A/N: Welcome to chapter three, you lovely demigods! Thanks to all those who left a review on the last chapter! I really appreciate it! On to the next!

Warnings: None for this chapter


Gold met jet black iron, clashing together over and over, as their wielders jumped and dodged- slashing wildly at one another. Several campers, who had been catching up on their own training in the arena had stopped to watch the two master swordsmen cross blades. Their eyes whizzed back and forth from one boy to the other- mesmerized by their skill and power.

It wasn't everyday you got to see two children of the big three gods duke it out in a sword fight. The sight was truly something to behold. The son of Jupiter lunged forward with his golden sword, but the son of Hades twirled aside, his feet dancing across the sand with all the grace of Aphrodite, until he was behind his opponent. The flaxen haired demigod ducked down just as Nico lunged his sword over his head. Jason spun his leg around, knocking the son of Hades off his feet. Within seconds, Jason was hovering above him, his golden sword resting gently against the brunet's throat and his knee pinning his sword arm to the ground.

Applause erupted from the spectators, as Jason stood and offered a hand to help Nico up. The son of Hades took it, with a grin. Jason patted him on the back, his chest heaving as his lungs struggled to fill with air.

"Good fight," Jason said, flashing his one thousand watt smile at his sparring partner.

"Yeah, you too," Nico replied, dusting sand off of his black jeans.

A few of the campers came over to Jason to congratulate him on his victory, and Nico wasn't entirely surprised when none of them said anything to him. He was almost certain that they were all rooting for Jason to win the fight- what's more satisfying than a child of Zeus kicking a child of Hades into the dirt? It didn't bother him too much though, he always had a lot of fun training with Jason. He never cut any corners- he was never afraid to give it his all. It was one of the more honest exchanges Nico had ever had with anyone. Jason was a good person to go to for honesty- after all, Nico knew he could trust him, even with his darkest secret.

"So, do you want to sit with me and Pipes at the campfire tonight?" Jason asked, his brilliant blue eyes beaming with hope. Guilt rose in Nico's chest. Okay. . . so he wasn't always honest with Jason. The truth was; he was sick of spending time with him and Piper. Their happy couple shtick was really starting to get old.

"Nah, sorry, I've got some other stuff to take care of. See you tomorrow though. And hey, it was nice training with you," Nico said, waving, as he began to walk back to his cabin. Jason said his goodbyes and went on his way.

Nico closed the door to his cabin, grateful to finally be alone. The whole room was dark, save for a little candle in the corner by Nico's bunk. He sat down on the edge of his bed, staring into the dancing flame, a hollow gleam in his eyes.

This week hadn't been easy on him. It all started when Will told him he was accepted at this fancy pre-med school in Boston. Well, that's not entirely true. It actually started a couple months back. Will had gotten really agitated, for reasons Nico hadn't understood at the time. He would snap at the son of Hades for no real reason. It got to the point where Nico went out of his way to avoid seeing his boyfriend.

They'd hang out from time to time, but it was almost always unpleasant. When Will came to him to discuss his plans, Nico thought it was really cool that Will wanted to be a doctor. It made sense, he was a remarkable healer. But then, Will dropped a bomb that Nico hadn't been expecting.

"Are you still in love with Percy?" the son of Apollo asked, completely deadpan. Nico jolted back in surprise.

"What?! No!" he insisted, defensively. Will sighed.

"Yeah, I mean that was more of a rhetorical question. I know you are. And you know what, Nico? That's fine," Will relented. Nico was really sick of Will always assuming things about him, it was a nasty habit of his. And he was always so sure he was right, he would never even accept an argument.

"I'm not in love with Percy, Will," Nico said firmly. It wasn't likely to make a difference, since Will had clearly already made up his mind, but Nico figured he'd give it a shot anyway.

"You really are," his boyfriend insisted, almost sadly, "Your heart hasn't been in this relationship since the moment we started it. It took me a while to understand why. But I do now. And I'm honestly sick of competing with the untouchable son of Poseidon. Whatever issues you've got with the guy, you need some time to work them out. While you're doing that, I'm going to Boston. Maybe we can try again after you figure out what you want," he concluded.

"Are. . . wait, are you breaking up with me because you're convinced I'm in love with Percy? Will, have you ever thought maybe I'm just not used to being in a relationship and it's just taking me a while to adjust? Why do you always have to be so damn pushy!" Nico shouted, drawing the attention of a passing nymph, who quickly looked away and sauntered off.

"It's been six months, Nico. If you haven't adjusted yet, I'm not sure you will. Besides, I've seen the way you stare at the ocean. You have more love in your eyes for the water than you ever have for me. And that's just his element. Stop trying to hide it, you don't have to. All we ever do is fight anyway. . . I care about you, Nico. I'd love to keep trying. But I know as long as he has your heart, I don't stand a chance of winning it. And I refuse to compete if I can't win," Will recited, his blue eyes clouded with tears.

Nico stared at him, the truth of his words stinging his heart like a thousand bees. He didn't want to admit, to Will or to himself, that Will was right. Percy Jackson did still have his heart- and there was nothing in the world more frustrating to the son of Hades.

That was about a month ago. Will had made up his mind and was bound for Boston two days later. Just like that, their relationship was over. All in all, Nico figured he should've been happy. He did like Will, but more often than not, he was pretty miserable whenever the two of them would spend time together.

But, every time he saw Jason and Piper together, happy and in love, the gaping wound of loneliness would open up again. So he tried to avoid any situation where he might have to play third wheel to the happiest couple at camp.

Which brought him here; alone, in his dark cabin, staring at the floor and wondering if he was doomed to spend his whole life alone. It sure seemed like it. He and Will had only lasted six months. His first relationship only lasted six months before crashing and burning.

He plopped down in his uncomfortable bed and closed his eyes. The darkness that engulfed him was comforting, and soon he was sound asleep.

When he woke, it was bright. Beams of sun blinded him through the drapes on the windows. Wait. . . windows?

The Hades cabin didn't have windows. And the sun shouldn't be out. He had gone to sleep early, so by all accounts, it should still be too early in the morning for the sun to have risen.

He sat up, realizing that the bed he was in was far too comfortable to be his bed in the Hades cabin. No, this definitely was not the Hades cabin. The room was a beautiful, modern day bedroom- decorated in shades of gray.

Warily, the son of Hades stood up. His Stygian iron sword was propped up against the nightstand, which he thought was pretty lucky, considering he was obviously teleported somewhere unfamiliar. It was nice of his abductor to bring his sword along for the ride.

He grabbed the hilt and extended the blade, and walked down the hallway as quietly as he could. He checked the rooms upstairs, but found no one. He then made his way down the stairs and searched around the family room. Still, he found no one.

By the time he reached the kitchen, he realized how hungry he was. In his effort to avoid Jason and Piper, he had missed dinner the night before. His stomach howled with such fierceness he almost thought Lycaon had returned from Tartarus and was standing behind him.

Since no one was here, and he was rudely taken from his home and brought here without any food, clothes, or supplies- he figured it was okay if he just took a little snack for the road.

He opened the cupboards and rummaged through them, immediately spotting a box of "Nutty Bars." He tore into them, munching on one with reckless abandon.

Through the crunch of his snack, he could hear the distinct sound of someone yelling outside. He walked over to the window and took a peek through the blinds. He choked on his Nutty Bar as he caught a glimpse of the source.

There, running down the street in his pajamas, his sword drawn like a complete madman; was none other than Percy Jackson.


A/N: Well, that's all for this chapter. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review & favourite if you enjoyed it! See you all next Wednesday!

Also: For those of you who enjoy both Percy Jackson and RPGs, I am in the process of making a PJO fangame. You can find the download link for the demo on my profile~