Okay, so now I am writing this chapter it's going to be about where the guys go out. Um… and I'm going to add a little surprise towards the end of the chapter, so this one will be longer than most. And again, I'm going to try to update every other day, or maybe every three days because I don't want to finish this fanfiction in like, three weeks. That would suck.
As a matter of fact, yeah, I'm gonna change my schedule. Every three days, I'll update, depending on the length. If it's longer than 5 pages, then it'll be every 4 days. That way I can continue this even during the school year, and what not.
Another announcement: I'll be collaborating with iAmtheRebel16 on her story Until We Bleed, she said she started it once before and then she deleted it. So… yeah check her out too. She mostly does one shots for Percy Jackson and she hasn't updated her Maximum Ride in forever, but she's good. But I won't be working on it until this winds down a little. Right now we're working on plot, character development and just tossing thins back and forth.
On with the chapter!
Chapter 3: Play
Riley arrived at Rachel's house right in the middle of a game. She got me killed, twice, and then she bounded up the stairs with something called a "crimper" to go burn the hell out of Rachel's head. I guess girls like that crap because all I heard for like 5 minutes was them squealing about how much fun this was going to be.
(My brother is saying these exact words!)
"What the fuck Tanner? Get the hell up and stop being a pussy! You can't keep campin' out and shit, you get no freaking kills you dumbass!" Nico shouted through the mic. We were playing on Live with our friend Tanner, who is a real good sniper, and Nico hates that.
"I've got more kills than you!" Tanner snapped. You see what Modern Warfare 3 does to us teenagers? It's just not healthy.
"Shut the fuck up and kill someone you jackass!"
"Ok." Tanner said, and shot some guy in the head. Nico was silent for a few moments before rolling his eyes and not talking to Tanner anymore.
"Nico, stop yelling! Her parents will hear you." Hazel laughed as she barged through the door. Rachel had given Hazel a key about a year ago and ever since then she is forever just walking in. After a fight with her boyfriend: Rachel's house. After a fight with Persephone: Rachel's house. After hanging out with Bianca for hours: Rachel's house. After using all the gas in Nico's truck without telling him she was going to borrow it in the first place: Rachel's house. (As fast as possible).
"They aren't even here." he sighed, and then, "Suck it bitch." he laughed, knifing someone.
"It's still rude." she muttered and dashed up the stairs.
About 40 minutes later, Rachel, Riley and Hazel all came down the stairs smelling all fresh and clean and looking like they were going out to a club or something.
Nico's eyes grew wide when he saw them, and he focused single mindedly on Hazel, who was wearing destroyed black skinny jeans that looked like they'd been painted onto her body, and this weird chain top thing. Her hair was straightened, for once, and it flowed to her shoulder blades all shiny and black. And she wore some make up. It was incredible.
"What the hell?" Nico whispered. I hated to say it myself, but she looked amazing, to a point where I feared for Frank's life if he was going to be with her and Nico in the same place.
"You like it?" she squealed and spun around for her to see. She had on these 4 inch high death trap booth heels that looked like they killed to walk in.
"No. You cannot where that! You have to go and change, Hazel!" he sighed, exasperated.
"But, Nico!" she whined and I laughed a little at her face expression. She looked like he'd just tried to shoot her puppy.
"Don't listen to him Haze, you look great." I chuckled, and Nico scowled at me. I laughed again, not being able to control it, and Hazel shot me a smile.
Just like old times.
Rachel looked like some kind of fire goddess with her hair was clipped up in this sloppy but pretty way and the strands that were left down were kind of wavy or whatever. I assumed this "crimper" contraption had done that. And she was wearing this smoky gray shirt over a black skirt. The illusion was totally ruined when I saw she was wearing these muddy red Chuck's with it.
And Nico couldn't take his eyes off Riley. After he got over the initial shock of seeing Hazel all dressed up like some college girl, he decided that Riley was the hottest thing since sliced bread. Her blonde hair was all coiled up in these perfectly bouncy curls and her flouncy lace shirt was obviously from Rachel's closet, along with her white capris.
They had all turned into freaking chicks.
It was so weird, seeing these three girls who were basically my sisters looking like this. I wonder how Nico had done this his whole life.
Now I feel like a girl myself for even describing how the girls looked, I mean, c'mon, how much weirder can I get?
So, because Nico and I were both feeling uncomfortable and unmanly, we decided to all pile into Nico and Riley's car, but only Hazel rode with her because she drove this weird mini roadster thing that was super tiny. And foreign.
We drove through the Stoll's neighborhood, to pick them up, and as soon as they got in the car I immediately felt annoyed because they were bickering over something ridiculous, a shirt I think. Riley had Frank in the car with her, obviously, and we all drove to the other end of town.
I got all nervous, being so far away from my pool and my house and because I left that cup of liquor on the counter where my mom could see it. Not that she'd do anything about it, but the idea unnerved me.
Nico stopped in front of the huge building that probably covered a good acre, completed with neon lights and signs and music. It looked like something from a Vegas movie, but it was right there in front of us.
"What are we doing here?" I asked warily. I tried to keep my voice from shaking, and if you weren't Nico, you would've thought I was just really excited.
"We're here to eat. What did you think retard?." He said, and I laughed.
This was like before Annabeth. When I could talk to Nico without him searching my face for some sign of insanity. Before when Nico would sit outside of a club with me and rate the skanky girls walking out of them, those good old days before the Annabeth incident totally ruined everything and now those days are memories and the days I'm living now won't even count as days because they're just minutes. Minutes and hours and seconds that I drowned in alcohol, and water. Minutes and hours and seconds that I shot through the chest with paper clips, and razors and scissors too.
But this was now and for once I could play, and be normal, and feel like I did before everything fell to shit and my sanity was shot too.
Nico's P.O.V
Percy was acting different. But of course when he's not acting like some freaky swimming obsessed, suicidal weirdo he's acting like the old Percy we all know and love. So, it's a good thing he's acting different. In fact, it's freaking amazing and I wish we could do stuff like this all the time. I wish we could bring Percy out of that weird shell made of water and all the crazy shit he fills his own head with because when we do the sun comes out and it stops raining in Percyland, and everyone's happy.
Right now, we're sitting in the Lux at this huge table filled to the max with every type of food you could think of. I think between Travis and Conor we ordered like $100 worth of food.
Everyone was laughing and talking and a few times I saw Riley flip her blonde hair over her shoulder and her pretty blue eyes travel to her wrist for a hair band like she wanted to tie it up. She licked her full pink lips at least 7 times as our waiter sat her plate of piping hot pasta crap in front of her. Of course, I couldn't laugh because, though the sight of her right then and there was absolutely perfect, that bitch ass waiter was freaking ogling her tiny little figure in her outfit and I wanted to punch the living shit out of him for it. I could practically feel the freaking anger lighting my face up, making me blush.
"You cool Neeks?" Percy said, turning to me. His face was clouded with worry and I hated that I'd made him stop laughing, I'd made him go quiet again because he was worried about me. This was all for him. This whole, spending $300 on food on a flipping Monday afternoon was all for Percy Jackson because he was like my brother. He had been there since birth for me, through my mom's death, through Bianca leaving to go and live with Pluto and Proserpine, through my dad marrying Persephone, he'd been there when I went all bonkers about studying and he got me into baseball.
Okay, that waiter is really asking for it.
Anyway: and I'm going to be there for Percy. I know that doesn't sound like the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo, but it's true. I'm going to be the one to help him get over his weird water obsession and his dependency on alcohol, and I'm going to be the one to find out if he's cutting himself. I mean, it'd be hard to do for him because he spends half of his life either passed out from being drunk or half naked. So.
And because I'm Nico di Angelo I'm going to kick the ass of the next guy to come in here and flirt with my fucking sister because it's really starting irk me. Like, seriously, do you guys not effing see her flacking boyfriend sitting right next to her? Or maybe they don't see me sitting over here fuming. I bet Rachel is just watching the steam come from my ears.
"Um, 'scuse me, waiter?" I said pointedly. Time to have some fun. For some reason, I totally love irritating the hell out of people. I find it hilarious.
"Yes, sir?" the kid said. He was tall and lanky and he had this ugly duck tail in his oily brown hair. I guess girls found him cute because not only was Riley totally swooning at the sight of him, but he had Rachel staring after him too.
"Can you do me a really important favor?"
"Um…"
"Sure you can!" I said with fake enthusiasm. Percy was looking at me like he knew where I was going with this, Hazel looked absolutely mortified, Riley looked confused, Rachel was shaking her head and looking down at her food, and the twins looked like they could wait for what I was about to pull.
"Um… okay?"
"Good, good. First, I need you to stop staring at my sister's," I gestured flamboyantly to Hazel, "tits. Second, I'd also really, really like it if you stopped lingering over by my friend," I looked over at Riley, "because it's beginning to creep me out. Third, stop coming over here like we're gonna burn the place down. If we'd wanted to, it would be done already. Trust me. And lastly," I inhaled dramatically, "can I get a refill?" I asked honestly. The wine they served was awesome, and I wasn't supposed to be drinking it but the girl who'd come with it didn't card me. She must've thought I had been flirting with her.
"Are-are you old enough to be dr-drinking?" he stammered, still in shock. He was blushing like mad, like Riley was, and Conor high fived me under the table, whispering "Nice, man" making my lips twitch a little.
"Do you really want me to get a manager? Just gimmie my refill." I said nonchalantly. He nodded quickly, and hurried off towards the kitchen.
Percy exploded with laughter.
"Holy shit man! What was that? I'm sorry, but did anyone see how serious he was, and did you guys see the kid's face? He was about to crap his pants!" he laughed loudly, earning some looks from a few adults around us.
"What?" Hazel snapped at a man sitting a little to her left. He looked frightened for a second before turning around to his food, "That's what I thought."
Well, what can I say? We children of Hades have quite the temper.
"I know right! I thought he was literally about to run away crying." Rachel laughed.
"What the hell did you do to the kid? He was stuttering and fidgeting like mad." Travis asked. I just leaned back in my chair, letting the praise flow over me.
Yeah. I'm a boss.
"It was one of his Death Glares of Doom." Percy stated simply, and I couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't called one of my scowls a "Death Glare of Doom" in like, 4 months. I was starting to think I'd never hear his 5 year old explanation again.
"Yeah, they're scary. I get 'em enough." Frank muttered. Hazel blushed furiously.
We spent the rest of the night laughing about my little show, and I got pretty tipsy after a while. I hated myself for doing it right in front of Percy, but then again, it could be like a taste of his own medicine.
After another hour, we decided to leave, Riley complaining about being too full to drive, Hazel whining about how embarrassing I am, you know, the usual.
But what was unusual, was Percy volunteering to drive for me, and Travis volunteering to drive for Riley.
"We have to do this more often! That was amazing. We should invite Jason and Thalia and all of them!" Riley said excitedly. I saw Percy's eyes flash with an idea.
"My dad! He owns that restaurant Olympus with my Uncle Zeus." Percy gasped, "He could totally get us in. He doesn't do shit for me anyway." Riley's eyes widened happily.
"Isn't that place uber swanky?" she said.
"Yeah?" Percy grimaced.
"Dude, I'm calling my cousin Silena! She could help us all with make up and clothes. And we could get Jason, Leo, Piper, Thalia, and even Bianca!" she squealed.
"Silena and Beckondorf can come too. Oh, and Clarisse and Chris." Percy shrugged. I tried not to let it show, but on the inside I was absolutely ecstatic. He was making plans and talking to everyone and laughing and cursing in fancy food joints.
This was good.
(That was the surprise! Nico's point of view. It was fun to write so I'll probably do it more.)
Percy P.O.V
It was fun. Sitting in that restaurant with all my friends, joking and laughing. Watching Nico make a fool out of someone who wasn't as confident and cool as him, just like it used to be.
But it was painful. It hurt to feel my skin so dry after I'd felt the water on my skin. It was hard to not be talking about swimming and watching Nico get drunk, it was hard walking into his house with him and telling my mom I was sleeping over his place on a Monday night and it was hard for me when an hour later she hadn't texted back, it was hard listening to Persephone chew Nico out for being tipsy on a school night. It was hard to know that she cared and my mom didn't and it was hard to know that Nico didn't need swimming or water or baseball or alcohol to make him feel better. It wasn't his medicine, it was just something that made him laugh or it was something that he did because it was fun.
He was normal, he was Nico and he had been since he was born and I was Percy Jackson but 4 months ago I had been Percy freaking Jackson and now he was gone and I wasn't sure if he was coming back.
"So what should we wear to Olympus?" Nico asked me. I was lying on the futon in his bedroom and he was lying in his huge water bed. His room was a loft, because he hated being near his parents and because Bianca had already claimed the basement. So of course, in those rooms near their parents was Hazel, stuck in the only bedroom used since Persephone moved in. Nico claimed it was alright because they lived in a freaking mansion, called Manor of the Angels, and it was alright because their father's a diamond salesmen so she was always showered with gifts and expensive earrings and necklaces and Gucci jeans and she had a car, so she was rarely ever really around them. Nico was a shut in, didn't like leaving the house, so he claims he had no choice.
"Dress shirt, tie." I mumbled, and Nico nodded.
"Are you okay?" he said suddenly.
"No, I mean, why do stay up here. You just left Hazel with the 'rents like it didn't matter." His eyes widened a little around the edges but other than that he looked totally impassive.
"What?" his voice cracked a little.
"Why'd you leave her down there? You know she hates your stepmom as much as you do." I shrugged, like it didn't matter, but I knew that it did because I knew Nico like the back of my hand.
"I uh, heard them talking once, well no, I heard Persephone talking at my dad. Telling him that I was such a "disrespectful little brat" and that she didn't want me around her. She said that I should go to boarding school." He shrugged and we didn't look at each other for a second.
"Um."
"Nah, it's cool. She loves Hazel, she adores her, worships the fucking ground she walks on. I think it's because she's not- not um, Maria's kid." He stammered.
Suddenly he stood up and whipped his shirt off. I couldn't help but notice that he had a 6 pack coming in, which was strange because he'd always been on the small side. His hip bones protruded out of his skin and I sat there, awkwardly staring.
What the hell was happening to me?
