Hello writers and readers. I can't apologize enough for last time. It took way longer than it should have. As always, the rights all go to Rick. And now the moment you've all been waiting for.

The Side Window

Chapter 6: With a Little Help From My Friends

Percy POV:

The spiral began innocently enough. I was on my way out of the door. I wasn't really paying much attention. Imagine my surprise when Nico, also not really paying attention, rounded a corner, right into me. We both fell down. His books flew out of his hands. "Oh, God Percy, I'm so sorry." He said as he scrambled to pick up the papers that had gone everywhere. I got up. "It's my fault." I said, trying to help him. That's when it happened.

The night before, Gabe did some of his favorite activities; drinking, sex, and beating the crap out of me. It wasn't the worst it's ever been, but it was noticeable on my arms. I wore a sweater that day to cover it up. Unfortunately, when I went to help Nico with his stuff, one of the sleeves came up. His eyes widened when he saw the bruises. "What are those?" he asked. I was caught. How was I supposed to answer him? I sure as hell couldn't tell him about Gabe.

I decided, in a moment of pure stupidity, to use the lamest explanation ever. "Oh, it's nothing." Thinking back to it, I want to just punch myself in the face. There were a million excuses I could've used. Instead, I tried to avoid the subject. Obviously, he saw right past it. "Tell me." His voice quaked. The way he said it, like he was heartbroken that I wouldn't tell him, just crushed me. He should know, right? So, I made my first of many mistakes. I told him everything about Gabe. Of course, he told me that something needed to be done. He offered to help me learn to "defend myself." Apparently, he was a black belt in some sort of martial art. Time for mistake numero dos. I accepted his offer. I told him that I'd come over his house to learn. I waved goodbye and ran off to catch up to the Chase's.

That day, right after I got home, I headed off to Nico's house, which wasn't even much of a house. More like a freaking mansion. When I asked, he explained that his dad left a substantial amount of money when he died. Their mom didn't take it when she left. Now he lived there by himself. I asked why he didn't have a foster parent or something. He shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. Just as long as I'm not in that system, I'll be happy." I couldn't believe that. He had to be lonely.

Nico was good. He really knew his stuff, which made me wonder why he was so afraid of Luke. Nico could take him any day. He was also, lucky for me, a great teacher. In the first lesson, he taught me from proper stance, to basic disarming techniques. I now knew how to defend myself from Gabe, finally. "Thank you so much for the lesson, Nico." He smiled. "It's no problem, Percy." "See you later then?" I asked. "Yeah. Bye." He said.

The next day, I was the happiest I had ever been. The next time Gabe even tried anything, I would be ready. Not only that, but Annabeth and Luke got into a huge fight. I thought it was my fault, because from what I heard, it concerned Nico. I know I shouldn't have been happy about it, but maybe they would finally break up. I could finally be with her. After school, I went over Nico's again, and learned some more self-defense. That's when things started getting bad.

Nico's POV:

It was great being with Percy. I know he noticed how I felt about him the first day I met him. I went home that night and basically died. I was so embarrassed. The next few times I saw Percy, I tried to play it cool. Maybe, I thought, he would look that disgrace of a first meeting. I think it worked. He wasn't uncomfortable around me anymore. I knew he would never like me like that, but I was hopeful. No, hopeful isn't the word. It was too blind to be called hopeful.

I have a little confession. When I bumped into him in the hallway, it wasn't an accident. I was (how do I say it without sounding like a stalker?) watching for him in the hallway. When He was about to walk out, I knew that was my last opportunity to talk to him. It was never supposed to be such an epic crash, though. That wasn't expected. That's when I saw the bruises. As much as I wanted to ignore them, I had to ask. When he told me about his step-father, Gabe, I had to help. There was only one thing I could've done. I asked him if I could help him defend himself. You have no idea how happy I was when he said yes.

He was picking it up rather fast. I was running out of things to show him. I decided to show me this takedown, where you took out their legs and landed on top of them. I tried to explain it to him, but he was totally lost. So, I decided to show him. "Ok," he said. I went slowly the first time. I grabbed him by the shoulders. I swept out his foot and pushed on his opposite shoulder. He went down hard, even without me putting any force into it. "Do you get it?" I asked. "I think so, but let's try it full speed just to make sure." I nodded. I picked him up. "Are you ready?" I asked. He nodded. I took him down. My arm held him down, and then disaster struck. My heart started beating at a million miles per hour. I gave in to my instincts. I leaned my head in.

I kissed him, and it was the best moment of my life. It was followed immediately by the worst. When I pulled out and opened my eyes, I saw his face. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but his face broke my heart. It was a mixture of surprise, sadness, and disgust. "Oh my god" I whispered. "I'm so sorry." I felt my stomach churning. My vision started to blur when the tears welled up. I blinked them back. It felt like my heart had been ripped out. He staggered up, while I sunk against the wall. Streaks of burning hot tears cascaded down my face. He just stood there, not knowing what to do. At last, he stammered out my name. "Nico." My hand brushed some of the tears away, but my face was still soaked. I started spluttering "I shouldn't have- I was- I'm so sorry. It shouldn't have-" He stopped me. "It's ok." I knew he was lying. His face was completely see-through. "I'm not mad." He stood there for a while, watching my pain. After he got the message that he wasn't gonna make this better, he left. And I was alone again.

To be continued…

I hope you all enjoyed it. For all the Percico haters, I'm sorry. It's gonna help with the rest of the story. Come on with those reviews (yes even hate reviews). Make good decisions. Peace!