Back from the sports trip! We beat them at soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, tennis, tug-of-war, and netball, but they beat us- by one- at swimming (but that was the girls. The guys thrashed them like nobody's business :) [even though that may have been because one guy got an- ahem, the rating is not high enough for that]. :( also, please don't hate me more for this chapter, because, to be fair, it was something I'd planned before I started the story…
Nico had been out hunting that night, and a good thing too considering what happened…
There he was, crouched in a tree, about to shoot a deer when he heard a disturbance. Turning his head towards the east, he saw some grass being shifted at a fast pace, as well as a patch of tanned skin. His well-trained eyes managed to make out the outline of a handsome, black stallion, a stark contrast to his white one.
Behind him were two of King Kronos's men.
He drew his bow, it was most likely another trap to catch him, but he stopped when he saw something that confused him.
The horses weren't following the one in front, they were chasing him.
He saw them draw their bows and shoot.
He too shot, but at them, not the figure on the leading horse.
Their horses just ran off.
The figure on the horse fell off.
He rushed to the figure, wanting to check it out.
He soon got there and realized that the arrow hadn't gone through the heart as he'd . Interestingly, the figure's horse didn't run off. It instead had stayed by the figure and was whinnying and neighing in fear at it.
The figure, who he noted was a boy, 's eyes were still open, but about to close. He took a look in the eyes and froze. Sea green eyes, as though the sea lived within them.
He looked at the rest of the figure-er boy.
Black hair like the deepest pits of the ocean, fair with a slight tan skin, high cheekbones, all of which were too familiar. No. It couldn't be!
"Percy," he breathed, his eyes widening in fear.
It all made perfect sense. That's why Kronos's guards had been chasing him, they must've overthrown Atlantis. Poor Percy, today was the day he'd turned sixteen.
He scooped him up into his arms, the way he'd longed to do every day since he'd been forced into exile, and carried him over to his small, hidden home.
.
.
When Percy opened his eyes the first thing that he noticed that he was in a small, dimly lit room. It smelled of herbs and blood.
He placed his hand on the side of the small, hay cot he was on to get up when he felt a searing pain from right above his stomach.
He glanced down and used a hand to lift up his shirt. Underneath it was a rag wrapped around his lower abdomen, with some dried blood on it.
Before he had time to process exactly what was going on, a tall, ivory skinned man with shaggy black hair and small bags under his dark, brown, familiar, eyes.
"I see you're awake, mind telling me why those soldiers were chasing you?" the man asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Who are you?" asked Percy.
Nico's face slightly fell. Percy didn't recognize him. It felt like a cold, heavy weight had been dropped on his heart.
"My name… is Vinz. I'm a hunter," he said, "and you are…?"
Percy thought quickly, sure the stranger had just saved him and seemed familiar, but he could still easily turn him over to Kronos.
"Paul. I'm a… farmer?" but the last part came out as more of a question.
Nico fought back a laugh. Oh Percy, looked like some things just never changed…
*flashback*
the two young princes were playing in the courtyard.
"Hey, Nico, if you were anyone else, who would you be?" asked the seven year old that was Prince Percy.
"Ummm, I guess I would be a hunter," he shrugged, he'd never given it much thought before.
"And your name?" Percy prodded.
"What's wrong with my real one?" asked the nine-year-old defensively.
"Nothing, but seeing as you're creating a new character…" he trailed off.
"Oh alright, my name would be… Vinz. Just Vinz. And you?"
"Ummm…" Percy contemplated, "Paul, the… farmer?"
Nico chuckled at his adorable 'best-friend'…
*End of Flashback*
It was the reason that he'd told Percy, but it looked as though he still didn't remember him.
And what bothered him most was that Percy was didn't even say his real name, just some made up one! Seriously!? Why couldn't he trust him? Ok, he got that he may have forgotten him after eight years, and Kronos was more than likely to send a letter stating that all his family was dead, but didn't Percy know better? Didn't Percy know him better?
Or maybe it wasn't Percy, maybe it was someone else… nope. Percy's eyes were one of a kind, there was no possible way someone else could possess them.
"Now," he said, his voice a little harder, "Why were there soldiers chasing you?"
"Uh," Percy thought, "Well, you see, King Poseidon invited everyone in the kingdom to his son's ball, and while I was there with my family, King Kronos's men arrived. They tried to hunt us all down."
"But surely the King wouldn't send so many of his men to hunt a measly farmer," reasoned Nico, "Am I not right, Paul?"
"Er," Percy thought hard, "Yes. Yes you are right, but you see, I am no ordinary farmer, am I am the crowned prince's lover," he nearly gagged, "And he'd been fearing something like this, so he'd gone into hiding. Kronos believes that I would either know where he is or be able to lure him out," he bit his tongue, he was going to have to remember these lies, or else he'd be found out.
"Ah," said Nico, pretending to buy it, "I see. So you've met the royal family?"
"Indeed."
"And, what would you say of Prince Perseus?"
"Why do you want to know?" he barely managed to keep the stammer out of his voice.
"Well, I've heard many tales about his alluring beauty…" no he hadn't, he hadn't had any conversations with people apart from the odd, 'I'd like to buy…'s, but he did know of said beauty from experience…
Percy gulped, "I suppose he's okay looking, nothing to brag about though."
Nico nodded, damn Percy was good at acting.
Percy tried to heave himself out of bed but Nico was over to his side in seconds, holding him down.
"Stop, you need to rest," he said.
"I don't have time, I need to get back to the castle," said Percy.
"Why?"
"To rescue my friends and family."
"All alone?"
Percy froze, "Look, Vinz, I have to get back there. My family needs me."
Nico tried to think quick, he couldn't let Percy go back. He'd already lost Bianca…
Flashback
"Bianca?" Nico asked, confusion seeping through his expression.
"Nico," Bianca nodded.
"What are you doing here?"
"What does it look like? I'm going back there to rescue them."
"But-but you cant, they'll kill you!"
"I know, but I have to try, Nico, they have our sisters and half our kingdom."
Nico sighed, he knew he couldn't stop her, she was just too stubborn.
"Fine, but at least let me come with you."
Bianca smiled sadly at him, "I'm afraid not, mio caro," she smiled sadly, stroking his cheek gently, "If something goes wrong, I don't want you to have to pay for my stupid idea."
And with that, she leapt on her horse and rode.
Nico, snapping out of his stupor called Poker* to him.
He leapt on the horse and chased after his sister. He followed, but he was too far behind her. Nevertheless he followed the route to where he remembered his Kingdom was, for one never forgets thy mother.
But when he crossed the grassy fields and into the kingdom, it was too late. One of the soldiers had seen her. He watched, horrified as she was chased, overtaken, and kicked off her horse none-too-gently, breaking her neck and dying on the spot.
The bolder, rasher part of him wanted to race after those men and avenge his sister, the wiser, sensible part of him told him that he'd be killed within seconds and that he should go back.
He listened to the latter…
End of flashback
He may've lost his sister, but he wasn't losing his Percy too. Wait. His Percy? Where in Tartarus did that come from. Nevertheless, he just had to quickly think of an excuse.
"And you need to rest. Besides, one of the princes can do it. Why not Prince Triton, or Prince Perseus," Percy's eyes looked down, 'good,' Nico thought, 'at least he's guilty about the lie,', "Or why not Prince Tyson?"
Percy's body stiffened.
'okay,' Nico noted, 'something definitely happened.'
"Prince Tyson is dead," he finally said.
Nico stared at him in shock. He'd expected many things to come out of Percy's mouth, but not that Tyson was dead.
"W-What do you mean?"
"The soldiers, they-they," Percy's voice rose a hitch, "killed him."
"Oh, what a shame," he said, sympathetically, resisting the urge to blow his cover and hug the life out of Percy, offer him a shoulder to cry on, "A-are you sure they killed him?"
"Well what else would they have done?" Percy muttered, "They killed all my," he froze, "Prince's family," shit, he'd almost blown his cover.
"Well, let me tell you something, Paul, I used to live in Elysium-" said Nico.
Percy looked at him sympathetically, "Shame, Vinz."
Nico nodded, "And two of our king's daughters, Melinoë and Macaria, they too were caught. But they weren't killed. They were kept to be used as bait."
A spark of hope rose in Percy's chest. Maybe Tyson was alive. Maybe the king was keeping him held hostage. But if, and that was only an if, that was true, then that would mean Tyson was probably in the dungeons, the thought of it turned his heart raw. His poor, defenseless, baby brother locked up in the dungeons like some- some criminal. If anyone should be in the dungeons then it should be Kronos, he thought, refusing to call the man 'King'.
"Then I have to rescue him, for-for the sake of my lover," again, the gag reflex nearly won out.
Nico was having a hard time keeping his bile down himself.
Nico sighed, "It is not wise to leave so soon after you were wounded, rest."
"How long've I been out?" asked Percy.
Nico shrugged, "Not too long, about three days."
Percy nearly fell out of his bed. His brother had been in the dungeons for three days!
"And Vinz?"
"Yes, Paul?"
"D-do you think that Kronos would kill would kill someone just because they were in relation to the king and his heirs?"
Nico worried his lip, "It is not wise to disrespect Kronos, but no, I'm not sure. Who do you have in mind?"
"Queen Sally."
Nico's eyes bugged out.
"W-was she there at the ball?"
"No. She was feeling ill," said Percy.
"I sure hope not," said Nico, "I know that it would greatly devastate the kingdom to find out that their most beloved queen was gone. The only thing worse would be having Prince Perseus die."
Percy had to hold back his shock, "But why? He's just an ordinary prince."
"That's not what the people say," said Nico, "I know they'll probably be relying on him to free them. I just hope that wherever the child is he's safe," he'd said 'child' on purpose, just for fun to tease Percy, knowing that he hated it when people called him 'child.'
As if on cue, Percy's cheeks went red, "Child? Child? Prince Perseus is no child, he is an adult. I will have you know he just turned sixteen three days ago. He is no child!"
Nico laughed, "He's two years younger than me, sunshine, he's a child. Besides, where I'm from- was from, you only turn an adult at eighteen, so he's still a baby."
He laughed harder at Percy's face.
'hmmm,' Percy thought, 'where do I remember that laugh from…?'
but as hard as he tried, he couldn't remember.
"Now, anyways, I think it's important that you sleep," said Nico, before leaving the room and closing the door.
Sighing, Percy turned back on his side and fell asleep…
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done! I missed fanfic so much, but my mom wouldn't let me take my laptop because she thought it might get stolen…
-httyd4eva
peace out yo;P