Percy woke up to the sound of a bell ringing wildly, uncontrollably shaking his room and causing the furniture to chatter from there position in the room. He even fell out of bed and smacked down to the floor, face fist, covers and all.
He first thought it was an earthquake, trying to find cover at first but then it stopped. The outrage, screeching noise of men calling out orders and the shuffling of armor and weapons replaced it and the hero himself knew the sound all too well. It fired him right into action.
He got off the floor and threw a shirt on before grabbing Riptide and dashing out of the room. He stood in the hall and looked around his surroundings before backing away to the door he just came out of as a large block of soldiers march over him. Percy watched as the dozens of ghost dressed in thick, black armor march on, their dead eyes set forward in an unbreakable strain. Percy swallowed, finding the sight before him somewhat scary. He had seen armies before, even some of the dead, but this set him off a bit. The only dead army he had actually seen before where made of skeletons that were soldiers in their earlier lives.
He had never seen one made of ghost and, honestly, never really considered it to be any different. He didn't see till now that it could be so, but he didn't exactly know how. He was how the sun beamed through their air like bodies and wondered how they could possibly die if they're already dead? Skeletons were dead, yes, but they usually got a bone knocked out of them and crumbled, and they were good enough to last long enough to kill a good amount of enemies before they fell. But a ghost, with no organs or bones or anything to lose...The thought of the answer gave him shivers.
He pushed the unsettling feeling aside and dashed forward to the main throne room at the end of the hall. He looked over the railing to find the general ghost Bradshaw standing in front of the throne as he called out orders to variety of quarter of soldiers that went off in every direction. More of them were at the pile, scampering around before grouping together and waiting for orders. Percy searched the crowd for Nico, trying to find some living flesh out of the ghost bodies. He couldn't find nothing but the dead warriors.
His pulse and heartbeat simultaneously increased in paste to blistering velocity. His skin rattled along with his nerves, sending electrifying waves up and down his body. He gripped the railing with a tight clutch as he search through the crowd below him before swirling around and scanning the hall behind him. He still found no Ghost King in the end and it scared him shitless.
He was about to call for him till the crash of shields and swords followed by two battle cries.
Of course, he only been in Oltre Malavita for about a month and it's already gone to hell.
Percy's fighting instincts took over and he dashed down to the throne room. He ran for the pile and grabbed a breast plate and shield. The second he strapped both on, he uncapped his pen, and jolted towards the door for a whole two steps before a tug on the back of his armor. He stepped back and turned to become face to face with the same ghostly face he was close up to when he first arrived to Oltre Malavita.
Bradshaw breathed heavily in his face, his soulless eyes enraged and his mouth in a tight line. Percy glared right back. He still wasn't a particular fan of the ass, and he really wasn't at that moment.
The general screamed in his face in the foreign tongue of the place. Percy was actually able to make out a few words in there right away and maybe some more if he thought about it for a whole but he didn't get the message.
Bradshaw yelled at him for a long while and Percy was going to take it but then he realized the factor of what was in front of him. Over his time here, Percy noticed that Bradshaw was not only the second command over the whole army, but also Nico's right hand man in everything he does. The two were seen together a lot when they were working. Why isn't he with him now?
The answer came to him soon, head on, and his throat went dry. He cut Bradshaw off of his screaming with his own. He just shouted out a good few of made up words he made to sound like the language with a few cusses in English he just threw in there for the hell of it. Overall, it threw the general off and gave the demigod enough time to run off and head for the door yet again. He didn't turn back when Bradshaw called back for him.
The hero bursted through the doors an came upon the worse sight. A large, long band of soldiers, in different clothing of all kinds, on horses, charging froward towards the castle. They rode through the white lanes of the village, citizens dogging out of there way to avoid being killed by being trampled by horses. Some of the men even swung their swords around in aim of the people, trying to chop there heads off. Other shot some arrows at defenseless people and they evaporated into nothing but air.
Percy gasped at the sight before gritting his teeth in anger. He was about the lunge towards the incoming group of invaders till a huge black bundle of shields went ahead of him. The bundle moved quickly, just as fast as their opponent, and collided with them in a thundering bang. Some of the homeland soldiers evaporated and some of the enemy did as well, but a good dozen or two advanced forward towards the palace. Percy realized then that they were ghosts too.
In the far distance, he saw another large section of the enemy approaching in the same direction. Instantly, two separate groups of Malavitains solider appeared from behind and above homes of the Main Street and attacked the group from the surrounding sides or from airborne above them. It was an impressive sneak attack. Something Percy certainly never seen before.
But the great group still approach them and a smaller group faced before them soon forcefully met with them in a collision of violence. Percy saw a ghost fall down to the group and had a small flashback to when he saw a camper go down the same way before being suck whole by the ground under their feet. He blinked, and came back to the present, his need to fight increasing dramatically.
Three enemy soldiers came out if the mess with being killed. The one in front of him by a yard made eye contact with him, and had the balls to grin at him like he was a good friend he was about to fuck over.
Percy glared back at him. "Come at me, you sorry son of a bitch!"
The spirit did and there swords collided with a loud clang. Percy was easily able to get an clear spot, slinging his sword through the solider's chest. After he vanished, two more advanced towards him. Percy easily finished them as well but four more came to him them and he soon found himself in a never ending attack position.
It didn't help that he was rusty either. He found himself lacking in his swift swipes and blocking holds. He was also getting tired rather quickly, which he never recalled happening before, but he kept thinking about all the battles he fought with greater opponents. He still went on till the wide group surrounding him stared to shrink.
He cut through two more when he saw more ghost soldiers by his side, fighting along with him. He was thankful for a whole second till he saw a dark figure behind him, sword drawn and aimed. A certain part in his back tingled.
The son of the sea god circled around and made the first attack onto the guy, but he was proven to be a better swordsman then he assumed he was. The fighter almost immediately push his back as he fierily blocked every one of his attempts. Percy pushed himself into over drive as he blocked his aim for his shoulder and twisted his sword arm around but the guy quickly reacted.
Percy managed to back the guy up to where he had to climb onto the statue behind him to avoid being stabbed. Percy bit back his shout of aggression and swung towards his head. The man's helmet flew off out towards the still rising battle around them. The sight was shocking.
"Nico?!" Percy cried over in surprise.
The Ghost King, who was breathing quite heavily, spat out a bit of blood.
"Percy!" He cried in sassiness, reacting in annoyance.
Nico lunged forward, taking hold of his shoulder, and killed the spirit behind him. "What are you doing here?!" He yelled into his ear.
Percy faced him, their noses crushed together. "We're under attack!" He could feel his warm breath on his face."I'm protecting this place!"
"Like hell you are!" Nico screamed as the two boys stabbed the same ghost that was coming up from the side.
"Why were you fighting me?!" Percy asked him as he turned 180 degrees and chopped two heads off.
"Why didn't you listen to me?!" Nico shot back as he took down another ghost behind him.
"What?!" Percy was beyond confused. He leaned in to kill another but Nico beat him to it. The ghost king grabbed his shirt and brought him face to face again. Percy could find his breath as those angry dark blue eyes boarded into his. They were even more beautiful then before.
"You are going to go back to that castle, and staying there till this is over!" The son of death ordered him.
Percy grasped at him. "No! I'm fighting!"
"No, you're not!"
"Like hell I'm not!"
The demigod tried to pass the other, left to right to left again, but Nico blocked him every time.
"I'm not going to dance with you in the middle of a battle, Percy!"
"Then move!" Percy shoved his sword into a ghost's chest that came from the right as Nico killed the one on the left. The boy then try to shove Nico out of the way but the king stood his ground firmly.
"Sei testardo diretto Toro!" He finally snapped at Percy. He could tell that the boy was indeed pissed.
"What did you just call me?" The sea prince asked.
Nico let out a loud groan in frustration. Percy, once again, took his chance and tried to run off but failed again when the son of Hades grabbed his elbow and pulled him down to the ground, landing on his ass.
The hero glared up to the guy above him. Nico's hair was soaked with sweat, his tousled locks literally dripping from it. He was still breathing deeply but slowly, which made Percy wonder how he managed that. A bit of blood was starting to tinkle out of the corner of his mouth as he bit his bottom lip down hard. Percy felt the same unsettling feeling he had been feeling for a month again, still unable to define what it means.
The king called out orders in the native language and two ghost soldiers came bet and took Percy by his arms, lifting his feet above the ground. The two men bowed to Nico before running off towards the palace.
Percy struggled in their grips, only being able to turn back to halfway face Nico. "You asshole!"
Nico shouted something back at him that he didn't understand, before diving back into the battle. The two men carried him through the doors and up to his room. They flung him into and locked the door after slamming it shut. Percy knew they were probably guarding it too, since the sound of decaying footsteps never came.
Percy stood, still wearing his chest plate and holding his sword, and groan in anger. Fucking Nico.
The demigod paced the room for a moment before his eyes landed onto the window. He sneakily crept over to it and open the glass. He stuck his head out and observed how the battle itself was going, even stepping onto the ledge and holding into the side for support. It looked as if they were winning and were about to push the enemy out. He was about cheer in joy until the saw a sight that made his own skin crawl. The ghost that have fallen in battle, that evaporated into air, reappeared right before everyone, on the same spot they died on, and went on into the battle again, fighting like nothing had happen. This happen for both sides. Percy watched in shock as men he seen fall by his sword come back from the ground, rising back to life from a swirling form of air back into a silhouette of a man in armor.
He soon found Nico out of the crowd, racing up to the status and climbing onto to as he did before. He got to the top and looked around as the battle raged on. He wore his black clothing underneath his golden mixed with bronze armor. His legs were in the golden twig lining again, even lacing down to his knees hight boots. He stood tall as he took out his other sword that was strapped to his belt. Percy studied the new weapon. He had seen it to many times in it's sheath, silently wondering what it's purpose was. Nico carried it everywhere with him, always careful around it, like it will stab him if his not too careful. Percy feels like he had seen it before, or at least something familiar to it, but he really couldn't confirm his suspension.
The blade of shining sliver was thrown to the ground, half of the blade impaled into the stone. Suddenly, the ground shook violently. Percy tighten his grip on the window, trying to not fall to his death. The battle halted within the same second and men cried out in surprise. They were soon silenced by the earth splitting open into a large abyss.
Percy felt his mouth go dry and his jaw dropped. He gawked at the King, who was just fighting with such grace and force, now jump down from the statue and stand at the end, glazing down like he was the ruler of the Underworld himself. Percy had never seen someone with such a strong radiation of power and strength. He was hard for him to believe that it was actually Nico for a moment.
The dark headed boy called out an order into the black crack, the last syllable of the last word echoing into it. Almost immediately, a pair of white, thin hands grasped the edge and pulled out a full skeleton warrior in armor. The reaction was mad as the enemy soldiers screamed and dashed out of the large group of fighter.
The first skeleton rose up, the second and third one soon following. Nico quickly enforced them with the task he assigned them for. More of the enemy ran off to escape. Some of them that were coming to the actual battle halted, mostly skidded, and ran back in the other direction, screaming and yelping out in fear.
Percy turned back to the tree skeletons and the king, who was standing there watching the other run off and disappear from sight as they scrapped over the hills. The homeland soldiers seemed stand there too, just as causally. Some where shifting uncomfortably and stepping away from the four, which Percy doesn't blame them for.
Hell, he should be scared. He never really had been around this much death and it kinda freaked him out.
After making sure they were really gone, Nico turned to the trio. He thanked them and bowed to them. The skeletons reflected the notion and marched back to the abyss, leaning over the edge and falling in without a care. Nico took his black and silver sword from the ground and the crack closed with more shaking before settling down after a few minutes.
His put sheathed his sword as the crowd around him cheered in celebration of the victory. People came out of hiding from their homes and shops and flooded the streets as they rushed to the front entrees in total praised. Nico soon addressed them by raising his arms, which they took as there asking for quietness.
Nico soon started talking in the native language. Percy couldn't keep up in the speech and soon just watched his emotionless face as he spoke. He found himself doing that a lot more then he probably should.
The speech was short and, once ended, the king raised his arms again with a smile as the crowd cheered again, calling and clapping in happiness as they ran off, back into the city. The soldiers followed him back into the castle, Bradshaw joining the King in the front as the two led them inside.
Percy stepped away from the window and closed it. He heard the guards marched away as he sat down on his bed. He took off his armor and placed them on the side of his bed. He capped Riptide and dropped it into his boot since he had no pockets. He exhaled slowly and laid back. His muscles felt incredibly swore and he was mentally scowling at himself for being so rusty at sword fighting. He couldn't even remember the last time he picked up a sword since the war. There was no need for it, but still.
The door opened to his chamber. He sat up with a start and found the dark king shutting the door before he started taking off his armor. His messy black hair pointed sharply outwards in every direction. His pout red lips and dark, almond shaped eyes popped out of his head in a favorable manner with his pale skin that looked even more milky with his all silky black clothing that was wet with sweat and sucked to his well built torso, out lining his muscles perfectly. Percy found his sorta astonishing looking.
It was quiet for a full minute in the room. Percy didn't know how to act. He and Nico were never close and the fact they spent this much time together was an extant and an improvement in there barely alive friendship. Percy didn't mind Nico, no, he actually really liked that guy. They had more in common then he could ever predict, but he still could easily tell that Nico has change dramatically over the years and especially after the last encounter they had. He still remembers the jumpy, happy ten-year-old boy who was crazy over a magic card game about the gods. Now, he wasn't even sure of that boy existed anymore, since he was so different now. He was darker, stronger... It flattered and concerned him all at once.
"They don't come around a lot." Nico stated as he untied his last arm gauntlets. "This is the third time, and the fourth will be the last."
"There been three attacks?" Percy asked with a raised brow.
"Yes," Nico bit his bottom lip. "They come around unexpectedly and there's always a shit ton of them."
Percy had to hold himself back from smiling. He won't mind seeing Nico like this more often: cursing and all sweaty. He flinched from the comment he made in his head, but didn't put it aside. He just nodded.
"They're a real pain in the ass." Nico stated again. "They're just a bunch of unrested souls who come in here causing ducking chaos for the hell of it."
Percy giggled a bit at him. He was starting to rant and was beginning to pace. He found it kinda cute, until he made him remember her in a flash before his eyes. He stopped smiling for a moment until he saw Nico's face again, scowling and biting his bottom lip. He didn't know why but he smiled again.
"Where do they come from?" The older demigod asked. "What are they?"
"They're spirits like everyone else but they don't belong here. From what I observed, not a lot of them are really from the same time frame. Some were pirates and some are Vikings in their pass lives. I know that leader of there's was a Mongol, that bastard."
"A Mongol?" Percy asked. He knew what they were but he didn't understand why a Mongol would be leader a crazy bunch of invaders.
"Yeah." Nico groaned. "I don't know how they escape the underworld. I figured they're ghost just running around in the mortal world but I don't know how they got to here if they are. Spirits are in the Underworld, but if we're in the Underworld, I don't know why I can get to my father to respond to any of my messages! And, I would think that he won't ignore me for this long on this serious matter! Unless his mad at me because for some fucking reason, which is very fucking likely! Because, you know, I was fucking born!"
Percy was dying at this point. Nico was ranting and yelling and, being the Italian he was, throwing his arms around like crazy. He came over to him and shook his by the shoulders as he loud groaned. The older demigod fell back onto his bed and laughed.
"Okay," Percy calmed down. "Anyway, what are they again?"
"Just a bunch of hooligans who came from no where." Nico shook his head. Percy almost laughed again, finding it funny that they were in a situation that they needed to call the mystery machine for.
"Oh." He nodded as Nico stood in front if him. He didn't know why he found that so weird yet heart warming.
The Ghost King pushed some of his hair back that blocked his eyes. His hand never really touched his skin but he still shivered from the coldness he sensed from him. It froze his mind temporarily.
"Why didn't you let me fight?" Percy blurted out. "What are you talking about me not listening to you?"
Nico looked down to him, his hand still in his hair. His eyes got a distant look in them as he raised a corner of his mouth and poked it harshly into his cheek. "When I was first here and still clueless, I snuck out one night to look for an exist. I was out for a long time and ran into a couple of them. I was stupid and didn't have my sword on me. Every time they touched me, with there sword or with their hand, I was cut it bruised with some of their old and dark magic. It caused me to be in extreme pain and disabled me temporarily. It was like a snake but with a lot more blood. I was lucky enough to get back to the castle's grounds and I raised a skeleton Sparta on them. The thing wasn't even out of the ground all the way when they ran away. They never seen anything like it before, I guess, and they took it as dangerous. Anyway, I was in a medical treatment condition for about five days after that."
"Oh gods." Percy mumbled. That seemed so worrying to him, the idea of the King laying in a bed, having his wounds repaired.
"I'm okay now, through. That and I found out that they used some really old magic that are harmful to the living, especially demigods. I even got off easy, in a way, because my body is used to the old death magic, and I'm the son of Hades so it didn't fully effect me like it should." Nico explained.
"Do all of them have that effect?" Percy asked.
"No," Nico shook his head. "Not any of my people do. But the tyrants go out of there way to do it as an attack device. That's why I didn't want you out there. I didn't know how badly it would effect you and I didn't want to find out. I was going to tell you to get out and go back inside, but you took me as an enemy and fought me. I understand why, I shouldn't have came up behind you like that."
"It's okay." He felt Nico's hand fall out of his hair. "But still, I can handle myself with these guys. I've been through worse then a bunch of poisonous ghost."
"Good, but it's still not happening." Nico smirked at him. Percy didn't like that. The sea prince never really done well taking orders from someone above him. He didn't like being controlled; it was apart of his rebellious strait in him.
"Why not?" Percy challenged him.
"Percy, when was the last time you even thought about picking up your sword?"
"A long while..." He but his lip.
"Exactly." Nico smirked down at him.
"Then re-teach me." Percy scowled at the King.
The son of Hades raised a brow. "Excuse me?"
"Teach me." Percy said again. "I'm rusty and I need to get back into the game."
"Seriously?" He asked. Percy nodded. He was silent for a a moment, thinking slightly. Nico finally nodded and shrugged. "Okay, we can do that."
It was Percy's turn to raise a brow. "Really?"
"Yeah." He nodded again. "I, myself, might not be able to do it with you but there are plenty of great swordsmen here that would love to teach you, I'm sure. Is that okay?"
A part of Percy wanted to say that it wasn't, not really wanting a spirit working with him but only desiring Nico capable to do the job. It was the same part of him that made him feel lonely whenever the king was away at work, leaving him to walk around the castle or sit in his room all alone. He hasn't really talked to anyone else except him as he lived in the new world and he wasn't sure if he would truly be able to make friends here and truly belong. All he knew is that he wanted to be around Nico, since he was the only one he could really relate to in Oltre Malavita, or in anything and almost everything he been through anyway.
"It's okay. Thank you." He nodded as he finally stood. He didn't realize till then how tall Nico had grown to be till he came to the same eye level with him.
"No problem." Nico nodded. "Anything else I can do for you?"
"Not at the moment, no. But I'm sure I'll think of something else later on. Percy smiled at him with his joke.
Nico reflected the gesture. "I'm sure you will."
{...}
At night, preferably at midnight, Oltre Malavita was the one of the most beautiful sights Nico Di Angelo has even seen.
The large moon was in the perfect line of lighting, glowing ivory along with the stars in magical harmony. The dark blue background illuminated even more, making it appear black most of the time, acting as if it was the sky's secret beauty strait. The white light gleamed down in his land and made it sparkle like diamonds, down to all the blazes of grass in the fields and to all the grains of sand in the beach.
The King admired the view as he stand in front of the window of his personal chamber. He found himself feeling at peace by looking at it, knowing that everything was back to their normality despite of today's earlier circumstances with the tyrants.
He restrained himself from not getting to at the thought of the invaders. He planned to make the next attack they commit the last they ever even consider doing again. He was slowly developing a plan inside his head on how to get ridge of them, but it was still a working progress with many flaws. He had been dwelling over it for a while now, not entirely assure if it would be acceptable by his people if he put it into action. He ran it by Bradshaw and his legal observer today and found it at least considerable by them, but he was still great unsure of the results in many areas.
He stepped away from the view, and quietly wondered over to the door and exited the room. He left the door open as he turned to his left and began walking to the entree way of the north wing of the castle. He rolled stepped in a very slow paste as his mind worked over time.
He did this often, especially since the days were abnormally short. There had been times were he had gone days without sleeping all throughout the night. He would spend it wondering the halls and thinking, or even going outside onto the gardening grounds and getting some fresh air to clear his mind.
Of course, there wasn't much to think about. The kingdom was mainly at peace and not much ever went wrong. Yes, he still had a long list of things to do everyday but it was better then what he could possibly have if he really was a king during the time period that the villagers were actually alive in. He was thankful for that, at least.
He made sure to take step carefully so he would make no noise. He wore his long silky robe that dragged behind him as he walked and his long furry pants that were a bit big. He entered into the west wing as he turned to his right. This hall was defiantly the longest and had the best view of the beach. The sight of the lovely dark blue waves softly overlapping with the sand during the day and then crush onto it fiercely in the night with such power and grace. It was the water loving the earth, and it was an aesthetic sight.
The son of Hades stared at the veiw for the longest time before Turing over to the third door on the right and exhaled lightly.
Percy.
The boy was destined to always wonder back into his life. Nico found himself a fool for not seeing it sooner. He bursted into his life the first time; it was just fate's play to make him do it again. But this time was different. It was heartbreakingly different.
Nico was only been in Oltre Malavatia for a very short time, the same morning he announced fully healed from his encounter with the tyrants, when he was trolling the wooden bridge that was just recently repaired over the ocean. He recalls just finding out that the people referenced to it as an ocean due to the salt water it had. He assumed at the time it was just a lake but went along with it. He wasn't an expert on the conditions of large bodies of water anyway.
He was alone and watching as the sun raised up over the water into a beautiful blaze of orange, red, pink and purple. He found the sight very pretty and was caught off guard when he heard the sound of a poor soul weeping out in pain and sadness. He jumped and spun around for the source till the voice started to speak to him.
"Nico..."
Nico stopped. Everything stopped. His heart, his mind, the air and time...
It was him. It was undoubtably his voice and there was no way of turning away now. Nico stood there and listened for more, wondering if he was insane again, till he glanced downward. Before, the water was black, like someone dropped oil into it and let it spread. He knew it was an IM right away, and he didn't allow himself to breath when the image before him can up.
Percy Jackson's face came up, messy and blurry due to the water, but the boy could still make out his red rimmed eyes and and tear stained face. He realized he was mistaken then; the tears were still coming down.
"It's me, Percy."
Nico knew it was him. He could tell him from anything and everything.
"I know we haven't talked in a long time, and I know we were never the best of friends but I need your help..."
Normally, Nico would've gotten mad when someone asked for his help, especially when that someone was usually a God, but his anger had no chance to develop and subsist. He fell to his knees and held on to his every word-his every breath-basically ready to obey and do whatever he asked.
"I need you..."
Those where the words that effected him the most out of the whole speech. They made him melt and build, sink and flow, die and live, all at the same time.
They would forever cause this reaction to him. They still hummed in the distant part of his mind, screaming into the silence of his room at night.
They were his words of hope, simply because they gave that back to him, after he lost it so long ago.
"I know that sound crazy but... But I want to know how you did it... How you vanished and how you dealt with..."
"What?" He finally found his voice. "Deal with what?" Percy didn't respond. "Percy, please!"
Percy went on like he didn't hear him. Nico felt his heart twisted at that.
He recalls all the questions that formed and dismissed from his mind. Where's Annabeth? Where's Jason? Why the hell is he alone?!
"...with your memories of that place..."
Nico knew what he meant right away. He gasped slightly. He hadn't thought about that place for years... Percy had though. It was clear in his face and his broken eyes.
"How can I be healed and how can I disappeared? Please, you have the answer, so please..."
Nico felt his own tears build up as his chest swelled and his throat go dry. His hero, his Percy... Words couldn't not describe the way it hurt him to see him that way. He couldn't even fully comprehend on what was really going on. All he knew that his hero was in pain, ungodly pain, and he was sobbing to Nico to release him from it.
His heart took over his mind again, something he had been fighting off for years, and his love made his unable to do anything else but do exactly what Percy begged for him to do.
"Just tell me and save me...Just please save me!"
Nico let out a whimper as the son of the sea god began to cry again, placing his head down to let his tears. His hero was breaking down right in front of him, literally crumbling like a house of cards in the wind. He never seemed him like this and he never wanted to again.
The IM screen went black again. The picture of his hero went black and Nico almost cried out in dismay. He reached for him, but drew his hand back before, recalling that the image would vanish if he did.
He jumped up and wiped his face as he ran to the end of the bridge. He called out his demanding orders for five guards as he ran. Five did, including Bradshaw as they raced over to where he once was. He prayed to the gods the image was still there, and luckily it was.
He told the five to use the magic they all knew and used to bring him out of the IM. They looked at him like he was crazy at first, but he explained that a boy he knew was at the other end and he was in need of his help and had to be brought here immediately.
Bradshaw questioned him on the matter, probably questioning his sanity as well, but his heart and in control and he was doing some pretty mad actions to get Percy to him. He wasn't even sure they could use magic to get him, but he had to make them at lease try.
Percy's image flashed back on, and the guards might have still thought he was crazy, but he screamed at them to take action then, to do their task be few the boy waved the IM away. Bradshaw noticed him that they might have to knock him out if they ha to do this, which also could take some time to complete. Nico said that was fine, and ordered him to do it anyway while they had the chance.
The boy was planning on staying with them as they did it, but Doris had came up behind him and said it was time for them to get to the meeting of officials. Nico almost told him to fuck off, but Bradshaw pushed him off, saying that they could take care of it. He trusted his right hand man, who didn't fail him in the end.
They successfully brought Percy out and brought him to him at sword point into his throne. Nico didn't really know how to react when he saw him. He wasn't even sure if he could react, like his heart wouldn't actually give him the ability to do it.
Besides, Percy was the same as he saw him three years ago and all the time he knew him. Bronze tan skin with lean muscles and beautiful sea green eyes that were the most beautiful sight he had ever seen; the moon and the beach didn't even began to compare. Those lovely irises started at him like they seen a ghost, at the time, making Nico feel pathetic and stupid all over again. Then he smiled, and it all went away like it always did.
A squeaky sound came from Percy's door, followed by a knock on wood and a quiet whimper. Nico hesitated on moving towards the door, possibilities of what that was running through his head, all of them very awkward and odd. He started to shake as he reached for the door knob, hoping to whatever god that was listening at it wasn't what he was thinking. Unluckily, it was worse.
He gently pushed to the door to a small cracked opening and peeked inside. He saw Percy laying on his side, shaking crazily as he clutched the covers and sheets into his fists. He was breathing in short phrases that put out more air then take in. His legs were flinching at an unsteady paste as he violently wiggled around in the bed. His eyes were closed tightly, and his teeth bit down hard onto his bottom lip, like he was fighting back a scream. Tears ran down his face and he whimpered more and more.
Nico silently but hastily open the door and entered into the room. He didn't even have time to close the door before Percy let out a blood curling scream. Nico flinched himself before swirling around to find Percy now thrashing in between the sheets, crying full on, loudly and sadly. The boy was screaming for help as he moved his arms and his legs wildly, acting as if he was fighting something that was attacking him.
Nico ran over trying to scream his name over the boy's own yelling for saving. Nico even grabbed his arms and tried to push him down to wake him up but it didn't work. His hero screamed louder and louder and fought against the him with all his might; trying his best to trounced the him with all his might.
Nico soon found himself over the other boy, his knees on the bed, locations on either side of Percy waist, and pushing his arms downward, trying to cross them over his chest. Nico dove right in once he had the small chance and forced his own body on top of Percy's, eloping him into a hug. Nico kept his arms air tight around him as he struggled and wiggled, trying to get away. He was even able to lift the son of Hades up a bit, but he soon fell back as he finally died out his screaming and fighting.
Nico felt his body rock as Percy's racked with him finally letting out his deep sobs. Nico scooted himself up a bit and let Percy place his head into his shoulder as he cried. He shifted the two on their sides and held Percy with his arms tightly placed on his back. The sound of Percy's weeping was a sign of him breaking and Nico was trying to keep his together.
He held him for such a long time; he quietly whispered in his ear and softly petted his head. Percy cried to a soft breathing; Nico felt his chest lifted up and down against his.
"I went back there tonight..." Percy breathed into his ear. "I go there every night..."
Nico held him tighter. "You're here, with me. You're safe. Completely, utterly safe here. You're never going back there."
"I'm sorry." Percy tried to pull away. "I didn't mean to..."
"You're never going to go back there. I'll protect you, I promise." Nico went on. "I'll keep you safe, keep you here with me so you never have to be alone or scared again. You're with me and you are away from everything that is even slightly related to that place... And I will keep it that way for you. I promise..."
Percy held onto him, nodding against his chest, accepting the offer which Nico wasn't even sure was an acceptable offer. But he meant it. As long as Percy was with him, he would keep him safe, because he needed it. He needed him. He needed him to save him.
"It's okay, Percy." Nico whispered. "It's all going to be okay."
Percy nodded again, bring out his face this time. Nico petted his hair again, trying not to talk to much. He knew how that didn't work. It was nothing but air in the form of words that could mean nothing. They hurt more then anything.
Their tightness lighten a bit. Nico didn't want to but his arms ached and he could tell that Percy was uncomfortable. He removed him arms and let him scoot away a bit. He began to sit up to leave but Percy kept his light tug on his arm. Nico looked down to him and found that those beautiful eyes needed him.
He laid back down, letting Percy lay his his head onto his chest, and fell into a peaceful sleep.
{...}
thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
Sorry for this chapter being so long but I thought it would be nice to add Nico's p.o.v in.
Also, for funlive109 and fyphoniex's questions... Well you're just going to have to read to find out;)
hope you enjoyed it. Please review!