Where to even start today? First for some simple things to point out. The reason Nico and the others didn't tell Percy is because when do you ever see people with magic willingly going up to people and telling those normal people that they have magic in stories? Especially in a town like this, where they don't want things getting out. True they could probably just kill everyone, but obviously that's not what they are trying to do. Another thing to mention: Go back to chapter one, Poseidon(Percy's father) was mentioned there in the dream. He got shot and died. Unless you mean "why hasn't Percy mentioned his dad's full name?" That's an entirely different question that gets a completely different answer...
Oh, look, a nickel!
Moving on. I hinted at something in a note in one of my other stories, but I also said I was going to wait until the time came to announce it. And if you read "Seasons Change", you probably already know what I'm about to say. As of about three weeks ago, Hitome-Chan messaged me and asked me if I'd adopt his story "Exchange" I said yes. And yes I have known he was going to be leaving the fandom for that same amount of time, I just felt that it was his place to announce it. It was very mixed emotions for me, because it's Hitome-Chan(my idol) and he's asking me to adopt his face and tells me that he's leaving us in the same message. Like honor that he would come to me with the request, but sad that I wouldn't be getting his fics really any more. Unless he decides to write some short stories or one-shots. But I just wanted to get that out there, and I'll be making the same announcement in my other two fics, because I don't really want to get accused of just stealing his story. That aside, let's move on with the story.
Chapter 10
"Please don't freak out," Nico begged as Luke groaned in front of him, palming his face. Percy blinked between the two as Nico began to flail his arms. "It's not a big deal, and you said yourself that we can trust Percy!"
Luke let out another groan. "I meant with normal things, Nico." The blond peaked through his fingers at the flipped car. "And they are going to need an ambulance, more than likely."
The brown-eyed boy rolled his eyes, and with a wave of a hand, the people in the car vanished. "There, all better." Nico motioned to Percy. "And look, he's completely fine with it all."
Percy scratched his cheek. "Well-"
Nico narrowed his eye. "Unless you have something positive to add to this, stay quiet."
The green-eyed boy held up his hands in defense. "I was just saying that it's still a bit strange, but I think I can deal with it."
"See?"
Luke let out a sigh. "Nico," the blond groaned.
"Don't Nico me, you ass." The pale boy crossed his arms. "So we don't tell the rest."
Luke chewed on his lip, his eyes darting between Nico and Percy. Finally, the blond let out a sigh and slid his hands into his back pockets. "I'm fine with it, really I am, Percy, but there are rules." Nico narrowed his eyes, but Luke held up a hand. "I'll get the other Firsts, and we'll talk it over in a small group. Sound okay?"
Nico gave a small nod.
"Good." Luke's blue eyes sparkled at Percy in the moonlight. "Nico will take you to the cemetery. I'll be there shortly with a few of the others." He took a few steps before turning back to Nico, holding up his hands as if to tell the boy to wait. "Just...don't tell him too much, since we don't know if he'll get to keep his memories afterward."
"Yeah, yeah," Nico mumbled as Luke disappeared into the woods. With a sigh, he motioned to Percy and led the taller boy into the woods.
"So, um, he wasn't being serious about the memory thing, was he?" Percy asked hesitantly, trying to stick close to Nico in the darkness.
"Hard to say. The majority people that you'll be standing before like you, so you have that in your favor."
"Why do I feel like there's a 'but' in there?"
"But," Nico began, "it'll depend on what Jason thinks."
Percy let out a groan. "Great. Is it just me, or does he not like me."
Nico held back a low branch to let Percy pass. "I wouldn't say that he dislikes you, but me and him are...complicated."
"So, you aren't single?" Percy stopped, staring down into Nico's dark eyes.
The pale boy gave him an annoyed look. "Are you really going to ask that right now?" He sighed and began walking again. "I think you have more important things to worry about, losing your memory being the least of your problems."
Percy gulped at that. "You're not going to, like, cut my tongue out, are you?"
"Possibly."
Green eyes widened in the darkness. Nico was just kidding, wasn't he? But from the serious look he got when Nico chanced a glance back at him, Percy got the feeling the boy was dead serious. Clutching his throat, Percy jogged to catch up to a small path that Nico had diverted onto.
Once he was in step beside Nico, Percy looked down at the other boy. "But I thought you said Grover knows?"
Nico nodded. "He does, and our parents know about that. He's just too scared to actually say anything." He grinned up at the green-eyed boy. "But for better reasons than the rest of the town." And then the smile was gone, replaced by a far off look. "But, in truth, it was sort of over something that happened a few years before I was born."
The treeline finally broke and Percy spotted the cemetery across the road. He took in a deep breath and slid down the hill with Nico. He would admit that he was a little nervous, since he pretty much risked any possible horrible fate that awaited him if the group did not vote in his favor.
Nico opened up the gate for him and they stepped inside. Without saying anything, Nico sat down on one of the tombstones, his legs dangling off the side. He smirked as Percy began to pace in circles.
It was not long before Percy began to hear raised voices.
"This isn't acceptable. What was Nico thinking?" That one was Jason.
"He shouldn't be getting involved in this," came Annabeth's slightly more calm voice.
"Well, this should be interesting," Nico said, snapping his fingers and summoning a ball of fire. Tossing his hand back, he threw the ball at a small brazier near one of the tombstones.
The gate swung open and in came several of the kids, and they slowly gathered around Percy and Nico. For the most part, Percy recognized all of them, save for two.
The first was a blond boy with tan skin and short blond hair, probably around the same age as Percy. He had a slight athletic build to him, and his blue eyes carried a warmth in them.
The second was slightly taller with curly black hair that managed to get into his eyes. He was buffer than most of the group there, save for Beckendorf. But the thing that stood out the most to Percy was the way his blue eyes seemed to not quite line up properly.
Silena tapped her finger to her lips as she stared at Percy intently. Beckendorf stood behind her, giving Percy a small thumbs up. It did not make Percy feel any better. Annabeth had her lips pressed into a thin line, shaking her head lightly. Frank fidgeted slightly, shifting his weight every few seconds. Luke rubbed at his mouth, shooting Percy a lopsided smile.
Katie was there, biting her nails as she tried her best not to look at Percy. That really did not make Percy feel any better. But the only one that looked happy to see him was Rachel, who grinned and waved at him. Smiling a little, Percy gave her a nervous wave.
Nico, however, seemed perfectly calm as he sat on the tombstone, inspecting his nails. Jason walked around the rest of the group to stand at the front, between them and Percy. Luke stepped forward as well, his arms crossed.
"Jason, just listen," Luke began.
The other blond narrowed his eyes. "This is not acceptable, Luke. Not only has he seen a ritual, but Nico blatantly used his powers in front of him."
Nico simply shrugged. "Wasn't easy, let me tell you."
Jason gave him a dull look. "I've seen you rip a tree out of the ground, don't give me the 'it wasn't easy' bullshit."
"I meant chasing him down," Nico mumbled, biting at one of his nails. The boy shrugged. "He runs really fast."
Jason let out a long sigh. "Can you even try to take this seriously?"
Nico smiled and crossed his legs, sitting up straight. "Of course."
The blond groaned. "Can I hear some other opinions?" He begged.
Annabeth motioned to Percy. "It's not that I don't trust you, Percy, it's just that I don't think getting you involved in this is a good idea." She pursed her lips. "If we allowed it, you'd have to keep quiet about knowing anything, even from the others. There's no way our parents would allow this."
"No," Jason began, "they wouldn't. Which is why I'm in favor of blanking his memory."
Luke placed an arm in front of Percy. "I don't think you're the one that needs to do that. Knowing you, you'd probably screw around with his mind to benefit yourself." Jason narrowed his eyes. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Jason grunted. "Fine, whatever. Still, we need to make a decision on this."
Beckendorf placed his hands on Silena's shoulders and the girl sighed. "Percy, we don't mind that you know." She motioned to the green-eyed boy. "You've been a good friend to us ever since you moved here, and I feel this might allow you to become closer to us." She glanced at Jason. "I'm in favor of a trial period."
Beckendorf nodded. "If he passes, perhaps we could look into telling the others, and maybe even our parents." He grinned at Percy. "I trust him to keep our secret."
Percy opened his mouth to say something, but Luke shot him a glare to silence him. The green-eyed boy looked to Nico, who smiled. Perhaps it was best if he did not speak right now. He let out a breath, shifting his weight.
Jason arched a brow. "Frank?"
The tall Asian boy furrowed his brow. "I don't...see the harm in a trial period. Silena's right, Percy's been a good friend to us. Even you can appreciate how he's stood up for us. He even got in that fight in the bathroom!"
The blond crossed his arms, unhappy of the odds turning against him. "Will? Dakota? Care to weigh in here?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please tell me you two can be sensible here."
But it seemed the blond had no qualms with Percy. In fact, he smiled and held his hand out for Percy to shake. "Will Solace. I believe you've met the unfortunate relation that is my cousin Apollo." The blond grinned wider when he noticed the dark look he was getting from Jason. "Oh, come on, Jase, it's not going to hurt anything."
Dakota shrugged. "I don't know, perhaps we should nip it in the bud before things get out of hand. Maybe do the dog thing again."
Jason patted Dakota on the back. "Thank you! Finally someone that sees reason."
However, Jason cringed when Rachel cleared her throat. "I think it's a good idea." She smiled at Percy. "He's supposed to know."
"And how do you know that?" Jason grumbled.
"Because I had a dream about him before he moved here." She motioned around them. "We were all standing here, and he was standing there, looking all nervous like he is now." Her hand briefly hovered over Nico's general direction. "And...never mind." She blew out a breath. "He's just supposed to know."
Luke crossed his arms. "Jason, can't we just let this go, so we can all go to bed? It's late, man." He motioned in Percy's direction. "I trust him, and I vouch for him."
"No!" Thunder boomed overhead when Jason glared at the other blond. "That's final."
Annabeth sighed. "Jason-"
The blond raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm sorry, Annabeth, but my say is final." He turned his attention to Percy. "I'm sorry, but I can't risk everyone's safety like this. If the town got even the slightest hint of something about us, we'd be screwed."
Nico finally hopped off of the tombstone. "Jason," he began, "didn't we agree that you were going to go easier on Percy?" The blond in question slumped his shoulders. "Is it too much to ask that Percy get a chance at proving himself?" He took a step back. "You still have the final say, but I think he deserves a chance."
Jason scrunched his lips, his eyes darting over to where Percy stood. Letting out a long breath, the blond let his arms drop to his side. "One chance." He gave Percy a serious stare. "Look, I don't mind you, Percy, I don't. And I'm sorry if I sound like an asshole right now, but I'm trying to look out for the rest of the group." Percy gave a small nod. "Especially the younger ones, who don't know how to defend themselves like the rest of us do."
"I understand," Percy whispered.
With an intake of breath, Jason nodded. "Good." He pursed his lips. "Just...don't let us down, okay?"
Percy finally managed to swallow the lump that had been in his throat for the past few minutes. His shoulders visibly relaxed for all of two seconds before he found his body flying through the air, the air being knocked out of him when his back collided with the stone wall of the mausoleum. Percy clutched at his throat, as he could slowly feel it tighten.
"I'm disappointed in all of you," came a strangely familiar voice from nowhere.
Right before Percy's eyes, a ball of light appeared in front of the others. It slowly grew and took form until Apollo stood in the cemetery. The blond had his hand outstretched, gripping at Percy, though he was several feet away.
"You know what we in the coven usually do to mortals that go poking their noses in things like this, and yet you all are letting him off the hook." He narrowed his eyes at the group. "I shudder to think what this coven might come to if our Firsts are this weak." His eyes fell on Jason. "And I'm especially disappointed in you, cousin. What would your father think?"
"Shouldn't you be with the adults," Luke grumbled.
Apollo's eyes, which usually looked so bright, were venomous. "We finished already, thought I'd come to see how everything was going here. And to pick up Will." The aforementioned boy gave Apollo a slight nod. Apollo pointed a finger at Percy. "I'm not letting him leave here with the knowledge of what we are!"
Jason, who had just been on Percy's side, became awfully quiet. He stared down at his feet, offering no help to Percy. The green-eyed boy kicked at the wall, trying to raise himself in an attempt to get a breath.
"Let him go, Apollo!" Annabeth yelled, yanking on the back of the blond's shirt, but Apollo just flicked his hand and the girl was jerked backwards by some roots. His dark eyes shot over to Percy. "Sorry about this, Percy. Nothing personal."
Percy's could no longer breathe, and he was beginning to feel lightheaded. And while he wasn't sure, Percy had the suspicion that the back of his head was bleeding from hitting the marble wall behind him.
"Stop!"
Apollo's grip on Percy vanished and the green-eyed boy fell to the ground, gasping for breath. When he looked up, Nico stood between him and Apollo. The blond narrowed his eyes, reaching out for Percy again. But nothing ever came. Apollo hissed out a curse when he looked down and found skeletal hands gripping his ankles.
Percy wasn't sure where Nico got a knife, but the boy slid the blade across his palm and showed it to Apollo. "I vouch for him, with my blood."
"I invoke my right as Head of House Solace," Apollo hissed.
Nico stood defiant. "And I invoke mine as First to my father, Head of House di Angelo." Percy wasn't sure if it was just the lack of air he had been getting, but it looked like there was a dark outline surrounding Nico. "By that right, I command you to stand down!"
No one spoke. Apollo glared down at Percy before returning his gaze to Nico. The blond thrust his finger at Nico's chest. "You better know what you are doing. This on your head now." With another dark look at Percy, Apollo turned and began to walk off.
"And you won't tell the others?" Jason called after his cousin.
The older blond gave a wave over his shoulder. "Yeah, whatever," he muttered.
Nico and Luke crouched down beside Percy. "You okay, man?" Luke asked.
"Uh-huh," Percy answered dizzily. Nico grinned at him before getting Luke to help him get Percy to his feet. "Thanks."
Nico rubbed his arm. "Well, looks like you get to keep your pretty face after all."
Percy grinned like an idiot. "I knew-"
Nico's eyes widened and he caught Percy as the green-eyed boy nearly fell down. He sighed as he sat Percy on the ground. Nico bit his lip and looked up at Luke. "I've got him, if you want to get the others home before our parents start to worry."
Luke gave a nod. "Okay, guys, we need to get to bed," he called to the others.
Before leaving, Will jogged over to them. "Again, sorry about my cousin." He patted Percy on the shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you again, dude."
Percy blinked a few times, trying to get everything to stop spinning for him. Nico smiled and sat down beside him, bringing his knees up to his chest. Percy rubbed the back of his head, wincing when his fingers touched at the bruise.
"Here," Nico whispered, "let me see." Percy's heart pounded in his chest when Nico ran his fingers through the green-eyed boy's hair. And just like that, the pain was gone. Nico smiled at him. "All better. I don't think you have a concussion, or at least I hope not. I'm not much of a healer."
Percy touched at the back of his head again, relieved when he found no lump. "But you just fixed me up."
Nico gave a small nod, regarding Percy from the corner of his eye. "That's sort of like how most people in a country speak in a common tongue." He took in a breath, turning his gaze to the moon overhead. "Magic is complicated. There's common forms of magic, like what I just did...and flipping the car."
"Telekinesis," Percy added.
The brown-eyed boy smiled, but did not look away from the moon. "In the broad sense of the term. But what Apollo did to you was completely different. That sort of goes into house magic."
Percy furrowed his brow. "House magic?"
Nico finally looked at him, giving Percy a contemplative look. "If I trust you with all of this, you swear you won't burn us?" He cringed slightly. "I don't mean that in the literal sense."
Percy gave a small nod. "I promise." He held out a hand for Nico to clasp. The brown-eyed boy looked at him funny for a moment before clasping Percy's hand. "I swear that your secret is safe with me."
A small exhale came from Nico before he began to pull up some grass. "While we all know common magic, each house specializes in different forms of magic."
"So, like, what do you all do?"
Nico chuckled, shaking his head. He seemed happier than Percy usually saw him, which made Percy smile. The brown-eyed boy leaned back, stretching out his legs. "That's complicated. That's like suggesting that everyone in the house likes the same things to eat." Nico shook his head again. "It would take far too long to detail everyone's individual talent as witches or warlocks." He pressed a hand to his chest. "Take my family for example. My sisters and Hazel can communicate with spirits, as well as summon them. Bianca can physically touch spirit, while Hazel practices Vodun."
Percy quirked a brow. "You mean voodoo?"
Nico gave him an odd look. "No. Well, not exactly. I wouldn't exactly call them the same thing, but I wouldn't say they aren't the same either. But to say that Hollywood has vastly exaggerated the practice is an understatement." He nudged Percy's shoulder. "And, please, don't call it voodoo around Hazel or Beckendorf."
"Beckendorf practices it as well?"
Nico scrunched his lips. "Yes and no. He dabbles in it, but Hazel is far more advanced at it than he is. But Beckendorf's mother was a Vodun priestess." The boy's fingers were pulling up more strands of grass. "It's sort of why our families stuck around here, because we found other people with magic. However, if not for my family, they wouldn't have been so...welcoming."
Percy frowned. This was a lot to take in. "I take it there's a story there?"
"Yep."
"So, what about you?" Percy asked.
The boy did not seem so eager to answer that question. He cleared his throat and looked away from Percy. "You know, just regular stuff with death. Death magic, zombies, ghosts, that sort of thing."
Percy tilted his head to the side. "The way you talked about your sisters, it sounded like they were different."
Nico let out a sigh. When he looked at Percy, the green-eyed boy noticed a sad look in his brown orbs. "Like my father before me, and his father before him, I'm capable of raising and dismissing the dead. Like corpses—zombies, technically, if you want to call them that. I can also command a few more spirits than my sisters and Hazel," Nico whispered.
Percy smiled at the way Nico looked embarrassed. "I think you're being modest."
The boy inhaled. "It's not really anything to brag about, really. Not like Luke and his family, who can cast illusions. Or Jason's family, who can control the weather." The boy blinked a few times, trying to look anywhere but at Percy.
The green-eyed boy decided to show mercy on the poor boy. "So, what about Will and Dakota? I don't think I've seen them at school." Percy leaned back on his palms. "Do they live around here?"
"Uh, not always." Nico shifted slightly away from Percy. "Dakota just graduated this past year, and now he's attending school in New Orleans."
"Why does that seem to be the place where you all go for college?"
"Just is," Nico mumbled. "New Orleans is a site for magic, heavy in death magic." The boy looked down at his lap. "I hate going there, too loud, and I don't mean from the people actually living there." The boy cleared his throat and finally looked up to meet Percy's gaze. "Anyways, those like Will and Jake just don't go to school around here."
"Jake?"
"Ah." Nico rubbed the back of his neck. "Leo and Beckendorf's brother. Jake's mother sort of found out about Leo's mother, and ended up taking Jake and moving. But, as you can probably guess by now, she only moved to the next town. We never go far from home." Surely they weren't the only people out there with magic, were they? So why feel the need to stay around this town? "And Will's mother doesn't live that far away. Apollo offered to let them stay in his house, but I'm not sure if they are going to."
Percy blinked twice. "So, like, does Will have the same problems at his school?"
Nico shook his head. "No, he's fairly popular." He grinned. "It's just this town is full of assholes."
Percy laughed at that. "Okay, so, what was that ritual, anyways?"
The other boy gave a small nod. "Right. That." He scrunched his lips and furrowed his brow. "It's a special holiday for us. Not Halloween," the boy said with a hint of irritation. "We call it Samhain. It was just a standard ritual to sanctify the coven. Well, the Firsts were doing it and the rest of the kids usually just watch. Our parents do a full ritual and all that in their own circle." Nico grinned wickedly. "It wasn't something for revenge, if that's what you were thinking."
"Looked..." Percy's brow furrowed as he attempted to think of the appropriate wording. "Evil? I don't think that's the right word."
Thankfully, Nico smiled at him. Percy let out a breath. "Not at all. It was just to strengthen our bonds."
It seemed like Percy was doing a good job of following, until he thought back to something Luke had said a while back. "Wait, I thought there were twelve families? It looked like you were short a member, excluding you."
"Right," Nico whispered. His fingers tightened in the grass, his knuckles turning white. "Apollo's sister, Artemis, is currently Head of House for the Nightshades. Traditionally, it is presided over by a female anyways, so it's not really a big deal. However, her husband...died shortly after Artemis was pregnant with their only child, Zoë." Percy might not be the brightest crayon in the box, but even he could tell that Nico was bothered by something. "And, so, since Zoë is still pretty young, she can't stand in the circle with us."
"Why not?"
Nico rubbed the back of his neck. "We are born with our magic, but it doesn't surface until we reach puberty, which Zoë hasn't reached yet. Until that time, you aren't able to stand in a circle without consequences to your physical well-being." Nico finally seemed to relax, dropping his hands into his lap. "But it's not really a big deal, since we are only Firsts, and the actual Heads of House have their full circle."
Percy frowned as he thought of something else. "Seems like there's a lot of death that happens in your families."
Nico's shoulders slumped and his lips drew into a thin line. "You would be correct. It's a long story, one that I'd rather not get into right now, if that's okay?"
Percy gave a small nod. "Yeah, of course. I appreciate what you've already told me, and I don't want to push you into talking about something you don't want to." He smiled and nudged Nico's shoulder. "Cheer up, you're cuter when you smile."
Nico glared at him from behind his black bangs. "You're asking to get hit, Jackson." He narrowed his eyes. "I just might let Dakota turn you into that dog, it would be an improvement."
Green eyes snapped open wide. "That reminds me, what did Dakota mean by that?"
Nico clamped his mouth shut. "Nothing," he whispered. "You really don't want to know."
"I feel like I should worry," Percy mumbled.
The other boy shot him a sad look. "It—He had it coming." Nico fidgeted beside Percy. "He killed my mother, Percy," Nico whispered.
Percy's brow furrowed. "Who did?" He leaned a little closer to the other boy, his blood already starting to boil.
"Khione's father," Nico said, barely above a whisper. He took in a breath and straightened, wringing his hands. "My father...he put Khione's father, Boreas, into a trance one night, and made him come to our house." The boy shuddered. "I still remember his screams. They were so loud that I could hear them from the basement, all the way up on the second floor." Nico would not look at Percy. "I remember when I came downstairs, I saw Boreas writhing on the floor, screaming in pain.
"And then his bones started to snap and twist under his skin," Nico continued. "The hair across his body thickened and spread, turning different colors. His ears grew until they drooped on either side of his tail. And with a final scream, the man's nose cracked until it came out from his face several inches." Nico pursed his lips. "And where there was once a man, there was now a dog. The very same dog that you can find at Khione's house."
Percy sat there, stunned, for a long period of time. He had seen that dog, and now he understood why Grover looked so sad by just looking at it. "The beagle?" Percy whispered.
There was a small nod from Nico, who still refused to look at Percy. "My father took him back home, cursing Boreas to forever remember who he was before, but unable to speak like a human anymore. After the transformation, my father told Boreas that it would be his eternal punishment for what he did: being so close to his family, but that he will never truly be able to be with them ever again."
Percy did not know what to say. He had liked that dog, but now he was so conflicted. On one hand, he was upset that Nico's father would do something like that to a person that could not fight back to the same extent that Nico's father was capable of. But on the other hand, he now hated that dog for what he had once done to Nico's mother. Part of Percy's mind justified that the man deserved what he got in the end.
"Say something," Nico whispered.
"Is there...anything else? What else have you done to the town?" Percy asked. When Nico cringed, Percy realized how that must have sounded. "I...I didn't mean it like that," Percy quickly added.
Nico continued to look down at his lap, crossing his legs. "That's a pretty long list. Like I said, we don't just sit back and take it." He let out a sigh. "Well, there was the cobbler." He chanced a look at Percy. "You really shouldn't have eaten it."
Percy felt sick. "What was in it?" He asked hesitantly.
The other boy bit down on his lip. "Ground up eyeballs," Nico mumbled.
Percy's stomach did a flip. He felt like he might hurl. "Oh my god, Demeter has a very twisted sense of revenge."
"It wasn't for you!" Nico began to flail his arms. "I tried to warn you!"
He did, Percy would admit that. The green-eyed boy let out a sigh, rubbing his stomach gently.
"It's sort of why everyone was having bad luck," Nico added.
The taller of the two buried his face in his hands. "I really don't feel well," he groaned.
Nico reached over and rubbed his back. "She felt really bad about it when she found out you ate some of it." Nico pressed his lips together. "And I sort of slipped you some herbs in your lunch when you weren't looking, so that it would dull the curse that Demeter had put in the cobbler. That's why you didn't end up in the hospital."
He had to sit there, rubbing his temples, for a moment. This was a lot to take in. He was beginning to sound repetitive, but he would like anyone else to do better in this situation. While he still was not scared of them, he was beginning to wonder if it was safe to eat anything around them ever again. And then Percy paled even more. Crap, he was supposed to be having dinner at Nico's house soon. He groaned.
"It's not like she's trying to poison you," Nico said with a roll of his eyes.
Percy turned to retort to that comment, but a sharp pain shot through his head. The boy shut his eyes as the pain only increased. And when he opened his eyes, Percy found that they were in Salem. Well, they weren't, but it was what Percy was seeing.
It was dark, and it looked like most people had turned in for the night. But out from a lone barn came the girl that had been hanged. And not far behind her were Kronos and Tartarus. Kronos flicked his wrist and the girl spun around, hovering slightly in the air.
Kronos rested his hands on his knees in an attempt to catch his breath. His shirt was disheveled and his hair was wildly messy. "Circe, wait!"
The girl's foot finally came in contact with the ground again. She glared hatefully at Kronos, Tartarus refusing to look at her. "Thou hath broken an oath, Kronos!"
"Twas not like that!"
Circe sneered. "Spare me your lies. Thou are just like thy mother."
Kronos glared and reeled his hand back, striking the girl across the cheek. Tartarus shot forward and took hold of the girl. "You didn't have to hit her!" He yelled.
The girl shoved the pale boy off of her. "Get away from me. Thou are not my brother!"
"Circe," Tartarus pleaded. "Please, don't tell father." Reaching into her hair, the girl pulled out a small needle and pricked her finger. She then took her pricked finger and smeared her other wrist with the blood. "I shall not let you make a fool of me like this," she hissed.
Kronos reached her arm, but Circe jerked it away. Thunder boomed above them.
"I shall just have to grant thee thy wish then." Circe's eyes turned black. "Blood unto blood, these two spirits are now mine," she said slowly. A heavy gust swirled around them. "Soul tied to soul, do I eternally bind. Blood of your hearts, forever will be your doom."
Kronos reached out for her again, but Circe spat in his face and ran off. As Kronos wiped at his face, thunder boomed again, the sky swirling with dark clouds. A bright flash of lightning caused Tartarus to flinch.
"Tartarus," Kronos said softly, turning to face the other boy.
The brown-eyed boy rubbed at his arm. "She...she hath cursed us." Kronos took a step closer. "She cursed us, Kronos! Do not act so calm."
"I'm not," Kronos said soothingly, slowly moving towards the other boy.
Tartarus slowly shook his head. "What hath she done?"
Kronos shot his arm out, but was only met with a cloud of smoke. The boy groaned and gripped his hair in frustration. "This isn't over," the boy growled, his eyes flashing gold as he glared in the direction Circe had run.
"Percy!"
Percy jerked as he felt Nico's hands grab his shoulders and shook him. The boy let out a long breath, his forehead now covered in sweat. "What happened?" He whispered.
Nico shifted slightly. "You tell me. You zoned out for a good five minutes."
As much as he had not wanted to sound like a loon, somehow Percy suspected that Nico would not have a problem believing what he was going to say. "Um, I don't know how to tell you this, but I think I have been dreaming about your ancestor." Percy pointed a shaky finger over to a specific tombstone. "Tartarus. He moved here from Salem, didn't he?"
"How...how did you know that?" Nico shifted, placing his legs underneath him. "That's not possible."
"He looked like you."
Nico closed his mouth, pressing his lips into a thin line. "Okay, so maybe you have." He took in a breath. "This doesn't make any sense," the boy whispered. "It-it has to be a coincidence."
"Well, I mean," Percy began, "it all started happening after I moved here." Nico gave a nod, urging Percy to continue. "And, I mean, it's not the only weird thing. I think my apartment is haunted, because stuff moves around and things shut on their own when I'm not looking sometimes. And then, the other night, this old woman jumped on me in my bed, and I swear she looked like a corpse."
"So glad you're getting laid by an old lady," Nico mumbled. Percy shot him a glare. Nico waved his hands. "Sorry, sorry." He stood up and began to pace, tapping his finger to his lips. "This is very strange. If I didn't know any better, I'd think someone has decided to haunt you."
"The old lady?"
Nico quickly shook his head. "No. To be there naturally, the spirit would have had to die there, and I can't recall anyone dying in your apartment complex." The boy let out a sigh. "I think it's best if I take a closer look at your apartment."
Percy had to smile at that. "How about dinner as well?"
"Not the time," Nico mumbled. He gave the other boy a serious look. "Then maybe that would explain your dreams. Whoever put that spirit in your apartment could have put those dreams in your head." Percy observed as the boy's eyes darkened. "And after I'm done looking at your apartment, and I find out it's true, I'm going to be having a very long conversation with Medea."
Percy pulled his knees up to his chest. "You think she did this?"
"Seems like her thing to do. Torment the new kid in town."
They end up sitting there until the sun started to come up. Percy smiled as the two of them sat there in silence, simply watching the sun's first light come over the horizon. After their discussion about the possible ghost in Percy's apartment, the two had moved on to different topics. But the only real thing that Percy had taken interest in was when he had asked Nico about there seeming to be some conflict between him and Apollo.
"It's a long story," Nico had sighed. "Mitchell cheated on me with Apollo, but I disliked Apollo before that even happened."
"What happened?" Percy had asked.
"Something I could never forgive," was the only answer Percy had received.
Percy let out a long sigh, looking over at the brown-eyed boy. He was so beautiful, the way the light hit his dark features just right. But now that sun was up, Nico seemed less energetic, and not just from a lack of sleep. He just seemed...drained.
"Thanks for talking with me," Percy said, smiling at the other boy.
"Yeah." Nico tossed some grass to the side before looking back at Percy. "Thank you...for not freaking out and hating us."
Just then, Nico became very tense. The boy shot to his feet and spun around several times, searching through the woods. Percy furrowed his brow, slowly climbing to his feet as well.
"Shit," Nico cursed under his breath. Running a hand through his hair, Nico grabbed Percy and a darkness enveloped them.
Percy honestly did not know how to explain it. It was like his body just simply ceased to be for a split second before he and Nico appeared outside the gates of the cemetery. He did feel cold now, though, like all the heat in his body had been sucked out of him. And he felt...well, he felt like death.
Nico pushed against Percy's back. "You need to go," the boy said urgently. Percy tried to argue, but Nico kept pushing. "I'll see you at school in a few hours, but you really need to go. Right now!"
Percy frowned. "Why? What's going on?"
"No time to explain," Nico hissed.
And perhaps it wasn't the best of times, but Percy had an epiphany. He grinned. "So, is this why you lied about liking me?" He felt Nico tense up behind him.
Chancing a look, Percy found that Nico was blushing. "Wh-what are you talking about?" Nico stuttered. "I didn't-"
"I overheard you and Luke talking," Percy chuckled. "And I think it's because you were afraid I would freak out that you were a wi—I mean, warlock."
Nico blew at his bangs and pushed Percy harder, trying to get the boy to move as fast as he could. "Don't be stupid."
Percy grinned again. "Well, you don't have anything to worry about. I accept you for what you are, and I really don't care."
Nico slowed to a stop. Percy turned to find the boy staring down at his feet. "I-" Nico stopped when the two heard a loud bark and some rustling leaves. Nico shoved Percy again. "This isn't the time, Percy."
That did not stop Percy from grinning like a fool. "Go out with me. Tonight?"
Nico bit down on his lip, a brief pause from his struggle to get Percy to leave. But with another bark, the boy tensed and pushed Percy again. "You need to go."
"Go out with me," Percy repeated, turning to face the other boy.
Nico's hands were not pressing against Percy's chest. "I-" Another bark. He looked up at Percy. "If I agree, will you leave right now?"
Percy's smile only widened. "Yes, I promise." Nico gave him a nod and that was all the confirmation that he needed. Pumping his fist in the air, Percy let out a, "Yes!"
Nico just rolled his eyes and gave Percy a hard shove. "Now go."
Still grinning, Percy jogged down a small hill and slipped behind a large tree to continue his journey through the woods. But then he heard a thundering roar getting closer and he ducked behind a tree. He peered around the trunk of the tree to catch sight of Nico slipping his hands into his pockets as he walked onto the road.
Percy's eyes widened as a large, familiar black dog jumped forth from the trunk of the tree closest to Nico. The boy did not seem to be startled at all as the dog bounded around him, barking loudly and wagging its tail. And it was then that Percy realized where he had seen it before.
It was the same dog that Percy had seen around the woods of Luke's house on his birthday. The dog was massive, coming up to Nico's waist with ease. And its paws looked like the size of fists. But the dog just crouched forward on its front legs and barked eagerly up at Nico.
"I was just out for a walk," Nico sighed. The dog barked again. "Yeah, yeah. Come on, Cerberus." The dog barked as the boy took off walking down the road. "I really don't want to go to school today."
All seemed fine, until the dog came to a halt and turned its head to stare into the woods. Right in the direction of where Percy was crouched behind a tree. Though, whether the beast could see him or not, Percy had no idea. But the dog still growled, showing off its massive fangs.
Crouching down next to Cerberus, Nico scratched under its chin. "Come on, boy. How about I sneak you a nice juicy steak tonight after dinner?" The dog barked happily and bounded off down the road, completely forgetting about whatever it had been that might have given Percy away. Standing back to his feet, Nico glared in Percy's direction and pointed into the distance, letting Percy know that it was time for him to leave.
Percy groaned and he dragged his feet along the sidewalk. As he had not been able to get any more sleep, Percy honestly did not trust himself behind the wheel of his car. By the time he had gotten back to his place, he had barely had enough time to grab a shower and get ready for school. Percy was starting to feel a lightheaded, and he was not sure if he was going to be able to handle school today. And that wasn't even counting practice.
As he crossed the lawn of the school, Percy took notice of the flashing lights of an ambulance and some police cars. Frowning to himself, Percy mustered up the strength to jog over to where a crowd of students and faculty was forming.
A lot of the back lines were attempting to peer over the crowd, though Percy—even with his height advantage—was unable to see anything. But there was definitely something burning, he could smell it. And, unfortunately, he had smelled this before. Burning flesh.
It was at this time that Percy spotted Nico and the others standing a good distance away from the rest of the crowd. Percy slowly made his way over to them.
"Hey," Percy greeted them. He motioned over his shoulder. "What happened?"
"Another pastor was murdered," Annabeth whispered. She, along with most of the other kids, were being shepherded into a close circle by those that were probably more capable of fighting off a crowd.
Nico did not look like he was comfortable in such a close space, so Percy helped him squeeze out. Jason shot Percy a glare, but Luke did not seem to mind as much. The blond eyed Percy for a second before returning his attention to the rest of the students.
"Strung up on the flag pole," Nico mumbled, brushing himself off.
Jason gave a grunt. "We should get everyone home."
"But school," Malcolm protested.
Luke let out a sigh. "I have to agree with Jason, I don't think it's best for us to be here right-"
"You monsters!" Came the first angry voice. Luke let out a sigh.
Percy turned towards the crowd, his eyes locking on to where the paramedics were carting away a body bag. Nico, however, did not seem very concerned with the angry mob that was starting to turn on them. The boy just blinked up at Percy and said, "You look like shit."
Percy narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Thanks," he mumbled.
Nico's attention was finally drawn when a rock came in contact with his cheek. The boy hissed and stumbled a few feet. Luke's eyes were like dagger, as the blond moved forward to try and fight whoever threw the rock, though Percy was not sure how Luke intended to pick anyone out from all the angry faces that were there.
Beckendorf, Thalia, Medea, and Clarisse joined Luke on the front lines. Out from her backpack, Clarisse pulled a pair of brass knuckles, which seemed to deter several of the kids in the front. Jason had crouched down where Nico had fell, his eyes a mixture of concern and fury. If Percy had not been paying attention, he might have missed it, but he could have sworn he saw an actual spark in Jason's eyes.
And then all of Jason's furious gaze was turned on Percy. He pointed a finger up at the green-eyed boy and said, "Jackson, you with me?"
Nico and Percy exchanged a look, where Nico shook his head with a warning look, but Percy wasn't about to listen either. Percy nodded at Jason and took off with the blond. Before Luke could catch the other blond, Jason had shot past and planted his fist into the face of the first person he could reach. And that was all the motivation everyone needed to break out into a full fight.
"Fuck yeah!" Clarisse yelled as she dove into the fray.
Percy had been right there beside them, and he quickly delivered quick punch to someone that he believed was on his baseball team. Too late to rethink things now, he told himself.
"Enough!"
The kids quickly froze at the sound of an angry Hestia. The woman stood there with a frustrated look on her face, her hair tied back into a tight knot. It did not matter which side each kid was on, they quickly backed away from each other and averted their gaze from the young woman as she stared at each of them with disappointment.
"You should all be ashamed of yourselves," she said, shaking her head. "Someone died today, and we're all ready to jump to pointing fingers and violence. Neither of which is the answer." She pointed in both directions, signaling that she wanted the sides to disperse. The kids quietly obeyed. "Expect that each of your parents will be notified by the time you get home today."
The way the woman wielded guilt, they should stick her in the army or something, Percy thought.
With her lips pursed, she Hestia walked over to Nico and helped the boy to his feet. With a quick inspection of his cheek, the woman urged him to stand back. "Now then," she continued, "I'm sure the police will get to the bottom of this, so there is no need to get violent."
When a throat cleared, most of the student body turned their attention to where Chiron was standing near the flag pole. "In light of today's events, I am canceling school for today. If you need to call your parents, please move to the office to a call, or use your cellular devices that we all know you keep in your pockets. Either way, the police would like to ask that the area of the flag pole be cleared. I shall see you all bright and early Monday morning." With that, he placed his hands behind his back and disappeared into the school building.
There was a lot of grumbling from everyone as the courtyard of the school was emptied. A lot of the kids moved towards the parking lot to take their car and head home. Some followed after where Chiron and most of the faculty went. But Percy, he followed after Luke and the others. Well, at least until Kinzie stopped him.
The girl did not look pleased. "Percy, how could you defend them like that back there?" She huffed and adjusted the strap of her backpack. "We all know they were behind it."
"You don't," Percy interjected.
The girl pursed her lips. "Khione told me something interesting last night. Is it true?"
Percy glanced after Luke and the others. While most had continued towards the parking lot, Luke, Annabeth, and Nico were waiting for him by the glass doors of the cafeteria. The green-eyed boy turned his attention back to Kinzie. "If she said I was bisexual, then yes, it's true."
To put it lightly, Kinzie looked shocked. "Well, I mean, are you sure you're not just confused." She placed a hand on Percy's arm. "Perhaps if you came and prayed about it."
"Yeah, not really the praying type."
"Percy, I just don't want you to end up going to hell." She lowered her voice as she looked around them. "Being gay is a sin."
Percy couldn't help it, he cracked a grin. "So I'm only half a sinner?"
The girl bristled. "This isn't a joke," Kinzie hissed.
"I'm not joking." Percy shrugged. "I'm sorry if you liked me, but I sort of like someone else."
Perhaps Percy could have been a little gentler. He felt bad now, due to the sad look he could see in her eyes. "So Khione was right? You like the di Angelo boy?" She asked. Percy gave a small nod. "But he's...weird. Weirder than the rest of them. He talks to himself."
That was right, Percy needed to ask about that rumor. "He seems fine to me." Percy motioned over his shoulder. "They all do, once you get to know them."
She placed her hand on his shoulder. "That's because they have you under their spell." She looked so convinced of it, too. But Percy just arched a brow at her. "I'll be praying for you, Percy. If you change your mind, our doors at church are always open to you. I hope I can save you before it's too late."
The green-eyed boy smiled at her. Even though she was being a little dumb, Percy appreciated at least that she cared about her friends. "Thank you, Kinzie. I'm fine, though, but I do appreciate the concern."
The auburn-haired girl gave a small nod, chancing a small glance over Percy's shoulder to where Luke, Annabeth, and Nico stood. Percy turned and headed over to him, smiling at the annoyed look on Nico's face. He could only hope that was jealousy. Normally, Percy was not the type to like jealousy, but in this case he would make an exception. Because, if Nico was jealous, it meant he had a shot.
"So, do you guys know what happened?" Percy asked once he was close enough.
Annabeth shook her head. "Not a clue."
Nico continued with his glaring. "What did she want?"
Percy grinned down at the boy. "Aw, don't worry, I'm all yours."
That caused a stir in color from Nico's cheeks. Luke grinned and clapped Nico on the back. "Thanks for helping out back there," the blond said, clasping hands with Percy.
Nico crossed his arms. "None of you should have gotten involved." He punched Luke's shoulder. "You're supposed to listen, that's how it works."
Percy quirked a brow. Luke shrugged back at him. "Nico doesn't like dealing out authority, so he has me and Annabeth do it for him."
Nico flailed his arms. "Shut up! I'm not in charge."
"Not yet," Annabeth mumbled, grinning over at Luke. She held a hand out when Nico attempted to tackle her, holding the boy back by the forehead. "Our parents think someone has been trying to frame us." She looked up at Luke with a ponderous look. "You think that might have been why they were so concerned with the graveyard a while back?"
"Probably." Luke rubbed at his neck. "Either way, they have to be magical."
"Why do you say that?" Percy asked, making sure to keep his voice down.
Luke motioned for them to walk. "Because, in the first attack, you could smell sulfur. Only people with magic can burn someone to such a degree." The blond scrunched his lips. "And from what we got to see of the body, our parents said that it might have been something for a dark ritual."
"I thought you guys weren't evil?"
Nico knocked away Luke's hand, who was trying to inspect Nico's cheek. "We're not, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there with magic and the intention to use it for the wrong reasons."
Annabeth nodded. "And we have a lot of people that don't like us."
Luke cracked a grin at Percy. "Our families date back to the dark ages. You can build up quite a long list of enemies after such a long time."
When they reached Luke's car, Jason and Piper were leaning against the door. The blond straightened and smiled at Percy, clapping him on the shoulder. "Nice work back there, man."
Percy chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Wasn't any trouble." The blond's lips thinned. "Oh." He glanced at Piper. "Um, so, Piper does know that you know."
Nico narrowed his eyes. "I thought we were keeping it quiet?"
The blond chuckled nervously. "So, um, Silena did a better job of keeping it quiet, but she still knew something was up. She sort of attacked me this morning."
Piper waved them off casually. "It's not a big deal." She smiled over at Percy before enveloping him in a hug. "You're already cool with me, Percy, so I won't be ratting you out."
Nico flailed his arms about. "Can we please not tell anyone else? The fewer people that know, the better." The boy shook his head. "It's already dangerous enough with Apollo knowing."
Piper pursed her lips at the boy. "Thanks for the trust."
Nico glared back at the girl. Luke sighed and stepped in between the two before they could go at it. He shook his he at Percy with a smile. Annabeth shoved Nico's face, pushing the boy back so that she could talk to Jason and Piper. "We were just talking about the attacks, and how our parents suspect foul play."
"Or it could be the curse," Piper mumbled.
That drew Percy's attention. "Curse? What curse?"
"Nothing." Annabeth shot Piper a look. "Piper's just being silly." She sighed and rubbed her neck. "I did not get enough sleep to deal with this morning."
Luke nodded. "I think we should all go home and get some sleep."
Before Nico could move to get into Luke's car, Nico caught his arm. "Um, so, do you still want to come over tonight?" He asked. Nico chewed on his lip. "I mean, you know, to check my apartment."
Jason glared, but Annabeth cleared her throat and the blond grumbled to himself. Nico narrowed his eyes playfully. "Uh-huh. Nice save." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Well, I definitely need some sleep, and I think it's a bad idea for me to be in the town for dinner, if you were wanting to do that."
Percy shook his head. "No, we can eat at my place, since you were wanting to have a look at it."
Nico shifted his weight. All eyes were on the two raven-haired boys. Nico opened his mouth to give an answer, but received a small nudge from Luke. The blond looked innocently away when Nico turned to glare at him. Nico let out a sigh. "Fine, I'll be over around seven." He glared at Luke again. "Happy?"
"Very much," Luke replied with a grin.
Piper shoved a grumpy looking Jason towards a car parked beside Luke. The blond pulled out a set of keys and mumbled something to Nico, who just rolled his eyes and shoved the blond's face away. Annabeth slid into the passenger seat of Luke's car.
But Luke stopped Percy before he could walk off. Looking to make sure the others weren't listening, Luke leaned in. "Thank you, for being patient with him. He's...had a rough past when it comes to guys. Mitchell cheated on him, and Jason...well, we'll talk about him later." The blond grinned and rubbed Percy's shoulders. "But I've been rooting for you, even though you thought I was competition." Luke grinned again when Percy blushed. "Yeah, Nico told me. But, I'll have you know, I was pushing for you since day one."
"Thanks," Percy mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
Luke gave a nod and pulled his car key from the set of keys that were in his hand. "If you have any problems, come to me. I know Nico like the back of my hand, and I'll be glad to help you out if he's giving you trouble." He gave serious look when Percy chuckled. "I'm serious, you're going to be coming to me. A lot."
Percy nodded his head. "I'll keep that in mind." He let out a yawn. "I think I could use some sleep as well."
Luke stuck his tongue out with a grin. "Yeah, I suppose so, since Nico kept you up all night."
Percy blushed as Luke climbed into his car, instantly being bombarded by Nico with questions, if Percy had to guess. The green-eyed boy let out a groan and turned around, heading in the direction of his apartment. He just wanted to collapse and sleep the day away, but he knew that he'd have to get up at some point to clean and cook something up. Percy was going to give Nico a taste of oriental cooking.
Nico ended up coming over half an hour early. When he arrived, Percy poked his head outside the door and spotted a black sports car next to where his car was parked. "What, you didn't just teleport here?"
The other boy cracked a smile as he stepped back outside and shut the door. "Better?" The boy asked. Percy jumped, as the voice had come from behind him. There stood Nico, grinning at him from the couch. "It's easier when it's not very far. But, if I had done it from my house, I'd been a poor guest, as I'd probably be wanting to take a nap."
Percy rolled his eyes and moved back into the kitchen, where he was already working on dinner. "You did it pretty easily last night."
"That's because the area around our houses seeps with magical energy, makes it pretty easy for us to cast spells." The boy hopped up and slipped into the kitchen, peering over Percy's shoulder. "You're not going to burn the apartment down, are you?"
The green-eyed boy shot the other a dark look. "I'll have you know I'm good at cooking oriental food."
"Not really what you hear from an oriental boy," Nico chuckled.
"My aunt taught me," Percy pouted.
Nico smiled. "Doesn't change the fact that you are white."
"Says the pale kid."
Nico held up his hands. "Got me there. Still, it's not like I've never eaten Chinese or Japanese. Frank and his grandmother cook it on occasion."
Percy chanced a glance at the other boy, who was poking around his kitchen. "What about Frank's mother?"
"Died in the war." Nico opened Percy's fridge and peered inside. Not very polite, in Percy's opinion. "But Ares hasn't remarried yet. However, he's nice enough to let Frank's grandmother stay in the house with them."
"That's nice of him," Percy said, stirring the rice in the frying pan.
"You'd be really impressed if you knew Ares."
Percy peered over his shoulder as Nico disappeared from the kitchen area, slipping down the hall towards Percy's bedroom. The boy quirked a brow but let the boy do his thing. Not like he could be of much assistance in hunting for a ghost. "Can I get you something to drink?" Percy called out to the other boy. When no reply came, Percy got curious. Sitting down his spatula, Percy headed down to his bedroom.
He found Nico standing in front of his bed with his back to Percy. The green-eyed boy tilted his head to the side, reaching out to place a hand on Nico's shoulder. The boy spun around, nearly startling Percy. Nico's eyes were like the void, pure black that seemed to suck all light inside. Percy found it very hard to look away, until Nico blinked his eyes and they returned to their normal brown color.
"Sorry," Nico mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Just trying to find your spirit. It's definitely here, just not wanting to listen." He tapped a finger against his lips. "Strange."
"Oh." Percy stepped aside as Nico walked down the hall to his bathroom. "That reminds me, what's up with this rumor that you talk to yourself?"
"Well," Nico replied, yanking back the shower curtain, "it's because sometimes ghosts wander around at school. And, our coven, normal people can't see them."
"Wait." Percy held his hands up in a timeout motion. "Everyone in the coven can see ghosts?"
"Um." Nico pressed his lips together, like he was trying to gather the right words. "Yes, but only in the broad sense. They can see ghosts, through training, but they can't command them. Every family has their own unique magic, yes, but we also share the broadest aspects of those magics with the other families. Like, for example, I can make it rain, but Jason can summon tornadoes."
Percy gave a nod of understanding. "So how did I see the old lady?"
"Ah, well, there is always the exception to the rule." Nico stood up from checking under the sink. "If you are being haunted, the ghost can then manifest itself enough to give the person it is haunting a scare." The boy pushed past Percy. "But never for very long."
Percy nodded again before leaving Nico to his work and headed back to check on their food. While chopping up some vegetables to toss in with the rice, he heard a loud thud. Putting down his knife, Percy went back to his bedroom.
"Um, what was-"
His bed had collapsed onto the floor. Nico just stood there, his hands on his hips. "The ghost is not happy that I'm here," Nico replied casually. Without even looking away from the bed, Nico tossed his hand out in the air and Percy caught sight of faint wisps.
Where there was once nothing, a neck soon formed and slowly a body came into being, Nico holding it in place in the air. Percy paled as he soon recognized the horrid face of the old woman that had nearly given him a heart attack the other night. She struggled, like Nico's fingers burned her throat. And apparently they did, as smoke soon began to come off of the places where Nico's fingers touched her neck.
With a toss, Nico flung the ghost against the back wall, where she surprisingly made contact with it. Nico's eyes were dull as he watched the ghost scratch at the wall. "You're not going anywhere," he said darkly. "I forbid you from dissipating until I get some answers." Nico crossed his arms and sat down on Percy's bed. "Now then, tell me who summoned you here."
A very creepy, scratchy laugh emitted from the old woman's throat. She slowly turned to face the two boys, a small worm attempting to embed itself in the woman's cheek. Percy pointed to his own cheek. "You've got a little something, right here."
The woman hissed at him, her teeth horrid and rotten. But when she went to attack Percy, Nico flung his arm and sent her crashing back into the wall. However, the woman just threw her head back and laughed in Nico's face. "You have no power over me, little boy."
Nico's eyes turned black again and he shot up, extending his hand. The image of the woman began to flicker and turn smokey. She hissed at him, but was unable to move away from the wall. "Tell me!" Nico demanded.
"No!" She wailed, scratching at her face.
Nico locked his jaw and his palm flattened. He began chanting, though Percy was unable to decipher what it was. Either way, a dark aura appeared around Nico, and from every shadow of the room came snake-like tendrils with skulls for heads. Each impaled the ghost and wrapped around her, their ends sinking into the floor. Slowly, the ghost began to sink down.
The old woman clawed at the walls as the a circle opened up in Percy's floor. The boy's green eyes widened, and he had to wonder what the people below him might see, if anything at all. But ghostly and skeletal hands reached out of the circle and grabbed on to the woman's ankles, pulling her down to them.
"Then I banish you," Nico hissed out. "Be gone from this world and never return. Your soul be damned for all eternity."
"No!" The woman screamed, gnashing her rotten teeth at them before she was ripped down into Percy's floor, the floor shutting closed as soon as she was gone. Nico sighed and fell back onto Percy's bed, pressing a hand to his head.
The green-eyed boy sat down beside him. "You okay?"
Nico gave a small nod. "Yeah, I just hate having to do that, takes a lot out of me."
He gulped and looked at the floor. "You can't...do that to living people, can you?"
The boy rubbed his eyes. "Sure, if I wanted to end up in a coma for nearly a week. Magic isn't just snap your fingers and make something happen, Percy, there are consequences. However, this was a different matter. My family possesses dominion over the dead, so I suffer nothing by what I did."
"Right," Percy whispered. "Well, I need to check on the food, but are you going to be okay?"
Nico massaged the bridge of his nose, holding out his other hand. Percy helped him up. "I'll be fine, I just need to eat something. Maybe have something to drink."
Percy grinned. "I can help with that."
Nico followed after Percy, sitting on the green-eyed boy's couch while he let Percy finish cooking. Percy let out a chuckle when he heard Nico's stomach growl. After a moment, Percy glanced over at the boy and found Nico laying down with his arm over his eyes. He smiled at that. The other boy was so adorable, even after being extremely terrifying. But Percy, regardless of what his instincts tried to tell him, felt completely safe around Nico. The brown-eyed boy did not seem to want to hurt him, so why should he fear Nico?
He quirked a brow when Nico let out a groan. "It doesn't make any sense! I'm supposed to have dominion over the dead." Nico shot up and frowned at a random spot in the carpet. "How was she able to refuse my demand?"
"Maybe she was stronger?" Percy offered.
Nico gave him a look that made him feel stupid. "Don't be ridiculous, Percy. She was once alive, which means there's no way she could refuse me."
The green-eyed boy quirked a brow at Nico, his own stomach letting out a growl. "What does that even mean?"
Nico let out a sigh and collapsed back onto his back. "There are two types of spirits: those that were once amongst the living, and those that just always were." Nico scrunched his lips. "Those that always were are sometimes hard to control and can be unpredictable. It's where people got the concepts for angels and demons." Percy nodded. "With a lot of them, I do command authority over them, save for the most powerful of those spirits, which my father is capable of controlling." The boy let out a long breath. "But there is none that were amongst the living that should be able to refuse anyone in my family. They are the most basic of spirits." He shook his head. "I need to do some research on this, something isn't right."
Percy smiled and turned off the stove. "Well, how about we not think about that right now. You seem a little upset over it, plus you are hungry, so why don't we eat and watch some movies."
Nico sighed, but nodded his head and got up. He took a plate from Percy and helped himself to the food that Percy had prepared. Percy smiled, standing behind the boy. Due to the small kitchen, there wasn't much room to stand around, but it did have its perks. Like allowing him to be so close to Nico, close enough to simply wrap his arms around Nico's waist if he wanted.
In fact, he could practically see it, though Nico wore a loose cotton shirt that nearly hung off his shoulder. Percy shook his head, finding Nico standing there with his back to Percy in his usual dark attire. That had been odd, Percy thought.
The movies had been a good distraction for Nico, though perhaps not the best choices by Percy. Two in particular, which had both included witches. Nico just placed his legs underneath him and sat up to tell Percy everything that was wrong with the movies.
"Okay, first of all, their depictions of witches is offensive," the boy began. Percy grinned and sat back to listen. "First of all, I've never seen a single witch with any kind of wart. I mean, we have magic, so we can kind of fix things like that. Second, we can't fly, even on broomsticks."
"It's just a movie," Percy chuckled. "I didn't get to watch any horror movies last night."
Nico huffed and crossed his arms. "We don't even wear pointy hats."
Percy grinned, slipping his arm behind Nico's back, which seemed to go unnoticed by the irritated boy. "I'm sure you don't."
Percy eventually had to change the movie, because Nico eventually refused to watch it.
He shook his head with a chuckle, leaning forward to change DVDs. "It's just a movie, learn to laugh at yourself a little."
Nico pointed to the TV. "I don't mind movies about witches, when they don't depict us to be such bad people. And ugly, to top it all off." He motioned to himself. "I mean, do I look like that? I know I'm probably not the best looking-"
"I think you're cute," Percy replied, sitting back down on the couch to start the next movie. Nico blushed a little. Percy smiled and rested a hand on Nico's knee and rubbed his thumb against the pale skin there. "Just enjoy the movies for what they are."
Nico's eyes watched Percy's hand, but thankfully did not remove it. He sighed and sat back, also thankfully close to Percy. The green-eyed boy grinned in the darkness as he leaned his shoulder against Nico's. Inside his head, Percy was still trying to process everything he had learned since last night, but he knew one thing for sure. He still liked Nico. To him, Nico was the same kid that he had known since his arrival in this town. A little rough around the edges perhaps, but still a nice guy.
But the one thing he could not understand was how he felt drawn to Nico.
Even now, with them sitting so close, Percy wanted nothing more than to reach out and pull Nico closer to him, until they were laying down on the couch with Nico resting his head on Percy's chest and their legs intertwined. But Percy just licked his lips and tried to focus on the movie.
Which proved to be harder than it should have been.
Everything Nico did, Percy found himself hyper-aware of. A simple stretch, a yawn, or even the shift of the boy's legs, each movement drew Percy's attention to the smaller boy. Once or twice, Nico caught him and gave him a quizzical look. Percy just smiled and went back to watching the movie.
And before Percy knew it, Nico was getting up to leave. With a quick glance at his phone, Percy found that it was already after eleven. He cursed under his breath and got up to walk Nico to the door. Nico stopped at the door and turned to face Percy, a small smile touching at his lips.
"I did have a nice time tonight, those offensive movies aside," Nico said.
Percy leaned against the door. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself then."
Nico nodded. "And, hopefully, that should put an end to your ghost problems." He pressed his palm to Percy's head. "Though, I'm uncertain about those dreams. Let me know if they continue. If they do, I'll see about getting Katie to brew you up something to help you sleep."
The green-eyed boy chuckled. "Thanks."
Nico pursed his lips, letting his hand drop from Percy's head. "But, I'm not sure if we should continue with...this."
Percy was no longer smiling, at a loss for words. He felt hurt, like a knife was stabbing him in the heart. Percy pressed his hand to the door when Nico moved to open it. "I'm not scared of you, if that's what you're afraid of," Percy quickly reasoned.
"I-"
"And I'm not scared of you hurting me." Reaching out with his other hand, Percy grabbed Nico's hand and squeezed it. "I really like you, Nico, and I don't care if you're a warlock or just some normal weird kid."
Nico was glaring at him now. "I can control my powers, thank you very much."
Percy fumbled as Nico ripped his hand away. "Wait," he called out to Nico when the boy yanked the door open. "I didn't mean it like that, Nico. Please, wait."
Nico huffed and stopped at the stairs, turning to face Percy. "What do you want, Percy?"
Percy stepped outside and rested a hand on the railing. "Just one chance, if you'll give me that." He moved closer to the other boy. "I'll openly admit that I found myself feeling happy when I found out you were single, which surprised me after seeing you and Jason kiss."
Nico looked down at the concrete. "I was afraid that you saw that," he mumbled. Brown eyes stared up at him with a sad look in them. "Jason and I...we have a history. We're just complicated." The boy pursed his lips. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it to anyone besides Luke, as he's the only one in the coven that knows. If anyone found out, Jason could get in a lot of trouble."
"Sexuality matters to you guys?"
Nico shook his head. "It's more complicated than that, Percy. But that's not to say that his father his father is the most understanding man out there." He looked down at his feet. "Just don't say anything, please?"
Percy nodded and Nico let out a breath. "But, I mean, were you telling the truth earlier? About being single, I mean?"
Nico was the one to nod this time. "I am," he whispered. "And, yes, I do like you, Percy. I don't know why—well, I do, but I can't really explain it either." Nico let out a sigh. "Just...there's nothing going on with me and Jason, or at least I'm trying to get him to see it that way. I've told him on several occasions that I'm not going to be with him."
It sure looked that way the night Percy had to be bailed out of jail, Percy thought bitterly. "Why not?"
"Well, for one, Jason's dating my sister." Nico looked up at Percy from behind his bangs. "And I'm sorry about the way he has been acting around you, that's probably my fault." Percy just scrunched his lips. "I'm sorry."
Percy reached out and grabbed Nico before he could leave. "Wait." Nico quirked a brow at him. "Can I..." Percy kicked at the ground. "Can I at least see you tomorrow? I'd really like a chance."
Nico was looking down at where Percy was holding his wrist. After a moment of silence, Percy let go and rubbed the back of his neck. Nico stared out into the distance. "I—this really is not a good idea, Percy." That stung. But, much to Percy's surprise, Nico gave a nod. "But okay." With a small smile up at Percy, Nico began walking down the stairs.
Percy grinned and fought the urge to pump his fist into the air. Instead, he did a little dance until Nico turned around to give him a weird look. Percy just grinned and waved back. "I'll call you tomorrow," the green-eyed boy called out.
Nico chuckled as he unlocked his car. "Good night, Percy."
Percy finally held his hands up in the air in triumph once he was inside of his apartment. He could not stop grinning, and it was starting to hurt his face. Tonight was awesome. He just needed to play his cards right and show Nico that he wasn't going to hurt him.
Still smiling, Percy pulled out his laptop and opened up a new tab before going to Google. He blew his lips and tapped his fingers lightly on the keyboard, unsure of what to type in. He knew what he wanted to look up, but Percy also knew how broad the search would be.
Regardless, Percy typed out five words, mumbling them as he typed it out. "Real witches and their coven."
Okay, so now you guys might be wondering why Nico decided to tell Percy all of this now. Well, mostly because it was his way of making sure Percy stayed calm and didn't start freaking out later. Better to try to explain the broad details, than to have Percy have some mental breakdown. And finally some heavy plot got thrown in to advance the main plot of the story. And now some people got their wish about Percy telling about his dreams. And Percy got a small date, and gets to see Nico over the weekend. I have a really interesting way to finally get them together, and I'm looking forward to bringing that in soon. So, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought and all that jazz.