narrowed at him. "For your information, Nico, I was sleeping soundly last night when you woke me up cursing at me because I kicked you or something. You demanded to hold onto me from behind so I couldn't kick you anymore. When I tried to refuse you just wrapped me in a blanket and pinned me to the bed and then you fell sleep."
Nico was so tired it took him a while to process this.
"Fuck off, Jackson, I did not."
"Right back at you, di Angelo, you did so."
Nico threw the blankets over him and twisted them around do he couldn't easily escape. And while Percy was trying to free himself, Nico got dressed and grabbed his weapons and took off before he was stopped.
He didn't exactly want to tag along with his friend while he went to have a personal talk with his mother. So it would be best if he entertained himself for now and went to explore his new home.
Once he was sure Percy wouldn't chase after him his stopped only long enough to strap his weapons on and then easily snuck out of the big manor. Not that he needed to sneak, but it would be less bothersome if he didn't run into one to one of three people he had met there.
Being outside on the small mountain overlooking the sea, Nico could see why it was called the Emerald Isles. The water surrounding the island was a bright blue-green color, the same color Percy's eyes tended to be under different light.
"Oh no you don't. You got away from him so you did have to think about him at all."
His eyes followed the path that led down into the small city and all around the surrounding area. There were several grand looking homes, none that really caught his eye though. Percy had said that he didn't have to meet his sister until he wanted to, which meant she lived somewhere else.
He just had to find out where that place was.
Then he could observe her and decide if she really was the bastard daughter of his father.
He picked a place that seemed the likeliest and started toward it. Luckily the sandals he was wearing, along with the lighter clothes kept the heat from baking him. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to the heat here. It wasn't even noon and already the temperature was enough to make you sweat in the shade.
He understood now why Percy's skin was a bronze as it was, it didn't look like they got much rain on the Emerald Isles.
He climbed onto the roof of the manor that he chose and stayed close to the shadows. It was a little ways out of town so there weren't many people watching, which made it easy to move without being spotted.
There was a man inside talking to what must have been his friend. Nico only had to listen to the conversation for a brief moment to know that he was at the wrong place. Percy had said that his sister married a man named Frank, but this man's name was Charles.
"Well I didn't exactly expect to find her the first try; on to the next one."
It was getting close to dinner time before Nico decided that he had had enough for the day. The last manor he was currently checking out had barely a soul in it, just a huge man that looked like he was from one of the oriental continents.
He had slipped into the office on the second floor and had read some of his letters. They said nothing interesting but he did discover that the man's name was Zhang, and that was not even close to Frank. So he left a little bit more irritated than he would have liked.
This manor was in the middle of town so it made it harder so him to get in and out easily. And not only was he not wearing black, but the place was surrounded by people rushing through the streets, trying to get home to their families for dinner.
Nico paused before jumping down into the streets, making sure that everyone in the vicinity was occupied and not paying attention. He hit the ground and stood, walking away at a normal pace so to not draw attention to himself.
"I still got it, even without my magic or assassin gear."
He turned the next corner and headed back in the direction of Percy's home. He didn't want to be late, and he was filthy from all the climbing and crawling he' been doing so he definitely needed a bath.
A young woman stepped in front of him from out of nowhere and pointed a finger at him angrily. "Did you really think you could break into a home in the middle of the day without noticing?"
She was small and very pretty; with curly almost copper hair and dark cocoa skin. She was laughably small standing next to Nico, but Nico actually took a step back from her as she advanced on him.
It wasn't her anger or the way she was looking at him like she was going to kill him; it was her eyes. She had the same golden eyes that his father had had. Her eyes were much brighter of course, filled with a fire and compassion Nico had never seen in his father, but they were still too similar.
"Hazel?"
Her golden eyes widened but she didn't lower her finger. "Do I know you?"
"Uhhh…errr…no." Nico instinctively wanted to run. This is not how he pictured this happening at all. He wanted to sit back and try to figure out if she was what he was looking for. He wanted to know if it was worth building that bridge and bringing up all those memories.
"Oh my gods…" She finally lowered the threatening finger as she seemed to really get a good look at him. "You look just like the man in my mother's painting. You must be…"
"Nico," He offered quietly. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to run or try to fix the situation.
"Nico…di Angelo?" She rolled the name off her tongue, her voice hopeful.
Nico looked to make sure no one was too close to overhear. "Yes, but don't say it too loud, I don't need that information to get out."
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a bemused look. "Oh aren't you mysterious. And why would you be scared of anyone finding out? It's not like—"
"Maybe I just don't want to answer a hundred questions about how…how everything happened." He snapped at her, he didn't mean to, but his family was always a touchy subject. "I just want to be Nico, no one else. I'm not a prince, I'm not a good person, and I don't want the weight of that name dragging me down."
Hazel took his hand in hers and unclenched his fist. He hadn't realized he'd done it, not even when his nails had cut into his palm.
"I'm sorry," she said finally. "I never knew our father; I guess I kind of dissociate myself from the thought of his death. I tend to forget that an entire family was wiped out that night. I'm sorry."
He pulled his hand back and tucked it in his pocket. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize."
She gave him a more cheerful smile. "So I assume because I know your profession that you were breaking into houses all day to try and find me?"
Nico shrugged and said nothing.
"You know," she said grinning at him. "You could have just asked Percy."
"Ididn'twanttoaskPercy," Nico hissed at her.
Her eyes went wide at his sudden mood change but she laughed. "I see that's going well." She took the sleeve of his arm and began leading him back to her home. "Percy told me everything in a letter today, so I guess he knew you were looking for me. I can't believe you two had to get married for that reason, it's a shame it couldn't have happened naturally."
"Naturally?" Nico grumbled at her. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean," Hazel didn't let go of him, even when she had to struggle to pull the door open. It was almost like she was trying to make sure he didn't run away. "It's a shame you two airheads couldn't have fallen in love and gotten married in your own time. It's so obvious that he gets under your skin already. Who's to say it wouldn't have developed further eventually."
"I'd rather be dead honestly," he said as they both entered into the lobby of the building.
She pushed the door closed and then stopped to give him a very pointed look, like she could see right through him.
"You better not be able to read minds too."
He was relieved when her expression didn't change, which meant he was in the clear.
"We're going to go greet Frank upstairs and we're not going to tell him how you broke into our home," she said her voice was very clear and to the point. "And then were going to sit down and talk about everything, because I'm sure you have a lot on your mind."
"I'm not in the clear as much as I thought."
He wouldn't say he wasn't nervous, in fact he was terrified. This was his sister he was talking to. She was tiny and so full of life, and Nico knew that if any of his enemies found out about her she would be dead and Nico could do nothing to stop it.
"Oh and Nico?"
He couldn't react fast enough to dodge her before she had grabbed him in a hug and pulled him as tight as humanly possible.
"It's so very nice to meet you."
With his heart still hammering and his fear turning his blood cold in his veins, he still managed to put his arms around her. She was so warm and so alive, and she was solid, nothing like the ghosts of his past.
"It's…nice to meet you to, Hazel."
As it turned out, the one letter Nico had read on Frank's desk was a letter he wrote to his father. Frank never signed letters to his father in his first name Hazel told him later; they didn't have a close relationship. So those letters were always signed with Frank's last name, Zhang.
"He doesn't look like a Frank," Nico told her. They were on the roof of her home; the area had been turned into a small garden of sorts. It was peaceful and quiet; he could see why she liked it there.
She made a sound, like she was slightly insulted by his comment. "Well do any of us really look like our names?"
"I'm not going to answer that," He said, lying down on his back so he could watch the sky darken.
"Dinner is served," a voice said from the entrance onto the roof.
Frank brought over two plates to the small table and set them down. "I made something easy; just don't forget to bring the plates back because you know what happened last time."
Nico turned his head and watched Frank get Hazel a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll leave you two to talk."
"Cute, sickeningly cute…"
"Thanks, dear," she said as she waved goodbye to her husband. Then she kicked Nico's foot gently, trying to urge him up off the grass. "Come eat, you need to replenish your energy after all your hard work."
"Why do I have the feeling you're mocking me?" Nico mumbled at her but he still got up and took a seat at the table. "You do realize I'm—"
"A big bad assassin?" She giggled and almost choked on her food. "The most dangerous man on the mainland?"
Nico huffed at her, "it's not exactly something I let people take lightly."
She raised an eyebrow at him before shaking her head slowly. "We both have blood on our hands, dear brother, now eat your food."
"I seriously can't tell if she's fucking with me."
But rather than complain, Nico picked up his fork and started to eat his meal.
"So…" She waited until they were a few minutes into the meal before speaking. "About Percy—"
"Oh gods, I'm not talking about him right now."
"Oh gods but we are," she pointed her fork at him like it was a deadly weapon. "I don't want to bring up your past but I want to get to know you, which leaves Percy so spill."
Nico pulled a dagger out of its sheath and laid it down on the table.
It was supposed to intimidate her but she didn't even hesitate before grabbing it and pointing it at him. "Oh thanks," she waved it at his face. "No come on, tell me how things are going? I know there's no way you would be here if you didn't feel something for Percy. Otherwise you guys would have parted ways and you would be somewhere else on the mainland hiding from whoever is chasing you."
"Oh you're an expert when it comes to me now are you?"
She gave him another one of those looks, like she was talking to a child. "Please, you're so easy to read you could be an open book."
"I don't feel anything other than friendship for him," Nico said very fast before stuffing more food in his mouth.
"Mmmhmm. And how do those feeling of friendship feel exactly?" Her eye were sparkling with amusement, she was enjoying the game.
When Nico still didn't answer, she sighed deeply.
"Look, I'm just joking around with you, I don't have any idea what your feelings are for my friend." She tried not to coo at him when he looked at her with those pretty dark eyes of his.
"But if you're worried that he would be angry if you tried to take advantage of him because you're married by law, don't worry. Percy Jackson can't be swayed to do anything, and I know that from experience."
Nico still continued to chew, but the look in his eyes had changed.
"In fact," she continued. "Judging by the tone of his letters when he was writing about you, I'd say he's having the exact same feelings."
Finally Nico finished chewing and swallowed so he could speak. "I don't need someone like that and I don't think I ever will."
She looked sad, her mouth opened as if she was going to reply, but she never did.
Nico finished dinner with his sister and returned to Percy's manor before the sun set too low in the sky. He didn't want to be rude by not making an appearance after all.
The servants were quietly walking the halls; some of them bowing as he approached. He hated that, it was going to be hard to get used to the special treatment again.
He was not at all expecting to find Percy in the hall in front of his bedroom door, leaning against the wall.
"Did you fall asleep before you could make it to your bed?" He asked the smaller man.
Percy turned from looking at a spot on the wall to Nico, giving him a goofy lopsided grin. "Heya, Nico."
"….Heya…" Nico backed away from Percy as he kind of half fell over and tried to steady himself with Nico's arm.
"I told my mom," Percy said with a laugh. "She broke out the wine, and I partook."
"Wine is enough to put you on your ass? I thought you were half god?" Nico took Percy by the arm before he actually fell over and helped him into the bedroom.
Percy only made things worse by wrapping his arms around Nico's neck and letting himself be dragged into the room pathetically. "Well she had the wine; I had the 'nectar of the gods', which stands for 'really strong shit'."
"You're really fucking drunk." Nico tried to pull Percy over to the bed so he didn't have to hold him up anymore but Percy was fighting him.
"I'm as drunk as a priestess seeking visions." Percy laughed at his own words and then hiccupped.
"I think the priestesses get high, not drunk." Nico finally managed to bring Percy over to the bed. They struggled briefly until Percy fell backwards and took Nico with him.
Percy seemed very pleased by this of course. He wrapped his arms around Nico's shoulders and kept him there, petting his hair and cooing at him.
"Seriously?" Nico tried to pull away but Percy was insanely strong.
"Are you the big bad god who has come to defile the pure shrine maiden?" Percy asked somewhat seriously before bursting into giggles.
"I'm going to puke on you," Nico grumbled before really trying to struggle his way out of the situation.
"Oh please mister god of the sea!" Percy pushed Nico only so far away so he could grab him by the cheek and squish them. "Be gentle with me, it's my first time!"
"I do not need to know how you were conceived!" Nico cursed at him and tried to flip out of his grasp. He only managed to get away when Percy started laughing so hard that he finally let go of Nico to clutch at his stomach.
Nico glared at him heatedly and jumped on top of him, his blade drawn and held to Percy's throat before he could move to stop him. "You don't know how hard it is not to kill you sometimes. One of these days I'm just going to snap and—"
Percy's warm hand on his cheek stopped him.
Nico said nothing, he didn't even move as he felt those warm fingers ghost over his cheek before slowly tracing down to his lips. He wasn't sure if he wanted to stop it; stop whatever was happening right then.
He knew Percy was drunk, really drunk. He knew he probably didn't mean anything he was doing. But the calloused fingers gently tracing his features with something akin to adoration almost had him hoping. He hated admitting it; he was so determined to stay in the pit of darkness he had built for himself.
When Percy pulled him closer, he didn't fight it. The blade he was holding against Percy's throat was released and Nico instead gripped his fingers in Percy's hair. Their lips met and Nico had to remember to keep breathing. Percy tasted like salt from the ocean and he smelled like the clearest day out on the sea.
Percy groaned in a way that had hot sparks racing down his spine and moved to deepen the kiss. The green-eyed man was not shy with his tongue. He used it to lap at Nico's own tongue before using his teeth to pull on his bottom lip in a way that could only be described as 'sinful'.
They had to stop. They had to stop now.
Nico wasn't sure what was going to happen if they didn't, but he knew it would end their fragile friendship for sure.
He wanted to tell Percy to stop, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Especially not when Percy flipped them over so he was on top so he could have more control.
Percy was kissing him hungrily, in a way that Nico had never experienced. He was like a hungry animal, biting his lips and thrusting his tongue into his mouth. The assault only stopped when Percy's lips moved from Nico's mouth to his jaw where he was determined to leave a couple marks before returning to his lips.
"Mine." Percy growled at him and he pulled Nico's head back by his hair and started biting and sucking on his neck.
Nico panted and let out a small whine. Percy was like a force, a rushing wave of water and he was drowning in it.
"Mine," Percy said again, biting him on a spot on his neck that he had no idea could be so sensitive.
Speechless, Nico didn't bother telling him to fuck off, not even as Percy continued to mark and bite him.
It was a few minutes later after when he realized Percy was spending too much time on one spot that he noticed he had fallen asleep on him.
"Percy fucking Jackson."
Nico all but threw the prince off him and then quickly grabbed a pillow and held it over his face. He really wanted to kill him; it would have been so easy and would have saved him some embarrassment. But it wasn't worth being chased out of the only place that he was wanted.
So instead he pulled the pillow back so he could smack Percy in the face with it.
Percy did nothing more than snore loudly before rolling over to get more comfortable.
"Your days are numbered, you dick."
Percy didn't say anything about what happened the night before and Nico was glad. He knew that Percy knew, because Percy could see inside his head, but he didn't confront him about it.
"Thank the gods."
In fact, Percy treated the next few days as if nothing had happened.
They spent the day after 'the incident' picking out clothes for Nico. This included having the local tailor stopping by to get his measurements.
Percy also had a family friend stop by so they could come up with a way so Nico could carry all his weapons. They settled on a series of belts with holsters that crossed over his legs to hold the rest of them. They would be on display, but Nico didn't care about scaring people. He was just glad to have his babies back.
Once he was properly outfitted and armed, Percy started taking them out of the city to the forests to explore. The island was beautiful, and that included its rolling green hills and dense woods. It looked like a place out of a fairy tale.
Percy chatted easily with him as always, like nothing had changed. But Nico wasn't stupid; he could feel the wall the other man had put up.
He just didn't expect it to hurt as much as it did.
The intimate contact they once shared, the hand holding and just standing close to each other stopped. And it was Nico who found himself trying to reach for Percy's hand, trying to close the gap in any way possible.
He missed it.
Not that he would admit that to anyone.
When they weren't wandering the great outdoors, they were over at Hazel's house. His sister was more than delighted to see them. She had Frank make the most amazing food and sweets and then the four of them would sit and talk.
They talked about everything because Hazel and Nico had a lot to catch up on in each other's lives. And Percy and Frank were apparently close friends. They would act like a couple of fools, wrestling each other (Frank almost threw Percy off the roof one time) and sparing.
The siblings finally had a chance to be alone when Percy left to help Frank with something. That's when Hazel turned on Nico with her most scary expression.
"What is going on? Spill it."
Nico snorted at her.
"Seriously, Percy looks like he pissed on the floor. Did you guys fight?" She moved from the chair she was sitting in to the chair right next to Nico so he couldn't run. "I'll find out eventually you know, just say it."
Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "Percy got drunk and was all over me."
Obviously Hazel hadn't been expecting that. "Wow, I guess my advice worked then."
"No it fucking didn't. We didn't actually have sex, we just kissed…"
She leaned in closer to his face to look directly into his eyes.
Nico backed away. "Okay, well it was more like he was trying to eat my face but yeah."
She continued to stare at him, and Nico could actually feel the blush work its way on his cheeks.
"Is that what all the marks on your neck were?" She finally backed off only so she could cover her mouth to contain her mirth. "You two are downright filthy."
"Don't look at me," Nico grumbled. "Percy is the filthy one."
Hazel picked up her cup and took a sip. "Well if Percy and Frank weren't related I would ask him if he could teach Frank a few things."
"I don't need to know this." Nico glared in any direction that wasn't hers.
"I mean," Hazel took another sip. "It's not like Frank is bad or anything, in fact he's kind of a beast."
"Oh my gods."
"But sometimes he treats me like I'm going to break and I'm not."
Nico shot up from his seat and pointed toward the door that opened to the stairs. "Is that Frank and Percy now? Look they're back."
Hazel laughed and pulled his hand until he sat down again. "Nico…"
Nico tried not to look at her, but he knew if he didn't she wouldn't give up. "Yes?" He turned only to glare at her.
She pinched his cheek. "Don't worry, I promise things will work out."
Nico shrugged her off. "You obviously don't know me very well, so I'll enlighten you. Things never work out the way I want them."
She said nothing else to him, but she placed her hand on his and brushed her thumb over his knuckles.
And this time, Nico didn't pull away from her.
Not much happens, just some cute scenes. They'll eventually figure it out...I hope.
Feel free to comment with me ideas, where I have a bunch written up it's very easy for me to add a scene in :)
