Author's Note: I am so sorry that this chapter took so long! I really just got sidetracked, but to make up for it, it is the longest chapter yet, at over 8,000 words! I got great reviews for the last chapter and I am happy to report on two things in particular: you all love Perenelle's mother, and you are very curious about the dream at the end of the chapter. Good, this means I have you right where I want you! You did all want to know, however, whose dream it was, and although I believe I answered most of you via PM, I shall say it again here: it was Perenelle's dream. I'll leave you with that for now. Also, Karey's coming back into the mix, as is her boyfriend Mark, who are both important characters. A new character in the mix as well. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus.
"I have never belonged wholeheartedly to a country, a state, nor to a circle of friends..."
-Albert Einstein
-o-
Perenelle had believed that she was finally used to people she had never met randomly appearing in her apartment.
However, when she opened her front door to find a girl with flaming red hair sitting on a wooden stool, her back to Perenelle, paintbrush in hand and a canvas in front of her, Perenelle's scream proved otherwise.
"Oh!" exclaimed the red-haired girl, swivelling around on her stool. "I'm sorry! Nico said I could come here whenever today, and bring my painting with me, and I found the key under the mat, but I know I probably should have told you first, and— " The girl broke off, obviously flustered, and smiled apologetically at Perenelle, who had her back against the door, still recovering from the shock. Finally, the red haired girl put out her hand and said, "I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare."
Perenelle smiled back, and said, "Yeah, I know. I was just—surprised. I'm Perenelle Adler." And she returned the handshake.
Rachel continued to smile. "Yeah, I know."
Perenelle dropped her bag to the ground and approached Rachel's easel slowly, looking at the painting that was forming there, close to completion.
"I just got back in town yesterday," Rachel explained as Perenelle came closer, "and when Nico said I should come over today he said I could bring anything I was painting to keep busy with and that you wouldn't mind—I hope he was right."
"No, he was right, I definitely don't mind." She looked over at Rachel and smiled again. "My minor is Art History."
"Oh, I'm taking a class on that in the fall. Do you paint, too?"
Perenelle shook her head. "I can admire art, but, much to my own dismay, can't create it." She thought for a moment. "Where are you going to college again? Nico mentioned it but he couldn't remember where."
"Columbia," Rachel replied promptly.
"Me toe," Perenelle said, smiling. "Maybe we'll have some classes together." Rachel smiled back, and the tension was eased a bit, although they were definitely not past the initial awkwardness yet. Perenelle looked back to the painting, then, not sure what else to say.
It was nothing if not striking. Rachel had been rough with it, for it was obvious that if you touched your hand to the canvas you would be able to feel the sharp ridges and edges of protruding paint, but it had clearly not been accidental, either. It was dark, all in black and shades of deep blue, and at its center was a large, black raven. The raven's wings were folded in on itself, and its head was bent so the profile of its beak was harsh and vivid. It took up practically all of the canvas, everything behind it pitch black, although its clawed feet were clutching a branch. Every feather on the bird looked real, as if you could actually feel the slickness of them if you were to reach out and touch it. The raven's eyes were a startling shade of yellow; the only burst of color in the entire painting.
"It's beautiful," Perenelle said truthfully.
Rachel smiled again. "Well, it's one of my darker pieces, but I guess most of the things I paint nowadays are pretty dark...Anyway, now I'm just layering. It's done, really."
"I love it," Perenelle said sincerely, smiling at Rachel again.
Rachel full-out grinned now. "Thanks."
There was another awkward silence then, the kind that Perenelle absolutely hated, and she was relieved to say the least when Rachel, obviously one to take situations like this head on, said, "So...what do you want to do now?"
-o-
Perenelle continued to laugh hysterically while Rachel choked on her beverage, all due to something Perenelle has said five long minutes ago.
"Okay, okay," Rachel said, laughing between words, as she wiped her mouth with a napkin, holding her other hand in the air as if surrendering. "I think it's time to talk about what we both really want to talk about."
"And that would be?" Perenelle asked, smiling. She and Rachel both sat on the couch, cross legged and comfortable. The coffee table was loaded with containers of Chinese food they had gotten a couple of hours prior, multiple two liters of soda, and an assortment of beer. If there was one thing Perenelle loved about New York City, it was that you could run down the block to the bodega to get the nonsense snacks (chips, microwavable foods, soda, etc.) while your partner in crime ordered food from whatever delicious, quick, and affordable (enough) restaurant you two fancied at that moment in time. Which is exactly what Perenelle and Rachel had done.
It turned out they had much more in common than the college they were attending, tastes in art, and association with mythical beings. They had a practically identical sense of humor, and taste in other forms of entertainment. And then, of course, there was always what Rachel would bring up next.
"Nico, of course," she said easily, diving her chopsticks into the container she was holding currently, which Perenelle believed contained fried dumplings.
"Ah," Perenelle said, uncomfortable.
Rachel's mouth formed an O. "Is that an unspoken secretI detect, Ms. Adler?" she inquired, trademark sparkle in her green eyes.
"Of coursenot," Perenelle said flippantly. "What about him?"
"Well, I was hoping you'd contribute to the conversation, I must say," Rachel said, feigning disappointment.
"I'm sure you know him much better than I do," Perenelle said. "It's only been about a month and a half now."
"Yeah, but you've been living with him for a month and a half," Rachel countered. "Living with him. This entails sharing your apartment, which, as charming as it is, is nevertheless small. Which thereforeentails sharing everything in your apartment. Like your kitchen and living room and shower. Which furthermore entails many possible events. Like, for instance, seeing each other naked—"
"Okay, okay! I get the point," Perenelle said, crossing her chopsticks and holding them in front of her as if to ward Rachel off.
"So?" Rachel said, leaning forward. "Come on! Anything? I've heard some rumors up on Olympus, but you never know what's actually true when you're hearing it out of the mouth of some minor goddess." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Oh, gods," Perenelle said. "Rumors are flying about, are they?" Rachel nodded. "Well, then? What's being said up in the clouds?"
Rachel smiled broadly, shifting slightly, but not uncomfortably. More excitedly. "Where do I even begin? Firstly, there's the one about you two getting a little too close on the roof—"
"Complete exaggeration!" Perenelle interjected.
"And then there's the one about the fact that you two are getting all hot and bothered in your bed—"
"That just embellished to the point of ridiculousness."
"And then there's the one where he fucked you on the kitchen counter—"
"Okay, that's a flat-out lie."
"I thought that last one was probably false," Rachel allowed.
"Is that last one a very, er, popular rumor?"
Rachel laughed in response.
Perenelle groaned. "People suck."
"Especially the godly people," Rachel agreed. "However, I am intrigued by the fact that you didn't completely deny the first two," Rachel said slowly. "Which means...they must be somewhat true."
Perenelle blushed slightly, but shrugged. "There are very simple explanations."
"Go on," Rachel said, smiling.
"We were practicing on eliminating my power on the roof, and the gods must have blown it all out of proportion," she said easily, ignoring her vivid memory of what had actually happened. "He barely touched me." She lied again.
"Okay, then what about the bed thing?"
"Nico was being a whiny asshole and complaining about the couch and stuff, so we made a deal, and now we share my bed."
Rachel choked on her beer.
"What?" she demanded, spluttering.
"We don't do anything!" Perenelle protested, feeling a shiver go up her spine when she remembered her dream from just the night before.
"I beg to fucking differ!" Rachel said, wiping her mouth again.
"We don't! We seriously just share the bed," Perenelle said, blushing harder now. "We used to have a goddamn pillow wall, for fuck's sake."
"A pillow wall?" Rachel repeated, clearly amused.
Perenelle shrugged.
"But you actually are sharing a bed?" Rachel asked.
Perenelle shrugged again. "Yeah, but sometimes we're both out really early or late or whatever and one of us gets it to ourselves."
Rachel began shaking her head slowly, eyes closed, as if she had just heard a very dreadful piece of news.
"What?" Perenelle asked, startled.
"You're sharing a bed, and you're not doing anything?" she repeated.
"Yeah?"
"Why in all Hades not?" Rachel demanded, slapping her hands down onto her thighs for effect.
"Huh?" Perenelle said, getting it, but preferring her perpetual state of denial.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about," Rachel said, shaking her head some more. "You are sharing a bed and you're not doing anything. Why? What are you two aiming for here, a nineteen-fifty's marriage?"
"Look, even if I wanted to doanything with Nico—which I don't—what makes you so sure he'd want to do anything with me?" Perenelle said.
Rachel snorted. "That, Perenelle dear, is one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard."
"In what way, exactly?" Perenelle said, as amused by this conversation as she was uncomfortable by it.
"Um, let me see, there's two hot twenty-somethings is one bed together, both of the opposite sex and, presumably, straight. Explain to me how there is no intercourse, please. Could you do me that favor, perhaps?"
"I'm nineteen," Perenelle offered. She and Rachel looked at each other for a few moments in absolute silence. Rachel began laughing first, and Perenelle quickly followed suit.
"Really, though," Rachel managed between laughs, "it doesn't make any sense."
"Why not though?" Perenelle said, grasping for any of the sheds of denial and dignity she had left.
"Because Nico is, let's face it, not the worst looking son of Hades there's ever been, and you're—" Rachel extended her arms, gesturing towards Perenelle wildly, "—well, just look at you! You're totally gorgeous! You've got that whole big-blue-eyes thing going on." Rachel nodded.
"Big-blue-eyes thing?" Perenelle repeated, smiling.
"Yep," Rachel confirmed.
"Well then, who on earth wouldn't want to fuck me, with my big blue eyes and all," Perenelle said, rolling said eyes.
Rachel laughed. "I'll let it go for now, but really, it simply doesn't make any sense. Do you guys really hate each other or something? 'Cause if it's that, although I find it hard to believe, I could understand you two not fucking each other's brains out."
Perenelle shook her head. "No, I don't hate him. I mean, when he was first here he was annoying as all get-out,but I guess that was partly me and all. I kind of like him when he's not being all smug and awkward, I guess. I actually just took him to meet my mother yesterday."
"You took him to meet your mother and you're not fucking?" Rachel said, eyebrows scrunched together as if to prove how much she really couldn't fathom the concept.
Perenelle smiled. "My mom actually said the same thing."
Rachel laughed again at this, although she was still shaking her head. "So you like him, you admit he's attractive, there are rumors that shit's already going down, you're sharing a bed, and yet you're not fucking."
Perenelle shrugged. "Maybe hedoesn't like me."
Rachel scoffed. "He does, trust me. When he called me a month ago, you know, asking for me to help you guys out, he sounded so... concerned. Like, really, really worried. And on your behalf."
"That doesn't mean he likes me, Rachel," Perenelle said, although she was intrigued by this information.
"No, Perenelle, it was like he really cared. And you know how Nico is. He doesn't just care about people. And anyway, his job isn't to protect you from any outside forces. It's simply to get rid of your power, so he doesn't have to worry. He could totally just finish doing what Apollo and Hades are making him do and leave you to your own devices."
They were silent for a moment, until Rachel said, "Wait a minute."
"Huh?" Perenelle said.
"Earlier, you said maybe it was that he didn't like you, like if you knew that he did you would..." Rachel's eyes suddenly got very wide, and she raised her head to look at Perenelle straight on. "Oh, my gods. You do! You totally have a crush on him!"
"No, I—"
"Oh, my gods, you do, you do, you do! You totally fucking do!" Rachel jumped up, standing now, practically shaking with excitement.
Perenelle was blushing furiously now, her cheeks so hot she was sure her hands would receive third degree burns if she touched them. "No, really, I—"
"Perenelle, don't worry, it totally makes sense!" Rachel had her hands on Perenelle's shoulders now, and she was smiling broadly, her green eyes sparkling. "If you didn't I'd be questioning your sanity."
"Rachel, it's nothing, it's not like anything's ever going to—"
"But why not? You like him, I'm sure he likes you, so why not?" Rachel looked genuinely gleeful at the prospect.
"Why would you care, anyway?" Perenelle said. Rachel looked hurt for a moment, and Perenelle said quickly, "I mean, I know you and Nico are friends, but I'm basically just some random girl with a weird power who's getting stalked by some sorceress with a grudge. And, now that I say it like that, I'll admit, it sounds interesting, but it's not the point, really, 'cause—" Perenelle took a deep breath, realizing she was babbling. "Why would you care about my...ugh, I'll say it: love life? That's what I mean."
"Well, firstly, you may just be a girl with a power who's being stalked by a sorceress that I only met a few hours ago, but you are an exceptionally cool girl with a power and a sorceress stalker." Perenelle smiled at this, which made Rachel smile in turn. "And I, as the eternal virgin, must live vicariously through other cool girls and their romantic prospects." Rachel waved a hand. "Just ask Annabeth Chase. I do it with her and Percy all the time, although they are getting bit gooey for my taste now that they're approaching the marrying age."
"Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson?" Perenelle repeated. "You're friends with them?"
"Yeah, since the first war. So's Nico."
"Oh. I was eight during the first war," Perenelle explained.
"Wow, you are young aren't you?" Rachel said.
"When I got to camp the second war had ended four years prior. I know all the stories and stuff, but..." Perenelle shrugged.
"Do you not have many demigod friends?" Rachel asked, sitting down again.
"I had a lot at camp, and I still talk to Chiron sometimes, but no one that I see outside of camp. I'm sure if you went there and asked everyone some people would know who I am, but no-one knows about my power, other than Chiron and the gods and stuff, so there's nothing particularly memorable about me."
"And you've been stuck with Nico only?" Rachel said, aghast.
Perenelle nodded.
"Dear gods," Rachel shook her head. "I'm going to have to introduce you to Percy and Annabeth."
Perenelle was, she had to admit, absolutely startled by this prospect. "Oh, I don't think—"
"Don't worry. You're definitely interesting enough." Rachel smiled. "But, back to more important issues: you have a crush on Nico!"
"I—" Perenelle began, only to be interrupted by the door swinging open, and Nico appearing in the threshold. Perenelle swallowed, and looked over to Rachel, who now had a hand over her mouth.
"Hi," Nico said, looking questioningly between Rachel and Perenelle.
"Hey, Nico," Rachel said easily. Perenelle simply nodded, and said, "I see you decided to use the actual point of entry this time."
"I'm all for variety," Nico said.
"We ordered Chinese and saved some for you," Rachel said. She glanced over at the cartons of food, frowned, and said, "Well, we've left half of the carton of brown rice for you."
"Words cannot do justice for the excitement I feel in this moment," Nico said drily, dropping his keys on the small table by the door and walking towards them slowly, taking in the scene in front of him. "I see Rachel's been shoving her creepy art down your throat," he went on.
Rachel scoffed, hands on her hips, and said, quite indignantly, "I beg your pardon?"
Perenelle gained the same expression as Rachel, and said, "I think it's beautiful."
"That's because it is," Rachel agreed.
"Whatever you say," Nico said, leaning over the couch and between the two of them to grab the half-eaten carton of rice off the table.
"So," he continued, carton in one hand and chopsticks in the other, "have you guys talked at all about the sorceress lady and the prophecy death threats?"
"Uh," Perenelle and Rachel said in unison, looking up at him.
"Thought so," Nico said, rolling his eyes. "Good thing I have a plan."
"A plan?" Perenelle and Rachel repeated.
"Gods, you're starting to sound like each other," Nico said. "I knew it was a bad idea, getting you two together..." Nico shuddered.
"The plan?" Perenelle prompted.
"I think we should go back to the warehouse," Nico said in a very matter of fact tone.
"What?" Rachel said. "You want Perenelle to go back to the place where she was almost kidnapped and, presumably, killed?"
"He has a point, actually," Perenelle said. Rachel and Nico looked at her questionably.
"How?" Rachel said.
"There's no way we're going to find anything out by just sitting around here and waiting," Perenelle said, a bit unpleasantly, as though she didn't like the idea at all, but still found it to be the wisest plan of action. "And unfortunately, this means going back to the last place I saw her, and where, according to the Muses, is her home base." Perenelle looked at Rachel then, to find that her eyes were worried. "You're not sensing anything here, are you?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. I mean, there's you guys, but that's it."
"What do you mean, there's us?" Nico asked.
"You know, you guys, like, glow," Rachel explained. "'Cause you have the taint of that world on you. You're special."
Perenelle and Nico looked at each other, and Nico said, "Your mother could see it too."
"I think anyone with the Sight can See it," Perenelle said. "That's kind of the point."
Rachel nodded at this. "So, if there was anything else here that was in anyway associated with the gods, I'd notice it. It'd glow, like you guys."
"Okay, so if you go with us to the warehouse, you can help us keep a lookout, know if it's safe to get closer and all that, right?" Nico said.
"Oh, definitely," Rachel said, smiling. "Not that I approve. I really don't get what it is with you demigods and throwing yourselves into life threatening situations, but since I see neither of you will be moved on the topic, I'll help."
"When are we doing this, then?" Perenelle said.
"Well, we're going to need to prepare a little bit," Nico said, still eating from the carton of rice. "We'll need a car, which I know none of us have, so..."
"We could rent one," Rachel offered. "I'll cover the charges."
"No, don't worry about that. I've got it under control," Perenelle said.
"You've got it under control?" Nico repeated.
"Yeah. Really, Nico, I can just borrow Karey's car. I do that all the time," Perenelle said assuredly.
"Whatever you say," Nico murmured.
"So when can you get the car?" Rachel asked.
"By tomorrow," Perenelle said easily.
"Okay, well, I'm free tomorrow night," Rachel said, leaning back against the arm of the couch.
"So tomorrow night, then?" Nico said, almost nonchalant.
"Sounds fine to me," Perenelle said.
"Well then," Rachel said, smiling at Perenelle. "I guess I should leave now, so I can prepare myself for what shall be yet another self-destructive mission constructed by demigods of questionable sanity." She turned towards Perenelle again as she stood, and said, "It was great meeting you, though. You should come over some time so we can talk about things that don't involve the Soap Opera that is your family."
Perenelle laughed shortly, but her smile was genuine when she said, "That sounds great. We can talk about your family then. Nico says they're even worse than the Olympians."
"Nico likes to be melodramatic," Rachel said, punching said boy in the arm as she passed him, making her way to the door. "See you later, Ghost King."
"Bye, Red," Nico threw over his shoulder as she opened the rusty door with one strong pull, threw one last conspiratorial smile at Perenelle, and closed the door firmly behind her.
-o-
"Nico," Rachel said, voice muffled through the phone, although something else seemed to be contributing to the stuffiness Nico detected in her voice. "I need you to come to my apartment now. Oh, and bring my painting! I left it there last night."
"Yeah, we noticed," Nico said into the phone, glancing at the painting of the black raven that was still in the corner of the living room. It's presence seemed to only fuel Perenelle's air of awkwardness, which seemed to have started only just the morning before, for reasons unbeknownst to himself. "Why can't you just come pick it up?"
"Uh, for several reasons actually," Rachel drawled. She made the distinctive sound of breath being drawn in, followed by a gigantic sneeze. Gods, not this again.
"I'll be there in a second," Nico said reluctantly, hanging up the phone and tossing it onto the couch.
Within seconds he had the painting in hand, was in the darkest corner of Perenelle's living room, and then he was gone.
-o-
"Your doorman thinks I'm so sweet I make sugar taste just like salt," Perenelle informed Karey as she walked through the intricate mahogany doorway and into her penthouse apartment.
"You are the only visitor who's nice to him," Karey admitted. "Everyone else thinks they're the shit just 'cause they have a friend with enough money to live in this monstrosity of a building."
Perenelle laughed, setting her bag down on Karey's leather couch. She loved going to Karey's apartment—it gave her a taste of upscale Manhattan that she only ever got when visiting her rich friends (a lot of them were, indeed, rich, via their parents—Karey herself came from old money that had been spent well and invested smartly over the years, causing her family to never go bankrupt, even in the middle of a recession, and allowing Karey to live in a penthouse apartment on Central Park West). Everything was perfect in Karey's building, from the gold door elevator to the woodwork and marble hallways. Karey herself only worked at the Strand along with Perenelle and Angelica (who came from much humbler beginnings) because she loved books and enjoyed attempting to not feel like a "spoiled rich girl" by doing such things (which was the reason she received no salary there—she simply volunteered).
"So, what's up, Perry?" Karey asked, following Perenelle into the living room and sitting down on the couch next to her.
"Well," Perenelle began cautiously. "I was wondering if you could do me a little favor?"
Karey raised an eyebrow.
"Um, you see," Perenelle began, "remember that awful rave you convinced me to go to about a month ago?"
"You mean the one that you brought your cousin to and then the cops showed up and kicked everyone out and arrested the guy who was only wearing a sock on his dick?" Karey rolled her eyes. "How could I forget?"
"There was a guy only wearing a sock on his dick?" Perenelle asked.
"Totes, bro," Karey said in her very Karey-like manner, and proceeded to flip her straight brown hair over her shoulder.
"Well then," Perenelle said. "Well, in the, uh, hustle of everything I must have dropped my bag, because Nico and I have looked everywhere for it, and I lost it around that time, so it makes sense that it'd still be there. Especially considering the fact that the cops are keeping everyone out of there, so there's a good chance that my bag's just lying there on that nasty beach." Perenelle nodded, ending her half-baked lie smoothly.
"Okay," Karey said, her expression doubtful, but she allowed the story. "What does this have to do with me? Do you want me to give you money so you can buy a new bag, because you wouldn't have been at the party in the first place if it weren't for me? 'Cause I can do that."
"No, no," Perenelle said. "I want to go back and get it."
If there was one thing Perenelle really loved about Karey, it was that she didn't question things too often. Sure, she'd called bullshit on the cousin story, but she didn't beat it to death until Perenelle gave in and told her the truth—much like Perenelle herself would have should their roles be reversed. Perenelle knew Karey probably didn't fully buy her admittedly poor lie, but she didn't push it, because in the end she and Perenelle were friends, and when your friend needs help, that's what you give them. "So you want to borrow my car," Karey said easily.
"Yeah." Perenelle smiled.
Karey shrugged. "I don't see why not."
"Thank you, Karey!" Perenelle enthused, smiling broadly. "Unfortunately, however, Nico is expecting me to show up with it soon, so..."
"Oh, don't worry about it," Karey said, standing and grabbing her keys off the table. Perenelle stood as well, and caught the keys deftly when Karey tossed them to her.
"So, your cousin's going with you?" Karey said, rolling her eyes at the familial word.
Perenelle ignored her, saying, "Yeah. He's gonna help me... observe the grounds."
Karey rolled her eyes. "What you should be observingis the ceiling of your bedroom while he fucks you senseless," Karey said matter of factly.
"Dear Lord," Perenelle said, shaking her head slowly. "He's my cousin."
"It's true," Karey insisted. "And I shall forever call bullshit on that cousin crap. You can't lie to me, Perry!"
"I beg to differ," Perenelle said, walking towards the door and away from Karey, dangling the keys in the air as she went. "Thanks for the car, Care Bear. I'll make sure to bring it back tonight—although it might be really late."
"Good, 'cause I have news," Karey said, arms crossed.
"News?" Perenelle said, intrigued. Karey only ever said there was news for two reasons: one, Brad Pitt was in town again, filming some movie, or two, something absolutely mind blowing had recently occurred in her life. Karey never used the word 'news' for mundane matters. Or even actual news, for that matter.
"Totes," Karey agreed.
"Well, now you have to tell me," Perenelle said, leaning against the door.
"Why should I, Perry dear?" Karey said, walking slowly towards Perenelle, hands folded behind her back, a mischievous smile on her face. "What'll you do for me?"
Perenelle huffed, knowing that Karey already knew exactly what she wanted. And if she didn't give it to her, she would literally never find out what this news was. Karey was ruthless, she was. "What do you want, you conniving vixen you?"
"Admit Nico's not your cousin," Karey said quickly, smiling manically.
Perenelle bit her lip, stubbornness and curiosity currently having a battle of the wills inside her head. Finally, she said, "Fuck! Fine, he's not my cousin! Happy? Now what is the news?"
Karey broke into her biggest smile, and then Perenelle's confession didn't matter; her news was way more exciting and out of left field than Perenelle's obvious lie. Giving a flourish of her hand, Karey all but shrieked, "Mark asked me to marry him!"
"What?" Perenelle shouted in like, running forward and grabbing Karey's left hand, not believing she'd missed this rock before. Perenelle, not knowing much about jewelery, but knowing this must have been expensive as hell, idly thought it was probably a zillion karats. "Holy shit! You're gonna get back problems from this thing!"
"I know, right!" Karey said, seemingly laughing and crying and trying to keep herself together all at the same time. "He just asked last night!"
"Karey!" Perenelle said in disbelief. "You're—you—are getting married?"
"I know, I know, but really, Perry, I'm really, really, super duper with cherries on top happy!" Karey said. They were having a contest on who could squeal louder at this point.
"Well, when you put it like that," Perenelle said, laughing. "I just can't believe it! It's you! Do your parents know?"
Karey became a bit more composed at this, her face darkening slightly, and she said, "No, not yet."
Karey's parents, being very traditionally Jewish, allowed Karey's escapades of dating whoever she wanted with grudging silence, but would definitelynot be happy to find that she was planning on actually tying the sacred knot witha Catholic boy. The same went for Mark's parents, who wouldn't be too gung-ho to hear that their son was marrying out of the religion as well. It made for a bit of a Romeo and Juliet dynamic, as Perenelle had once joked, just way more realistic. There would have to be a lot of convincing to do at best, and disowning at worst.
Perenelle smiled, and said, "I'm sure it will be fine," hoping herself that it was true. She gave Karey a hug then, saying, "Will Mark be here when I get back?"
She felt Karey nod against her shoulder, and smiled. She loved Mark, she had since they met in the second grade, and had always felt he and Karey would make a great couple. She was, in fact, the only reason they met in the first place, but this proposal exceeded any expectations Perenelle had for their relationship by far.
"Good luck with your bag," Karey said in a rye manner, as Perenelle opened the door, walking the short distance across the hall to the golden elevator. "And," she said, as Perenelle stepped into the elevator, "I hope you and Nico put my car to good use."
-o-
"So, remember to tell Perenelle everything I told you," Rachel sniffled, sneezing into a tissue again. "I really like her, you know."
"Yeah, you've only said that six times since I got here." Nico said, walking to the door or Rachel's penthouse apartment.
"I just can't believe you didn't tell me how cool she is," Rachel said, following Nico to the door. "I mean, she knows that Banana Fish is a short story by J.D. Salinger. What nineteen year-old-girl in the universe other than her knows that?" Rachel demanded. "Gods, you made me sounds like helping her out was going to be a chore."
Nico shrugged. "I don't know. She's been acting a little weird around me since yesterday," Nico confided.
"Well, you are kind of a creepy," Rachel said, with another sneeze. "Just make sure to tell her I'm sorry I can't come, and I didn't mean to get sick. This isn't like when I sit on the balcony wearing a tank top and shorts in the middle of winter so I can avoid going to one of my dad's parties. This is legit." She gave another sneeze, as if to drive the point home.
"I know, I know," Nico said. "Feel better, I guess."
"Thanks," she sniffed. She really did look horrible, too. Her hair was even more bedraggled than usual, her nose Rudolph red, her cheeks flushed unattractively. "Good luck!" she called after him as he boarded the elevator. "And be careful! This is dangerous shit, Nico!"
-o-
"She's getting married?" Nico said from the passenger seat of the girl on topic's car. "Like, matrimony?"
"What other married is there?" Perenelle rolled her eyes, putting her foot up next to the steering wheel.
Nico shrugged. "She just doesn't seem the...type."
"You have no idea," Perenelle said with a laugh.
Perenelle and Nico had pulled up to the beach (if you could call it that) on the shores of the Hudson, which was also covered in beer bottles, candy wrappers, and used condoms. The warehouses that lined it were mainly used for storage purposes, and sometimes in the summer and outdoor pool would be opened around there, but at the moment it was absolutely deserted, save for Nico and Perenelle sitting in Karey's car.
They watched the warehouses, particularly the one where Perenelle had been attacked by the woman in the white dress, looking for any signs of movement, and waiting until they were positively sure they could get closer, and then themselves go in and take a look. Luckily no cops had been patrolling, trying to keep out reckless teenagers and colleges students, so at the moment they were in the clear.
"It's kind of ridiculous, really," Perenelle went on, leaning her head on her hand, her dark blond hair tumbling about her in its usual mess of waves. She was dressed in converse sneakers, a pair of tight jeans, and a form-fitting green t-shirt. "I mean, to get married at twenty-one. She only just got the right to get drunk legally."
Nico shrugged, glancing over at her cautiously. She really had been acting odd ever since a couple of days back—the day he'd met her mother. And, as much as he hated to admit it due to all of Perenelle's annoying qualities, he'd enjoyed how they'd been getting on in the past month. What with their movie watching, and the addition of Ginger (the oddly protective cat that had literally come out of nowhere a month ago at this same spot, which they enjoyed theorizing about—the most recent theory being that the cat was in fact a spy from Soviet Russia who had managed to turn herself into a feline, impressively enough), and the fact that they were sharing the bed without the same timid awkwardness they had before.
They'd been in something together, and that was a nice feeling for Nico, who always felt like the odd one out, the third wheel, the sidekick. He and Perenelle were a team against whoever it was that was after her, and in the mission to eliminate her power.
And then the day before, she was suddenly...different. Like something had happened that had changed her view of him. And, Nico being Nico, would never ask her what happened. Because he hated sharing feelings just as much as Perenelle, it appeared.
"Maybe they really like each other," Nico suggested lamely, keeping his eyes on the warehouses.
"Nico, they totally like each other," Perenelle said. "They love each other. But sometimes that isn't enough, you know? Especially at such a young age."
"So, you never had much faith in any of your relationships?" Nico said.
"Nope," Perenelle said, shaking her head.
Nico smiled slightly, both at her matter of fact tone and the fact that she was slowly letting her guard down. Also, she was rather opinionated for a nineteen-year old. "Yeah, me either, I guess."
"Oh, so you have had a relationship beyond fucking?" Perenelle said, although there isn't much bite in the jab, and the look of mock astonishment she gave him wasn't as impressive as it could have been.
"No. That's why I agreed with you," he said. "Obviously."
Perenelle shook her head, looking out her window, but he could tell she was smiling. "I've had relationships, but not ones that I thought were going to last."
"Really, then," Nico said, sitting up much as she had before, and earning a grin. "Tell me more." His voice was mocking, but Perenelle didn't appear to look too offended.
"You want to know all about my boyfriends?" Perenelle said, turning around in her seat to face him.
The fact of the matter was that he really, really did. He didn't know why exactly, but he found himself intensely curious about Perenelle's romantic entanglements. If only, perhaps, to compare himself to them. See if there were similarities. See if she had a type. Or just see how someone as insistently annoying as herself could manage to carry on a romantic relationship for any extended period of time.
So he said, "If you want to tell me."
So Perenelle said, "Well, it ought to be a good way to pass the time. Anyway, the list isn't long."
Nico exhaled, only to realize he'd been holding his breath. Perenelle didn't seem to notice.
"Well," Perenelle began, assuming the voice that Nico now associated with her telling a story. "When I was fifteen, I dated this exchange student from Brazil." She smiled broadly.
"An exchange student from Brazil was your first boyfriend," Nico repeated, turning towards her.
"Mm-hm," Perenelle said, smiling as if recalling a fond memory. "We couldn't understand a thing the other was saying. We dated for eight months."
"You dated a boy who you couldn't understand for eight months?" Nico said. "Why?"
"He was very hot," Perenelle said with a sly smile. "And it's fun to listen to people ramble on in Portuguese, even when you have no idea what they're saying. It's a pretty language."
Nico nodded slowly, absorbing this new bit of information, glad that Perenelle's guard was coming down. "After him?"
"Well, I took a break from the whole dating thing while I was sixteen, because really, what is more cliché than having a boyfriend when you're sixteen?
"Then, when I was seventeen this Native American guy, Stephen, moved from this reservation in way upstate New York to Manhattan, by himself, so he could attend a good high school. And it's a good thing he did too, because, I shall admit, he was smarter than me."
"He was smarter than you?" Nico clucked his tongue. "Unbelievable."
"It's still hard to admit, but yes," Perenelle said, sticking her tongue out at him. "He was awesome too. Just fun in that way that we were never bored, you know?"
Nico did not know this feeling, personally, and her description of it actually made him a little jealous.
"So what happened?" he asked, his voice soft.
"He got a partial scholarship to Stanford, and I got a quarter scholarship to Columbia," Perenelle said, a bit solemnly. "Life went on."
"So you were eighteen when that ended?" Nico said, receiving a nod. "And you're nineteen now?" Another nod, and an eye roll. "Anything in between?"
"I told you the list was short," Perenelle said. "Anyway, I'm guessing it's longer than yours."
There was a long silence then, not entirely uncomfortable, but observed by both of them. Perenelle stared out the window for a while, and Nico did the same, although he was actually doing what they were supposed to be doing—looking at the warehouse, seeing if there were any signs of movement. Perenelle looked out at the river, seemingly deep in thought.
She turned back towards him suddenly, and Nico was startled to see that she looked irritated. "What are we even watchingfor?" she demanded. "Why are we even here if Rachel can't help us? She's the only one that'd see anything important. What, do we really think this lady is stupid enough to go turning all the fucking lights on?" She finished her tirade by slapping a hand down on the steering wheel.
"Perenelle," Nico said hesitantly, although she didn't look back at him. "You know I can kind of see auras too, right? I can see life forces—especially if they are fluxuating in some way. And since we think this woman's supposed to be dead..."
"You'd be able to see that," Perenelle finished, resting her head on her hands, closing her eyes. "Yeah—no, that makes sense. I'm...sorry."
Nico blinked. "You're sorry?"
Perenelle smiled slightly, and said, "Fuck off, di Angelo."
Nico smiled back, and as if Perenelle could sense this she opened her eyes to see the rare sight. Her eyes danced with an unreadable emotion for a moment, and she said, "We're doing pretty good just sitting here, aren't we? With the ADHD and all."
Nico's smile lingered a moment longer than it would have originally at this comment. Nodding, he said, "I never had as much of a problem with it as Annabeth and Percy. You're worse than me, but better than them." Perenelle saluted in response.
Nico began fidgeting a bi thent, thinking idly that demigod ADHD actually increased when you thought about it, and opened the glove compartment in the process. The sight that met him was far down his list of things he'd expected to find in Karey's glove department.
Maps, maybe. Sunglasses, perhaps. But a gun? No.
"Holy shit," he said lowly.
"What?" Perenelle said, turning towards him again. "Oh, shit!"
Nico had taken the gun out of the glove department and was handling it carefully with his long fingers, turning it slowly, checking the ammunition. It was loaded, and his knowledge of that suddenly made it feel much heavier in his hand.
"Your friend owns a gun," Nico said flatly.
"No shit," Perenelle said, leaning in hesitantly to get a closer look at the gun in the darkness, the only light coming from Brooklyn behind them, and Manhattan across the river. "I cannot believe she didn't tell me about this."
"Why would she tell you?" Nico said softly, continuing to turn the pistol in his hand.
Perenelle rolled her eyes. "Karey tells everyone everything. This might not be hers."
"It's in her car."
"And I repeat, no shit." Perenelle marvelled some more.
"I think this ups the danger factor of tonight," Nico said.
"Awesome," Perenelle breathed.
Nico smiled. Perenelle had come to distinguish Nico's smiles from each other. There was the genuine, oddly sweet one, and then the one that was accompanied by a mad glint in his eye. In an odd way, the latter thrilled her. This smile was the latter.
-o-
"Gods," Perenelle said, passing the gun from hand to hand. "Do you think there's a chance we could die tonight?"
"It's always possible," Nico said with a blasé shrug. "But somehow I doubt it."
"Why?" Perenelle said, sniffing the gun.
"Just a feeling."
The general mood in the silver car had changed drastically in the last half hour. Perenelle sat sideways in her seat, her feet up on the dashboard. Nico was turned toward her in much the same fashion, casually looking out the windshield.
"Even so," Perenelle said, "we should say thoughtful things about each other, just in case."
Nico nodded slowly, while Perenelle set the gun down in her lap gently, saying, "You first."
"You're one of the most observant people I've ever met," Nico began.
Perenelle smiled.
"You'd be horrifyingly annoying if your weren't so amusing," he went on.
"Touché," Perenelle said.
"Your turn," Nico said, dropping his head back against the seat, already feeling a tad uncomfortable by this exchange.
Perenelle thought for a moment. "I wanna get out of the car."
"Not really sure how that's something thoughtful about myself, but okay."
"No, really, I'm getting really restless." She looked at him with wide eyes. "Demigod ADHD can only be concealed for so long."
"I don't kn—"
Nico's sentence was cut off by the all-too-familiar sound of a police siren, and the flash of red and blue lights that went through the car. Perenelle jolted, her feet coming off the dashboard quickly, grabbing the gun and turning in her seat so that she was sitting in it backwards. She looked through the small gap in the headrest to the cop car that was approaching from behind them. Nico did the same, ducking his head around the seat , trying to stay low.
"Shit," they hissed in unison.
"Fuck," Perenelle felt the need to add. "I knew this would happen. Fuck, fuck, fuck. What're we gonna do, Nico? We have a fucking gun."
Nico's eyes darted from the cop car, to Perenelle, to the gun, to the warehouse, and back again. Perenelle's blue eyes were wide and worried, the sirens making her face blue and red. She held the gun up in her hand, as if she were ready to open fire. Nico's mind raced, and finally he came to a decision.
Just as he saw the driver's side door to the cop car open, he snatched the gun out of Perenelle's hand, tossed it onto the floor of the back seat, covering it with some stray magazines that were laying back there. Then, in a quick movement, he entertwined one hand with Perenelle's, put the other one on her waist, and pulled her on top of him.
-o-
Perenelle gasped slightly when Nico pulled her onto his lap. She had to put her legs on either side of his, straddling him, in order to retain her balance. He kept one hand on her waist, and moved the other into her hair. Perenelle's tongue tingled with surprise and something else. Then, as he pulled her head towards his, he breathed, "Just go with it," to which Perenelle nodded breathlessly, understanding perfectly.
Their lips slammed together, and at first the kiss was horrible. Their teeth bashed and their holds were too tight on each other. And yet—although Perenelle wasn't sure if Nico thought the same—it felt right in a way she couldn't explain. Perenelle brought her hands to Nico's head, tangling them in his hair as well, pushing their lips even harder together still. The kiss deepened and matured, becoming exceptionallybetter, and Perenelle moaned slightly when Nico squeezed her waist, too caught up in the act to even be embarassed.
She leaned further into him, Nico not seeming to mind, not thinking about the fact that she could really use some air, or that the cop was approacing, or that Nico seemed to be enjoying this as much as she was, considering the state of his lap—
Two polite knocks from the driver's side window made them break the kiss with a smackand a sharp intake of breath. The police officer stood outside, leaning down to look inside the glass, an annoyed and slightly amused expression on his face. Perenelle's hands were still tangled in Nico's hair, and his in hers. Perenelle let go of him, kept her legs on his lap, moving sideways across the driver's seat to roll down the window, keeping a flustered expression on her face.
"Hi," Perenelle and Nico said in a sloppy unison, obviously looking quite the part of a young couple who had taken their car somewhere desolate to be intimate, with their mussed hair, wet lips, flushed cheeks, and silly smiles.
"You do know that civilians aren't allowed down here," the cop said, looking like this was a waste of his time. "At all."
"Yes, yes, we know, we're very, very, sorry, we were trying to get to—" And that's how it went. Perenelle and Nico barraded the officer of law with a wall of sound, confusing and making him grow weary, their words undetectable from each other, Nico running a hand down Perenelle's leg, and Perenelle leaning back to slap him playfully. The cop obviously wanted to be anywhere else.
"Okay, okay," the cop interrupted, irritable. "I'm going to be making the rounds. I'll pass by here again in about thirty minutes—if you two are still here, there'll be trouble."
Perenelle and Nico smiled and continued with their blabbering, and the cop waved them off, retreating back to his car, shaking his head all the way. He drove off, and Perenelle and Nico exhaled. Then, they both seemed to realize that Perenelle's legs were still in Nico's lap, her shirt riding up to the point where she was sure Nico could see her belly button. She scampered off him, opening the driver's side door, and half-falling out of the car.
Nico followed suit, facing her from the other side of the automobile, looking at her over the top of the car. Perenelle ran a hand across her face, seemingly troubled, and said, "That was an...unorthodox plan of action."
Nico shrugged nonchalantly. "Effective though," he said.
Perenelle looked at him then—really looked at him—and laughed shortly. It was a laugh without humor, as if she'd come to a revelation she wasn't too pleased with. "Gods, I get it now." She nodded.
"Get what?" Nico said, startled.
"Why girls put up with you," she said softly, looking at the warehouses.
Nico waited. The silence was filled with distant car horns, the sound of people's voices in the distance, crickets, the lapping of the waves against the dirty beach.
"You kiss well."
Nico started at this, a bit angry that Perenelle wouldn't look at him. She looked at the water again, her face unreadable.
"Better than your Brazilian exchange student?" Nico said, a nasty touch to his tone, if only to make her angry.
Perenelle looked at him then, finally, her eyes flashing with something—but it was gone so quickly he had no hope of deciphering it.
Yep, that just happened.
Review! How'd you guys like the chapter? Questions?
