PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO
Title: Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High – The Little Merboy and the Vampire Lord
Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; supernatural high school AU
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: shounen-ai, supernatural, magic, wolves/vampires, mates/bonding, heat, D/s, spanking, explicit intercourse, anal, oral, sex toys, domestic abuse, self-harm, shoujo-ai, hetero, threesomes
Main Pairing: Nico/Percy
Side Pairings: Thanatos/Triton, Octavian/Luke, Ethan/Alabaster, Jake/Will, Frank/Hazel/Leo, Chris/Clarisse/Piper, Thalia/Bianca, Reyna/Annabeth, Lou/Miranda, Charles/Silena, Jason/Calypso, Malcolm/Katie, Grover/Juniper, Dakota/Leila, Nathan/Gwen, Shane/Lacy, Bryce/Drew, Howard/Hecate, Chiron/Lupa, Hades/Persephone, Poseidon/Amphitrite, Paul/Sally, Gabe/Sally (to be past), Poseidon/Sally (past)
Percy Jackson Characters:
Water Nymphs/Sirens/Merpeople: Perseus Jackson, Tyson, Silena Beauregard, Gwendolyn Ryder, Drew Tanaka, Michael Kahale, Piper McLean, Mitchell Logan, Lacy Hunnigan
Vampires: Bianca di Angelo, Nico di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Ethan Nakamura
Valkyries: Annabeth Chase, Malcolm Cage
Witches: Alabaster C. Torrington, Lou Ellen, Clovis Daver, Butch Walker, Bryce Lawrence
Seers: Octavian Simmons, Ella, Rachel Elizabeth Dare
Storm Spirits: Thalia Grace, Jason Grace
Nature Spirits/Nymphs: Katie Gardner, Miranda Gardner, Leila Fischer, Juniper, Grover Underwood, Dakota Elle, Castor Liber, Pollux Liber
Werewolves/Shapeshifters: Luke Castellan, Nathan McIntosh, Travis Stoll, Connor Stoll, Chris Rodriguez, Cecil Rogers, Frank Zhang (also a hunter)
Dragons: Charles Beckendorf, Jake Mason, Nyssa Black, Leo Valdez, Shane McNabb
Light Elves: Lee Fletcher, Michael Yew, Will Solace, Austin Barton, Kayla Hein
Dark Elves: Zoe Nightshade, Phoebe Burge, Naomi Walters, Celyn Richards, Kinzie Cohen
Hunters: Howard Claymore, Hylla Ramírez-Arellano, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Frank Zhang (also a shifter), Clarisse la Rue, Sherman Potter, Mark Meyer
Humans: Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, Gabe Ugliano, Nancy Bobofit
Animals: Small Bob, Mrs. O'Leary, Argentum, Aurum, Blackjack, Arion, Tempest, Scipio, Festus
Godly Characters: Poseidon, Amphitrite, Proteus, Kymopoleia, Benthesikyme, Rhode, Triton, Hades, Persephone, Thanatos, Olethros, Makaria, Melinoe, Hecate, Demeter, Chiron, Lupa, Calypso
Summary: Percy is just a normal boy, living with his hard-working mother and abusive stepfather, keeping his head low at school. Normally, Percy only spend the obligatory one weekend a month with his dad. But that had been because of Poseidon's secret. Poseidon is a merman and he tried to shield his son from the supernatural world – until it becomes apparent that Percy shares his heritage.
Poseidon fights for custody, with the help of his vampire lord lawyer friend Hades, so Percy would move to them and join their supernatural community. Now Percy has to deal with only seeing his mom on weekends, adjusting to his stepmother and half-siblings and being a submissive merboy.
Percy and the Ghost King of Summers High
The Little Merboy and the Vampire Lord
Chapter 6: A Bad Fish in the Cove
Percy felt immensely much more better the next day. So he hadn't gotten to meet the swim team yesterday, because an impromptu team meeting was a bit hard, but Piper had talked to Silena and send Percy a text in the afternoon that the following day, they'd have a team meeting after school. And she suggested that they should meet up this weekend to watch Mulan, as they had talked about. He hadn't thought that had been serious, but apparently it was. Piper claimed that Leo and Jason had already agreed too. So the three of them apparently wanted to spend their free time with him. Without being forced to do so due to a school project. Just to... hang out. Percy frowned and paused mid-step. He had never hung out with anyone before. What did people do when they hung out? Shaking his head, he continued onward into the school. As his locker came into view, he blinked a couple of times. Nico, Reyna and Annabeth were standing in front of it, laughing and talking. He had met Reyna and Annabeth yesterday during class. They were kind of overwhelming, but nice...
/flashback\
"So... You're Percy Jackson, huh?", asked a blonde-haired girl as she sat down next to him.
Percy, who had just gotten all his things out onto his desk, looked up like a deer caught in the headlights. He was so not used to people just talking to him. The girl was absurdly pretty. Golden-blonde curls that reached her hips, startling gray eyes, full pink lips and a rack that made Percy's back hurt just thinking about carrying around as extra weight. Once she sat, she smoothed out her knee-long skirt and smiled at him. And all of a sudden, there was a Latina that looked like a freaking bikini model sitting down on the blonde's other side, playing absentmindedly with the feathers on her earrings, staring at Percy with nearly black eyes.
"Shark got your tongue, little mermaid?", asked the Latina amused. "I'm Reyna, the beauty who just asked you a question is Annabeth. My... girlfriend. You wanna answer the question now?"
"Uhm. Yes, I'm Percy. I'd like to not be called Jackson though", replied Percy slowly.
"Nico's little mermaid", chuckled Reyna, cocking one eyebrow. "How do you like the school?"
"I'm not Nico's anything and I'm a merboy", corrected Percy with a frown. "And I have no idea what to say about this school just yet. It's like... all over the place."
"You'll get used to it", laughed Annabeth and ruffled Percy's hair. "Come on, I'll update you on what we're doing in this class... in general... so you're not completely lost, mh?"
"...That'd be amazing", grunted Percy with a slow nod. "Thanks." Percy paused for a moment as the blonde got her stuff out of her bag. "Uhm... is it... rude to ask what you are...?"
"I'm a Valkyrie. Death Angel, you could say. And Reyna is a Hunter, or well Huntress", answered Annabeth with a pleasant smile. "And no, it's not rude, especially not for a newbie. Don't worry, as soon as you come fully into your heritage, your sense of smell will heighten and you'll be able to tell what race someone is by their scent. Until then, don't ever feel stupid for asking a question."
"Okay. Thanks", nodded Percy with a half-grin.
/flashback|end\
"Ah, Percy! There you are!", called Reyna out and waved at him.
Percy waved back at her and grinned at the trio. He was a bit unsure, but the two girls looked positive enough. All of a sudden, Percy found himself in the middle of the two females, with Reyna linking arms with him on one side and Annabeth doing so on the other side.
"Come on, accompany us to our next class", declared Annabeth in a bossy way.
Still a little unsure, Percy looked at Nico who just grinned and shrugged. "You should obey them."
"Uhm, okay", nodded Percy slowly, still questioning why the two seemed so attached.
The couple had helped him yesterday through his classes and even afterward they had given him some pointers and now they were behaving all friendly too. Just like Leo, Jason and Piper had. It was like this school was filled with weirdos who hadn't noticed yet that Percy wasn't friend-material. He hadn't been friend-material in any of his former schools – and there had been plenty of former schools for him – so quite obviously something was wrong with him, seeing as even changed surroundings didn't change his friendless state. Thus, the supernatural beings around here must be slow on the intake because they hadn't noticed yet that something was wrong with Percy. But Percy decided selfishly that he was going to enjoy it for however long it was going to last.
/break\
Reyna and Annabeth had willingly worked with Percy when they had been assigned a group project in Demeter's class. And even though he had known nothing and hadn't been any kind of help at all, because her class was biology, but not regular high school biology, more Hagrid teaches you about dragons kind of biology. Still, they had been patient and pulled him along and even explained the stuff to him. He wasn't used to that. Whenever he was in a group project and being his dense self, people just started ignoring him and doing it on their own. So Reyna and Annabeth were kind of doing it on their own too, but they still included him.
And after class, Nico already awaited them together with Jason, Piper and Leo.
"How was your class?", asked Nico with a welcoming smile, stepping into Percy's personal space.
"Good. I learned that... uh, humanoids, like merpeople or Valkyries, can reveal their secondary features with concentration. Miss Demeter mentioned it in passing, but Annabeth explained to me what it means. She's a real Wise Girl", replied Percy with a grin.
"Well, a Seaweed Brain like you needs all the help he can get", teased Annabeth amused.
It sounded like an insult, but there was a grin on her face and a teasing glint in her eyes. Percy's eyes searched for Nico's though. He was insanely grateful that Nico had come back here. In a way, Percy had feared that Nico had pushed him off to Leo, Jason and Piper yesterday and then again this morning with Reyna and Annabeth. Like the nuisance Percy was, just to get rid of him and have someone else be forced to put up with Percy. But here he was again, smiling at Percy.
"So, you figured out how to turn at will yet?", asked Leo eagerly, bouncing on his feet.
Percy shook his head and frowned. He had been thinking about it for half the class. It sounded so simple, to turn at will. But how did one concentrate really hard on turning? Was there like a mental button to push so his legs would merge into a tail? Percy's mind was stuck on that, imagining a big blue button with a fish-tail symbol on it, grinning at the thought. He absentmindedly followed the others as they led the way out of the school building. At least until he slipped. He tried to find his footing again before falling, but that was hard considering his lack of feet. He yelped and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the impact of the hard floor. Instead, he hit a firm, muscular chest and felt two arms sneaking around his waist, pulling him even closer to that chest.
"Well, looks to me like you figured it out after all", chuckled Nico close to Percy's ear.
Percy cautiously cracked one eye open, first looking up at Nico and then down at his blue tail. "Uhm, that was kind of not... what I intended to do. H—How do I turn it off?!"
"...The same you turned it on, just backward?", suggested Leo with a shrug.
"That's not helpful at all", snorted Jason amused and rolled his eyes.
Nico sighed softly and then gathered Percy up in his arms bridal-style. "Don't worry about it."
It was hard not to worry about it when he had to be carried around because he was too dumb to turn back human. He could see how people looked at them and started whispering and giggling. It was embarrassing and humiliating. When they reached the schoolyard, they went to sit near the flower garden. And even as they started eating and Percy listened with half an ear to the conversation between the others, he could feel the stares and whispers and giggles. Just great. He was finally somewhere where he could belong and find friends, but instead he was already making a fool of himself. He yelped as all of a sudden something cold and slippery hit his arm. When he turned to look at it, he saw that it was Piper's pale purple tail. Piper grinned at him and flickered her tail.
"W—What are you doing?", asked Percy confused. "We're in a garden, not a pool..."
"Yeah, but you're clearly uncomfortable because you can't turn back. So, now it looks like it's intentional, which means no reason for you to be embarrassed", replied Piper. "People will just assume this is some weird merpeople thing and chalk it up to customs they're unfamiliar with."
Percy stared at her in total awe. "...Thanks. That's... really nice of you."
"Don't worry about it. It's what friends are for", assured Piper with a smile. "I've done it plenty of times for those two morons too." At that, she pointed at Jason and Leo, who were grinning.
"And you're not the first one unable to control yourself at first", added Leo and winked at him.
"No kidding. My first month here and I accidentally turned into a cloud during a presentation in Missus Claymore's class", snorted Jason and made a face. "I rained on everyone..."
Percy found himself somewhat stunned. Was this it? Was this what having friends felt like? Friends who got his back and helped him, even when he was being useless or slow...? Because he liked it.
/break\
After eating lunch together outside, their group headed over to the principal's office, where the blackboard of clubs was located. Percy was relieved that once Piper had also turned into a mermaid, his nerves eased enough so he managed to turn back again.
"You can sign up for any club you want", stated Nico with a smile, leaning next to Percy.
"Any club aside from the choir!", butted a blonde guy with pointy ears in.
Percy was startled, but seeing as everyone else didn't even react the least, Nico just waving lazily, Percy assumed that the... Elf?... did this on a regular base. The blonde glared at him pointedly.
"Why not the choir?", asked Percy innocently, looking the teenage Legolas up and down.
"Don't mind Will. He likes to overreact", assured Piper with a smile.
"Overreact?", huffed Will, turning his glare at Piper. "Your kind is not welcomed to the choir."
"Our kind?", echoed Percy stunned. "That's not very nice. That's very racist."
"R—Racist?", sputtered Will, looking honestly baffled. "Do you have any idea what happened the last time we allowed a mermaid to join the choir? Big news. Neither do we!"
"...What does that even mean?", muttered Percy and shook his head. "You can't just exclude an entire race from your little club. Why shouldn't we be allowed to sing with everyone else?"
"Because no one remembers that performance! We had planned on making a Bon Jovi setting, but after 'Who Says You Can't Go Home'... it ended. Everyone woke up at home, not remembering how they got there or how the show had ended. Some woke up in a different state with their grandparents", grunted Will, eyebrows drawn down.
"Well, that's not so bad", drawled Percy slowly. "You just need to chose more carefully what to play. But just because you can't trust a merperson to fully control their powers, you shouldn't be allowed to forbid us from joining! I don't see anyone forbidding the vampires to walk around just because someone could fear that they can't control their blood-lust! And where does it stop? So we merpeople are forbidden to sing in public, but we're allowed to talk, yes?"
"T—That's not what I'm saying!", tried Will to defend himself, stuttering.
Nico was trying and failing to hide his grin. He was actually rather fond of Will, but the mother hen was sometimes getting a little high on telling others what to do and how. It was nice to see Will scrambling for words and trying to defend himself. Percy being all feisty was adorable too. Even Leo, Piper and Jason burst into laughter as Will huffed and stomped off, muttering about 'Fine, join if you want, but you're only gonna sing cheesy, innocent lyrics, I swear!'. Percy grinned victoriously as he got a pen out and signed up for animal care, drama club and the swim team.
"So... if you're not gonna sign up for the choir, what was all of this about?", asked Jason.
"Just because", shrugged Percy with a mischievous grin on his lips. "I don't like bullies and not allowing merpeople to join out of principle is just not right."
"I like you, Percy", declared Piper with a matching grin, ruffling Percy's hair.
Percy smiled nearly shyly and ducked his head at that.
/break\
Percy was aware that the swim coach was also part of the swim team and that normally, Poseidon Jackson would be there. Today was an exception, for Percy's sake so he could casually meet the team. Still, on the long run, the pros of joining the swim team would outweigh the cons of spending his free time with his father. Piper next to him grinned encouragingly as the two of them came to stand in the middle of a group of people in swim-suits and shorts.
"Guys! Let me introduce, our newest member", declared Piper enthusiastically, grasping Percy's hand. "This is Percy Jackson. He only recently realized what he is, so be nice to him."
"Jackson like Coach Jackson?", asked a short brunette boy curiously.
"His son", confirmed Piper. "This is Mitchell Logan and those are Lacy Hunnigan, Mike Kahale, Drew Tanaka and Gwen Ryder. And this is our team captain Silena Beauregard."
There was a stretch of silence where Percy grew nervous and instinctively squeezed Piper's hand, who instantly squeezed back in an encouraging manner. Everyone looked at Percy. He was the center of attention and he hated being the center of attention!
"So, you're the king's bastard then?", asked the female Asian with a disdainful look.
Percy physically flinched away, even pulling his hand out of Piper's at that. Some things just never changed. Why had he ever gotten his hopes up to begin with...? Even being a prince won't change a thing, because he wasn't even fully that. He was never fully anything. He never belonged anywhere, was never worth enough. He just was never enough.
"Oh, shut it, Drewsie", huffed Gwen. "He's still fifty percent more royal than you."
That made Lacy, Mitchell and Piper snicker while Drew turned a blotchy angry red. Percy blinked confused as he looked up, just to see Piper's grinning face. She wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulders and pulled him closer, ruffling his hair in an affectionate way.
"You should totally make Drew call you 'your highness'", declared Piper mischievously.
"I—I...", started Percy unsure, frowning.
"Don't worry about her, your highness", hummed Mike with a smile, bowing at Percy and grabbing his hand to kiss it while winking playfully at him. "You're more than welcome here."
Percy's face exploded in dark shades of pink as he stared at his hand. "P—Percy is fine."
"Well then, Percy", started Silena and approached him with the kindest smile Percy had ever seen outside of his mother's face. "What Mike said is right. You're very welcome in our cove. Being new to your powers can be very overwhelming and stressful, so please know that you can rely on us. All of us have been where you are right now and all of us will do our best to help you. If you have any problems or questions, don't you hesitate to come to me, or any other member of the cove."
"...Just like that?", asked Percy, sounding untypically small.
Silena actually cooed at him like he was some little hurt animal and then she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, surprising him with her strength. "Yes, sweetheart. You're now part of the team. Part of the cove. You're now one of us and we watch after our own."
"Even if they're being bitchy", stated Gwen, throwing a pointed glare at Drew.
The Asian girl was seething while the others laughed. Within moments, Percy found himself being pulled toward the pool by Silena and Piper. He yelped as he hit the water, but he was instantly followed by the splashing of seven other bodies. When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by colorful mermaids and mermen. He gasped and gaped as he took in everyone's appearance. They were all so stunningly beautiful. Like Percy himself, they had long, sleek tails, fins between their fingers and they were all soft pastel colors. Only that every one of them was a different color. Mitchell was a soft nougat-like brown, Lacy an apricot-orange, Drew was light red, Mike apple-green, Gwen's body and tail were yellow like a brimstone butterfly, Silena in cherry-blossom pink and Piper in all of her lavender-purple beauty. It was pretty amazing to see them all like this.
"Okay. For today, we're gonna take it totally easy", declared Silena with a smile. "We'll just swim around a little, get you adjusted to your tail and fins, explain it some to you, okay?"
"That... would be nice", replied Percy with a nearly shy smile.
/break\
It was already late – even dark outside – by the time the swim-team separated for the day. They got carried away while swimming 'a little' and all of them seemed eager to share their wisdom with Percy. Everyone aside from Drew even seemed nice. He was just waving Piper off as the mermaid climbed onto a bike behind a tall female in a red leather jacket who she had kissed before accepting a helmet. Tilting his head, Percy looked after them driving off.
"Would you like a lift?"
Percy jumped and screamed, startling the biker behind him. The man winced and lifted his own helmet, revealing himself to be Nico di Angelo. Calming down, Percy smiled sheepishly.
"Uhm. Hi", greeted Percy awkwardly. "You startled me. It's late at night and you just walk up to others in the dark. You really shouldn't do that, you know. One day, you'll get pepper sprayed."
Nico grinned equally sheepishly. "You're probably right. Sorry. But Piper texted me when you guys went to hit the showers and told me that the team ran late and that you shouldn't walk around late at night on your own in a neighborhood you're not familiar with. She figured you wouldn't appreciate if she'd call a member of your family, so she instead called me."
Blinking slowly, Percy tilted his head. "You don't have to. I don't want to be a bother."
Nico snorted and got off his bike to get the spare helmet out. "I doubt you could be a bother if you tried. Don't sweat it. You do remember I'm a vampire, right? We don't need much sleep."
Not looking at Nico, Percy instead checked the bike out. It was a gorgeous, sleek black machine with luminescent flame motifs and a skull. Percy hummed in appreciation while being handed the helmet by a very persistent vampire who also gave him a pointed look.
"Nice machine", said Percy in a soft voice, eyes trailing back to Nico.
"I know. The Tartarus, my pride and joy", grinned Nico. "Now hop on, mio principe del mare."
"...I am, ain't I?", whispered Percy with a frown as he put the helmet on.
"Mh? What do you mean?", inquired Nico confused.
Shrugging, Percy climbed on the black beauty right behind Nico, wrapping his arms around Nico's chest (and feeling that sixpack through the shirt). "A Sea Prince, I mean. I am... a prince. That... kind of hasn't really gotten through to me yet, I guess. It's not like I moved into a castle, after all."
Nico grinned amused and paused. "You wanna go and grab a burger?"
"What?", asked Percy, staring at Nico's back dumbfounded.
"You look distracted. You wanna go and talk about it while eating a burger?", elaborated Nico amused. "I'm sure you could eat after training, right? There's a McDonald's right around the corner."
"...Okay", hummed Percy after a moment. "Not going home for a little longer sounds good."
Nico grinned victoriously and started his bike, driving to the fast food restaurant's drive through. Between the two of them, they ordered basically one of everything before heading to a park. They set a picnic out on Nico's jacket and got comfortable in front of a lake. The moon was reflecting beautifully in the lake. For the first set of cheeseburgers, they remained silent.
"You think they're gonna worry?", mused Percy thoughtful. "It's been like five hours since school ended and I'm still not at their place. Are they just gonna sit and wait... again?"
"Oh, Silena texted your dad and told him that practice ran late and that I'd bring you home", assured Nico casually before frowning. "And don't think for a second that they weren't worried when you didn't come home the other night. Your dad nearly made my dad go crazy. He was that short of sending out the hounds and hunters to track you. Mom told him to give you a little time. It was a lot that came over you at once and I guess needing to clear your head is part of that."
"...Oh. I... didn't know that", whispered Percy awkwardly, fishing for a fry.
"No", argued Nico with a slightly chiding look. "You didn't want to know. That's a bit of a difference, Percy. No offense, but you don't want to contemplate or see that your family actually cares for you. And I understand why. Believe me, I understand that they hurt you and let you down in the past and I understand why you have trouble trusting them. I understand, really. But... they were in over their heads. They had no idea how to handle the situation – yes, I know that is no excuse for how poorly they handled it and it'll never erase the pain they caused you, but..." Nico licked his lips and paused, searching Percy's eyes to make sure the other was still listening and not tuning him out. "If you continue hating them and being bitter, you'll only end up hurting yourself. Yes, you will also hurt them a lot, but not just them. You'll hurt yourself, because you deny yourself the chance to get to know your siblings, your father and your stepmother. I know it may seem like a lot right now, but... consider giving them a second chance, Percy. Not for their sake, for yours. Maybe you will grow to love them and find your place. Or you will continue hating them and they prove you right – but in that case, you can still dump them and ignore them. Still, there is the slim chance that I'm right and that you'll learn to love them. Don't pass that up."
Munching his chicken burger, Percy groaned softly. He collapsed sideways, resting his cheek against Nico's shoulder to seek comfort. Nico stiffened for a moment, feeling his dead heart jump. Taking a breath, Nico calmed down a little and laid one arm around Percy's waist, pulling him closer to comfort the distressed merboy. Percy hummed pleased by that.
"...Maybe I should... try...", admitted Percy, wiggling his nose. "Gimme the milkshake."
"The thing's... goo at this point", snorted Nico and handed it over.
"Just the way I like it", grinned Percy delighted and took a long sip.
"So, you're gonna do it?", asked the vampire to make sure.
"Yeah, maybe", sighed Percy and shrugged. "They can hardly hurt me any more than they already did, right? But... you're gonna make me a promise in return, if you want me to do that."
"Anything", agreed Nico, maybe a little too fast.
"If they let me down again, if they break my heart again, you will fix this", declared Percy.
"F—Fix your... heart?", asked Nico stunned – more than willing to take care of Percy's heart.
"No", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes. "This situation. Your dad's a fancy lawyer, isn't he? If they break my heart, you will make it so I can get back to my mom and never have to turn back again."
Nico frowned, a little displeased by those conditions. On the other hand however did he understand where Percy was coming from. And deep down, Nico had to agree with Percy. If Poseidon and the others truly would screw up again and hurt this precious being any more, then Nico really wanted Percy out of their reach, safe and sound. It freaked him out a little how attached he had grown Percy in that little time they had known each other now. Sighing, Nico nodded slowly.
"Very well, you have my word", promised Nico, looking into Percy's eyes honestly.
The small honest smile on Percy's lips was a beautiful reward. Together, they stayed under the starry sky until the last crumb of Happy Meal was gone and both were relaxed and sated.
Author's note: Next chapter, Percy is going to learn about mates, dominants and submissives! Aaand we'll get a lot of focus on the Jackson family and Percy 'trying'.
Next update will be "Like Cats and Dogs" on Wednesday! ;)